Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-02
By JAN VALTIN

down the policy and the gen.
eral line of action for the
future. Benojt Frachon cleared
up fine points of tactics.
The subject of the confer
ence was TO decide on ways OF
Harvesting the militant natiin-
alist element among the Arabs
10 the Comintern wagon.
Propaganda literature was TO
be shipped. Arms were to be
struggled. Agitators and or
ganizers had TO be placed in
every coastal town between
AleXandrette and Alexandria.
COVERED WIDE FIELD
Then there was talk of
chartering a Green or Turkish
steamer; of a Jewish superin-
tendent in Tel Aviv whom no
one sus pected of being a Com
munist. of slogans which
would not meet with the
antagoniSm of the MoSlems
on religious grounds. of the
organization of terror groups
10 harass the soldiery OF
Britain and France: of cam
paigns to fight the surrender
to France of Syrian rebels
who had been caught by
British troops in Trans
iordania; of Arabs who were
to be sent 10 university in
Moscow; of strikes and passive
resistance: and of the adj
visibility of launching a wave
of sabotage acts against the
railroads.
The headquarters for the
Communist efforts in the
Near East was located in
Marseilles. Its traffic man.
ager was Ratti. the Italian.
Everybody pres sent mace
notes. and everybody smoked
and drank yin rouge.
The meeting had no secre-
-tary and no chairman, Raca-
mond ruled it, and. / gathered,
that he controlled the sub
sides of the Comintern for
the whole Near East. Sums
were mentioned: 500 francs.
1000 francs, 100000 francs.
The East Indian bargained
in a hollow voice. Mustafa
Sadi got up and shrieked like
a hySterical woman, terms
rolling down his ample
cheek, pleading with Raca-
mend for / 900 francs more.
Allan the burly Scot. waXed
cardonic.
FIVE HOURS FLY BY
But Racamond. ably sec
Onded by the cold-blooded
Frachon, ruled the meeting.
Racamond would jump 10 his
feet and shake his enormous
,sts over the head of Mustafa
Sadi. as If he were about 10
murder him.
In no time at all, five hours
flew by. The meeting broke
up. Racamond, cracking
Jokes. departed. Frachon fol-
lowed him like a shadow. The
East Indian loked as if he
was about to fall asleep.
Mustafa Sadi mopped per-
spiration from his forehead.
Allan scanned a London
Times. The English woman
yawned and wrapped her fur
coat tighter about her angular
figure.
Things were settled. Soon
he money would ch ange
hands. printing presses would
thunder, cOurierS would start
out with false passports and
suitcaseS with double covers.
and somewhere in the Near
East gandarmerie and troops
were scheduled TO work over
time.
Back in the Rue de Seine,
where | went to receive final
directions for my departure 10
Berlin next day, Rober Gins
burg told me that Arthur
Ewert wished to talk TO me.
Ginsburg said confidentially;
Il think YOU should know
that Comrade Ewert's position
i'm the Comintern Is not very
firm. He Is a capable BoIshe-
vik. but unfortunately he has
a head of his own"
SPOKE OF HIS PAST
The Ewert I met was very
gentle and very human, al
most soft. which was a
strange thing in fighter OF
his experience and ability.
He spoke of his past. From
his Job in Leningrad. he had
been sent to America, and
for some time he had been the
virtual dictator of the Com
munist Party of the United
States.
An intrigue spun by Thael-
mann in Berlin had brought
him back TO Moscow in 1929.
In such cases. it was difficult
10 discern where the political
motives ended and the per-
sonal motives began. The two
leaders then aired their diff
ferences in Moscow in the
presence of Molotov and
Manuilsky.
Arthur Ewert was the loser.
Yet Ewert was convinced