Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-06-09

doned by the Party, they even
tually returned to Germany aftel
long and aimless wanderings
Captured by the police anc
brought TO trial years later, eacl
was sentenced TO IS years i'm
: prisonment. The Party did no
even organize a campaign il
their defense.
Less than a week after tn
hapless brigands had clandes
timely left Germany, Hugo MARI
requested me 10 release a mum
Der of my best men on Hamburg
America Line ships from al
official Party work. fatty re
fused. The men he wanted L
have at his disposal were tn,
backbone of our organized net
work on the North Atlantic.
Hugo Marx did not quarre
with me; he quietly went tC
Party headquarters and com
planned about my stubborness
A few hours later a messenger
from headquarters summoned
me into the presence of Ernst
IThaelmann, then the Party CHIEF
in Hamburg.
Thaelmann had been a trans
port worker in his youth. He
was burly, thick-faced man
blunt of manner, and a victim OF
the habit of pounding table-tops
with his sledge hammer fists
Rudely, he asked me if knew
the meaning of the word sabo'
tage.
"Yes," I said timidly, over
awed by the nearness of one
of the strongest figures in the
German Communist Party.
what you do looks to me
like sabotage" he growled.
"Why do you refuse to CO.
operate with COmrade Hugo"
The outcome of it was that
promised to follow all Of Hugo's
directions. l did not know the
power welded by the G. p. u
lin Party affairs; I had not yet
REALIZED that the G.. p. u. was
completely in charge of thu
Apparat-vital subterranear
section of the Party machine
and that it safeguarded itself by
the crude and effective method
of intimidating even its most
lowly assistants.
When / stepped out of Thael'
mann's office, | found Hugo
Marx waiting for me. He gave
me a thin smile. We boarded a
taxi and rode to the Dammtor
Station. AT a corner table, we
joined a swarthy, middle-aged
elegantly dressed man. He gave
his name as Meyer. With gnash.
ing teeth | surrendered to him
and Hugo Marx a list of about
80 Communist seamen in the
North and South American
trade. Meyer" busily m d e
notes. He looked more like a
Levantine merchant than a Ger
man Bolshevik.
During the following weeks, in
addition to the usual harbor
propaganda, Hugo Marx and
Meyer" contacted me each time
a German vessel had returned TO
Hamburg from New York or
Buenos Aires. I was instructed
~t6m escort individually the Sc
|lected Communists among their
crews to a basement beer hall
on the waterfront where they
were interviewed by Meyer"
| was not permitted TO be
present at these interviews. In
.variably l received next day a
brief note and a so bill; the
note ordered me to shun in flu.
ture all contacts with the re-
spective seamen.
For many months the nature
of Meyers schemes remained
a deep mystery as far as l was
concerned. Most of the sailors
who had been transferred &c
the G. p. L. organization were
older Party members than |
They kept their secret well
Only some years later, in 1926
after | had myself advanced
into the inner circles of the Ap.
parat, did Hugo Marx solve the
mystery for me.
The Communist seamen whom
I had surrendered to Meyer
were employed in a large scait
man -smuppliug enternrise cre