Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-04

munist units he controlled
aboard the largest Swedish
liners. the Gripsholm and the
Kungsholm. had at times been
used by the Western Secre-
tariat for the transmission Of
special material TO and from
New York.
Harold Svensson was a
Swedish customs official and
a member of the harbor
police of Goeteborg. He
camouflaged his comparative
connections by holding a
nominal function in the
Swedish branch of the Friends
OF the Soviet Union.
His wife, a rather chic
brunei, also was in govern
ment employ. The seven
days I spent in Goeteborg l
lived in the home of one OF
Svensson's aides. an idealistic
ruffiian named Knut Bjoerk.
DISTASTEFUL DUTIES
My duties in Sweden were
Of a distasteful nature. The
Communist Party of Sweden
had long been. and still was,
the most independent among
the rs parties affiliated with
the Comintern.
II was the only Communist
Party which had achieved
sound financial independence,
an ability to carry out its
tasks irrespective Of whether
subsidies from Moscow, via
Copenhagen, arrived in
time or not.
Now. Moscow disliked a
state of financial independence
among its foreign auxiliaries.
for such independence de-
prived the kremlin of its
power to precipitate any re-
calcitrant organization into
bankruptcy. prevent the APP
pearance of its press and the
payment of salaries to its
leaders.
1t was an unwritten but
iron law in the Comintern
that no central party organ
should enjoy complete finan-
cial independence, and that
The wages of central com
mittee members must be paid
not out of money obtained
from membership dues. but
out of the regular monthly
subsidy from the treasury AT
the disposal of Ossip Plat
milky in Moscow.
Surplus funds raised by
Communist activities outside
of the Soviet Union were re-
quired 10 be placed. in one
way or another. under con-
troll of one Of the numerous
Soviet institutions. and Mos
COW then decided how much
of it should be used by the
various organizations, and for
what purpose.
Financial serfdom of this
sort was one of the main
levers used 10 keep the doings
Of all Comintern parties sub
servient 10 the interests of
the Soviet Union.
CLUBS AS BACKBONE
The financial backbone of
the Communist Party Of
Sweden was a chain of modern
and well-administered work
ers clubs. operating popular
restaurants and doing a
thriving business in all the
larger Swedish towns.
The Comintern had decided
TO separate this lucrative
source of income from the
Swedish Party machine. TO
place II AS a cooperative
enterprise under GPU super
vision, or in case of
insurmountable opposition
to destroy it.
My chief collaboration in
this drive was Gustav Holm
berg. former teacher at the
Lenin School in Moscow,
member of the Swedish CEN
trail committee. and head of
the GPU in West Sweden.
Comrade Holmberg had the
mild and steadfast appearance
of successful American re-
tail merchant. an appearance
greatly valued by The GPU
chiefs in the selection Of
stationary agents.
Holmberg decided which
functionaries should be in
vited TO attend the res
taurant conferences" The
speeches l made were not my
own product. They had been
written in advance in Berlin
by one of the managers of
the MuenZe berg press
trust"
l delivered them with all