800.00B Communist International/243: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 25—12:37 a.m.]
514. Pravda for May 22 published resolution of Presidium of Executive Committee of Communist International recommending dissolution that organization91 and releasing sections of Comintern from duties issuing from regulations and decisions of Communist International.
Resolution outlines briefly role of Comintern world affairs since 1919. Comintern assisted in formation genuine workers’ parties and helped expose Fascist preparations for present war.
However, it points out it has been clear for years that historical and other differences between different areas of world constitute insurmountable obstacles to direction of working class movement of various countries by one international center.
War accentuated differences in situation of various countries. Workers and all honorable people in countries of Hitlerite bloc must do all they can to overthrow their government’s order to insure defeat of Hitler and prepare future international friendship based on equality. These tasks can best be fulfilled by the vanguard of the workers movement in each separate country. In support of this position it recalls resolution to this general effect of Seventh Congress of Comintern as well as decision of the United States Communist Party to leave Comintern in November 1940.92
Moreover, states resolution, Communists have ever [never?] been tradition bound. They hold that organizational forms must be [Page 532] abandoned when they have fulfilled their historic functions. First International93 for example ceased to exist after it had laid foundations of workers parties in Europe, America.
In addition to the above considerations resolution cites growth in political maturity of Communist Party and its cadres in various countries and requests made during war by number of sections for dissolution of Comintern. It being impossible under present conditions to call a Congress the Executive Committee undertook to suggest resolution of dissolution for ratification by sections.
Resolution concludes by appealing to supporters of Comintern to concentrate all their strength for defeat German Fascists.
[Here follows list of names of the members of the Presidium who signed the resolution.]
Complete text by mail.
- The Presidium took the decision to dissolve the Communist International on May 15, and this resolution was published in Pravda on May 22.↩
- The Communist Party took action on November 16, 1940, to withdraw from the Communist International to obviate the necessity of registering under the Anti-Subversive Activities Act (Voorhis Act), approved October 17, 1940; 54 Stat. 1201. See the New York Times, November 17, 1940, p. 9, col. 1.↩
- Originally the International Working-Men’s Association founded in London in 1864, and dissolved at Philadelphia in 1876.↩