Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, The British Commonwealth, Eastern Europe, the Far East, Volume III

800.00B Communist International/281: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, June 11, 1943.
[Received June 13—4:15 a.m.]

647. My 514, May 23. Pravda for June 10 publishes on its first page an announcement by the Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Communist International stating that its recommendation for the dissolution of the Communist International dated May 15 and published as reported by the Embassy on May 22nd has now been approved by the Communist parties of the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, China, Colombia, Mexico, Rumania, Syria, Uruguay, Finland, France, Czechoslovakia, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden, Yugoslavia, Union of South Africa.

The approval of the recommendations by the following organizations was also announced: The All Union Communist Party (of Bolsheviki) of the USSR, the Labor Party of Poland, the United Socialist Party of Catalonia, the Revolutionary Communist Union of Cuba, the Communist International of Youth.

The announcement continued as follows:

“Not a single one of the existing sections of the Communist International raised objections to the proposal of the Presidium of the Executive Committee.

In view of this situation the Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Communist International:

1. Declares that the proposed dissolution of the Communist International has been approved unanimously by the existing sections of the Communist International which were in a position to communicate their decisions (including the most important sections).

2. Considers as abolished from June 10, 1943, the Executive Committee of the Communist International, the Presidium and Secretariat of the Executive Committee and also the International Control Commission.¹⁰

3. Instructs commissions consisting of Dimitrov¹¹ (Chairman), Manuilski,¹² Pieck¹³ and Erkoli¹⁴ with administering the liquidation of the affairs, organs, apparatus and property of the Communist International. Signed G. Dimitrov, June 9, 1943.”

Standley

10. The wartime headquarters of the Communist International at the moment of dissolution were in Ufa. In telegram No. 840, July 10, Ambassador Standley notified the Department that the “Communist International number 5–6 announces cessation of publication in conformity with the dissolution of the Comintern.” (800.00B Communist International/308)
11. Georgy Dimitrov, Bulgarian Communist, who had been elected General Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Communist International at the VII Congress in Moscow in 1935; the nominal head of the Comintern.
12. Dmitry Zakharovich Manuilsky, prominent Communist Party leader in the Soviet Union and member of the Executive Committee of the Communist International.
13. Wilhelm Pieck, German Communist, former Reichstag Deputy from Berlin, and member of the Executive Committee of the Communist International.
14. Ercole Ercoli (Palmiro Togliatti), leader of the Italian Communist Party and member of the Executive Committee of the Communist International.