Dimitrov Diaries - On the dissolution of Comintern - 2
- Man(uilsky) and I edited draft resolution of the ECCI on the dissolution of the Commun(ist) International.
Sent draft to Stalin and Molotov.
- This evening Man(uilsky) and I met with Stalin (Molotov was present) . Stal(in) approved our draft. We discussed implementing the resolution. Settled on the following procedure: 1) consider the draft in a meeting of the presidium and adopt it as a proposal for sections; 2) distribute it to the sections and request their consent; 3) upon receiving concent of the sections, publish it. As for which functions are to continue henceforward and in what form - Malenkov and I have been commissioned to discuss and draft a concrete proposal.
In this regard, Stal(in) said: Experience has shown that one cannot have an internat(ional) directing center for all countries. This became evident in Marx's life time, in Lenin's and today. There should perhaps be a transition regional associations, for example, of South America, of the United States and Canada, of certain Europ(ean) countries and so on, but even this must not be rushed.
13 May 1943
- Restricted meeting of the ECCI presidium. Participants: Thorez, Marty, Dolores (Ibarruri), Pieck, Ulbricht, Koplenig, Rakosi, Sverma, WOlf (farkas) (KIM), Kolarov, Pauker, Lehtinen, Vlasov (Vlahovic), Manuilsky, Dim(itrov); as interpreters: Stepanov (Minev) and Furnberg.
Following my report, which explained and substantiated the proposed draft resolution, all participants in the meeting of presidium expressed their views by turns. The proposed draft was unanimusly adopted as a basis. A period until May 17 was given to all members of the presidium and to party representatives attending the meeting of the presidium, for comprehensive discussion of the contents of the draft and for introducing possible amendments, alterations, or additions to it.
Before the meeting of the presidium I received the following message from Stalin:
1. Do not rush this matter. Submit the draft for discussion, give the ECCI presidium members the opportunity to consider it for two or three days and introduce amendments. He too, will have some amendments to make.
2. For now do not send the draft to foreign countries. We will decide on that afterwards.
3. Do not leave the impression that we are simply driving out the comrades of the foreign leadership. The people will work for newspapers. Four newspapers should be created ( In German, Romanian, Italian, and Hungarian); separate antifascist committees of Germans and others may also be formed.
(........)
- (Jeno) Varga reported that Stalin had read his report at the academy and found it good, Marxist. Any criticism of that report in the CC secretariat are no longer valid.
(...)
19 May 1943
-Restricted meeting of the ECCI presidium.
Discussion of organizational issues in connection with the dissolution of the Comintern:
1. National radio programs
2. Foreign bureaus of indi(vidual) parties
3. Maintaining liasion with foreign countries
4. SUPress Telegr(aph) Agency
5. Archives, library, party committee and so on.
All these functions are to be retained in one form or another. Regularizing them in the new condition is to proceed along VKP (b) CC lines.
- Meeting with Stalin tonight (Molotov, Voroshilov, Beria, Malenkov, Mikoyan were present)
Stalin proposes certain clarifications to the draft resolution: 1) delete the final paragrapfh as unnecessary; 2) indicate that issue of dissolution in wartime was raised by a number of CI sectios; 3) the point on the First International: emphasize that Marx dissolved the First International " as a result of the acute need to create mass national workers' parties". Agreed: 1) to notify sections that the resolution in question will be published; 2) to publish the resolution in ten day's time; 3) to publish it with the signatures of presidium members ( for the VKP (b) , Zhdanov, and Manuilsky); 4( upon receiving decisions from the section CCs approving the resolution, publish a communique from the presidium signalin final dissolution.
(..)
20 May 1943
-Stalin called: " Couldn't the presidium resolution be submitted to the press today? Publication should be hurried along."
(...)
Convened the editorial commission. Reported on the new amendments to the resolution proposed by Stalin, Molotov, and others.
Those amendments and the entire draft were unanimously adopted, in the final version.
- Sent the resolution for translation in German, French, English and other languages.
Assigned Furnberg, Friedrich (Geminder) and Glaubauf to see to the translation and to send it to foreign countries the night of 21 May.
(..)
21 May 1943
-Politburo meeting in Stalin's office. Along with members and candidate members of the PB, Manuilsky and I also attended.
Molotov reads out the ECCI presidium's resolution dissolving the Comintern.
Kalinin remarks that our enemies will take advantage of this step. It would be better to make attempts to transfer the CI center to some other place - London , for instance! (laughter)
Stalin explains that experience has shown that in Marx's time, in Lenin's time, and now, it is impossible to direct the working-class movement of all countries from a single international center. Especially now, in wartime conditions, when communist parties in Germany, Italy, and other countries have the task of overthrowing their governments and carrying out defeatist tactics, while Communist parties in the USSR, England, America and, on the contrary, have the task of supporting their governments to the fullest for the immediate destruction of the enemy. We overestimated our resources when we were forming the CI and believed that we would be able to direct the movement in all countries. That was our error. The further existence of the CI would discredit the idea of the international, which we do not desire.
There is no other reason for dissolving the CI, which is not mentioned in the resolution. That is the fact that communist parties making up the CI are being falsely accused of supposedly being agents of a foreign state, and this is impeding their work in the broad masses. Dissolving the CI knocks this trump card out of enemy's hands. The step now being taken will undoubtedly strengthen the communist parties as national working-class parties and will at the same time reinforce the internationalism of the popular masses, an internationalism whose base is the Soviet Union.
The resolution is unanimously adopted.
(....)
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Note
Considering hand typing from the Diaries to blog, for time saving and staying on the subject, some unrelated comments, notes removed from the diary. Italics and parenthesis original from the diaries .. EA
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