Red Secrets

From 16 nations there converged upon Cassel, Germany, last week, furtive delegates to an ominous convention. Most entered Germany on forged passports. All were agents of the Third International: the Communist bureau at Moscow devoted to fomenting "The World Revolution of The World Proletariat" (TIME, Jan. 30). As the delegates filtered into Cassel, several were recognized by the German secret police. Shrewd, the police officials allowed the convention of professional seditionists to proceed in apparent deadly secrecy but contrived to overhear all that passed by means of dictaphones.

Presiding and directly representing the Third International sat Comrade Rykov, said to be a relative of Prime Minister of the Soviet Union, Alexei Ivanovich Rykov. To him the assembled agents reported their activities and successes of the past twelvemonth, particularly with reference to the establishment of "Communist Cells" or nuclei in the principal armies and navies of the world.

Reported U. S. Comrade John ("Jack") Wilson: "The Red Cells in the U. S. Navy now number ten which I regard as showing considerable progress since last year, when there were only three."

Thereafter English Comrade James Button claimed that 13 cells have been established in the British Navy; and French Comrade Barbrot not only credited himself and colleagues with a score of 14, but said that in case of need the Communist banner could be hoisted on no less than ten French warships.

When similar encouraging reports had been received concerning cells in the armies of Great Britain, France and Poland, Chairman Rykov enthusiastically predicted: "The last months of 1928 and the first months of 1929 will constitute a period of mutinies and seditions in the armies of Capitalist Powers!"

After supplementary reports had been made, covering Italy, Turkey, Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Latvia, Belgium and Argentina, the agents listened to a high pressure, inspirational harangue by Chairman Rykov. He threatened a general curtailment of salaries, unless they produce in the near future "more impressive disturbances . . . such as the Vienna riots of last summer," when some 100 Austrians were killed and the Ministry of Justice was burned (TIME, July 27). Even this potent disturbance, stormed Comrade Rykov, had been partially bungled. Secondly the agents were ordered to work for a general liaison between Red Cells so that these may form an international Communist force in time of war. The Red Army of Soviet Russia cannot, admitted Chairman Rykov, attack the Capitalist powers of Europe with immediate prospect of success. Finally the agents were cautioned not to convey instructions to the Cells by circulars "which always fall into the hands of the police," and were told to keep their records and reports to Moscow "as concise as possible." Though authority for the above accounts rests solely upon a statement issued, last week, by the German secret police, their version of the seditious proceedings at Cassel smacks strongly of the typical, half naive and half ruthless methods of the Third International.

When U. S. Secretary of the Navy Curtis Dwight Wilbur was confronted with the statement that ten "Red Cells" exist among U. S. tars and marines, he smugly said:

"We have no knowledge of any condition in the Navy that is unsatisfactory. There have been efforts through propaganda to influence our sailors and marines, both in this country and China, but without effect. We have no indications of any yielding to circulars distributed, particularly at Philadelphia, Shanghai and ports from which our forces embarked for China, Circulars distributed through the mails have been turned over to the postal authorities."