Arrest of P.O.U.M. leaders (circular)
DE06-02-001 INTERNATIONAL BUREAU FOR REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALIST UNITY Secretariat: I.L.P. Head Office, 35, St. Bride Street, London, E.C.4., England. 21st June, 1937. Dear Comrade, ARREST OF P.O.U.M. LEADERS I have received a letter from the International Secretariat of P.O.U.M. stating that on June...
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| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
| Language: | English |
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21 June 1937
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/DCD72FA2-D50A-416E-8BEA-037965AB9434 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/FE0A23F7-0D7C-4044-A608-744D5A2E9D1C |
| Summary: | DE06-02-001
INTERNATIONAL BUREAU FOR REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALIST UNITY Secretariat: I.L.P. Head Office, 35, St. Bride Street, London, E.C.4., England. 21st June, 1937. Dear Comrade, ARREST OF P.O.U.M. LEADERS I have received a letter from the International Secretariat of P.O.U.M. stating that on June 16th warrants were issued for the arrest of the Executive and Central Comittees of P.O.U.M. (forty comrades) on a charge of plotting a rebellion against the State. The charge is stated to be a Stalinist frame-up. Andres Nin was arrested at the Party Headquarters and news published in the Press stated that he has been taken to Madrid. Gorkin, Andrade and other comrades were not immediately arrested but their wives were taken as hostages. Gorkin had previously been summoned, however, and was due to appear before a Tribunal at Valencia on June 18th. The Communist Press in Britain has published a letter which was alleged to have been found in the Chilean Embassy at Madrid and which it is claimed implicates P.O.U.M. The letter is supposed to be written in invisible ink by a Fascist agent in Madrid to General Franco. It states that steps were being taken to infiltrate Anarchist elements and the P.O.U.M. with Fascists and that the writer had gone to Barcelona where he had got in touch with "N." "N" is alleged to have explained that he had not been able to maintain contact with Franco because of the breakdown of the P.O.U.M. radio, but that the radio was again in working order and contact would be resumed. "N" begs that there be no contact with P.O.U.M. except through him and promises to send representatives to Madrid to carry on work for Franco there. The Communist Press assumes that "N" is Nin. There is no evidence, of course, that the letter is genuine and it is not to be believed for a moment that Nin can in fact have been an agent for Franco. There is grave danger both for him and the other leaders. It is significant that the Spanish Press is not permitted to report the arrest of Nin and the proceedings against the P.O.U.M. Executive. There is no word about it in the Government Press and what is obviously a news paragraph about it in "Solidaridad Obrera" (the C.N.T. organ) has been blotted out. Telegrams of protest should pour upon the Valencia Government from every country in the world. Do this immediately yourselves and get others to do it on as wide a scale as possible. Report to me what you have done. Fraternally yours, FENNER BROCKWAY Secretary.
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