WHO IS YAGODA?

Evening Post, Issue 19, 23 July 1934, Page 10

WHO IS YAGODA?

STALIN'S THORN

WILL OGPU RULE RUSSIA ?

Will Stalin prcsontly have to embark on a Hitler."purge" of the Soviet forces? -'.It' is said'that, the Captain Koehm of the Russian drama is Yagoda, an Ogpu leader who aspires to be the Ogpu leader.

Tho Moscow correspondent of the "Daily Express."'tells the story:— Stalin, dictator of .Soviet Russia, is trying desperately'to get the Ogpu, tho dreaded -secret police force,' abolished.But lie'is unlikely to succeed.' His motivo is fear. • The rumours that, now that Kussia no longer has enemies to fear, the Ogpu is'to go have been revived by' Stalin since tho death, of Menzhinsky; the Ogpu chief. ' Here in Moscow, however, the. men in power expect Yagoda to carry! on tho reign of terror. And Yagoda, the. only high Government official not on good terms with tho dictator, is the ■ man whom Stalin fears. ■■ ' ■

Menzhin'sky was tho power - behind Stalin. He signed 35y000 •death warrants.: Butmen say he was less bloodthirsty than is Yagoda. Yagoda is '.'locum tenens" Ogpu chief.- . Till recently he ■ was vice-president; Twice during^ tho past two years Stalin had him ''sacked." Twice he camo back, strong as ever,'proving that the Ogpu is stronger than the Central Executive Committee; For; their orders not to reinstate Yagoda were ignored. Each time Yagoda was' 'removed from office disturbances broke out among' the Ogpu'. Even ■ Mohzhiriskyi was : unable to suppress them.-: Now Yagoda" is again on- top, and Stalin "knows it. Yagoda is the | 'strong man" of the moment. And Stalin' does not like strong men. He-fears them. ••","'.■ ? ■ ;

Son of a political exile in Siberia, who was banished by the Tsarist Secret Police, Yagoda was brought up as a 100 per cent, revolutionary terrorist. To stop him from becoming head of the Ogpu, Stalin and the Central Executive Committee have worked out a plan for_its reorganisation if thex fail toget.itSissplved,