TERRORIST MAFIA

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 117, 20 May 1938, Page 7

TERRORIST MAFIA

IN EMPLOY OF SOVIET

CHARGES BY TROTSKY

Charging that "a centralised Mafia of terrorists," consisting of agents oi the Soviet "GPU" has been at work in various countries killing and kidnapping active opponents of the Stalin regime, Leon Trotsky has addressed a letter to the juridical section of the secretariat of the League of Nations demanding that the League investigate terrorist activities and offering to appear with "irrefutable proof" as a witness in such an investigation, says the "New York Times." Among tfie terrorist activities of Soviet agents abroad charged by M. " rotsky are conspiracies to kill him during his sojourn in Europe and in Mexico, where ,he now resides. He charged that Joseph Stalin, Soviet dictator, is head of the "criminal band" of terrorists. M. Trotsky's letter was made public by James Cannon, secretary of the Socialist Workers Party, the Trotskyist organisation in America, with offices at 116 University Place, New York. Mr. Cannon had just returned from Mexico City, where he conferred with the exiled Bolshevik leader. M. Trotsky's letter recalled that there was pending before the League -of Nations a proposal for the establishment of a League tribunal for the investigation of terrorist acts, a proposal initiated before the series of Moscow Wals by Maxim M. Litvinoff, Soviet Foreign Commissar, and suggested that its purpose was to pave the way for the extradition, to Soviet Russia, of "myself and my son, Leon Sedofl." Mr SedoSE died recently in Paris under mysterious circumstances. French authorities have suspected poisoning. The case is still under investigation THE MOSCOW TRIALS. M. Trotsky demanded that such a League tribunal undertake an investigation of the Moscow trials and also of terrorist acts committed by Soviet agents abroad, including an attempt to kill his son at Mulhausen in January, 1937. Offering to bring "numerous and irrefutable proofs," M. Trotsky declared also that "witnesses of unimpeachable authority can relate before the tribunal the preparation by GPU agents of terroristic acts against me during my sojourn in Europe and in Mexico. /"I can further cite the kidnapping in Spain of my former collaborator Erwin Wolf, a Czechoslovak citizen' Sr^L has disappeared without trace," M. Trotsky wrote. "The terrorist acts in Spam against the Catalonian revolutionist, Andres Nin; the Austrian emigre, Kurt Landau; the son of a Russian emigre, Mark Rein, and a nuipber of other individuals have received world-wide publicity. "Even that part of the legal and extralegal investigation which has been accessible to public opinion to date is completely sufficient to warrant the interference of an international tribunal against • a centralised Mafia of terrorists working on the territory of several States other than their own." Speaking of "acts of downright banditry on the international areha." M. Trotsky called attention also to the' murder of Ignace Reiss, former Soviet agent, who turned against the Stalin regime on September 4, 1837, near Lausanne,. Switzerland. .STALIN THE LEADER. KSKS 6 ® frencb-f^orities haVe _ coirfplefC exhaustive sa© vuamaslpng the real organiser oi this G m pu - police in tHe U.S.S.R., M. Trotsky de'clared. "During the judicial investigation of the murder of Ignace Reiss it was disclosed in passing that this same -antf in conducting systematic espionage upon my son, Leon Sedoff, attempted 1937 ™at Mulhausen in January,

relationship the GPU had to ttesuddendeath of my son on February of this year is still subject to general -investigation. Among the documents of the chief murderer of Ignace Beiss, a so-called Rossi, who succeeded in fleeing in time, proofs were, found of his attempts to enter Mexico for purposes not difficult to determine on the basis of the aforementioned circumstances. The actual name of this professional murderer in the service of the GPU is Roland Abbiatte."

,"°' sk { concluded by saying that with the help of documents, testimony of witnesses, .and irrefutable political considerations I take it upon myself to prove that the head of the criminal band is Joseph Stalin, geneof All-Union Com munist Party of the U.S.S.R. as J£ e . Pe °Ple's Commissar of Foreign Affairs of the U.S.S.R. Maxnn Litvinoff, has very eloquently insisted upon the necessity for Govto. mutually obligate them < selves to extradite terrorists, we can nope he will not refuse to employ hit v PlaCe the ab °ve-mentionse Joseph Stalin, as head of the internf th« a l -r r ° r v 1 band ' at the disposa: of the tribunal under the League oi Nations, M. Trotsky added.