20 de agosto

80 years of the murder of Leon Trotsky by the hand of a GPU agent…

Edition of the paper Socialist Appeal,
organ of the US SWP, in tribute to Trotsky

On the front page of the paper, the main headline is: “Jackson’s ‘confession’ shows GPU hand in Trotsky murder”. Jackson’s “confession” was published in this paper.
In the center, under the headline, it says: “In honor of Leon Trotsky” and the column on the right side of the last photograph explains: “great throngs did honor to the remains of Leon Trotsky in Mexico City last week. Representatives from the Mexican government joined with those of Mexican workers’ organizations in the final tributes”.
Top photo shows Albert Goldman, Trotsky’s attorney, delivering the funeral oration. With him is Adolfo Zamora, editor of Marxist review Clave. Middle photo: Mexican workers mount guard at the bier. Lower left: Part of the crowd that demonstratively came out for the funeral service.”

A distinguished column below the previous explanation reports a fact: “Chilean workers denounce Stalin as the murderer.” It is clarified under the heading that “The following cable appeared in the New York Times on August 23.” The news: “SANTIAGO. Chile, August 22- Leon Trotsky’s death caused a stir here today in a section of the masses where he had many supporters. Members of the Revolutionary Workers Party and the International Workers Party paraded the streets last night visiting newspaper offices and voicing protests.
A committee composed of leaders repudiated Joseph Stalin’s methods throughout the world, asserting his agents were responsible for the crime.”

The paper includes diverse notes about the funeral and the different events that took place about the event in Mexico and the US. Among them, there’s an excerpt from the Mexican newspaper El día that reports on the funeral. The journalist who attended the funeral of the leader of the Fourth International states that flowers had arrived from all over the world: from unions, students, writers, intellectuals and thinkers. He then says: “When I saw the giant mass go by the casket, I felt that the Mexican masses came, not to mourn after a great Russian revolutionary politician, but have felt that there lies a man who fought for all the oppressed and downtrodden- also for them, the Mexicans, who have now awakened to a new life. They mourned the martyr, the fighter, the idealist.” (page 3) It is stated that the press estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 people who attended the funeral of Leon Trotsky.

This paper also reproduces the greetings and tributes that from all the corners of the world were pronounced by organizations and workers’ parties in honor of the revolutionary leader. From the Socialist Labor Party, the International Workers Front, the Independent Labour League, the Socialist Union Party, from Chile (International Workers’ Party), from Great Britain (Militant Labour League), from Canada (Socialist Workers League), from China (Communist League of China), from the USA (Minneapolis and St Paul, Cleveland, Portland, Oregon).