Top secret.

EK/2 copies

7 September 1936.

STENOGRAPHIC REPORT OF THE SECRETARIAT'S MEETING of 5 September 1936.

At the 5 September 1936 meeting of the ECCI Secretariat, Anvelt presented the report of the Secretariat's commission “On the Behavior of Béla Kun.” Anvelt chaired the commission. The materials collected by the commission were presented at the meeting and, along with the commission's report, formed the basis of discussion. Document 50 is a typewritten fragment of the stenographic report containing Béla Kun's speech. The report of the Anvelt commission is missing from the files of the ECCI Secretariat.

Béla Kun: Comrades, it is difficult for me to speak because this blow is the hardest blow for me. But I think that it will also be a lesson for me.

[This] blow is particularly hard because it makes impossible my [giving] further assistance to the party that I took part in creating.

I think that the conclusion that all of my work and assistance are harmful is unfair.

However, comrades, I realize that a situation has been created in which it will be better if I no longer participate in the work of the CP of Hungary and, even better, if I am completely separated from the Hungarian emigration. I have thought this over seriously, and I am asking the appropriate VKP(b) organs to send me to work in some province far from Moscow.

A situation has been created in which, whether or not I wanted it, I became some sort of point around which the disgruntled elements of the Hungarian [party] gathered.

Therefore, I consider unfair the formulation that my work is considered harmful. At the same time, in contrast to what I used to write three-four months ago or even a month ago, I have come to the conclusion that it would be better if I leave the leadership of the Hungarian CP. I also consider the conclusion that it is impossible to use me in the ECCI apparatus any more to be correct. Why? I think that it is not because of political considerations, nor because I was resented, but because, owing to my nasty, nervous nature, I did not develop the correct attitude toward the leadership. Despite all this, as I have written, I consider the Comintern policy to be absolutely correct, and I think that this leadership is in order.

Now, regarding specific issues. It is correct that I overlooked the contamination of the party, not just now but also in the past. It is correct that frequently I approached the selection of leading cadres on the basis of factionalist principles. And in doing so, I committed a double mistake. On the one hand, I would promote my friends; on the other, I would promote [people] from other factions, thinking that by doing so, I would liquidate the factionalist atmosphere. I told com. Révai at [the meeting of] the Secretariat of com. Ercoli

Kun is referring to either the 10 March or 29 March 1936 meetings of Ercoli's Secretariat on issues relating to cadres and other affairs of the CP of Hungary. Révai attended those meetings.

that the majority of the members of the CC [CP of] Hungary were not from my group but from other factions. But the factions remained there, and it was therefore impossible to work in an appropriate way.

I overlooked the contamination of the party by provocative elements precisely because, while working here in the Comintern, I was loosely connected with the party's work.

As to Magyar, I think that my speech was incorrect, inappropriate.

Refers to B. Kun's speech at the 21 November 1933 meeting of the purge commission of the ECCI party organization. In that speech, Kun gave a positive evaluation of Magyar.

Regarding Magyar, I have to say the following. After I delivered this speech, I warned some comrades about Magyar's bad attitude. Of course, I did not know that he was connected with that counterrevolutionary gang of Zinoviev, Kamenev et al. I had an impression that he was not loyal to the party: writing and saying one thing and thinking another. I warned comrades, if not at that very time, at least while he was still in our apparatus.

I also had a mistaken attitude toward certain comrades. This was a result of that situation to which I have already referred.

I am finishing, comrades.

I ask you to believe me [when I say] that in [whatever] work that I undertake, I will gain your confidence, and you will return me to Hungarian work and to international work.

I do not think that I am a person who cannot be trusted. But if there are [people] who do not trust me, I will prove by my work that I deserve to be trusted and that it will be possible to return me to work in the CP of Hungary and to the Comintern.

DIMITROV: The commission has unanimously adopted the resolution. I think that Béla Kun's statement is known to everyone and that we should not open a discussion on this question.

To take into consideration the commission's conclusion and to relieve com.

Béla Kun from work in the Hungarian party and in the Comintern apparatus.

BÉLA KUN: I am asking only to change [some] formulations: 1.) Regarding considering my work harmful. I ask [you] to replace this formulation with another. 2.) Regarding Magyar. I consider this decision unfair. To be exact, I warned Knorin about Magyar when they wanted to send him to work. However, Magyar was then included in the commission to work out the draft of the first point.

Refers to the commission headed by Kuusinen to work out the first point (the report on the ECCI's activities) on the agenda of the Seventh Comintern Congress. On 3 June 1934 the ECCI Political Secretariat appointed Magyar to serve on this commission. Other members were Pieck, Knorin, Wang Ming, Manuilsky, Pyatnitsky, Dimitrov, Varga, S. Lozovsky, Kun, Bronkowski (Bortnowski), A. Vassart, R. Makilom, P. Shubin, G. Lorenz (S. E. Schukin), and Sinani (G. Skalov). Ercoli (Togliatti) and Heckert also participated in the work of the commission.

It would have been double-dealing if I considered it [this decision] fair.

MANUILSKY: In order to give [Kun] a chance to work in the VKP(b), we will have to soften this formulation.

ANVELT: I consider [it] impossible [to do so] because this is the minimal [version of] what we have written. We did not write down the speech at the purge [commission] when Magyar was found trustworthy on the basis of com. Béla Kun's speech.

Béla Kun: I recognized this mistake before, and I do it now.

ANVELT: As a member of the commission, I consider it impossible to suppress this faci, particularly in such a serious situation.

DIMITROV: I think that we can do the following. To agree with the commission's decision regarding Magyar and regarding the “harmful work,” say: to consider inappropriate Béla Kun's work in the Comintern, as well as using him as a worker in the Comintern apparatus.

Who is for softening [the formulation]? (Adopted unanimously.)

Consider using com. Béla Kun in the Comintern apparatus [to be] impossible.