December 18, 1937 SOCIALIST APPEAL Abstract of the Final Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Charges Made Against Leon Trotsky in the Moscow Trials This abstract is a condensation of the 80, 000 word fully The case for Trotsky and Sedov is based on: documented report of the Commission of Inquiry, re1. Analysis of the trial reports.
leased to the Press on Dec. 13, 1937.
The Commissioners Proceedings and reports of sub commisPart One JOHN DEWEY, Professor of Philosophy, lsions.
Columbia University, Chairman; Verified depositions of witnesses, letters, SUMMARY OF FINDINGS JOHN CHAMBERLAIN, editor and author, telegrams, and other documents submitted in evidence to the Commission or its sub commisThe Commission finds, on the basis of all formerly daily book reviewer of sions.
the New York Times; available evidence, both for the prosecution and The testimony of the Russian refugees for Leon Trotsky, that Leon Trotsky and his ALFRED ROSMER, former member of the Tarov and Dr. Anton Ciliga, taken by the CoExecutive Committee of the Comson Leon Sedov are not guilty, of the charges mité pour Enquete sur le Proces de Moscou, munist International and former made against them in the Moscow trials of Auind transmitted to the Commission.
editor in chief of Humanité; gust, 1936 and January, 1937. It also finds The published writings of Trotsky, Sedov, EDWARD ALSWORTH ROSS, Professor of Lenin, Stalin, Radek, Zinoviev and others.
that the trials were frame ups. Independent of extrinsic evidence, the Commission finds that Sociology, University of Wiscon The archives of Trotsky, consisting of sin; thousands of documents, to which the Commisthe conduct of the Moscow trials was such as zion has had full access.
to convince any unprejudiced person that no OTTO RUEHLE, former member of the Gereffort was made to ascertain the truth; and that man Reichstag and biographer of Part Three Karl Marx (without any political the confessions of the accused contain such inaffiliation since 1919. THE TWO MOSCOW TRIALS herent improbabilities as to convince the ComBENJAMIN STOLBERG, author and labor mission that they do not represent the truth, General Nature of the Charges.
irrespective of any means used to obtain them.
journalist; The Commission, on the basis of evidence in CARLO TRESCA, editor of Il Martello; The defendants in the trial of August, 1936, its possession, flatly contradicts the verdict of FRANCISCO ZAMORA, liberal Mexican pub were charged with having organized and operlicist: ated a terrorist center for the purpose of assasthe Moscow Court on twenty one separate counts. It presents new affidavits and new WENDELIN THOMAS, former member of sinating the leaders of the Communist state with the German Reichstag; the object of seizing power; and specifically documentary evidence, which, in its judgement, prove conclusively that neither Holtzman, Ber SUZANNE LA FOLLETTE, editor and au with having organized the assassination, on Dec.
man Yurin, nor David saw Trotsky in Copenthor, Secretary; 1, 1934, of Commissar Kirov.
hagen or received terrorist instructions from JOHN FINERTY, counsel to the Commis The defendants in the trial of January, 1937, him; that Pyatakov never flew to Oslo to see sion, concurring in the report.
were charged with having organized and conTrotsky in December, 1935; that Olberg never ducted a parallel center employing espionage, went to Russia with terrorist instructions from Members of the French Sub Commission diversive, and terrorist activities to undermine or Sedov. It finds that Vladimir (Commission Rogatoire) Romm never met Trotsky in the Bois de Bou IG. MODIGLIANI, Chairman, member of conducting treasonable negotiations with foreign logne. It finds that the disproof of all this powers with the purpose of overthrowing the the Executive Committee of the Soviet power and restoring capitalism in the vital testimony invalidates the confessions of Labor and Socialist International, Soviet Union.
Karl Radek and other defendants.
leader of the Italian Socialist The Commission is convinced that the letters In both indictments Trotsky and Sedov are Party; in which Trotsky is alleged to have conveyed definitely charged with having instigated and MME. CESAR CHABRUN, Chairman of the led the criminal activities with which the deconspiratorial instructions to the various deCommittee for Aid to Political fendants in the Moscow trials never existed, and fendants were charged.
Prisoners; that the testimony concerning them is fabrica IM. MATHE, former secretary of the Nation Procedure of Soviet Court.
tion. Concerning the charges of advocating al Union of Postmen; terrorism and sabotage, and of conspiring with JEAN GALTIER BOISSIERE, writer, editor The Commission states, as one of its most fascist powers to attack the Soviet Union, the of Crapouillot; important findings, that the Prosecutor Commission finds that Trotsky throughout his PROFESSOR JACQUES MADAULE; Vyshinsky, and the Soviet Court in the Moscow career has been a consistent opponent of indivi MAURICE DELEPINE of the Paris Bar, trials, violated Soviet Law on criminal procedure dua terrorism, never instructed any of the demember of the Permanent Admin on every important point.
fendants or witnesses in the Moscow trials to istrative Committee of the Social For authority on Soviet Law the Commission assassinate any political opponent, never adist Party of France, president of has taken Professor Strogovich book vocated sabotage or wrecking, has always been the Socialist Lawyers group.
entitled Criminal Trial, a Textbook for Law a forthright opponent of fascism, has always Schools and Juridical Courses, edited by the uncompromisingly advocated the defense of the State Prosecutor, Vyshinsky (Third ediSoviet Union, and has always opposed both the Reichstag Fire Commission. Its sole purpose tion, corrected and amplified, 132 pp. Published restoration of capitalism in the and has been to investigate the charges made in the By OGIŻ, Moscow, 1936. its existence anywhere else.
Moscow trials of August, 1936, and January, The Commission finds that the accused in the 1937, against Leon Trotsky and his son Leon Moscow trials were convicted on the basis of Part Two Sedov. For the past nine months the Commis their confessions and those of self inculpating sion has been occupied with uncovering all avail witnesses uncorroborated by significant docuHISTORY AND PROCEDURE OF THE able facts, whether favorable or unfavorable to Trotsky and Sedov. It has succeeded in obtain insky on the value attached to confession in COMMISSION mentary evidence. It quotes Strogovich Vyshing a mass of important evidence bearing on The Commission of Inquiry into the Charges the case. Sub commissions in Mexico, France Soviet law as follows: Made Against Leon Trotsky in the Moscow and New York City examined witnesses, includ Under the system of formal proofs the admission Trials was constituted in March, 1937, by the ing Trotsky and Sedov, and their records have of guilt by the accused was considered the best American Committee for the Defense of Leon been accepted by the Commission.
proof extant, the sovereign proof of proofs.
absolute Nowadays faith in Trotsky, acting under mandates from similar After completing the preliminary work of in defendant admission has been in large measure desbodies in France, England and Czechoslovakia. vestigation, the Commission met in New York troyed. The accused might be pleading guilty falseThe Commission has acted as an independent City and examined all the evidence. Due to the ly (for example, in a desire to shield another perbody; its procedure has been similar to that of failure of the Soviet government to produce re son, or, by pleading guilty to a minor crime, to Senate investigating committees and the cords or to delegate representatives to examine avoid the accusation of a grave crime. Therefore, the admission of the accused, like any other eviwitnesses, the published records of the Moscow dence, is subject to verification and evaluation in See Summary of Findings on page trials embody the case for the prosecution. the sum total of the circumstances of the case.
of the