A report on the third, and last, congress of the (old) Communist Party of America held in February, 1921 before merging with the United Communist Party in May, 1921. The conference was mandated by the Communist International to approve the decisions of the Second Congress. Held in Brooklyn, and true to form of the (old) C.P., in secret. The 40 delegates also adopted a constitution, program, and discussed negotiations with the Ruthenberg-led U.C.P. As part of their fight with the U.C.P. they also print Trotsky’s letter to French syndicalists, linked to online text below.

The Communist (‘Old’ Communist Party of America). Vol. 2 No. 18. March 1, 1921.

Contents: Report of the Third Convention, Resolutions Adopted, Workers’ Control in German Austria by Hilda Wertheim, Program of the Communist Party of America, Constitution of the Communist Party of America, Letter to a French Syndicalist by Leon Trotsky, The Situation in Eastern Asia,

Emulating the Bolsheviks who changed the name of their party in 1918 to the Communist Party, there were up to a dozen papers in the US named ‘The Communist’ in the splintered landscape of the US Left as it responded to World War One and the Russian Revolution. This ‘The Communist’ began in September 1919 combining Louis Fraina’s New York-based ‘Revolutionary Age’ with the Detroit-Chicago based ‘The Communist’ edited by future Proletarian Party leader Dennis Batt. The new ‘The Communist’ became the official organ of the first Communist Party of America with Louis Fraina placed as editor. The publication was forced underground in the post-War reaction and its editorial offices moved from Chicago to New York City. In May, 1920 CE Ruthenberg became editor before splitting briefly to edit his own ‘The Communist’. This ‘The Communist’ ended in the spring of 1921 at the time of the formation of a new unified CPA and a new ‘The Communist’, again with Ruthenberg as editor.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/thecommunist/thecommunist3/v2n18-mar-01-1921.pdf