Greek Communists in the U.S. criticize their Turkish comrades, and the Comintern, for support to the Kemalist government early in its reign.

‘Communists in Greece and Turkey War on Criminal Enterprises of Nationalism and Imperialism’ by D.A. Valakos from The Worker. Vol. 4 No. 62. February 17, 1923.

Originally from the “Voice of the Worker” (Greek Weekly of New York City.)

From Comrade Orhan’s report on the Communist movement in Turkey at the Fourth Congress of the Communist International, we gather a few very interesting data concerning the movement in that country. Due to its political separation in two parts, the one under the Kemalist rule and] the other the Sultan’s, or rather under the British rule, the activities of the Communist Party of Turkey were necessarily split, until recently, in two.

We shall take up the former, as it is of more interest to us. Here, the formation of a Communist Party dates back to the days when Kemalism appeared in Anatolia, which afterwards incorporated itself and became to be known as the Grand Turkish National Assembly. At the outset, the Party had to fight against both the foreign imperialism and the local bourgeoisie. Considering that the fight against foreign imperialism, the greater enemy, was of a more world-wide importance, and, on the other hand, abiding by the decisions of the Second Congress of the Communist International, the Communist Party of Turkey took the stand of supporting the Government, in so long as it was fighting against foreign domination, at the same time exacting from the Kemalists democratic reforms in favor of the workers and peasants, and endeavoring to organize the latter as a class party.

The Kemalist Government in great need of help from Soviet Russia in the fight against English imperialism, encouraged by all means this Communist movement. At the early stage of the Russo-Turkish negotiations.the Kemalists solemnly informed the Soviet authorities that a strong Communist party exists already in Turkey, and went as far as to announce that Soviets of Turkish peasants are established and functioning in several parts of the country. And, in order further to deceive Soviet Russia, the Kemalist Government organized a distinctive army corps, the so-called Green Army, which Kemal Pasha was boastingly representing as “Red” or “Bolshevist” Army, while in fact it was entirely composed of bourgeois elements. When the first envoy of the Russian Soviets came to Angora, he then found a ready-made “Governmental Communist Party” formed out of the remnants of the Green Army, of government officials and intellectuals.

Kemal played his cards successfully. But this farce could not go on forever. The real Communists of Turkey did not for a moment cease to expose to the workers and peasants of Turkey the insincerity and bad faith of Kemal and his followers. And the mask was soon cast off. After the Kemalist triumph at Sakkaria River over the Greeks–satellites of British imperialism–the Pasha feeling himself safe from further foreign attacks showed his true colors. He started wholesale persecutions against the “dangerous” Communists. More than 200 comrades were put to jail and suffered the most brutal treatment in the hands of ferocious “Zaptichs” ((Turkish gendarmes), who tortured the Communists with razors and sharp nails. In many places the Communists put up a heroic resistance. Our brave Comrades Soubhi and Edhen were slain in cold blood. Similar persecutions took place in the districts around Constantinople.

On the other hand, the conclusion of the Franco-Turkish Treaty, following the expedition to Angora of Franklin Bouillon, the official declarations of the Kemalist Government, through its London envoys, that they shall do the best to cleanse their country from the “Bolshevist plague,” and, what is more important, the conduct of the Kemalists at the Lauzanne Conference, where they not only defied the recommendations of the Soviets and forfeited their pledge toward Russia, but also they are doing their best to come to any kind of compromise with British imperialism, thus betraying, the “National Compact,” and the true interests of the people of Turkey, in exchange for privileges and profits for their class the Turkish capitalists and landlords–all these have proved beyond any doubt the real character of the Kemalist movement, and served in opening the eyes of the Turkish masses–a fact which in time will undermine the apparent strength of Kemalism.

We now see that Communism finds no favor nor is tolerated by any bourgeois regime of the world. Our comrades of Turkey have done their best to support the policy of their government. Persecutions are the result. Our Greek comrades resisted the imperialistic policy of the Greek government. They were no less persecuted. The same is true for every country. With or against any bourgeois government, they are despised. But not withstanding the savage onslaught of Kemalism, the Communists of Turkey will continue their bold fight against bourgeois nationalism, until they see it crushed.

This, however, has no bearing whatever regarding the stand of the Greek Communists toward the policies of the bourgeois government of Greece. We do not in the least regret the stand that we have taken in the past, when we condemned unreservedly the so-called “War for the emancipation of the unredeemed Greeks of Asia Minor,” because we were and are convinced that this war conducted by both the Venizelists and Royalists of Greek, was in its true light, a criminal enterprise on behalf of Imperialistic interests, and destructive to the interests of the working class. And such is even the character of the new war which the new bosses of the Greek people, the “revolutionary” bourgeoisie, are now busy in staging.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/theworker/v4n262-feb-17-1923-Worker.pdf