Red Thursday

Last week marked the eleventh anniversary of the founding of the Third International, the Communist organization which in 1919 broke off from the Socialist Second International under the leadership of Nicolai Lenin. Under orders from Moscow, Communists throughout the world celebrated in their own peculiar fashion.

London. A small but vociferous band of Communists, carrying large red streamers, attempted to march to the Mansion House, to interview the Lord Mayor. A cordon of placid, unarmed policemen held them back. One press photographer was slightly battered.

Paris. Because of Communist boasts that thousands of workmen would lay down their tools and all the taxicabs of Paris would go on strike for four hours, 20,000 troops and police were ordered on duty, a special police airplane hovered over the city all day. Nothing happened.

Prague. Communist Deputy Kopetzky established a record by being arrested six times within an hour for speechmaking, being released each time by claiming parliamentary immunity.

Berlin. A squad of police met up with a band of "demonstrators" armed with knives and brass knuckles, laid about them with their gummi knueppel (rubber clubs), grievously injured one. In the west-Prussian town of Halle, Communists opened fire on the police, who retaliated in kind, killing two.

Three days later the German Government announced that it would henceforth hold the Soviet Government responsible for all activities of the Third International in Germany.

Seville. Eight thousand unemployed bearing banners, WE WANT BREAD AND WORK, called on the mayor and civil governor, demanded a dole of 75% of their former salaries. Seville's mayor announced that he would "do everything possible to get them work."

Mexico City. Seven Communists, charged with shouting insults at President Ortiz Rubio, were clapped into jail.

Washington. Under the windows of the White House a small crowd, with banners, assembled to make speeches, sing the "Internationale." President Hoover, writing busily at his desk had announced that the demonstration was not to be interfered with "unless they become disorderly." One William Lawrence, agitator, attempted to climb the White House fence. Police judged the incident sufficiently disorderly, threw acrid tear gas bombs, charged the crowd with blackjacks, arrested eleven men, two girls, started a panic among spectators.

New York. Censured by all Manhattan newspapers for the unnecessarily brutal way they had handled a previous demonstration in City Hall Park (TIME, March 10) the 400 patrolmen on riot duty in Union Square were models of decorum during the first two hours of last week's monster demonstration. Conspicuous in the crowd was William Zebu-Ion Foster, No. i Communist in the U. S., and his chief aides--burly, white-haired Editor Robert Minor of the Daily Worker; dour-faced Israel Amter, local Communist organizer. Equally conspicuous was dapper Grover Aloysius Whalen, New York Police Commissioner, and his gold-laced bodyguard, Chief Inspector John O'Brien.

Said Commissioner Whalen to Communist Foster: "You have not made the routine application for a parade permit. If we allow you to pass down Broadway it will cost the innocent merchants along that thoroughfare thousands of dollars. You will never accomplish anything by force of numbers. I will give you a police car and will myself accompany you to City Hall and I will tell the Mayor that you are a committee representing 50,000 or more individuals."

Shouted Communist Foster from a platform: "They won't let us march, will you stand for that?" The crowd growled, began to seethe. Communist Foster and his aids slipped into a subway entrance, disappeared from the scene. The police went to work.

Before the eyes of World Reporter Courtenay Terrett, a girl agitator was held by a patrolman while another policeman crashed his blackjack three times into her face. A playful group of some dozen plainclothesmen and policemen who beat and kicked two unarmed men into near- unconsciousness were so unfortunate as to do it directly beneath the office window of Editor Francis Rufus Bellamy of the sedate Outlook. Press photographers snapped many a skull-cracking.

Announced Commissioner Whalen: "I have notified some of the largest corporations in New York City that Communist organizers are boring from within their organizations, but the police secret service is boring from within the Communist organization as well as the Reds are trying to bore from within the institutions of America."

San Francisco. Police Chief William J. Quinn not only permitted Communists to parade but gave them a police escort, marched himself, grinning broadly, at the head of the line. At San Francisco's civic center, Communist Agitator William Si, mon delivered a speech, was followed by Mayor James ("Sunny Jim") Rolph Jr., who, pointing to the flag on the City Hall, announced that Communists were as safe under it as anyone else, added Californially that San Francisco was "the best city in the best state in the best country in the world," wished everybody luck. Score: no riot, no clubbings, no arrests.

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