THE RED MILLIONAIRE THE RED MILLIONAIRE A POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF WILLI MÜNZENBERG, MOSCOW’S SECRET PROPAGANDA TSAR IN THE WEST SEAN MMEEKIN Yale University Press New Haven & London Copyright © 2003 by Sean McMeekin. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 ofthe U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. Designed by James J. Johnson and set in Monotype Walbaum by Duke & Company. Printed in the United States ofAmerica. Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McMeekin, Sean, 1974– The red millionaire : a political biography ofWilli Münzenberg, Moscow’s secret propaganda tsar in the West / Sean McMeekin. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-300-09847-2 (alk. paper) 1. Münzenberg, Willi. 2. Communists—Germany—Biography. 3. Propaganda, Communist—History. 4. Communism—Germany—History—20th century. 5. Communism—Soviet Union—History—20th century. I. Title. HX273.M376 2003 327.1247′0092—dc21 2003011828 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability ofthe Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity ofthe Council on Library Resources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS Note on Transliteration and Translations vii List of Initials of Organizations and Publications viii Introduction: Who in the World Is Willi Münzenberg? 1 PART 1. A Call to Arms 1. Erfurt 7 2. Zurich 18 3. Stuttgart 74 4. Berlin 86 5. Moscow 91 PART 2. The Red Millionaire 6. Selling the Famine 103 7. Building Socialism 123 8. Germany Red or Black 144 9. Follow the Money 163 10. Hollywood East 174 11. Preempting the Peace 193 12. The Red Millionaire 204 13. Tango with the Devil 222 vi Contents PART 3. Flight 14. The Fire This Time 255 15. Reckoning 270 16. A Paris Exile 295 Notes 309 Select Bibliography 371 Acknowledgments 381 Index 385 NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION AND TRANSLATIONS For Russian-language words, I have used the Library of Congress transliter- ation system throughout, with the exception of commonly used spellings of famous names (Trotsky, Zinoviev, Gorky, and so on). I have left well-known foreign-language periodicals, especially news- papers, in their original languages (Pravda, L’Humanité, Rote Fahne, Welt am Abend, Berlin am Morgen). I have rendered lesser-known titles of Münzen- berg-controlled publications into English when doing so helps illuminate their meaning (Soviet Russia in Pictures, Hammer and Sickle, Propaganda as a Weapon). For ease of reference for those wishing to pursue future re- search, I cite these periodicals by their original titles in the endnotes. Unless otherwise indicated, translations are my own. vii INITIALS OF ORGANIZATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS AIZ Arbeiter Illustrierte Zeitung ARA American ReliefAdministration Cheka All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter- Revolution and Sabotage ECCI Executive Committee of the Communist International (Comintern) FSR Friends of Soviet Russia IAH Internationale Arbeiterhilfe (International Worker Relief) KPD Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (German Communist Party) MOPR Mezhdunarodnaia Organizatsia Pomoshchi Revolutsioneram (International Red Aid) M-Russ Mezhrabpom-Russ (Mezhdunarodnaia rabochaia pomoshch’— International Worker Relief) NDV Neue Deutsche Verlag NEP New Economic Policy NKVD People’s Commissariat of International A¤airs NSDAP Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers’ Party) PCF Parti Communiste Français (French Communist Party) Pomgol All-Russian Public Committee to Aid the Hungry SA Sturmabteilung (Storm Troop Section) SOPADE Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (German Social Democratic Party—acronym used by the party in exile after 1933) SPD Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (German Social Democratic Party) SPS Sozialistische Partei der Schweiz (Swiss Socialist Party) USPD Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany) WEB Western European Bureau (of the Comintern) viii THE RED MILLIONAIRE