Commission of Inquiry into the Charges Made against Leon Trotsky

Commission of Inquiry into the Charges Made against Leon Trotsky, also known as the Dewey Commission, was an independent body established in 1937 to examine the accusations levied against Leon Trotsky and his son, Leon Sedov, during the Moscow Trials. Organized by American intellectuals and activists, the commission conducted a series of hearings in Mexico where Trotsky was living in exile, providing him a platform to defend himself. Its work represented a significant international effort to counter the Stalinist narrative and is considered a foundational event in the history of modern counter-propaganda and political defense.

Background and context

The commission was formed in direct response to the Moscow Trials, a series of show trials orchestrated by Joseph Stalin and the NKVD between 1936 and 1938. During these trials, former high-ranking Bolsheviks like Grigory Zinoviev, Lev Kamenev, and Nikolai Bukharin were coerced into confessing to fantastical crimes, including plotting with Trotsky to sabotage the Soviet Union and assassinate Soviet leaders. Trotsky, exiled since 1929 and living in Norway and later Mexico, was tried in absentia as the central conspirator. The allegations were part of a broader Great Purge intended to eliminate all political opposition to Stalin's rule. International Trotskyist groups and concerned liberal intellectuals, particularly in the United States and Europe, grew increasingly skeptical of the trials' legitimacy, prompting calls for an independent investigation.

Formation and composition

The initiative to form the commission was spearheaded by the American Committee for the Defense of Leon Trotsky, which included notable figures like philosopher and educator John Dewey, journalist Suzanne La Follette, and novelist James T. Farrell. Dewey, a pragmatist philosopher highly respected in American intellectual circles, agreed to serve as chairman, lending the inquiry considerable credibility. The full commission comprised Dewey, La Follette as secretary, and members including journalist Carleton Beals, German socialist Otto Rühle, and writer Benjamin Stolberg. Its formation was supported by other prominent individuals such as F. W. Dupee and Alfred Rosmer, though it operated independently of any government or political party. The Mexican government of Lázaro Cárdenas granted Trotsky asylum and allowed the hearings to be held at the Blue House in Coyoacán.

Proceedings and evidence

The commission conducted thirteen hearings from April 10 to April 17, 1937, in Trotsky's home, which was heavily guarded due to fears of assassination by GPU agents. Dewey presided over the sessions, which were conducted in a formal, juridical style with sworn testimony, cross-examination, and the submission of documentary evidence. Trotsky presented a detailed, days-long defense, systematically refuting the specific charges of conspiracy, sabotage, and espionage for Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. He provided extensive analysis of the timelines, locations, and political logic, arguing the accusations were physically impossible and politically illogical. The commission also reviewed transcripts from the Moscow Trials, press reports, and affidavits from witnesses unable to attend, while facing internal tension when member Carleton Beals resigned, accusing the inquiry of bias.

Findings and conclusions

In its final report, published as *Not Guilty*, the commission unanimously found Trotsky and his son not guilty of all charges presented in the Moscow Trials. The report concluded that the trials were a frame-up, devoid of any credible evidence, and that the confessions were obtained through duress, torture, and psychological pressure. It stated that no credible proof existed for Trotsky's alleged dealings with fascist powers or his plotting of acts of terrorism and sabotage within the USSR. The findings delivered a severe blow to the international credibility of the Stalinist regime, providing a meticulously documented counter-narrative that was widely disseminated by anti-Stalinist leftists and liberal publications, though largely ignored or denounced by Communist Party affiliates worldwide and the mainstream press in many Western nations.

Aftermath and historical significance

The Dewey Commission's report had a profound impact on intellectual and political debates about the Soviet Union and Stalinism, bolstering the arguments of the anti-Stalinist left and contributing to the ideological foundations of the Fourth International. While it did not halt the Great Purge or immediately change Western government policies, it became a crucial reference for historians like Isaac Deutscher and Robert Conquest in later exposing the truth about the purges. The commission set a precedent for independent citizens' tribunals, influencing later efforts like the Russell Tribunal. Trotsky was assassinated in 1940 by an agent of the NKVD, Ramón Mercader, but the commission's work ensured his defense against the Moscow Trial allegations remained a permanent part of the historical record, challenging the official narrative of the Stalin era for decades to come. Category:1937 in Mexico Category:Political commissions Category:Leon Trotsky