THE POWERHOUSE

incident.

Dallin’s article is based on evidence given by Mark Zborowski, a Soviet spy detected in the United States, who turned out to have been for some time an informer working inside the Trotskyist organization in Paris. He writes: ‘In the fall of 1936, fifteen bundles of Trotsky’s archives were transferred (with Zborowski’s help) to the International Institute of Social History. Here the NKVD (Soviet secret police) later MVD, outdid itself. In its eagerness to make a gift to Stalin on the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, NKVD men broke into the Institute on the night of November 7, 1936, and stole the 15 bundles. The rest of the archives, which contained the most valuable documents, had not yet been transferred.

‘Zborowski was unhappy about this. In the first place it was a piece of unfinished business. Secondly, it could expose him. Today he tells this story: “When I heard about the burglary, I rushed to my NKVD chief and vehemently protested, because this could expose me as a spy. Only four persons knew the archives whereabouts. I was one of them; the three others were out of the question. The answer I received was: ‘We never inform our agents about a forthcoming operation because, being nervous, they may betray us. Besides, we had to get hold. of the documents that night in order to make our present to Stalin.’”’

. BRIAN PEARCE oe:

Published by The Newsletter, 186 Clapham High St., London, SW4 Registered at the GPO as a newspaper Constructional workers on power stations, such as Bradwell and Belvedere now have their own paper— ‘Powerhouse.’

Aimed at putting forward the point of view of the man on the job, the first edition of ‘Powerhouse’ appeared this month. Written completely by rank-and-file constructional workers, this lively six-page paper seems assured of a popular reception on the jobs.

One of the paper’s main articles—‘Unofficial Strikes’. denounces the ‘press campaign against strikes, which has been increased because some trade union leaders have seen fiit to join it.

The editorial attacks the present witch-hunters of the Electrical Trade Union and comments: ‘Those who took the ETU fight outside the union have brought little credit om themselves or on the movement.’

A useful column is one by John Delver which reports on new jobs opening and other prospects of work.

Readers of the Newsletter interested in obtaining a copy of ‘Powerhouse’, can do so by sending sixpence to Bert Hayes, 12 Westbourne Close, Hockley, Essex.

., Printed by Plough Press Ltd. (TU), r.o. 180 Clapham High St, London SW4