John Gates
John Gates
Fought in Spain
On the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War the Communist Party USA helped to recruit people to join the International Brigades. Those willing to fight to defend the Popular Front government in Spain established the Abraham Lincoln Battalion, the George Washington Battalion and the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion. Members who fought against the Nationalist Army included William Aalto, Hans Amlie, Bill Bailey, Robert Merriman, Steve Nelson, Walter Grant, Alvah Bessie, Hank Rubin, Joe Dallet, David Doran, John Gates, Harry Haywood, Oliver Law, Edwin Rolfe, Paul White and Milton Wolff[1].
The Daily Worker
Gates contributed to the Daily Worker, which later became People's World after several merges.[2]
Arrested, Smith Act
Leading Communist Party USA members arrested under the Smith Act were;
- Benjamin Davis, Jr. – Chairman of the CPUSA's Legislative Committee and Council-member of New York City
- Eugene Dennis – CPUSA General Secretary
- William Z. Foster – CPUSA National Secretary (indicted; but not tried due to illness)
- John Gates – Leader of the Young Communist League
- Gil Green – Member of the National Board
- Gus Hall – Member of the CPUSA National Board
- Irving Potash – Furriers Union official
- Jack Stachel – Editor of the Daily Worker
- Robert G. Thompson – Lead of the New York branch of CPUSA
- John Williamson – Member of the CPUSA Central Committee
- Henry Winston – Member of the CPUSA National Board
- Carl Winter – Lead of the Michigan branch of CPUSA
Communist Party splits
When the Communist Party USA, entered its period of crisis following the Khrushchev report to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) on the crimes of Stalin, there arose within the Party in the U.S. at least four different factions. The first of these was the right wing, led by Daily Worker editor John Gates, Fred Fine, and others. The second was the center grouping, led by Eugene Dennis, the Party’s general secretary. The third was the “left,” led by William Z. Foster, Robert G. Thompson, and Benjamin Davis, Jr. The fourth was the so-called “ultra-Left,” which called itself the Marxist-Leninist Caucus. It was this grouping, out of which grew the Provisional Organizing Committee to Reconstitute the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party, with which Noel Ignatin was associated.[3]