IISH
Home | Sitemap | Questions, Comments


Henk Sneevliet - A Life in Documents

1921-1923: Representative for the Comintern in China

Pass to Sun Yat-sen's headquarters, 1923 From 1921 to 1923 Sneevliet, under the name of H. Maring (马林), represented the Comintern in China and assisted in the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). To move out from political isolation and to find a bridge to influence the Chinese masses, Sneevliet advocated the need for the infant Chinese communist movement to pursue a bloc-within strategy and to cooperate inside the Chinese nationalist party Kuomintang (KMT). Sneevliet had been meeting in Canton (Guangzhou) with the KMT leader Sun Yat-sen, concerning a possible alliance between KMT and the CPC. After two years in China Sneevliet returned to the Soviet Union and was sent by the Comintern to Vladivostok. In mid-1923 he went to China again as Comintern representative. During this visit he convinced the KMT and the CPC to cooperate, as Moscow wanted. Nevertheless, Sneevliet came under criticism and was called back to the Soviet Union, to his intense disappointment.

Notes on the existing parties in China ("excluding the Kuo Ming Tang").
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 214 (pdf, 4.1Mb)

Notes from Sun Yat-sen's speech on the 'Triple principles', held 6 March 1920 in the headquarters of the Kuomintang, Kwangton Guangdong branch.
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 219 (pdf, 1.8Mb)

The 'General constitution' and 'Regulations of the Chun Kuo Min Tung' Kuomintang, passed on 9 November 1920.
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 217 (pdf, 3.9Mb)

Lecture by Sun Yat-sen on the Five Powers' Constitution, held for the 'Kwangton Guangdong Educational Association' on 20 March 1921.
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 220 (pdf, 5.5Mb)

On 11 July, 1922, Sneevliet submitted a report on situation in China to the EKKI, describing a profile of the history of the KMT, its member composition, class structure, political outline, and its leader Sun Yat-sen. Sneevliet held that the weak CPC should focus on the South and conduct work through the KMT. (German text)
Van Ravesteyn Papers, inv.no. 79 (pdf, 19.8Mb)

Order of the Comintern to the Central Committee of CPC signed by G. Voitinsky (Wu Tingkang). According to the decision of the Presidium of Comintern of 18 July 1922, the Central Committee of the CPC must remove its seat to Canton (Guangzhou) immediately after receiving this note and do all its work in close contact with Comrade Philipp (Sneevliet).
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 239 (pdf, 1.6Mb)

Sneevliet's passport with visa, issued on 20 July 20, 1922, at the Representative Office of the Soviet Union stationed in Berlin, Germany. On 24 July, 1922, together with A.A. Joffe, an extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Soviet Russia, Sneevliet set out for China. He arrived in Shanghai on August 12, 1922.
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 238 (pdf, 1.2Mb)

Authorization for Sneevliet as correspondent for the Far East of the Comintern and The International Press Correspondence, 24 July 1922. The authorization is signed by Karl Radek, member of the EKKI Presidium. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 240 (pdf, 688Kb)

Instruction for the EKKI Representative in South China, drawn up by Karl Radek in August 1922. The instruction confirms that the KMT is a revolutionary organization, that the Communists shall support it and work within it. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 224 (pdf, 2.4Mb)

Notes written by Sneevliet about the Hangzhou meeting. From 28 to 30 August 1922, the Central Committee of the CPC met in Hangzhou to discuss cooperation with the KMT. Sneevliet transferred the EKKI instruction, demanding all CPC members to join the KMT. After intense arguments, the instruction was accepted. Not long afterwards, Li Dazhao, Chen Duxiu and others joined KMT individually. (Dutch text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 291 (pdf, 1.3Mb)

Notes for Sneevliet's second report to Moscow on the events in China after the CPC conference in Hangzhou (28-30 August 1922). (Dutch text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 292 (pdf, 1.9Mb)

The oath of the China Revolutionary Party (Zhonghua Gemingdang) from 1914. Sneevliet got it from KMT members. The oath was read during Party ceremonies, new members applied their fingerprint to it. Both KMT and CPC leaders were against this ceremony, and their objections were later accepted by Sun Yat-sen during the process of the reorganization of the KMT in 1922. (Chinese text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 218 (pdf, 1Mb)

Sneevliet's notes for a report concerning his activities from 14 October to 1 November 1922. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 293 (pdf, 1.4Mb)

Letter from A.A. Joffe to Sneevliet, 7 November 1922. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 231 (pdf, 1.8Mb)

Memorandum by Chen Duxiu on "The immediate Tactics of the Communist Party of China", written in Moscow, November 1922. (English text).
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 271 (pdf, 4.7Mb)

Letter from A. Joffe to Sneevliet, Beijing, 17 November 1922. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 231 (pdf, 2.5Mb)

Notes of Sneevliet about cooperation with the KMT. End November- Early December 1922. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 270 (pdf, 798Kb)

Outline of the paper Concerning our work in the Colonies and Semi-Colonial Countries in general and in China, written by Sneevliet and A.A. Joffe, mid December 1922. The paper stated that the Soviet policy towards China should not create an impression of imperialism, and that the Soviet Union should assist the KMT. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 294 (pdf, 1.6Mb)

'Declaration of [the] Quomintang' (Kuomintang) and 'Programme of [the] Quomintang (Nationalist Party)', 1 January 1923.
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 287 (pdf, 4.7Mb)

Letter of introduction for Sneevliet (Maring) from N. Bukharin to J. Stalin. Moscow, January 1923. (Russian text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 323 (pdf, 937Kb)

Copy of the decision to set up a Far Eastern Bureau of the Comintern in Vladivostok, January 1923. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 244 (pdf, 725Kb)

On January 10, 1923, H.Sneevliet was appointed by the EKKI Presidium as member of the Comintern Bureau in Vladivostok. The Presidium session also declared that he would participate in the Third National Congress of the CPC as the Comintern representative. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 243 (pdf, 1.2Mb)

Permit for a trip to Chita, Eastern Siberia, issued by EKKI, Moscow, 10 January 1923. The permit is in the name of Martin Ivanovic Bergman, one of Sneevliet's many pseudonyms. (Russian text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 241 (pdf, 2.5Mb)

Certificate of Appoinment from EKKI naming Sneevliet as member of the Far East Bureau of the Executive Committee of the Communist International (EKKI) in Vladivostok, signed by V.P. Kolarov and O.V. Kuusinen on January 11, 1923.
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 242 (pdf, 1.2Mb)

Resolution on "the relations of the Communist Party of China to the 'Kuomintang Party'", passed by the EKKI, 12 January 1923. (Englih text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 272 (pdf, 879Kb)

Notes by Sneevliet on the Zhengzhou Railway Workers' Strike, 4 to 10 February 1923. This strike on the line between Peking (Beijing) and Hankou was lost. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 259 (pdf, 5.2Mb)

Letter from Sun Yatsen to Sneevliet, 11 February 1923. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 231 (pdf, 609Kb)

Report from Sneevliet on his trip to Mukden and talks with Tschang Tso Lin (Zhang Zuolin) to L. Karakhan and A. Joffe and members of the Politburo, Beijing, 15 February 1923. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 296 (pdf, 2.1Mb)

Notes by Sneevliet for A.A. Joffe, concerning a talk with two members of Dalrevcom, February 1923. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 231 (pdf, 639Kb)

Letter from G. Voitinsky to Sneevliet, Vladivostok, 9 March 1923. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 231 (pdf, 1.6Mb)

Sneevliet's pass to Sun Yat-sen's headquarters from March to July 1923.
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 246 (pdf, 682Kb)

Notes concerning a meeting at Li Dazhao's House, 30 March 1923. Discussed were the difficulties relating to the strike of railway workers on the Beijing-Hankou line. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 261 (pdf, 754Kb)

Letter from Sneevliet to W. van Ravesteyn, sent from Shanghai, 3 April 1923. (Dutch text)
W. van Ravesteyn Papers, inv.no. 18 (pdf, 2.7Mb)

Notes of a meeting with Deng Zhongxia in Shanghai concerning trade union work, 4 April 1923. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 262 (pdf, 471Kb)

Telegram from the Soviet government to Sun Yat-sen, 1 May 1923. The telegram was passed on by Sneevliet. It stated that the Soviet government agreed to provide Sun Yat-sen and the KMT with funds and weapons. (Russian text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 234 (pdf, 1.3Mb)

Telegram from Sun Yat-sen to A. Joffe, 12 May 1923, expressing gratitude for the decision of 1 May and announcing the reorganisation of the KMT. Again, the telegram was passed on by Sneevliet. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 234 (pdf, 774Kb)

Pages from Sneevliet's notebook, May-June 1923. (English and German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 232 (pdf, 1.3Mb)

"Directives to the II. Congres of the Communist Party of China" by W. Kolarow (V. Kolarov), EKKI secretary, 24 May 1923. In fact the Third Congress was meant. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 274 (pdf, 1.9Mb)

Letter from Sneevliet to K. Radek and G. Safarov, Canton (Guangzhou), 30 May 1923. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 231 (pdf, 806Kb)

Sneevliet and Chen Duxiu drafted a plan of the reorganization of KMT for Sun Yat-sen. In the second half of May 1923, Sun Yat-sen agreed to the plan. This is the draft plan in English, with schemes and budget estimates. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 289 (pdf, 2.7Mb)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 290 (pdf, 3.3Mb)

Draft Programme of the CPC, accepted by the Third National Congress of the CPC. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 279 (pdf, 9.5Mb)

Notes by Sneevliet of speeches by Qu Qiubai, Deng Zhongxia, Mao Zedong, Li Dazhao and Lin Yunan, taking during the Third National Congress of the CPC, June 1923. The main subject discussed was cooperation with the KMT. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 275 (pdf, 4Mb)

Speech by Sneevliet to the Third National Congress of the CPC, June 1923, entitled 'Discussion on the relation between the CPC and Kuomintang'. Sneevliet stresses that EKKI instructions should be followed.
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 277 (pdf, 2.5Mb)

Some ultra-left Comintern leaders did not agree to the cooperation between the KMT and the CPC. Sneevliet was labelled a "rightist", as he disagreed with A. Safarov, the responsible person for the Eastern Section of the Comintern. Safaroff advocated discarding the KMT and letting CPC lead the national revolutionary movement. On 20 June 1923, Sneevliet wrote a letter to the EKKI, protesting against the practice of categorizing its staff members into "left, middle, or right". (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 231 (pdf, 3.2Mb)

Report of the Third National Congress of the CPC from H. Sneevliet to the EKKI, Profintern and the Vladivostok Bureau, 25 June 1923. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 298 (pdf, 933Kb)

Letter from the Central Committee of the CPC to the Profintern, among other things concerning the railway strike on the Beijing-Hankou line, Canton (Guangzhou), 1 July 1923. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 230 (pdf, 1.8Mb)

Report by Sneevliet on the events in China and his activities from 23 June to 15 July 1923, Canton (Guangzhou), 15 July 1923. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 230 (pdf, 2.3Mb)

Sneevliet had been sparing no effort in urging Sun Yat-sen and KMT to shape its Party program after the example of the Soviet Communist Party and in strengthening publicity work. This is the letter written to Sun Yat-sen, 25 June 1923, by Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Cai Hesen, Tan Pingshan and Mao Zedong, members of the Central Committee selected at the Third National Congress of the CPC, urging him to give up military actions in Canton (Guangzhou) and to go to Shanghai instead, a center of public opinion, to call a national conference to keep the KMT's leadership of the national movement. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 280 (pdf, 1.5Mb)

Letter from H. Sneevliet to J. Davtian and A. Joffe, Canton (Guangzhou), 20 July 1923. Sun Yat-sen did not intend to give up military actions in Guangdong Province, and started the reorganization of the KMT right away. Sneevliet wrote letters to the Soviet envoy Joffe and others, suggesting reconsidering the use of funds for assisting the KMT. (German text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 230 (pdf, 1.6Mb)

In the summer of 1923, H.Sneevliet more than once suggested to the Comintern and the diplomatic department of the Soviet government that he be assigned with diplomatic work towards China, but his request was turned down. After the Third National Congress of CPC, Sneevliet's assignment as representative of the Comintern came to an end. In this letter from Sneevliet to Liao Zhongkai, dated 21 July 21 1923, just before he left China, he analyzed the political situation in China and the situation within the KMT. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 231 (pdf, 1.2Mb)

Letter from Chang Kai-shek to Sneevliet, sent from Moscow, 12 November 1923. Chiang Kai-shek informs Sneevliet, who was back in Holland, of personal and strategical changes in the Comintern. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 230 (pdf, 738Kb)

Letter from Chang Kai-shek to Sneevliet, sent from Moscow, 28 November 1923. Chiang Kai-shek promises to talk to Sun Yat-sen about inviting Sneevliet to come back to China as soon as possible. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 230 (pdf, 671Kb)

Letter from Sneevliet to Sun Yat-sen, sent from Amsterdam, 29 April 1924. Sneevliet still wanted to return to his work in China. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.no. 363 (pdf, 2Mb)

Letter from Henk Sneevliet to M. Borodin, sent from Amsterdam, 29 April 1924. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.nr. 361 (pdf, 1.6Mb)

Letter from Zhang Tailei ("Chantalei") to Sneevliet, sent from Moscow, 1 May 1924. (English text)
Henk Sneevliet Papers, inv.nr. 361 (pdf, 702Kb)

top
http://iisg.nl/collections/sneevliet/life-5.php - Last updated: 1 July 2016