Overview
Papers of Russian revolutionary and Soviet leader Leon Trotsky from his period of exile in Coyoacán, Mexico.
Dates
- Creation: 1929-1940
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1937-1940
Language of Materials
Collection is in Russian, English, German, French, Spanish, Polish, and Czech.
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on physical access to this material.
Extent
65 linear feet (77 boxes)Exile papers, 1929-1940, contain correspondence, compositions, a small amount of Dewey Commission (Commission of inquiry into the charges made against Leon Trotsky in the Moscow trials) exhibit papers, and related ephemera. Correspondence includes letters to and from Trotsky, his wife Natalia, his son Lev Sedov, and his secretaries. Other correspondence is chiefly between members of the Fourth International Secretariat, other groups, and Soviet deportees. Writings include Trotsky's articles, reviews, statements, minutes of meetings, memoranda and notes, and printer's copy of the diary he kept in France and Norway in 1935; and similar writings of members of the Fourth International. Household papers contain secretarial notes, records of correspondence, photographs, and other items pertaining to the Trotsky household, particularly in Coyoacán, Mexico. Travel and legal documents, contracts, royalty reports and miscellaneous receipts are also included in the collection.
Biographical / Historical
Trotsky was a Russian revolutionary and Soviet leader.
Arrangement
The papers have been organized into three series:
- I. Correspondence
- ___A. Letters to Lev Trotsky
- ___B. Letters to Lev Trotsky's secretaries
- ___C. Letters from Lev Trotsky
- ___D. Letters from Lev Trotsky's secretaries
- ___E. Letters to Lev Sedov
- ___F. Letters from Lev Sedov
- ___G. Letters to Natalia Sedova Trotsky
- ___H. Letters from Natalia Sedova Trotsky
- ___I. Other letters
- II. Compositions
- ___A. Compositions by Lev Trotsky
- ___B. Household papers
- ___C. Documents, contracts, etc.
- ___D. Other compositions
- III. Dewey Commission exhibits
- Appendix: Notes concerning the microfilm of the Leon Trotsky exile papers
Please note that several item numbers were inadvertently omitted from this finding aid thus numbering is not always sequential.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Leon and Natalia Trotsky; received: 1940, 1946, 1953.
The papers of Leon Trotsky were purchased by the Harvard College Library in 1940 and 1946 with funds provided by John Wood Blodgett, Jr. The preliminary arrangements for the sale and shipment of the archives were made by Trotsky himself; after his death, these were completed by his widow, Natalia Sedova Trotsky. The first shipment of papers contained all that survived for the years 1917 to 1937, with the exception of certain official papers retained by the Soviet Union at the time of Trotsky's deportation and of miscellaneous papers in his son's possession that were either lost, stolen, or impounded during the exile period. The second shipment, purchased from Mrs. Trotsky in 1946, contained the papers for the years 1937 through 1940. For administrative purposes the archives were divided into two parts: the pre-exile papers (1917-1928) and papers from the exile years (1929-1940). A stipulation was made by both Lev Trotsky and Mrs. Trotsky that the exile papers were not to be opened to the public until 1980.
Existence and Location of Copies
Microfilm available through the Houghton Reading Room (38 reels). Microfilm reflects the pre-cataloged state of the papers.
Separated Materials
For the Soviet papers and related collections of Leon Trotsky see MS Russ 13.
Geographic Abbreviations:
- Australia -Austr
- Austria - A
- Belgium - B
- Bulgaria - Bul
- Canada - Can
- Ceylon - Cey
- China - Ch
- Czechoslovakia - C
- Denmark - D
- Estonia - Est
- France - F
- Germany - G
- Great Britain - E
- Greece - Gr
- Holland - H
- Hungary - Hun
- India - Ind
- Indochina - Indo
- Ireland - Ire
- Israel - Isr
- Italy - I
- Japan - J
- Latvia - Lat
- Luxembourg - Lux
- Mexico - M
- New Zealand - NZ
- Norway - N
- Poland - P
- Roumania - R
- South Africa - S.Afr.
- South America - S.Am.
- Spain - S
- Sweden - Sw
- Switzerland - Swit
- United States - US
- Union of Socialist Soviet Republics - USSR
Other abbreviations
- Family - Fam
- Fourth International - FI
- Fourth International Secretariat - IS
Lev Trotsky's secretaries and their periods of service:
- 1. Charles Cornell: June 1939-Aug 1940
- 2. Lillian Curtiss: [1] Oct 1938 - [17] Jun 1939
- 3. Jeanne Martin des Pallières: Spring and summer of 1929, Some periods of 1930
- 4. Jakob Frank: [ca. Jun] 1929 - Oct 1929
- 5. Pierre Frank: Jul 1932 - Apr 1933
- 6. Jan Frankel: [Apr] 1930 - Jan 1933, Jun 1935 - Oct 1935, Feb 1937 - 20, Oct 1937
- 7. Joseph Hansen: [1] Oct 1937 - [15] Jan 1939, Oct 1939 - Jan 1940, Jun 1940 - Aug 1940
- 8. Rudolf Klement: 27 Apr 1933 - [15] Apr 1934
- 9. Vaughan Thomas O'Brien: Sep 1938 - Sep 1939
- 10. Maria Ilinishna Pevsner: Spring 1929 - 18 Jun 1933
- 11. Walter Rork: Dec 1939 - Aug 1940
- 12. Otto Schüssler: Spring 1932 - 10 Apr 1933, Feb 1939 - Aug 1940
- 13. Rae Spiegel: Aug 1937 - May 1938
- 14. Jean van Heijenoort: 20 Oct 1932 - Sep 1936, Jan 1937 - 5 Nov 1939
- 15. Sara Weber: Jun 1933 - Feb 1934, May 1938 - Jan 1939
- 16. Erwin Wolf: Nov 1935 - Sep 1936
- 17. Bernard Wolfe: Jan 1937 - Aug 1937
Pseudonyms:
- Pseudonym- User
- Adolphe - Klement, Rudolf
- Albert - Jungclas, Georg
- Alexander - Johnstone, K
- Andrews, Chris - Moustakis, Chris
- Audouin - Molinier, Henri
- *Bauer, Erwin or Eugen - Ackerknecht, Eugen
- Biline, L - Caby, Robert
- Blasco - Tresso, Pietro
- Boitel -Bardin, Joannès
- Braun - Wolf, Erwin
- Camille - Klement, Rudolf
- Clart - Rous, Jean
- Crux - Trotsky, Lev
- Dan, Théodore - Gurvich, Fedor Il'ich
- Daniel - Mangan, Sherry
- Dubois - Fischer, Ruth
- Durand - Sedov, Lev
- Erde - Friedberg, Karl
- Etienne - Zborowski, Mark
- Feroci - Leonetti, Alfonso
- Fischer, Oscar - Schüssler, Otto
- Francois - Frankel, Jan
- Frédéric - Klement, Rudolf
- Gebert - Porzsolt, Ladislaus
- Giacomi - Bavassano, Giacomo
- Gil - Sedov, Lev
- Gilbert - Craipeau, Yvan
- Glenner, John - Frankel, Jan
- Graef, Max - Frank, Jakob
- Graves, Frank - Glass, Frank
- *Held, Walter - Epe, Heinz
- Irish - O'Brien, Vaughan Thomas
- Julien - Tresso, Pietro
- Keller, Werner - Frankel, Jan
- Kin - Sedov, Lev
- *Lacroix, Henri - Lavid, Francis Garcia
- Legrand - Cannon, James Patrick
- *Li Fu-jen - Glass, Frank
- *Lode, Roelandt - Van Droogenbrock, J H
- Lola - Estrin, Lelia
- Mark - Sedov, Lev
- Markin - Sedov, Lev
- Martel - Cannon, James Patrick
- Martin - Leonetti, Alfonso
- Molinié - Molinier, Henri
- *Munis - Grandizp
- Nejdanoff - Manov, Stéphane
- Nelz, Walter - Ost, Walter
- Nicolle (Nicole) - Wolf, Erwin
- O'Rourke - Rork, Walter
- Parabellum - Maslow, Arkadi
- Parijanine - Donzel
- Paulsen - Estrin, Lelia
- Phelan, Terence - Mangan, Sherry
- Praux - Bardin, Alexis
- Ramm - Pfemfert, Alexandra
- Reiss, Ignace - Poretsky, Ignacy
- Römer, Olga - Feix, Anna
- *Rosmer, Alfred - Griot, Alfred
- *Rosmer, Marguerite - Thevenet, Marguerite
- Santini - Ravazzoli, Paolo
- Schmidt, W - Sobolevicius, Roman
- Scholze - Neurath, Alois
- Schwab - Walcher, Jakob
- Schwarz - Sedov, Lev
- Senin - Sobolevicius, Abraham
- Sénine -Sobolevicius, Abraham
- Solce (Solze) - Neurath, Alois
- Sonka - Sonnenschein, Hugo
- Souzo - Leonetti, Alfonso
- Steen, Walter - Klement, Rudolf
- Stuart, J. E.B. - Gordon, Sam
- Theodor (Théodore) - Klement, Rudolf
- Torino - Leonetti, Alfonso
- Trent - Shachtman, Max
- Usick - Vanzler, Joseph
- Van - Van Heijenoort, Jean
- Vercesi - Perrone, Ottorino
- Verny, J - Frankel, Jan
- *Weber, Sara - Jakobs, Sara
- Well, Roman - Sobolevicius, Roman
- *Wright, John G - Vanzler, Joseph
- Zeman, Anton - Grylewicz, Anton
- Zvon - Salfrys, S
- * Pseudonym retained as catalogue heading.
Political Abbreviations:
- ADG, ADGB - Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftbund
- AK - Auslandkomitee
- ASF - Aktiv-Sozialistischer-Front
- ASR - Action Socialiste Révolutionnaire
- BP - Bureau Politique
- CC - Central Committee
- CC - Comité Central
- CAP - Commission Administrative Permanante
- CGI,CGIU - Confédération Générale du Travail Unitaire
- CI - Communist International
- CLA - Communist League of America
- CN - Conférence Nationale
- CNT - Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
- EC - Executive Committee
- FI,- Fourth International
- FSI - Fédération Syndicale Internationale
- FU - Front Uruque
- GAR - Groupe d'Action Révolutionnaire
- GBL - Groupe Bolchévik-Léniniste
- IAG - Internationale Arbeitsgemeinschaft
- ICE - Izquierda Comunista Espaola
- ICL - International Communist League
- IEC - International Executive Committee
- IKD - Internationale Kommunisten Deutschlands
- ILO - International Left Opposition
- ILP - Independent Labout Party (Great Britain)
- IOS - Internationale Ouvrière Socialiste
- IS - International Secretariat
- IVKO - Internationale Vereinigung der Kommunistischen Opposition
- JC - Jeunesses Communistes
- JSR - Jeunesses Socialistes Révolutionnaires
- KAP, KAPD - Kommunistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands
- KJO, KJVO, KJVDO - Kommunistische Judgendverband Deutschlands (opposition)
- KPdSU - Kommunistische Partei der Sowjet-Union
- KPÖ - Kommunistische Partei Österreichs
- KPO, KPDO - Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (Opposition)
- LAG - Leninistisk Arbejdsgruppe
- LC - Ligue Communiste
- LCI - Ligue Communiste Internationaliste
- LO, LOD - Linke Opposition Deutschlands
- MA - Marxistische Aktion
- MG - Marxist Group
- NOI - Nuova Opposizione Italiana
- NSDAP - Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter-Partei
- NYC - National Youth Committee
- OCE - Oposición Comunista Espagñola
- OGA - Opposition de Gauche Allemande
- OGI - Opposition de Gauche Internationale
- OSP - Onafhankelijke Socialistische Partij
- PCB - Parti Communiste Belge
- PCF - Parti Communiste Francais
- PCI - Parti Communiste Internationaliste
- POI - Parti Ouvrier Internationaliste
- POR - Partido Obrero Revolucionario
- POUM - Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista
- PS - Parti Socialiste
- PSOP - Parti Socialiste Ouvrier et Paysan
- PSR - Parti Socialiste Révolutionnaire
- RFB - Roter Frontkämpfer-Bund
- RGO - Revolutionäre Gewerkschafts-Opposition
- RK - Reichskonferenz
- RL - Reichsleitung
- RSAP - Revolutionair-Socialistische Arbeiderspartij
- RSP - Revolutionary Socialist Party
- SA - Sturmabteilung
- SAP(D) - Sozialistische Arbeiterpartie Deutschlands
- SFIO - Section Francaise de l'Internationale Ouvrière
- SI - Sécretariat International
- SJV, SJVD - Sozialistischer Jugend-Verband Deutschlands
- SP - Socialist Party
- SPD - Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands
- SPS - Sozialdemokratische Partei Schweizs
- SU - Sowjetunion
- SWP - Socialist Workers' Party
- SYL - Spartacus Youth League
- TPPS - Toujours PrÉts Pour Servir (Service d'ordre du SFIO)
- UB - Unterbezirk
- UBL - Unterbezirksleitung
- UW - Unser Wort
- WP - Workers' Party
- WPSA - Workers' Party of South Africa
- YC - Youth Club
- ZK - Zentralkomitee
Appendix: Notes concerning the microfilm of the Leon Trotsky Exile Papers
The following notes were written in September 2008 by Joshua Rubenstein, a long time Associate of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University and Northeast Regional Director of Amnesty International.
This set of microfilm was put together before the collection was cataloged. The reels themselves (there are dozens), have never been cataloged so that, in general, it is not known what is on each of the reels. But Mr. Rubenstein was able to view five of the reels, and discovered a particular pattern to each reel. These notes provide some guidance for future readers of the micofilm of the Exile Papers, but more work is needed.
- Roll 85: The material is entirely from the 1930s to Trotsky's death in August 1940. No particular order to the material on the reel was determined, but there is a good amount of material dating to his time in Mexico, from 1937-1940.
- R - 1: This material consists almost entirely of correspondence between Lenin and Trotsky in 1918 and then other letters between Lenin and other figures until 1923. There is a volume in HOLLIS catalog with the Lenin-Trotsky letters: HOLLIS 1277476.
- Roll 6: This material again relates almost entirely, if not entirely, to the 1930s, during Trotsky's time in exile in Europe and then in Mexico.
- Roll 31: This set of microfilm material is surprising. It begins with a great deal of material from just before and just after the turn of the 20th century, including notes and letters between Lenin and his associates. For example, there are a number of letters between Lenin and Potresov, one of his close colleagues in the early Russian Marxist movement. And then the collection moves on to include correspondence between other famous figures from that circle, like Rosa Luxembourg, Alexander Helphand-Parvus, Pavel Axelrod, Vera Zasulich, and Yuli Martov. There is also a good deal of correspondence between Lenin and other family members. [Mr. Rubenstin does not know where any of this material is cataloged]. From there, the reel then includes Trotsky material from the 1930s until his death in August 1940.
- Roll 36: This set of microfilm seemed to include copies of telegrams and letters relating to Trotsky's time in Alma Ata in 1928, before he was thrown out of the Soviet Union in January 1929.
Processing Information
Processed by: Patrick K. Miehe
Explanation of the Cataloging of the Exile Papers:
Reference numbers and geographic abbreviations: The numbers to the extreme right of the items in the catalogue refer to the numbers of the original folders from which the items were removed. A description of the content of these folders can be found at the end of the collection. The geographic abbreviations to the extreme right of the items in the catalogue refer to the nationality of the item's author and/or the country in which the item was written. For letters written by Lev Trotsky, his secretaries, Lev Sedov, Natalia Sedova Trotsky, or the Fourth International Secretariat, the abbreviations refer to the nationality of the recipient and/or the country to which the letter was sent. A reference number and geographic abbreviation apply to both the item directly opposite them and to all ensuing items until the appearance of another reference number and geographic abbreviation. A key to the geographic abbreviations is below.
Fourth International heading: To keep large groups of related manuscripts together, all Trotskyite party papers in this collection have been catalogued under "Fourth International." Readers should bear in mind, however, that the Fourth International designation is applicable as official nomenclature only for papers composed after July of 1936.
Fourth International Secretariat: To supplement material listed under "Fourth International Secretariat," readers should also refer to correspondence and compositions by members of the Secretariat - notably Eugen Bauer, Pierre Frank, Jan Frankel, Ruth Fischer, Anton Grylewicz, Rudolf Klement, Alfonso Leonetti, Pierre Naville, Alfred Rosmer, Jean Rous, Lev Sedov, Pietro Tresso, and Erwin Wolf.
Pseudonyms: An alphabetical list of pseudonyms matched with their users' real names is below. An individual's pseudonyms are also listed at the end of each entry in the first section (Letters to Lev Trotsky). In instances where an individual is generally known by his pseudonym, the pseudonym has been retained as a catalogue heading.
Annotations: Heavy blue and red pencil markings and/or annotations on many items throughout the collection are by Lev Trotsky and occasionally by one of his secretaries.
- Title
- Trotsky, Leon, 1879-1940. Leon Trotsky exile papers: Guide.
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hou00301
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
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