TROTSKY LEON: (1879-1940) Russian Marxist Revolutionary. Founder and first Leader of the Red Army. Assassinated. Very rare A.L.S., `Leo Trotski´, one page, to a postcard, Halifax, 30<sup>th</sup> April 1917, to Mr. L. B. Boudin, Counselor at Law, 302 Broadway, New York City, Un Stat of Am, in Cyrillic. The postcard is postmarked four days later, 4<sup>th</sup> May 1917, and stamped. The postcard is sent by Trotsky from Halifax, in Canada, where he was imprisoned for over a month, and is written the day after the British government had freed him and he has embarked towards Norway. Trotsky states `Dear Tovarish, Since yesterday, A. and I are finally on the steamship, heading to Christiania. Warm regards to you and your wife´ To the front the postcard shows an image of the Danish ship “S./S. Hellig Olav. - Copenhagen - New York” which brought him back to Europe. Small overall age wear, otherwise G

 

As a war correspondent Trotsky moved to France on 19th November 1914. In 1915 he started editing a journal, his slogan being "peace without indemnities or annexations, peace without conquerors or conquered”. In September 1916, Trotsky was deported from France to Spain for his anti-war activities. Spanish authorities did not want him and deported him to the United States on 25th December 1916. He arrived in New York City on 13th January 1917 where he stayed for nearly three months, in The Bronx. Trotsky was living in New York City when the February Revolution of 1917 overthrew Tsar Nicholas II. He left New York on 27 March 1917, but his ship, the SS Kristianiaford, was intercepted by British naval officials in Canada at Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was detained for a month. While imprisoned in the camp, Trotsky established an increasing friendship with the workers and sailors, describing his month at the camp as "one continual mass meeting". Trotsky's speeches and agitation incurred the wrath of German officers who complained to the British camp commander, Colonel Morris, about Trotsky's "anti-patriotic" attitude. Morris then forbade Trotsky to make any more public speeches, leading to 530 prisoners protesting and signing a petition against Morris' order. After initial hesitation and facing pressure from the workers' and peasants' Soviets, the Russian foreign minister Milyukov was compelled to demand the release of Trotsky as a Russian citizen, and the British government freed him on 29th April 1917. Only a day before the present letter was written. He reached Russia on 17th May 1917.