The Young Broz 41
yet been recognized by the Comintern, but nevertheless started to function.
Included were comrades who had collaborated with him during the past year,
with Djilas, Ranković, and Kardelj foremost. Except for Kardelj, none of the
others had been in Moscow or were personally known there, and this allowed
Broz to be a sort of intermediary between them and the Comintern.^181 Having
abolished the leadership of the party abroad, stating that the “Parisians” had
no right to meddle in its domestic affairs, he strengthened ties with provincial
cells and gave them new impetus. The three regional centers of Belgrade,
Zagreb, and Ljubljana, until then only sporadically in contact, began coordinat-
ing their activities. The newly instituted military committee made every effort
to create task groups of those able to handle arms. The party developed a semi-
clandestine editorial program, publishing newspapers, books, and pamphlets
that were widely distributed and brought in some income.^182 Broz also insisted
that the CPY be financially independent from Moscow. Psychologically, this
was of great importance, for the communists could no longer be accused of
being “in the pay of the Bolsheviks.” He made this decision under the pressure
of circumstances, given that the Comintern persevered in its decision not to
send money, as if it had already decided to abolish the CPY. In a letter to
Dimitrov on 1 March 1938 reporting on his activity, Walter wrote: “It is hard
to work in such difficult times without any moral, political, or material help.”
But he optimistically concluded: “I understand the complexity of the situation
and will do everything possible to save the ‘firm,’ and to accomplish the tasks
awaiting us.”^183
The impact of this letter was widespread. On Dimitrov’s initiative, it was
circulated among the most important Comintern leaders, who had been dis-
cussing the future of the CPY since the beginning of the year. On 3 Janu-
ary 1938, the secretary of the IKKI named a special commission, consisting of
Pieck, Manuilskii, and the eminent Bulgarian communist Vasil Kolarov, to
study the question. They were charged with “examining the situation in the
CPY, evaluating its cadres and preparing proposals regarding the renewal of
the leadership and the work of the party at home.”^184 In spite of a remark by
Georgi Damianov (Belov) criticizing Walter for having “fled the revolution”
in October 1917, the members of the commission agreed that he was the man
best suited to lead the party and should therefore be summoned to Moscow.
On 26 April 1938, Dimitrov laconically wrote on this document, “He can be
called.”^185 As soon as he was informed, Broz rushed to Paris, where he arrived
on 14 July, sure that he would stay in France only for a short period, and that
he already had the nomination as secretary general in his pocket. (As early as
May 1938 he introduced himself as the secretary of the Central Committee to
his future biographer Vladimir Dedijer, then still a student).^186 His Soviet visa