George Solomon Biography
A memorandum of the Hamburg Consul G. Preliminary remarks starting to draw up a real note, I must first make a reservation that I, unfortunately, can’t submit a complete report at this time: as I said under my personal report, the German authorities, who arrested me, accountant of the consulate E. Neidecker10, Switzer of the consulate Ya. In our absence, they made a number of searches, both in the premises of the consulate in Hamburg and in the apartment of E.
Neideker in Berlin, where my things were stored in anticipation of departure, and among them various personal and consular papers. During these searches, E. Neidecker and my things and all the papers and in the premises of the consulate in Hamburg were stolen in the apartment - things and a number of papers, documents and books, and among them a cash register were stolen in the apartment.
Despite all my requirements, and the requirements of the former legal college of our representative office in Berlin, Dr. Oscar Kon, addressed to the German Min Mu [Inistent] Wu and [Nostrachny] D [El], according to the administration of 9, the actor of the International Democratic Feminine Movement, General Secretary of the International Democratic Federation of Women in the GG.
Solomon in the book "Among the Red Leaders". Solomon with the city of Neideker was present by an official of the [Inistrict] VA and [nostratic] d [eel] by the name of the senior and interpretation, who, as the witnesses of the search, read my Russian papers and letters, looked through books, etc. I can not note that his answers are m [inistrict] in the [nostratic] d [eating] with whom I had to spend the news Negotiations gave me an extremely rude and harsh form.
Being after the prison at the position of the interned, connected by the subscription to have no relations with the outside world, constantly tracked by spies, I, as it is understandable, could not do anything to the search for stolen property and papers. The same papers, documents and books that were not “seized” during the searches could not take with him, since the German m [Inistrict] in and [butter] d [eels] allowed me only a very limited number of papers.
Thus, the entire archive of the consulate, with the exception of the “seized”, is stored by Ms. Neidecker, which I instructed to put him in order and restore, according to the preserved expenditure and receipt documents, they were all preserved, a cash book. Thus, I write a real note by heart without having the necessary materials at hand. The opening of the consulate on October 7th in the evening of the year of Menzhinsky12 and I, after preliminary three-week negotiations, signed an agreement on the purchase by the Soviet government from the German government, in view of the late time and the approaching end of navigation in the Gulf of Finland, 12 Menzhinsky Vyacheslav Rudolfovich-Soviet state and party leaders, Chekist.
He participated in the revolutionary movement with G. during emigration, after G. returned to Russia in July in the years of the Consul General in Berlin. From the end of G., the coal was to be released by the Westphalse-Rales Coal Syndicate14, which instructed the entire operation to conduct the entire operation of his Hamburg branch: in Hamburg there is also the board of the Union of Steamboaters, with whom I entered into an agreement for the delivery of coal to St.
Petersburg. In this way, the first consulate of the Soviet government, not counting Berlin, was open in Hamburg. The staff of the consulate, having mentioned the state, I cannot but note that my situation in this regard was very difficult. The fact is that in general, in relation to employees, Russian who speak German, the case in Berlin is very unimportant. In addition, my preparatory, to open the actions of the consulate, were extremely difficult to the frictions that accompanied my appointment to the post of consul.
Thanks to these friction, I refused my candidacy several times, [but] Comrade. Menzhinsky insisted on her intensely, convinced me not to refuse. I was overloaded with the work of the first secretary of the representative office, with which the conduct of diplomatic negotiations with the m [Inistert] and [nostratic] d [es], the management of the embassy, etc., was fraught with a significant tension of the forces.
At the same time, I had to conduct preparatory activities on the equipment and organization of the Hamburg Consulate.The friction I have mentioned with my boss, reaching until the last moment, as it is understandable, introduced uncertainty into the matter of extremely severe and very hard on my psyche; It is not superfluous to mention that I did not at all suggest for this position and agreed to put up my candidacy only at the insistence of my friends, it is natural that this uncertainty did not give me the necessary confidence in the preparatory activity: it was difficult for me to speak with persons who wanted to go to the Hamburg Consulate, and therefore at the last moment, when I had to immediately open the actions of the consulate, no longer reckoning with no longer completed with no longer completed.
friction, assume the duties of the consul, I had to take the employees, as they say, from the borus and from the pine. And, of course, this condition was very unsuccessful: one employee-machine gunner, whom I did not even have time to prove for the seduct, I had to let go the other day after arriving in Hamburg, the other employee-days through, etc. I have not been superfluous that I did not have to attract no one from the Hamburg Russian colony, with the exception of one girl, whose entire healthy work was reduced to the whole of the healthy work.
a healing of letters, etc. The rest of the members of the local colony is persistently some of the threats to “bring to the attention of the Central Government” who offered me their services, represented a completely inappropriate element: there were many people with pronounced features of speculators who wanted to use the position of consular employees for their own purposes.
Only a week after the opening of the consulate’s actions, under one of the trips to Berlin, I combined the duties of the consul with the duties of the first secretary of the embassy for some time by the experienced employee V. Karshner, who knew well a commercial business and coal in particular, and the accountant mentioned above E. And then in a corruption time, approximately the number of November, I invited Comrade to secretaries.
Money difficulties should be noted that, bargaining with me regarding the coal transaction, the German m [Inistrict] in and [buttrah] d [eels] before the signing of the contract made an order to load coal to the steamboats, referring to the transaction with us- 15 so in the document. Thus, by the time I had to start sending, some of the steamers were already loaded and ready to go to sea.
But, according to the condition with the Union of Steamopomes, before paying completely freight and insurance, the steamers should not go to sea. By the time of my departure to Hamburg, two or three ships were already completely ready for sailing and waited only for paying off and somewhat loaded. Meanwhile, I had no money. Krasin16 informed me by a direct wire that money would be expelled without slowdown, but that it was necessary to organize a train, security, etc.
Shortly before that, a credit office instructed me to enter into a relationship with some solid German bank and agree on mutual opening of accounts: a German bank in our national bank in Moscow17 and a credit office in Berlin. Member of the Social Democratic Movement in Russia from G. in the GG. In December, in November - June, in March - December, after the reorganization of drug addicts, the bank opened 12 branches, agencies and commission agencies in various cities of the European part of Russia, in Siberia, the Far East and the Caucasus, including in Petrograd.
Agencies in London and New York were also established in the city by this time the bank turnover grew to 1.2 billion rubles. Based on the Decree of the All -Russian Central Executive Committee of December 14, by Decree of the Narkomfin of December 2, Mendelsson18 and the case was quickly settled. And so, at the described moment, without having the means to pay for immersed coal, it is not superfluous to note that the steamboaters treated us with great distrust, and therefore I considered them to ask for a delay or other benefit, and, fearing delays with the output of the steamers, I asked Mendelsson with a request for a loan of 8.
He immediately agreed. My appearance in Hamburg, my appearance in Hamburg in Hamburg in Hamburg in Hamburg, has arrived at Hamburg, I arrived in Hamburg, preceded by sensational and attractive, for this world trading city, rumors about millions that I take with me. Hamburg, who was sleeping four years of war, started, hopes for restoring business life rose. The exchange earned.
The long -stored reserves of speculative goods climbed into the light of God. In a word, in connection with the rumors circulating at that time, the next world with the Entente, Hamburg began to wake up. The speculators began to diligently offer their goods, and the prices for them began to catastrophically fall. For example, I will indicate that at the beginning I was offered braids of Russian sample for brands apiece.
Naturally, I resolutely rejected all these offers, waiting for more profitable prices for us and without doubt that the speculators overloaded with goods will hurry with their sale.And indeed, after a few days the same braids were offered to me already according to the brands. Local firms and representatives of nonresident enterprises besieged me with their offers. I was interviewed by the Hamburg senators, all of them merchants, pissing out on which socialist Russia will be conducted by international exchange.
I drew them a picture of an exchange on a communist basis, this prospect met their complete approval on their part. And they asked me with somewhat alarming impatience if I would begin to buy goods soon: each of them wanted to deal with their speculative reserves. By itself, my situation was beneficial, since there was a kind of priority for me. Representatives of large industrial enterprises also contacted me, offering to mobilize their enterprises for a number of years to manufacture the 18 Banquir House of Mendelsonov existed in Berlin C.
But I had neither directives nor funds. Therefore, I asked L. Krasin on a straight wire about permission to use the moment of falling prices and purchase goods. And two days three days before a break of diplomatic relations between us and Germany, I received permission to purchase from him if I am not mistaken: I write about twenty different tools to memory, but I did not have to implement this order.
Sending the steamboats from the first day of my stay in Hamburg I had to insist with all measures so that the work of the load would go as soon as possible, because, as I already mentioned, the moment of the end of the navigation is nearing. But the matter went, in my opinion, is not quickly enough. They explained to me in excuse that the ships were loaded in several sowing of the German harbors and one Dutch, it was difficult to carry the ships due to damage to the railway track, that it was difficult to get the movers, etc.
But at the same time, rumors began to be private, which were then confirmed that the German workers were extremely unhappy with the sale of coal, which was felt and in which they felt in the very sensation Germany and that therefore they refused to load. Then I found out that our Russian military, who ended it, were involved in the load. But for its part, the union of steamboatians also seized me with anxious requests, whether we, in St.
Petersburg, have been ensured, whether preparatory measures were taken, whether there are sufficiently all the necessary devices, baskets, shovels, whether cranes, barges, etc. are in order. I myself was worried about all these issues, but I reassured the union with statements that all measures were taken and continue to be taken. And at the same time, I requested L.
Krasin on the direct wire, he handed over his answers to steamer. But they did not calm down, pointed out the sad experience with the unloading of the Anna Stevens steamer 20, at the excessive delays in this ship, demanded that I guarantees that if the steamers linge with return flights to ice, our icebreakers would be removed. Finally, I received the news that the first and then the second and third steamboats safely arrived in St.
Petersburg. But at the same time, the representative of Stines21 in St. Petersburg telegraphed to the German m [Inister] Wu and [nostratic] d [eels] that Petersburg workers refuse to load coal, that they demand that they are content with steamboat, that there are no devices, there are no cranes, there are no barges, there are no shovels, that the unloading is carried out only by the crews of the arrived steamers.
Of extremely slowly, I reassured the shipping officers again, again requested Comrade Krasin, in a word, twisted, fearing that, if the reported is true, then the rest of the steamers would refuse to go sail. It should be noted that much of these messages of the representative of Stines subsequently turned out to be just fiction.