Secret Cables of the Comintern, 1933–1943

This is a volume for specialists—those who focus on the Communist International (Comintern) and those who study specific Communist parties. The book deals with the encrypted correspondence between Comintern headquarters and various fraternal parties. The cables define the structure and thematic organization of the book. Although the authors provide some introductory context for the cables, a deeper appreciation of the historical context will result in a deeper appreciation of the cables’ importance. As the authors note, the volume is “neither a comprehensive history of the Comintern in the 1930s nor a detailed account of each episode” (p. 5). Rather, the focus is quite sharp. This volume is a condensed English-language version of the volume published in German in 2003 by Fridrikh Firsov and other colleagues. Given that a few earlier volumes in the Annals of Communism Series (Yale University Press) and some other books cover some of the same ground,...