Sam Carr
Encyclopedia
Sam Carr was an organizer for the Communist Party of Canada
and, its successor, the Labour-Progressive Party
in the 1930s and 1940s. He was born Schmil Kogan in Tomachpol, Ukraine
in 1906 and immigrated to Canada
in 1924, living in Winnipeg
and Regina
before settling in Montreal
in 1925. Carr became an organizer for the Young Communist League
with Fred Rose
.
In 1931, Carr was arrested with other Communist Party leaders and detained in Kingston Penitentiary
for 30 months for being an officer in the party, which had been initially declared illegal in 1931. Following his release from prison he was an organizer of the 1935 On to Ottawa Trek.
He was the editor of the Communist Party's newspaper, The Clarion, before fleeing to the United States
with other party leaders in 1940 when the party was again declared illegal. When the Soviet Union
became an ally later in the war as a result of the German invasion of the USSR
, those party leaders such as Carr and Tim Buck
who had gone underground turned themselves into the authorities in 1942 and were released after ten days on the promise that they would refrain from communist activities. As a result, the Labour-Progressive Party was formed in 1942 as a legal front for the party - Carr became its national organizer.
In 1946, after a cypher clerk in the Soviet embassy in Ottawa, Igor Gouzenko
, defected to Canada, a warrant was issued for Carr's arrest and he again fled to the United States
. A Royal Commission on Espionage was called to investigate his activities. In 1949 he was found guilty of conspiracy to obtain a false passport, and was imprisoned for seven years after which he moved to Poland
. Carr was one of the principal recruiters of spies for the USSR in Canada.
Upon his release from prison Carr was no longer a member of the party but became active in the left wing progressive organization,the United Jewish Peoples' Order (UJPO) , until his death in 1989. He wrote for the UJPO magazine under the pen name George Lewis.
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
and, its successor, the Labour-Progressive Party
Labour-Progressive Party
For the Labour-Progressive Coalition Government in New Zealand see the Fifth Labour Government of New ZealandThe Labor-Progressive Party was the legal political organization of the Communist Party of Canada between 1943 and 1959....
in the 1930s and 1940s. He was born Schmil Kogan in Tomachpol, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
in 1906 and immigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1924, living in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
and Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
before settling in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1925. Carr became an organizer for the Young Communist League
Young Communist League
The Young Communist League was or is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX was generally taken by all sections of the Communist Youth International.Examples of YCLs:...
with Fred Rose
Fred Rose (politician)
Fred Rose was a Communist politician and trade union organizer in Canada. He was born in Lublin in what is now Poland, part of Russia at the time. He emigrated to Canada as a child in 1916. He became involved with the Young Communist League of Canada, and then joined the Communist Party of Canada...
.
In 1931, Carr was arrested with other Communist Party leaders and detained in Kingston Penitentiary
Kingston Penitentiary
Kingston Penitentiary is a maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario between King Street West and Lake Ontario....
for 30 months for being an officer in the party, which had been initially declared illegal in 1931. Following his release from prison he was an organizer of the 1935 On to Ottawa Trek.
He was the editor of the Communist Party's newspaper, The Clarion, before fleeing to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with other party leaders in 1940 when the party was again declared illegal. When the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
became an ally later in the war as a result of the German invasion of the USSR
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, those party leaders such as Carr and Tim Buck
Tim Buck
Timothy "Tim" Buck was a long-time leader of the Communist Party of Canada...
who had gone underground turned themselves into the authorities in 1942 and were released after ten days on the promise that they would refrain from communist activities. As a result, the Labour-Progressive Party was formed in 1942 as a legal front for the party - Carr became its national organizer.
In 1946, after a cypher clerk in the Soviet embassy in Ottawa, Igor Gouzenko
Igor Gouzenko
Igor Sergeyevich Gouzenko was a cipher clerk for the Soviet Embassy to Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. He defected on September 5, 1945, with 109 documents on Soviet espionage activities in the West...
, defected to Canada, a warrant was issued for Carr's arrest and he again fled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A Royal Commission on Espionage was called to investigate his activities. In 1949 he was found guilty of conspiracy to obtain a false passport, and was imprisoned for seven years after which he moved to Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
. Carr was one of the principal recruiters of spies for the USSR in Canada.
Upon his release from prison Carr was no longer a member of the party but became active in the left wing progressive organization,the United Jewish Peoples' Order (UJPO) , until his death in 1989. He wrote for the UJPO magazine under the pen name George Lewis.
External links
- What made Sam run?, Time Magazine, February 7, 1949