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Maurice Conradi

April 10, 2024

Maurice Alexander Conradi (Russian: Морис Морисович Конради, Moris Morisovich Konradi; 16 June 1896 − 7 February 1947)[1] was a White Army emigre participant of the First World War and the Russian Civil War and the assassin of the Soviet diplomat Vatslav Vorovsky.

Maurice Conradi

Early life edit

Conradi was born in Saint Petersburg to a Swiss family from Andeer, owners of a confectionery factory established in 1853 by Conradi's grandfather.[1] Upon the outbreak of World War I he joined the Russian Imperial Army. During the Bolshevik Revolution most of his family was killed and their assets seized: his father, Maurice, was executed in Saint Petersburg on 26 November 1919, his brother, Victor-Edward, taken hostage and executed in 1918, and two further siblings disappeared during the Red Terror.[1] It was during the civil war that he met his wife-to-be, Vladislava Lvovna Svartsevich (Владислава Львовна Сварцевич).[1] After the defeat of the Wrangel Army he fled to Switzerland, and among other Russian expats there was radicalized further against the Bolsheviks.[2]

Murder of Vorovsky edit

In April 1923 Conradi attempted an assassination of Soviet People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs Georgy Chicherin while he visited Germany, but unable to find him he returned to Geneva.[citation needed] Finding out about the upcoming conference, he planned another assassination.[citation needed] Vatslav Vorovsky, Ivan Ariens [ru] and Maxim Divilkovsky were envoys of the Bolshevik government to the Conference of Lausanne. They were accepted as observers to the conference but not as participants, and they received no diplomatic protection in the country.[3] On 10 May 1923 Conradi and his companion Arkady Polunin [ru] (Аркадий Павлович Полунин) (Polonnine in French and court transcriptions) entered the restaurant of the Hotel Cécil, shooting the Bolshevik delegation. Vorovsky was killed at the scene, and Ariens and Divilkovsky were wounded but survived.[1]

 
Maurice Conradi with policeman: "From a sketch made a few minutes after the murder" of Vatslav Vorovsky, printed in the Daily Herald upon Conradi's acquittal on 1923-11-17.

Conradi did not resist arrest or conceal his actions or motivations.[2] In his statement to police he said, "Among those who played their part in the ruin of Russia, and indirectly of all mankind, there are no innocents."[4] The Swiss Federal Council was "outrage[d]" by the assassination, but decided to treat it as a local crime rather than an international incident.[5] Swiss-Soviet relations had been tense for years;[6] Soviet foreign secretary Georgy Chicherin told the Federal Council that in denying Vorovsky official recognition and protection, they had "heavy and absolutely obvious responsibility" for the murder.[7] The Council responded by demanding reparation for crimes against Swiss citizens living in Russia during the revolution.[8]

The "Conradi Affair" was an international sensation. Soviet and left-wing literature[vague] presented the murder as a conspiracy of "fascist White radicals",[1] while Conradi was supported by many White émigrés and Russian activists in exile, including Ivan Bunin, Ivan Shmelyov and Dmitry Merezhkovsky.[1]

The trial of Conradi and Polunin began on 5 November 1923 in the Cantonal Court of Vaud [fr].[9] Defended by Théodore Aubert,[1] Conradi and Polunin plead not guilty, and with the defendants agreeing to most key facts except conspiracy, the argument became a moral one.[9] Soon the local criminal trial became a trial of the Russian Revolution and the Bolshevik regime.[9][1] Defense witnesses described the atrocities of the revolution and Red Terror,[10] against Conradi's family and Swiss expats in particular;[11] defense counsel arguments included that Bolsheviks had performed many assassinations and that Conradi was a "liberator of the world's conscience."[9] The prosecution responded to this with witnesses including an Italian communist and a Bolshevik military official testifying about how happy life in Soviet Russia became after the Revolution.[1]

The jury agreed to all questions of fact but voted 5-to-4 against conviction.[9] The court ordered Conradi to pay the legal fees of the trial at the request of the prosecutor.[9] The verdict was controversial internationally,[12] and Russia in response cut relations and boycotted all Swiss goods.[2] The USSR would soon make repeated attempts to restore relations, although Vorovsky remained a contentious issue.[13] A provisional solution was reached in 1927,[14] but Swiss-Soviet relations were not restored until 1946.[15]

Further life edit

Following the trial, Conradi remained in Lausanne with his wife until May 1925, when they moved to Paris. The couple divorced on 24 September 1929.[1]

Conradi served in the French Foreign Legion and information about his death circulated in newspapers in 1931. However, he returned to his family's home canton of Graubünden, got remarried in 1942 to Regula Wickerlin, and died on 7 February 1947 in Chur. He never had children.[1]

Polunin went to Paris after the trial and died under mysterious circumstances in Dreux on 23 February 1933.[1]

Ariens and Divilkovsky, the survivors of the assassination plot, returned to the Soviet Union and held various positions in the administration. Ariens's final post was as Consul General of the USSR, and he was executed on 11 January 1938 during Great Purge. Divilkovsky studied physics under L. I. Mandelstam and became secretary of the physics group at the Academy of Sciences. He volunteered for service in World War II and was killed in 1942.[1]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Grezin, Ivan (2012-01-18). Убийство Воровского и процесс Конради: жертвы, палачи и герои [The Murder of Vorovsky and the Conradi Trial: Victims, Executioners and Heroes]. Nasha Gazeta (Online article). CH. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  2. ^ a b c "The 'Conradi Affair'". Dodis: Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland (E-dossier). n.d. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  3. ^ This was "due to international antagonisms", per Dodis: Conradi Affair, citing document 44913.
  4. ^ Dodis: Conradi Affair, citing Conradi, Maurice; Guinan, Georges; Vaud Cantonal police (May 1923). Mon aveu [My confession] (Police report) (in French). dodis.ch/48619. Retrieved 2022-07-11 – via Dodis..
  5. ^ Dodis: Conradi Affair, citing Federal Council (Meeting minutes) (in German), 1923-05-11, doc. 272, dodis.ch/44914, retrieved 2022-07-12 in Fleury & Imboden 1988.
  6. ^ This began with the Swiss expelling Soviet diplomats for allegedly encouraging a national strike in 1918, according to Dodis: Conradi Affair, citing documents 43740 and 44885.
  7. ^ Dodis: Conradi Affair, citing Le Commissaire du peuple aux Affaires étrangères de l'Union soviétique, G. Tchitchérine, au Conseil fédéral (Telegram) (in French), 1923-05-16, doc. 274, dodis.ch/44916, retrieved 2022-07-12 in Fleury & Imboden 1988.
  8. ^ Dodis: Conradi Affair, citing Federal Council (Meeting minutes) (in French), 1923-05-19, doc. 275, dodis.ch/44917, retrieved 2022-07-12 in Fleury & Imboden 1988.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Swiss Jury Acquits Vorovsky's Slayer: Polonnine, on Trial as Accomplice, Is Freed Along With Conradi". New York Times. 17 November 1923. p. 17. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  10. ^ "Conradi Trial: The Amazing Evidence". The Brisbane Courier. 10 November 1923. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  11. ^ Dodis: Conradi Affair, citing documents 48632 and 48633.
  12. ^ Dodis: Conradi Affair: "The jury indeed acquitted the proven murderer, which caused massive indignation not only in Russia."
  13. ^ Dodis: Conradi Affair, citing document 44999.
  14. ^ Dodis: Conradi Affair, citing document 45319.
  15. ^ "The Establishment of Swiss Diplomatic Relations with the USSR". Dodis: Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland (E-dossier). n.d. Retrieved 2022-07-11.

Sources edit

  • Fleury, Antoine; Imboden, Gabriel, eds. (1988). Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland. Vol. 8. Bern. ISBN 3-7165-0609-5. dodis.ch/44917.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Further reading edit

External links edit

  •   Media related to Moritz Conradi (Switzerland) at Wikimedia Commons

April 10, 2024
maurice, conradi, maurice, alexander, conradi, russian, Морис, Морисович, Конради, moris, morisovich, konradi, june, 1896, february, 1947, white, army, emigre, participant, first, world, russian, civil, assassin, soviet, diplomat, vatslav, vorovsky, contents, . Maurice Alexander Conradi Russian Moris Morisovich Konradi Moris Morisovich Konradi 16 June 1896 7 February 1947 1 was a White Army emigre participant of the First World War and the Russian Civil War and the assassin of the Soviet diplomat Vatslav Vorovsky Maurice Conradi Contents 1 Early life 2 Murder of Vorovsky 3 Further life 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 Further reading 8 External linksEarly life editConradi was born in Saint Petersburg to a Swiss family from Andeer owners of a confectionery factory established in 1853 by Conradi s grandfather 1 Upon the outbreak of World War I he joined the Russian Imperial Army During the Bolshevik Revolution most of his family was killed and their assets seized his father Maurice was executed in Saint Petersburg on 26 November 1919 his brother Victor Edward taken hostage and executed in 1918 and two further siblings disappeared during the Red Terror 1 It was during the civil war that he met his wife to be Vladislava Lvovna Svartsevich Vladislava Lvovna Svarcevich 1 After the defeat of the Wrangel Army he fled to Switzerland and among other Russian expats there was radicalized further against the Bolsheviks 2 Murder of Vorovsky editIn April 1923 Conradi attempted an assassination of Soviet People s Commissar of Foreign Affairs Georgy Chicherin while he visited Germany but unable to find him he returned to Geneva citation needed Finding out about the upcoming conference he planned another assassination citation needed Vatslav Vorovsky Ivan Ariens ru and Maxim Divilkovsky were envoys of the Bolshevik government to the Conference of Lausanne They were accepted as observers to the conference but not as participants and they received no diplomatic protection in the country 3 On 10 May 1923 Conradi and his companion Arkady Polunin ru Arkadij Pavlovich Polunin Polonnine in French and court transcriptions entered the restaurant of the Hotel Cecil shooting the Bolshevik delegation Vorovsky was killed at the scene and Ariens and Divilkovsky were wounded but survived 1 nbsp Maurice Conradi with policeman From a sketch made a few minutes after the murder of Vatslav Vorovsky printed in the Daily Herald upon Conradi s acquittal on 1923 11 17 Conradi did not resist arrest or conceal his actions or motivations 2 In his statement to police he said Among those who played their part in the ruin of Russia and indirectly of all mankind there are no innocents 4 The Swiss Federal Council was outrage d by the assassination but decided to treat it as a local crime rather than an international incident 5 Swiss Soviet relations had been tense for years 6 Soviet foreign secretary Georgy Chicherin told the Federal Council that in denying Vorovsky official recognition and protection they had heavy and absolutely obvious responsibility for the murder 7 The Council responded by demanding reparation for crimes against Swiss citizens living in Russia during the revolution 8 The Conradi Affair was an international sensation Soviet and left wing literature vague presented the murder as a conspiracy of fascist White radicals 1 while Conradi was supported by many White emigres and Russian activists in exile including Ivan Bunin Ivan Shmelyov and Dmitry Merezhkovsky 1 The trial of Conradi and Polunin began on 5 November 1923 in the Cantonal Court of Vaud fr 9 Defended by Theodore Aubert 1 Conradi and Polunin plead not guilty and with the defendants agreeing to most key facts except conspiracy the argument became a moral one 9 Soon the local criminal trial became a trial of the Russian Revolution and the Bolshevik regime 9 1 Defense witnesses described the atrocities of the revolution and Red Terror 10 against Conradi s family and Swiss expats in particular 11 defense counsel arguments included that Bolsheviks had performed many assassinations and that Conradi was a liberator of the world s conscience 9 The prosecution responded to this with witnesses including an Italian communist and a Bolshevik military official testifying about how happy life in Soviet Russia became after the Revolution 1 The jury agreed to all questions of fact but voted 5 to 4 against conviction 9 The court ordered Conradi to pay the legal fees of the trial at the request of the prosecutor 9 The verdict was controversial internationally 12 and Russia in response cut relations and boycotted all Swiss goods 2 The USSR would soon make repeated attempts to restore relations although Vorovsky remained a contentious issue 13 A provisional solution was reached in 1927 14 but Swiss Soviet relations were not restored until 1946 15 Further life editFollowing the trial Conradi remained in Lausanne with his wife until May 1925 when they moved to Paris The couple divorced on 24 September 1929 1 Conradi served in the French Foreign Legion and information about his death circulated in newspapers in 1931 However he returned to his family s home canton of Graubunden got remarried in 1942 to Regula Wickerlin and died on 7 February 1947 in Chur He never had children 1 Polunin went to Paris after the trial and died under mysterious circumstances in Dreux on 23 February 1933 1 Ariens and Divilkovsky the survivors of the assassination plot returned to the Soviet Union and held various positions in the administration Ariens s final post was as Consul General of the USSR and he was executed on 11 January 1938 during Great Purge Divilkovsky studied physics under L I Mandelstam and became secretary of the physics group at the Academy of Sciences He volunteered for service in World War II and was killed in 1942 1 See also editThe Trial of the Century Victor Kravchenko versus French Communist weekly Les Lettres Francaises 1949 Boris KowerdaReferences edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Grezin Ivan 2012 01 18 Ubijstvo Vorovskogo i process Konradi zhertvy palachi i geroi The Murder of Vorovsky and the Conradi Trial Victims Executioners and Heroes Nasha Gazeta Online article CH Retrieved 2015 08 31 a b c The Conradi Affair Dodis Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland E dossier n d Retrieved 2022 07 11 This was due to international antagonisms per Dodis Conradi Affair citing document 44913 Dodis Conradi Affair citing Conradi Maurice Guinan Georges Vaud Cantonal police May 1923 Mon aveu My confession Police report in French dodis ch 48619 Retrieved 2022 07 11 via Dodis Dodis Conradi Affair citing Federal Council Meeting minutes in German 1923 05 11 doc 272 dodis ch 44914 retrieved 2022 07 12 in Fleury amp Imboden 1988 This began with the Swiss expelling Soviet diplomats for allegedly encouraging a national strike in 1918 according to Dodis Conradi Affair citing documents 43740 and 44885 Dodis Conradi Affair citing Le Commissaire du peuple aux Affaires etrangeres de l Union sovietique G Tchitcherine au Conseil federal Telegram in French 1923 05 16 doc 274 dodis ch 44916 retrieved 2022 07 12 in Fleury amp Imboden 1988 Dodis Conradi Affair citing Federal Council Meeting minutes in French 1923 05 19 doc 275 dodis ch 44917 retrieved 2022 07 12 in Fleury amp Imboden 1988 a b c d e f Swiss Jury Acquits Vorovsky s Slayer Polonnine on Trial as Accomplice Is Freed Along With Conradi New York Times 17 November 1923 p 17 Retrieved 2022 07 11 Conradi Trial The Amazing Evidence The Brisbane Courier 10 November 1923 Retrieved 2015 08 31 Dodis Conradi Affair citing documents 48632 and 48633 Dodis Conradi Affair The jury indeed acquitted the proven murderer which caused massive indignation not only in Russia Dodis Conradi Affair citing document 44999 Dodis Conradi Affair citing document 45319 The Establishment of Swiss Diplomatic Relations with the USSR Dodis Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland E dossier n d Retrieved 2022 07 11 Sources editFleury Antoine Imboden Gabriel eds 1988 Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland Vol 8 Bern ISBN 3 7165 0609 5 dodis ch 44917 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Further reading editSenn Alfred Erich 1981 Assassination in Switzerland The Murder of Vatslav Vorovsky London University of Wisconsin Press Marabello Thomas Quinn 2023 The Centennial of the Treaty of Lausanne Turkey Switzerland the Great Powers and a Soviet Diplomat s Assassination Swiss American Historical Society Review Vol 59 Available at https scholarsarchive byu edu sahs review vol59 iss3 4External links edit nbsp Media related to Moritz Conradi Switzerland at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Maurice Conradi amp oldid 1214647609, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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