en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington_Avenue_explosion
1 correction found
Members of the Lettish section of the Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) were constructing a bomb
In 1914 these militants were identified as members of the Lettish Anarchist Red Cross, not the Anarchist Black Cross. The organization’s own history says the name changed from Red Cross to Black Cross only during the Russian Civil War, after this bombing.
Full reasoning
This appears to be an anachronism.
- The Anarchist Black Cross Federation's history says the organization began as the Anarchist Red Cross (ARC) and that "During the Russian Civil War, the ARC's name changed to the Anarchist Black Cross" to avoid confusion with the International Red Cross.
- A Lexington Avenue–specific history published by LA Anarchist Black Cross says Berg, Hanson, and Berger became members of the Lettish Anarchist Red Cross in December 1913, and describes the 1914 Rockefeller plot under that name.
Because the Lexington Avenue explosion happened on July 4, 1914, calling the bombmakers members of the Anarchist Black Cross is inconsistent with the documented timeline of the organization's name. The more accurate label for the group at that time is Anarchist Red Cross.
2 sources
- About Us | Anarchist Black Cross Federation
The year of origin has been a nagging question regarding the history of the Anarchist Black Cross, also known as the Anarchist Red Cross (ARC)... During the Russian Civil War, the ARC's name changed to the Anarchist Black Cross to avoid confusion with the International Red Cross.
- The Lettish Anarchist Red Cross and the Attempt to Kill Rockefeller | LA Anarchist Black Cross
When a number of comrades organized a Lettish Anarchist Red Cross in December of 1913, the three became some of its first members... The events that I speak of are the attempted assassination of John D. Rockefeller and, what later became known as, the Lexington Avenue Bombing.