Nicole Leon

Born into a peasant family. He was married to the sister of the wife of Dr. Mario Bianchi.

He worked as a postal employee. In 1909 he joined the Socialist Party of Switzerland . On May 20, 1909, Nicolas had a son, Nicole, Pierre . In 1918, during a general strike in Geneva, he was arrested. By the decision of the military court he was acquitted. In 1919 he founded the newspaper La Voix du Travail, and then became its editor. From 1919 to 1939 he was a member of the Geneva National Council of the SPR.

Since the late 1920s, he has been in conflict with the leadership of the Socialist Party of Switzerland, as he supported the anti-war movement in the Comintern and Soviet foreign policy.

In 1932 he was chairman of the Socialist Party of Switzerland. Subsequently, he became a prominent figure and first leader of the Swiss Labor Party , the successor to the Communist Party.

When the support of the socialists in Geneva increased sharply in the context of the economic crisis, the far-right National Union Party in 1932 inspired a “public court” against Leon Nicolas and his associate Jacques (Jacob) Dicker. A leftist demonstration in support of Leon Nicolas was shot by the military; 13 people were killed and 62 wounded. Leon Nicole and 39 activists were arrested and imprisoned in San Antoine; the Red Banner newspaper is banned. In 1933, Nicole was sentenced to six months in prison. ^[1]

From 1933 to 1936 he directed the “Red Geneva”. He became an ardent supporter of the Soviet Union.

In 1939, together with his friend, Secretary of the Swiss Communist Party Karl Hoffmeier, he visited Moscow. After the conclusion of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, he was expelled from the Swiss Socialist Party for his support.

He maintained close ties with Noel Field , Sandor Rado and Rachel Dubendorfer . In the group "Red Three" played the role of gunner and recruiter. After World War II, he collaborated with the Soviet embassy in Bern. During the war he joined the Swiss Labor Party.

In 1952, the Swiss Labor Party expelled him from its ranks on charges of titoism . He founded the short-lived Progressive Party. Died June 28, 1965.

• Die Wiederaufnahme der Beziehungen zwischen der Schweiz und der UdSSR
• Nicole, Léon. - [sl]: L. Nicole, [um 1940]
• Meine Reise in die Sowjetunion
• Nicole, Léon. - Zürich: Stauffacher, 1939
• Auf zum Kampf für eine wirkliche Erneuerung
• Nicole, Léon. - Genf: Sozialistische Föderation d. Schweiz, 1940
• Nicole Léon Mon voyage en URSS 14 février-14 mars 1939
• Nicole Léon Auf zum Kampf für eine wirkliche Erneuerung: was das Schweizervolk wissen muss
• Nicole Léon Die Wiederaufnahme der Beziehungen zwischen der Schweiz und der UdSSR
• Nicole Léon Branle-Bas de renouveau Coopérative d'imprimerie, 1940
• Nicole Léon Des grands travaux! Une Genève moderne, son équipement ferroviaire
• Nicole Léon Was das Schweizervolk wissen muss: Auf zum Kampf für eine wirkliche Erneuerung
• Nicole Léon Was der Bürger von der Partei der Arbeit wissen muss
• Nicole Léon Les luttes politiques à Genève: Réponse à un acte d'accusation dressé contre Léon Nicole
• Nicole Léon Le grand meeting de la Maison communale de Plainpalais à Genève, 16 novembre 1944, 4500 participants: le texte sténographique du discours de Léon Nicole
• Nicole Léon Meine reise in die Sowjetunion
• Nicole Léon Pour la sauvegarde des droits et libertés populaires
• Nicole Léon La reprise des relations avec l'union soviétique
• Nicole Léon Russie soviétique et Confd'ération suisse
• Nicole Léon En Espagne républicaine et sur le front de Madrid, du 11 au 28 novembre 1937
• Nicole Léon Contre les folles dépenses militaires
• Nicole Léon L'affaire des faux affidavits: Le plus grand scandale financier que la Suisse ait connu depuis longtemps
• Nicole Léon Voyage en URSS: conférences données à Genève, Lausanne et La Chaux-de-Fonds les 25 juin, 5 et 11 juillet 1951
• Nicole Léon Lettre ouverte à mes amis socialistes suisses
• Nicole Léon Ce que le peuple suisse doit savoir: Branle-bas de renouveau

• Vladimir Lota " Alta vs Barbarossa "
• Victor Kuznetsov NKVD against the Gestapo
• Soviet state and law
• Twinkle Magazine 1950
• Alexander Ivanovich Kolpakidi Encyclopedia of Military Intelligence of Russia

Foreign Literature

• Erich Holliger : Der Nicole-Prozess: Die Schiesserei von Genf vom 9. November 1932 im Spiegel des Prozesses gegen den Genfer Arbeiterführer. Eine Rekonstruktion aufgrund von Gerichtsakten und Zeitungsberichten. Basel: Z-Verlag, 1973.
• René-Albert Houriet, André Muret, Léon Nicole: L'affaire des faux affidavits: “le plus grand scandale financier” que la Suisse ait connu depuis longtemps. Genf: Parti Suisse du travail, 1950.
• André Rauber: Léon Nicole: le franc-tireur de la gauche suisse (1887-1965). Genf 2007.
• Michel Rey: Genève 1930-1933. La Revolution de Léon Nicole. Dissertation Universität Friborg. Bern: Lang, 1978.
• Gruner, Bundesversammlung 1, 958 f.
• M.-M. Grounauer, La Genève rouge de Léon N., 1933-1936, 1975
• C. Torracinta, Sturm über Genf, 1930-1939, 1979 (franz. 1978)
• P. Jeanneret, Léon N. et la scission de 1939, 1987
• B. Studer, “Les communistes genevois, Léon N. et le Komintern dans les années trente”, in BHG 22, 1992, 65-85
• L. Van Dongen, "Léon N. (1887-1965)", in Cahiers HMO 11-12, 1995, 35-72
• A. Rauber, Léon N., 2007
• Alexander Foote Handbook for spies
• VE Tarrant The Red Orchestra: The Soviet Spy Network Inside Nazi Europe

• Biography of Leon Nicolas on the site Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
• Articles by Leon Nicolas
• Photo by Leon Nicolas