International Entente Against the Third International (1924–1938)
The International Anticommunist Entente (French: Entente Internationale Anticommuniste EIA) was an international anti-communist organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to 1938, it was known as the International Entente Against the Third International (French: Entente internationale contre la III:e internationale).
The organisation was founded by the Swiss advocate Théodore Aubert and Russian émigré Red Cross leader Georges Lodygensky as a response to the Communist International in 1924.[1] Its objectives were to defend the "principles of order, family, property and nationality".[1]
The entente had national chapters in over 20 countries, with the aim of influencing political and journalistic circles.[2] The British chapter was the Central Council of the Economic Leagues.[1] In Finland, the national chapter Suomen Suojelusliitto was founded by the prominent statesman Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim a year earlier in 1923 to do anti-communist education.[3] According to some accounts, Francisco Franco's anti-communism was initially sparked by reading the entente's publications and he also met Aubert.[1] Other notable sympathizers included Philippe Pétain and Franz von Papen.[1]
Despite its international character, the bulk of the funding came from Swiss businesses; usually provided by banks, insurance companies and industrialists. From around 1935, the EIA began to be financed by Nazi Germany and even more so by Fascist Italy.[4]
EIA published Revue Anticommuniste.[5] EIA opened an information centre in August 1937.[5]
After World War II, EIA's membership numbers greatly decreased and its leaders considered the United States to be a better center for leading anti-communist activities than Europe.[1] The organisation ceased operation in 1950.[6]
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