In March 1919 , Borodin participated in the first congress of the Communist International ( Comintern ) in Moscow . After the congress , he embarked on his first Comintern assignment , travelling with a falsified Mexican diplomatic passport . Borodin travelled through a variety of European countries , deposited Soviet funds in a Swiss bank account , and otherwise tried to raise money to finance the establishment of communist parties in the Americas . He then travelled to Santo Domingo , from which he booked passage to New York , where he arrived in August 1919 . His mission was known to the American authorities , and as such he was briefly detained by the Bureau of Investigation upon arrival . After his release , he went on to his former home , Chicago , where the Socialist Party of America was embroiled in a dispute between its left wing , who wanted to establish a communist party and join the Comintern , and the " regulars " , who were opposed . Borodin , conscious of the fact that his activities were being monitored , kept a low profile while in America , and on 4 October 1919 , he slipped across the border into Mexico . In Mexico , he met Indian revolutionary M. N. Roy , the American writers Carleton Beals and Michael Gold , and American communist Charles Phillips . Borodin taught Roy about the Russian Revolution and communism , and it was under Borodin 's influence that he took up communist beliefs . Together with the newly emboldened Roy , he helped establish the Mexican Communist Party . During his time in Mexico , Borodin sent reports of Roy 's exploits to Lenin , who subsequently invited him to attend the 2nd World Congress of the Comintern in Moscow , which would take place in July – August 1920 . Leaving Mexico in December 1919 , Borodin , Roy , and Phillips travelled to western Europe , where they intended to spread the communist cause in the lead up to the congress , specifically hoping to establish a communist party in Spain . Arriving in Moscow in the weeks before the congress , Borodin introduced Roy to Lenin , after which he went on to become a major figure in the Comintern
first congress
1st Congress of the Comintern
Mikhail Borodin