Research about Evelyn Trent

Evelyn Trent (1892-1970} was born and educated in USA. She belongs to the old left of the first world war generation, who saw the failure of capitalism and was hopeful of socialism. She was a left intellectual even before reading Karl Marx. Evelyn was a radical graduate of Stanford University. She met M.N. Roy (1887-1955) in the University campus in 1916. They influenced each other; together they changed totally, forgot their ethnic past and grew as cosmopolitan intellectuals. That was a great meeting of the east and west, disproving Rudyard Kipling, who said: east is east and West is West, never the_ twain shall meet.

Together Evelyn and Roy played an important role in the formation of the Mexican Communist Party and the exile communist party of India in Tashkent, and in the International Communist movement. Roy and Evelyn lived together for a decade and parted silently in 1925. The reasons for divorce are yet to be discovered. They maintained stoic silence about each other. Roy, while narrating his Memoirs to Ellen (1904-1961) did not mention any thing about the role of Evelyn in his life. That is unfair on the part of M. N. Roy. It is not Writing history in a scientific way. Evelyn was keen to know if Roy said anything about her and curiously followed the serial published in Radical. Humanist Weekly from India during 1953-54. To her utter disappointment, Evelyn found not a -word about her.

Ellen followed the track, contacted Evelyn after the death of Roy and encouraged research scholars to meet Evelyn for further research. Robert C. North was the earliest

American Scholar from Stanford University to correspond and meet Evelyn. Sib Narayan Ray from India tried to meet—Evelyn but in Vain. He, however, continued his correspondence with her till late 60's. He failed to persuade her in writing her memoirs. Other scholars also failed to extract any information from Evelyn regarding her early communist role. The only successful person was Robert C North who maintained cordial relationship and kept her address as a secret. Samaren Roy from India tried to obtain information about Evelyn posthumously but could get it only much later.

At this juncture, I made an attempt to collect information about Evelyn in USA and could meet her nephew, Mr. Diven Meredith, and could also correspond with her nieces who sent me rare photos and some material about Evelyn. I could also get rare material from Hoover Institute in Stanford University and from National Archives, Washington DC. I hope to get more information in near future regarding the reasons for the separation of Evelyn and M.N. Roy.

I tried to trace the photos of Evelyn and M.N. Roy together but could get only one photograph wherein they participated in a rally in Petrograde, USSR in 1922. But the xerox copy is not visible for reproduction.

I am thankful to Mr. Atluri Ashok, Mr. Mudduluru Sree Rama Raju and Mrs. Kavitha Shivram lob' Zen Technologies Limited, Hyderabad for preparing computer copy of this. script. I express my gratitude to Mr. D. Anjaneyulu, for correcting the script. My friend Mr. Alapati Ravindranath, editior Misimi monthly offered to make printing arrangements and I express my sincere thanks to him.My friend Mr P.Krishnarao corrected the final copy and I am grateful to himl

N. INNAIAH.