During the Great Depression he participated in the protests organized by the Romanian Communist Party in Bucharest, afterwards being forced by the Siguranța (Romania's secret police) to move back to his native town. He returned to Bucharest in 1931, and in 1933 was admitted into the then-illegal Communist Party.
As the Great Depression unfolded, he joined protests organized by the Romanian Communist Party in Bucharest, only to be coerced by the Siguranța into returning to his birthplace. He resumed residence in Bucharest in 1931 and eventually gained membership in the Communist Party in 1933.