Re: Character: Lance Ryan
I know some of the philosophies of the Bolsheviks (gradparents who survived the pogroms contributed), but the main thing was the lumping together of Bolshevik and Communist philosophies in the minds of the other players. The Bolsheviks were around in the 1920s, but I don't think the Communists were well known in the pulp era.
Mostly I played Lance as a character who tried to keep his lineage a secret, but managed to toss out small clues here and there. Unfortunately the campaign didn't last long enough for it all to pay off.