Lev Yakovlevich Strum and the hypothesis of the existence of tachyons

It is argued that, historically, the concept of the existence of hypothetical superluminal particles called tachyons was preceded by the concept of a faster-than-light process. The latter concept, put forth by Lev Yakovlevich Strum (1890 – 1936) of the Soviet Union, contained within it the formulation of what later came to be known as the ‘reinterpretation principle’ of tachyon theory, a principle which proved instrumental in solving the problem of cause and effect in faster-than-light motions. L Ya Strum's results on this subject are briefly discussed, and his professional career is outlined.