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On April 7, 1923, the Workers Party of America (NYC) became the Communist Party of America. The WPA had been the legal arm of the underground CPA. This is one section of a greater history of the Communist Party of America from 1919-1946. From the article:

"“3rd National Convention”—New York City—April 7, 1923
The April 1923 Convention was the final gathering of the “underground” CPA. All caucuses and factionalism was expressly banned at the gathering by the Jan. 26, 1923, decision of the Central Executive Committee. A convention call issued in February outlined the procedure for election of delegates and made clear the very limited agenda with its rather definite perscription.
The meeting was attended by 19 regular delegates (Boston - 3; New York - 5; Philadelphia - 1; Cleveland - 2; Chicago - 3; Detroit - 2; St. Louis - 1; Pittsburgh - 1; Minneapolis - 1). In addition there was 1 delegate from the Young Communist League and 13 members and 2 alternates of the Central Executive Committe, for a total of 35 in all.
The official view of the Central Executive Committee calling for the liquidation of the underground CPA was delivered by three: A John Pepper {"Sh---” = “Short"] delivered the main report, with C.E. Ruthenberg ["Br---” = “Brenton"] making the presentation for the second agenda item, “The Question of the Open Party.” Ruthenberg was the Executive Secretary of the CPA's legal arm, the Workers Party of America—an organization which was significantly larger and substantially more vital than its erstwhile parent by 1923.
The body unanimously approved a thesis prepared by the Central Executive Committee which liquidated the underground CPA organization. An apparatus within the legal party designed for secret operations to safeguard the organization and carry on confidential work was also established, with Abraham Jakira named the “Secretary for Confidential Work.” This apparatus for confidential work was the subject of a small bit of controversy at the Convention, as Ludwig Katterfeld argued that the group should consist of the whole of the former underground CPA and that its further membership be elective; instead the conception of a much smaller group of trusted party members appointed to the tasks as needed was unanimously approved.
Letters to the Communist International and to the Workers Party of America written Wednesday, April 11, 1923, in the name of the CPA by Executive Secretary C.E. Ruthenberg announcing the decision to dissolve the organization marked a formal end to the underground CPA. Henceforth underground operations served as a supplemental adjunct of the “open” party—the Workers Party of America. A statement of the American party situation was prepared for the Enlarged Executive Committee of the Communist International dated that same day."