U. S. FLYERS -- PAWNS
IN STATE DEPT. GAME
the
(See Page 2)
MILITANT
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
V ol. X IX — No. 33
a ^^» 2 6 7
IN
THE INTERESTS OF THE
NEW YO RK, N. Y ., MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 1955
G u ilt b y A sso cia tio n
M ay Drag U .S .
Deeper in W ar
O n Moroccans
,-Such a move w o u ld n o t o n ly
mean a h e ig h te n in g o f th e re ig n
o f te rro r a g a in s t the peoples o f
these F rench colonies, b u t w ould
even m ore d ire c tly in vo lve U.S.
im p e ria lis m in th e m assacre o f
co lo n ia l peoples. Inclu de d am ong
the troop s i t is proposed to send
to N o rth A fric a , are th e F rench
com ponents o f th e N A T O a rm y,
w h ich is p rin c ip a lly financed and
arm ed by the U.S.
P ie rre M o n te l, C h a irm a n o f the
Defense C o m m itte e o f the French
N a tio n a l A ssem b ly, in e x p la in in g
the proposal A u g . 6 said th a t
th e h o ld in g o f N o rth A fr ic a was
essential to the defense o f E urope
and the “ fre e w o rld ” and th a t
th e re fo re N A T O should recog­
nize as F ra n ce ’s p rin c ip a l m ili­
t a r y m ission the defense o f the
W est M e d ite rra n e a n -A fric a n area.
Should
the
U-S. - co n tro lle d
N A T O go alon g w ith th is p ro p ­
o s itio n , the m ission o f the N o rth
A tla n tic A llia n c e , h ith e rto e x­
plained as a defense a g a in s t a
S oviet a tta c k , w o uld be enlarged
to in clud e the p u ttin g down of
colonial independence stra g g le s.
'French im p e ria lis m a lre a d y has
ten d ivisio n s — in c lu d in g some
o f its N A T O troop s — in N o rth
A fr ic a w h ere th e y are m a in ly
engaged in op era tions a g a in st
A lg e ria n resistance fig h te rs . I t
is n o te w o rth y th a t the N A T O
to p com m and has acquiesced in
th is em p lo ym e nt o f N A T O troops.
----------------------------------------- <r
•$------------------------------------------------------ta n tw o years ago and set up a
hated p u p p e t in h is 'p la c e .
G rand ua l, th e re c e n tly a p p o in t­
ed R esident-G eneral o f Morocco
proposed m in o r concessions to
q u ie t the p o p u la tio n . In a d d itio n
to h o ld in g ta lk s w ith some lead­
ers o f the outlaw ed Is tiq la l ( I n ­
dependence) P a rty he was u n ­
derstood to have proposed the
ab d ica tio n o f th e p u p p e t S ulta n
and kee ping th e th ro n e e m p ty f o r
several years.
These proposed token conces­
sions, how ever, m et w ith fu rio u s
resistance
fro m
the
w e a lth y
F rench landow ners and business­
men in Morocco as w e ll as fro m
the c a p ita lis ts in F rance w ith
M oroccan holdings.
F u rth e rm o re , the F re n ch m ili­
ta ry , whose repression in N o rth
A fr ic a has fa ile d so fa r, now
fe e l th a t it should reap the firs t
benefits o f the coexistence deal
fo rm a lly begun at Geneva. Co­
existence fo r F rench im p e ria l­
ism means th a t i t now can tra n s ­
fe r a rm ies fro m E urope to m as­
sacre its colon ial subjects.
T h a t w a tch d o g o f U.S. im p e ri­
a lis t in te re sts, the N .Y . T im es,
th in k s th is is m o vin g a b it too
fa s t. P o in tin g o u t th a t the U.S.
has huge n a va l and a ir bases in
Morocco, it e d ito ria liz e s (A u g .
8 ) : “ There is no question th a t
F rench N o rth A fr ic a m ust be
held f o r the fre e w o rld , and th a t
F rance is a t present th e o n ly
n a tio n w h ich can do so. . . . B u t
it w ould de prive N A T O o f v ir tu a jly a ll a c tiv e F rench troops
-• • . tend to upset the s t ill pre
PR IC E: 10 Cent.
Assail Pentagon
For Witch Hunt
Against Draftees
By George Lavan
Transfer of all French troops in Europe to North
Africa fo r more brutal suppression of the independence
struggles in Algeria and Morocco is being considered by
the French c a p ita lis t class.
W O RKING PEOPLE
-------------------------------------
Union Bucks 'Close-to-M ofher’ Guilt
Gov’t Effort to Charge in Landy Case
Break Strike
Shocks Entire Country
By Art Sharon
"YO UR MOTHER SPENT THE N IN E M ONTHS BEFORE
YOUR BIRTH READING 'DAS K A P IT A L '— "
W all Street Rejoices
O ver O u tpu t by Labor
At. the Texas In s tru m e n t p la n t
in D a lla s a wom an w o rk e r now
assembles seven booklets in the
tim e she used to do one. W eavers
at the Schw arzenbach H u b e r Co.
in A lto o n a , Pa., now weave s y n ­
th e tic fa b ric s three and o n e -h a lf
tim e s as fa s t as th e y did in
1950; a w o rk e r th e re who tended
24 m achines five years ago .rio’Cv
carious balance of power estab­
tends 65.
lished in Europe.”
T h is is how an a rtic le on the
(See article on Morocco, page 3) trem endous
increase
in
U.S.
w o rk e rs ’ p ro d u c tiv ity s ta rts o f f
in the A u g . 9 W a ll S tre e t J o u r­
nal. T h is p ro d u c tiv ity ju m p of
A m e rica n in d u s try is based on
in tro d u c tio n o f new m a ch in e ry,
a ce rta in am o u n t o f a u to m a tio n ,
w h ich, how ever, is ju s t b e g in ­
U.S. R O LE
n in g , re -o rg a n iz a tio n o f w o rk
Even
m ore
a la rm in g
fo r
m ethods (tim e -m o tio n stu d ie s),
A m e rica n w o rk e rs has been the
speed-up and bonus plans. ' role o f the U.S. A ir F o rce in
A c tu a lly the g o ve rn m e n t has
the fig h tin g op e ra tio n s in A l ­
n o t issued a p ro d u c tiv ity index
g e ria . W hen i t leaked out that,
co ve rin g a ll m a n u fa c tu rin g in ­
at least one A m e ric a n plane and
d u strie s in th e U.S. since 1937.
p ilo t had been in vo lve d in a
A U.S. B ure au o f L a b o r S ta tis ­
p a ra tro o p a tta c k on A lg e ria n s ,
tics p ro d u c tiv ity re p o rt is ex­
the U.S. A ir Force trie d to pass
pected to be released th is fa ll.
it o f f as “ a N A T O exercise.” An
It has been rep ea te dly held back
in q u iry by the a n ti-c o lo n ia l news­
in o rd e r n o t to “ d is tu rb ” la b o rle tte r, T o w a rd Freedom , a t N A T O
m anagem ent
c o n tra c t
n e g o ti­
he a d q u a rte rs in E urope b ro u g h t
ations.
a re p ly fro m a B ritis h general
U n d o u b te d ly i t w ill reveal g i­
th a t “ N A T O has never conducted
g a n tic increases in w o rk e rs ’ p ro ­
exercises over A lg e ria .”
d u c tiv ity . BUS fig u re s a va ila b le
By Carl Goodman
A n o th e r exam ple o f U.S. m ili­
An armistice in the cold war between U.S. imperialism f o r a few- in d u s trie s indicate
ta ry aid to the F rench m ilita r is ts
th is . Thus between 1939 and
and
the Chinese government is in the making. While not 1953 pe r-m an o u tp u t in the ce­
in N o rth A fric a was W a s h in g ­
to n ’s g ra n tin g o f p r io r it y tw o as dramatically staged as the Big Four Geneva conference, m en t in d u s try rose 40.5% , in the
m onths ago to a s h ip m e n t o f th is is the essence o f th e “ L i t t l e — --------------------------------------------------- glass c o n ta in e r in d u s try 38.2% ,
he lico pters, v e ry
e ffe c tiv e
in G eneva” conference between U.S. U n ite d N a tio n s even i f accom­ pu lp and paper 17.1%, tobacco
a n ti-g u e rrilla fig h tin g , to the Am bassador to Czechoslovakia, plished w ith o u t the vote o f the pro du cts 43.4%, rayon and syn­
F rench A rm y in A lg e ria .
U ra l A le x is Johnson and Chinese U . S. (2 ) Possession of the is­ th e tic fibre s 187.8%.
Individual companies in other
The s tro n g ba ckin g f o r Mon- Am bassador t g Poland, Wanig lands o f Quernoy and M atsu. (3)
C a rry in g th ro u g h o f elections industries report worker output
te l’s proposal o f the tra n s fe r, i f P in-nan.
The ta lk s between the tw o supervised by n e u tra ls in Indo- has increased as much as 25%
necessary, o f eve ry French sol­
d ie r in E urope to A lg e ria and am bassadors deal o b ste n sib ly o n ly C hina in accordance w ith the a year.
Morocco, was shown in its en­ w ith re p a tria tin g U jS. citize n s 1954 Geneva agreem ent. (4 ) Es­
dorsem ent by G eneral Joseph- in C hina and re tu rn o f Chinese ta b lis h m e n t o f an In d ia n -S ia - W A G E S T R A IL
A t Genera! E le c tric the value
P ie rre K o e n ig , F rench M in is te r students now in U.S. to th e ir mese p ro te c to ra te over Cambodia
hom eland. H ow ever, un de r P o in t and Laos. (5 ) T ru ste e sh ip status o f p ro d u ctio n p e r w o rk e r in ­
o f Defense.
T w o o f th e ir agenda th e am bas­ f o r F orm osa w ith th e un d e r­ creased fro m $7.45 an h o u r in
P O L IC Y W A V E R S
sadors are to discuss “ o th e r p ra c­ sta n d in g th a t its p o litic a l status 1949 to $12 pe r h o u r in 1954 —
French im p e ria list, p o licy to ­ tic a l m a tte rs o f issue between w ill be de term in ed by “ pe ace fu l” 61% . A ve ra g e h o u rly w ages in
w a rd Morocco has w avered in the the tw o sides,” and th e re b y open means.
the same period rose, how ever,
past fe w m onths. The re ig n o f n e g o tia tio n s between the tw o
$1.49 to $1.93 —
T h is was revealed by G ladys o n ly fro m
t e r r o r a g a in s t the M oroccan peo­ go vern m ents.
V. W illia m s re p o rtin g fro m New 29.6% .
H a llic ra fte rs Co., a Chicago
ple has fa ile d to bre ak the re ­
A c c o rd in g to a news source D e lhi in the A u g . 8 issue o f Ted
sistance m ovem ent w h ich has close to the In d ia n g o vern m ent, 0 . T h a c k re y ’s R e p o rt and F o re ­ e lectron ics m a n u fa c tu re r, a d m its
g ro w n s te a d ily since the F rench the Mao re g im e w a n ts : (1 ) A d ­ cast.
to a pe r-m an output, increase o f
25% in the past year. The C a r­
rem oved the p ro -n a tio n a lis t Sul- m ission o f its g o ve rn m e n t to the
W h a t these demands am ount
p e n te r Steel Co. in Reading, Pa.
to are an o ffe r to help sta b iliz e
sets its per-m an increase in p ro ­
the social o rd e r in A s ia in re ­
tu rn f o r a gu ara ntee o f C h in a ’s
borders plus enhanced in te rn a ­
tio n a l sta tu s. T h a t is how the
In d ia n leaders, w ho, W illia m s
in dica tes, u rg e the U.S. g o ve rn ­
m ent to accept these demands,
look on the m , too.
By Harry Ring
The a lte rn a tiv e , the y fe a r, to
a U .S .-C hina deal is the eventual
In a cheap bid fo r N e g ro votes
sweep o f social re v o lu tio n over in 1956, Pres. E isenhow er made
the w hole m a inla nd o f A sia .
the bald-faced assertion A u g . 8
F o r its p a rt, the E ise nh ow e r tha t
because “ the Republican
A d m in is tra tio n , w h ile b e g in n in g p a rty has been firm in its in s is ­
n e g o tia tio n s w ith th e Chinese tence th a t there can be o n ly one
g o ve rn m e n t, m ay w a n t a po st­ class o f c itiz e n s h ip ,” th e N e g ro
ponem ent o f .a ll fo rm a l ag ree­ people have made “ trem endous
m ents. E lie Abe! re p o rts fro m advances” under his a d m in is tra ­
Geneva in the A u g . 7 N .Y . tion .
T im es th a t “ d ip lo m a ts in touch
He said the Republican p a rty
w ith both sides . . . p o in t o u t had accom plished “ the com plete
th a t w ith a P re s id e n tia l election re a liz a tio n o f its election p ro m ­
lit t le m ore than a ye a r aw ay, ises to th e N e g ro peo.ple. thus
the A d m in is tra tio n could n o t be p ro v in g the prom ises had not
expected to recognize P e ip in g o r been “ m ere p o litic a l p la titu d e s .”
m ake any re a l concession on These a p p a re n tly unembarassed
Form osa if it w anted to do so.” cla im s w ere made p u blic in the
W h e th e r o r not th is is tru e , fo rm o f a le tte r fro m E isenhow er
the Chinese are believed w illin g p ra is in g a re p o rt by the Repub­
to m eet th is tim e schedule.
lican N a tio n a l C o m m itte e ’s d i­
In re tu rn fo r ■Chinese patience re c to r o f m in o ritie s .
and in a c tio n in the F orm osa
W ith p ro p e r in d ig n a tio n , the
S tra its , says A bel, the U.S. g o v­ re p o rt th a t was lauded by E ise n ­
D r. C ilia L in -h sie h , shown above in Yokoham a, Japan, on
ernm ent “ could u n ila te ra lly ease ho w e r scored “ the d is g ra c e fu l
w a y home to C hina. A 1951 g ra d u a te o f S ta n fo rd U n iv e rs ity ,
the W estern trade em bargo — spectacle” o f C ongressm an Adam
w here he studied nuclear physics, he was one o f the la rg e gro u p
an act th a t w o u ld have the e f­ C layton Pow ell be in g attacke d
o f Chinese held in the U.S. despite th e ir desire to go home.
fe c t o f c o n v e rtin g Chinese N a ­ p h y s ic a lly b y D e m o cra tic R epre­
U .S .-C hina deal b ro u g h t about release o f U.S. flie r s in China
tio n a lis t a tta c k s on C om m unist se n ta tiv e B a ile y o f W e st V ir g in ­
and Chinese stud ents in U.S.
sh ip p in g in to acts o f p ira c y .”
ia, “ ju s t because he (P o w e ll)
Armistice w ith China
Seen in the Making
d u c tiv ity since 1945 a t 33% .
Since June, 1953, p ro d u c tiv ity at
the D ixo n P ow d e rm a ke r F u r n i­
tu re Co. in F lo rid a has rise n
14%. The G ille tte R azor Rlade
Co. re p o rts its w o rk e r p ro d u c tiv ­
it y up 150% in the period 19401955.
. T h is increased p ro d u c tiv ity o f
th e ir w o rk e rs is b rin g in g fabu­
lous p ro fits to the bosses. The
W a ll S tre e t J o u rn a l in the m id st
o f its re jo ic in g is com pelled to
note a f l y in the o in tm e n t. U.S.
w o rke rs have some ideas about
th e ir increased p ro d u c tiv ity .
F o r exam ple, the y don’t want
an in tro d u c tio n o f au tom atio n
th a t th ro w s them out o f w o rk.
T hey don’t w a nt m ore speed-up.
T h e y w ant wages to be increased
as p ro d u c tiv ity increases.
Oust 15 Officers
Of Fur Workers
Heads of the A FL Amalga­
mated Meatcutters and But­
cher Workmen ousted 15 of­
ficers of the Fur and Leather
Workers on Aug. 9. In addi­
tion, they placed the New
York Joint Fur Council under
trusteeship.
Recently, the independent
fur union — bureaucratically
expelled in 1950 by the CIO
for allegedly being “Commun­
ist” dominated — merged
with the Amalgamated. The
merger agreement gave Am al­
gamated
officers
sweeping
powers to purge the fur union
of “Communists.” The ousters
were instigated by A F L Presi­
dent George Meany as condi­
tion for approval of the mer­
ger, but the A F L Council still
refuses to give its OK.
M ine, M ill and S m e lte r W o rk ­
ers U h io n o ffic ia ls have asked
fo r a congressional in v e s tig a tio n
o f the connections o f A tto rn e y
G eneral B ro w n e ll w ith one o f
the s trik e - bound n o n -fe rro u s
m e ta l firm s .
A d d re ssin g its request to Sen­
a to r K ilg o re , ch a irm a n o f the
Senate J u d ic ia ry com m ittee , the
union com m u nica tion said, “ The
A tto rn e y G eneral is kno w n to
have a long and close associa­
tio n
w ith
R oger W .
S trau«,
cha irm an o f the hoard o f A m e ri­
can S m e ltin g and R e fin in g Co.”
The union statem ent, charged
th a t B ro w n e ll was “ in v io la tio n
o f p ro p e r im p a r tia lity as a G ov­
ernm ent o ffic ia l in an a tte m p t
to bre ak a s trik e in th is in du s­
try .”
B ro w n e ll
had issued a
statem e nt on J u ly 28 c h a rg in g
th a t the M in e -M ill u n io n was
C o pim u nist-d om in ated .
The union has been on s trik e
since J u ly 1 against the three
le a d in g n o n -fe rro u s m etal firm s ,
K ennecolt Copper C o rp o ra tio n ,
Phelps Dodge Copper C o rp o ra ­
tio n and the A m e rica n S m e ltin g
and R e fin in g Com pany.
One o f the three, Phelps Dodge
Copper C o rp o ra tio n settle d its
s trik e w ith M in e -M ill la s t week.
B ro w n e ll moved a g a in s t the
union b y c itin g it un de r the p ro ­
visions o f the “ B ro w n e ll B u tle r
A c t,”
the C o m m u n ist C o n tro l
A c t o f 1954. Should the g o ve rn ­
m ent succeed in its a tta c k , the
un io n would lose its b a rg a in in g
lig h ts un de r the N a tio n a l La b o r
R e latio ns A ct.
The go vern m ent moved a g a in s t
the union a fte r m an y appeals by
in d u s try bosses f o r g o ve rn m e n t
in te rv e n tio n . Instea d o f using
the T a f t- I I a r t le y la w the go v­
e rn m e n t chose its newest w ea­
pon, the B ro w n e ll B u tle r b ill.
The union has announced its
d e te rm in a tio n to fig h t the g o v ­
e rn m e n t’s
u n io n -b u stin g
move
a ll the w a y up to and in c lu d in g
the Suprem e C o u rt, and has
served notice on the strike -b o u n d
com panies th a t a n y a tte m p t on
th e ir p a rt to re fu se to ne g o tia te
w ould be view ed by the union
as com pany v io la tio n o f the
rig h ts o f the union un d e r the
N a tio n a l L a b o r R e latio ns A ct.
The g o ve rn m e n t’s blow a t the
union and the “ hang to u g h ”
p o sitio n o f the tw o la rg e copper
c o rp o ra tio n s re fle c t the stro n g
desire o f these c o rp o ra tio n s and
the g o ve rn m e n t to find a w a y to
break the M ine M ill union, and
th e re b y set a precedent f o r s im ­
ila r action a g a in s t o th e r unions.
M ea nw hile o n ly the independ­
ent. U n ite d E le c tric a l W o rke rs
U n io n has come o u t in defense
o f M in e -M ill against, the g o ve rn ­
m ent a tta ck.
By George Lavan
Two events have focused public attention on the
U.S. Armed Forces’ McCarthyite policy of smearing its
enlisted men with discharges other than honorable for
their alleged ideas or associa--t>tions prior to inductions.
B ru c k e r,
by
S o c ia lis t
P a rty
One was the dramatic case of lead er
N o rm a n
Thom as
and
Eugene W. Landy that has R ow land W a tts , bo th rep rese nt­
shocked
the
entire
country. in g th e W o rk e rs D efense Lea­
Landy was second highest stu­ gue, and K en ne th B irkh e a d , N a ­
dent in the graduating class at tio n a l D ire c to r o f the A m e ric a n
the U.S. Merchant Marine Acad­ V ete rans C o m m ittee.
emy at Kings Point, Long Is­
A t the U.S. M e rc h a n t M a rin e
land. On the eve of graduation School, where yo u n g L a n d y was
Landy was informed by Navy an honor s tu d e n t, a p p lic a tio n
officials that he. was being de­ fo r a N a v a l reserve com m ission
nied the reserve. Navy Commis­ is re q u ire d o f a ll students. A
sion he had earned because his few
days
b e fo re
g ra d u a tio n
mother had once belonged to the L a n d y w as called to N a v a l in ­
te llig e n ce h e ad qu arters in N e w
Communist Party.
The second event was a sweep­ Y o rk and questioned f o r several
ing expose, backed up by 110 hours.
case histories, of
the
U.S.
A rm y’s refusal of honorable dis­ A C O N S E R V A T IV E
He made no a tte m p t to con­
charges to draftees, not for any­
thing they had done while in ceal the fa c ts ab ou t his m o th e r’s
the army but for “forbidden” past p o litic a l a ffilia tio n s , w h ich
political ideas or associations his qu estio ne rs w ere a lre a d y
before they were drafted. These aw are o f, but. th o u g h t his ow n
p o litic a l
b e lie fs
charges were presented to Sec­ con serva tive
retary of the Arpiy, Wilber M.
(C o n tin u e d on page 3)
V is ito r in Moscow
Premier Ho Chi Minh of North Viet Nam (rig h t) is greeted
in Moscow by Soviet President Klementy Voroshilov. The
popular enthusiasm for the Indo-Chinese leader in Moscow
reportedly exceeded official arrangements. One purpose of his
visit, it was believed, was to find out. if the Kremlin would
stand by last year’s Geneva treaty which promised unification
elections for Viet Nam. The U.S. and South Viet Nam oppose
holding such elections.
H o m e w a rd B o u n d
"Tremendous Advances,” M r. Eisenhower?
insisted th a t the c o n s titu tio n a l
rig h ts o f N egroes be protected
in the school b u ild in g p ro g ra m .”
I t was on June 8, ju s t six
weeks before B a ile y sw u ng bis
fis t at P ow ell tha t E ise nh ow e r
h im s e lf sw u ng a verb al h a ym a ke r
at the N e g ro congressm an. P ow ­
ell had presented an a n ti-J im
C row am endm ent to the m ilita r y
reserve b ill, and the D ix ie c ra ts ,
o f course, w ere unha pp y about it.
B ra n d in g the P ow ell am end­
ment as “ erroneous” and “ e x­
trane ou s” to the Reserve b ill,
E isenhow er, the cham pion of
“ one class o f citiz e n s h ip ,” sa id :
“ The mere fa ct that we can’t a ll
have o u r ow n w ays about p a rtic ­
u la r th in g s in social progress,
does th a t mean th a t we don’t
w ant to defend o u r c o u n try ?
W hy do we make defense o f o u r
c o u n try dependent on a ll o f us
g e ttin g o u r own w ay h e re ? ”
The Republican re p o rt claim s
the e lim in a tio n o f the o ffic ia l
J im C ro w p o lic y in the arm ed
forces as its m a jo r acco m plish­
m ent. The fa c t is th a t s te a d ily
m o u n tin g
pressure
fro m
the
N e g ro people and the in c re a s in g ­
ly d a m a g in g e ffe c t abroad o f a
J im C row a rm y forced the s h ift
in po licy.
DO DG ES F E P C
W ith good reason the re p o rt
dodges the explosive issue o f a
fe d e ra l F E P C law . In it s 1952
p la tfo rm , the R epublicans passed
the buck to the sta te s on F E P C ,
d e cla rin g , “ F ede ral actio n should
n o t d u p lica te state e ffo rts to end
such pra ctices (jo b d is c rim in a ­
tio n ) .”
To b o lste r th is p la n k a b it,
candidate E ise nh ow e r solem nly
vowed th a t he w ould "c o n fe r
w ith the G overnors o f the 48
sta te s” ab ou t e n ding J im Crow.
N a tu ra lly he d id n ’t say when he
would "c o n fe r.”
A s ta te m e n t by the C IO A u to ­
m obile W o rk e rs U n io n in s u p p o rt
o f a fe d e ra l F E P C w as presented
to the House J ju d icia ry Com­
m itte e J u ly 27. I t gives some
re v e a lin g fa cts on the e ffe c t o f
d is c rim in a tio n , fa c ts th a t th o r ­
o u g h ly explode both Republican
and D e m o cra tic
cla im s about
re p re se n tin g the in te re sts o f the
N e gro people.
D u rin g the week o f June 5-12,
the U A W re p o rt p o in ts out, the re
was un em ploym ent am ong 3.7%
o f the w h ite w o rk in g force. In
i.hc same week, 7% o f the nonw h ite w o rke rs w ere lo o kin g fo r
jobs.
As to income, the average
w h ite fa m ily in 1950 had a y e a r­
ly incom e o f $3,813, w h ile th a t
o f the n o n -w h ite fa m ilie s was
o n ly $2,312. The U A W ’s charge
tha t th e gap in wages has w id e n ­
ed since then is supported by
the stu d y in last w eek’s issue o f
the M ilita n t sh o w in g that, the
gap in wages in the D e tro it
area g re w fro m $1,300 in 1951
to $1,900 in 1954.
The
UAW
statem e nt
also
proves th a t the h ig h e r jobless
and lo w e r incom e
rates
fo r
N e g ro w o rke rs are due to d e lib ­
e ra te
d is c rim in a to ry
practices
by the em ployers. The M ic h ig a n
E m p lo y m e n t S e c u rity C om m is­
sion in 1953 found th a t 82.6%
of
in d u s tria l
firm s
specified
“ w h ite ” w o rk e rs in th e ir jo b
orders. O n ly in the dom estic
and service fie ld s did the agency
fin d a g re a te r w illin g n e s s to h ire
Negroes.
T h a t th is s itu a tio n is n o t pe­
c u lia r to M ic h ig a n is fu r t h e r
borne o u t by the fin d in g s o f th e
Midwest. C o m m itte e on D is c rim i­
na tio n in H ig h e r L e a rn in g . A
digest o f th e ir re p o rt published
in the L o ra in L a b o r L e ad er o f
J u ly 22 includes the fo llo w in g
facts ab ou t d is c rim in a tio n a g a in s t
college stud ents in O hio and s ix
n e ig h b o rin g states:
F if t y six pe rcen t o f th e col­
leges and u n iv e rs itie s re p o rt d if ­
fic u lty in fin d in g jobs f o r m em ­
bers o f m in o rity groups. A p ­
p ro x im a te ly 60% o f the college
placem ent offices say th e y g e t
jo b requests w ith d is c rim in a to ry
q u a lific a tio n s .
The
co m m itte e
fou nd th a t m ore tha n h a lf o f the
colleges accept such d is c rim in ­
a to ry requests and a s ig n ific a n t
num ber o f them ask questions
them selves about race and r e li­
gion on th e ir a p p lic a tio n fo rm s .
“ T rem endous advances,”
M r.
E isenhow er?
Page Two —
THE
M ILITA N T
M onday, A ugust 1 5 , 1955
\
Can’t Get G ov’t U .S. Flyers Revealed as Pawns
Out of Business In State Department Diplomacy
By Joseph Hansen
By Paul Abbott
®-
T he c a p ita lis t press has sounded
Did you know that the biggest capitalist ou tfit in the tw o b ig themes ove r the release
country is the government? I mean an o u tfit like Chrysler o f the U.S. fly e rs by the Mao
g im e : (1 ) jo y over th e ir fre e ­
or Standard Oil or Woolworth’s. And did you know that re
dom, (2 ) in d ig n a tio n ove r the
f o r a ll the ta lk ab ou t g e ttin g ® ------------------------------------------------------delay in th e ir release and the bad
th e g o ve rn m e n t out o f business, away prices. A barge line, the
tre a tm e n t they a lle g e d ly received.
Congress is b lo c k in g any b ig - Inland Waterways Corp., was
The f ir s t theme, we m ay g ra n t,
knocked down for $9 million. The
scale actio n ?
Some in te re s tin g fa c ts ab ou t Arm y’s chlorine plant at Muscle refle cts' the em otions o f m illio n s
th is are given by H e n ry T. S im ­ Shoals went for $15 million. o f A m e rica n s and we do n o t need
mons in the A u g . 8 W a ll S tre e t “Other sales included a hotel, to -accuse th e press o f h yp o crisy.
J o u rn a l. A c c o rd in g to h im , “ no­ the Bluebeard Castle, in the V ir­ The in d ig n a tio n , however, is a
body know s the exact nu m be r o f gin Islands, and an alcohol plant d iffe re n t m a tte r.
the G ove rn m en t’s in d iv id u a l b u s i­
ness a c tiv itie s .” B u t th e H oover
C om m ission
re c e n tly estim a te d
th a t “ the Defense D e p a rtm e n t
alone is c o n d u ctin g 2,500 • com ­
m e rc ia l and in d u s tria l op era­
tio n s .” I t fig u re d th e c a p ita l in ­
ve stm e n t a t $15 b illio n .
The Council of State Cham­
bers of Commerce, in an earlier
study, “fixed the total capital
investment in all Government
business-type facilities at more
than $30 billion, equal to the
total net worth of 29 of the na­
tion’s biggest corporations.”
Even th is trem endous fig u re
m ay be low , since, Sim m ons de­
clares, “ Some in d iv id u a ls have
guessed the fig u re a t m ore tha n
$40 b illio n .”
C O F FE E R OASTING TOO
G ove rn m en t business a c tiv itie s
include such v a rie d ve n tu re s as
a irlin e s , steam ship lines, h e liu m
p la n ts , la u n d rie s, bakeries, g ro ­
cery chains, scrap m e ta l process­
in g , d ry c le a n in g p la n ts , ice
. p la n ts , tre e and garden nu rserie s,
re p a ir shops, acetylene p la n ts as
w i l l as rope and p a in t m a k in g
and coffee ro a s tin g .
W ith a $17 m illio n in ve stm e n t,
the g o ve rn m e n t has a m onopoly
in h e liu m p ro d u c tio n ; and o f ­
fic ia ls have ju s t announced plans
to
expand
p ro d u ctio n
50%
th ro u g h a new p la n t th a t w ill
cost $6 m illio n .
The H o o ve r C om m ission re ­
vealed th a t the m ilit a r y d e p a rt­
m e n t m a in ta in s fo u r fle e ts o f
tra n s p o rt a ir c r a f t to ta lin g 697
planes. These hauled 3.9 m illio n
passengers la s t year.
And,
says
Sim m ons,
“ The
N a v y ’s M ilit a r y Sea T ra n s p o rt
Service operated 221 ships la s t
yea r, m a k in g
it
the w o rld ’s
la rg e s t
com m ercial
steam ship
fle e t.” T h is fle e t hauled tw o m il­
lio n passengers and 23 m illio n
tons o f carg o la s t yea r. N o t
c o u n tin g de pre ciatio n, in te re s t,
m ilit a r y pay, etc., its o p e ra tin g
costs f o r the y e a r w e re $549
m illio n .
O f th e Defense D e p a rtm e n t’s
48 sh ip ya rd s, 32 have
been
leased to p riv a te op era to rs, b u t
the 10 a c tiv e ly operated b y the
N a v y “ em ploy close to h a lf o f
a ll the n a tio n ’s s h ip y a rd w o rk ­
ers.”
In the g ro c e ry business, the
Defense
D e p a rtm e n t
operates
438 com m issaries a t hom e and
abroad. “ L a s t ye a r, the m ilit a r y
com m issaries ra n g up $306 m il­
lio n in sales”
The “ P X ’s ," corre sp o n d in g to
neighborhood d ru g stores, are
even m ore w idespread. The 450
in the U jS. and about 2,700 o ve r­
seas, sold some $540 m illio n
w o rth o f sundries and du rab le
goods la s t year, in c lu d in g even
autom obiles.
Businessm en, alw a ys on the
lo o k o u t f o r a fa s t buck, have
com plained b itt e r ly about th is
s t i f f c o m p e titio n inasm uch as
the go vern m ent m a rk up ranges
o n ly 3.6% to 5% above cost. In
response to th e c o m p la in ts, both
D em ocrats and R epublicans have
prom ised ag ain and a g a in to get
the g o ve rn m e n t o u t o f business.
Some real deliveries were made
on these promises. The govern­
ment dumped 24 of its 27 synthetic rubber plants at give-
in Muscatine, Iowa.”
T hen the p ro g ra m ra n in to
s tu m b lin g blocks. The Pentagon
bucked g iv in g up its co m m is­
saries and P X ’s because o f the
need “ to increase the a ttra c tiv e ­
ness o f the m ilit a r y service as a
career.” The lo w prices in the
g o ve rn m e n t g ro c e ry and d ru g
stores are a lu re needed by the
re c ru itin g sergeant.
Even m ore im p o rta n t — “ B u r­
eaucrats are re lu c ta n t to lose
p a tt o f th e ir G ove rn m en t em ­
pires. G overn m en t-e m plo ye u n ­
ions have resisted because the y
dread the loss o f jobs, and
th e y ’ve had the ba ckin g o f la w ­
m akers who don’t w a n t to see
the fo lk s back home de prived of
incom e fro m G overnm ent a c tiv ­
itie s in th e ir areas.”
A n d so th is yea r the fir s t ses­
sion o f the 84th Congress, w h ich
is n o t e x a c tly k n o w n to advo­
cate socialism , “ tacked onto de­
fense a p p ro p ria tio n s the unprec­
edented re q u ire m e n t th a t the
Pentagon get the okay o f both
House and Senate A p p ro p ria ­
tio n s C o m m itte es b e fo re d ro p ­
p in g an y o f the m ilit a r y ’s b u si­
ness a c tiv itie s . . .”
The purpose o f th is is p la in .
“ The
la w m a ke rs
want
close
s c ru tin y o f any plans to do aw ay
w ith Federal pla n ts and p a y ­
ro lls in th e ir home d is tric ts .”
A c c o rd in g to A lso p , th e Mao
regim e “ agreed to release the
fly e rs fo r th w ith i f th e ir fa m ilie s
were f ir s t p e rm itte d to v is it
th e m .”
T h is request was s im p ly a
“ fa ce -sa ve r” th a t P eiping wanted.
V is its fro m the fa m ilie s w o uld
have p e rm itte d the Chinese g o v­
ernm ent to announce “ th a t the y
P R A C T IC E A N D T H E O R Y
had decided to le t th e fly e rs go
For
the
C ongressm en,
o f In response to th e ir p a re n ts ’
course, th is is on ly a p ra c tic a l m oving pleas f o r m ercy.”
question. T h e y ’re ju s t m a k in g
I f we are to believe A lso p —
sure no p o litic a l b u tte r slips
and the re is no reason to doubt
o u t o f th e ir hands. In th e o ry
the accuracy o f his s e c r e t
th e y ’re s t ill 100% f o r 100%
in fo rm a tio n — “ H a m m a rs k jö ld
p riv a te e n te rp rise .
b ro u g h t back a p o sitive eut-andThe W a ll S tre e t J o u rn a l hasn’ t
dried co m m itm e n t th a t th is course
got around y e t to assessing the
w ould be fo llo w e d .”
im p lic a tio n s o f the g o ve rn m e n t
g e ttin g deeper and deeper in to TH U M B S DOWN
business and o f C ongressional
W h a t happened? I t w ill be
reluctance to g e t the g o ve rn ­
recalled th a t the Chinese g o vern­
m ent out o f business. Sim m ons
m en t did in v ite th e p a re n ts to
doesn’t say a n y th in g ab o u t it come to C hina to v is it th e ir sons.
e ith e r. P ossibly th e y have a good
F o r a fe w days th e re w as g re a t
idea o f w h a t a n a lysis w o u ld re ­
p u b lic hope t h a t the p a re n ts
veal and p re fe r to re m a in sile n t.
w ould go. B u t the State D e p a rt­
In business f o r its e lf, the g o v­
m en t quashed the w hole th in g .
e rn m e n t adds to the general an ­
I t did n o t te ll the fly e r s ’
a rch y o f the c a p ita lis t system —
in fa c t, in te n sifie s th e an a rch y fa m ilie s th a t a v is it w o uld mean
because o f the e x te n t and size th e ir release. Instead i t s tro n g ly
o f its op era tions. B u t the tre n d discouraged them fro m accepting
its e lf is evidence o f th e ro tte n the in v ita tio n . C onsequently none
ripeness o f c a p ita lis m f o r con­ o f the fa m ilie s defied the State
D e p a rtm e n t — and th e ir sons
version to socialism .
P riv a te
c a p ita l,
despite
its stayed in Chinese ja ils .
W hy did the S tate D e p a rtm e n t
pow er and scope, is incapable o f
m e e tin g a nu m be r o f s w iftly fo llo w such a callous p o licy ?
g ro w in g general needs. Some o f H ere is A ls o p ’s e x p la n a tio n :
“ B u t a t th a t tim e , th e E isen­
these such as ho using, m edical
care, schools, etc., are f e lt by how er a d m in is tra tio n was s till
everyone. O th ers are f e lt p r i­ p a y in g v e ry g re a t deference to
m a rily by th e g o ve rn m e n t be­ the v ie w p o in t th a t now seems to
cause th e y in vo lve the general be represented o n ly by th e s h rill
w a r-m a k in g c a p a city th a t is the and s o lita ry voice o f Sen. Joseph
m a in ' concern to d a y o f th e cap­ R. M c C a rth y . The po licy-m a ke rs
it a lis t class and the executives f e lt th a t h e lp in g to save the face
o f th e P e ip in g g o ve rn m e n t m ig h t
it has p u t in p o litic a l office.
appeasement.
They
L a c k in g the resources o f a look lik e
planned economy, th e U.S. g o v­ f u r th e r f e lt th a t the P e ip in g gove rn m e n t response, to
c e rta in ve rn m e n t w o u ld m ake p ro p a ­
needs a t le ast, is to go in b u si­ ganda h a y o f th e v is its o f the
ness its e lf — and on a colossal fly e r s ’ fa m ilie s .”
I f the p o s s ib ility o f the Chinese
scale.
Socialism will not come by the governm ent m a k in g “ propaganda
government getting more and
more involved in business. Its
increasing involvement, however,
is another sign showing how
deep and strong the current is
that is moving toward socialism
PIONEER PAMPHLETS
On Ike Negre Struggle
The Struggle for Negro Equality, 3rd ed.,
1945 .................................................... 48 pp. .10
By John Saunders and A lbert Parker
Jim Crow Murder of Mr. and Mrs. Harry
T. Moore, 1952 ................................... 32 pp. .10
By George Breitman
Negroes in The Post-War World, 1943.... 16 pp. .10
By Albert Parker
Letter to American-Negroes, 1948 .......... 16 pp. .15
By Wm. E. Bohannon
♦Practical Program to K ill Jim Crow, 1945 24 pp. .25
By Charles Jackson
♦Vigilante Terror in Fontana, 1946 ....... 20 pp. .25
By M yra Tanner Weiss
♦Why Negroes Should Oppose the War,
1939 .................................................... 32 pp. .25
By J. R. Johnson
♦The Negro and the US Army, 1941....... 32 pp. .25
By Eugene Varlin
♦Negroes March on Washington, 1941....... 16 pp. .25
By Albert Parker
« T it le s marked * are out-of-print; a few copies still
jr
available at the prices listed.)
Order from
PIONEER PUBLISHERS
116 U n iv e rs ity Place
The fa c t is t h a t th e S tate D e­
p a rtm e n t is responsible f o r the
continued in c a rc e ra tio n o f the
men since a t least Ja n u a ry.
T h is s ta r tlin g re v e la tio n was
made by Joseph A lso p A u g . 5 in
the w id e ly syndicated coluntn
“ -M atter o f F a c t.” T h is is one o f
the colum ns -that every im p o rta n t
new spaper fo llo w s , y e t none th a t
I have seen m oderated its line o f
“ in d ig n a tio n ” o r took th e S tate
D e p a rtm e n t to task. In fa c t, none
o f them have seen f i t to com m ent
on the in fo rm a tio n .
A lso p says th a t ‘‘now it can be
to ld how the lib e ra tio n o f a ll the
fifte e n A m e rica n a irm en then
held in Chinese ja ils was te n ta ­
tiv e ly a rra n g e d m an y m onths
ago.
“ The man who did the jo b was
the S ecre tary - G eneral o f the
U n ite d N a tio n s, D ag H a m m a rs k ­
jö ld . He made th e deal w ith the
Chinese P rim e M in is te r Chou E nla i in the course o f -his t r ip to
P e ip in g in J a n u a ry .”
N e w Y o rk 3, N .Y .
THE
B ird s o f a F e a th e r
M ea nw hile, however, the hatecom m unism propaganda and the
accom panying w itc h h u n t had
fostere d a new fo rce — M c­
C a rth y ite fascism . T h is m ove­
m ent, g e n e ra tin g a p o w e r o f its
ow n, blocked any a b ru p t tu rn and
had to be p u t in its place f ir s t .
h a y” out o f the v is its was th a t
m o tiva te d the S ta te D e pa rtm e nt,
then i t would seem th a t W ash­
in g to n decided to keep the fly e rs
in ja il to make its ow n "p ro p a ­
ganda h a y " out o f th e ir p lig h t.
The m ore serious reason, h o w ­
ever, appears to have been fe a r
o f M c C a rth y ’s charge o f “ ap ­
peasem ent.” F ro m th is we m u s t
eonolude t h a t the b ig concern o f
the S tate D e p a rtm e n t at- the tim e
was n o t its s ta n d in g w ith w o rld
o p in io n b u t w ith the o p in io n o f
the M teC arthyites. I ts dip lo m a cy
was directed n o t so m uch to w a rd
o th e r c o u n trie s as to w a rd the
R epublican r ig h t w in g and the
w a r - m o n g e rin g C hina lobby on
C a p ito l H ill.
T h is fa c e t o f the d ip lo m a cy o f
the E ise nh ow e r a d m in is tra tio n
has been -pointed out m an y tim e s
in the M ilita n t. I t exp la in s much
ab ou t the s a b re -ra ttlin g and in ­
fla m m a to ry d e cla ra tio n s t h a t
oth erw ise appear to la ck p o litic a l
m o tiv a tio n .
,
N O T T H E M A JO R P IV O T
The fa c t, rem a ins, ho w e ver th a t
th is is n o t the w h ole e xp la natio n.
The s ta n d in g o f the sen ator fro m
W isconsin is n o t the m a jo r p iv o t
on w h ic h E ise nh ow e r’s fo re ig n
p o lic y h a s.tu rn e d .
In an a rtic le in th e Sept. 14,
1953, M ilit a n t I p o in te d o u t th a t
th e audience D u lle s was m ost
concerned ab ou t was the A m e r­
ican people. H is p rim a ry pro blem
as the ag en t o f W a ll S treet,
d e lib e ra te ly p re p a rin g fo r W o rld
W a r I I I , was to m ob ilize th is
colossal force.
T o psychologize the A m erican
people f o r w a r, D u lle s m u st
succeed in tw o a im s: (1 ) in s till
ha tre d o f the enemy — th e coun
trie s in the S oviet o rb it; (2 ) ap­
pear as the banner - b e are r o f
peace.
In p u rs u it o f the f ir s t aim , the
cold w a r was launched under
T ru m a n and c a rrie d to a p a ro x ­
ysm in the in te rv e n tio n in the
c iv il w a r in Korea. B u t th is course
con tra dicte d the second aim , f o r
it re q u ire d con tinu ed bellicose
de cla ration s and actio ns. These
fin a lly reached such a p itc h th a t
A m e ric a appeared in the eyes o f
the w hole w o rld to have stepped
in to the place o f N azi G erm any
as a w a r-m a k e r.
The A m e rica n people, too, be­
came alarm ed and resistance to
W a ll
S tre e t’s . course
to w a rd
ato m ic d e stru ctio n deepened u n til
discussion w ith a w hole gro u p
o f stud ents who g a there d around,
and th a t a couple pro m ised to
come back a g a in to con tinu e the
discussion.”
A u to m a tio n is a problem o f
g re a t w o rry , in sp ite o f the
g lo rio u s prom ises o f b ig g e r and
b e tte r jobs by the p ro fit take rs.
H elen B a ke r w rite s fro m S ea t­
t le : “ W e had a v e ry in te re s tin g
experience in o u r do or-to-d oor
w o rk . W e m e t a g ro u p o f people
who are concerned ab ou t the
outcom e to the w o rk in g class o f
a u to m a tio n . T h e y w e re people
who could n o t find any steady
w o rk and w ere e x is tin g on w o rk
fro m the casual la b o re r’s h a ll.
W e to ld them o f the so cia list
demand o f 30 hours w o rk f o r 40
ho urs pay and th e y agreed i t
was fine, b u t was n o t enough.
W e discussed f o r over an hour.
W e exp ect to go b a c k ' arm ed
w ith new a rg u m e n ts th a t we did
not th in k o f the f ir s t tim e . These
w o rk e rs had n e ve r m et w ith so­
c ia lis t ideas before, b u t are in ­
terested in d iscussin g w ith us.
We seem to be g iv in g them new
food f o r th o u g h t.”
Joan Jord an in fo rm s us th a t
in San F ra n cisco “ we have been
able to sell every issue th a t has
a N e g ro question head lin e and
a lm o st eve ry issue t h a t has a
fe a tu re s to ry on the f r o n t page
d e a lin g w ith Negroes. The seg­
re g a tio n and Reverend Lee is ­
sues have .g o n e v e ry w e ll.”
T hus we witnessed th e p a ra ­
doxical phenomena o f the E ise n ­
how er a d m in is tra tio n tu rn in g to ­
w ard a d ip lo m a cy o f “ peace”
w h ile rep ea te dly s e ttin g o f f sen­
sa tio n a l w a r scares to appease
the M c C a rth y ite m ovem ent as it
w orked to lo ck th is h o rro r in the
closet. The u n d e rly in g lo gic o f
the s itu a tio n , how ever, enabled us
to d iscou nt the sensational scares
and c o rre c tly p re d ic t w h a t w ould
happen w ith E ise n h o w e r’s fo re ig n
po licy.
T he new course is now w e ll
under w a y and we m ay expect i t
to con tinu e f o r some tim e , no
m a tte r w h a t its m in o r o scilla tio n s
m ay be .
A lso p cla im s th a t the “ lo g ja m ”
in re la tio n s between C hina and
A m e ric a
was
b ro ke n
by
an
u ltim a tu m fro m the Mao re g im e :
E ith e r a m e e tin g a t the am bas­
sad orial level, in w h ich case the
fly e rs w o uld be released, o r
Chinese forces w o uld move a t once
to fre e Quemoy and M atsu fro m
CbLang K a i-s h e k ’s g a rriso n s. T h is
th re a t, says A lso p, forced D u lle s ’
hand.
T h a t is a possible exp la n a tio n
f o r the tim in g o f the pre sen t con­
ference a t Geneva, b u t m ore lik e ly
i t s im p ly coincides w ith
the
tim in g the S tate D e p a rtm e n t had
a lre a d y decided upon in re la tio n
to the p re vio u s conference a t
Geneva w ith M oscow’s re p re se n ta ­
tives.
A ls o p is co rre c t in m y op in ion ,
how ever, in his conclusion th a t
“ W h a t is now h a pp en ing in
Geneva can o n ly be a b e g in n in g .”
NEW SALES TAX HITS
WORKERS OF ILLINOIS
By A1 Simmons
CHICAGO, July 30 — Last A pril the workers here
elected James Daley Democratic mayor by an over­
whelming majority. The mayor’s firs t act after election
was to jo in R epublican G o v e rn o r® ^
S tra tto n in p u s h in g th ro u g h a fo rm e r p o litic a l associates should
b i-p a rtis a n ta x p ro g ra m th a t w ill have done 25 years ago.
cost Illin o is w o rk e rs an estim a te d
L A B O R ’S S T A N D
$100,000,000 a year.
W hen the le g is la tio n was s t ill
T h is p ro g ra m called f o r an
pending, the Illin o is S tate F e d ­
increase In the s ta te sales ta x o f
e ra tio n o f L a b o r in its w e ekly
V z7r a n d -th e le vy o f a C hicago
news le tte r urg ed its m em bers
sales tax o f V z % . So by A u g u s t
to re je c t the sales-tax proposal
1, C hicago w o rk e rs had an e x tra
o f D a ley and ¡S tratto n. T h e y said
1% added to th e ir sales ta x
the -workers bear the burden o f
m a k in g it a to ta l ta ke o f 3%
these taxes and the m oney is
fo r the c ity and state p o litic ia n s .
ra re ly used f o r w o rk e rs ’ bene­
M a y o r D a ley and G ove rn or
fits . T hey were so r ig h t !
S tra tto n said th e y needed the
F u rth e rm o re , th e y said th a t if
new ta x to im p ro ve the F ire ,
we, the w o rke rs, are to be taxed,
Police, School, and H e a lth and
w h y doesn’t th e s ta te use the
'S a n ita tio n D e p a rtm e n ts. T h is is
m oney to increase W o rk m e n ’s
an old s to ry . Since 1930 w o rk e rs
C om pensation? F o r m ore unem ­
have had to b e ar the bu rde n o f
p lo y m e n t
com pensation ?
For
taxes levied by bo th D e m ocratic
h ig h e r wages f o r
state
em ­
and R epublican s ta te a d m in is ­
ployee«? A n d to help pay the
tra tio n s .
taxes w h y is n ’t a m in im u m wage
In 1932 w hen th e b ig c o rp o r­
la w passed th a t means some­
a tio n s
e ith e r stopped
p a y in g
th in g ?
taxes, o r pa id m uch less, o r be­
S enator
James
M onroe,
a
came d e lin q u e n t because o f the
m em ber o f th e S ta te Revenue
depression, the g o ve rn o r, who
C o m m itte e, suggested to the I l ­
was a D e m ocrat, proposed th a t
lin o is S ta te Senate th a t i f more
org an ized la b o r accept a 2%
taxes are needed perhaps some
sales ta x as a means o f re lie f
150 s u n d ry c o rp o ra tio n s in the
f o r the unem ployed.
sta te w o uld assume th is new b u r­
The w o rk e rs voted f o r it , but
den. H e was im m e d ia te ly called
the old e r w o rk e rs w ill rem e m ­
to o rd e r and to ld his proposal
ber how hard it was to get any
was u n c o n s titu tio n a l.
unem p loym e nt
re lie f
a lth o u g h
The w hole ta x p ro g ra m o f bo th
the sales ta x was e a rm arke d fo r
R epublican and D e m o cra tic ad­
th is purpose.
m in is tra tio n s in Illin o is since the
Since the depression, Illin o is
30’s has been one o f s h iftin g the
has seen m an y D e m o cra tic and
taxes on th e backs o f th e w o rk ­
R epublican a d m in is tra tio n s . P o li­
ers and u t iliz in g th is source o f
tic ia n s came and w e n t b u t the
revenue to fu r t h e r th e ir own
sales ta x rem ained. F o r 25 years
g r a f t and c o rru p tio n .
th e y have been p ro m is in g to use
The ta x p ro g ra m o f D a le y and
the m oney collected th ro u g h sales
S tra tto n is no d iffe re n t. The
taxes to im p ro v e th e F ire , P o­
w o rk e rs o f Illin o is should re ­
lice, School, H e a lth and S a n ita ­
je c t th e ir ta x p ro g ra m and de­
tio n D e pa rtm e nts.
mand o f these p o litic ia n s th a t
th e y ta x th e ric h , n o t the poor.
T H E RESU LTS
Today the Chicago Police De­ F u rth e rm o re , the w o rk e rs should
p a rtm e n t is considered one o f demand th a t ta x m oney be used
the m ost vicious s trik e b re a k in g f o r the benefit o f th e people, not
agencies in th e co u n try . And to lin e the pockets o f c o rru p t o f­
h a rd ly a week passes by w ith o u t fice-holders.
M l U T A H T ARMY
The J u ly 18 issue o f the M ili­
ta n t ca rrie d the te x t o f A lb e rt
E in s te in ’s la s t message to the
w o r l d p lea din g
f o r the o u tla w o f
w a r. T h a t issue
also made a so­
c ia lis t a n a lysis o f
the g re a t scien­
t is t ’s plea.
R e po rts are be­
g in n in g to come
in
from
our
agents
on
the
re s u lts o f sales
and d is trib u tio n s
o f th a t issue to sum m er s tu ­
dents on th e college campuses.
Helen
Sherman
w r ite s :
“ T w e n ty copies w ere sold a t the
noon
class-break
to
sum m er
school students on th e U n iv e r­
s ity o f M innesota campus. I n ­
te re s t was expressed, n o t o n ly in
the E in s te in s ta te m e n t and the
com m e ntary, b u t in the general
content o f the paper. G ra y ’s
cartoon, ‘ L itt le Men W h a t N o w ,’
has received special notice and
com m ent here in M in n e a p o lis —
w h a t a w o n d e rfu l p ic tu re o f the
B ig F o u r s itu a tio n !”
G eorge C lem ent o f P h ila d e l­
phia te lls us th a t “ H e rb e rt N e w ­
e ll and Lou M o rris sokl e ig h t
copies o f the E in s te in issue up
a t T em ple U n iv e rs ity , and We
have a lre a d y made plans f o r
H e rb and E th e l Peterson to go
back a g a in th is week. Lou re ­
po rte d th a t th e y had a lo n g
it became a major factor in
By Daniel Roberts
politics. The psychologizing of the
American people for war was
The Yugoslav Communist Party is ready to renew
turning into its opposite. It be­
came imperative to make a big relations with the Soviet Communist Party that were
shift toward waving the olive ibroken in 1948, when the Yugoslav CP was expelled from
branch.
the C o m in fo rm . T ito announced®— ---------------------------------------------------M cCa r t h y i t e f a s c i s m
U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and George K.
C. Yeh, foreign minister in dictator Chiang Kai-shek’s cabinet
on Formosa, shake hands in Washington last December after
signing a “mutual security” treaty. The pact formally binds
the U.S. to defend Chiang on the island where he was driven
by the Chinese people and symbolizes W all Street’s long-range
aim of smashing the new government put into office by the
Chinese revolution.
the headlines in Chicago new s­
papers e xp osing the g r a f t and
c o rru p tio n in th is de pa rtm e nt.
F ire s bre ak o u t c o n tin u a lly in
C hicago’s slum s. Y e t th e F ire
D e p a rtm e n t is i l l equipped and
underm anned. H undreds o f peo­
ple lose th e ir lives.
Schools
are
te r r ib ly
o ve r­
crow ded. Some schools operate
on a s h ift basis lik e a fa c to ry .
Teachers are underpaid.
A s f o r H e a lth and S a n ita tio n
— in some areas o f th e c ity g a r­
bage is never collected.
N o w M a y o r D a le y and G ove r­
nor
S tra tto n
w anted
a n othe r
$100,000,000 to do w h a t th e ir
Tito Renews Ties
With the Kremlin
the new p o lic y in an in te rv ie w
J u ly 25 made p u b lic on A u g . 2.
R esum ption o f ties between
the tw o p a rtie s was f ir s t p ro ­
posed by N ik it a
K hru shch ev,
S e cre ta ry o f the CPSU , a t the
tim e o f his and B u lg a n in ’s v is it
to B elgra de la s t M ay.
T he re n e w a l o f p o litic a l ties
is one m ore o f a series o f moves
in a process o f re c o n c ilia tio n
between the S ta lin is t and the
T ito re g im e . A n o th e r step in
th a t d ire c tio n was the pledge o f
frie n d s h ip
to
the
Y ugoslavs
made A u g . 8 by M a ty a s R akosi,
ch ie f o f H u n g a ry 's C o m m unist
P a rty .
T h is was in response to an
a tta c k T ito had made on the
H u n g a ria n and Czechoslovak CP
T IT O
leaders, in w h ich he accused
the conse­
them o f n o t to e in g .the K re m lin soon sh ra n k fro m
line o f frie n d s h ip to the Y u g o ­ quences o f fo llo w in g a re v o lu ­
slav g o vern m ent. T ito also de­ tio n a ry po licy, fe a rin g th a t it
b rin g
down
on
th e ir
nounced them f o r h a v in g f r a m ­ w ould
ed CP m em bers in th e ir c o u n try heads th e w ra th o f U.S. im p e r­
as “ fa s c is ts ” and “ U.S. spies” ia lis m as w e ll as the K re m lin .
T hey had no real confidence
a lle g e d ly w o rk in g in c o lla b o ra ­
tio n w ith the Y ug oslav g o ve rn ­ in the course o f lin k in g th e ir
own fig h t to the w o rld -w id e
m ent.
R akosi blam ed these tr ia ls on s tru g g le f o r socialism . T h e y se t­
f o r th e perspectives
of
Gabor P eter, c h ie f o f H u n g a ry ’s tle d
s e c u rity police who was purged b u ild in g a “ u n iq ue” bra n d o f
in M a rch , 1954. T h is dishonest “ so cia lism ” w ith in the lim ite d
a lib i was s im ila r to th a t o f confines o f eco no m ically back­
K hru shch ev and B u lg a n in who w ard Y u g o sla via — thu s reshap­
the
re a c tio n a ry
S ta lin is t
blam ed
the
S oviet - Y ug oslav in g
concept o f b u ild in g “ socialism
b re a k pn the purged B erla.
In one c o u n try ” to th e ir ow n
P U R G E IN H U N G A R Y
purposes.
They reneged on th e ir pledge
A s a fu r t h e r o ffe r o f good
f a ith to the T ito is ts , the H u n ­ to the w o rk in g class n o t to
p o litic a l
p rin c ip le s
fo r
g a ria n s are now co n d u ctin g a tra d e
pu rge o f persons connected w ith economic aid fro m the U .S . g o v ­
the fra m e -u p tr ia ls o f Laszlo ern m en t and lined up on th e
R a jk and o th e r alleged “ T ito - side o f the U N when th a t body
fa s c is ts .” T hus the A u g . 9 N . Y. endorsed T ru m a n ’s c o u n te r-re v ­
“ police
a c tio n ”
in
H e ra ld T rib u n e re p o rts th a t a o lu tio n a ry
day o r tw o a fte r T ito lodged his Korea.
The T ito is ts now hope to take
co m p la in ts a g a in s t th e H u n g a r­
ian leaders, C aim an Czako, state advantage o f th e re la tio n o f in ­
pro secu to r in the R a jk t r ia l was te rn a tio n a l tensions to o b ta in
jconom ic aid fro m both sides.
rem oved fro m Ills post.
W h ile
re ce m e n tin g re la tio n s F o r i t th e y u n de rta ke fu r t h e r
w ith the S ta lin is ts , the Y ug oslav b e tra y a ls o f M a rx is t p rin c ip le s .
T hey hope b y s k illf u l m aneuv­
leaders are w e ake nin g th e ir m il­
e rin g to develop th e ir economy
it a r y ties w ith the U.S. govern
along the lines o f n a tio n a lize d
m en t and the N A T O alliance.
T ito has suggested th a t the p ro p e rty , to gu ara ntee c o m fo rts
Y u g o s la v - Greek - T u r k m ilita r y and p riv ile g e s f o r th e r u lin g
a llia n ce become in a c tiv e in qs b u re a u cra tic la ye rs, and a t the
much as in te rn a tio n a l tensions same tim e to avoid economic
m arches
w h ich
w o uld
have eased. Borba, o ffic ia l Y u g o ­ forced
sla v paper, has also c ritic iz e d s tra in the re la tio n s h ip o f the
regim e w ith both w o rk e rs and
the allia nce .
peasants to the b re a k in g p o in t.
The T ito is ts have announced,
In re tu rn f o r an end to the
however, th a t Y u g o s la v ia w ill
not re tu rn to h e r pre-1948 po si­ C o m in fo rm blockade on Y u g o ­
tio n in the C o m in fo rm bloc. The slavia, and a re c o g n itio n o f its
independent sta tu s as a w o rk e rs ’
T ito is ts have demanded a sub
s titu te o rg a n iz a tio n f o r the Com- state the T ito is ts are p a in tin g
in fo rm , in w h ich th e y w ould be up th e “ new S o v ie t leaders” as
men g e n u in e ly concerned w ith
accorded e q u a lity .
The stand flo w s fro m re fu sa l lib e ra liz in g the m on stro us S ta l­
o f the T ito is ts to see th e Y u g o ­ in is t d ic ta to rs h ip and b u ild in g
socialism .
sla v econom y in te g ra te d
in to
Thus, T ito has p ro cla im ed th a t
th a t o f the S oviet bloc. T he 1948
b re a k came because o f th e re ­ K hru shch ev and B u lg a n in are
sistance o f the Y u g o sla v g o ve rn ­ ready to accept d iffe re n t social­
m en t to a m e rg e r w h ich w ould is t co u n trie s on a basis o f eq u a l­
have proceeded on d ic ta to ria l it y and have abandoned S ta lin ’s
to w a rd s t h ^ s a te llite
te rm s set by th e K re m lin . T h is a ttitu d e
w o u ld have led to th e oppression states as a re s u lt o f th e ir e x­
o f the Y u g o sla v w o rk in g people perience w ith Y u g o sla via .
f o r the b e n e fit o f the p riv ile g e h u n g ry ¡Soviet bureaucracy.
The
Y u g o sla v
CP
leaders
w o uld have been tra n s fo rm e d in ­
to m ere flu n k e y s f o r the S ta lin
reg im e and p u rge d i f n o t s u f f i­
c ie n tly co m p lia n t.
SHOW ED
IN D E P E N D E N C E
The T ito is ts w e re able to re ­
sist because, u n lik e the leaders
o f C o m m unist p a rtie s in the rest
o f E a ste rn E urope, th e y had a
genuine mass fo llo w in g am ong
w o rke rs and peasants. T h is had
been consolidated
d u rin g
the
course o f the w a r waged a g a in st
bo th N a zi occupiers and Y u g o ­
sla v
c a p ita lis t
and
la n d lo rd
q u islin g s. F u rth e rm o re , d u rin g
th e w a r, th e Y u g o sla v CP de­
veloped t r a it s o f independence
to w a rd s the K re m lin , b y d is re ­
g a rd in g S ta lin ’s ord ers to wage
a p u re ly “ p a trio tic ” in ste a d o f
a class w a r.
A f t e r the 1948 bre ak w ith the
K re m lin , th e T ito is ts tu rn e d to
the le ft, seeking to d ra w the
w o rk in g people close to th e re ­
gim e. F o r instance, th e y g r a n t­
ed w o rk e rs in state-o w ne d in ­
d u strie s the p o w e r to elect the
fa c to ry m an ag em en t in ste ad o f
h a v in g i t ap po inte d b y the state.
T he T ito is ts also appealed f o r
w o rk in g -c la s s s u p p o rt th ro u g h ­
o u t E uro pe , and, on M a y D a y
1950, called f o r a re v iv a l o f
w o rk in g class in te rn a tio n a lis m
The average American earned in the s p ir it o f L e nin.
about S2.300 last year, accord­
H o w eve r,
th e y
w e re never
ing to the calculations of the U.S. able to overcom e th e ir tr a in in g
Census Bureau.
in S ta lin is t o p p o rtu n ism . T hey
These pronouncem ents are de­
signed to he lp th e K re m lin die-,
ta to rs eope w ith deep mass u n ­
rest in the S oviet U n ion and
E a ste rn E urope g ro w in g out o f
th e ir b u re a u c ra tic rule.
A t the same tim e , the T ito is ts
are c a re fu l n o t to c u t a ll tie s
w ith
U jS. im p e ria lis m , w h ich ,
f o r its p a r t does n o t w a n t to
see Y u g o s la v ia absorbed in a
m ilit a r y
ag ree m ent w ith
the
K re m lin .
T o keep a liv e his re la tio n s in
th a t d ire c tio n , T ito has praised
the “ peaceful in te n tio n s ” o f the
U.S. g o ve rn m e n t and declared
f o r its b e ne fit th a t “ K a r l M a rx
could n o t have foreseen th e
state o f c a p ita lis m in the U n ite d
S tates to d a y " and th a t “ a col­
lapse o f c a p ita lis m th e re was
h a rd ly lik e ly .”
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T H E M IL IT A N T P U B L IS H IN G A S S O C IA T IO N
116 U n iv e r s it y P I ., N . Y . 3 , N . Y .
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T h o n e : A L 6-7480
E d it o r : M U R R Y W E IS S
M a n a g e r: D O R O T H Y JO H N S O N
M onday, A u g u s t 15, 1955
V ol. X IX — N o. 33
Wilson Does It Again
Charles E. Wilson, U.S. Defense Sec­
retary, has won a reputation for candid­
ness. On occasion he says what he and his
fellow members of the U.S. ruling class
really think, even when the others don’t
believe that these thoughts should be
voiced in public.
Now Wilson tells the country that
Geneva or no Geneva, the Eisenhower ad­
ministration will continue to prepare for
war. Asked at a news conference on Aug.
9, whether the new Soviet “ verbal cor­
diality” might ju s tify some relaxation of
the arms budget, Wilson replied “ I
wouldn’t think so.”
He didn’t believe that planning of U.S.
armed forces should be based on short­
term factors such as “ apparent changes
in, propaganda” or “ wishful thinking at
home.”
“ The United States must maintain a
reasonable posture of defense or m ilitary
strength for the long pull,” he said and
added that the arms budgets would reflect
long-term trends in the world.
Now these remarks do not accord at all
w ith the sweet music about peace con­
tained in Eisenhower’s and even Dulles’
recent declamations. But that’s Wilson for
you. He speaks righ t out where others
won’t. Or almost so. For, of course, not
even Wilson is going to be candid enough
to say: “ We, the men of Big Business, are
still hell-bent for World War III. We are
stymied fo r the time being because the
Soviet bloc has matched our strength.
“ But our m ilitary preparations are
designed to put us ahead once again. And
then we’ll roll. In the meantime our peace
propaganda w ill mask our war prepara­
tions. They might even win fo r us a
reputation for seeking peace, which we
will turn to good advantage in lining up
support fo r our side.”
I f Wilson had said all that he would
have surpassed himself fo r bluntness. He
also would have told the whole truth. For
Big Business is driven on the road to war
by an insatiable greed fo r profits. It seeks
ever to expand. Its aim is to subdue the
entire world and reorganize it to provide
markets and fields of investment.
These aims determine the “ long pull”
to World War I I I fo r which Charles W il­
son, U.S. Big Business “ Defense” Sec­
retary, is preparing.
Though Wilson was not as candid as he
could have been, what he said about being
guided by the long pull and not being
swayed by “ changes in propaganda” is in­
structive for the working people.
They, too, must not succumb to wishful
thinking about possibilities of lasting
peace under capitalism. They, too, must
adopt a policy based on the long term
trends.
That means to persevere in the class
struggle fo r socialism, which alone can
bring genuine peace to the world.
The Petition of the 73
We welcome the action taken this week
by the 73 educators, clergymen and writers
who petitioned Eisenhower to call off
further Smith Act trials.
This action coupled w ith the resistance
in the entertainment industry to the witch
hunt, the nation-wide indignation at the
Navy’s action in the Landy case, and other
developments, are signs that a little of the
elementary courage that is supposed to be
our American heritage is returning.
We must note, however, that the letter
makes no reference to the continued
punishment of Smith Act victims who have
already served prison sentences. While the
73 rightly deplore indictments, under the
Smith Act “ membership clause,” of leaders
of the Communist Party who have already
served one prison sentence, their letter
fails to mention the civil rights arbitrarily
denied men and women who 'have been
convicted and served time under this
thoi\ght-c.ontrol law.
To this day the firs t victims of the
Smith Act, the leaders of the Socialist
Workers Party wdio were convicted in 1941,
cannot vote, cannot hold office nor enjoy
a number of other basic rights. From a
legal point of view these socialist fighters
and leaders have been made permanent
pariahs.
I t would have greatly strengthened the
petition to the President, in our opinion,
had the 73 included the demand that civil
rights be restored to all victims of the
Smith Act.
An even more serious flaw in the peti­
tion is the fact that the case against the
Smith Act is pleaded in part by reference
to the “ easing of tensions in other fields.”
Are we to believe then that basic civil
liberties hinge on the current line of the
State Department? Is this letter suggest­
ing that should the cold war become hotter
the government has justification for its
prosecutions and persecutions?
The rig h t to think, to speak and to ad­
vocate are neither gifts of the government
nor small change issues dependent on the
current needs of the State Department. To
suggest compromise on these rights is to
make a fatal concession to those who would
destroy them.
—- The 73 men and women who signed the
petition are sincerely alarmed, we be­
lieve, at the inroads the witch hunt has
made into the pattern of American life.
They want to act in defense of our demo­
cratic tradition.
But we are firm ly convinced that this
defense cannot gain full effectiveness
until a stand is made on the basis of firm
principle.
That means fighting fo r the restoration
of the civil rights of all Smith Act victims.
It means opposing any more Smith Act
trials. It means fighting for repeal of this
witch hunt legislation. It means, above all,
rejecting the reactionary view that State
Department diplomatic needs transcend in
importance the B ill of Rights.
In the absence of such a clear and un­
compromising stand, the defense move­
ment can become lost in meaningless
debate over whether or not the present
international climate permits relaxation of
police measures against minority political
parties.
Time to Prepare
U.S. capitalism, doped up with arma­
ment spending, is walking on clouds. The
stock market is booming, profits are skyhigh, there is fu ll employment for every­
body except the unemployed, and there
aren’t enough of them to cause the Big
Business government any real worry. I f
you read the papers you may believe you
never had it so good.
But the corollary of the picture presented
by the Big Business press is that things
are so good they can’t improve. How can
you improve on perfection? Therefore, at
the best, things can only continue as they
are or go down. For working people a
downturn means one thing above all —
unemployment, too many workers and too
few jobs.
Therefore a wise step fo r the labor
movement in today’s boom would be to
prepare fo r the inevitable downturn (we
don’t want to use the more frightening
term, depression). The best preparation
would be getting the 30-hour week at 40hours pay. That would mean 25% more
jobs in a period of joblessness.
Nor would it be mere protection against
future unemployment. I t would be a real
substantial gain for workers in the present
period of booming production. Ten hours
a week more fo r workers to get away from
the speedup, the tension, the foremen and
supervisors, would be a trade-union gain
comparable to the winning of the 8-hour
day in the past.
I t would mean more time fo r leisure,
fun, culture. I t would give the working
mother more time to do her second job —
THE
HIgaed a r t ic le » by oontrfSn to r e d o n o t n e o e M a r lly rep­
re s e n t T h e mutant's polled©«.
T h e se a re e x p re s s e d In I t»
e d ito r ia ls .
shopping, housecleaning, bringing up the
children. There can be no argument about
it, the 30-hour week is desirable now and
necessary for the future — when the
bloom fades o ff capitalist prosperity.
But there is another important factor
which makes 30-for-40 not only desirable
now but of immediate bread-and-butter
urgency. That is automation — the in­
troduction of a whole new series of ma­
chines and mechanical-electronic systems
that causes mass layoffs of workers in
the midst of fu ll production.
For example, in the telephone industry
last year almost 20,000 switchboard oper­
ators lost their jobs to automation. This
was no putting down in service; on the
contrary, while the 20,000 operators were
being kicked out, the number of telephones
in this country increased by two million.
The telephone industry today is 83%
mechanized. The monopoly now has plans
on the drawing board fo r 95% mechaniza­
tion and more lay-offs.
The CIO Communications Workers of
America, at its recent convention, had to
face the threat of automation. I t came up
with a fa irly conservative answer: the
1955 bargaining demand for a 35-hour
week with no reduction in pay.
This is only a half step. On thè basis
of its own experience, the CWA should
have demanded a 30-hour week at full
40-hours pay. And, recognizing that the
problem is not simply the problem of thè
communication workers, it should have
called on the whole labor movement to
make the winning of this demand the next
big goal in labor’s struggle.
MILITENT
Page Three
Moroccan People Answer the " Ratissage”
By George Lavan
(L a s t o f a series.)
F rench im p e ria lis m ’s re p re s­
sions fo llo w in g M oroccan la b o r’s
one-day s trik e in 1952 le ft but
one pro-independenco voice u n ­
im p rison ed o r unexiled. T h a t was
the voice o f the S ulta n, S idi
Moham m ed Ben Youssef.
T hou gh the F rench “ p ro te c ­
to rs ” o f th e n o m in a lly indepen­
dent kin g d o m o f M orocco had
taken by fo rc e a ll the re a l powers
o f the S u lta n , the y had k e p t the
m on arch y as a figurehead. As
the n a tio n a lis t m ovem ent g re w ,
S u lta n M oham m ed Ben Y oussef
ceased to a ct as a F rench puppet
and a lig n e d h im s e lf w ith the
Is tiq la l
(Independence)
P a rty .
T hus was un ite d w ith m odern
n a tio n a lis m
a ll the
h is to ric a l
tra d itio n s o f M oroccan indepen­
dence f o r 1,000; years be fore the
F rench im p e ria lis ts took over.
The s itu a tio n was em barassing
f o r the F rench P ro te c to ra te o f ­
fic ia ls and in fu ria te d th e w e a lth y
F rench s e ttle rs
(co lo n s). Ben
Y oussef’s p o p u la rity w ith the
masses increased as he came out
f o r tra d e un io n ism , c o n s titu tio n ­
al m on arch y, fre e education and
o th e r lib e ra l re fo rm s . In a w ay
Ben Y ou ssef’s ro le in the M o ro c­
can s tru g g le rem inds one o f the
ro le
of
Mossadegh
in
Ira n .
T hou gh n o t ro y a lty , he, too, was
a g re a t fe u d a l la n d o w n e r who
em braced the n a tio n a lis t m ove­
m e n t and ce rta in re fo rm s.
W ith his ro y a l person beyond
touch, the lib e ra l S u lta n , in the
perio d o f the F rench repression,
sym bolized to the masses, in
eve ry p u b lic appearance and act,
th e n a tio n a lis t m ovem ent. M o re ­
over, his resources and the p a l­
ace esta b lish m e n t p ro b a b ly were
used to help the un de rgrou nd
Is tiq la l leaders.
w e n t down, the colonel kneed him
in the g ro in . The A ra b trie d to
g e t up; a n o th e r cop caught him
across the ja w w ith a club.
Down w e n t the A ra b and: the
ne xt cop kicke d h im , tw ice . He
g o t up ag ain and ra n in to the
arm s o f s t ill an o th e r policem an,
who poked h im in to a s ittin g po­
sitio n w ith a m uzzle o f a c a r­
bine.
“ A lto g e th e r, m ore than 20,000
A rab s were rou te d o u t o f th e ir
homes to ru n the g a u n tle t th a t
day. S lu g g in g , c lu b b in g and beat­
in g th a t m any men is an e x ­
h a u s tin g jo b , so the police s p e ll­
ed one an othe r. . .
“ The g a u n tle t was o n ly a be
g in n in g . A f t e r th e y had ru n
i t . . . each m an was placed in a
lo n g line. The lin e s h u ffle d past
a s ix -fo o t pasha, who w ore bro w n
checked pa nts and a blue sports
coat. A ge sture, a s lig h t shove
fro m the pasha, and an A ra b
was pushed in to one o f the tw o
groups. . . . B efore the day was
done, (i,000 men, in c lu d in g m ost
o f those between 17 and 25, had
been herded in to th e suspect
group.
“ T hey w ere loaded in to cement
tru c k s and hauled o f f to ja il. A s
th e y w e nt, th e ir w o m e n fo lk came
pu sh in g
out
of
the
houses,
E xch a n g e In fo r m a tio n a n d G ifts
screa m ing and c ry in g ‘A lla h .
The police fire d in to the a ir tc
force the wom en back and tc
keep the p ris o n e rs ’ heads dow r
in the tru c k s . The cops were nol
too c a re fu l about k e e p in g th e ii
fire high .
“ The ratissa ge ended a t 6 p.m,
Then a ta ll som ber pasha made
a speech to th e m edina people.
‘Y ou m u st resum e y o u r peaceful
w a y o f life . I f you don’t, the
same th in g th a t happened today
w ill happen ag ain. O n ly next
tim e i t w ill be w orse . . . w ith
je t a irp la n e s sh o o tin g down on
you fro m the s k y .’ A t about
th a t m om ent, a f lig h t o f F rench
je ts fle w lo w over the crow d.
“ T h a t evening, as th e droops
and tan ks ru m b le d back to th e ir
b a rra cks a lo n g the boulevards o f
the E uro pe an section, French
men and women . . . lined the
streets, and cheered th e m ili­
ta r y . ” The o ffic ia l F rench re ­
p o rt o f the p a rtic u la r ratissa ge
described by W h ite was th a t “ in
the course o f the rou nd up 20
A ra b s died .”
the N a tio n a l Resistance M ove­
m ent, based p r im a r ily on the
w o rk in g class. A n o th e r is the
fo rm a tio n o f the U n io n M aro cain
du T ra v a il (U n io n o f M oroccan
L a b o r). In the fo rm a tio n o f th is
la b o r fe d e ra tio n the M oroccan
w o rke rs were aided b y the A F L
and C IO , whose w illin g n e s s to
help is in a la rg e m easure in ­
spired by fe a r th a t the M oroccan
la b o r w ill go com m unist.
T H E IR
D IL E M M A
F rench
im p e ria lis m
is con­
fro n te d w ith a d ile m m a in M o r­
occo. The te r r o r used up to now
has fa ile d to smash the indepen­
dence s tru g g le . C a p ita lis t p o lit i­
cians in F rance w a v e r between
e m p lo y in g
g re a te r
fo rc e
or
g ra n tin g manor p o litic a l conces­
sions to lu ll the n a to n a lis t m ove­
m ent. T h is la tte r p o lic y appears
to be w o rk in g te m p o ra rily in
T u n is ia . T here a fe w p o litic a l
concessions — f a r fro m re a l in ­
dependence — s p lit the n a tio n a l­
is t m ovem ent in h a lf. Can th is
be done in M orocco ?
One o f th g b ig g e s t obstacles is
the c o lo n ia l-fa s c is t F rench in
T h is ra tis s a g e is b u t one, and Morocco its e lf. These landow ners
b y no means an extre m e ex­ and c a p ita lis ts oppose the s lig h t­
am ple, o f thousands the F rench est concessions. T h e ir assassin­
have staged in Morocco in the a tio n gangs have k ille d n o t o n ly
past tw o years. D e spite the f a n ­ Is tiq la l leaders b u t F rench se t­
ta s tic le n g th s to w h ich the (French tle rs who suggested th a t to save
im p e ria lis ts have gone — im ­ F rench economic c o n tro l some
p o rtin g de tectives fro m F rance, p o litic a l concessions should be
police dogs fro m T u n is ia , o f fe r ­ made.
in g huge re w ards, im p o s in g c u r­
W h a te v e r F re n ch im p e ria lis m
fews and re s tric tio n s (such as may decide on as its n e xt ta c tic ,
no b ic y c lin g in th e A ra b sec­ A m e rica n w o rk e rs should g ive
tio n s ),
u sin g
e le c tric
to rtu re un q u a lifie d su p p o rt to the M oro c­
machines (ta k e n over fro m the can people in th e ir demand th a t
N a zis) — the re ig n o f t e r r o r the F re n ch im p e ria lis t “ p ro te c ­
failed to bre ak M oroccan re s is t­
to rs ” g e t o u t and le t the M o ro c­
ance.
can
people decide th e ir fo rm o f
M oreover, the m ovem ent began
to make im p o rta n t advances. One g o ve rn m e n t in com plete indepen­
of these was». the emergence o f dence.
TERROR
F A IL S
F A K E REVO LT
In A u g u s t 1953 the F re n ch im ­
p e ria lis ts p u t an end to th e s itu ­
a tio n . T h e y staged a fa k e re v o lt
o f the M oroccan people, in sta lle d
a new “ S u lta n ,” and arre ste d
and exiled M oham m ed Ben Y ou s­
sef.
The new “ S u lta n ” Ben A ra fa
is u n iv e rs a lly hated in Morocco
as a q u is lin g ; and S u lta n Ben
Y oussef, whom the F re n ch have
im prisoned on an island in the
South P acific, is a n a tio n a l hero.
The m ere m e n tio n o f Ben A r a f a ’s
name in the p u b lic p ra y e rs (th e
S u lta n in Morocco is n o t o n ly
k in g - h u t h e a d -o f the ch u rch ) is
enough to e m p ty th e mosques.
To meet the ¡public ha tre d w h ich
th e re m o va l o f the le g itim a te
S u lta n had so increased, the
F rench ru le rs stepped up th e ir
m ilit a r y op era tions. N o t a day
has passed since then w ith o u t
k illin g s by the F rench.
B u t the M oroccan people have
fo u g h t back w ith p o litic a l assas­
sin atio ns, arson, bom bings, de­
ra ilm e n t o f tra in s and o th e r acts
o f re ta lia tio n . T h e ir c h ie f v ic ­
tim s are the q u is lin g s — M o ro c­
cans w ho have sold them selves
as police, detectives, in fo rm e rs ,
etc.
JE W S S U P P O R T S T R U G G L E
A lth o u g h Z io n ism , in its b lin d
a n ti-A ra b cha uvinism and p o w e r­
p o litic k in g f o r Is ra e l, opposes
M oroccan independence, the la rg e
Jew ish m in o rity in Morocco does
n o t go a lo n g w ith th is re a c tio n ­
a ry p o lic y . T h e re are some 300,000 Moroccan Jew s, and p ro m i­
n e n t am ong th e Signers o f p e ti­
tio n s f o r the re tu rn o f the S u l­
ta n are leaders o f th e Jew ish
com m u nitie s. M ore ove r, th e im ­
p e ria lis ts have a rre ste d , to rtu re d
and m urd ere d m a n y Jew s f o r
th e ir p a rtic ip a tio n in the in d e ­
pendence s tru g g le .
The fe ro c ity o f th e F rench
repression
m ay
be
gathered
fro m an account o f a ra tissa g e
(ra k in g o p e ra tio n ) w h ich
the
F rench a u th o ritie s allow ed an
A m e ric a n correspondent to w i t ­
ness. I t to o k place on the m o rn ­
in g o f the g re a te s t M oslem fea st
day (lik e C h ristm a s in the U .S.)
in P o rt L y a u te y . H e re is the
d e scrip tio n re p o rte r F ra n k W h ite
cabled T im e m ag azine a fte r the
m edina (M oro ccan section) o f
the c ity had been surrounded by
F rench tro o p s on A u g u s t 9,
1954.
“ Policem en, w o r k i n g
w ith
maps, s p lit the m edina in to a
h a lf dozen sectors. T hen, the
le g io n n a ire s, w o rk in g system a­
tic a lly , began b re a k in g down the
doors o f eve ry house. Once a
door w as smashed, in w e n t the
g o um iers [B e rb e r tro o p s ] and
drove o u t e ve ry m ale, except
sm all boys. W om en cried out in
te rro r, and w ere beaten back
w ith clubs o r gun b u tts .
FORM G A U N T L E T
W o rld Events
T H A T P R E S ID E N T A R M A S S it-do w n
s trik e s
and
p ro te s t
O F G U A T E M A L A , p u p p e t o f m arches have become common,
the U .S. S ta le D e p a rtm e n t, is u s u a lly
supported
by
union
p e rso n a lly involved in the g o v­ g ro u p s fro m n e a r-b y tow n s.”
e rn m e n t’s g ra in scandal w as re ­
*
*
*
vealed b y a le f t is t u n iv e rs ity
P O L IS H P E A S A N T S receive
stu d e n ts’ w e e kly, E l E stu d ia n te .
The paper charged th a t Com ­ o n ly fro m o n e -q u a rte r to oneU.S. fa rm e r W illia m L a m b e rt receives bread and s a lt,
m e rcia l G uatem alteca, S.A. had th ird o f fre e m a rk e t p rice f o r
tra d itio n a l sym bols o f peace and frie n d s h ip , fro m L. I \ O m ishre c e n tly paid $25,000 to A rm a s. th e ir p ro du cts fro m the g o ve rn chcnko, oldest m em ber o f co lle ctive fa rm n e a r Odessa. A t
The pa p e r gave the n u m b e r o f pien t. S tate a u th o ritie s f i x com ­
d e liv e ry
quotas
and
b o tto m , young M ike M oser, gives p rim e Io w a ham to A le xa n d e r
the check. The com pany is on p u ls o ry
T u lu p n ik o v , to u rin g U.S. fa rm b e lt w ith S oviet de le gatio n.
t r ia l, charged by the M in is te r o f prices. The peasants m a y sell
U n de r a socialist U .S. and dem ocratic w o rk e rs ’ re g im e in Russia
F inance
w ith
s p e c u la tin g
in a ll pro du cts ove r th e ir quotas a t
exchange v is its w ould be m ore tha n d ip lo m a tic moves. T hey
corn im p o rts d u rin g a gra ve the fre e m a rk e t p rice , b u t o n ly
would be a re g u la r fe a tu re in a p ro g ra m o f m u tu a l aid.
s c a rc ity th a t has sent th e corn the ric h e s t collective s m anage
index s k y ro c k e tin g fro m 211 to to produce a s u rp lu s. A c c o rd in g
295 in a fe w m o n th s’ tim e . Corn to the A u g . 6 C h ris tia n Science
im p o rte d by the com pany was M o n ito r, the fre e m a rk e t p rice
n o t o n ly
sold
a t e x o rb ita n t o f w h e a t is 315 z lo ty s f o r a
prices
b
u
t
was
te e m in g w ith h u n d re d -w e ig h t, b u t the s ta te
A
n
o
th
e
r
d
ra
fte
e
was
charged
(C o n tin u e d fro m page 1)
w
eevils
and
u
n
fit
f o r hum an pays o n ly 102 z lo ty s f o r it .
w ould show he w as no “ s e c u rity w ith the fo llo w in g : “ You have
con sum p tion, the m in is te r c h a rg ­ Q uotas are so h ig h th a t peasants
a
fa
th
e
r
w
ho
is
rep
orted
to
have
r is k .” The N a v y gum shoes gave
w ith d w a rf-s iz e h o ld in g s m u s t
ed.
h im to un de rsta nd th a t e ve ry­ said th a t i f com m unism o ffe re d
o fte n b u y e x tra p ro d u cts to m eet
*
*
*
th in g was a ll rig h t. T hen on a n v th in g good he w o uld accept
T H E J A P A N E S E G O V E R N ­ the m . T h is also leads to s h o rt­
it
.
”
g ra d u a tio n eve, he was in fo rm e d
ages o f g ra in f o r ra is in g liv e ­
In th e 110 cases cite d by M E N T has take n the fir s t steps stock, hence a m e a t sh o rta g e in
th a t he w o uld n o t g e t a com ­
w
ith
re
p
re
se
n
ta
tive
s
o
f
the
C
h
i­
W a tts o n ly 14 in vo lve d charges
m ission.
nese People’s R epublic to nego­ the c o u n try . On th e o th e r hand
N a v y o ffic ia ls in W a sh in g to n , th a t d ra fte e s them selves had be­
tia te re p a tria tio n o f Japanese the state sells a g ric u ltu ra l p ro ­
D.C., questioned b y re p o rte rs, longed to the C o m m u n ist P a rty .
n a tio n a ls held in C hina. L ik e the ducts a t an e x o rb ita n t p rice to
said th a t the de nial o f L a n d y ’s In the o th e r cases charges ra n g ­
fo rm u la f o r th e U .S .-C hina ta lk s , c ity w o rk e rs so th a t 75% o f
ed
fro
m
m
em
bership
in
s
o
cia
list
com m ission was “ a considered
th is is m eant as a prelude f o r u rb a n ite incom e goes f o r food.
actio n b y the N a v y ,” and th a t o rg a n iza tio n s, association w ith
m ore im p o rta n t questions, w ith In th is w a y th e re g im e takes
in v e s tig a tio n had revealed th a t re la tiv e s , re a d in g a copy o f the
tra d e h ig h on th e agenda. The care o f a v e ry la rg e p o rtio n o f
La nd y w as “ e x tre m e ly close to D a ily W o rk e r, down to ta k in g
Japanese
g o ve rn m e n t does not its e xp e n d itu re s, in c lu d in g the
his m o th e r and she. has been a th e a n ti-fre e e n te rp rise po sitio n
recognize
th
e People’s R epublic. p lu n d e r take n in v a rio u s guises
in a high -schoo l debate.
C o m m u n ist.”
I t m a in ta in s o ffic ia l d ip lo m a tic by the K re m lin .
S ta n d in g
discon sola te ly
by
*
*
*
re la tio n s w ith the C h ia n g K a iw h ile his classm ates received T H O U G H T C E N S O R
W a tts
asserted
th a t
the shek re g im e on F orm osa.
A
D R A W N -O U T
C A B IN E T
th e ir com m issions as ensigns,
*
*
*
C R IS IS IN
IN D O N E S IA m ay
yo u n g L a n d y was fe a rfu l f o r his th o u g h t-c o n tro l discharge p o licy
R IG H T
AND
L E F T -W IN G fo rce postponem ent o f general
fu tu re . He had won a sch o la r­ m eant, in e ffe c t, th a t th e A rm y
sh ip to Y a le L a w School. W ould had assumed the ro le o f censor S O C IA L IS T S I N J A P A N have elections scheduled f o r Septem ­
th is , too, now be w ith d ra w n be­ ove r a ll A m e rica n yo u n g men denounced a go ve rn m e n t appeal ber. T he la w re q u ire s an actu al
cause o f his association w ith h is fro m th e ages o f 15 to 30. F u r ­ th a t urges the people to su p p o rt ca b in e t to be fu n c tio n in g a t the
m o th e r? M oreover, should L a n d y th e rm o re , he declared i t m a in ­ U.S. a ir bases. The S o cia lists tim e o f elections. Several weeks
the
announcem ent
was ago, the g o ve rn m e n t o f P re m ie r
be d ra fte d in to th e A rm y , his tained th is p o litic a l censorship said
m o th e r’s p a st p o litic a l a f f ili a ­ f o r six a d d itio n a l yea rs w h ile “ sym bo lic o f P re m ie r Hatoya.- A li S o s tro a m id jo jo fe ll when the
m a ’s re a rm a m e n t p o lic y .” J a p ­ m ost re a c tio n a ry w in g — re p re ­
tio n w o u ld , un d e r c u rre n t A rm y th e y w e re in th e reserves.
procedure, mean th a t a t the end
W h ile those G I’s w ho are anese w o rk e rs and fa rm e rs have s e n tin g M oslem fe u d a l la n d lo rd s
o f h is service he w o u ld g e t an given undesirable discharges lose protested e x te n d in g ru n w a y s dT and fo rm e r A r m y o ffic e rs in the
undesirable discharge o r a t best a ll ve te ra n s’ b e n e fits, even those e x is tin g U.S. a ir fields, because D u tch co lo n ia l a rm y — combined
a general discha rge, b u t in no who are given general discharges th is cuts in to fa rm e rs ’ lands to pass a vo te o f no-confidence.
case an honorable discharge, no lose
state
b e n e fits
in c lu d in g and also w o uld p e rm it a ir c r a f t A c c o rd in g to the J u ly 27 F ia n c e
m a tte r how w e ll he had p e r­ bonuses. In some cases the A rm y c a rry in g a to m ic bombs to op­ O bse rva teur, th e y also had the
fo rm e d his duties.
has not decided on th e typ e o f e ra te fro m th e s trip s . T he pop­ behind-the-scenes b a c k in g o f the
to be g ive n
a fte r u la r o p p o sitio n to the bases is U .S. go vern m ent. The w eak I n ­
I t was th is p o licy th a t N o r­ discharge
m an Thom as, R ow land W a tts m onths o f re vie w by o ffic ia ls . so intense, says W illia m J. J o r- donesian c a p ita lis t class is t r y ­
and K en ne th B irk h e a d demanded W a tts adduced evidence th a t the den in the A u g . 6 N .Y . Tim es, in g to balance it s e lf between
th a t the A rm y re p u d ia te . T h o m ­ A rn \y had denied h e a rin g s to th a t “ in a t least one case the. the fe u d a l elem ents and U.S.
as declared th a t in p u ttin g “ d is ­ d ra fte e s ; im p rison ed them w ith ­ citize n s fo r c ib ly p re ven te d s u r­ im p e ria lis m on one side and the
lo y a lty ” ta g s on th e v ic tim iz e d o u t t r ia l ; and had im posed pu n ­ veyors fro m w o rk in g and com ­ la b o r m ovem ent and organized
G I’s the A r m y w as m a k in g it ishm ents w ith o u t tr ia l. H e de­ pelled th e m to leave the area. peasants on the o th e r.
im possible f o r them to g e t jobs manded th a t i f th e A r m y d ra fts
a fte r th e y w ere discharged. He a m an it g ive h im a discharge
im p lie d th a t th is w itc h h u n t based solely on the c h a ra c te r o f
reached its pre sen t p itc h when his service.
the top brass c a p itu la te d to Sen­
A rm y S e cre ta ry B ru c k e r’s sole
a to r M c C a rth y and his in v e s ti­ com m ent at the end o f th e ses­
g a to rs, R oy Cohn and D a vid sion w a s: “ The m a tte r w ill be
studied b y com petent people. I
Sehlne, a y e a r ago.
A n in va lu a b le pe rm anent record o f th e ye a r’s m a jo r
R ow land W a tts , E xe cu tive D i­ th in k the system we have now
n a tio n a l and in te rn a tio n a l developm ents rep orted and analyzed
re c to r o f the W orkers- Defense is w o rk in g w e ll but I have an
fro m th e M a rx is t v ie w p o in t:
League, presented a 251-page open m ind on the qu estio n,”
M c C a rth y ’s fa s c is t pow er d riv e and how he was shelved . . .
a n a lysis o f 110 cases o f dra fte es
The W o rk e rs Defense League
the
h
is to ric Suprem e C o u rt decision on school de seg rega tion
accused by the A r m y o f “ sub­ is a n o n -p a rtis a n le g a l aid so­
and the ra cist c o u n te r-d e m o n stra tio n s . . . the 1954 economic
ve rs iv e ” b e lie fs and associations c ie ty f o r the defense o f p o litic a l,
slu m p . . . th e Square D s trik e , th e A S R s itd o w n s trik e . . .
p r io r to th e ir in d u ctio n .
la b o r and m in o r ity rig h ts . I t
a u to m a tio n developm ents . . . u n io n conventions . . . changes
The charges, la rg e ly based on played a le a d in g ro le in th e M ax
in the cold w a r and “ peaceful coexistence” ta lk . . . th e s w in g
the secret te s tim o n y o f “ fa ce ­ Shachtm an
pa sspo rt
case.
A
to the D em ocrats and th e c o n tro l o f the new C ongress by
less in fo rm e rs ,” w ere in m an y nu m be r o f its to p o ffic ia ls are
S outhern D em ocrats . . . W a ll S tre e t’s ro le in G uatem ala . . .
cases o f a fa n ta s tic n a tu re . T hus id e n tifie d w ith the S o cia list P a rty
and m any o th e r im p o rta n t events are tre a te d .
one G I was accused o f h a vin g o r N ew Y o r k ’s L ib e ra l P a rty .
. . . ASSAIL PENTAGON
"O n top o f a lo w h ill in P o rt
L y a u te y ’s m edina is a d u sty
sheep m a rk e t. L e g io n n a ire s drove
the A ra b men the re and herded
them un de r the m uzzle o f a P a t­
ton ta n k . A dozen policem en
fo rm e d a g a u n tle t, six on e ith e r
side. One by one, the A ra b s
were th ru s t fo rw a rd , each w ith belonged to th e A m e rica n Y o u th
f o r D em ocracy when he was
his hands on his head.
“ ‘Emtrez done, M o n sie u r,’ said e ig h t yea rs old. A n o th e r a lle g a ­
a reserve police colonel. ‘The tio n a g a in s t him was th a t he
session is about to b e gin.’ He closely associated w ith his m o th ­
sm iled b ro a d ly , the n h it a m id ­ er, a lle g e d ly a m em ber o f the
dle-aged A ra b w ith h is r ig h t fist, C o m m u n ist P a rty , and co rre s­
be lo w th e b e lt. A s th e A ra b ponded w ith her.
Now Available!
Bound Volume of 1954 Militant
I t g re a tly stresses its a n ti-C o m m un ism .
R o w la nd
W a tts ,
its
E xe cu tive D ire c to r, is an ac­
know ledged le ga l e x p e rt on the
A r m y ’s discharge p o lic y . H is re ­
search on th is su b je ct w as in
p a r t made possible b y a g ra n t
fr o m th e F u n d f o r th e R epublic.
Order Your Copy Now!
From The Militant’
116 University PL, New York 3, New York
Price: $5.50
nuMILITANT
The Negro Struggle
New Threats of Violence
Ominous new threats of lynch violence
against Negroes in the Deep South are
being voiced by the enemies of school
desegregation and the righ t of Negroes
to register in elections. Again the mobmurderers are being deliberately incited
by the actions and inflammatory agitation
of high state officials.
The Aug. 6 Pittsburgh Courier reports
that Dr. A. H. McCoy, President of the
Mississippi NAACP, has received death
threats on both his home and office tele­
phones. Dr. McCoy was warned to get out
of town and told, “ I f you stay, you will
be shot.”
When he asked for police protection, he
was told that the cop on the beat-would
“ keep an eye on your house.”
On May 7, the Rev. George W. Lee, of
Belzoni, Miss., the firs t Negro in his
county to register to vote, was blasted to
death by a shotgun mob. A local coroner’s
ju ry decided the death was “ accidental.”
Rut at a memorial meeting for Rev. Lee,
Dr. McCoy declared that everyone in town,
including the sheriff knew who the killers
were.
A t the same time that Dr. McCoy
received the death threats Roy Wilkins,
Executive Secretary of the NAACP, said
that unsigned death threats had been
received through the mail by a Lowndes
County, Miss., school teacher and his wife.
The couple are two of the three Negroes
registered to vote in that county.
V O L U M E X IX
All of these threats came at the same
time that Gov. G riffin of Georgia was
announcing that he had named 25 special
“ secret deputies” to be scattered over the
state to aid the fig h t to maintain Jim Crow
schools. His Attorney General announced
that Mississippi had named a thousand
such deputies for the same purpose. Mean­
while the Georgia governor addressed the
Alabama state legislature, calling for joint
efforts of the two states to “ avoid the
disaster” of desegregation.
The Alabama legislature demonstrated
its willingness to cooperate by adopting a
bill which deliberately defies the U.S.
Supreme Court decision banning Jim Crow
schools. The bill gives city and county
school boards unprecedented police power
in deciding which school pupils will attend.
The widely touted “ liberal” governor of
Alabama, “ Big Jim” Folsom, hypocritically
refused to sign the bill but permitted it to
'become law by the simple act of also
refusing to veto it.
The NAACP has demanded of Attorney
General Brownell that the Justice Depart­
ment take prompt action in Mississippi to
“ avert violence and to protect Negro c iti­
zens in their rig h t to vote.”
On the basis of the past do-nothing
record of the Justice Department, we
sincerely hope that NAACP is taking
additional measures to protect the lives
of their valiant Southern representatives.
From a Striker’s Wife
(T he fo llo w in g le tte r to the P o rtla n d , Ore.,
L a b o r Pa-ess was re p rin te d in the A/uigiust issue
o f the In te rn a tio n a l Molder®’ and F o u n d ry W o rk ­
ers’ J o u rn a l fro m w hich we have to ke n it. — E d.)
During the long, hard struggle of the
Fir-Tex strike, which is still going on here
at St. Helens, a bystander was heard to
say: “ What is America coming to, with
women and children on the picket line?”
It seems to me that it is about time that
women and children become concerned
with the jobs of their husbands and
fathers — especially when you desire to
have your children grow up with the belief
that right is right. They should understand
that they should never take something
that doesn’t belong to them — EVEN A
JOB!
I want my children to know what it is
like to stand on the picket line and see
people going through the line, and to know
what a “ scab” is. When they grow up and
work they w ill remember what we’ve tried
to teach them: That money is not the most
important thing in the w orld; that love
for one’s fellowman, honesty and backbone
are far more important.
A fter all, had it not been for men like
these, who are willing to fig h t for prin­
ciple, wages would definitely not be what
they are today, and working conditions
would certainly be rough.
I would much rather my husband deny
us the “ worldly things” than to have him
go against the principles he believes in.
We come from a part of the country where
unions are few and fa r between, but, be­
lieve me, I have made it a point to buy
union, to patronize union stores and to
teach my children to do the same.
The almighty dollar has always induced
some people to go against principle.
honesty and integrity. But I for one would
rather go hungry than to take the bread
from a child’s hand — and .that is just
what the scabs are doing in this strike.
How could anyone believe that 400 men
of the union could be so wrong, and a few
bosses so right?
I am very proud of the way the men
have conducted themselves on the picket
line — no obscene language, unless you
call the word “ scab” obscene. Have you
ever looked that word up in the diction­
ary? I t means “ a crust on a sore” and it
also means “ one who takes the plaJce of a
striker; a strikebreaker.”
One person claims he heard obscene
language on the picket line. I t ’s hard to
understand how he heard it when he drives
through the picket line at high speed with
rolled-up windows.
Unionism gives millions of workers a
sense of dignity, independence, achieve­
ment, a measure of security, and hope for
a better life. Unionism has been the prin­
cipal instrument of the working man in
protecting himself against exploiters.
Yes, I am one of those who stood on the
picket line and called a scab a scab, and I
do not bow my head in shame. I can still
walk down the street and look people in
the eye without flinching. And if my
children grow up to say that I did wrong
by standing on the picket line, then I will
know that our teaching of the difference
between righ t and wrong was all in vain.
I am signing my name to this because
I am not ashamed of my convictions. Those
who believe what they write should not
hesitate to do the same.
Mrs. C. F. Waggoner, Jr.
254 N. Tenth Street
St. Helens
Notes fro .21 the News
“ S A L T O F T H E E A R T H ,” th e la b o r f ilm
produced by fihe M ine, M ill and S m e lte r W o rk ­
ers, could n o t be sh o w n in C hicago when A F L
p ro je c tio n is ts refused to operate the p ro je cto rs.
The Illin o is A m e rica n C iv il L ib e rtie s U n ion is
p a rtic ip a tin g in the le ga l actio n to p e rm it show ­
in g o f the f ilm .
*
*
*
P R O F IT S H IT A L L - T IM E P E A K . The n a ­
tio n ’s la rg e s t co rp o ra tio n s re p o rt th a t p r o fits
in the f ir s t h a lf o f 1955 broke a ll Records. B u si­
ness W eek s-ays th a t G eneral M o to rs cleared §661
m illio n — 50% over th e same period la s t year.
U.S. Steel re p o rts $178 m illio n , a 39% increase
over the p re v io u s peak. The new h ig h s .fo r some
o f th e c o u n try ’s in d u s tria l g ia n ts a re : Bethlehem
Steel, $82 m illio n ; G eneral E le c tric , $102 m illio n ;
S tandard O il o f N e w Jersey, $344 m illio n ; Texas
C om pany and C o n tin e n ta l O il each reaped $125
m illio n . A ll figures- are those cleared a fte r p a y ­
m e n t o f a ll taxes.
*
*
*
C O M M U N IC A T IO N W O R K E R S O F A M E R IC A ,
CIO , issued a .press release A u g . 8 b la s tin g a
com pany scheme to a llo w A m e rica n Telephone
and T ele gra ph o ffic ia ls to charge th e ir c h a rita b le
and co m m u n ity c o n trib u tio n s to o p e ra tin g ex­
penses. Joseph A . B eirne, C W A p re sid e n t stated
“ T here is no reason w h y the telephone subscriber
should be fo rce d to fo o t the b ill fo r the c h a rity
c o n trib u tio n o f a com pany o ffic ia l.”
H A R V E Y K IT Z M A N , U n ite d A u to W o rke rs
R egional D ire c to r in charge o f the K o h le r s trik e ,
warned G ove rn or K o h le r, re la tiv e o f the fa c to ry
ow ner, a g a in s t c a llin g o u t th e m ilitia . “ I f some­
body is h u rt, th e n the g o v e rn o r alone w ill be at
f a u lt , ” he charged. U n io n o ffic ia ls assured the
g o v e rn o r th a t -they did n o t condone violence b u t
in siste d on th e ir r ig h t to p ic k e t pro du cts bound
f o r the p la n t.
+ * «
S O U T H E R N S T R IK E R S a t the G odchaux and
C o lon ia l S u g a r p la n ts have been h it by a new
legal a tta c k . A re p o rt to the new spaper L a b o r
lis ts the la te s t series o f fin e s and ja ilin g s ordered
by Bogalusa, La., Jcdge W a lte r B. H a m lin . T hey
include a $1,000 fin e o f P ackinghouse W o rk e rs
Local 1167, $150 and fiv e da ys in ja il f o r fiv e
-union o ffic ia ls and fiv e m em bers and $100 fine s
fo r each o f 23 o th e r s trik e rs .
»
»
*
A P E R M A N E N T IN J U N C T IO N fo rb id d in g a ll
p ic k e tin g by g a rm e n t workers- o f the s tru c k
Sorbin p la n ! in F a y e tte v ille , T enn., was issued by
Ohancery Judge R. E. Lee. L a s t m o n th Judge Lee
issued an in ju n c tio n b a rrin g In te rn a tio n a l Ladies
G arm en t W o rk e r m em bers fro m co m in g w ith in
1.000 fe e l o f the p la n t. The la te s t move bars a ll
p ic k e tin g w ith in the borders o f Tennessee!
*
*
*
T H E L A B O R S PY R A C K E T is n o t a th in g o f
the past, P re sid e n t Jam es A. S u ffrid g e o f the
R e ta il C lerks U n io n charged at its rece nt con­
v e n tio n . “ W e have evidence . . . th a t w ill be even
m ore s ta r tlin g than a n y th in g you m ay have read
ab ou t in the L a F o ile tte c iv il lib e rtie s in v e s tig a ­
tio n ” he declared.
* * *
C A R L S T E L L A T O , p re s id e n t o f U n ite d A u to
W o rk e rs F o rd Local 600, is b e in g sued f o r
divorce by his w ife , V irg in ia . She cla im s th a t she
was c o n tin u a lly being le f t alone a t home because
o f he r husband’s un io n a c tiv itie s * W hen she askeo
h im to leave the la b o r m ovem ent on J u ly 30 it
p re c ip ita te d a v io le n t q u a rre l, re s u ltin g in th e ir
separation.
« » *
T H E S C R E E N A C T O R S G U IL D , A F L has
called a s trik e o f its 10,000 m em bers em ployed in
th e f ilm in g o f tele visio n m ovies. T he union
demands th a t actors be p a id fo r second issues
o f film s in w h ich th e y appear. They are paid f o r
the f ir s t and t h ir d th ro u g h s ix th show ings b u t
n o t the second.
W H IT E C O L L A R W O R K E R S in steel pla n ts
have received wage increases equal to the p a tte rn
set in the ag ree m ent between the U n ite d States
Steel C o rp o ra tio n and the U n ite d Steel W o rk ­
ers. The union pa p e r Steel L a b o r e stim a te s t h a t
35.000 w h ite c o lla r m em bers o f the U S W received
an average raise o f 17.02 cents an h o u r.
*
*
*
N U M B E R 33
M O N D A Y , A U G U S T 15, 1955
From Detroit
C a lv in D e C re s c e n zo
J B
M
B
B
B
N
H
m
a
By Sam Ballan
C a lv in De Crescenzo was not
even 31 years old when he died,
but a t th a t e a rly age he had given
m ore than one th ird o f his life
to the cause o f re v o lu tio n a ry so­
cia lism and m ilita n t tra d e u n io n ­
ism .
He was b a re ly 21 years old
when he was elected o rg a n iz e r
o f the U n ite d P aper W o rke rs
U n ion , Local 292, C IO — the
y-oungest o rg a n iz e r in the New
Y o rk area. P re vio u sly he had
d istin g u ish e d h im s e lf in the union
as c h ie f sho p-stew ard o f his
p la n t.
W ith in a ye a r th e re a fte r he
was elected to the u n io n ’s ex­
ecutive board, re c e iv in g the th ird
h ig h e st vote, ru n n in g o n ly behind
C A L V IN I)E C R E S C E N Z O
the p re sid e n t and the vic e -p re s i­
dent.
hours. I-n th is he was the v e ry
T im e and ag ain he was re ­ opposite
of
the
tra d e - union
elected to the executive board, b u rea ucrat.
som etim es in th e face o f -the m ost
v io le n t o p p o sitio n fro m r ig h t- C O M E B A C K IN U N IO N
w in g elements.
C a lv in ’s come back in -the un io n
U n q u e stio n a b ly he was the wras slow b u t su-re. A f te r the
m ost p o p u la r un io n m ilit a n t in c risis in the union he was elected
Local 292, and his p o p u la rity
w e n t f a r beyond the con fine s o f
the P ap er W o rk e rs U n ion . He
was kno w n and respected by
m an y mem bers o f the N ew Y o rk
C IO C ouncil as an in tra n s ig e n t
fig h t e r on cla ss-stru g g le issues.
n
V
shop stew a rd. The ne xt ye a r he
was sent as a delegate to th e In ­
te rn a tio n a l C onvention o f the
U n ite d P aper W o rke rs, C IO . The
ye a r th e re a fte r he was re-eleeted
to the executive board, and re ­
m ained on the board u n til b is
death.
Though his come back was slow
i t was based on solid achieve­
m ent. D eath came a t a tim e when
his p re s tig e in the union was a t
its h e ig h t. O nly -two m onths ago
he lead a successful s trik e o f the
w o rke rs in his p la n t.
Even his opponents a ckn o w l­
edged th is s trik e to be a m a g n ifi­
cent v ic to ry fo r the w o rkers, and
paid trib u te to his le ad ership o f it.
C a lv in De Crescenzo was a
genuine p ro le ta ria n re v o lu tio n is t.
He was a tru e son o f the w o rke rs
who held a lo f t th e b a nn er o f so­
c ia lism in one o f the m ost d if ­
fic u lt periods in A m e rica n la b o r
h is to ry .
He did th is because he had the
deepest and m ost u n w a v e rin g
co n victio n th a t the cause he so
p ro u d ly upheld was in v in c ib le and
w o uld triu m p h in the end.
SH0PMATES CALL OFF WORK
TO PAY TRIBUTE TO CALVIN
S T U C K T O P R IN C IP L E S
O f the g re a te st in te re s t to m ili­
ta n t tra d e u n io n ists and socialists,
was the courage and relen tless
d e te rm in a tio n w ith w h ich he held
on to his s o c ia lis t con victio ns in
the union, in the face o f th e w itc h ­
h u n t and the continuous re d ­
b a itin g to w hich he was sub­
jected.
La te in 1946 -the p re sid e n t o f
the union collab ora te d w ith ex­
trem e r ig h t - w in g elem ents in
the local and o ffic e r’s o f the in ­
te rn a tio n a l to ille g a lly remove
C a lvin and several o th e r o ffic e rs
o f the union fro m the executive
board.
They succeeded in d o in g th is
under cover o f a heavy ba rrag e
o f re d -b a itin g . T h is was one o f
the f ir s t evidences o f -the w itch
h u n t in the unions.
The m ost re m a rk a b le th in g
about i t was the m an ne r in whidh
G alvin reacted to th is unprece­
dented assa ult by the union
bureaucracy. M any m ilita n ts were
stunned and dem oralized, and
some surrendered co m p le te ly to
the
bu reaucracy,
but
C a lvin
rem ained f ir m and unshakable,
not o n ly in his con victio ns b u t in
his actions as w e ll.
H is conduct d u rin g the c ris is in
the union and his subsequent
a c tiv ity d u rin g the e n tire period
o f the “ cold w a r” was in every
respect a model f o r a ll re v o lu ­
tio n a ry socialists.
—
B R O O K L Y N , N .Y ., A u g . 9
M ore tha n 200 people a t­
tended fu n e ra l services held
here th is a fte rn o o n fo r C a lvin
De Crescenzo, who was k ille d
in s ta n tly
by lig h tn in g la s t
F rid a y w h ile on vacation.
The W a rsh a w Co., w here
he had been em ployed, com ­
plied w ith the demand o f his
shopm ates to close down th e
p la n t so the y could a ll atten d
the fu n e ra l.
Sam B a lla n , B u ffa lo C h a ir­
man o f the S o cia list W o rke rs
P a rty , and fo rm e r D ire c to r o f
O rg a n iz a tio n o f Local 292,
U n ite d Paper W o rk e rs , C IO ,
in w h ich C a lv in had been a
loader since his y o u th , paid
trib u te to his dead com rade.
He pointed to the clo sing o f
C a lv in ’s shop as te s tim o n y to
the h ig h re g a rd w h ich the
w o rk e rs held th e ir lo n g -tim e
shop stew a rd. “ I d id n ’t hear
o f an y p la n ts clo sing down
even
w hen
P h ilip
M u rra y
died,” he said. “ The c lo sin g
down o f C a lv in ’s shop is an
expression o f the place he won
in the he a rts o f his fe llo w w o rke rs by his leadership and
selfless
devotion
to
th e ir
cause.”
V in c e n t Copeland. New Y o rk
O rg a n iz e r o f the
S ocialist
W o rkers P a rty announced to ­
day th a t a m em o rial m ee ting
would he held fo r C a lvin on
Sunday, A u g . 14, at 3 P.M .
at 116 U n iv e rs ity Place, N ew
Y o rk .
"Too H o t/" Say
Workers — Close
Down the Plants
A record heat wave has produced among- other things
a recurrence of heat strikes in Detroit auto plants. Heat
strike's on summer’s hottest days used to be a tradition
here, esp ecially in p la n ts o f the
C h ry s le r co rp o ra tio n , b u t since
the lo n g C h ry s le r s trik e o f 1950
th e y have been fe w and f a r be­
tw een,
u n til
th is sum m er,
year
tens
th a t
is.
T h is
o f thousands
o f w o rke rs have w a lked o f f the
in the d o w n to w n areas. T h is ac­
tio n has provoked liv e ly debate
in le tte rs to the e d ito r colum ns
o f the local press. In sp ite o f
the co u n cil’s th re a te n e d actio n,
sh o rts w e ll above the knee are
s t ill v e ry com m on am o ng w o rk ­
in g people w ho have to escape
the he at w ith o u t th e be ne fit o f
a ir c o n d itio n in g , even in the
do w n to w n areas.
jo b because o f the heat. G eneral
M o to rs p la n ts in D e tro it and
F lin t have also been h e a v ily e f­
*
*
*
fected th is yea r. On one occa­
sion the telephone op e ra to rs in
A threa tene d b o lt fro m the
D e tro it w a lke d o f f the jo b de­ U A W -C IO by 6,000 s k ille d au to
m a n ding some kin d o f a ir con­ w o rk e rs in D e tro it, F lin t, L a n ­
d itio n in g fa c ilitie s to com b at the sin g, Bay C ity , and o th e r a u to ­
100 degree heat in th e ir place o f m o tive centers has fa ile d to m a­
w o rk .
te ria liz e .
T he re v iv a l o f the tr a d itio n is
S kille d
w o rk e rs
d issa tisfie d
a ttrib u te d to several fa c to rs in w ith U A W se ttle m e n ts a t Gen­
a d d itio n to th e u n u s u a lly long e ra l M o to rs and F ord fo rm e d an
he at spell. These are : th e fa c t o rg a n iz a tio n kno w n as th e So­
th a t m ost w o rk e rs have w orked c ie ty o f In d u s tria l S k ille d Trades
f a ir ly s te a d ily th is ye a r, and o f N o rth A m e ric a . Leaders o f
feel th a t th e y can a ffo rd to lose th is g ro u p in d ica te d a t an o r­
a d a y ’s pay o cca sio n a lly; in ­ g a n iz a tio n a l
m e e tin g
held
in
creased pressure o f the speed­ F lin t on J u ly 17 th a t th e y w o uld
up; general d is s a tis fa c tio n w ith s h o rtly p e titio n the N L R B f o r
the re s u lts o f th is y e a r’s auto re co g n itio n .
n e g o tia tio n s and the new con­
One o f the leaders, John G all,
tra c t.
spe aking
be fore
the
s k ille d
* * *
tradesm en said. “ W e are p re s­
in a d e q u a te ly represented
W h ile m illio n s o f D e tro ite rs e n tly
su ffe re d th ro u g h the b lis te rin g by the U A W -C IO . A s th in g s
heat th is past week, the common now stand th e re is lit t le i f any
council debated, in a ir-c o n d itio n ­ reason f o r w o rke rs to w a n t to
ed cham bers, a proposal to “ do become s k ille d tradesm en when
som ething ab ou t the scandalous the y can make a lm o st as m uch
w ay wom en a re s tr o llin g around by re m a in in g u n s k ille d .”
The in itia tiv e o f the leaders
d o w n to w n ” in sho rts.
was s h o rt lived. A f t e r a m e e tin g
D O W N W IT H S H O R T S !
w ith o ffic ia ls o f the U A W , G all
Lo uis
C.
M lria n i,
p ru d ish and o th e r leaders o f the g ro u p
president, o f the council, reco m ­ announced th e y were p u llin g o u t
mended a c ity ordinance b a n ­ o f the new o rg a n iz a tio n . T hey
n in g
sh o rts
less
th a n
knee gave no e xp la n a tio n , b a t denied
le n g th f o r both men and wom en th a t a “ de a l” had been made.
O ur Readers Take the Floor
A Farmer's View
Of Southern Labor
W o rk e r’s League, and Common
W e a lth . W ith in the L a b o r P a rty
so cia list gro up s are to be fo u n d :
the new W o rld S o c ia lis t M ove­
m ent, the S o cia list F ederation
and tile re v is io n is t F a bian So­
cie ty.
E d ito r :
In
re g a rd
to la b o r s trik e s
here in the South f ir s t w ill say
I live in n o rth w e s t Lo uisian a,
A ttle e , the L a b o u r P a rty lead­
in (- - - -) P a rish . We call our
er, is to be fo u n d le f t o f center.
counties parishes.
The r ig h t-w in g leader is M o r r i­
T h e telephone s trik e v ras a
son, the p a r ty ’s d e p u ty leader;
p re tty b ig th in g . I t was ju s t
the p a rty
tre a s u re r G a itske ll
p a rtly closed down, the re was
leads the extre m e r ig h t w in g ,
not much s tru g g le ove r it. I where he is supported by Shawth in k la b o r gained some in th a t
cross, G o rd o n -W a lke r, Robens,
scrap.
C a lla gh an and the d ire c tio n o f
The s trik e s in south L o uisian a the
T&GW U
[T ra n s p o rt and
are in the s u g a r cane co u n try . G eneral W o rk e rs U n io n ] and the
T h a t’s b ig fa c to ry fa r m in g down T U C [T ra d e U n io n C ongress]
the re . T hey are in the h a b it o f block vote, w h ich c o n tro ls the
h a v in g cheap la bo r, b u t now p a rty .
L a b o r is g e ttin g organ ized and
A ttle e ’s le f t cen ter fo llo w in g
a s k in g f o r m ore o f w h a t the y
includes G riffith s , S h in w e ll, Edo,
make. A t tim e s the s tru g g le is
D a lto n , S tra ch e y and Y ou ng er.
ra th e r tou gh. I understand the
S ocialists such as Z illla c u s , S il­
com m u nitie s are in s y m p a th y to
ve rm a n and B ro ckw a y are to be
a g re a t e x te n t w ith L a b o r, b u t
fo u n d on the le ft, supported by
the cou rts are on C a p ita l’s side.
p a cifists such as H ughes and
T hey are h irin g scabs fro m f a r
Davies. Between th is le f t w in g
and near. M o st o f w h a t I know
and the le ft cen ter lie the BevI g e t fro m the press.
a n ite o r Radical G roup. U n lik e
L a b o r has a hard fig h t here the socialists, who are fe w and
in th is D ix ie c ra t c o u n try . The disorg anized , the R adicals con­
p o litic ia n s keep the union b lin d ­ s titu te a menace not to A ttle e
ed and divided. T hey u s u a lly play b u t to the a m b itio n s o f G a it­
one race a g a in s t the o th e r to skell and his fo llo w e rs . A n d i t is
w in th e ir p o in t. I fe c i th a t the in th is lig h t th a t you m u s t ex­
r ig h t to w o rk law' is a fa k e to am ine the q u a rre ls between Befo o l the w o rk e r, especially on the van and the L a b o r leaders; but
b ig fa rm s .
n e ith e r side are socialist.
I hope these fe w lines w ill
W e in B rita in need a u n ite d
g ive you some ideas o f w h a t we S o c ia lis t P a rty eve ry b it as
have here. I am a re tire d fa rm e r much as you do. I t m ay w e ll be
ju s t h a n g in g on to the w o rld , th a t A cla nd
a t G ravesend, a l­
w a tc h in g the wheels go round. tho ugh beaten, w ill co n stitu te
(na m e w ith h e ld ) the banner f o r such a p a rty .
L o uisian a
B u t please d ro p the (B evan-
W ORKERS R A L LY
W hen the rem o val o rd e r came
th ro u g h , C a lv in re a lly showed his
m etal. A t an u n fo rg e tta b le mass
m ee ting o f his p la n t the union
burea ucracy a tte m p te d to get
th e w o rke rs to r a t if y the ille g a l
o rd e r re m o v in g C a lvin and the
m ilita n ts fro m bheir union posts.
T hey m e t a s tu n n in g defeat.
M ore tha n th a t, un d e r C a lv in ’s
leadership the w o rk e rs passed a
c o u n te r-re s o lu tio n w h ich n o t o n ly
demanded the re in s ta te m e n t o f
all those m ilita n ts ille g a lly re ­
moved, b u t w h a t is o f the
.g re a te s t
s ig n ifica n ce ,
m in d ly
denounced the w itc h burnt and
re d -b a itin g
as
a
re a c tio n a ry
weapon o f th e bosses in th e ir
f ig h t a g a in s t the la b o r m ove­
m ent.
T h is
re so lu tio n
was u n a n i­
m ously passed! N ot a sin gle
w o rk e r voted a g a in s t it. T h is
was C a lv in ’s g re a te s t achieve­
m e n t!
The un io n burea ucracy was
com p le te ly token aback. W h ile
they had been successful in th e ir
w itc h -h u n tin g ta c tic s in a ll o th e r
p la n ts in Local 292 (w h ic h was an
am algam ated lo c a l) C a lv in ’s p la n t
alone stood as an im pregn ab le
fo rtre s s .
C a lvin knew how to sw im
P.S. Good luck to you.
a g a in s t the stream . He n o t o n ly
*
*
*
resisted th e po w e r o f th e w itc h
h u n t, b u t th e blan dish m en ts o f
the bu re a u cra ts and the com pany
he w o rked fo r.
B eva nite s w o u ld in su re h is suc­
cession. W hereas to leave th in g s
as the y are now, the R adical
w in g w ill in e v ita b ly g ro w a t the
expense o f the sta tu s-q u o ists,
since the R adicals c o n tro l most
o f the co n stitu e n cy p a rtie s and
w ith them the selection c o m m it­
tees f o r choosing new candidates.
C onsequently, d u rin g the course
o f the p re se n t P a rlia m e n t, i f i t
run s its f u ll five years, the to ta l
S o cia list, P a cifist, R adical and
nco-R adical m em bership o f the
p a rlia m e n ta ry L a b o r P a rty should
ris e fro m its present 72 to about
85. w ith the le ft cen ter re m a in ­
in g co n sta n t at. about 50, th is
le a v in g the s ta tu s-q u o ists in a
m a jo r ity w ould pre ven t the G a it­
skell e x tre m is ts fro m d ic ta tin g
the p a rty p o lie v.
L.O.
D u b lin ,
*
*
E ire
*
*
American Workers
Oppose W ar Moves
E d ito r:
I w ish to com m ent on D a nie l
R o be rts’ a rtic le in the J u ly 25
M ilit a n t e n title d “ A Cold W a r
A rm is tic e o r a G enuine Peace?”
Com rade R o be rts discusses the
fa c to rs behind the “ peaceful doexistence” lin e o f the B ig F o u r
Conference. He e x p la in s the w o r­
sened p o s itio n o f the U.S. w h ich
has re su lte d in a new, w o rld
balance o f power. L iste d as the
fa c to rs w e ake nin g the U.S. are
the
re v o lu tio n a ry
upsurge o f
A sia , C hina, the stale m ate in
K ore a, and the ra p id expansion
o f S oviet economy w ith its p ro ­
du ction o f A and H bombs.
A ttle e ) d iffe re n ce . T hough G a it­
skell s its w e ll to the r ig h t o f a t
In m y o p in io n C om rade Rob­
least three m em bers o f the p re ­ e rts has le ft o u t a m a jo r fa c to r
sent T o ry C abinet, and M o rriso n — i f not th e m ost im p o rta n t one.
Is not much d iffe re n t, A ttle e And th a t is the A m e rica n w o rk ­
h im s e lf co n siste n tly opposed the in g class, a w o rk in g class th a t
a n ti-B e va n
w itc h
h u n t,
and has become in c re a s in g ly disen­
H IS L E A D E R S H IP
tho ugh n o t a R adical, is no chanted w ith A m e ric a n c a p ita l­
The essence o f his leadership
s ta tu s-q u o lst, but n a tu ra lly can­ ism, a w o rk in g class whose new
la y both in his fa c u lty f o r E d ito r :
n o t o v e rru le th e p a r ty
com ­ a ttitu d e has had an im p o rta n t
A
s
a
re
g
u
la
r
re
a
d
e
r
o
f
the
p re se n tin g the ideas o f socialism
m ittees.
e ffe c t on U.S. fo re ig n po licy.
in the language o f the w o rke rs, M ilit a n t perhaps you w ill a llo w
me
to
c
o
lle
c
t
y
o
u
r
im
p
ressio
n
o
f
N
o
w
th
a
t
the
R
adical
re
p
re
­
I t is tru e th a t the U.S. w o rk ­
and in h is in s tin c tiv e a b ility to
concretize the g re a te s t s o c ia lis t the B ritis h L a b o u r P a r ty ; n e ith e r se n ta tio n on the P a rlia m e n ta ry ers have n o t gone o u t b a reh and­
is
increased
fro m ed to fight, ta n k s as have the
concepts in the sm a lle st actions. it n o r the Indepe nd ent L a b o u r C o m m itte e
He infused th e w o rke rs w ith P a rty have ever been spe cifica lly W ilso n , to W ils o n , Bevan and w o rke rs in E a st G erm any. N e ve r­
confidence on th e basis o f an S ocialist. They are c o m m itte d to neo-Radieal Greenwood, and th a t theless, below the a p p a re n t q u i­
u n in te rru p te d and d a ily s tru g g le n a tio n a liz a tio n o f the means o f the le ft ce n te r is o n ly decreased escence a re -e v a lu a tio n is ta k in g
p ro d u ctio n and exchange, to the by one m em ber, we can hope f o r place, a re -e v a lu a tio n u n fa v o r­
f o r th e ir eve ry-da v demands.
approach able to U.S. c a p ita lis m . I t is
He ne ver tire d in f ig h t in g the w e lfa re s ta te and to a m ixed a m ore pro gre ssive
w ell
accepted by
m ost U.S.
w o rk e rs ’ grievances. He w ould econom y: the d iffe re n c e between fro m the “ Shadow C a b in e t.”
N e verthe less,
the
G a ils k e ll- w o rk e rs th a t we can expect
ta ke up a w o rk e r’s grievance no the p a rtie s and g ro up s w ith in
m a tte r how sm all, and f ig h t to them b e in g on a m a tte r o f tim ­ M o rris o n gro u p s t ill hold the e ith e r a w a r o r a depression. In
pow er, and G a its k e ll, k n o w in g s p ite o f the seem ing p ro s p e rity ,
w in i t w ith the same enthusiasm ing.
S o cia list P a rtie s are the S ocial­ th a t the im m e d ia te succession to th e re is no confidence th a t i t
and d e te rm in a tio n th a t he w ould
is t W o rk e rs F e d e ra tio n , the So­ the p a r ty le ad ership is between w ill con tinu e. Each sm a ll la y o ff
a g re a t b a ttle .
He also knew how to lis te n to c ia lis t P a rty o f G re a t B r ita in , him and G riffith s , m ay w e ll de­ s ta rts a chain o f “ depression"
w o rke rs p a tie n tly , som etim es f o r the S o c ia lis t L a b o r P a rty , the cide th a t to expel the 50-odd ta lk .
An Irish Reader
Describes Factions
Inside Labor Party
T he A m e rica n w o rk e r’s a t t i­
tude to w a rd w a r is even m ore
in s tru c tiv e . The lo y a lty and be­
lie f in the fig h t f o r dem ocracy
o f W o rld W a r 1 changed some­
w h a t in W o rld W a r I I , a lth o u g h
much illu s io n rem ained. W ith
the K ore an W a r, even the news­
paper co lu m n ists o f the c a p ita l­
is t press had to a d m it, the a t t i­
tude had changed s t ill fu rth e r.
The K ore an w a r was a d m itte d ly
the n a tio n ’s m ost u n p o p u la r one.
W ith the h o s tilitie s in In d o C hina, the papers in d ig n a n tly
announced the U.S. w ould n o t
p e rm it Ho Chi M in h to d e stro y
“ dem ocracy.”
P o p u la r rea ction was such th a t
statem e nts w ere h a s tily p u b lis h ­
ed th a t no U jS. troop s w o u ld go
to In d o -C h in a — o n ly tech nica l
ad vise rs and m a te ria l. Even th is
was pu lle d back and U.S. help
to the F rench has been g iv e n
w ith o u t the b e n e fit o f p u b lic ity .
W h y ? The o n ly e x p la n a tio n is
th a t the A m e ric a n w o rk e rs are
n o t behind c a p ita lis m 's im p e ria l­
is t designs.
A lth o u g h
the o p p o sitio n to
w a r has n o t take n an org an ized
fo rm as ye t, nevertheless the op­
po sitio n is the re , and the U.S.
go ve rn m e n t m u s t take- i t in to
account in fo rm in g its p o lic y .
I t is conceivable th a t U.S.
c a p ita lis m , arm ed w ith th e A
and H bomb, and sure o f th e
e n th u sia stic s u p p o rt o f its own
w o rk in g clash, m ig h t w e ll take
a chance on w a r — even w ith o u t
a llie s — a f te r a ll, c a p ita lis m ’s
life is at stake. B u t w ith defeats
in A sia and Europe — and w ith ­
o u t the s u p p o rt o f the A m e rica n
w o rk in g class, U.S. c a p ita lis m
m ust t r y f o r coexistence.
D. M .
C hicago.
I1L
Los Angeles
Trotsky Memorial
Meeting
Speaker:
Tom Kerry
O rg a n ize r, Los A ngeles Local,
S o c ia lis t W o rk e rs P a rty
‘Socialism
and
W o rld
Peace’
F ri., A u g . 19, 8:15 P.M .
•
A uspices:
S ocialist W o rk e rs P a rty
1702 E . 4th St.