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Vol. 16. No. 42 1978 by Intercontinental Press November 6, 1978 USA 75

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Demonstration in Zanjan, northwest of Tehran, October out to protest murder of seventeen-year-old demonstra- 21. More than half of city's population of 100,000 turned tor three days before. See pp. 1212 and 1214.

Trotsky's Assassin Reported Dead for Prague, Czechoslovakia, his eventual destination. . . . "The Czechoslovak government pro vided 'Jacson' with a diplomatic passport for his exit from Mexico. Made out in the Trotsky's Assassin Reported Dead of Cancer name of 'Jacques Mornard Van Den- dreschd,' it did not list his place of birth or the names of his parents. But it was good By Joseph Hansen for a transit visa through Cuba; and Mexican officials said that on his arrival In a dispatch datelined "MOSCOW, Oct. death is the use of his correct name. in Prague he would assume Czechoslovak 20," the news agency Reuters reported that The assassin penetrated the Trotsky citizenship. They did not explain why the the assassin of Trotsky, Ramon Mercader, household under the name of "Frank Jac- Czech government felt impelled to extend died October 18 in Havana.(He was born son," a name placed by the Soviet secret this honor to Trotsky's murderer." political police on the forged Canadian in Barcelona February 7, 1914.) The fact that the Czech government had Reuters said that its account was ob passport utilized by "Jacson" to gain entry provided the killer with a passport and tained from "sources close to his family." into Mexico. passage to Prague was taken by "The sources said that his body would be After his arrest, the killer claimed that everyone—outside of dyed-in-the-wool he had burned the incriminating docu cremated in Cuba and the ashes flown to Stalinists—as decisive proof of his identity ment. His real name, he averred, was the Soviet Union, apparently for burial in as Ramon Mercader, an agent of Stalin's a place of honor in Moscow." "Jacques Mornard Van Dendresch." political police specifically assigned to Reuters added: "Earlier this month, Mer- Throughout his stay in prison, he in assassinate Trotsky, facts that had al cader's younger brother, Luis, who has sisted on using this false name. The matter ready been established and widely circu lived in the Soviet Union since 1939, said was so important to him, or to his super lated. Ramon—who was 64—had gone to Ha iors, that when he became eligible for What is new is Moscow's decision, on the vana early in 1977 for treatment for parole, having served two-thirds of his occasion of his death, to acknowledge in twenty-year term, he permitted the issue to cancer." a shamefaced way that "Jacson" and The Associated Press ran a similar ac block success in his appeal. On August 20, "Mornard" were aliases and that the real count on its wires. This amounted to only a 1953, the day Mercader became eligible for identity of the killer was Ram6n Mercader. few paragraphs in the version published parole, the warden of the Federal Peniten Mercader's younger brother Luis played tiary announced that official records from by the New York Post. a role in this by announcing the illness of Spain left no doubt that "Momard" was There seem to have been difficulties in Ramon and then his death. But Luis could verifying details. really Ramon Mercader. hardly give out information to the press Despite this unfavorable turn, Mercader According to Reuters: "Luis, 55, was not without official permission or, more likely, available to confirm his brother's death, went ahead with his appeal. The petition an order. but reliable sources said he was planning was denied January 24, 1956, by the Div The reporters of the Associated Press ision of Crime Prevention. to return to Spain shortly and settle there and Reuters would seem to have their work with his Russian wife and children." In a dispatch last year reporting that cut out: Trotsky's killer was living at a secret The Cuban government apparently re 1. How did Luis Mercader get permis address in Moscow, Reuters was more mained silent over the death of the assas sion from the Moscow authorities to reveal sin of Leon Trotsky. Up to now, at least, reserved about his identity: a top secret of the state—the real name of "His name is most probably Ramon we have seen no government statement his older brother? The details would make that would confirm or disavow the Moscow Mercader, but to many of his old friends he a sensation. account. was Jacques Mornard, and to his victim he 2. Leads furnished by Luis Mercader, by This may be owing to political embar was Frank Jacson." his friends, or by acquaintances of his late rassment in Havana over the case. Per The source of Reuters's information was older brother would be useful in such a haps this was why the Moscow dateline not official: "What little can be found probe. about his twilight existence in Moscow was used in announcing Mercader's death. 3. A still more sensational scoop might A decision on this, if one was involved, comes from his younger brother, Luis result from attempting to ascertain Mercader, who lectures at a Moscow radio could have been made earlier. Reuters whether some layers of the bureaucracy carried what could be considered to be a communication institute. Even he is reluc favor finally coming clean and acknowl preliminary notice, which reported from tant to talk."* edging Stalin's guilt in the murder of Trot Mercader insisted on the "Mornard" Moscow (as published in the October 13 sky. name even after completing his prison Washington Post): "Ramon Mercader, con It was rumored in the 1940s that Mer victed of killing Leon Trotsky in Mexico in term. cader was decorated in absentia bj^ Stalin As reported in the May 16, 1960, Mili 1940, is dying of bone cancer in Havana, with the Order of the Hero of the Soviet his brother Luis said yesterday." tant: Union; his mother, also an agent of Mos Of some interest in both the notice about "On May 6 the Mexican authorities cow's secret political police, was said to announced that they had released the Mercader's illness and the one about his have been decorated by Stalin with the assassin of Leon Trotsky from prison, Order of Lenin. some four months before completing his For destroying the most brilliant mind of Copies Missing? 20-year sentence, ordered him deported as our times, the two Mercaders received the an 'undesirable alien,' and had placed him Keep your files complete and up-to-date. commendation of one of the worst dicta on a plane bound for Havana, where he Missing issues for the current year may tors of all history. be ordered by sending 75

Interconlinental Press Brazil's Next Dictator By Fred Murphy

Brazil's Electoral College chose Gen. Joao Baptista de Figueiredo on October 15 In This Issue Closing News Date: October 28, 1977 to be the next president of the country. The The Masses Return to the Streets former chief of the National Intelligence Service will begin a six-year term next —by Parvin NajafI March. The Mass Upsurge That Threatens the Figueiredo was outgoing President Gen. Shah's Rule Ernesto Geisel's personal choice as the Phase II of Carter's Austerity Program candidate of ARENA, the official govern —by Jon Britton ment party. ARENA enjoyed a solid major GUATEMALA ity in the Electoral College by virtue of an Strikes and Protests After 100% Hike elaborate system of indirect elections Gei- in Bus Fares sel imposed by decree in April 1977. MIDEAST The Camp David Charade Figueiredo will take over in a period —by Livio Maitan when the dictatorship faces rising opposi Independent Tribunal to Probe Right-Wing tion. During the past year and a half there Terror—by Fred Murphy have been repeated student strikes and demonstrations demanding a general am Trotskyists Take Big Step Toward nesty and democratic rights; statements of Unification—by Miguel Fuentes protest by diverse groups, ranging from FRANCE CP Calls for Halt to Immigration scientists to businessmen; and, most im portantly, a wave of strikes that began last France Since Defeat of Union of May and has involved hundreds of thou Left—by Pierre Frank sands of industrial workers, teachers, doc Say No to Giscard and Barre's Austerity tors, and bank employees—the biggest Program! labor actions in Brazil since the early CANADA Why Canadian $ Is Falling Faster Than U.S. 1960s. Discontent has even spread into the Greenback—by Richard Fidler military officer corps. Gen. Euler Bentes CHINA Women Still Face a Long March Monteiro was nominated as the presiden —by Livio Maitan tial candidate of the Brazilian Democratic DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Gulf & Western's Slave Labor Camps Movement (the only legal opposition —by Susan Wald party). Bentes enjoyed the support of many NEWS ANALYSIS Trotsky's Assassin Reported Dead of Cancer middle-ranking officers, as well as of the —by Joseph Hansen former chief of Geisel's military cabinet. Brazil's Next Dictator Gen. Hugo Abreu. Some of Bentes's back —by Fred Murphy ing in the army came from extreme right- BOOKS A Worker in a Worker's State—reviewed wingers opposed to the cautious steps by Will Reissner toward liberalization that Geisel has un dertaken. Liberals in the MDB supported Bentes also, however. To gain their support he pledged to rule provisionally for only three years and call elections to a constituent assembly. He had hoped to win in the Electoral College by drawing the votes of dissident ARENA electors away from Fi gueiredo. Intercontinental Press, P.O. Box 116, Village flects editorial opinion, unsigned material stands Station, New York, N.Y. 10014. Published in New on the program of the Fourth International. The oppostion was dealt a big blow York each Monday except the first in January and To Subscribe: For one year send $24 to Inter when General Abreu was jailed October 2. third and fourth in August. continental Press, P.O. Box 116, Village Station, Abreu had angered the army high com Second-class postage paid at New York, N.Y. New York, N.Y. 10014. Write for rates on first class mand with a letter to fellow officers charg Editor Joseph Hansen. and airmail. Contributing Editors: Pierre Frank, Livio Maitan, In Europe: For air-speeded subscriptions, write ing Figueiredo and other Geisel aides with Ernest Mandel, George Novack. to Intercontinental Press, P.O. Box 50, London N1 corrupt dealings with multinational corpo Managing Editor Michael Baumann. 2XP, England. In Australia: Write to Pathfinder rations. Editorial Staff: Jon Britton, Dan Dickeson, Gerry Press, P.O. Box K208, Haymarket 2000. In New Bentes failed to win the support of any Foley, Ernest Harsch, Fred Murphy, Susan Wald, Zealand: Write to Socialist Books. P.O. Box 1663, Will Reissner. Wellington. of the ARENA electors, and Figueiredo Business Manager Harvey McArthur. Subscription correspondence should be ad triumphed easily in the October 15 vote. Copy Editor David Martin. dressed to Intercontinental Press, P.O. Box 116, The new president has pledged to con Technical Staff: Paul Deveze, Larry Ingram, Village Station, New York, N.Y. 10014. tinue Geisel's policy of "relative demo Arthur Lobman, Kevin McGuire, James M. Morgan, Please allow five weeks for change of address. Sally Rhett. Include your old address as well as your new cracy"; that is, snail's-pace liberalization Intercontinental Press specializes in political address, and, if possible, an address label from a while maintaining the basic structure of analysis and interpretation of events of particular recent issue. the dictatorship. He gained the most noto interest to the labor, socialist, colonial indepen Intercontinental Press is published by the 408 riety during his campaign for a remark to dence, Black, and women's liberation movements. Printing and Publishing Corporation, 408 West Signed articles represent the views of the au Street, New York, N.Y. 10014. Offices at 408 West reporters that he preferred "the smell of thors, which may not necessarily coincide with Street, New York, N.Y. horses to the smell of people." □ those of Intercontinental Press. Insofar as it re Copyright ® 1978 by Intercontinental Press.

November 6, 1978 Strikes and Demonstrations Spread Across the Country

Iran—the Masses Return to the Streets

By Parvin Najafi

Since early October the mass mobiliza books, with the direct participation of ship of the working class." They also tions against the tyranny of the Pahlavi teachers and students. carried placards expressing support for the dynasty have reached unprecedented pro To this basic list of demands the demands of striking teachers and workers. portions, drawing in every layer and class teachers in each locality have added their After marching together for a while, the of Iranian society. Strikes by vast seg own most pressing economic demands and Muslim students marched toward the uni ments of the working class are continuing other social and political demands in their versity mosque for a mass prayer; the

at full force. Street demonstrations have area. leftist students marched toward the foot not ceased for a day since the beginning of To back up their struggle, the teachers ball stadium. the month and in fact have spread to every have organized rallies throughout the At the stadium the leftist students held a corner of the vast country. country, attended by massive numbers of rally and announced they were going to Iran has truly become the scene of supporters from all sectors of the popula stage a twenty-four hour sit-in for freedom gigantic battles for the sovereignty of the tion. of the political prisoners and an end to people in place of the bloody rule of the At the same time, the teachers of differ martial law. They set up tents, topped by dictatorial monarch. In this struggle the ent cities and provinces have organized a red banners flying high. At the rally, oppressed of Iran are conquering one barri convening conference of their union, and representatives of workers from different cade after another from the enemy, push after discussion as to their aims and policy factories spoke and voiced their solidarity ing forward for a complete victory over the have elected a temporary Executive Com with the students. shah. mittee. The massive might of the Iranian prole High-school students have gone out on What the Students Want tariat is behind this upsurge. Since the strike as well, with demands similar to Similar scenes have been reported from beginning of October, nearly every factory, those of the teachers. The shutdown of the numerous campuses throughout the last service industry, and government ministry schools has released tens of thousands of few weeks. At the end of each rally the has either been on strike or is planning to militant young activists, who have now protesters put forward their demands in walk out. The strikes are taking on an begun to play a more and more prominent the form of a resolution passed by the increasingly sharp political character as role in organizing and leading the massive participants. The resolution passed by the demands for freedom of political prisoners, street demonstrations. gathering at Tehran University is typical. the lifting of martial law, a return of the In fact, the majority of demonstrations It calls for the following: exiles, an end to censorship, and the remo that have taken place in Iran in the past 1. The lifting of martial law. val of SAVAK branches from the work few weeks have not been called by the 2. Freedom of all political prisoners and places (the "security office," as it is called religious leaders but have been called, return of the exiles. in Iran) are being put forward more and organized, and led by teachers and stu 3. Expulsion from Iran of all imperialist more as the most central demands of the dents. military advisers, including those who strikers. work as "civilians." 4. Termination of the economic and Red Banners Fly at the Universities military treaties that keep Iran in bond The Teachers Strike The universities have also had their age. Among the most prominent strikes is most turbulent days in the last few weeks. 5. Dissolution of "security offices" in all that of the 400,000 teachers, which has In several of the biggest universities in factories, offices, and universities. shut down all schools throughout Iran. Tehran and other cities the students have 6. Freedom of speech, press, association, The demands the striking teachers have forced the guards off campus. This has and political parties. put forward nationally are: effectively ended the banning from cam 7. Dissolution of the government-or 1. Lift martial law. pus of anyone who does not have a univer ganized "trade unions" and the right of 2. Freedom for all political prisoners, sity identification card, making it possible workers to organize real unions. especially students and teachers, and a to organize massive rallies inside the uni 8. Immediate granting of all demands of return of the exiles. versities on a daily basis. The newspapers striking workers and employees. 3. No forced participation in progovern- in Iran report that a majority of the 9. Granting of all demands of teachers ment demonstrations and parades. participants in these rallies are high- and high-school students. 4. Bringing to justice of all who are school students. To this was added a whole set of de responsible for the bloodbath that has One of the biggest of these rallies was mands for the right of the students, fac been carried out in Iran in the last year, held on October 25 at Tehran University. ulty, and employees to exert democratic regardless of the governmental positions Rastakhiz, the organ of the shah's dis control over the universities, including they may hold. solved Rastakhiz Party, reported that the through the election of all university offi 5. The right of teachers to form their crowd began to gather at dawn for that cials. own union and publish union newspapers. day's march and rally. The demands, appeals, and statements 6. Removal of the thought-control "se It gathered in two different con issued by striking workers and demonstra curity offices" from all schools and tingents—one under green banners, the tors have received prominent coverage in branches of the Ministry of Education. symbol of Islam, and a slightly larger the press, owing to a major victory by 7. A thoroughgoing change in the whole group under red banners. striking journalists and employees of Kay- educational system in Iran, including the Those under the red banners carried han and Etela'at, the country's two largest election of principals by students and slogans reading, "For a revolutionary dem newspapers, that resulted in a considera teachers and the introduction of new text- ocratic republic of Iran, under the leader ble easing of censorship. This coverage by

Intercontinental Press itself is greatly assisting the mass mobili 60,000 to 70,000 persons. The mood in more powerful and with the solid backing zations. these demonstrations is growing more de of the working class. The whole mood and termined. atmosphere of the demonstrations and Walkouts Spread Wherever possible the demonstrators strikes clearly indicates that the masses of Following the example of the journalists, have showered the shah's soldiers with oppressed and exploited have moved the employees of the Ministry of Art and flowers and sought to fraternize with sharply to the left. Culture also went out on strike, demanding them. On the other hand, wherever the dissolution of the Central Bureau of Publi soldiers have opened fire on the demon cations. This bureau is the national appa strators, the crowd has given them a real Bourgeois Leaders Backtrack ratus through which censorship is imposed battle. An example of this was the ten-hour On the other hand, the movement's on all books and publications. clash between the demonstrators and the bourgeois leadership, organized mostly in Nearly all workers in Iranian radio and army and police in the northwestern city the National Front and the religious hier television have also gone out on strike, of Hamadan on October 22. After the archy, has moved sharply to the right, demanding an immediate lifting of censor fighting a correspondent for Kayan re coming out more and more openly in ship in these very important mediums of ported that Hamadan had taken on the support of the shah and the monarchy. mass communication. They are also call appearance of Beirut during the civil war. On October 19 the leaders of the Na ing for an end to government control and In many cities SAVAK agents have been tional Front announced that they are ownership of all radio and television sta recognized by crowds of demonstrators ready at any moment to form a cabinet tions. and have been brought to immediate jus under the shah. A few days later, on Only a few well-paid announcers remain tice. October 24, the leaders of the National at work, forcing radio and television sta In some cities independent truckowners Front even rescinded their call for the tions to cut their programs to a bare have joined the demonstrations with their dissolution of the Majles (parliament) and minimum. The radio stations play music trucks, placing bullhorns and loudspeakers the holding of new elections. and announce the time, occasionally re atop the vehicles to broadcast speeches With the entry of the working class into porting news items. Television program and chants. the battle the bourgeoisie's own interests ming has been cut to a few hours a day— The massive participation of the peasan have become threatened and they are now all reruns. try is another truly unique and unprece doing their best to stop the mass mobiliza The strikers have issued several appeals dented aspect of these demonstrations. In tions. to the Iranian people, asking for help in many areas truckloads of peasants have Karim Senjabi, a former minister in their fight against censorship. Their state come into the cities to join the marches. In Mossadegh's government and now the ments have received prominent coverage the bloody Hamadan demonstration, head of the National Front Executive in the daily newspapers. among the list released by the government Committee, has openly expressed the bour There have also been an incalculable of those killed are the names of eleven geoisie's fears and problems. In an inter number of strikes whose character has peasants. view with correspondent Jean Gueyras, in been more economic than political. One of In several instances the peasants have the October 4 Le Monde, he said: the most important of these is the strike of organized their own independent marches. In Arak, for example, 1,500 peasants from The main problen is the monarchy. How to postal workers, who went out for twenty- settle it? It wasn't difficult a year ago: all it one days beginning in early October. Dur surrounding villages marched twenty ki needed was the faithful and total application of ing this whole period not a single letter or lometers to the city, demanding freedom the constitutional law. Today it has become a package was delivered. They went back to for thirteen peasants from their area who complicated job. If, 12 months ago. you had to work October 25 but have maintained a had been arrested. have courage to criticize the sovereign, today you slowdown. They have given the govern need it to speak up for him. That's the nub of the ment fifteen days to meet their demands or 1,126 Political Prisoners Released problem. We no longer dare speak of the constitu face a new walkout. On October 26, another important vic tional monarchy, though it has been provided for Some 150,000 striking textile workers tory was wrested from the shah's regime, in our program." went back to work October 26, after win with the release of 1,126 political prisoners. The religious leaders are singing the ning all their demands. The railroad The pretext was that the shah had par same note, Gueyras reports: "Ayatullah workers went back on strike at the end of doned them on his birthday. Shariat Madari made it clear to foreign October after returning to work for a week Beginning at 5 a.m., a huge crowd gath journalists that he did not agree with those or so. ered in front of the political prisons to who clamored in the streets for the shah's Longshoremen are also on strike, and greet their "heroes," as the throng called departure." except for the oil that is pumped into them. As the prisoners came out of the big The only prominent religious leader who tankers through underground pipelines, metal doors of the jails, the crowd rushed has not yet publicly supported the mon nothing is being exported or imported from to give them flowers and other presents. archy is Ayatollah Khomeyni. Mehdi Iran. Then the former prisoners were raised on Barzagan, a top leader of the National Among other strikers are the employees the shoulders of the crowd to make a Front, and Naser Minachi, a prominent of the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of speech. Almost all the prisoners stressed leader of the Tehran bazaar, have gone to Commerce, Ministry of Finance, and those that it was the mighty arm of the op France, where Khomeyni is in exile, to try of the state notary service. pressed of Iran that opened the shah's to get him to rescind his call for the The iron ore workers of Yazd are also on dungeons and won their freedom. overthrow of the monarchy. The Iranian strike. This mining center normally ships Meanwhile, the relatives of other politi newspapers of October 26 reported that ore to the steel mills in Isfahan and cal prisoners intensified their efforts to Khomeyni had refused to do so. Ahwaz, which have now had to be closed free those who still remain behind bars. In any case, the main obstacle faced by down. On the same day, a huge crowd represent the bourgeois opposition in stopping the ing the families of political prisoners not mass mobilizations is not Khomeyni. The Demonstrators Take Over the Streets covered by the amnesty gathered in front present movement in the streets of Iran is The street demonstrations held in Oc of the Justice Ministry, demanding the independent in character. No single orga tober have surpassed anything previously immediate release of all of them. nization or group of leaders have control seen in Iran's history. Cities that have a A month after the bloodbath of "Black over it or can order it to disperse before its population of only 100,000, for example, Friday," September 8, the mass movement central aim is won—the overthrow of the have had repeated demonstrations of has reemerged in Iran, this time much Pahlavi monarchy. □

November 6, 1978 A Participant's Account M *

Iran—The Mass Upsurge That Threatens the Shah's Rule

[The following interview with AM, a The newspapers didn't report the upris Q. Who were these unemployed? People recently exiled Iranian student activist, ing in Qum until three or four days after it who had been in the cities for awhile? was obtained in mid-October. had happened. And when they did report A. Yes. You see, there are about five [AM first became active in politics while it, they said that only five persons had million people in Iran who are unem attending high school, where he helped died, two of them supposedly trampled to ployed. produce a leftist wall newspaper. A few death in the crowds, and that two officers months after entering the university, he had been injured. Q. So they were the main group that was arrested and tortured. He was arrested My friend told me that whenever anyone joined the students. again a year later and was sentenced to was killed, the crowd would hold the body one year in prison. aloft, shouting, "We had martyrs, and we A. Yes. And another thing,in all demon [On November 16, 1977, AM participated are bringing more martyrs. Long live our strations other than those consisting in a demonstration in Tehran of some martyrs and the way of our martyrs." mainly of university students the religious 24,000 students from all over the country, Then, suddenly, the slogans were changed leaders would take up a position in the which was attacked by the police. Many to "Shah, we will kill you." front ranks. students were killed or wounded. AM spent one month in a hospital recovering from Q. What were the slogans being chanted Q. Do you know how many people had at this point, and what demands were his injuries. gathered in the shrines? [The interview begins with a discussion being raised? of events that occurred in January and A. Qum is a very religious city, the most A. One demand was for the government February in Iran, which set the stage for religious city in Iran, and many of the to respect the constitution. Another was the gigantic demonstrations of September religious leaders live there. When they for punishment for those who had ordered and the massive strike wave that fol asked the people to come to the shrines, it the massacre in Qum. They demanded lowed.! carried the force of a religious order. So release of the political prisoners and that almost everyone went to the shrines, even the political exiles be allowed to return. women and children. Demonstrators would also shout "Down Question. An almost uninterrupted with the shah," "Down with the Pahlavi wave of protests against the shah's rule Q. Were the^e anyjpther demonstrations dynasty," "Down with imperialism," and began this year with an open confronta before the events in Tabriz in February? similar slogans. tion between the populace and the arrriy in A. Small demonstrations tool^ place in the city of Qum, a religious center south of all the cities, even the small ones. Q. Down with imperialism? IVos that Tehran. What touched off the uprising directed at the United States primarily? there? Q. Were these led by the religious lead A. Primarily the United States. But Answer. I wasn't there, being in Tehran ers or by students? sometimes there were banners that said at the time. But a few of my friends were "Down with the imperialisms of China, there. A. In Tehran some were led by religious America, and the USSR." The people of Kayhan and Ettela'at, the main Iranian leaders and- some by university students. Iran know that all these governments are dailies, had been spreading slanders about But as I say, they were only small demon supporters of the shah and benefit as a the exiled religious leader Ayatollah Kho- strations. For example, people would result. meyni, saying, for example, that he was a gather in one mosque and hear a religious spy for England. This made the religious leader speak about the Qum uprising, and Q. Let's turn to the events in Tabriz. leaders very angry and they asked the then they would come out of the mosque Why did the shah crack down harder there people to attend lectures in the holy chanting slogans and quickly disperse. than in the other cities where mourning shrines. The speakers said many things demonstrations were going on? about the shah and repression, denounced Q. What was the mood on the campuses A. I think because in Tabriz the govern the slanders against Khomeyni, and so on. after Qum? By this time the police had surrounded ment made a mistake. In other parts of the A. As before the students were not eager the shrines. So the religious leaders asked country people went to the mosques, they the people not to give the police any to attend classes. But they were jubilant had their ceremonies, and after the ceremo that their struggle had spread among the pretext to attack them. Coming out of the nies they went home. people. But in Tabriz, the morning the people shrines the people were silent and sud denly the police attacked them,firing their wanted to go to the mosques the army and Q. What layers of society were now police blocked their way and prevented guns. When the police began firing, the people participating in the various demonstra them from entering. first tried to escape. Later they got to tions? Q. Why do you think they did that? gether to counterattack. After that, in the A. Many of them were common people, afternoon, tanks were brought in to deal such as drivers and people working in A. Because in Tabriz people are much with the situation. bazaars, but not people working for the more politicized than in other cities of That night until around 1 a.m. people government. And some working-class peo Iran. And so the mosques were closed and were fighting the police in the streets, and ple, such as workers at the Pars Electric people were forced into the streets. many people were killed. Nearly 1,000 lost Company, which is near Aryamehr Uni The first person to protest this action their lives, although the government versity. And also the unemployed, espe was a religious leader, who asked, "Why claimed that only one person had died. cially the unemployed. have you closed the doors of the mosques?"

Intercontinental Press They shot him. When he fell to the ground, leaders of the National Front and its Khomeyni is seen as a very radical reli the people attacked the police. components such as the Movement for gious leader. Freedom, and leaders of student groups Q. And then they took over the city? began to play the most prominent role. Q. He is very popular? Since Black Friday, September 8, how A. Yes. They even took guns from the A. Yes, very popular. Recently even ever, the religious leaders in Iran and police. A number of policemen were killed seven-year-old schoolchildren were leaving figures associated with the National Front that day, perhaps as many as a hundred. their classes shouting "Long live Khom have been seen as very conservative. And The police were pushed out of the city. eyni, long live Khomeyni." because of what the government has been After that the army joined the police. doing, the people don't like conservative They recaptured the city with the help of Q. Would you explain why the demon leaders; they see a big gap between what tanks and killed many people. Really it strations took place when they did? needs to be done and what these leaders was a bloodbath. are calling for. A. You see, there are four ceremonies This is the main reason why they often after someone dies—on the third day, on Q. About how long did the people hold chant "Long live Khomeyni." Because the seventh day, on the fortieth day, and the city? on the first anniversary after the death. So A. Three or four hours. And during that after each bloodbath, there would be dem time the people burned many government onstrations on the third day, the seventh offices and headquarters of the shah's day, and fortieth day. Soon demonstra Rastakhiz Party and banks. tions were going on almost every day, because in one city it would be the third Q. What were the effects of the Tabriz day, in another the seventh day, in uprising? another the fortieth day, and so on. So we had many demonstrations. For A. Tabriz showed that the government example, in Zanjan the people joined a would hold on to its policies by any means demonstration called by the religious it had and that the shah himself was the leader of that city. That demonstration real enemy. After that you couldn't re took place on the seventh day after a strain the people. There were demonstra young man named Ahmad Mortazayee tions in every city every day. And some had been killed. I had gone there as the factories went on strike. representative of the students at my uni versity. Q. How did the newspapers cover the Nobody was killed at this demonstration events in Tabriz? because an agreement had been nego A. They said funny things. To explain tiated. The police and army agreed to stay the uprising they said that some people away while the people held a peaceful had come from outside of the borders of procession and ceremony and then went Iran and they were responsible for the home. trouble. And even more amusing, one of the leaders of the Rastakhiz Party, Mr. Q. How big was this demonstration? Ansari, said that the troublemakers were A. The entire population of the city was just a small group who were going from there. I went up on a high building and one city to another. He said this even while took pictures of the crowd. Many, many demonstrations were occurring simultane people were there. ously all over the country! Q. You were also in Mashad. Q. So the word about what had hap pened in Tabriz had to spread by word of A. Yes. The religious leaders had asked mouth ? the people to join the demonstrations. And so every week and every month there were A. Yes, but also by leaflets. demonstrations in Mashad. I participated in one of them. About five people were Q. Who produced the leaflets? killed that day. A. Many hidden organizations, such as So we had many large demonstrations. Fajer Islam and various leftist groups. But the first really huge demonstration was the one on Monday [September 4] and Q. These were clandestine, illegal organ after that the Thursday [September 7] izations? demonstration before Bloody Friday.

A. Yes. And so, very soon people were Q. What was the Monday demonstration aware of what had happened, even in like? small cities, and even in towns and vil lages. A. All the religious leaders had asked the people to join it. Q. Were demonstrations then held in In Tehran there are at least four very those towns and villages? large open spaces—one is called Qaitareih, A. Yes, but called by the religious lead which is north of Shemiran Street, another

ers. is called Sarah of Farah Abad. At all four You see, two or three months ago the i places people were gathered. I was at real leaders of most of the demonstrations Qaitareih and about 25,000 people were were religious figures. But more recently. Shah's army: How long before It cracks? gathered there.

November 6, 1978 From these four assembly points people Q. Were the women marching in sepa dynasty," and "Kill the perpetrators of the were organized to march to Valiahad rate contingents? bloodbaths." Square in the center of the city. There were many political demands also. At the square, we gathered on Pahlavi A. Some of the women with veils gath For example, "We want an Islamic govern Street. It was about noon when we got ered together. I don't know the reason. But ment," We want a democratic country," there, and everyone joined in a traditional most women marched hand in hand with "Free the political prisoners," "Let the prayer. Even leftists participated to show husbands, brothers, sisters, and so on. exiles return," "Dismantle SAVAK." the unity and solidarity that existed. Another important thing is that the The organizers of the demonstration had Earlier, as we marched through the demonstrators chanted "Viva Palestine, asked the people to be peaceful. And to street, flowers were thrown down from the help keep the demonstration orderly they Eritrea, the Philippines, Iran." Also houses we passed. Hoses were brought out had marshals. Many people were asked to "Death to the shah," "Death to China," to provide water. Bread, food, everything be marshals and everyone was willing "Death to Russia," "Death to America," was there, being delivered to the people. because they wanted the demonstration to and "Death to Anwar Sadat." Many shops were closed and their owners be peaceful. joined us. People cheered us from balconies Q. It has been reported that during this and some of them joined us. Whenever it looked like there might be trouble the marshals locked arms along demonstration a lot of leaflets were distrib The march grew in size as time went on. uted. What kind of leaflets were they, how the side of the demonstration. The newspapers reported that about one many were distributed, and what was the million people had participated that day. response? And I believe it. Q. Why did they do that? When we reached Hoseineh Ershad [a A. The leaflets were distributed by religious institution], we shouted to the throwing bunches of them up in the air. A. Because a frequent tactic of SAVAK And when they came down, people would soldiers, "Brother soldiers, why do you kill at previous demonstrations was to send grab them. Probably two or three million your brothers?" And this influenced them. agents provocateurs among the demon leaflets were distributed that day. Some of them had tears in their eyes. And strators. The SAVAK agents would then I should mention, though, that when the everything remained peaceful. suddenly attack the police, for example leaflets of the Tudeh Party, the Iranian with stones. This would give the police a Communist Party, were thrown into the pretext to attack the demonstrators. Q. What part of the demonstration were air people would rip them up once they In fact there was an incident something you in? realized who had issued them. like that near Valiahad Square. Some A. About one kilometer from the front. people suddenly wanted to attack the Q. Why? Were they opposed to social The length of the entire demonstration soldiers. The women who were nearby ism? after gathering all the people together was surrounded this group and kept them from about 22 kilometers. engaging in any provocative activity. A. No, no, because leaflets of other left ist organizations were not ripped up. Q. What proportion of the participants All the people remember the betrayal of Q. Wos there a lot of talking with the were women? the Tudeh Party when Mossadegh was soldiers? overthrown in 1953. People say the Tudeh A. There were many women, including Party was responsible for the success of women with veils. A. Yes, very much. Kissing was also a very common thing there. For example, I that coup, which brought the shah to power. The Tudeh Party didn't defend the Q. Was there any reaction in the crowd kissed a soldier once and he kissed me twice in return. Mossadegh government, this is well against the women who were not wearing known. veils ? ■Q. And you hugged one another? A. No reaction. They were welcomed. Q. What about the Maoist organiza Everyone was happy to see these women A. Yes, and there were many pats on the tions ? What was the reaction of the people among the demonstrators. back. to them? It is one of the policies of the shah to say A. I don't know because that day I that these people are fanatics and are Q. So there was a great deal of fraterni didn't see any leaflets from the Maoists. demonstrating for women to wear veils zation. But when the people shout "Death to and so on. A. Yes. And in some places when the China," what does it show? crowd shouted "Brother soldiers, don't kill Q. That is what the international press your brothers," officers would throw their Q. Are there many technical problems has been saying too. guns down and say, "That's true, we are involved in producing these leaflets? A. Yes, I know. There were even preg your brothers." A. They are run off on mimeograph nant women who joined us with no veils. machines that are hidden away, for exam The attitude of the demonstrators was to Q. What did people say to the soldiers ple in the basement of a house. It is very help these women.- Many of them were when they talked to them? difficult and we have lost many of our offered rides in pickup trucks, for example. A. I don't know. I didn't talk to any friends . . . soldiers. Q. What was the ratio of women to men? Q. Because of these machines. A. About two out of ten participants Q. Were there extended discussions, or A. Yes. were women. just brief exchanges? A. Only short talks. Q. It is considered a great crime by the Q. And what proportion of the women government to possess one of these ma did not wear veils? Q. What about the banners that were chines? carried? A. The majority. A large number of A. Yes, we have people who were sent high-school girls participated, for example, A. Common slogans were "Down with enced to anywhere from fifteen years to and none of them wore veils. imperialism," "Down with the Pahlavi life imprisonment for this. Many of the

Intercontinental Press people in whose homes such machines economic conditions. For example, the were found have been killed under torture. average worker gets between 1,000 To mans [US $143] and 2,000 Tomans [US $286] a month, at most. Rent alone takes Q. You can't buy these machines easily? up 1,000 Tomans for a family of five, and A. No, to get one of these machines most families are bigger than that. requires all kinds of tricks, many tricks. And finally every day people see with their own eyes beatings in the streets by the police, arrests, and so on. If you don't Q. There have been reports from Iran live under those conditions you cannot that several times during the Monday understand the feelings of people. The demonstration, when the soldiers cocked government treats us like animals. their guns and prepared to fire, a group of For example, the police, whose salaries people stood between the soldiers and the are low, extort money from the peddlers main body of demonstrators, locked arms, and shopkeepers, especially if they don't and told the crowd not to worry because if have the proper licenses. the soldiers started to shoot they would be If someone wanted to go and protest the first people to be killed. That is how against this, the police most likely would they kept the crowd together. instead beat him, make false accusations A. Yes, this happened. I was there. against such a person, and so on. This is a very common thing. Q. Tell us what happened. During demonstrations, for example, A. We don't have any peasant organiza they see the soldiers grab women and drag A. Well, the army officer had announced tions in Iran. I don't know who organized them by their hair to the army trucks and through a loudspeaker that if the people them. But no organization was needed to rape them. came any closer they would be shot. And bring them into the cities. Ten people from Or they see an unmarked car pull over then the people in front told us to sit down a village might just get together and when the plainclothes SAVAK agents and we all sat down. And the people in decide to come to the demonstration. They inside see a young man who has a beard front stood up in front of us. Some of them might just decide on their own to do this. and wears glasses, put him up against a began to speak to the officer, and after The sentiment is very high in the villages. wall and frisk him. God forbid if they find some negotiations the procession contin a student ID card because if they do they ued on its way. Q. How did the workers participate? Did most likely will beat him severely and then they have banners saying we are the throw him into the car and take him to Q. How did the mass of demonstrators workers of such and such factory? jail. react to these incidents? These are scenes that are repeated every A. If I say the workers I am not just A. We were not afraid, because we were day in the streets. People see so many talking about the working class in the so filled with emotion that fear couldn't humiliations like this that they become factories. That day all the small private come into our hearts. Really I was ready to outraged. factories in Tehran were closed, and also be killed. It was the first time in my life One story that is widely known is that all the shops were closed. So a lot of that I had seen one million people in the some policemen raped a young girl and workers joined the demonstration. streets denouncing the government. when her parents protested at the police Before, when we had demonstrations of station they were arrested. Q. But you didn't see any groups of Such incidents are widely known either a hundred or so, we were afraid of being workers identifying themselves as such? arrested and we ran away as soon as the through word of mouth or knowing some police came. But here I felt confident that A. No. one personally who has been victimized. they couldn't arrest me. Q. Can you tell us more about the Thurs Q. Were you ever in jail yourself? Q. Did you also participate in the dem day demonstration? onstration on Thursday, September 7? A. Yes. Two times. A. People say that the soldiers had been The first time they had me for more than A. Yes. The Thursday demonstration changed. The government was afraid that sixty days. Those were very difficult days. was just like the Monday demonstration the soldiers who had been at the Monday They tortured me; here you can see a scar but it was bigger, more than one million. demonstration might join the people on from a wound they made. Between Monday and Thursday the main Thursday. About a year after that they arrested me thing people talked about was the Monday Before the Thursday demonstration thi again, because I had read my poems for demonstration. So the Thursday demon government had issued a message, which my friends. I was convicted and sentenced stration attracted many people, even peo was printed in the newspapers, banning to one year in prison. ple from villages outside the city. Also all demonstrations. The government state many workers came, including people who ment said that the planned demonstration Q. For reading your poems? worked for the government, in the minis for Thursday would be violently sup tries, and so on. A. Yes, for reading my poems and for pressed. The message went on to warn that talking about political matters. if people demonstrated they might be Q. How were you able to tell that pea After I was arrested they tortured me killed. sants had joined the demonstration? again. If a doctor examines my feet now he All the people knew this but they came can understand what they did. I was also A. They had banners with them that anyway. placed in solitary confinement. said, for example, we are the peasants of You see, during the twenty-five years such and such village. since the coup in 1953 many people have Q. What kind of questions did they ask? lost at least one of their family members to Q. Were they organized by the religious the shah's repression and they have at A. They asked me if I wanted to orga leaders, or are there peasant organizations least one or two more in jail. nize a group, who were my associates, of any kind? People are also very oppressed by the what books had I read. . . .

November 6, 1978 [At this point the interview had to be 4 p.m. pretending to be waiting for the phone. interrupted because Ala could not talk any People who lived nearby opened the The day after Bloody Friday a joke more about his experience in prison.] doors of their homes and offered refuge to began to make the rounds that gives you persons fleeing the shooting. an idea of the mood of the people. As part Q. Turning to Black Friday, September In some cases houses were turned into of the martial law a curfew was in effect 8, the day thousands of persons were makeshift hospitals. Word would he spread firom 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. According to the joke, gunned down—were you at that demon around the city that blood donors were at a quarter to nine a person was going to stration yourself? urgently needed at those houses and also his home and the police shot him down. A A. No. My parents had come to Tehran at the hospitals where the wounded were passerby asked, "Why did you shoot him? taken. and they kept me confined. It is only a quarter to nine." And the So many people answered these appeals That day I lost a number of my finends. policeman answered, "Oh I knew him and that the blood hanks of the hospitals were One of them was a young moviemaker, he couldn't possibly have reached home soon completely filled up. No blood was and two other friends. They were shot until after nine, so I killed him." donated to the government's national down by the soldiers. blood-collection agency, however. Q. When did the wave of workers' Some of my other friends who were there Many merchants who sold pharmaceuti told me what happened. strikes begin? Between about 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. people cal supplies brought critically needed drugs and provided them free for treat A. Three or four days after Bloody Fri had gathered in Jaleh Square, near the day. house of Alameh Nouri, the representative ment of the wounded. of Ayatollah Khomeyni in Iran. There are a lot of independent pickup- truck owners who for a small amount Q. Were they protest strikes against the The night before, the shah had ordered killings or did they begin raising economic the premier and the other ministers to carry loads here and there. On this day many of them offered their trucks for demands also? declare martial law. But until 7 a.m. the next morning no one knew anything about carrying wounded persons to where they A. Of course they all had some economic the martial law because it was not an could he treated. demands but the common demands were All kinds of people helped because they nounced on radio or television. "Lift martial law," "End regimentation in After a large number of people had knew the government wanted the wounded the factories," and "Punish the perpetra gathered they wanted to go north from to die. In fact, there were cases where the tors of Black Friday." Jaleh Square. The army officers told them police or soldiers discovered a house where they would not be allowed to march and injured persons were being cared for and Q. So they were basically political that they must disperse and go home. The went in and killed everyone. strikes. Police and SAVAK agents also stationed officers said that if the procession contin A. Yes. ued they would open fire. Many tanks and themselves at certain intersections to ar army trucks were nearby. rest anyone who looked like a doctor to prevent them fi-om treating the wounded. Q. How were the demands and state But the demonstrators didn't pay any ments of the strikers made public? attention and continued their march. At The army surrounded hospitals in other first, for about a minute, the soldiers fired areas of the city to prevent doctors fi-om A. The workers of different factories tear gas and shot into the air. But people leaving and going to the areas where they issued statements and distributed them still refused to disperse. And they began were urgently needed. like leaflets. These statements would he burning tires and other things to neutral But many doctors took great risks and sent to the newspapers as well. Of course, ize the tear gas. played all sorts of tricks to get to where the newspaper reporters even if they saw At this point the soldiers began firing they were needed. At some hospitals, for the statements could not report them be into the crowd. example, doctors dressed up as trash col cause of the censorship. According to my friends, the officers and lectors or janitors and walked through the soldiers "hunted" the people in the most army encirclement carrying garbage. Q. Were these leaflets widely distrib sadistic fashion. They closed all the en Still, despite all these efforts, many of uted? the wounded died. trances to the square and then stalked and A. Not widely because they didn't have shot people as if they were deer. They also the necessary facilities for widescale distri fired from helicopters. Q. There have been reports that people bution. As news of the bloodbath spread, people defied the martial law decree even after the in the surrounding area rushed out and, massacre. Did you see instances of this? Q. Did the workers make any contact ignoring the danger, attacked banks and with the students? government buildings in the area and A. Yes. On the afternoon of Bloody overturned buses to form barricades. Friday the loudspeakers of the police and A. Beginning in May, all the universi In one hospital there is a doctor who is army as well as radio and television broad ties were closed because of student strikes. my friend. He told me that he had seen the casts announced that martial law was in Many of the students got jobs in the bodies of seven soldiers and officers who effect and that no more than two persons factories with the aim of establishing an had been brought to the hospital by the could he together, and the other rules. organization there. This was the main people. You see, they had supported the However, after the shooting had ended contact between the workers and the stu people and were shot down along with the and everything had become peaceful dents. again, as many as fifty persons would others. According to my friends, other Q. So the students really went to the gather near some of the tanks, ostensibly soldiers, not knowing who to shoot, com workers rather than the workers coming to mitted suicide. to look at the guns. They wanted to show the students. I have heard estimates of 5,000 to 30,000 that they were not afraid of the martial for the number of people killed there that law. A. Yes. For example, many of my stu day, including those who later died from And at every bus stop people who had no dent friends had gone into hiding and then their wounds. intention of taking the bus gathered; some decided to get jobs in the factories to help times the crowd would grow to a hundred the workers organize. Q. How long did the shooting go on? persons or more. You would also see a hundred or so Q. How would you describe the politics A. I heard shooting going on until about persons gathered at a telephone booth of the students who went to the factories?

Intercontinental Press A. Many of them are communists, maybe the majority of them.

Q. Supporters of the Tudeh Party, or communists in the general sense? A. Communists in the general sense, because you see there is really no Tudeh Party network in Iran although they claim I i that they have one. If they went to the factories and said they were from the Tudeh Party the workers would tell them to go away. The Tudeh Party claims that it has organized every strike in Iran but that is completely false.

Q. So these students are independent of the Tudeh Party and oppose the policies of the Tudeh Party?.

A. Yes. Other than the Tudeh Party, which claims to be a communist party, there is no organization for communists in Iran. In other words, there is no party organization for communists in Iran. k.y Maybe a few small groups here and there, •r, 1 ir' but that is all. ' ' Der Spiegel Ultramodern oil refinery at Abadan. Workers from this and other industrial Q. Are there organizations on campus of complexes have gone out on strike to demand end to martiai law. varying political outlooks?

A. Sure. A. Yes, but this would also include even among the common people, for the many Muslim students who consider them PLO. Q. But you work together? selves leftists. Of the students who have Q. What is the relationship if any be A. Yes, university student groups even gone to the factories the majority are com tween the students in Iran and the Iranian with different ideologies work together, munists. students in the United States and other because the enemy is just in front of them. countries? Is there much contact at all? If for only one minute they forget this and Q. What is their attitude toward the A. No, not much contact. make one another the enemy they will be Chinese regime? defeated. A. Completely disgusted. You cannot But abroad, for example in the United Q. What do you think will happen in the talk about China in the universities. States, there are groups of students that coming months in Iran? struggle with each other—you can't find A. In many cases the government has Q. Were you there during Hua Kuo- this in Iran, even though we have different been forced to grant concessions to the feng's visit? ideologies. people, but because the people are so A. Yes. We published a leaflet saying injured—not only their bodies but their Q. How much political discussion goes that once again the Chinese regime had hearts are injured—a raise of two or three shown its true face. times in their wages will not satisfy them. Anyway inflation will take away the in A. Whenever students get together they Q. So who do these communist students creases, and conditions will again become discuss politics. And even the jokes that identify with internationally? worse. The struggle will continue. □ are told are political. A. Fidel Castro is very popular. Also Georges Marchais in France is popular, Q. Is there an awareness of other strug Travel Tip gles that are going on in other areas of the because he has supported the movement in The Chinese government prefers tourists world? For example, did you know what Iran. who are conservative, wealthy, and in was happening in Nicaragua? Q. So even though he is known as a fluential, an entrepreneur who has orga A. Because of the censorship in the comrade of the Tudeh Party, he is popular. nized visits there reports. newspapers of Iran, the information on Lars-Eric Lindblad told the Hong Kong Nicaragua that they gave was misleading A. Yes, but Fidel Castro is by far the daily South China Morning Post that and distorted. But we were able to get more favorite. Chinese officials "prefer to have a conser accurate information through the short Q. What about the liberation movements vative businessman come to visit China wave radio and through foreign reporters in Africa? today than a radical." stationed in Iran. This is "simply because you know that A. We support them. I myself am a poet and writer and was in conservative businessmen can go back and contact with such people. speak to people in power and influence Q. What about the PLO? China's relations. . . . They want the con Q. Do the majority of students consider A. The PLO is the closest friend we servative, influential American to come see themselves leftists? have. There is a very strong sympathy. what China is."

November 6, 1978 Phase 11 Of Carter's Austerity Program

Wages, Safety, and Environment on Chopping Block

By Jon Britton

President Carter announced "Phase U" of his "anti-inflation program" in a tele vised speech from the White House Oc tober 24. "We must face a time of national austerity," he said. Last April, when Carter announced the first "phase" of his austerity drive, he used similar words, calling upon all Americans HRE'EUCK to "sacrifice for the common good." Carter does indeed have real sacrifices in mind, but not from the ruling rich he serves. To the extent his "anti-inflation program" succeeds in its aims, which only incidentally include stemming inflation, it will be solely at the expense of working people. The second "phase" of Carter's program, like the first, is part and parcel of the antilabor offensive launched by Richard Nixon in 1971 and carried on in one form or another by the U.S. ruling class ever since. The real aims of Carter's austerity drive can be summed up as follows: 1. To strengthen the position of U.S. "As your representative in the great 95th Congress, it gives me true corporations in the world market, where pleasure to present you with these crisp, new bills!" competition has been getting more and more fierce. This is to be accomplished by cutting wage costs, getting rid of "unneces sary" health, safety, and environmental regulations, and cutting corporate taxes. So in terms of wage increases workers enforcers, backed up by auditors who will review 2. To alleviate growing financial pres actually collect. Carter is talking about 6% confidential information on product lines and sures on the government owing to the or less. market shares. Such an intrusion of government into management of the private sector did not world economic slowdown. This is to be On the other hand, prices are almost occur even during the mobilization and price achieved by increasing taxes on working sure to go up by more than 6.5%. Unmen- controls of World War II [Business Week, No tioned by Carter in his speech but included people and by cutting social spending. vember 6.] (Military expenditures, on the other hand, in the more detailed explanation released are projected to go up substantially, even by the White House is the fact that the It is safe to say that "such an intrusion" in constant dollar terms.) real limit on prices requested from busi will not occur now either. But even if it did, The net result, if all goes according to ness is 9.5%, if firms suffer "unusual cost rising prices produced by a depreciating plan, will be fatter profits for the employ increases." currency cannot be suppressed by the most ers and a stronger U.S. dollar. Moreover, while enforcement of the 7% draconian controls. Even the Hitler re Carter's new scheme sets forth "stan wage standard is no problem (the employ gime, which "intruded" quite extensively dards" aimed at keeping most wage in ers will he only too happy to comply), into the private economy of Nazi Ger creases in the coming year well under 7%, policing the price standard is impossible. many, could not get rid of inflation. although the cost of living so far in 1978 The editors of Business Week explain why: As further sucker bait Carter offered has been rising at nearly a lO'Jii rate. The formula for computing price ceilings . . . another pie-in-the-sky gimmick. He prom To lure workers into accepting this swin is excruciatingly complex and almost impossible ised to introduce legislation that would dle, another "standard" calls for a given to police without an elaborate audit of each provide workers who accept the 7% stan company's overall price increases in the producer and distributor. . . . dard with tax rebates, should the cost of next year to be at least 0.5% under the For companies with hundreds of products and living rise faster than 7%. average annual increase for the last two major shifts in the product mix each year, such a But if such legislation were passed— years. If adhered to by employers this calculation would involve pioneering ventures which is by no means certain in view of would supposedly produce an inflation rate into averaging and indexing. The paperwork the fate of previous promised rebates— of 6.5% for the economy as a whole. costs would be astronomical, and the results workers would not be protected. The rebate But Carter's 7% limit covers both wages would be highly unreliable. Realistically, there is no possibility that the would be pegged to the government's Con and "fringe benefits" such as pensions. government could audit pricing policies except in sumer Price Index, which notoriously un And money for "fringe benefits" doesn't go the largest corporations. . . . The trouble is that derstates the real rate of inflation. Further to workers but into investment accounts controlling even the leaders in the detail this more, Carter specified that there would be controlled by the corporations and banks. program provides could call for an army of a "cap," or upper limit, on the rebates no

intercontinental Press matter how high prices go. cially to Carter's wage-price package, but financial markets responded so negatively In short, the ongoing fall in real wages administration "sources" had told report to Carter's speech. In the days that fol in the United States from the 1973 peak is ers earlier that they held out little hope of lowed, the dollar dropped to new record almost certain to accelerate if workers winning support from the labor federation. lows and the stock market continued one accept nominal increases for both wages Carter's plans for scrapping "unneces of its biggest plunges ever. and "fringe benefits" of only 7% a year in sary" health, safety, and environmental A short-term brightening of economic new contracts. regulations may not fare very well either. prospects, including a temporary streng In regard to another of his profit- Even before his speech, environmentalists thening of the dollar, is not ruled out.'* But boosting efforts, Carter announced that were protesting the new White House the longer-range outlook is for accelerating "today . . . the Occupational Safety and moves. inflation and a sharpening class struggle Health Administration eliminated nearly Moreover, the continued potential for as working people fight for higher wages, 1,000 unnecessary regulations." He is put protest against really drastic cuts in social full cost-of-living escalator clauses, and ting strong pressure on all the regulatory spending, and against further tax in other means of protecting their living agencies of the government to follow suit. creases, as well as the decision to up standards from the intensifying attacks of On the fiscal front. Carter announced military spending, make it unlikely that the employing class. □ further budget tightening moves,including Carter will be able to cut the federal deficit a sharp cutback in federal hiring that will to a noninflationary level. lead to a reduction of 20,000 in the govern All this, combined with a cloudy eco *See Intercontinental Press/Inprecor, October ment work force. Earlier he had ordered a nomic outlook, helps to explain why the 23, 1978, p. 1169. 5.5% limit on pay increases for federal workers. Carter also hinted in his speech that he would sign the tax legislation recently passed by Congress (he later confirmed After 100% Hike in Bus Fares this). Under this measure, some 80% of taxpayers will actually wind up paying more federal taxes in 1979 than they did in 1978—because of a big jump in Social Strikes and Demonstrations in Guatemala Security taxes already scheduled to take effect in January and because of the auto matic effect of inflation bumping income A 100 percent increase in urban trans but the bus owners refused to do so and the earners into higher tax brackets. portation fares touched off a wave of strikes and protests continued. Big business and wealthy individuals strikes and street demonstrations in Gua Hundreds of government employees oc will get real tax cuts. The nominal rate on temala in early October. cupied the posts and telegraph building in corporate taxes is being reduced from 48% Immediately after the fare hike was the capital on October 2. They were finally to 46%, the 10% investment tax credit is announced on Sejitember 30, several dislodged by the police on October 10, and being liberalized, and capital-gains taxes hundred trade unionists, students, and 400 were arrested. are being slashed. public employees met in Guatemala City at On October 11, the police opened fire on To sell his "anti-inflation" wage cuts to the call of the National Trade-Union Unity a peaceful demonstration of public em American workers. Carter has launched Committee (CNUS) and the Committee of ployees in Guatemala City, wounding at what Business Week called "a highly State Workers Organizations (CETE), least ten. professional propaganda effort of stagger which together include the majority of Altogether, government troops and po ing scope." Guatemalan trade unions. lice killed 30 persons, wounded 300, and However, in light of earlier experiences The assembly voted to call for lightning arrested 800, in the course of the protests, with wage-price guidelines and controls, rallies and the construction of barricades according to the October 11 issue of the both in the United States and elsewhere in the poor neighborhoods of the capital, news bulletin Noticias de Guatemala. In such as in Britain—and in light of the and rotating strikes in industrial plants addition, right-wing terrorists in plain- growing militancy and distrust of the and banks. clothes machine-gunned the offices of the government shown recently by industrial The CETE also called for a general radio station "Nuevo Mundo" and the workers—Carter has a very tough selling strike of public employees in Guatemala newspapers El Independiente, El Grdfico, job ahead of him. City that began October 2. It was extended and Nuevo Diario. This is already indicated by the luke throughout the country on October 9. The wave of protests and strikes was warm endorsements of "Phase 11" that Two thousand students marched in the continuing as of October 11. □ Carter has obtained from labor officials capital to protest the fare hike on October such as Teamsters President Frank Fitz- 2. Police opened fire, killing at least one simmons. (The upcoming negotiations be student and wounding fifty. Thousands tween the Teamsters and the trucking more persons came into the streets, build industry are widely seen as a key test for ing barricades and burning buses. Just One of Those Things Carter's wage "standards.") The protests continued on October 3, and A woman whose husband and child were Fitzsimmons made his support "condi three more demonstrators were killed by killed in a crash at a railway crossing has tional," the conditions being that "adjust the cops. Clashes were also reported in the received a bill for A$349.15 for damage to ments" be made in the wage standard and city of Amatitldn. the railway engine, the Australian social that the program show some success in On October 5, students, workers, and ist weekly Direct Action reported October moderating price rises. peasants demonstrated in Jutiapa. The 19. Rubber Workers President Peter Bomma- next day the protests spread to Quetzalte- According to a representative of the rito said his union "could live with" a nango, Guatemala's second-largest city. railways board, the claim was simply a program such as Carter proposed if prices, Five hundred middle-school students there "normal procedure" and no one had com interest rates, rents, and other living ex set up barricades and battled police. plained in the past. penses of union members are stabilized—a The City Council of Guatemala City "It does seem callous," she said, "but it's big "if," to say the least. ordered the transportation companies to just one of those nasty sidelines to this "The AFL-CIO has yet to respond offi roll back the fare increase on October 7, kind of death."

November 6, 1978 The Camp David Charade

Palestinian Movement Is Biggest Loser

By Livio Maitan

Camp David, the new conflict in Le could in the near future find itself in a motivated primarily by fear that the Arab banon, and the tripartite Washington con confrontation with Israel and imperialism. masses would revolt against the poverty ference have again placed the Middle East Damascus is bogged down in an increas and oppression they suffer, opening up an at the center of world attention. The situa ingly inextricable situation in Lebanon, anti-imperialist battle with an anticapital- tion continues to change constantly and with no concrete perspective for solving its ist dynamic. the periods of equilibrium that develop are special problems. The Syrian counterattack is a direct extremely precarious and fragile. However, The USSR is also a loser. It was unable consequence of Camp David. Assad is over the past two months there have been to exert the slightest influence in the whole faced with the perspective of an unfavora tangible changes in the relationship of affair and to get back into the game it now ble evolution in the relationship of forces if forces and in the situation of the principal has only one ally, hardly worthy of the Camp David accords are concretized. protagonists. confidence—Assad's Syria. In particular he is faced with the possibil The results of Camp David are clear in The conservative Arab states—Saudi ity that the Lebanese reactionaries and their basic outline. The Zionist govern Arabia and Jordan—are in an uncomforta Israel, backed by the United States, might ment of Israel can rightly claim victory. It ble position. In the last analysis they have try to impose a settlement that is unfavor was able to deepen the split among the everything to gain from a solution based able to Syria regarding the problems that Arab states; neutralize Egypt, the princi on a perspective of Pax Americana. At the concern it most directly. pal Arab military force; avoid any form of same time they have been pushed com Such a settlement could undermine the recognition of the Palestinian movement; pletely to the sidelines and were con base of the Syrian government, which and is now even less disposed to accept fronted with a fait accompli. Above all any plan for an independent Palestine. In they fear that the Palestinians, who now rests on an unstable balance of forces and maintains itself through harsh repression. the not too distant future Israel also hopes have no hope for a "peaceful solution" to to obtain economic advantages, which are their national problem, may undergo a That is why Assad and company want to not unimportant given the growing diffi radicalization leading toward the replace exploit whatever breathing space they culties and tensions in its economy and the ment of their present leadership, or at least have, not only to strike militarily at the inevitable repercussions these have in the leading to situations of conflict that could Lebanese reactionary front, hut also to weaken the Christian community as a social arena. mobilize the masses of other Arab coun To a large extent the Egyptian govern tries. That is why they refused to get whole by carrying out blind massacres, by ment has traded off its present isolation involved with Camp David, while leaving destroying the conditions necessary for its within the Arab world for strengthened the door ajar. survival and eventually forcing it into a ties with imperialism, with the prospect of The events in Lebanon, on the other massive exodus. long-term support in all fields, and for the hand, have served abrupt notice on all the This in no way means that the Syrian advantage of appearing to the masses to mouthpieces of imperialism who hailed leaders are primarily concerned with de have ended a war that official propaganda Camp David as a triumph for peace, re fending the vital interests and aspirations successfully portrays as the cause of the minding them that a lasting peace will not of the Lebanese and Palestinian masses. economic difficulties and growing impover be achieved piecemeal or through separate The Syrian army intervened in Lebanon to ishment of the overwhelming majority of agreements. In fact, any solution, even block the progressive Lebanese and the the people. partial, touches on the interests of a whole Palestinians from gaining further ground; The Carter adminstration was successful range of forces. And any momentary equil and the intervention was aimed directly in pushing the USSR out of the picture, ibrium runs the risk of being overturned in against them. At this moment, conjunctur- portraying the United States as the only short order. al needs have led the Syrian bourgeoisie to power able to play a decisive role. It also The bourgeois mass media has raised a reverse its tactical orientation, hut it is by preserved and strengthened the traditional howl about the activities of the Syrian no means excluded that it may make other American alliance with Zionism, which army, while trying to make us forget the pirouettes. remains a cornerstone of imperialist strat role played by the reactionary militias of Above all, Assad and company seek egy in the region, while at the same time Chamoun and Gemayel. Those who en a solution that would help stabilize their reconsolidating its links with the largest dorsed all the reprisals of the Zionist regime, and they are not at all opposed to a Arab countries. government and all the massacres against compromise with Israel and the United Among the losers, the biggest is the the Palestinian resistance from Jordan to States, though on different terms than Palestinian movement, which was left out Tell Zaatar have no right to raise their those accepted by Egypt. of the game. Particularly hard hit was the voices in condemnation of the Syrian moderate Arafat leadership, which had bombardment of Beirut. In the final analysis all the indigenous hacked the ministate compromise solution The ones really responsible for the pres and international conservative forces have and has now not only lost the partial ent tragedy, as well as for the tragedies of an interest in seeing the overall thrust of recognition previously won but has also the past thirty years in that part of the Camp David succeed; both Washington been explicitly denied the right to deter world, are the Zionists, the imperialists, and Cairo have staked their hopes on this. mine the fate of the West Bank and the and the representatives of the Arab ruling However, the Palestinian movement still Gaza strip. The empty protests and procla classes. Despite their contradictory inter exists and has not been substantially mations of solidarity from the "steadfast ests, these forces have worked together to weakened by the Israeli aggression last ness front" are meager consolation even prevent the Palestinian people from exer March. Furthermore, the masses in the on the purely propagandistic plane. cising their right to self-determination and occupied territories reject any accords that The second biggest loser is Syria, which to assert their independence. They were trample on their rights, and the Arab

Intercontinental Press ruling classes themselves are divided by This means the immediate withdrawal Palestinians must continue their armed contradictory interests. This means that of Zionist troops from all occupied areas, a struggle independent of every Arab state Camp David and similar accords will have demand that is part of the struggle against and strive to achieve a strategic conver to be imposed, and by the most brutal the Zionist state of Israel; the withdrawal gence of the struggles of the Palestinian methods. That will not be easy, and new of United Nations troops from Lebanon; masses, both inside and outside the occu conflicts are inevitable. In this sense re and the dissolution of the reactionary pied zones, with the struggles of the cent events in Lebanon could be an antici armed gangs of Chamoun and Gemayel. It masses of all the Arab countries against pation of other dramatic developments on also means rejecting any illusions regard imperialism and their native ruling a much larger scale. ing the supposedly progressive role of the classes, and with the coming struggles of The revolutionary-Marxists of the region Sjn-ian army, whose presence in Lebanon the exploited Israeli masses themselves. must continue their determined struggle is intended to serve the interests of the The Lebanese workers, peasants, and for an overall solution to the problem of Syrian bourgeoisie and its ruling group. students must organize their own mass the Middle East demanding, within a That is why Syrian troops must also leave self-defense and must struggle to win or perspective that is both anti-imperialist Lebanon. regain their democratic rights, in order to and anticapitalist, recognition of the right The Lebanese masses and Palestinian totally secularize Lebanon, and to convoke of the Palestinian people to self- militants should not entrust their defense a constituent assembly elected through determination and independence, and the to any imperialist army, whether or not it proportional representation, by a single right of the exploited Arab masses to is camouflaged by the UN flag, nor to any voting list and on a nondenominational organize independently. supposedly national bourgeois army. The basis. □

Mario Vargas Llosa to Head Panel

Peru—Independent Tribunal to Probe Right-Wing Terror

By Fred Murphy

An independent "Anti-Terrorism Tribu The government's initial response was immediately form an Anti-Terrorist Tribunal nal," to be headed by the renowned nove total silence. Almost two .weeks later the that . . . can put together sufficient material in list Mario Vargas Llosa, is being formed in Ministry of the Interior issued a statement order to provide it to the proper authorities and Peru to investigate links between the mil saying that investigations, were under way exhibit it before world public opinion. [Quoted in Equis, September 27.] itary government and a wave of bombings to "identify" the terrorists and that "all and kidnappings aimed at leftists. the weight of the law" would be brought to In late August the homes of Constituent bear. But it failed to mention the names of The editors of Equis quickly joined Ba- Assembly deputies Ricardo Diaz Chavez of the victims or to acknowledge the paramil ella's call, and publicly invited Vargas the UDP and Magda Benavides of the itary character of the September 3 opera Llosa to head such a tribunal. The novelist FOCEP* were bombed, as was the Lima tions. accepted. headquarters of the Revolutionary Marxist In face of the obvious lack of enthusiasm Other members of the tribunal will in Workers Party (POMR). on the regime's part, a number of Lima clude Christian Democratic Constituent On September 3, FOCEP activists Fran magazines and newspapers began to call Assembly Deputy Hector Comejo Chdvez, cisco Santa Cruz and Ricardo Morales for independent investigations. In particu who during 1971-76 was president of the Bermudez and Colombian journalist Ro lar, the weekly Equis announced that it National Council of Justice (Peru's su berto Fanjul were kidnapped outside a would publish all evidence made available preme court); attorney Laura Caller, Peru FOCEP headquarters in downtown Lima. to it and offered a reward equivalent to vian representative of Amnesty Interna Santa Cruz and Morales were released US$1,120 to anyone providing information tional; attorney Genaro Ledesma, FOCEP after several hours, but Fanjul was held on the identity of the kidnappers. president and assembly deputy; UDP Pres for a week and severely tortured. The idea of a tribunal was first raised by ident Alfonso Barrantes Lingdn; and the These kidnappings involved a large Alfonso Baella Tuesta, publisher of the editors or publishers of five of Peru's number of men, some armed with machine conservative weekly El Tiempo. (Baella leading independent periodicals. The latter guns or carrying walkie-talkies, and a was one of the fourteen political figures are Alfonso Baella of El Tiempo, Julio Ca number of vehicles without license plates— and journalists deported by the regime to brera Moreno of Equis, Francisco Iguartua all on the main streets of Lima. Argentina last May.) In a mid-September of Oiga, Ricardo Letts of Marka, and The assailants told Santa Cruz and editorial in El Tiempo, he wrote: Enrique Zileri of Caretas. Morales they were from the "Peruvian The initial members of the tribunal are Anticommunist Alliance" (AAP). They At this moment not a single Peruvian can be reported to be seeking the participation as took credit for the August bombings. When unaware of the brutally tragic truth: there exist they released Fanjul the kidnappers left a in our country one or more organizations that well of former President Jose Bustamante note claiming the journalist was "an Ar enjoy . . . official permission to carry out terror y Rivero and respected Peruvian historian gentine Montonero" and warning that ist attacks. The kidnappings of the Argentine Jorge Basadre. "communists like Hugo Blanco" would be [sic] journalist Fanjul Rodriguez and the extrem When it begins work, the Anti-Terrorism ist militants Santa Cruz and Morales Bermudez "eliminated." Tribunal will already have some evidence provide ample proof of this assertion. The na to work with. Equis has reported that, tionality or political affiliations of the victims according to a number of sources, the make no difference. All human beings deserve to bombings in August were masterminded *UDP—Unidad Democratico-Popular (Demo have their rights respected. . . . cratic People's Unity); FOCEP—Frente Obrero, Individuals from the left and from the right by a military intelligence aide named Luis Campesino, Estudiantil, y Popular (Workers, . . . independently of the public authorities— Alfredo Otoya Avalos, who goes by the Peasants, Students, and People's Front). which either do not want to or cannot act—must nickname "Kung Fu." Otoya is said to be a

November 6, 1978 martial arts instructor and an expert tor terintelligence department of the National kidnapping victims Santa Cruz and Mo turer. He is also widely believed to have Intelligence Service (SIN). rales, and Hugo Blanco. Blanco had also played a role in the September 3 kidnap On the basis of the evidence developed been at tbe FOCEP headquarters on Sep pings. by Equis, criminal complaints are to be tember 3 and might well have been the Also according to Equis, the main orga filed against Otoya, Aliaga, and SIN chief kidnappers' real target. A group of FOCEP nizer of the kidnappings was Inspector Brig. Gen. Juan Schroth Carlln by bomb activists were able to move him to safety Teofilo Aliaga Salazar, chief of the coun- ing victims Benavides and Diaz Chdvez, during the attack. □

Peruvian Trotskyists Take Big Step Toward Unification

By Miguel Fuentes

LIMA—Unification of the Peruvian Two other Peruvian Trotskyist groups peasants for unity in the face of escalating Trotskyist movement has taken a big step also fused recently—the PST and the government attacks on their democratic forward with the formation of the Partido Frente de la Izquierda Revolucionaria— rights and standard of living. Hardly a Revolucionario de los Trabaj adores (PRT— Partido de Obreros y Campesinos (FIR- day goes by without a call from one sector Revolutionary Workers Party). POC—Front of the Revolutionary Left— or another for unifying the workers and Hugo Blanco and other leaders of the Workers and Peasants Party). This new peasants organizations. new group announced at a news confer group has retained the name PST and is to The Peruvian left has been badly splin ence October 11 that five Trotskyist groups publish a newspaper called Bandera Socia tered in recent years. According to an had fused to form the PRT. lista (Socialist Flag—the name of the article in the Lima weekly Marka last May Joining in the unification are the Frente former FIR-POC's paper). 4, there were some thirty-four organiza de la Izquierda Revolucionaria (FIR— These unifications reduce the number of tions that the editors considered part of the Front of the Revolutionary Left), the FIR- Trotskyist currents in Peru to three: the left. This figure included five pro-Moscow IV (FIR-Fourth International), the Grupo PRT and PST, both sympathizing organi or pro-Peking fragments of the Stalinist Combate Socialista (Socialist Struggle zations of the Fourth International; and Communist Party, eight centrist or Maoist Group), the Circulos Natalia Sedova (Na the Partido Obrero Marxista Revoluciona groups that arose from the organization talia Sedova Circles), and the Tendencia rio (POMR—Revolutionary Marxist known as Vanguardia Revolucionaria Pro-Unificacion CTPU—Pro-Unification Workers Party), which is affiliated interna (Revolutionary Vanguard), eight tenden Tendency) of the Partido Socialista de los tionally to the Organizing Committee for cies that trace their history back to the Trabajadores (PST—Socialist Workers the Reconstruction of the Fourth Interna Castroist MIR (Movement of the Revolu Party). The TPU was led by Hugo Blanco. tional. tionary Left), and seven or more groups Three other leaders of the new PRT also Efforts are continuing toward uniting all claiming to be Trotskyist. participated in the news conference: Victo- the Trotskyist groups into a single party. riano Ramirez (FIR), Jorge Lucar Vdzquez The POMR has taken an important initia But of all the currents in the Peruvian (TPU-PST), and trade-union leader Hipo- tive in this direction, calling publicly for left, only the Fourth Internationalists have lito Enriquez. Enriquez is the organization discussions among the three currents to thus far been able to embark on a success secretary of the FETIMP, the principal promote joint work. ful fusion process, thus strengthening their forces relative to those of the centrists and union of Peruvian metalworkers. The process of unification has been The PRT will publish a newspaper called given impetus by the overwhelming senti reformists. Combate Socialista (Socialist Struggle). ment among the Peruvian workers and October 11, 1978 This will replace the paper Revolucidn (Revolution), of which two issues were published to promote the fusion process and explain this development to the Peru vian people. French CP Calls for Halt to Immigration Constituent Assembly deputy Genaro Ledesma hailed the founding of the PRT at The French Communist Party has added worded opposition to "racism and xeno the October 11 news conference. Ledesma its voice to the right-wing chorus calling phobia." But in the context of a virulent is president of the Frente Obrero, Campe- for a clampdown on immigrant workers in propaganda campaign aimed at blaming sino, Estudiantil, y Popular (FOCEP— France. the evils of the capitalist crisis on immi Workers, Peasants, Students, and People's grant workers, such statements are no The CP's parliamentary delegation read thing but window dressing. Front). He said the formation of the PRT a statement in the National Assembly marked an advance toward unity of the October 6 in which it called for "a halt to Replying to Barre—and to even cruder left, and welcomed the PRT's decision to all new immigration." The Stalinist parlia threats by Labor ministry official Lionel work in the FOCEP and help to strengthen mentarians thereby extended a helping Stoleru, who said that "the number of jobs it. hand to Premier Raymond Barre, who, the held by immigrant workers in France will The FOCEP received more votes than previous day, had hinted that the govern diminish even further"—the French Demo any other force on the left in the June 18 ment might refuse to renew the residency cratic Confederation of Labor released a Constituent Assembly elections. Hugo permits of several thousand immigrant communique. The trade-union federation Blanco is also a FOCEP deputy. workers—primarily Algerians, Moroccans, pointed out that "the departure of the Two of the groups involved in the fusion and Tunisians—when they expire in 1980. immigrants is not an answer to unemploy had belonged until recently to another ment, and in fact, has only a slight impact electoral bloc, the Unidad Democratico- To be sure, the CP's statement was on the joh market. On the other hand, such Popular (UDP—Democratic People's couched in references to a "genuine policy statements can only encourage a climate Unity). The UDP is dominated by Maoist of return corresponding to the aspirations of racism and add to the insecurity of the tendencies. of the immigrant workers," and vaguely immigrants."

Intercontinental Press Hits Lowest Level Since Great Depression of 1930s

Why Canadian $ Is Falling Even Faster Than U.S. Greenback

By Richard Fidler

[The following article appeared in the Canada less attractive for investment. oranges, refrigerators, cars, and anything October 16 issue of Socialist Voice, a "In an initial attempt to reverse these else that comes into the country. And it revolutionary-socialist fortnightly pub- trends, the Trudeau government made a means paying more for goods produced lished in Toronto.] fundamental shift in strategy in the fall of inside the country, since most domestic 1975. First, the repressive power of the industries have to import expensive com- state was mobilized to put a ceiling on ponents. "The Canadian dollar has fallen to less wage increases throughout the economy. "In addition, the lower dollar value than 85 cents (U.S.), its lowest level in 45 "The essential goals of the wage controls increases the cost of servicing the foreign years. It now costs 22 cents more to pur- program were to hold down labor costs, debt. Under Trudeau's leadership, govern- chase a U.S. dollar than it did two years substantially boost profits, and stimulate a ments have moved to meet these increased ago—and 89 percent more to buy the new wave of capital investment. The first costs through higher taxes on workers and Japanese yen or Swiss franc. goal was successfully achieved, the second more cutbacks in social services. "The dollar's decline hits consumers only partially, and the third failed to mate- "Devaluation has already pushed the hard. For example, the increased cost of rialize. inflation rate to almost 10 percent, while imported fruits and vegetables has helped Second, the government sought to main- wage gains have been restricted to 4 to 6 boost food prices by more than 17 percent tain a high level of investment by keeping percent—resulting in a sharp drop in real during the past year, a key factor in interest rates high enough to attract for- wages. Thus Trudeau's "anti-inflation" thrusting inflation rates toward double- eign capital. The resulting high demand program achieved its main goal—lower digit levels. for the Canadian dollar in foreign ex- wages—through renewed inflation! "The drooping dollar reflects the declin- change and investment markets main- "But it has failed to carry Canada out of ing competitive position of the Canadian tained it above the U.S. rate. Goods from the slump. There is no guarantee that economy in the face of rising trade rivalry the United States could thus be imported higher profits on Canadian commodity from other capitalist countries, especially relatively cheaply. The price of imported exports will mean increased production the United States. And speculation against goods did not rise at all during the first and employment. In all major capitalist the dollar in international currency year of controls. This factor, not wage countries the prospect is one of stagnation markets reflects declining confidence controls, is what caused the inflation rate and slump. The United States, which among investors in the government's abil- to drop to 6 percent in 1976. accounts for more than two-thirds of Cana- ity to 'manage the economy,' that is, "But this was achieved at the cost of a da's exports, is heading for a new down- guarantee profit rates. This concern is balance of payments crisis: the huge vol- turn in 1979. compounded by Canada's political insta- ume of foreign money brought in at high "For millions of working people, the bility, particularly the mounting struggle interest rates required even larger outflows weakness of the Canadian dollar means of the Quebecois for national liberation of Canadian dollars for repayments and more inflation, more unemployment, and a and independence. interest. Canada has borrowed $16 billion declining standard of living—all in the "Ironically, the weakness of the dollar abroad in the last four years. Most of the name of capitalist rationalization. D originates partially in the very conditions borrowing today is simply to pay back that made Canada an exception to trends interest and dividends for previous loans among major capitalist countries in the and investments. early 1970s. While other capitalist econo- Moreover, the overvalued dollar made mies were slowing down, Canada's ex- Canadian exports relatively expensive, panded, owing to the boom in world prices undermining their competitiveness, for fuel and raw materials. The election of the Parti Quebecois gov- Still Available "But the steep rise in resource prices emment in November 1976, following on tended to mask a decline in the volume of the heels of the October 14 cross-country Complete Back Files (Unbound) exports. In fact, Canada's share of world strike of one million workers against wage Intercontinental Press trade has been declining for more than a controls, increased the uneasiness felt by decade. market analysts and investors. Demand 1967 42 issues (1,072 pages) $25 "And high resource prices, affecting for the Canadian dollar fell sharply. Gov- 1968 44 issues (1,176 pages) $25 about half of Canada's goods and manu- ernments and private investors moved to 1969 43 issues (1,152 pages) $25 factoring output, also gave rise to a strong get rid of their holdings of Canadian 1970 43 issues (1,120 pages) $25 inflationary push. dollars, increasing the supply on the 1971 45 issues (1,128 pages) $25 "The combativity of Canadian workers market. The result was a fall in the dollar's 1972 47 issues (1,448 pages) $25 kept them abreast of the steep inflation in exchange value. 1973 46 issues (1,520 pages) $25 the early 1970s, and even slightly ahead of "The Trudeau government then reversed 1974 47 issues (1,888 pages) $25 it. In 1974 workers in both Quebec and policy and allowed the dollar to fall during 1975 47 issues (1,888 pages) $35 English Canada waged a round of success- 1977. This increased the profits of compa- 1976 49 issues (1,888 pages) $35 ful strikes and struggles for the reopening nies that specialize in exports, especially 1977 48 issues (1,456 pages) $35 of contracts to negotiate cost-of-living pro- resources industries. MacMillan Bloedel, visions. This combativity, coupled with the for example, estimates that every time the P.O. Box 116 effects of Nixon's wage freeze in the U.S., Canadian dollar drops one cent it nets an Varick Street Station contributed to a relative decline in the extra $2.5 million in profits. But the falling New York, N.Y. 10014 wage gap with American workers, making dollar also increased the prices we pay for

November 6, 1978 1225 What the By-Elections Showed

France Since the Defeat of the Union of the Left

By Pierre Frank

Six months have now gone hy since the As a result of the electoral defeat, the relating to the hours of work (such as the defeat of the Union of the Left in the prospect of a Union of the Left government demand for a thirty-five-hour workweek), March 1978 legislative elections. After the has disappeared, and along with it, for the the minimum wage, and equal raises for masses had heen looking forward for years moment, any convincing perspective for all. Such demands could focus the battles to a victory and after the Union of the Left the workers. One of the results of this is being fought by the masses toward a did win a majority of the vote in the March that demonstrations have become few in generalized struggle in the relatively near 1977 municipal elections, discord erupted number and small. But this does not mean future. between the Communist and Socialist par that nothing is happening. Neither the CP nor the SP nor the union ties. It grew sharper day hy day in the In August and September, hy-elections federations (CGT, CFDT, F0^ FEN®) has months preceding the legislative elec were held to fill the seats of five deputies an orientation like that, despite the fact tions. whose election in March had heen ruled that a strong aspiration for unity is being This conflict assumed such proportions invalid by the Constitutional Council. A expressed in the struggles that are going that by the time of the elections, the Union CP member was elected in a Paris suburb. on now and was also confirmed hy the of the Left and its "Common Program" Two SP members were elected in the results of the recent elections. seemed to the voters to be no more than an provinces (one in Pas de Calais and the The hy-elections were rich in lessons empty shell. other in Gers, that is, in the North and about the evolution of the relations be Since that time, the CP and the SP have South). Two members of the ruling coali tween the two big workers parties and the not maintained any direct relations.^ The tion were elected. In a district in the East, working masses. In the Paris suburbs, the CP has been conducting a constant cam the chairman of the Radical Party [the SP decided not to run a candidate against paign against the SP. The SP has re party of President Giscard d'Estaing] was the CP deputy whose election had been sponded, although it has picked up the elected. A Gaullist, Chirac's® right-hand- invalidated. In return, in the South, the CP guantlet less frequently than the CP has man, was elected in Paris. did not run a candidate against an SP laid it down, in such a way as to present So, these elections were representative of deputy whose election had heen quashed. itself as the offended party. the various regions in the country and In both cases, these deputies were returned These recent allies have heen hurling answered a number of questions about the with an increased vote. half truths, along with small and big lies, mood of the population today and the In the other districts, both the CP and at each other. The CGT and the CFDT^ attitude of the masses to the CP and the SP ran candidates, including in Pas de have had less venomous interchanges and SP. Calais, where the election of an SP deputy have met together, but they no longer One fact stands out. In every case, the had been invalidated. In their campaigns, conduct joint actions, except where they candidates of the ruling coalition parties the CP candidates came out with the same are forced to do so locally or in certain lost a relatively large number of votes. The sort of attacks against their SP rivals as industries hy struggles in which their two majority deputies who had to stand I'Humanite [the CP organ] has heen members are involved. Even when cir again were severely defeated. Where they hurling at this party every day in several cumstances bring pressure to bear for had had small absolute majorities a few of its columns. operation, the national federations do not months before, they got only 41 to 46 In working-class districts in particular, always accede to this. percent of the vote. the CP sought to stem the advance of the In September, the meeting of the general So, these elections have shown that SP and if possible restore the old situation secretaries of the two federations con Giscard and Barre's policy is condemned in which it could boast of being "the cluded with a cynical registering of dis by the population and that mass discon leading left party." agreement and a refusal to organize a joint tent is growing. Such discontent is being One initial conclusion can be drawn counterattack against phase III of the fanned by mounting unemployment, per from the election results. In every case Barre government's austerity plan. sistent inflation, rising costs of public where there was a runoff, the single candi services, and the absence of restraints on date got all the votes that had heen cast 1. The parasitic character of the Mouvement des the prices of industrial products and the for the SP and CP separately in the first Radicaux de Gauche [Movement of Left Radi prospect of this for the prices of all servi round. In other words, goaded hy the cals, the bourgeois component of the Union of ces. Some bourgeois politicians are begin government's policy, the workers' desire the Left] was clearly shown immediately after ning to show uneasiness about the govern and hope to see these parties unite in the elections. The chairman of this party, Robert ment's policy. They are trying insofar as action remains unabated. At present the Fabre, broke with the left alliance on the very possible to clear themselves of responsibil workers can see no solution to the situa night of election day and wasted no time in ity for it but not to change it. tion with which they have been confronted accepting a "commission" from the president of The small number of strikes nowadays, by the government except in the frame the republic. The Left Radicals who have main tained their ties with the SP do so only because which are often hard fought hut seldom work of such unity. they could not be elected without its support. very long lasting, reflects the demoraliza However, another conclusion can be They remain faithful to the cardinal principle of tion of the masses following the election all Radicals—sell out for what you can get. defeat. Besides being a consequence of the 4. Force Ouvriere (Labor Force, a right-wing lack of political perspective, this is a result 2. Confederation Generate du Travail (General Social Democratic- and syndicalist-led splitoff Confederation of Labor, the CP-controlled federa of the failure of the workers organizations from the CGT). to unite around broad common demands tion). Confederation Fran^aise Democratique du 5. Federation de I'Education Nationale (Na Travail (French Democratic Confederation of tional Education Federation, a union representa Labor, an independent federation of Catholic 3. Mayor of Paris and leader of the right-wing tive of all teachers and not split along party origins but now associated with the SP). Gaullists. lines.

Intercontinental Press drawn from these elections. In every case defeat of the alliance, because it was left were discussing some points and had a in which there was a contest between the facing the fundamental problem of how is right to hold opinions contrary to his. CP and the SP, it was the SP that gained it going to get into the government if the This adjustment, which changed no and the CP that lost.® The extent of the CP keeps on playing its old tricks or if the thing about the party's general line, espe gains and losses varied according to dis threat of the CP reverting to this remains cially as regards the SP, was obviously trict, but the trend was constant, and there hanging over its head. designed to reassure those party members was nothing accidental about it. This was Up till now, no one in the SP has who feared that the attacks on the SP were not the first time since the Union of the proposed seeking a political deal with any the result of an abandonment of the "line Left was established in 1972, moreover, formation in the government coalition, or of the Twenty-Second Congress."' Such a that this tendency has shown up. even giving up the idea of a "Union of the readjustment could have no effect on the On the occasion of the 1973 legislative Left." On this point, only the form and masses who vote for the CP. elections, the CP had already noted that political content of such an alliance are In view of the results of the recent by- the SP was gaining the most from the open to discussion. Any other course of elections, the CP leadership wanted to take accord between the two parties. This fact action would mean returning to a "third- advantage of the September 27-28 Central was confirmed by the 1974 by-elections, force" policy in the style of Guy Mollet, Committee plenum to answer in advance and the CP had for some time been mak which would lead immediately to a halt in the questions that might be raised. The ing fruitless attacks on the SP. The 1977 the SP's electoral advances or even to the reporter for the Political Bureau, Fiterman, municipal elections not only reconfirmed loss of everything the SP has gained found that the results "give real cause for the trend but showed that the CP was during its alliance with the CP. worry." He recognized that there was an losing both on its right, to the SP, and on The SP's internal problems today have "erosion" of the Communist vote, that its left, to the far-left candidates. tended to focus around personalities. Des "some Communist voters abstained," and pite the role he played in the SP's spectacu some even "voted for the right." It was after the 1977 elections that the lar resurgence after 1971, Mitterrand finds Fiterman's explanation for the develop CP began to make a "left" turn in its himself being challenged, although this is ments he took note of can be summed up language, but not its politics, and to con still being done in a cautious way. The top as follows: The SP is pursuing a "kind of duct a furious campaign against the SP, echelons of the party are all in a tizzy over strategy of double dealing" designed to which led to the well-known results in who is going to "succeed" Mitterrand. He "gather together the most diverse kinds of March 1978. could hardly run for president of the repub malcontents with the most contradictory Why is the CP losing votes in the present lic a third time after losing twice. This interests." The "ruling right" is assisting circumstances when there is growing mass struggle is going to have to take a more or this operation, notably by means of the discontent, and why is its offensive less clear form in the coming year around mass media. The Communist voters were against the SP not bringing any results? the upcoming SP congress. found wanting because they misjudged the Without going into any long explanations, In the case of the CP, everyone re "conditions for change"—that is, first of the following can be said; members the wave of questioning that all, the need for a strong Communist 1. Made in the exaggerated form that arose following the elections and contin Party—and because they failed to under they are, the CP's accusations against the ued to the summer vacations.' In the stand "the grave responsibility" borne by SP are not convincing, even when they are course of these debates, the leadership the SP in the defeat of the Union of the true or at least partly true. adjusted its line in order to regain a firm Left. grip on the party. Just before the end of There's a real Stalinist explanation for 2. Large sections of the masses, even the summer vacations, it brought out a you! The bourgeois are acting like bour those who still vote Communist, see the CP book by some of its in-house intellectuals geois, the Social Democrats like Social as particularly responsible for the present entitled L'URSS et nous ["The USSR and Democrats, and the Communist voters do division. Us"]. not understand this, and so they are not 3. The CP concentrates exclusively on Publication of this book was intended to voting for the CP anymore. Thus, what criticizing the SP but it has not offered any show the membership that the leadership happened is the fault of someone else, even policy really different from that of the SP. was not retreating on the question of the of the workers. The CP's line remains In these circumstances, except for those Soviet Union but rather was taking a few above criticism. who blindly follow the CP—and their steps forward in differentiating itself from Nonetheless, the CP leadership must numbers are diminishing—the SP seems to the USSR, while not breaking with it.® At have realized that its explanations were be in the best position to rally the largest the same time, Marchais was saying pub rather weak. Fiterman made them in a number of voters behind it and win the licly that there were no "questioners" in short section, less than a tenth, of his most seats in parliament. So, people vote the party but only a few "comrades" who report, which overall was distinquished by for the SP as the best means of making its tone of French nationalist boosterism. their votes "count," not because it has a It was very much wrapped in the "colors of better policy. 7. See "The Crisis in the French Communist France.""' Despite its electoral successes, the SP Party," Intercontinental Press/Inprecor, July 3, In his speech concluding the plenum, could not fail to feel the impact of the 1978, p. 795. Marchais did not say a single word about the election results. So, it is not impossible 8. While the CP leadership has been obliged to modify its political positions with regard to the that after a while we will see other "expla 6. The most symptomatic setback for the CP Soviet Union, it has done so without departing nations" and new adjustments of the line. came in Paris. Since the Tours split in 1920[the from typically Stalinist methods. It ordered the For the moment the CP is continuing its break of the supporters of the Russian revolution publication of a book to present its new posi incantations. from the Social Democrats, leading to the forma tions. But in doing this, not only did it say The Communist Party has postponed its tion of the Communist Party], the CP has held a nothing about the books that opposed its old congress until May 1979. So, we will see if dominant position in the Paris region. And the positions. It didn't even say anything about between now and then it makes any altera CP held the district in question before it was those books in which the old positions were tions in its line. And we will see whether, taken by a Gaullist candidate twenty years ago. presented. Sayers, Kahn, Figueres and the like In March, the SP candidate had only a 500-vote have become unauthors, "unpersons." Hence 9. The congress that formally made the "Euro- lead on the CP candidate. This time, although forth, for CP members, there is only one book on communist" turn.—/F/i several Political Bureau members campaigned the Soviet Union, L'URSS et nous. It is the sole for the CP candidate, the SPer got a lead of repository of the truth, and they should not look 10. The French CP says that it is in favor of a approximately 2,600 votes in the first round. anywhere else. socialism in the "colors of France."—IP/1

November 6, 1978 insofar as the CP's internal regime permits mains fundamentally intact. that were posed during the election cam this, although it is now somewhat less The conflict between the leaderships of paign, that is, the need for socialism today, rigid, criticisms of the line are expressed. the two big parties now tends to inhibit the how to get there, what form a socialist In the immediate situation, despite the militancy of the workers. But in the long system should take from the outset, and efforts of the SP and CP leaderships to run it seems likely that it will help to other such questions. These questions may send their memberships off on false trails, weaken the hold that these parties have on seem to have been pushed into the back both big workers parties have largely the masses and reinforce the tendencies of ground by the accusations the CP and the turned in on themselves as a result of their the masses to undertake actions that will SP have been hurling at each other. But common electoral defeat. But, as everyone be less easily containable by the SP and they have not disappeared. They have not in France recognizes, the situation in the CP leaderships. As a result, revolutionary lost their force. And the capitalists' policy country is deteriorating. activists will have greater possibilities to will bring these questions hack into the The president, the premier, and the gain a hearing. forefront with still greater impact. bosses in the CNPF [Conseil National du The fact that the Union of the Left did The doubts about the leaderships that Patronat Frangais—National Council of not achieve an electoral victory in March underlay the debates on these questions French Employers] are exploiting their does not mean that the masses have gone can only grow. Circumstances may force victory over the Union of the Left to the through their experience with this forma the SP and the CP, under the pressure of hilt. They are not hesitating to tighten the tion. Their experience with the Union of the masses, to come to a new understand screws, and they do not seem worried that the Left is still incomplete. It would cer ing. But when that happens, the leaders the vise may break. They are even turning tainly have been better if they had been are not going to be able to just say "let's a deaf ear to the warnings from Bergeron, able to go through the experience of a kiss and make up, and all is forgotten." secretary general of Force Ouvriere, who Union of the Left government, which The masses no longer have the sort of could hardly be suspected of wanting to would have enabled them to see clearly the illusions they had at the time of the make trouble. impotence and bankruptcy of reformism. Popular Front government. They have Conditions right now certainly do not However, the break in the Union of the already raised embarrassing questions for encourage the masses to undertake large Left that blocked an electoral victory was the leaderships. And they will look on any scale and prolonged actions. But the grow carried out and has been continued in future deal between the SP and the CP ing unemployment and the attacks on the conditions that are, nonetheless, very edu with greater distrust and tend more workers' standard of living cannot fail in cational for the activists and for the strongly to go beyond the line of these

the long run to provoke a counterattack by masses. parties. the working class, whose combativity re Let us recall the big political questions October 2, 1978

Say 'No' to Giscard and Barre's Austerity Program!

[The following statement was issued ous struggles, and especially the defeat of the French bourgeoisie seeks to strengthen October 8 by the Central Committee of the the Union of the Left—the combativity of its positions relative to its imperialist Ligue Communiste R6volutionnaire (Revo the workers remains at a high level and competitors. It knows it cannot do this lutionary Communist League), French sec there is still massive opposition to the without lowering the workers' standard of tion of the Fourth International. The government. living. translation and footnotes are by Intercon 1. Phase III of the Barre [austerity] plan 2. To strike while the iron is hot, Giscard tinental Press/Inprecor.] is not simply the 1.5 million unemployed and Barre intend to exploit their slim and the more than 10% rise in prices. It victory in the second round of the legisla includes the rise in layoffs and factory tive elections and the bowing and scraping Eight months after the March elections, closings that hits entire branches and in the direction of the Elysee Palace by the the political situation in France is charac regions. It means the taking back of gains leaders of the workers organizations. Of terized by: and benefits previously won by the work course there is dissension within the par • The brutality of a bourgeois offensive ing class (the forty-hour week, minimum liamentary majority—regarding Europe that not only increases both unemploy wage, 90% Social Security, job-related and the budget for example—which flared ment and inflation, but also directly health care, grievance procedures), a pro up the day after the by-elections. But the threatens a number of gains previously cess in which the government tries to RPR' is on the defensive. It does not have won by workers; directly involve the trade-union leader serious disagreements with the govern • The fact that the working-class re ships through contractual negotiations. It ment's social policy. And while it tries to sponse is stymied by political and trade- includes the increase in "repatriation aid," make some noise, in order not to drop out union divisions and by the class- or in other words, the sending back of tens of sight, the RPR does not at this time collaborationist orientation of the of thousands of immigrant workers; and have the resources to carry out an indepen bureaucratic leaderships, which together the generalization of part-time work to dent program. Its only seeming weapon, represent the main obstacle to the deepen hide the unemployment among women. It its ability to turn the government into a ing and coordination of struggles. is also a policy of increased cuts in public minority in parliament, is actually its The strikes that have taken place since services, and worse working conditions principal weakness. This weapon would March 19 in important sectors (Sante, and job security in the entire public sector, backfire against it if the anticipated elec Moulinex, Renault, Arsenaux, SNCF [the such as at the SNCF, the PTT [post office tions had to be held. At this point there is railroads], etc.) and the results of the by- and telephone], and in the national educa nothing pushing the RPR to carry out this elections confirm that the working class tion system. remains mobilized. Despite the effects of But the real Barre Plan is yet to be 1. Rassemblement pour la Republique (Assembly the economic crisis—the existence of 1.5 revealed. To counter the effects of the for the Republic, rightist party led by Paris million unemployed, the defeat of numer international capitalist economic crisis. Mayor Jacques Chirac).

Intercontinental Press dangerous course. The bourgeoisie is clos only answer corresponding to the gravity education system. ing ranks behind the austerity plan. of the situation. In all these struggles workers democracy 3. The recent by-elections (Saint-Denis, The leaders of the unions and of the is a weapon against division. Only Gers, Pas-de-Calais, Nancy, Paris XIV) workers parties have turned their backs on decision-making general assemblies and have special national significance—they this perspective, cultivating division, div elected strike committees that are responsi were a dramatic rejection of the govern iding up the struggles, and signing con ble to the assemblies can assure a united ment and its austerity policy. While reject tracts that ratify the giving up of gains thrust to the struggle, while ensuring that ing the war of attrition foisted on them by previously won. the existing differences do not serve as an the leaders of the SP and CP, the workers The CFDT is asking the workers to limit alibi to justify passivity. This fight for voted without hesitation for these parties their sights to demands that are "accessi strike committees can be carried out only if to assure the defeat of the bourgeois candi ble through union activity" and, in the it is combined with a fight for the unity of dates. This confirms the gap between the name of the "deep differences," rejects any union organizations. majority in terms of seats in the Assembly joint initiatives with other trade-union The example of the united struggle of the and the real majority of living forces in federations while at the same time prais Elastelle workers, which won the support this country—the workers, the young, and ing plant-by-plant action. of a large number of union locals in Puy, the toiling population. The GOT"' accuses the CFDT of not clearly shows what can happen in numer It also highlights an evolution in the opposing the government firmly enough, ous other plants. In the course of their political relationship of forces within the and of rejecting every initiative for united struggle, by addressing an "open letter" to workers movement. The decline in votes action. But, in turn, its leadership signs Maire, Seguy,® Bergeron'' and Henry® ask for the Communist Party and the major the worst contracts. It left it up to the CP ing that they jointly respond to the gain for the Socialist Party are not simply to organize, in its own name, both the workers' needs and prepare a general an extension of a tendency that was at August 29 meeting of plants threatened strike, and by formulating the unifying work before the elections. Among many with closing and the October 11 demon demands needed for such a joint move working-class voters who traditionally stration in front of the National Assembly. ment, the Elastelle workers gave expres support the CP it signified two things; The only initiative the CGT announced sion to a deep aspiration of the great mass • A desire to make the CP pay for the regarding the new session of the Assembly of workers. At the same time they com special responsibility it bore in the elec was a national CGT day a week before . . . bined this national call with a fight for toral defeat of the Union of the Left its convention! local interunion committees, for coordina through its threats of blackmail in the 5. The general strike is, however, the tion of locals in all the plants engaged in second round;^ only perspective open to the working class struggle (tanneries, textile), and for a • A rejection of the sectarian policy the if it wants to put an end to the austerity. general assembly of all the unemployed CP is carrying out today in no longer Nothing would be more dangerous in the and laid-off workers in the region. attacking the majority except through the present situation than a false "realism" 6. That is what leads the LCR to put intermediary of the SP, and in rejecting that leads the workers to retreat back to forward the following perspective in re every proposal for unity against the em their plants, contenting themselves with sponse to the needs of the workers: ployers' and government's austerity. "objectives within their reach." Some • Today the main obstacle to the deveh The SP leadership, by cultivating the working-class militants might be tempted opment and coordination of struggles is appearance of being the injured party with to yield to this in the absence of immediate the division in the ranks of the workers respect to the CP's denunciations, has perspectives. But in fact this would give a that is maintained by the leaderships of been able at little cost to cloak itself in an free hand to the policy of the union federa the CP and SP and is carried further by image of advocating unity. Even while tions and would leave the field clear for the the CGT, CFDT, FO, and FEN union openly discussing the best way to adminis offensive of the employers and the govern federations to further their policy of class ter the austerity and defending the con ment. collaboration. tracts being negotiated, and while playing If a general strike is not now in the • Unity of the unions and the workers' its part in maintaining the divisions in wings, it is brewing. parties is needed to carry out a plan of concert with the CP's sectarianism and And the struggles that have taken place action against layoffs, for a thirty-five Edmond Maire's^ rejection of every move since the opening of the new session of the hour week without a decrease in pay, for a toward united trade-union action, the SP Assembly have shown how it has been 2,500 franc minimum wage, a 300-franc was able to turn to its benefit the deep possible to move forward in this direction: wage increase for all, and a sliding scale of desire of working-class voters to close • At the SNCF, by preparing a renewa wages. To pave the way for this we need a ranks against the bourgeois offensive. ble general strike involving all branches, mobilization that starts with interunion 4. In face of a general attack, what is rather than fragmenting the action by activity within the plants and localities, needed is a unified response by the entire departments. that bases itself on local and regional working class. The general strike is the • In the Lorraine steel mills, by carry coordinating committees, on the centrali ing out a massive strike right after the zation of the plants struggling against defeat of Servan-Schreiber,^ rather than layoffs, laying the basis for a general 2. French elections are held in two rounds. In the stopping the struggle at Sollac-Sacilor strike to defeat the austerity plans. event that no candidate for a given post wins an when it was starting up at Solmer and • Any generalization of the struggles absolute majority, a runoff is held in which all Usinor. will inevitably lead to a confrontation with candidates who gained 12.5 percent or more of • In the school system, by pushing this government and its unrepresentative the vote are eligible to run. Traditionally, the Assembly. To win their demands, the parties of the left agree well in advance to toward the coordination of the schools workers will have to compel the majority withdraw on the second round in favor of the where struggles were going on in order to workers party candidate with the highest vote prepare a general strike in the entire workers parties to break with the bourgeoi total, so as not to fragment the working-class sie and form a SP-CP government. □ vote. In this year's election, the Communist 4. Confederation Gmerale du Travail (CGT— Party threatened up until a week before the General Confederation of Labor, led by the CP). 6. Head of the CGT. second-round vote that it might not withdraw in 5. A supporter of French President Giscard 7. Head of the labor federation Force Ouvriere favor of Socialist Party candidates. d'Estaing's austerity policy, Jean-Jacques (FO—Labor Force). 3. Head of the Confederation Fran?aise Demo- Servan-Schreiber was overwhelmingly defeated 8. Head of the Federation de I'Education Natio- cratique du Travail (CFDT—French Democratic in a September 24 by-election by the SP candi nale (FEN—National Education Federation, Confederation of Labor, associated with the SP). date, steelworker Yves Tondon. France's largest teachers union).

November 6, 1978 A Worker in a Worker's State

Reviewed by Will Reissner

This short book, by a thirty-three-year- piecework wages as a valid form of pay Hungarian society through some of the old Budapest sociologist and poet, was ment in the transitional period between asides in the book. The collective agree more accurately entitled Piece Rates in socialism and communism, Haraszti's ment between the union and management Hungarian. It was commissioned in 1972 study clearly shows that piecework wages at the plant, for example, was described by by a Budapest publisher who wanted a have the same dehumanizing effects in a one worker in these terms: "It states every book on working conditions. noncapitalist system as they do under thing we have to put up with, except for Miklos Haraszti got a job as a machinist capitalism. what it doesn't state." Haraszti notes that in a tractor factory, and this study de Workers at the Red Star Tractor Factory he needed his foreman's permission to look scribes the effects of working in a plant find themselves in a vicious circle. In order at a copy of the agreement. where wages are directly determined on a The union plays little role in the lives of piecework basis. the workers. Noting that "enthusiastic Haraszti's publisher rejected the manu A Worker in a Worker's State by Miklos press and TV commentaries burst with script as being "hostile" to the state, and Haraszti (New York: Universe Books, solidarity for the union-led wage struggles Haraszti was later arrested for circulating 1978). $7.95, 175 pp. Trans, by Michael in the West," Haraszti comments that "our copies to other publishers and to friends. Wright. unions do not seem to compare favorably." In a 1974 trial the author received a Judging by this study, the Communist suspended eight-month sentence and a Party also seems to play little role in the heavy fine. to earn a living wage,they must find ways daily life of the workers. There are only This was not the author's first brush to increase their rate of production beyond occasional references to membership being with the authorities. After helping to es the norms posted for the work. They do a ticket up the ladder. tablish a Vietncim Solidarity Committee at this by sacrificing quality to quantity, by The marginal comments about women in the University of Budapest in 1965, he was working two machines at once, and by the factory speak volumes about their expelled from the university a year later. disregarding the most elemental safety status in Hungary. In this plant women In 1968 he was placed under a form of considerations. Every minute "wasted" by are concentrated in clerical and unskilled house arrest for having some contact with concem over safety or by attampts to jobs. Discussing new semiautomatic mill a Hungarian Maoist circle. achieve optimal quality means fewer items ing machines, Haraszti comments that Although unions in capitalist countries produced and thus less money earned. they are all operated by women. "Then- have long opposed payment on the basis of But as workers increase their production, wages are so low that no man would take piece work, in the workers states of East- they find that in time the pajrment per the job." em Europe and the Soviet Union this form piece is reduced and they must find new Although piecework wages are designed of payment is widely used to spur workers ways to produce even more in order to to give each worker an incentive to maxim on to increase production, since a worker's maintain their wages at the old levels. ize individual production, and although pay is directly related to the amount of The effect, as Haraszti points out, is that they do result in the self-imposed dehu goods produced. "my work-mates have long since given up manizing, breakneck pace of work, Ha Although the bureaucrats who run the the idea of their labour producing useful raszti asks, "Does the norm really get the societies in Eastern Europe often defend goods of high quality." Piecework wages, most out of us?" he notes, kill "in the worker—who creates He points out that those who set the everything—the instinct for good work." norms do not understand the actual pro In order to try to maintain any quality cesses of production or the tricks of the standards, the factory management must trade. And the workers hide these tricks resort to quality inspectors who can reject from management to protect themselves pieces produced by the workers. But, as from further increases. one older worker explains to the author, if As one worker notes, "production would the workers weren't forced to cheat on get along much better if we had a say in norms and on quality in order to produce fixing the norms." And quality control enough to make a living wage "inspectors would not have to be imposed from the would be redundant." The worker, Ha outside. But under piecework, those who raszti points out, "would like to be a man develop the norms in the fi-ont office "can't of quality without inspectors." count on any information coming firom us, Because this study was written for a who actually operate the machine." Hungarian audience, many aspects of a What is needed, the author points out, is worker's life that would be of interest to a for the whole process of production to be non-Hungarian, such as what the wages of brought under the control of the workers. these workers wall buy, what social bene "The first goal of a technical science under \ fits they have, and so forth, are not dis the control of the workers," he states, cussed. "would be an increase in production that MIKLOS HARASZTI But we catch a glimpse of aspects of reduced the amount of work necessary to

Intercontinental Press bring it about." any area of life would raise inevitable ocratic goals still remain to be achieved. But rather than solve questions of pro questions about why direct workers' con Also to be noted is the fact that the duction and quality through workers' con trol shouldn't be extended to all areas of congress put its stamp of approval on the trol of production and planning, the Hun life in a workers' state. And such direct policy of family planning and population control could only end in the abolition of garian Stalinist regime resorts to control that now seems to have been piecework and quality inspectors, for to the special privileges the bureaucrats now definitely adopted by the Chinese leaders. give workers control over production in eniov. □ Its goal is to reduce the rate of population growth to less than 1 percent within three years. Finally, Rang's report also sets forth the The Practice of Buying Brides Has Reappeared' norms that should prevail in male-female relations and in family life. "Young men and women should not base their love on the pursuit of money and material things but on working for common revolutionary objectives."^ As for the family, it should Chinese Women Still Face Long March belong to the "new type"; "The household should be managed industriously and By Livio Maitan thriftily. Men and women should be equal and should share the housework. Elderly people should be respected and well taken As part of its effort to achieve a political social education be closely intertwined care of, and the children educated by their and organizational "normalization," the with family upbringing. parents. A family should discuss things The most interesting feature of the re new Chinese ruling group convened the together and contradictions should be dem Fourth Congress of the National Women's port was the picture it gave of the prob ocratically settled through discussions. Federation on September 8-17. lems still facing a considerable number of The feudal patriarchal style of behaviour The first three congresses were held at Chinese women: and selfish bourgeois ideas must be thor regular and fairly close intervals—in 1949, "For some years, because of interference oughly done away with."^ 1953, and 1957. Then, thanks to a bureau from Lin Piao and the 'gang of four,' the cratic tradition that was also responsible practice of buying brides and arranging Worthwhile though this advice may be, for the fact that no party congresses were marriages reappeared in some places, we should not overlook the fact that no held from 1956 to 1969, no other national while bourgeois and feudal ideas began to mention is made of the family's future as women's gatherings were organized. This spread and cases of oppression of women an institution. The perspective seems to be did not keep Rang Ke-ching, widow of Chu have been reported. . . . We should publi to perpetuate the nuclear family in a Teh, from giving a report on behalf of an cize the idea of marriage based on the free "reformed" version. Meanwhile, a number Executive Committee elected twenty-one will of both parties, and encourage reason of other issues raised by the women's years ago! able late marriage. Couples are encour liberation movement around the world Some 2,000 delegates (belonging to fifty aged to observe frugality in arranging seem to have been ignored as well. different nationalities, according to the wedding celebrations and all venal mar In China, "one-half of heaven" still has official summary) attended the congress riages or arbitrary arrangements by others a long road to travel. □ and unanimously approved the report, a should be opposed."^ new set of statutes, and the slate of 300 In other words, certain elementary, dem- candidates for the new executive commit tee. In her report. Rang restated the main 2. Ibid., pp. 10-11. points of the current leadership's line (referring in particular to the decisions of the Eleventh Congress and the Fifth Na tional Assembly). She then went on to explain that "in the course of striving for the four modernizations [of agriculture, industry, national defense, and science and technology], material and technical conditions will be continuously provided for bringing about the socialization and modernization of household chores; this will in turn progressively free women for production work and continuously provide reinforcements for realizing the four mod ernizations.' Address In addition. Rang joined in the ritual denunciation of the "gang of four," thank ing the Central Committee of the Chinese CP, and Chairman Hua, for having cured Country the youth—who had come under the harm ful influence of the notorious "gang" as □ $24 enclosed for one-year subscription. well as of the "traitor Lin Piao"—of their □ $12 enclosed for six-month subscription. illusions. She urged that academic and □ Send information about first-class and airmail rates. Intercontinental Press/Inprecor, P.O. Box 116, Village Sta., New York, N.Y. 10014 1. Peking Review, September 29, 1978, pp. 9-10.

November 6, 1978 Armed Guards and Barbed Wire Keep Unions Out

Gulf & Western's 'Slave Labor Camp' in Dominican Republic

By Susan Wald

Imagine working at a job where the But the country's inhabitants do not The AFL-CIO leadership correctly sees maximum pay is thirty-four cents an hour, share in this fabulous wealth. Per capita the lahor practices of U.S. corporations in where unpaid overtime is common, where income is about $700 a year. In 1972, it neocolonial countries like the Dominican seniority is nonexistent and you can be was estimated that only 11 percent of the 5 Republic as a reflection of their stepped-up fired at any time with no reasons given. If million Dominicans drink milk, 4 percent drive for profits in the face of increased you are thrown out of work, or disabled by eat meat, and 2 percent eat eggs. international competition. And they cor an injury, you are left to fend for yourself. The industrial free zone system is de rectly see it as part of a worldwide trend And if you try to organize a union, you're signed to keep things this way. aimed at forcing a rollback of wages and likely to lose your job, at best—or, at worst, La Romana has the appearance of a working conditions in the advanced indus suffer arrest, jailing, and torture. "modern slave-lahor camp," according to trialized countries as well. Sound like slave labor? These are the the labor federation monthly. Government But the labor bureaucrats are silent conditions faced by the 5,000 workers customs agents armed with shotguns and about the role of the U.S. government in employed by U.S. corporations in La Ro- National Police are stationed at the en supporting and maintaining this exploita mana, one of four "industrial free zones" trances to the free zone, which is sur tion. They neglect to mention that U.S. in the Dominican Republic. rounded hy a high chain-link fence topped dollars are going to pay the salaries of the An inside look at how U.S. multination with barbed wire. National Police who stand guard outside als are squeezing unheard-of profits out of The National Confederation of Domini the factories in the free industrial zones. the superexploitation of Dominican can Workers (CNTD) and the Free Union Nor can slave-labor conditions be elimi workers—with the generous backing of the of Romana Sugar Mill Workers have both nated, as the AFL-CIO leadership sug government in Santo Domingo—was pro attempted to carry out organizing drives in gests, hy abolishing tax advantages for vided by Chicago Sun-Times correspond the zone. But the U.S. capitalists were U.S. multinationals that move their opera ent Michael Flannery in the May issue of determined to keep unions out of what has tions overseas, or by setting quotas on American Federationist, the monthly mag been called "one of the most perfect com imports from low-wage countries. azine of the AFL-CIO trade-union federa pany towns iii the western hemisphere." Only the Dominican workers, supported tion. ^ The Balaguer dictatorship was an ideal hy the labor movement internationally, The industrial free zones were created by instrument for carrying out this policy. can force an improvement in their living former President Joaquln Balaguer to In December 1976, a CNTD organizing and working conditions. To do this, they draw American companies to the Domini committee was formed in La Romana, and must have the right to organize without can Republic. The advantages to the impe a public rally was scheduled. Five days the threat of dismissal, arrest, and torture rialists are obvious and substantial. Com before the rally was to take place, six hanging over their heads. □ panies operating in the free zones receive a union supporters were fired fi-om their twenty-year exemption from all taxes, as jobs. Four were jailed immediately and well as freedom from customs duties and charged with being outside Communist currency restrictions. And in a country "agitators." with a chronic unemployment rate of 24 The meeting was postponed for several percent, workers desperate for any kind of days, then went ahead as planned. But joh can he made to work for as little as when 1,000 workers showed up, they were this pi^kotion forty-five centavos(US$.34) an hour, under met by troops of the National Police in full Is Qvoilabie in degrading and dehumanizing conditions, comhat gear who dispersed them at the and can be speedily fired if they show any point of automatic weapons. microform inclinations toward militancy—there are Several union leaders were arrested and always plenty of others to take their place. taken to National Police headquarters, The La Romana free zone is owned hy where they were "interrogated" hy agents Gulf & Western Industries, Inc., a multina of the secret police and accused of heing tional conglomerate with widely diversi Communists. Police later "escorted" the fied holdings, whose projected worldwide union leadership out of the province, pass income—$4 billion—nearly equals the Do ing through a series of checkpoints that minican gross national product. had been set up on roads leading into La Of the 5,000 workers employed in the Romana to keep out "undesirables." firee zone, some 2,000 work directly for Since taking office on August 16, Presi Please send me additional information. G&W or its subsidiaries. The rest work for dent Antonio Guzmdn Ferndndez has University Microfilms Internationai the eighteen other companies that lease given no indication that he intends to run 300 North Zeeb Road 18 Bedford Row Dept. P.P. Dept. P.R. space in the zone from G&W. things in the free zones any differently Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 London. WCIR 4EJ G&W is one of the largest employers in than his predecessor. He recently told a U.S.A. England the country. In addition to the free zone, it meeting of the country's main trade-union runs the world's largest sugar mill, cattle leaders that "enemies of the workers" were ranches, two plush resorts, and grows trying to use them to obstruct the country's sugar cane, citrus, vegetables, and tobacco economic development. "Foreign investors on the 264,000 acres it owns in the Domini are helping to create jobs for all Domini can Republic. cans," Guzman said.

Intercontinental Press