\ \ \ THE TRUTH \ ABOUT THE MOSCOW ( FRAME.UP TRIALS

REVOLUTIONARY· WORKERS LEAGUE ti.. s. , _ 2159 W. DIvision St.· ...... , . . Cbicag~, Ill .

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Thirteen more members of the' Noone with a shred of political' rul~ng Stalinist stratum in the intelligence will believe that these Soviet Union have been shot after trials proved what the Stalinists sensational frame-up trials' in claim they did. There was not a which the only evidence aga inst single shred of evidence, no wit­ the accused was their own "con- nesses, no documents. · fessions." Radek, who admitted The "conspiracy" is supposed to ,have covered a nurnber of years, he was guilty of all the crimes involved thousands of human beings, with which he was charged and had ramificationS' with foreign gov­ "even those I know nothing ·about" ernments and their secret services, was given ten yearS', as was' So­ and stretched over thousands of kolnikov. Both are being held as miles of Soviet and foreign ter­ witnesses for the coming trials ritory. How is it possible that of Bukharin, Rykov and others, no evidence was available? The as were Zinoviev and Kamenev failure to produce any evidence after their first trial three years can be taken as proof of the fact ago. that it doesn't exist. NO EVIDENCE But the confessions! About this we note first that hundreds have , T,he accused were charged with been arrested. Only those who \conspiring with Trotsky, who is confess come to trial. Radek pro­ supposed to be their leader, and ved this. For eight months he with German and Japanese iPl­ refused to confess. He was not perialism, to restore capitalisrn brought to trial. Then he COD­ in the Soviet U nioD. Germany fesed and was brought to trial. was supposed to get the Ukraine; Piatikov was brought to trial only Japan, the northern half of Sak­ after he confessed. Why? Be­ halin Island and the maritime pro­ ca use there was no other evidence. vinces of Siberia. What the ac­ Because these meD had to be cused and Trotsky were supposed forced to furnish "evidence" to get was not "confessed." against themselves.

(Reprinted from the Fighting Worker of March 1, 1937) , <, . ,. Could they not have refused? manded it they would have' done The strong ones refused and have it. But the policy of Stalinism been shot or exiled or are did not demand it. On the eon­ waiting in jai~. The weaker ones trary at the moment it demands confessed. Tortur~ was undoubed­ a conspiracy with the 'French ly used. bourgeoisie against the GerJnan~ and with the :American boJargeoi­ ACCUSED WERE STALINISTS sie against' the Japanese. That Besid'es on what POLITICAL is why we do not believe that basis· could they have fought the thes'e people were guilty of con­ frame-up? The only basis for spiring with the "wrong" bour­ fighting the frame-up is a Marx­ geoisie. ian political struggle against the whole 'Stalinist regime and its NO POLITICAL 'LOGIC anti-working class policies ,.of There is another reason., The which such frame-ups are a neces- alliance of Stalinism, iDelucling sary part to make seape-goatS' for the accused,' with various' sections the cruel results. But this is' ex- of world capitalism against'. the actly what the accused could not extension of the. Russian revolu­ do. With the exception of Trots- tion and against the interests of ky, which is different .story, they the Russian workerS' is one ;tb.ing. have been Stalinists for years. Of this they are all guilty., ac­ Together with Stalin an~ other cusers and accused, alike. A eon­ Stalinists they have collaborated spiracy to overthrow the property with the French bourgeoisie relations established by the Oct­ against the French workers and ober revolution is another. TO' this against the Spanis.h revolution, charge there is no sense at all. with the American bourgeoise Why s.hould theS'e men' who have against the extension of the Bol- spent, the best part of their lives shevik revolution to Cuba. In in the struggle to overthow capi­ Russia with Stalin they have car- talist property relations a~dthe . ried through policies against the capitalist state, conspire to reato" interests of the working class in them in Russia? the interests of the petty bour- What would they gain from s'ueh geoisie 8Il1d world imperialis·m. In a conspiracy? The "confessions," short they had no political basiS' threw no light on this question. to fight the frame-up. Yet it is a vital point. Individuals " There is nothing to exclude the can and have degenerated! to idea of conspiracy of these peo- such depthS'. But to have us believe pIe with the German bourgeoisie. ~at people who suffered DECA­ Had the policy of Stalinism de- D~S of exile, persecution, prison; -4- " .;':~\ .;\~ . . . , . I .ho weni through .Q1ree revolu­ strong pressure on one side arid .. \ tions and the Civil war of 1919-21 increasingly weak pressure on the I \ should ALL sirlk _so low, we need other the Soviet Union under ' \ more than these frame-up trials. Stalinism has moved-not forward \ ,Insofar 88. Stalinism as a sys­ toward Socialism-but backward tem of ideas and policies is, con­ toward i capit8llism. Objectively cerned the thing stands different­ the role of Stalinism is' to pre­ ly. Capitalism can be restored pare the return of capitalism. in the Soviet Union only by the But it can not plot its own an­ violent overthrow of the exist­ nihilation. Netheir can Radek~ inc property relations and the Piatikov and all the. others~ In existing state, even in its present the case of Trotsky' who is not 81 Stalinist form. To say that Stalin­ Stalinist the thing is even more ism is plotting to restore capit~l­ absurd. ism is to say that it is plotting to. overthrow itS'elf, which is non­ WORKERS SUFFER sense. Under Stalinist rule the workers in the Soviet Union are made to pay CAPITALIST AGENCY the costs of the defense program Stalinism represents the class ,vhile the peasants are granted ·needs and interests of the petty fresh tax exemptionS', Stakhano­ bourgeoisie in the Soviet Union, vists goad the warkers to fren­ whi~h like the petty bourgeoisie zied sp~ed-ups to make up for in capitalist countries, cannot play th e growing failures to meet the • an independent role in modern production quotas, as aristocrac1 society. I tseekS' support either of labor is arising while the real from' the working class or the income of the great majority of capitalist class. workers is f8llling; the sabotage The defeats of the proletari8lt of. real imperialist agents and their since 1923 have weakened the conspiracies grow; the workers world and Russian workerS' and show their dissatis!faction by slow­ their hold on the soviet state and ing down production; illegal de­ strengthened the world capitalists monstrations and wholesale at­ and the petty bourgeoisie inside rests are reported. The atmo­ the Soviet Union and increased sphere is charged with the tension their pressure on the Soviet gov­ of coming social conflicts. ernment. Stalinism therefore aJso The German .workers have.. reflects the pressure of world im­ learned through bitter experience perialism on the proletarian dic­ wh8lt Stalinism means in the tatorship. struggle against Fascism--capi­ As a result of this increasingly tulation. Today the Spanish work- " .. ;'

ers are learning through an even that it needs its alliance with bitterer experience that Stalinism Stalinism against Germ my. stands in the camp of the con­ cealed "democratic" counter-revo­ N:EED REVOLUTIONARY' , lution with the Anglo-French im­ PARTY perialists and their Spanis,h ca,pi:­ Stalinism must be destroyed. talist puppets. If capitalism is restored in the To cover its responsibility for Soviet Union it will be destroyed. the cruel conS'equepces of its course But in that case the workers will Stalinism attempts to fix the be s'inashed by Fascism. There responsibility on scape-goats and is another way. Like any agency terrorize the workers into sub­ of capitalism in the ranks of the mission to its policies. That is working class Stalinism can be the purpose of the trials. At the de'stroyed only through the inter­ same time it seekS' to remove all national proletarian revolution. In people who might constitute the capitalist countrie,s this means leaders of an opposition move­ a social revolution to overthrow ment to itself. Zinoviev, Kame­ capitalist property relations and nev, Radek, Piatikov, Sokolnikov, the capitalist state. In the Soviet Smirnov and many others were Union this meanS' a political re­ once with Trotsky against Stali~ volution to preserve the property The vacillations and capitulations relations and the- proletarian dic­ of these men in the past has en­ tatorship established by the Oct­ meshed them in the· Stalinist net ober revolution. and made them easy prey. The indispensable instrument for • The trialS' are a signal to world the realization of this program is capitalism that Stalinism is hold­ a revolutionary party, a world ing the line against the Russian party. That party can be only workers, that it will be faithful the Communist Fourth Interna­ to its commitments against the tional. And that means 81 new Spanish. revolution. They are a Communist party in the Soviet reminder to French capitalism Union.

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On the .'DeFense . of Trotsky

Leon Trotsky, or~anizer of the the struggle for the creation of a insurrection by whkh the Bol­ Communist Fourth Intern8ltional shevik Puty seized power in 1917, and for a new Communist party organizer and leader of the Red in the Soviet Union. Army, is supposed to be the chief of the "conspiracy," uncovered by "I ,AM NOT GUILTY" the recent Moscow trials, to over­ That is why in all that he has throw the proletarian dictatorship written on the trials there is not and restore capitalism . in Russia. one word about the, vital question Less than any of the others would ' of a new revolutionary party in I '. he have cause or purpose in such the Soviet Union which alone can a conspiracy. Since he was not overthrow Stalinism. The fadlure there to "confess," and denies the to utilize this occasion to make chM'ges, there is no evidence, propaganda :for a new Com­ whatsoever against him exc~pt munist Party in the Soviet Union the "confessions" of the accused, arid the Fourth International is which were dictated by the prose- at bottom a capitulation to Stalin­ ·cution. . ism. But 'no more than Radek, Zino­ Trotsky's ed e fen s e revolves viev and the others ·can he make around the axis: I am not guilty. Marxist political struggle against Personal vindication is his main the frame-ups. He is not a concern. What a far cry this is Stalinist but his line is op­ from the days of 1917 when Lenin portunist. For almost three years and Trotsky were accused of be­ now he has been operating on the ing in the pay of the Hohenzol­ line of making revolutionary part­ lerns against the Russian revolu­ ies out of the traitor parties of tion. Then the Central Commit­ the Second International. In ef... tee of the Bolshevik party in­ feet this is an abandonment of dignantly denied the slanders SInd -7- demanded that the slanderers be seeks personal vindication is, tried and executed. They rejected whether one intends it or not, to the demand that Lenin stand trial.. throw the poIitic811 issueS' into They used the occasion to sharpen its lap, give it a free hand to a~ the struggle against the Provi­ tack the proletarian dictatorship sional Government. and the opportunity to frame Trotsky. PROLETARIAN JUSTICE 'The American Defense Com­ Trotsky demands that he be mittee is cleverly using the false tried. He demands that an "im~ policy of Trotsky and his follow­ partial investigation commission" ers to attack the proletarian dic­ decide whether he is guilty. This tatorship as the speeches of Nor­ is false and dangerous. mnn ThomaS' so' clearly show. Trotsky is innocent of the The fundamental issue invol­ charges made against him by the ved is the defense of the prole­ Stalinists. We must defend his tarian dictatprship. Justice is pos­ right to asylum. If possible we sible ony in a . proletarian court must create a commission to in­ whose guiding line is the defense vestigate the legal aspectS' of the of Marxism. evidence. But its basis must be An "impartial commission" will clearly defined so that it does contain frienas and enemies of not give suppor.t to enemies of the proletarian dictatorship. As the proletarian dictatorship, nor an auxiliary atrm of the struggle to its opportunist "friends." At to overthrow StaliniS'm and pre­ the same time we must org8lllize serve the proletarian dictatorship the struggle against the oppor­ it can serve a useful purpose by tunist policies of Trotsky who investigating the legal aspects of confuses the workers and gives the evidence. To make it the support to the aigents of capita}... axis and pivot of a defense which ism. •

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