NOVEMBER 10, 1978 50 CENTS VOLUME 42/NUMBER 42
A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY /PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE
Dictatorship reeling · from workers' upsurge -·PAGE 5 ZANJAN, Iran-Tens of thousands marched October 21, protesting murder of demonstrator three days before. n liD our rs By Mary-Alice Waters Editor This year the Militant celebrates its fiftieth anniversary--fifty years of uncompromising struggle for the cause of social justice-fifty years of talking socialism. As you know, the Militant works to expose the lies of the ruling class; to bring its readers the facts; to analyze events; and to help advance the struggles of working people throughout the world. This anniversary year also marks important political developments and important opportunities to increase Grand jury lets the Militant's circulation. There is a new mood of social concern and willingness to struggle among American off Brooklyn. labor in the mines and mills, in the rail and auto industries, among Teamsters, postal workers, and cops in rruder others. The Militant wants to sell 100,000 copies of the paper to these potential new readers this fall. But to maintain the kind of coverage we have been of Arttur Miller bringing our readers we must meet an increasingly -PAGE3 acute financial challenge. In 1928 the first issue of the Militant cost five cents a copy, and we lost money. \ Continued on page 9 In Our Opinion VOLUME 42/NUMBER 42 NOV. 10, 1978 CLOSING NEWS DATE-NOV. 1
slide in the dollar or reassure the stock market. Carter's faltering The message from Wall Street is that Carter ... Meany's treachery has not done enough to "restore confidence." Millions of union members would surely wage-price plan ... Tougher measures must be taken. Specifically, agree with AFL-CIO President George From the moment Carter announced his big business wants: Meany's denunciation of the Carter plan as Phase II "anti-inflation" guidelines, it was • More assurance that Washington will "unfair and inequitable." But Meany then clear the president's plan had little credibility enforce its wage limits, including breaking proceeded to sabotage any labor fight against with anyone. There is no indication that strikes of unions that resist. the guidelines by proposing as an alterna working people are fooled by Carter's promises • Faster elimination of government regula tive ... mandatory controls! tions that protect job safety, health, and the to limit prices, or that they are ready to sign Meany urged controls "covering every up for his "national austerity" campaign. environment. • More drastic slashes in the federal budget source of income-profits, dividends, rents, When the New York Post asked people on interest rates, executive compensation, profes the street for reactions to the program, it got to reduce or eliminate the deficit. Since the corporations also want higher military spend sional fees, as well as wages and prices." such comments as: Meany did not explain why anyone should "It will work for the employers. It'll give ing, the cutbacks will naturally fall on educa trust this Congress and this administration to them an excuse for not giving their employees tion, health, and other social services. come up with mandatory controls that would raises. They'll volunteer to keep salaries down • Further tax cuts for business and the wealthy. be "fair and equitable." Moreover, Meany but not prices." These measures, the owners of U.S. industry knows the record of every controls program The more the details of Carter's plan emerge, hope, will strengthen their competitive stand from World War II through Nixon's "zap the more it stands exposed as an antilabor ing in world markets, fatten their profits, and labor" policy. Every one had the same result- ripoff. avert a disastrous breakdown of the interna . wages were held down while prices and profits The administration quickly confirmed that tional monetary system. Any slowdown in soared. its 7 percent wage guideline covers not only inflation is to come entirely at the expense of Meany is offering to bail the rulers out of increases in wages and so-called fringe benef working people. their dilemma. If there is more of a pretense of its but also increased costs of maintaining These are precisely the elements of Carter's curbing prices, and if the union leaders are current benefits. For example, suppose because plan. What the ruling rich lack confidence in is given some official status helping administer of skyrocketing medical costs a union de not Carter's dedication to their anti-working the program, then the AFL-CIO tops will help mands a 4 percent raise in employer payments class program but his ability to carry it out police wages. just to keep up existing health benefits. Under and make it stick. Carter's guideline, those workers would be left For protection against inflation, workers They have reason to worry. with a 3 percent limit on wage increases. need cost-of-living escalator clauses in all What has forced them to proceed cautiously union contracts and social benefits. Meanwhile, the "inflation insurance" tax is the growing combativity of the American We need more government spending for jobs rebate looks shakier and shakier. Now figures working class. The Carter administration is and social services, not less. Elimi~ating the of $50 to $100 are being tossed around as a still haunted by the defeat it suffered when it possible upper limit for refunds-laughably $126 billion war budget would make plenty of tried to break the coal miners' strike. The funds available. less than what the average family loses to ranks of other unions-postal workers, rail For protection against unemployment, we inflation each year. road workers, Teamsters, and many more On the price side, however, the watchwo.rd need a shorter workweek with no reduction in have been inspired by the example the miners takehome pay. from Washington is "flexibility." The very set. · Instead of "tax incentives" for the corpora first action of the Interstate Commerce Com This puts the capitalist rulers in a serious mission under the guidelines was to grant the tions, we need to shift the tax burden off the bind. Their drive for "givebacks" from the workers and onto the profiteers and the rich. Louisville & Nashville Railroad a 22 percent workers has met with some success. But not rate increase for coal hauling. nearly enough-and they also have met with Measures such as these will not be forthcom Barry Bosworth, executive director of the growing resistance. The rulers cannot resolve ing from the big-business-controlled govern Council on Wage and Price Stability, ex the economic crisis on their terms without ment or the two capitalist parties. They will be plained that the price standards are "meant to exacting far more massive sacrifices from the won only by mobilizing the power of the union be self-administered" by business. He told workers. Yet they remain fearful of pressing ranks-the kind of power the miners showed. corporate executives they should interpret the toward a confrontation-a confrontation they Right now workers can't take responsibility price guidelines "like they interpret the tax are far from certain of winning. for government economic controls because code." And everyone knows how scrupulously [Carter's November 1 announcement of dras workers have no control over the government. honest corporations are when it comes to tic new steps to prop up the dollar-including We need a mass, independent labor party paying taxes! his willingness to plunge the country into based on .a militant and democratic union recession-was an admission of Phase II's movement-to take the government out of the ... rulers' dilemma failure. The meaning of this development for hands of the corporations and begin to orga Despite the flagrantly probusiness bias of working people will be analyzed in next week's nize the economy to serve the majority, the Carter's plan, it has so far failed to halt the Militant.] working class.
The Militant Militant Highlights This Week Editor: MARY-ALICE WATERS Managing Editor: STEVE CLARK Business Manager: ANDREA BARON
Editorial Staff: Peter Archer, Nancy Cole, David 3 Antlnuke actions Divest now! Frankel, Cindy Jaquith, Shelley Kramer, Ivan Licho, 4 'Militant' sales Omari Musa, Harry Ring, Dick Roberts, Andy Rose, The student battle against university investments in South Africa Priscilla Schenk, Peter Seidman, Diane Wang, 7 Interview with Drake Koka is exposing U.S. links to the apartheid regime. Page 6. Arnold Weissberg. 8 J.P. Cannon on the 'Militant' Published weekly by the Militant, 14 Charles Lane, 10 Piedra tour New York, N.Y. 10014. Telephone Editorial Office 24 Inflation: Who's to blame? (212) 243-6392; Business Office (212) 929-3486. 25 Saleway strike Correspondence concerning subscriptions or 26 CP & elections changes of address should be addressed to The Militant Business Office, 14 Charles Lane, New 27 GM's 'Southern Strategy' York, N.Y. 10014. 32 Chicanos hit Carter fence Second-class postage paid at New York, N.Y. Subscriptions: U.S. $15.00 a year, outside U.S. GM-UAW ·southern pact $20.50. By first-class mail: U.S., Canada, and Mex 2 In Our Opinion Has General Motors abandoned its anti-union 'Southern ico: $42.50. Write for surface and airmail rates to all other countries. 23 Campaigning lor Soc/a/Ism strategy'? Page 27. For subscriptions airfreighted to London then 28 In Briel posted to Britain and Ireland: £2.50 for ten issues; What's Going On £5.50 for six months (twenty-four issues); £10 for
II.,.....~-·.:,-. 29 The Great Society one year (forty-eight issues). Posted from London Women In Revolt to Continental Europe: £4 for ten issues, £8 for six months (twenty-four issues); £13 for one year 30 Our Revolutionary Heritage 50 years of American Trotskyism (forty-eight issues). Send checks or international Letters In this month's 'International Socialist Review,' money orders (payable to Intercontinental Press 31 Learning About Soc/a/Ism George Novack reviews the history of the Socialist account) to: Intercontinental Press (The Militant), II You Lll(e This Paper . . . P.O. Box 50, ·London N1 2XP, England. Workers Party. Page 15. Signed articles by contributors do not necessarily represent the Militant's views. These are expressed 11-22 International in editorials. Socialist Review
2 NY grand jury clears killer cops Black community outraged at verdict By Peter Seidman conduct its own investigation into Miller's death. NEW YORK-Widespread outrage greeted the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Drew news that a Brooklyn grand jury has joined the Days announced October 26 that an investigation official cover-up of the June 14 police murder of will be conducted by U.S. Attorney Edward Kor Crown Heights Black businessman Arthur Miller. man. After hearing more than eighty witnesses, includ However, these maneuvers have failed to quell ing eighteen cops, during a four-month investiga Black community protests against the grand jury's tion, the grand jury proclaimed October 25 that _ whitewash. Miller's death was "a tragic, unforeseeable accident which occured during a lawful arrest." Leaders of Brooklyn's Black community area call But the more than 100 eyewitnesses to Miller's ing for a demonstration in New York's financial death know this is a lie. district November 6. They are also urging a Black economic boycott for that day. One told the Militant, "There must have been forty or fifty [cops] within two or three minutes. Sharon Grant, Socialist Workers Party candidate -About a dozen held Mr. Miller on the ground in a for U.S. Congress from Brooklyn's Fourteenth Dis stranglehold, and they were beating him. After trict, added her voice to the chorus of angry pro awhile, he didn't resist anymore." tests. The "crime" for which Miller was arrested in the "Every time the killers are cops and the victims first place was his attempt to stop an altercation are Black people," Grant said, "it's called an acci between his brother, Samuel, and some cops. dent, and the cops go scot-free. It is a double Brooklyn District Attorney Eugene Gold, who standard of justice when cops go free while Blacks announced the grand jury's findings, obviously and Hispanics are· railroaded to prison at the drop hoped the verdict would finally silence the angry of a hat." protests in the Black community over Miller's death. "This was not a racial incident and should The Democrats and Republicans hold the Black not be construed that way," he insisted. community in a double death grip, Grant said. "The capitalist system they defend is responsible for But Democratic Mayor Ed Koch, aware that the Militant/Lou creating the poverty, racism, and unemployment grand jury's cover-up would only increase anger Demonstration on September 28 was one of several that lead to crime in the first place. And then they over New York's lynch-mob-style justice, asked for a sparked by brutal murder of Black leader by cops. After grand jury returned verdict of 'accident,' public try to make it appear that the victims of their second opinion. pressure forced New York Mayor Koch to ask federal system are criminals who are fair game for their Koch appealed to the U.S. Justice Department to probe. killer cops."
Antinuke actions to mark Silkwood death By Arnold Weissberg actions planned. Albuquerque: A march and rally There will also be a November 13 The antinuclear movement is in high Oklahoma: The November 13 na are set for downtown on December 2 teach-in at U Mass Boston, sponsored gear for a week of protests November tional action will consist of a march (the later date because of conflict with by the U Mass Antinuke Coalition. 11-19, centered around the fourth anni from the Kerr-McGee plant to the site other actions). A broad group of indi Dallas: A rally November 18 at New versary of the death of Karen Silk of Silkwood's death. The march will be viduals and organizations is backing City Hall, 1 p.m. The action is backed wood. In many cities, significant sup followed by a rally at Kerr-McGee's the action, including Elaine Baca, by Merle and Bill Silkwood, Karen port has come from labor unions, Oklahoma City headquarters. Organiz editor of La Lucha Nuclear, an anti Silkwood's parents; Christine Jarosz, Black and women's groups, Chicanos, ers are seeking participants from all nuke newsletter; Roberto Mondragon, president, Dallas County NOW; and Native Americans. fifty states and Puerto Rico. For more Democratic candidate for New Mexico Dwight Norris, vice-president, Ameri Silkwood was a worker in an Okla information, contact Supporters of lieutenant governor; Floyd Fowler, So can Federation of State, County and homa Kerr-McGee plutonium plant. In Silkwood, 317 Pennsylvania Avenue cialist Workers candidate for Congress; Municipal Employees Local 2444; 1974, on her way to meet with a repor S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003, or call Isabel Blea, Raza Unida candidate for Houston Coalition of Labor Union ter and a union official to expose (202) 547-6500. governor; Winona LaDuke, Interna Women; Dallas Women's Political Cau unsafe conditions in the plant, she died Albany, New York: A teach-in tional Indian Treaty Council. cus, and others. in a mysterious auto crash. In sworn Saturday, November 11, at 1 p.m. at Also, Charles Ed Steele, United Ce Denver: A November 14 rally fea court papers, Kerr-McGee officials the First Presbyterian Church, State ment, Lime and Gypsum Workers Lo turing Daniel Ellsberg; Carole Man have admitted taking documents from and Willett. The featured speaker will cal 419 recording secretary; Jenny . gan, president of Central Denver her car after the crash. be Donna Warnock, national secretary White, president, Albuquerque NOW; NOW; Dorothy Hores, vice-pre~ident of While the date of Silkwood's death of Supporters of Silkwood. Other Peter Montague, Southwest Research the Colorado Federation of Teachers; has been marked by memorial actions speakers include Larry Bogart, Friends and Information Center; and Joe Alan Gummerson of Aurarians before, this year will see far more than of the Hudson; Barbara Brundage, Garner, president, Communications Against Nukes; and activists arrested ever. Calls for coordinated actions Albany NOW; and speakers from local Workers of America Local 8671. in protests at the Rocky Flats nuclear came from three national antinuclear campuses, Native American groups, Boston: A rally November 19 will weapons plant. The rally will begin at conferences this year. and environmental groups. feature Dick Greenwood, International 7:30 p.m. at St. Cajetans Auditorium, The National Organization for An initial list of endorsers of the Association of Machinists; Black femi Ninth and Lawrence streets, on the Women, which has consistently teach-in includes Hudson Valley Anti nist Florynce Kennedy; antinuke acti Auraria College campus. pushed for the truth about Silkwood's Nuclear Alliance, Shad Alliance; Al vist Sam Lovejoy; Kitty Tucker, pres Aurarians Against Nukes will spon death, called for "active participation bany NOW; People's Power Coalition; ident of Supporters of Silkwood; Edith sor a November 13 vigil at the federal in November 13 Silkwood Memorial Feminist Alliance; Young Socialist Van Horn, United Auto Workers inter building, beginning at 11 a.m. Day actions and the national rally in Alliance; Women's International national representative; and Nobel Houston: A November 11 march Oklahoma City" at its October na League for Peace and Freedom; and laureate George Wald. The rally is set and vigil. The protest is sponsored by tional conference. Albany County New Democratic Coali for 7:30 p.m. at the Arlington Street the Mockingbird Alliance, Houston Following are a few of the dozens of tion. Church. Continued on page 4
S2 for ten issues (new readers only) Special offer S8.50 for six months ( ) S 15 for one year New ) Renewal to new readers Name The Militant-10 weeks/SI Address City ------WEBER 'REVERSE DISCRIMINATION' Solidarity with southern Africa freedom fighters, CASE: How to defend civil rights. defense of affirmative action, the drive to ratify the State Zip ______NEW THINKING IN WOMEN'S MOVEMENT: Equal Rights Amendment, trade-union struggles, 14 Charles Lane. New York. New York 10014 What NOW convention showed. international news-read about these every week in the 'Militant.' Subscribe today so that you don't U.S. o'UT ·OF SOUTH AFRICA: Strategy for miss an issue. building a movement. Subscribe today
THE MILITANT/NOVEMBER 10, 1978 3 ' SOLD TO DATE Weekly sales goals CITY MILITANT PM TOTAL
Goal Sold Goal Sold Goal Sold Percent Kansas City, Mo. 100 119 8 8 108 127 117.6 Pittsburgh 145 175 5 150 175 116.7 Cincinnati 100 114 2 100 116 116.0 Morgantown 125 140 125 140 112.0 Target sales week: Milwaukee 120 117 5 17 125 134 107.2 Tacoma 125 133 1 125 134 107.2 Toledo 110 119 5 4 115 123 107.0 Portland 100 106 100 106 106.0 off to a good start Salt Lake City 125 137 10 3 135 140 103.7 By Nelson Blackstock had gotten a head start on Friday with Los Angeles 400 400 100 117 500 517 103.4 As this is being written, it is midway an early shipment of papers. Sixty Cleveland 115 121 5 3 120 124 103.3 through the second big target week of copies were bougpt at the University of San Diego 105 116 20 12 125 128 102.4 San Antonio 75 77 25 25 100 102 102.0 the fall socialist press circulation Pennsylvania. Baltimore 120 127 5 125 127 101.6 drive. Cincinnati socialists sold· forty-nine Minneapolis 135 137 135 137 101.5 Reports coming into the circulation Militants and twenty-eight copies of Newark 140 140 10 12 150 152 101.3 office indicate that the week is well on the monthly Young Socialist at an Seattle 145 149 5 2 150 151 100.7 its way to success. antinuke rally on Saturday. San Francisco 250 248 25 28 275 276 100.4 The overall goal this fall is to mark In San Jose, socialists concentrated Berkeley 135 147 15 3 150 150 100.0 the fiftieth anniversary of the Militant on door-to-door sales in the commun- Gary, Ind. 50 50 50 50 100.0 by selling 100,000 copies of the social- ity. There they found a warm response Indianapolis 115 115 115 115 100.0 ist press. This includes both the Mili- to the press, including the best sales of Louisville 100 99 1 100 100 100.0 tant and Perspectiva Mundial, the PM ever. St. Louis 140 149 10 1 150 150 100.0 biweekly Spanish-language magazine. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, sixty Dallas 125 121 20 19 145 140 96.6 During the current week, socialists PMs were sold at a demonstration of Iron Range, Mn. 50 47 50 47 94.0 in cities shown on the scoreboard at 100 Nicaraguans protesting U.S. aid to St. Paul 95 92 5 100 92 92.0 the right are intensifying their efforts the Somoza regime. During Saturday Albany 100 96 5 105 96 91.4 to get these two publications into the and Sunday, Los Angeles's total sales Miami 110 96 40 41 150 137 91.3 hands of new readers. hit 400. Chicago 385 348 65 38 450 386 85.8 An important part of the week is On Sunday, Twin Cities Militant New York 650 558 100 83 750 641 85.5 stepped-up sales at plant gates and to supporters took part in a demonstra- Albuquerque 115 102 20 7 135 109 80.7 co-workers on the job and at union tion in Delano, Minnesota, where resi- Philadelphia 235 181 25 14 260 195 75.0 meetings. dents are protesting construction of a Phoenix 110 88 15 2 125 90 72.0 New Orleans 140 103 10 4 150 107 71.3 It also includes a big sales effort on high-voltage powerline. Demonstrators Raleigh 125 81 125 81 64.8 Saturday. About half the cities had bought fifty-six Militants. Boston 225 138 25 15 250 153 61.2 their big day last Saturday. Others, This week's scoreboard lists totals San Jose 110 60 20 12 130 72 55.4 where the papers arrive later, will have for sales of the previous issue of PM Denver 120 74 20 2 140 76 54.3 theirs this Saturday. and the Militant before the special Washington, D.C. 270 145 30 15 300 160 53.3 In Philadelphia, socialists have a sales week. Miami PM sales are con tin- Oakland 160 81 15 175 81 46.3 particular reason for wanting to reach uing to go well, developing readers Atlanta 200 87 200 87 43.5 residents of the city with the Militant. among Chicano migrant workers, in Detroit 250 95 250 95 38.0 The special sales issue ran an analysis addition to those in the Puerto Rican of Philadelphia's arch-racist mayor, and Cuban communities. TOTALS 6,650 5,828 668 491 7,318 6,319 86.5 Frank Rizzo. Next week, in addition to a fuller On Saturday alone, some 423 copies report on how the target week went, *Houston, Tucson not reporting. of the Militant and 22 copies of PM we'll print cumulative totals in the These ligures report sales lor Militant Issue #40 and the last week of sales of Perspectlva were sold in Philadelphia. Salespeople drive for each city on the chart. Mundlal issue #19.
Church in Cementon. The protest is tiona} activities and films during the United for Political Action; Socialist sponsored by the Hudson Valley Anti week. Workers Party; Harlem Fightback; ... Silkwood Nuclear Alliance and Friends of the New York City: A teach-in No Friends of the Earth; Shad Alliance; Continued from page 3 Hudson. vember 12. Speaking will be Kitty Mobilization for Survival; and others. Coalition of Labor Union Women, and Kansas: A statewide rally on the Tucker, national president of Support On November 13 at 5:30 p.m., a University of Houston University Fem capitol steps in Topeka November 11 ers of Silkwood; Connie Hogarth, inists. The march will begin in the at 2 p.m., sponsored by the Sunflower Women's International League for memorial candlelight vigil will be held early evening at the Unitarian Church, Alliance. Peace and Freedom; Jim Haughton, at Rockefeller Center, Sixth Avenue on Fannin Street, and end with a rally Louisville: A candlelight vigil Harlem Fightback; Norma Becker, Mo and Fiftieth Street. at Herman Park. downtown November 13. bilization for Survival; and Michio New Orleans: A November 18 Hudson River Valley: A march Miami: A demonstration at the Kaku, a nuclear physicist. march and rally, beginning at La and rally November 12 against a pro nearby Turkey Point nuclear power The teach-in will begin at 3 p.m. at fayette Square at 1 p.m. and ending at posed nuclear power plant at Cemen plant November 11, followed by an Horace Mann Auditorium of Columbia Jackson Square an hour later, spon ton, New York. The combined march eight-day walk to the state capital, Teachers College (120th and Broad sored by the Oystershell Alliance. The and car caravan will begin at Olana at Tallahassee. In addition, the Conch way). alliance has also scheduled a vigil at 10 a.m., cross the river to Catskill, and shell Alliance, a Miami-area antinuke Sponsors include: Chelsea-Village the federal building for 8 p.m. No proceed to a 7 p.m. rally at St. Mary's group, will sponsor a series of educa- NAACP; NOW-N.Y.; Black Women vember 13.
Read the 'Young Socialist' Karen Silkwood's story and the ongoing campaign against the nuclear power industry is featured in the November 'Young Socialist.' In this issue you can also read a speech by South African freedom fighter Drake Koka, new revelations about FBI spying at a New York college, the fight to defend abortion rights in California, and more. · Corne to a socialist convention These and other issues will be discussed in reports, panels, and workshops at the Young Socialist Alliance convention in Pittsburgh, December 28-January 1. For more information, contact the YSA chapter nearest you, listed on page 31 or return this coupon to the YSA national office.
0 Send me a copy of the 'Young Socialist' JointheYSA (25¢ each, 20¢ for bundles). 0 Enclosed is $1.00 for a six-month sub Name scription to the 'Young Socialist.' 0 Send me more information about the Address YSA convention. 0 Send me the 'No Nukes!' button (50¢ City/State/Zip Code each, 25¢ for 10 or more). 0 I want to join the YSA. YSA, Box 471 Cooper Station, New York, New York 10003
4 Workers rebel against dictatorship - - Iran: shah faces revolutionary upsurge By David Frankel out negotiation, state organizations mands made by those they are sup- • Mass demonstrations against the such as the state telecommunications posedly leading." government day after day in every company and the nationalized oil cor- With every sector of Iranian society corner of Iran. porations have granted wage increases in open rebellion, the shah's regime • A month-long nationwide political ranging from 70 to well over 100 per- has been paralyzed by a loss of confi- strike involving workers from every cent and have also agreed to costly dence at the top and by internal div- sector of the Iranian economy. housing subsidies." isions resulting from the pressure of • Paralysis and a loss of confidence Government workers have won an the mass movement. on the part of the Iranian regime. across-the-board wage increase of 25 Sixty-four members of the royal fam- These are some of the factors that percent, and the shah has had to ily, including the shah's brothers, sis- add up to a prerevolutionary situation virtually scrap his nuclear power pro- ters, and in-laws, have testified to their in Iran today. After twenty-five years gram and drastically cut back arms expectations by leaving the country. of unrelieved tyranny, the Iranian purchases in order to pay for such Although the shah has apparently masses have had enough. raises. But the strikes show no signs of decided to try to ride out the upsurge, "For those not actually in this coun- stopping. he is under strong pre.
THE MILITANT/NOVEMBER 10, 1978 5 and Pan Africanist Congress were banned; and hundreds of Blacks were gunned down in the streets. And U.S. corporations were raking in profits. Another argument raised is that South African Blacks do not want U.S. companies to pull out because it will Campus struggles expose mean greater unemployment. But every major Black political orga nization in South Africa has called for foreign companies to withdraw. They U.S.- South Africa ties have done this despite the existence of at least three government laws that make doing so a criminal offense. Two of these laws carry a maximum sent ence of death or life imprisonment. Top cop in Africa South Africa is not just a source of immense profits for U.S. imperialism. It also uses its power against the freedom struggle thoughout Africa. South African mercenaries played a role in crushing the Congolese nation alist struggle in the 1960s. Its troops invaded Angola in 1975-76 and still carry out murderous attacks in the southern part of the country. The apartheid regime has main tained Namibia as a colony and now seeks to impose a regime to its liking there. South Africa is also a major suppor ter of Ian Smith's government in Rhodesia. A good beginning Campus prqtests demanding univer sity divestment have helped raise the consciousness of the American people about U.S. political, economic, and University of Chicago students demand school dump $60 million holdings in U.S. companies operating in South Africa military support to South Africa. These protests have encouraged the Black movement, trade unionists, and By Omari M usa These investments are concentrated whites' incomes are still many times women to take issue with U.S. support in the production of automobiles and those of Blacks, and the gap between to apartheid. "Be it resolved that the trustees of Some unions have already with Cornell University divest all funds related industries, oil refining, and them continues to widen. computer technology. drawn their funds from banks making from those banks and corporations loans to the regime. Others have held that continue to do business in racist General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler White man's burden control the majority of the automobile meetings and forums on U.S. invest South Africa, and make their reasons The policy of the Carter administra ments in South Africa and supported known to the corporations and banks market. Mobil Oil and Caltex, a joint tion, despite its rhetoric about human subsidiary of Texaco and Standard Oil the tour of South African trade union involved." rights, is to maintain the flow of prof ist Drake Koka. of California, refine more than half of its to U.S. corporations. South Africa's imported oiL Mobil Blacks have participated in growing This demand is being raised by The U.S. government, companies, alone has invested more than $333 numbers in African Liberation Day thousands of students across the coun banks, and university administrations million and refines 100,000 barrels of actions, campus divestment struggles, try at rallies, sit-ins, and marches. It are very much aware of the growing crude oil a day. and actions such as the NAACP-called has become a focal point of campus strength of the movement demanding U.S. firms, including IBM, National protest against the U.S.-South Africa activism, reflecting a growing aware that this country get out of South Cash Register, Burroughs, and Control Davis Cup matches in Nashville last ness among the American people that Africa. March. U.S. corporations, banks, and the gov Data control 70 percent of the compu ter market. They remember how the movement These actions have convinced many ernment are helping perpetuate the against the Vietnam War grew power activists of the need to unite the stu racist system of apartheid in South While U.S. investments have shifted from mining to manufacturing, Ameri ful enough to force the United States dent movement, trade unions, Blacks, Africa. out. and women against all U.S. support to The roots of the divestment move can firms still hold a big share of mineral production in South Africa. So they have tried to sow maximum South Africa. ment flow from two interrelated devel confusion to divert the anti-apartheid Campus protests have begun to de opments. For example, in November 1976 the market value of South African gold movement. mand that universities divest and that One is the widespread distrust of Their number-one argument is a the United States get out of South U.S. foreign policy, produced by the shares held by U.S. investors stood between $1.1 billion and $1.8 billion. rehash of the old "white man's Africa. This opens the way for organiz Vietnam War, Watergate scandal, and burden" theory. ing a broad movement that can pro the joint U.S.-South African aggres Bullish on South Africa U.S. companies should stay in South vide the most effective support for the sion against Angola in 1975-76. Africa, they argue, because they can struggle against apartheid. The other is the deepening struggle U.S. banks have made $2.27 billion in loans available to South Africa. use their influence to bring about What the South African freedom in South Africa itself and the growing change in the country. These apolo fighters need are powerful allies in the solidarity with that struggle among This represents one-third of South Africa's total debt to foreign banks. gists point to certain "codes of United States who can break the U.S. African-Americans, young people, and conduct" -such as the Sullivan Codes South Africa alliance. A good begin an increasing number of trade union These loans to South African banks, government-run corporations and lo or those of the European Economic ning has already been made. ists. Community-as the way forward. Next week's Militant will discuss the The demand that universities divest cally controlled firms have helped These codes call on foreign firms in strategy necessary to continue build is a concrete expression on campus of make possible the tremendous expan South Africa to desegregate their facili ing that movement. the demand that the United States get sion of South African capitalism. ties, raise wages, and ease restrictions out of South Africa. U.S. banks have stepped in when on Blacks getting into apprentice pro Student divestment struggles have ever the racist regime has been threat grams and forming trade unions. helped educate the American people on ened economically by the rebellion of Join the extent and role of U.S. investments the Black majority. Opponents of the apartheid regime in South Africa. They have called into The most recent example of this was favor these reforms. However, apolo the question the Carter administration's after the June 1976 Soweto rebellions. gists fqr the South African government professed opposition to apartheid. By November U.S. banks had made counterpose these codes to withdraw YSA As a result, a growing number of $777 million available to state-run ing U.S. investments. people in the United States are looking companies, private firms, and the The myth of "progressive" U.S. behind Carter's rhetoric to determine South African government. firms in South Africa can be refuted why the United States is in South Contributors to this fund included simply by looking at their practice. Africa. Chase Manhattan, Bank of America,· In the period of greatest economic What they are discovering is that Citibank, Morgan Guaranty Trust, growth following World War II, U.S. U.S. corpor?.tions and banks are reap Manufacturers Hanover, and the U.S. and European imperialism pumped The Young Socialist Alliance helps ing huge profits from the brutal exploi governmen t-con trolled Export-Import billions into the South African econ defend South African freedom strug tation of cheap Black labor. Bank. omy. gles. For more information, send this The biggest reason U.S. imperialism It was also the period of the most coupon with your name and address is in South Africa is the tremendous extensive and widespread attacks on to the YSA, Box 471 Cooper Station, Profiting from apartheid profits corporate investments bring. Black political, economic, and social New York, New York 10003. The more than 350 U.S. firms operat For example; between 1960 and 1970 rights. The notorious pass laws were ing in South Africa have nearly $2 the average rate of return of U.S. direct tightened and extended to women; D Send me a copy of the Young Socialist reprint on the campaign to end U.S. ties to billion invested in the country. Of the investment worldwide was 11 percent. racial segregation was introduced into South Africa. top fifteen U.S. corporations, all but In South Africa it was 18.6 percent! all spheres of life; the Bantustans D Send me the 'Divest now!' button (50¢ each). three have investments there. Among While the wages of Black workers policy was extended; Black trade D Send me information about the YSA and its the top 100, 55 wholly or partially own have increased in the wake of the 1976 unions and political organizations December 28-January 1 convention. subsidiaries in South Africa. rebellions and international pressure, such as the African National Congress
6 'Our policy is to break the spine of apartheid' Interview with So. African freedom fighter Drake Koka is general secretary Thus they do their best to retain that of the Black Allied Workers Union government, ·which to a certain degree of South Africa. He was a co has got some stability, some political founder and first general secre stability. tary of the Black People's Conven Now, whatever policy they are hav tion in 1972. The BPC and other ing, is just towards improving the major Black political organiza social aspects of our lives, that we tions were banned by the South should be able to sleep in the same African government in October hotels as whites, go to the same restau 1977. rants, travel on the same trains. They Koka participated in the Soweto would like this to happen and be rebellions that began in June carried out within the framework of 1976. To avoid arrest, he escaped the apartheid system. to Botswana later that year. Now, how do we see that? We reject He is currently on a seven-week it altogether. We are not impressed by tour of the United States speaking the American government, by Carter, in defense of South African politi saying they are for "human rights." cal prisoners and -the fight for This is an empty cry. Black majority rule. The Carter administration wants to Below is part one of an inter impose its own capitalist imperialism view with Koka obtained by the and retain it in South Africa. People 'Militant' and 'Intercontinental like Andy Young are just the salesmen Press/lnprecor.' Part two-in for the policy of imperialism, this time which Koka discusses the South no more in a white skin, but in a Black African and U.S. labor skin. movements-will appear in a fu We totally reject the United States ture issue. policies toward South Africa.
Q. Does the actual practice of Ameri Question. How did you originally Powers become politically active? DRAKE KOKA: 'We totally reject the United States policy toward South Africa.' can companies differ at all from South African companies, in terms of wages Answer. We find that most of the and working conditions for Blacks? Black youth, right from childhood, power in us, to see our abilities and ment became more and more repres A. Not at all. Just as the man from have got elements of becoming politi disabilities, and how we could face the sive. They took everybody and put cal. They are born into a situation that General Motors says: We are here to situation. them into prison. Some of us left the obey the customs and traditions of the is politically determined, a situation of The perpetual subservience of a peo country in 1976. But they found that being oppressed and having their per country. They accept that by tradition ple depends on the condition of the the movement was still going on. So the Black cannot earn the same wage sonal dignity undermined. So I must people's minds. The success of the the best thing they could do was just say that right from school I had to as the white and that by tradition a oppressor does not lie in the power of ban the movement. become politically conscious. Black cannot supervise a white. the oppressor, but in the mental condi Now, we had a plan. In the 1972 Then I got into the teaching field, as tioning of the oppressed. That's why conference, we decided to embark on a Q. Let's take up this question of a teacher of history, which really we said, "We are prepared to liberate process of decentralization of leader divestments. There's a growing move plunged me into political develop our people psychologically and physi ship. And this is the process that is ments. But I did not formally sign up ment in the United States and in other cally." going on now, decentralization of lead with any of the political movements. countries demanding that foreign com We also examined the physical ership. A lot of leaders are still in the panies pull out of South Africa, that In 1954 we organized a bus boycott in shackles, the laws that cover us, the country, running the movement. Evaton. I played a role in issuing the universities that have stocks in corpo laws that restrict us. When the white This is what is frustrating the South rations that function in South Africa weekly boycott paper. man legislates, instead of executing African government. It has put people Upon leaving teaching, I became get rid of those stocks. Do you think the law himself, he puts it to us and we in jail, but right under their nose we politically active full-time, and in the this movement in the United States is execute the law, we tend to police have got the real leadership. They moving in the right direction? early 1970s I became the convener of ourselves. So we decided that we were can't get hold of it, simply because we the Black People's Convention. no longer going to be police over our had this process of decentralization of A. It is definitely towards the right selves. leadership. So in reality the Black direction. If these people should pull Q. Could you give us some idea of the We decided that for a period of three Consciousness movement is going out their stocks, that would cripple the goals of the Black Consciousness years we were going to propagate the even stronger than it was before. South African economy. movement, what it is fighting for, how Black Consciousness movement and Also, this is a form of politicizing it sees this fight being waged? philosophy. After three years, we said, Q. What kind of activities is the and mobilizing the American public against their government's policies of A. At first, the people who partici there was bound to be confrontation. Black Consciousness movement organ continued support to South Africa. It is pated were mainly from the South The people would dictate the means izing in exile, now that a number of a very good move. Fighting must be African Students Organisation they would resort to in their fight figures like yourself have left the coun done from all angles, and we must (SASO). They were the first people to against the oppressive regime. If the try? utilize whatever means are within our come out with printed matter, which people say, we are going to have civil A. The Black Consciousness move reach. So I would encourage this move was the expression of the Black Con disobedience, they are free to choose. If ment did not really want to organize in ment to go on. sciousness movement. In 1971 I was they say, we are going to have armed exile as a separate entity from the rest chosen as organizing secretary to call struggle, they are free to choose. We ofthe liberation forces of South Africa. Q. There are twenty-seven to thirty other organizations together to be in left it open. Our hope in being in exile was that of million people of African descent in the volved in the formation of the Black In short, the Black Consciousness joining hands with the liberation United States. What has happened is People's Convention. Originally, we movement aimed at solidifying all movements and working out a com that part of the development of the thought we were just going to create Black people into a power bloc, to mon strategy with them. This would Black movement here has included another cultural organization. But break the white apartheid power bloc. come about by mutual discussions with support to the African liberation strug there was a very hot argument at the members of the Pan Africanist Con- . gle. Do you have anything special to December 1971 conference, where they Q. Last October, then-Prime Minister gress and the African National Con say to Blacks in the U.S.? said there was no need for us to create John Vorster banned most of the Black gress. another cultural movement. What was A. My appeal, really, is directly to Consciousness organizations. What Now the role of the Black Conscious essential was a political movement. them. And my appeal to Blacks in the has happened to the movement since ness leaders outside here was to be We said we had to look at the whole United States has been influenced by then? come representatives of the movement South African situation, at the politi inside. one major factor: that we are sharing a cal, social, and economic situations, to A. In 1973, within six months of the common experience in the struggle for S€e how it affects our lives. Then we formation of the Black People's Con liberation. The oppression, suppres Q. What do you think about the said with this movement we must vention, the government set banning sion, and exploitation that we are American government's policy toward orders on what we called the eight undergoing now, they went through. organize all the people, in all spheres South Africa? of our lives. "apostles" of the Black Consciousness They are still going through that pro What we really wanted to do was movement. But the movement went on. A. At the moment, the United cess even now. So therefore they are create a certain degree of conscious In 1974 they arrested forty-nine leaders States, together with Great Britain, just the right people who will under ness. We had to find a sort of an and detained us an average of between Germany, and other Western countries, stand our case. ideology, a philosophy, that Black eight months and more than a year. controls South Africa economically. Their struggle here is our struggle, people could cling to. So the Black Some were brought to trial, the Soweto They wouldn't like to disturb the exist and our struggle is their struggle. If we Consciousness movement became a Nine, and are now serving sentences. ing government, because the existing join hands and say that all Blacks process of introspection. We looked But the movement went on. government is the cllstodian of their sh9uld work in solidarity, then we may into ourselves, to see the potential After the 1976 outburst, the govern- economic power within South Africa. be able to better our conditions.
THE MILITANT/NOVEMBER 10, 1978 7 By Harry Ring Militant and finding the money somewhere to pay managed to publish an entire series of major James P. Cannon, the founding leader of the for it-that was the biweekly achievement. articles by Trotsky analyzing key Soviet and world American Trotskyist movement, was also the found· "The paper is the voice of the movement. Without developments. ing editor of the Militant. a paper, how are you going to build a movement?" And despite the difficulties and pressures, In the fall of 1973, less than a year before he died, How did the Militant get its name? members of the movement persisted in their stub I interviewed Cannon about the early years of the It was Cannon's proposal and the idea stemmed born efforts to get the paper out. They sold it to each Militant. We were both living in Los Angeles at the from his relationship with Bartolomeo Vanzetti. individual they could reach and, whenever they time, and I did a series of oral history interviews Cannon had been tlie national secretary of Inter obtained names, mailed copies abroad. with him so that added information about him national Labor Defense, a nonpartisan committee It was' an extraordinarily difficult process, but it ·would be available for future reference. initiated by the Co~munist Party in the mid-1920s brought results. As Cannon filled in details and added recollec to defend political prisoners. tions about the initial years of the Militant, one . Defense of Sacco and V anzetti, the victimized A single copy . thing became clear. The founders of American anarchists, was a major activity of the ILD. Can Cannon told a story illustrating what a single Trotskyism had fully absorbed Lenin's concept of non visited Sacco and V anzetti in prison several copy of the paper can accomplish. the role of a newspaper in building a revolutionary times. A copy of the first issue was received in South party. He recalled a visit with Vanzetti that stayed Africa by a radical journalist, Frank Graves. Lenin saw the development of an effective news particularly in his memory. Graves was convinced by that first Militant and paper as key to the building of a party. The press, "We had a long talk," he said. "Vanzetti was became a Trotskyist. he emphasized, is the collective organizer of the talking about a third member of their· group who Shortly after, Graves went to China as a reporter. party. had jumped, or was pushed, out of a ten-story There he played an important role in helping to When the Trotskyists were expelled from the building when the government agents had him establish the Chinese Trotskyist organization. Communist Party fifty years ago, the first thing prisoner and were examining him. they did was publish a paper. "I remember Vanzetti saying, 'He wouldn't have During this same period, Graves also won jumped. He was a good militant.' another journalist to Trotskyism. This was Harold The story has been told many times. "Three Isaacs, then China correspondent for Havas, prede generals without an army." Cannon, Max Shacht "In the old radical movement," Cannon ex cessor of Agence France Presse. man, and Martin Ahern were expelled by the plained, "that was an ordinary expression. That's Communist Party's central committee for their what you say about a person who's active and Isaacs remained with the movement less than a adherence to Leon Trotsky's "Russian Opposition." giving all they've got to the movement. decade, but made two important contributions. "I proposed this name to designate what we were, He authored a major book, The Tragedy of the First 'Militant' and it was accepted.'' Chinese Revolution, which detailed how Stalin's The three found themselves outside the party with Cannon took particular pride in the fact that the false policies led to the bloody defeat of the 1925- literally a handful of supporters. Yet within a week Militant was internationalist from the outset and 27 Chinese revolution. of their expulsion, they were on the street with a that it played an important role in building the And he played an important role in relation to the paper, the Militant. world Trotskyist movement. Militant. · It wasn't easy. Moreover, the Militant was the exiled Trotsky's After several years in China, Isaacs was reas "We didn't have any money to start with," Can principal voice. With its few meager pages, it signed to New York. There, Cannon said, he con non explained. "We didn't even have a mimeograph tributed his journalistic skill to help train a Militant machine." staff. Moreover, the new paper and movement were At the outset, Cannon and Shachtman were the · being launched not on the basis of an advance for only experienced writers in the new movement. But the movement but a setback. with the aid of Isaacs, they were able to train the newer recruits to Trotskyism and, as Cannon put it, The original Communist Party press, Cannon "professionalize" the paper. recalled, had been founded under the inspiration of the victory of the Russian revolution of 1917. First fund drive But in 1928, "we didn't start with a victory," An early but not easily attained goal was to Cannon explained. "We started with a terrible establish the Militant as a weekly. defeat-with the exile of Trotsky, first to Alma-Ata At the founding convention of the new organiza then to Turkey, and our own expulsion and isola tion, held in Chicago in May 1929, a special fund tion." was launched for this purpose. The tiny organiza It wasn't a passively accepted isolation. The tion set out to raise $1,000. small band of Trotskyists were determined to reach They acquired a battered old linotype machine the ranks of the Communist Party with their ideas. and an even older press. In November 1929-a few The bureaucratic hacks who controlled the CP were weeks after the stock market crash-they began equally determined that this should not happen. weekly publication. They regularly dispatched goon squads against the As Cannon recalled that experience, you could see Trotskyists, and their paper. him relive it. For the Trotskyists, the semimonthly Militant "We started out with high hopes with this was a crucial weapon. ..._...... __..,..._ ___.. As of Ocl. 31 __;, .. ;;,.,uu•uo~ thousand-dollar fund," he said. "But we never made "The whole movement centered around the Mili .$38,260:!:.51%: it. It was just too much money for the comrades . tant," Cannon said. "We didn't have enough people ...We overreached ourselves." to make a demonstration. -' In July of 1930, they retreated back to a semi "When we decided to challenge the Stalinist monthly. But they persisted and finally, in July hooligans and to sell our paper right in front of the 1931, established the weekly Militant. cafeteria, which they operated in Union Square, "The paper became quite professional," Cannon Ahem, Shachtman and I had to go do it, take the said. "Gradually-and sometimes by leaps-it be papers and try to sell there." came a recognized journal in the radical movement. He emphasized the point a half dozen times. "It was never regarded as a throwaway sheet of a sect. It was known as a paper with a point of view 'Our weapon' and a method of approaching things.'' "It was our weapon. I think Cannon would be pleased that on the "Everything we had was concentrated around the Militant's fiftieth anniversary, it's still known that Militant. Just the physical process of getting out the way. 8 in 1928, it relied on the financial You don't have to wait for the rally ...to our readers support of its readers. The same is true in your city to make your contribution Conflnued from page 1 today. Over the years we have relied Today it's fifty cents a copy, and we to our fund drive. Just fill out the on the contributions of working people coupon on this page and send in your are still losing money. because the big-business interests who donation today. All of our costs, from telephone to have the money aren't interested in postage to paper, are skyrocketing Every dollar we receive goes to good publishing a paper that tells the truth use to bring our readers the best under the impact of double-digit infla Mili and takes a stand on the side of tant possible. Join us in celebrating tion. During the past year alone, paper working people. And the Militant our first fifty years by helping us and other printing costs have risen 10 doesn't want the political strings that continue that tradition in the year percent, second class postage 71 per are attached to big-business advertis ahead. cent, and further big cost increases are ing and investment dollars. expected next year. To meet this challenge the Militant Over the next few weeks we will be ..------. has launched a special Fiftieth Anni celebrating our fiftieth anniversary : COUNT ME IN : versary Fund. Our goal is to raise and boosting the fund drive with spe I Here's my contribution of D $5, D $10, D $25, I $75,000 by December 31, 1978. It is the cial rallies in cities across the country. 1 D $50, D $100, D $500, D other. 1 Name I most ambitious fund in our history. We We invite all our readers to attend. I Street ______need every dollar. Since we launched Come hear national leaders of the I City State Zip I the fund in August of this year the Socialist Workers Party speak. Get to I Send check. or money order to: Militant 50th I response has been inspiring. We have know the socialist activists in your I Anniversary Fund, 14 Charles Lane, New York, I already collected $38,260. area. The dates for these rallies are I New York 10014. 1 When the Militant began publishing listed in the ad below. &..--~------·-----....1 p-lftieth • rallies nt
Date Phone Saturd (504) 587-8418 Saturda ( 312) 939-0737
(518) 463-0072 (816) 753-0404 (602) 255-0450 (215) 387-2451 ( 206) 7 23-5330 Saturday, Dec. (404) 872-7229 ( 301 ) 54 7-0668 216) 991-5030 14) 826-4711 13}. 861-9960 . 7) 925-2616 (305) 756-8358 (414) 445-2076 Jr.~) 825-6663
\ ·a l 486-8048 \ 2) 735-3141 6) 627:-0432 355.:.1124 Sunday, Dec. 3 \ .. 982-8214 Friday, Dec. 8 (~J.3) /482-1820
Saturday, Dec. 9 .. (505) ?55-6869 (617) 262-4621 nouneed (513) 751-2636 o .be·anhounced (313) 961-5675
...... ··· To be announced ( 415) 824-1992 Andrew Pulley ( 419) 242-97 43
THE MILITANT/NOVEMBER 10, 1978 9 Piedra tours Seattle SEATTLE-"Political repressiOn Hugo Blanco issues and terrorism by the Mexican govern ment, army, and paramilitary organi zations have reached the level where appeal for Marroquin international protest is a must," said Printed below is an appeal by Peruvian Trotskyist leader Hugo Maria Piedra Ibarra. Blanco demanding political asylum in the United States for Hector Piedra was speaking at a meeting at Marroquin. If Marroquin is deported to Mexico, he faces possible the University of Washington in Seat death at the hands of the government there. tle on October 14. It was one of the first The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is rushing ;;tops on a speaking tour that will take to an immediate hearing on Marroquin's asylum request, denying 1er to fourteen cities across the coun· him evidence crucial to his case. try. The meeting was sponsored by the Emergency telegrams are needed to protest the INS moves. They Associated Students on campus and by should be sent to: Leonel Castillo, Director, Immigration and the U.S. Committee for Justice to Naturalization Service, Washington, D.C. Copies should be sent to ·Latin American Political Prisoners the Hector Marroquin Defense Committee, P.O. Box 843, Cooper \USLA) and Hector Marroquin Defense Station, New York, N.Y. 10003. Committee. About sixty people at Militant/Susan Muysenberg tended. MARIA PIEDRA IBARRA We have been informed that the ciety, we protest this injustice that is Piedra is a leader of the Mexican United States government is unfor being committed against Hector Committee to Defend Political Prison tunately threatening to deport Hec Marroquin. We call on everyone who declaration calling for Jesus's arrest, ers, the Politically Persecuted, "Disap tor Marroquin to Mexico. We all fought to defend my right to enter although he has been missing for four peared" and Exiled. She is touring on know that if he is returned to Mexico the United States, and who has years. His family fears that this is a behalf of Hector Marroquin and his his life will be in danger. He has defended my democratic liberties, to legal cover for killing Jesus. "The struggle to win political asylum in this been falsely accused there of subver join in the struggle to defend Hector police simulate an armed shootout," country. sive and terrorist activities, charges Marroquin's right to political asy Piedra explained in her talk that she Piedra explained, "and then present which he and his lawyers have lum. those targeted for arrest as dead." is no stranger to repression in Mexico. proven to be completely fabricated. We consider this case to be sym After the meeting, the University of Her brother Jesus was "disappeared" Many countries have used charges bolic of many others. We cannot Washington campus MEChA endorsed -kidnapped by cops and never of this type as a pretext to justify permit this open violation of the Marroquin's appeal for asylum. returned-in 1974. Shortly after that, political persecution, jailing, and most elemental human rights of During her tour in Seattle, Piedra her father, a prominent physician, was often murder of numerous fighters Latin American to take place in the also had the opportunity to meet with taken to jail, tortured, and beaten by for democratic rights and social jus United Sates, where there is so much activists in the Chicano community. the authorities. tice. talk about human rights. Juan Cepeda, director of the Concilio We are outraged that the U.S. Jesus was a student activist. He had We demand a halt to this attempt for the Spanish Speaking of King 'government is trying to deport Mar by the U.S. government to deport been falsely accused of murder, as had County, endorsed Marroquin's case. Marroquin, his close friend. Marroquin roquin to Mexico while at the same Hector Marroquin. We demand that Roberto Maestas, director of El Centro time claiming to be a defender of his right to political asylum in that escaped to the United States, but in de la Raza, interviewed her for Reco 1977 he was arrested at the Mexican human rights in Latin America and country be immediately guaranteed. brando, a bilingual magazine. El Cen other parts of the world. I say this in my own name and in border. The U.S. government has been tro endorsed Marroquin's appeal as a trying to deport him ever since. Here in Peru we are in a very the names of my fellow members of group. difficult situation, but nevertheless the Peruvian Constituent Assembly: Piedra explained that if Marroquin is Piedra was also interviewed by the we are struggling to bring about a Enrique Fernandez, Antonio Aragon deported to Mexico, he could be killed. Seattle Times, which reported that in situation of increased democratic lib Gallegos, Javier Diez Canseco, Juan She also reported that the govern the next two weeks the U.S. govern erties. Cornejo, and Genaro Ledesma. ment of the state of Nuevo Leon, where ment will decide whether or not to Speaking for all those who are Hugo Blanco her family lives, recently issued a grant Marroquin asylum. fighting for a more democratic so· October 25, 1978
., .. ,.,;@=:=·=».:~:::::~{:·
··:~: New arrests in Brazil i ·.· Two leaders of the Socialist Con· Police accuse the eight of being vergence in Brazil, Julio Tavares members of the Partido Socialista and Romildo Fernandes, were ar dos Trabalhadores (Socialist rested in Sao Paulo on October 30. Workers Party) and of carrying out Tavares is the national coordinator "political-subversive work" in ·· ... of Socialist Convergence and an Brazil. editor of the group's newspaper, Ver- • sus. . Letters and telegrams demanding Meanwhile, the Brazilian political the immediate release of Tavares, police have demanded that eight Fernandes, and the other imprisoned other members of Socialist Conver socialists, should be sent to Brazil~ gence who were jailed in August be ian embassies or to Ministro Ar· •.... held in continued "preventive deten· mando Falcao, Ministerio da Jus· Militant/Barry David tion.'' tka, CEP 70064, Brasflia, BrasiL Hector Marroquin speaking to students in El Paso, Texas
Raids, arrests crush Canadian postal strike By Stu Singer On Wednesday evening, October 25, Joe Davidson, past CUPW president, solidarity of the entire union move TORONTO-On October 25 the Can strikers held mass meetings in cities spoke at the Toronto meeting, a Social ment. adian Parliament, courts, and federal across the country. At these meetings ist Forum organized by the Revolution "The question of the hour is defense cops combined to crush a militant the union's national leaders urged ary Workers League, Canadian sister of our leaders and the strike activists," strike by 23,000 postal workers, who members to return to work. At most organization of the Socialist Workers Carrell declared. had stopped the Canadian mail system meetings there was no discussion or Party. Joe Davidson sounded the same for ten days. vote. At both meetings, leaders of public solidarity message. "Even the CLC Canadian Union of Postal Workers RepDrts indicate that the strikers employee union;> urged support to the leaders should be aware that taking (CUPW) members returned to work were outraged by the raids and would postal workers· and warned that the away the right to strike from postal government's attacks against CUPW October . 2(i after Royal Canadian probably have stayed out on strike if workers is the first step toward losing are a threat/to all unions. Mounted Police simultaneously raided their leaders had called for continued the right to strike for all public workers all the union's offices throughout Eng defiance of the strikebreaking law. The postal strikers had considerable and later all workers in Canada." lish Canada and Qu{•bec. The cops The government maintained the of. sympath"y among other working people Defense of CUPW has become one of seized union membership lists and fensive after the strike was broken. in Canada. Especially after the govern the most important tasks facing the files. Leading Liberal and · Conservative ment enacted its strikebreaking legis union movement and its allies in Can Five CUPW leaders, including Presi party legislators have called for an lation, many union members would ada. At the Toronto meeting $300 was dent Jean Claude Parrot, were charged investigation of "communist infiltra have rallied to their support. raised to defend CUPW. with violating a strikebreaking law tion" in the unions. Many in attendance signed a tele But the leadership of the Canadian gram demanding that the government passed by Parliament two days after CUPW-which champions national Labor Congress refused to mobilize the the walkout began. drop all charges and end all reprisals self-determination for Quebec, thirty union ranks to defend the strikers. against union leaders and members. The union leaders were held for five hours' work for forty hours' pay, and Once it became clear the CLC would The message also urged the CLC, New hours by police after turning tht>m· the right of all workers to strike-is not stand by the postal workers in a Democratic Party, and all unions to selves in. They were not released until seen as one of the most militant unions confrontation, the Liberal government "unite in a massive public campaign Parrot issued a public statement, dic in Canada. of Pierre Trudeau pressed ahead with . .. to force the government to stop its tated by a federal justict> minister, The weekend after the strike was its brutal attack on the union. attempts to break the CUPW." ending the strike. smashed, meetings in solidarity with One of the speakers at the Toronto Messages of support from unions Tht> U.S. press blacked out nt>ws of CUPW were held in Ottawa and To meeting was Dave Carrell, a CUPW and civil liberties organizations in the th(' RCMP raids. ronto. Each was attended by about :300 steward, secretary of the Toronto strike United States can be a welcome dem CLJPW represents inside workers at peopll'. committee, and member of the RWL. onstration of international solidarity. postal facilities. Letter carriers, repre Tlw Ottawa meeting, sponsored by "This strike was a key test of the class They can be sent to the Canadian sented by a separate union, had bt>en the Public Service Alliance of Canada, struggle, like the miners' strike in the Union of Postal Workers, 2RO Metcalfe honoring CLJPW picket lines. featured Jean Claude Parrot. U.S.," he said. "It needed the active Street, Ottawa, Canada.
10 MONTHLY MAGAZINE SUPPLEMENT TO THE MILITANT
NOVEMBER 1978
Years !rotskrism BJ George lovaek
·BJaeks and the Antiwar
Some Lessons for !odaJ (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW/PAGE 2)
. Silber lays the groundwork fo.r support,ing "givebacks" trom working people-measures liberaJ capitalist ''poiJticians against "fascist" that could .risk an head.:.on confrorttation with rightists-perhaps in a 1980 remake of the a radicalized working class. Johnson-Goldwater race of 1964. Although The real picture of the class struggle in the the Guardian itself has taken an abstentionist United States is different from the image of a course in recent elections, the "lesser evil" steady drive toward the right presented by stance implicit in Silber's analysis has many Silber. In fact, the forces opposed to the advocates, ranging from the Communist ruling class have grown stronger in the past Party to the Democratic Socialist Organizing year. \VhJ 'Guardian' llisreads Committee. Developments in U.S. politics support the This is not Silber's most serious error, Marxist view that the deepening of the capi the 1978 Bleetions although it is bad enough. In misestimating talist social and economic crisis will impel the strength of the right, Silber takes no The 1978 election provides fresh evidence working people toward massive resistance to account of the resistance by those under of a rightward shift by politicians of both big the onslaught of the ruling rich and toward attack. Yet the fighting capacity of working business parties. Republican and Democratic fighting for a workers government. Only if people has been powerfully demonstrated in liberals compete with their right-wing coun workers are defeated in the giant battles recent months. terparts in "law and order" and antilabor ahead will it be possible for the ultraright to Beginning last December, coal miners car rhetoric. The right-wingers up the ante with develop the mass following it would need to ried out a 110-day strike that saved their phony tax-cut gimmicks that benefit only the vie for power in this country. union. In the process, they overruled an rich and, in some instances, with open racist What prevents Silber and many other radi incompetent national leadership and defied demagogy. cals from accurately weighing the real government strikebreaking. The absence of any independent, mass changes under way in this country? The key political voice for labor, the Black community, The reverberations of this battle are still lies in their isolation from the social forces and their allies has guaranteed a near being felt in the labor movement. Postal that have the power to drive back the ruling monopoly for the rightist rhetoric of the workers this summer overwhelmingly voted class offensive. capitalist politicians in the electoral arena and down the first contract that Washington and The Guardian, for instance, is a radical mass media. union officials tried to force on them. And newspaper without links to a revolutionary Unfortunately, some radical commentators impressive solidarity among the divided rail party rooted in the unions, the communities confuse this fun-house mirror image of Amer unions shut down almost all rail traffic for of the oppressed nationalities, and other ican politics with the real views of American several days this fall. areas where the radicalization is taking place. working people and with the real relationship The growing activity in solidarity with the It lacks access to the real day-to-day changes of class forces. Such a misperceptiori leads to Black freedom struggle in southern Africa in the thinking of working people. highly pessimistic forecasts. together with the spate of demonstrations this Because they are isolated from the actual "No, the 'new right' is not going to take over spring and summer against aspects of racist battle against the ruling-class offensive, for the country in November," concedes Irwin oppression in this country-are indications mations such as the Guardian are susceptible Silber in the October 18 issue of the Maoist that the pace of the Black liberation struggle to impressions conveyed by the bourgeois leaning weekly Guardian. "But the 1978 elec has stepped up, despite the setback repre media and politicians about the state of mind tions may well prove a way station on the sented by the Bakke decision. of American working people. And the ruling road to such an objective .... This neofas At mid-year the capitalist media were chor class is on a concerted campaign to spread cist political tendency is using the forthcom tling over the imminent demise of the Equal the idea that the American masses are plung ing election to strengthen its hold over the Rights Amendment and denouncing demands ing headlong to the right. Republican Party, make inroads in the Demo for extension of the time allowed for ratifica The Militant and International Socialist cratic Party, and popularize the principal tion as violating the rules of the game. Review are better situated to see the reality issues on which it hopes to build a mass-base But when 100,000 people turned out July 9 and not only because of our Marxist outlook. following in the years ahead." for a pro-ERA demonstration called by the We are helping to build the Socialist Workers Silber's errors begin with the implication National Organization for Women, the tide Party, a revolutionary party that is rooting that the rightward thrust of electoral politics began to turn. A thirty-nine-month extension itself in the factories and communities where is caused by the growth of the "new right." In was adopted by Congress, and for the mo the oppressed and exploited live, work, and fact, this shift is a product of the basic ment the most vociferous "new right" oppo struggle. policies of the U.S. rulers. nents of the ERA have lost momentum. Through daily contact with co-workers and Beginning in 1971, and with escalating These developments are only the most neighbors on the job, in the unions, and on force since the world depression of 1974-75, striking indications of the massive radicaliza the picket lines, SWP members experience the U.S. capitalists have tried to solve their tion now taking hold among working people. the real political development of working economic problems-such as their weakened As yet, this radicalization finds little reflection people in this country, not simply the one position in world trade-by an offensive in bourgeois electoral politics. But it has not charted by contending bourgeois candidates against the rights and living standards of all gone unnoticed by top labor officials. They and newspaper editorials. The course of the the oppressed. This has meant chipping away are feeling pressure to step up verbal attacks American workers and their allies is toward a or reversing the economic gains made by on Carter and to promise a more militant deepening of their political independence, union members over many years and the course. militancy, and readiness to go into action. advances toward equality won by oppressed Nor has the deepening radicalization gone Because the SWP understands what is nationalities and women. It has meant slash unnoticed in the ruling class and its govern happening in the United States today, it is ing public services, from mass transit to ment. The stiff resistance by workers to free from the pessimism permeating Silber's schools to medical care. attacks on union rights, the determination of analysis. On the contrary, the SWP is in the Since the two-party system is controlled by women to beat back efforts to sink the ERA, thick of every battle of the oppressed and the capitalist class, the electoral "debate" and the growing fear that Black anger may be exploited against the rulers' offensive. Its aim reflects their basic political course. Liberals reaching an explosive point is causing them is to build the mass revolutionary socialist suddenly emerge as "new conservatives," to move more cautiously than they would like. party that is needed if those battles are to end while open right-wingers get fresh wind in Thus Carter's vaunted program against in the victory of the working people and the their sails. The "new" rightists operate as the inflation-while thoroughly antilabor in its creation of a new society. most vocal reactionary forces within the goals-was far from the crackdown against Those who believe with us that American political strategy set by the ruling class. wages, job safety regulations, and social working people represent a progressive force By presenting the "new right," rather than service spending that the capitalists want. destined to put an end to all oppression and the ruling class and its parties, as the driving Carter drew back from attempting any severe injustice should take their place in the Social force behind the attacks on the oppressed, new measures to enforce his program for ist Workers Party. COITBITS The Month 'The Lesser Evil?' Editor: Fred Feldman In Review ...... 2 Reviewed by Editorial Board: George Breitman, Barbara Mutnick ...... 12 Catarina Garza, Cindy Jaquith, Blacks and the Bruce Levine, Omari Musa, George Anti-Vietnam The Communist Party Novack, Dick Roberts, Cathy Sedwick War Movement: Some & Gay Liberation: Lessons for Today A Comment The lnternattonal Soctalist Revtew ap By Omari Musa ...... 3 By Diane Wang ...... 12 pears tn the Militant that is published the ftrst week of every month Copynght ' 1978 The Militant Fifty Years of American Trotskyism By George Novack ...... 5
12 (NOVEMBER 1978) (PAGE 3/INTERNATJONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW) Blaclrs and the bti-YI8tnam \lar;JIOY8IIllllt Some Lessons lor !odaJ An activist in the anti-Vietnam War movement looks By Omari Musa back at the role Black America played in putting an end to the racist war. He suggests some lessons for today's The following is based on a talk given by Omari Musa as part of a symposium cele struggle against U.S. complicity with racist regimes in brating the publication of Fred Halstead's history of the struggle against the Vietnam southern Africa. War, 'Out Now!' The panel discussion was part of the August 5-12 Active Workers and Socialist Educational Conference held in Oberlin, Ohio. Revolutionary socialists had a strategy for building the movement against the Vietnam War. As the previous speaker pointed out, we fought for mass actions in the streets, nonexclu sionary united fronts, independence from the two capitalist parties, and the demand for uncondi tional withdrawal of imperialist forces from In dochina. The ruling class also had a strategy-one for defeating the antiwar movement. A major target of this ruling-class strategy was the Black com munity. At the time of the escalation of the Vietnam War, Black militancy was on the rise. The battle against Jim Crow legal segregation in the South was winning decisive victories, and mass strug gles had also developed in the northern Black ghettos. The ruling class wanted to block any linkup between the Black movement in this country and the mass movement against the war. Black people were in a position to deal heavy-and quite possibly fatal-blows to the imperialist war drive. The ruling-class strategy had more than one prong. Most of you have probably heard of Cointelpro, the FBI's Counterintelligence Pro gram. This was organized to disrupt the Black movement and other struggles. It was an affirmative-action program of sorts the kind the government favors. The FBI gave very special treatment to Blacks to see that we stayed down. One goal of the program was, in the words of the FBI, to "neutralize" Black leaders and "pre hesitation. On the one hand, he saw the impact organized Black movement was actually on the vent the rise of a 'messiah' who could unify, and the war was having on the Black community. decline-at least the nonstudent sector of it electrify, the militant Black nationalist move And on the other hand, he wanted to regain the when the antiwar movement was on the rise. A ment." respect of young Black militants who were mov whole crisis of perspectives had opened up with A second directive warned agents to "prevent ing away from his liberal, integrationist posture the disappearance of formal Jim Crow segrega the coalition of militant Black nationalist toward revolutionary nationalist positions. tion in much of the South, combined with contin groups. In unity there is strength.... " King took a lot of heat when he came out ued oppression and misery for the Black com Preventing organized mass opposition to the against the war. He got blasted by white liberals munity as a whole. war was not the only issue the FBI was con and politicians for trying in his own way to forge The Black ghetto rebellions were a mammoth cerned about in the Black community, but we can an alliance between the Black movement and the show of explosive power. But the size and be sure it was near the top of the list. antiwar struggle. The sources of funds for his number of mass street demonstrations and other Other sections of the FBI documents indicate Southern Christian Leadership Conference be forms of ongoing struggle were going down. that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were gan to dry up. And some Black leaders joined the Imagine how frightened the ruling class must viewed as potential "messiahs" and thus candi attack too, like Roy Wilkins of the NAACP. have been that the antiwar struggle would have dates for FBI "neutralization." King spoke at the April 15, 1967, antiwar a reinvigorating effect on the organized Black protest in New York to a crowd of about 250,000. struggle as a whole. Such an upsurge was viewed 'Capitalist Bloodsuckers' And he was scheduled to speak at another as a very serious danger by the rulers of this In the mid-1960s Malcolm X eloquently de antiwar demonstration in April 1968 when he country. In my opinion, it would have helped end nounced the Vietnam War. He understood what was gunned down in Memphis-in my opinion, the Vietnam War much sooner. by a person or persons doing the work of the the U.S. imperialists were up to there. He called One line that the ruling-class spokespeople of ruling class. the capitalists bloodsuckers and said that their all kinds adopted was to tag the antiwar move Now those two people, Malcolm X and Martin system could not live without sucking someone's ment as a "white thing." The argument for this Luther King, represented the spectrum of blood. That's a pretty accurate description. assertion began and ended with the fact that the thought of most Blacks at that time. Malcolm pointed out that the struggle of Black demonstrations were largely organized by white What was missing in the Black community students and the composition was predominantly people in the United States was part of an throughout the war-and what the ruling class white. international struggle of the oppressed against · did its utmost to prevent-was a real united front the oppressor. He saw the struggle of Blacks for in the Black community that would bring to This line paralleled the propaganaa that was self-determination as directly tied in with the gether the whole spectrum of opinion in action directed toward union members to the «:!ffect that struggle of the Vietnamese for ' self against the war. the antiwar movement was a "middle class" determination. movement and workers had no place in it. And as Malcolm was speaking, the first Black Crisis in Black Struggle It didn't matter that the percentage of Black rebellions took place in northern cities. The One of the times we came close to having such Gis was much higher than our percentage in the ghettos began to blaze. The ruling class needed a coalition was on April 15, 1967, when 5,000 population. to keep that power and anger from being orga Blacks marched from Harlem to the United It didn't matter that we took a big percentage nized. Nations to join the big rally there. The major of the casualties in Vietnam. When Malcolm X made the connection between reason for this success was that King and It didn't matter that when U.S. infantry pa the oppression in the ghettos and the Vietnam Stokely Carmichael, leading figures in the liberal trols went out looking for the Vietnamese War, he was killed. integrationist and the militant Black nationalist "enemy," the "point man" was usually Black, Two years later, Martin Luther King took a wings of the movement, came together .for this Chicano, or Puerto Rican. stand against the war. He did so only after long particular action. The potential for much greater It didn't matter that Black unemployment has actions existed, and the ruling class knew it. been about twice the rate of white unemployment Omari Musa is a staff writer for the Militant King was killed and Carmichael was virtually for decades. and « member of the national committee of the driven out of the country. It didn't matter that housing, schools, and Socialist Workers Party. The ruling class had an advantage in that the medical care for Blacks were deteriorating while
13 (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW/PAGE 4)
resources were poured into the war agaitlst th~ against the war in 1968, 1969, and1970 g~t a!l - Bometimes we built Black student antiwar Vietnamese people. -- enthusiastic re'spon:se froi;n Black yO\U;h.:.:.. committees or Black coalitions. At other times we And it didn't matter that many, many Blacks especially high school students. The Black Mo helped build Black chapters of the Student Mobil felt an affinity with the Vietnamese struggle for ratorium held in 1969 at the University of Cali ization Committee, especially among Black high liberation. This attitude found expression in fornia campus at Riverside drew thousands of school students, where the antiwar movement slogans like, "We don't want this racist war," Black participants. And at the time of the May often got an enthusiastic response. And on other and "No Vietnamese ever called me 'Nigger.'" 1970 upsurge against the invasion of Cambodia, occasions we participated in "Third World" Com The Black community was always more op two Black students were murdered by Mississippi mittees Against the War. Fred Halstead's Out posed to the war than the rest of the population. state troopers while participating in an antiwar Now contains a picture of a banner on one of the Blacks didn't oppose the war for moral reasons rally at Jackson State University. These are just demonstrations that we helped lead in Washing alone. They saw it as part of the racist structure. a few examples out of many. ton, D.C. The banner reads, "United States out of We sensed that this was part of imperialism's The irreconcilable opposition of Blacks to the Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America." attack on the right of all oppressed people to self U.S. intervention provided an important base of That was the consciousneSB among certain lay determination. moral support to the antiwar movement, even ers of the Black community. But the ruling class had some success with when this sentiment was unorganized. The oppo putting across the idea that the antiwar move sition was universal. No Black politician who Difficulties We Faced ment was "white." They were able to take advan wanted to get or keep an elected office dared say But we faced big difficulties. We were no tage of weaknesses in the Black leadership to a favorable word about the U.S. intervention in substitute for the united front that was needed. maintain a certain division. Vietnam. And the liberal leaders and many of the national The role of conservative Black leaders paral ist ones had gotten tied up with the Democratic leled that of the labor bureaucrats who supported Role of Black Gls Party. the war (or softly criticized it) while trying to One area where the ruling class wasn't very On the other hand many of the more militant insulate union members from the struggle. effective in keeping Blacks out of antiwar activ elements were caught up in ultraleftism-talking A big deepening of the Black struggle would ity was the army. Here the antiwar movement about an isolated guerrilla war against the ruling inevitably have also meant a confrontation over had a big impact, providing a sense of protection class or waving- the little red book of Mao the issue of the war. This danger to the ruling for Black Gis who wanted to speak their minds Tsetung's thought. class was brought sharply to their attention by about the rotten war. These Black ultralefts tended to make the same the ghetto explosions of 1967 and 1968. There It was hard to convince the soldiers that mistake that other ultralefts made: they ab were two weapons they used very effectively to opposition to dying needlessly in Vietnam was a stained, denouncing the movement because it head off such a development. "white thing"-especially when they had to deal didn't meet their standards of radicalism. First, they used the Democratic Party. They with racist white officers. Among Gis, Blacks Black opposition to the war became more provided elected offices and other forms of pat were in the forefront of the opposition to the war. intense in the last years of the war. The repeated ronage to Blacks who showed leadership capaci Their antiwar sentiment and their antiwar ac occurrence of mass demonstrations, combined ties and would accept their place in the system. tions helped make it impossible for the govern with Nixon's policy of trying to get a military The rulers launched big poverty programs, which ment to maintain a massive invasion force in played the same function. They offered money, Indochina. victory, caused mass antiwar sentiment among Blacks to start breaking through the logjam prestige, and the illusion of power. Black members of the Socialist Workers Party represented by the Democratic Party misleaders. Well, many people-often people who had been and other Black people who recognized the need quite militant-took the bait. After all, good jobs to build the antiwar movement as part of a An example described by Fred Halstead in Out aren't easy to come by in the Black community, strategy of Black liberation worked in this com Now was the April 24, 1971, demonstration in so the temptation was strong. plicated situation. Washington, D.C. The National Peace Action One event that thrilled us and gave us confi Coalition succeeded in winning formal endorse dence that we were doing the right thing was the ment for the demonstration from Marion Barry Black Antiwar Actions Chicano Moratorium in September 1970. That and others who constituted the recognized leader A whole new layer of conservative leaders was action brought out 20,000 Chicanos against the ship in the Black community. But when they saw created-like the Black mayors and Black con war. It showed that the people of the oppressed the potential for really massive Black participa gressional candidates. They had a stake now in nationalities saw the link between the struggle tion building up, they all pulled out, with the not getting too far from the policies of the ruling for self-determination in this country and the honorable exception of the late Julius Hobson. class. They might criticize the war-and they struggle of the Vietnamese. A week before the demonstration, the Washing usually did-'--but as a rule they weren't going to That Chicano demonstration proved that the ton Post published a poll taking in Washington's try to build a mass protest movement in the oppressed nationalities could be organized and Black community. The poll said 40 percent of the Black community. Their job was to cool the that the fight against the Vietnam War was part Blacks polled said they were going to the protest. community, not organize it for struggle. and parcel of the fight against national oppres Now mind you, the article didn't say that 40 And those who wouldn't take the bait faced a SIOn. percent opposed the war. That opinion was just brutal campaign of repression. Leaders of the about unanimous. The poll indicated that 40 Black Panther Party were the victims of system Organize Forces percent would be marching. That would have atic murder. Many who weren't killed were Our policy was to organize with any forces we meant 80-90,000 people. framed up and imprisoned. Others went into could to get Black people onto the streets protest As it turned out, the poll overestimated the exile. Still others became isolated and demoral ing the war. We held that what was needed was a Black turnout from the District of Columbia. But ized. . movement that wouldn't just represent one ideol nonetheless April 24, 1971, marked the high Nevertheless, the Black population was a sig ogy or current or organization. We needed a point in Black participation in the antiwar nificant presence in all the biggest antiwar movement, we said, that would mobilize and movement. Black unionists turned out in signifi- marches and moratoriums. Student strikes express the antiwar sentiments of all Blacks. Continued on page ISR/11
14 (NOVEMBER 1978) (PAGES/INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW) FiftJ Yean of· American !rotskrism combination of these two powerful adverse fac By George Novack tors corrupted most of the original CP leaders and confused the ranks. In the USSR the degeneration of the regime 1978 marks the fortieth anniversary of the was opposed by the Left Opposition led by Leon founding of the Socialist Workers Party. The full Trotsky. The controversies that divided Soviet history of the SWP, however, goes back fifty and world communism after 1923 focused on the years to November 1928 when defenders of course to be taken by the first workers state and internationalism and workers democracy who the strategy of the international struggle against had been expelled from the Communist Party capitalism. The Left Opposition fought for in published the first issue of the Militant. And the creasing workers democracy against the despot real origins of the SWP go back still further-to ism of the Soviet bureaucracy represented by 1919 when the communist movement was first Stalin. It counterposed the program and perspec constituted as an independent party in the Uni tives of the world revolution to the anti ted Stc. ~~s. internationalist Stalinist innovation of "social ism in one country." This ''theory" held that The Antecedent Years socialism (considered by Marxists to be a society A survey of the roots and main turning points of material plenty and equality surpassing the in the development of the SWP can contribute to most advanced capitalism) could be achieved in understanding the capacity of this relatively the USSR alone without the further extension of small revolutionary socialist formation to influ its material and political base to the industrial ence the course of broad social struggles. ized countries, the seat of world imperialism. final analysis, determined the rate of its progress The American Communist Party arose out of The Left Opposition exposed and rejected the and the scope of its achievements. the impact on American radicalism of two colos reformist conclusions of "peaceful coexistence" At its outset, the Communist League of Amer sal international events: the First World War and with the imperialist bourgeoisie that logically ica (Opposition), the group formed by the ex the Russian revolution. The origins of the CP flowed from the theory of "socialism in one pelled revolutionists, put forward its program to testify to the decisive part played by world country." The Stalinist line inexorably trans the radical public. The clear and comprehensive developments in shaping American history and formed the American CP and its counterparts enunciation of its positions on the key issues of its revolutionary components in particular. elsewhere from revolutionary opponents of capi the class struggle accorded with the mandate of The formation of the CP represented an im talist rule into pressure groups in the service of Marxism, which regards the character of its mense step forward in Marxist doctrine and the Moscow bureaucracy's foreign policy-all in program-and action in harmony with it-as the party organization. It began the assimilation of the name of "defending socialism in one coun prime factor in determining the nature of a the authentic scientific socialism defended and try," the USSR. It led the Stalinized CPs to political grouping. This original set of revolution enriched by Lenin, Trotsky, and their associates reject, at first tacitly and then more and more ary Marxist ideas has remained the bedrock of in the leadership of the Russian revolution. It explicitly, any strategy of independent working revolutionary Marxist activity, the basis for the replaced the primitive, loose, heterogeneous, and class struggle aimed at taking power in their own recruitment and education of cadres. It is incor all-inclusive concept of party organization prac countries. porated in the most extensive and enduring body ticed by the Socialist Party of Hillquit, Debs, and The retrogressive processes culminated in No of literature available to any tendency of Ameri Berger-which had failed the test of events after vember 1928 in the expulsion from the CP of the can radicalism. 1917-with the superior Bolshevik model. first adherents to the Communist Left Opposi The new party was to be a politically homo tion, led by Leon Trotsky. These were former The Pioneering Years geneous and democratically centralized organiza party Chairman James P. Cannon, Max Shacht In this pioneer period the relationship of forces, tion, based on a principled program and guided man, Martin Ahern, and Rose Karsner. As the the small numbers of conscious revolutionary by a clear perspective of the revolutionary poten CP purged all questioners of the expulsion from Marxists, and international considerations made tialities of the working class in the United States its ranks, this initial cadre was joined by other it necessary to concentrate our activity upon the and around the world. It was linked to the Third revolutionists, including Arne Swabeck, Vincent work of propaganda for our distinctive views. International, a world organization ofrevolution R. Dunne, and Karl Skoglund. This schism The leadership deliberately decided that the ary parties launched by Lenin and the Bolshev- inaugurated an entirely new chapter in the paramount job at that juncture was to form a iks in 1919. • struggle for the construction of a revolutionary firm cadre that thoroughly understood the nature The history of the American CP in the first vanguard in the United States. of Stalinism and had assimilated the gist of the decade after its formation falls into two distinct The founders of American Trotskyism did not criticisms and ideas of the Left Opposition. The and opposed stages. During the heroic period up reject or discard any of the theoretical and advice of people who urged abandonment of this to 1923, the party attracted the cream of the organizational lessons gained from the experi task in favor of grandiose schemes for "mass revolutionary-minded elements in the country in ences of the Russian revolution and the first five work" was rejected as unrealistic. the face of often fierce repression. It worked with years of the Third International (including those The energies of CLA members were devoted to some success to weld these initial cadres together of the Communist Party). They placed these at regularly bringing out and distributing the on the new foundations charted by the Third the cornerstone of their program. weekly Militant, publishing books and pam International. In its personnel, program, and And they incorporated into their arsenal the phlets popularizing the positions of the Left perspectives, the Socialist Workers Party is a contributions made by the Left Opposition as Opposition, and carrying on other propaganda direct inheritor of this stride forward in revolu well. activities. Participation in mass struggles of one tionary consciousness and activity. Cannon and his associates were confident of kind or another was subordinated to these pri This progressive period was followed by. five the capacity of the working class in the advanced mary tasks. years of blind factional warfare from 1923 to capitalist countries to transform society. The The CLA then regarded itself as an expelled 1928, which impeded and disoriented the party. most decisive sector of that class was located in faction of the Stalinized CP, seeking to win over The gradual degeneration of the party, which the United States. Basing their program and CP members and followers to its ideas. It looked began in the mid-1920s and was virtually com perspective on developing the consciousness of to the force of events and its own pressure to pleted by the end of the decade, was the conse the American workers towards its revolutionary reform the CP's policies. The policy applied in quence of two factors, one national, the other potential, the pioneer Trotskyists set out to this country followed the general line of the international. assemble and educate a grouping of Marxists International Left Opposition toward the Com The deadening conservatism of American life committed to the aims of combating and over munist parties. and politics generated by the unprecedented turning American capitalism in order to build Although this tactic failed to check the degen boom of American capitalism from 1922 to 1929 socialism on a world scale. Revolutionary inter eration of the CP, it did succeed in assembling coincided with a reaction in the Soviet Union as nationalism, workers democracy, a socialist several hundred revolutionary militants commit the Stalinist bureaucracy rose to power after America-these three ideas have been abiding ted to fundamental Marxist principles. The con Lenin's death. As Stalinism came to dominate guidelines of the U.S. Trotskyist movement sistent propaganda struggle against Stalinism the Third International, the intervention and throughout its existence. armed these fighters with an understanding of influence of the Russian leadership, which had It was an extremely difficult task to reconsti what was happening in the USSR and the Third inspired and invigorated the American revolu tute a revolutionary vanguard in the face of the International. This enabled the CLA to survive, tionists in Lenin's day, turned into its c,Jposite collapse of the Communist Party and the degen grow somewhat, and withstand the physical and became a source of unmitigated evil. The eration of the Soviet state after Lenin's death. attacks and political pressures exerted by the The evolution of American Trotskyism has not Stalinists. George Novack is a member of the editorial proceeded according to a preconceived plan or The infant movement experienced severe hard board of the International Socialist Review. He followed a direct path. It has passed through ships because of the stagnation of organized joined the Trotskyist movement in 1934. The distinct phases of development, conditioned by labor at the beginning of the depression. Its author of many books on Marxist philosophy colossal world events and the circumstances of isolation was intensified by the upsurge of offi and politics, his most recent volume is Polemics its environment. At each phase these conditions cial Communism supported by the mounting in Marxist Philosophy (New York: Pathfinder, have imposed specific tasks upon its cadres, prestige of the Soviet Union amidst the manifest 1978). circumscribed its sphere of action and, in the collapse of capitalism and the progress made
15 (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW! PAGE 6)
under the first five-year plan. This masked the internal crimes of the bureaucratic regime, while the ultraleft course imposed on Communist par ties by Stalin's "third period" line from 1~29 to 1934 obscured the opportunist foundations of Stalinist policy. However, deep conviction of the correctness of its ideas. was a source of moral stamina for the small group of Trotskyists, which enabled it to survive that trying time. American Trotskyism passed its first test by the sheer fact of survival.
A Period of Growth Hitler's ascension to power in February 1933 changed the Trotskyist attitude toward the Com mu:qist parties. The terrible defeat inflicted upon the German workers, the strongest section of the European working class; the capitulation of the German CP without a struggle, which was pa MILITANT pered over with militant rhetoric against united fronts with the Social Democrats, who were For the Russian Opposition! labeled "social fascists"; and the subsequent refusal of Stalin and the Third International even to question the errors that led to the catas trophe marked the doom of the Third Interna tional as an agency of revolution. Recognition of this fact caused a reorientation of world Trotsky ism. From a faction seeking to reform the Com munist International and reverse the course of the American CP, Trotskyists became the her alds of a new International and the building of a new revolutionary Marxist party in the United States. In line with these objectives, the CLA shifted its principal orientation away from the CP. It paid special attention to political groups and tendencies that were in ferment and moving in a leftward direction. This move was facilitated and solidified by a simultaneous turn from activity as a circle of propagandists to systematic, if small-scale, par ticipation in work among the unemployed and industrial workers. This tactical shift was made possible and produced results because of the explosive energies released by the awakening of working-class militancy, expressed in strikes and organizing drives that culminated in the rise of the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO). The creation in the preceding period of cadres knit together on a natio:rial scale by common ideas and methods was the indispensable pre requisite to successfully carrying out this trans formation in the work of the Trotskyist move ment. The new course promptly provided an occasion for a small but highly educational conflict with opportunism, when the free-lancing B.J. Field opposed the party's class-struggle policies while playing a leading role in a strike of New York City hotel workers. Field's expulsion for indisci pline demonstrated that trade-union leaders, like other party members, are obliged to uphold the party's class-struggle program and majority deci sions in word and deed.· On the other hand, the victory of the Minnea polis Teamsters' strikes in 1934 under Trotskyist leadership provided a powerful test of compe tence and commitment of revolutionary Marxists in trade-union struggles. Further footholds in the unions were provided by the subsequent Teams ter organizing drives in the Midwest led by Farrell Dobbs. c g Such tests of Trotskyist capacities in union FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN TROTSKYISM: (a) Martin Abern, James P. Cannon, and Max Trotsky (second struggles helped bring about the first success of Shachtman (1. to r.), founders of American Trotskyism; (b) the first issue of the 'Militant,' imperialist war in the new orientation toward leftward-moving dated November 15, 1928; (c) the Preliminary Commission of Inquiry into the Charges the 'Militant'; (f) , formations. In December 1934, the Communist Against Leon Trotsky, headed by John Dewey (center, against wall), hears testimony from way to prison 011 League of America fused with the American Workers Party led by A.J. Muste. Leaders of this group had an important achievement to their ist parties. When the right wing quit Norman honorable Trotskyist record of defending victims credit: leading the 1934 strike of Toledo Auto-Lite Thomas's Socialist Party in 1935 and he invited of government frame-ups. workers. The unification, arrived at after hard other radicals to join his purportedly all-inclusive The SP-officialdom feared the spread of Trot negotiation on the basis of common agreement formation, Trotskyists decided to join it. Their skyist influence. Thomas and his ilk felt threat on fundamental principles, gave a big impetus to goal was to win the more militant members of its ened by revolutionary socialist criticism of the our movement. left wing and youth movement to revolutionary SP leaders' support to the popular front govern In carrying out these progressive steps, the ideas. ment in Spain during the Spanish civil war. (The party had to overcome opposition. Led by Hugo During the Trotskyists' short sojourn in the left wing favored militarily defending the repub Oehler, a sectarian faction denounced any step Socialist Party, Stalin launched the Moscow lic against the fascists while giving no political away from the necessarily ingrown and isolated frame-up trials. We organized a campaign to support to the bourgeois government.) When the past of the movement, claiming this would be a secure asylum for Trotsky in Mexico (he was left objected to SP endorsement of the reelection violation of revolutionary purity. Defeated in a expelled from France and Norway under Stali campaign of New York's Republican-Fusion thoroughgoing political debate, the Oehlerites nist pressure) and worked with others in the Mayor La Guardia, the SP tops responded with pulled out of the party and eventually faded Trotsky Defense Committee to expose Stalin's mass expulsions of their left-wing critics. away. monstrous frame-ups. The latter effort culmi The balance sheet of entry showed positive nated in the commission of inquiry headed by results: (1) The majority of the socialist youth Entry into Socialist Party philosopher John Dewey. The commission exon and those really interested in working for a Unification with the American Workers Party erated Trotsky and his son Leon Sedov and socialist revolution were won to the Trotskyist Q.id not eliminate the restrictions imposed by the declared Stalin's charges to be baseless. This current; (2) the cadres accumulated valuable much greater size of the Com1.mnist and Social- undertaking was a landmark in the long and political experience; (3) entry increased Trotsky-
16 (NOVEMBER 1978) (PAGE 7/lNTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW)
·om left at table) in Mexico in April 1937; (d) socialists campaign against convention of the United Auto Workers in Atlantic City, New Jersey: (h) December 1975 few York City in 1939; (e) Trotsky in exile reads February 1, 1937, issue of convention of the Young Socialist Alliance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; (i) selling the 'Militant' ghteen SWP members, prosecuted for opposing imperialist war, on their in 1975; (j) Paul Boutelle, SWP's vice-presidential candidate in 1968, addresses antiwar rally New Year's Eve 1943; (g) socialist literature on display outside the 1946 at Columbia University on October 15, 1969.
ist forces in the unions, enhancing our proletar cult to get an objective hearing for our revolution base won in Minneapolis and the Midwest ian orientation; and (4) by expelling its left wing ary ideas because of the sheer weight and size of through the work of our members in building the the SP cut itself off from the radicalized youth the forces under CP sway. Teamsters union, the party strengthened its and union militants, dealing itself crippling The Socialist Workers Party was founded at a forces in the maritime field and the new unions blows from which it never recovered. convention in Chicago on New Year's Day 1938. in the automobile, steel, electrical, and other While these developments reduced the numeri The Fourth International was launched nine industries. The party began to acquire a less cal superiority of the SP over the Trotskyists, the months later. It adopted as a programmatic literary and middle-class and a more proletarian CP retained its overwhelming predominance in guideline the Death Agony of Capitalism and the composition, spirit, and activity. The extension the radical movement. Despite (and in part Tasks of the Fourth International. This docu of trade-union work became the top priority of because of) its opportunism, which now extended ment laid out a strategy for overcoming the the Trotskyist movement. to outright support of the Roosevelt administra contradiction between our small numbers, the Although the newly formed SWP made some tion, the CP grew considerably. consciousness of the working class, and the headway, it was not given much time to display It was solidly entrenched in the CIO, exercised revolutionary tasks that needed to be accomp its capacities. The shadow of the oncoming war, a strong attraction on radicalizing intellectuals lished. following upon the horror of the Moscow trials and in cultural circles, and had the greatest The central task set by the party was to and the defeat of the Spanish masses, led to a influence of any current among the youth and establish itself as a powerful current in the retreat of the formerly prosocialist intellectuals Blacks. profound radicalization of the working class, a and a dampening of radicalism. Then the Stalin The Stalinists conducted a merciless slander radicalization that was bringing about the orga Hitler pact, which ushered in the Second World campaign designed to keep our movement quar nization of industrial workers into mass unions War in August 1939, hit the party. These inter antined 1nd our ideas tabooed. It proved diffi- under the banner of the CIO. In addition to the twined events brought out latent weaknesses and
17 1/NTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW/PAGE 8)
1 The prosecution tested the capaCity of both the branches were set up itl tfiany n~w·localities. party and its working-class militants to stand by By its 1946 convention in Chicago, the SWP their avowed principles under the most intense membership reached a level surpassed only in pressures. The party proceeded to organize a the past few years, having doubled its member nationwide campaign against the indictments. ship since 1945. It had strong bases of support Through the Civil Rights Defense Committee it among workers and in many Black communities developed a strong and broad defense movement, from coast to coast. which secured support from 150 unions represent Despite the growth of the party, Trotskyism ing more than 5 million members. It made the still confronted weighty obstacles and resultant Minneapolis case the most important civil liber pressures. The continuing strength of the Stali ties cause during World War II. The activity of nists and Social Democrats in Europe blocked the entire party from July 1941 to February 1945, the progress of the Fourth Intemational and when the imprisoned Trotskyists were released, prevented the workers from taking power in revolved around work on this case, which endan Westem Europe after the downfall of Hitler and gered the legal existence of the SWP and in Mussolini. These setbacks produced a smaller volved the imprisonment of its best political and repetition of petty-bourgeois pessimism and in union leaders. discipline in the form of an opposition led by The defendants used the courtroom to expound Albert Goldman and Felix Morrow, two of the their real views against the allegations of the eighteen imprisoned in the Minneapolis case. prosecutors. One of the most enduring bypro This tendency was easily defeated. Shortly after James Kutcher, veteran fired from his government ducts of the Minneapolis trial is the official court leaving the Trotskyist movement Morrow and job for SWP membership, and George Novack. record of the testimony given by James P. Goldman broke with Marxism and moved well to Kutcher got broad support to win a victory over Cannon, published as Socialism on Trial. It is an the right. the witch-hunters. outstanding introduction to the application of Among our rivals, the Socialist Party had by Marxist ideas to American problems. this time largely fallen out of the running. The Communist Party, on the other hand, had ac precipitated the most thoroughgoing internal The prosecution of the eighteen, and the U.S. quired a membership of almost 100,000 and struggle in the movement since its inception. declaration of war on the day they were sent retained some commanding positions in the An opposition emerged reflecting the changed enced, signaled the beginning of another period unions and the Black community. mood among the radical intellectuals. Led by of intense hardship for the party. Unlike the However, the CP had been discredited among Burnham, Shachtman, and Ahern, it began its Vietnam War decades later, the war of American the best union militants and the Black communi assault on the program of the Fourth Interna imperialism against the Axis powers was ac ties by its abject support of Roosevelt's antilabor tional by opposing defense of the Soviet Union cepted as necessary by the people; socialist policies, its support to the no-strike pledge (which from imperialist attack and by challenging the opposition to it received scant support. Many it favored continuing in the postwar period), and Trotskyist analysis of the Soviet Union as a young party activists were drafted into the its opposition to all struggles against racism degenerated workers state. armed forces. The unionists who remained had to during Stalin's alliance with Roosevelt. The conflict soon involved most of the basic swim against the stream. After effectively with At the same time the unblemished record of the tenets of Marxism-from the validity and value standing the first governmental assaults, how SWP in defense of labor's rights, the interests of of dialectical materialism to the character of the ever, the membership held on tenaciously and the Afro-Americans, and its socialist ideas en party. Trotsky described the aim of this opposi successfully weathered the wartime isolation. hanced its reputation in these circles. The mag tion as an "attempt to reject, disqualify, and The first outstanding act of mass resistance in nificent offensive of the unions against the overthrow the theoretical foundations, political this period was the movement that sprang up corporations during the massive strike wave of principles, and organizational methods of our around A. Philip Randolph's call for a march on 1945-47 energized our members and supporters. movement." Washington to demand equal employment oppor American labor's greatest upsurge coincided Impelled by the ferocious anti-Soviet propa tunity. This was called off after Roosevelt offered quite properly with the quickest and greatest ganda and the growing pressure of prowar fever, a token gesture in the form of a toothless Fair growth of the revolutionary socialist movement. Burnham, Shachtman, and their followers broke Employment Practices Commission. Some jobs Owing to the relative absence of ferment on the away from the SWP in April 1940. They founded in industry were nonetheless gained for Blacks campuses, the weakness of the organized student th~ Workers Party to compete with the SWP. This through this effort. Most important, the move movement, and a certain lack of initiative on the grouping led a vacillating existence until 1957 ment for the march indicated that Blacks were part of the Trotskyists in the student arena, the when it vanished into the remains of the Social not willing to postpone their struggle for human party was unable to reconstitute a youth organi ist Party. rights in the interests of the U.S. war effort. This zation on a national scale. (Most of the Young American Trotskyism gained more than it lost attitude was given added emphasis by the 1943 People's Socialist League, composed primarily of from the struggle and split with the petty uprising of Blacks in Harlem. youth won from the Socialist Party, had gone bourgeois opposition. The struggle tempered the Following discussions with Trotsky in 1939, with the Shachtmanite splitters.) party majority which proved its fidelity to Marx the SWP had become more actively involved in For a brief time it appeared that the SWP was ism, its ability to defend its program under fire, the Black struggle and placed a new stress on its on the way to transforming itself from a small and its determination to be a genuinely Leninist importance for the American revolution. When and restricted propaganda group into an organi and working-class organization. Black protests broke out during the war, the SWP zation of mass agitation and action. Its expand The controversy also produced two precious was politically prepared to participate and to ing influence in the left wing of the industrial contributions to Marxist literature: Trotsky's recruit to its banner. The Communist Party, unions and among the Black militants placed collection In Defense of Marxism and Cannon's which had previously dominated Black radical that almost within reach. The ranks were poised The Struggle for a Proletarian Party. These ism, began to lose ground because of its objec and ready to realize this objective. classics, which are published today by Path tions to demands for Black rights in wartime. finder Press, have ever since been indispensable The second major outbreak of resistance was Then, quite unexpectedly, a sharp turn oc to the education of revolutionary socialists. the coal miners' strikes of 1943. Despite the curred in the national and intemational situa The showdown with the minority was con frenzied propaganda of the govemment, the tions that altered and nullified this outlook for cluded months before the USSR was invaded and liberals, and the Stalinists against the United the near future. Emboldened by their vi~tories in the United States entered the Second World War. Mine Workers and its President John L. Lewis, Europe and the beginnings of a new capitalist Thanks to its stand in defense of Marxist princi the strikers won important gains against the boom, the U.S. imperialists launched the cold ples the party was well equipped to meet these wage freeze and dealt a big blow to Roosevelt's earth-shaking events without wavering or flinch efforts to impose a no-strike straitjacket on the ing. The break with the petty-bourgeois current unwns. also enabled the party to make new strides in The second phase emerged as the war fever rooting its forces in the unions. wore off. Hitler's defeat began to seem certain after the Soviet victory at Stalingrad, and new The War Years stirrings agitated the ranks of labor. Shortly before Pearl Harbor was attacked, the While its leaders were still behind bars, the party and its foremost unionists were subjected party moved out to take advantage of the open to combined assault by the Teamsters union ings presented by growing battles against the bureaucracy and the federal government. Min wartime wage freeze, the no-strike pledge neapolis Teamsters Local 544 had been the adopted by top union leaders, and in favor of the principal base of Trotskyist influence in the formation of a labor party based on the union unions and the leading force for labor organiza movement. tion throughout the Northwest. The national convention in November 1944 After the officers of Local 544 refused to bow already recorded appreciable signs of progress in before his dictatorial edicts, Teamster President various fields: increased sales and subscriptions Dan Tobin, who was also the head of the Demo of the Militant, stepped-up recruitment of cratic Party's Labor Committee, appointed a workers and Afro-Americans, greater influence receiver over the local. When the members voted in key union locals, and a burst of optimism in to disaffiliate from the AFL and join the CIO, the membership. Roosevelt, at Tobin's behest, ordered the Depart This expansion continued without letup for the ment of Justice to indict the Local 544 officers next three years. The entire party stepped out and SWP leaders under the Smith "Gag" Act. boldly and made progress in numerous direc This .vas the first time the act, which penalized tions. It established sizable and influential frac people for their ideas, had been invoked. Roose tions in several industrial unions: auto, steel, The SWP threw itself into defending the Cuban velt's prime objective was to eliminate any source rubber, aircraft, and. maritime. It energetically revolution, helping to organize the Fair Play for of opposition to his war policies in the union intervened in movements for Black equality and Cuba Committee. Here demonstrators denounce movement by indicting the principal leaders of drew hundreds of Black militants into its ranks. U.S. aggression against Cuba and U.S. role in Local 544 and the SWP. The press attained its highest circulation. Party crushing nationalist forces in the Congo. (NOVEMBER 1978) (PAGE 9/INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW)
further existence. Soon after. i~·defection, the Cochtan~Clarke-Bartell combination disclosed its true liquidationist nature and disintegrated. It did not last out the decade.
Case of Legless Veteran One of the brightest achievements of those years was the seven-year fight waged against the victimization of a legless veteran, James Kutcher, whose case became the SWP's most dramatic vehicle for opposing the government loyalty purge. The campaign on his behalf mobil ized widespread sympa:thy and support. After eleven hearings, Kutcher was restored to his Veteran's Administration job. This was one of the outstanding victories against the witch hunters. All energies were absorbed during this period in keeping the party intact and as active as external conditions permitted. There was no alternative but to ward off the blows as best as possible and wait out the onsweep of reaction. All other tendencies confronted the same prob lems. The SP went from bad to worse politically and organizationally and had little life left by the end of the fifties. The CP suffered the great est losses. The unions under its domination were expelled from the CIO and many of its opportu nist supporters in the trade unions, such as Curran of the National Maritime Union and Quill of the Transport Workers Union, went over to the anti-Soviet, pro-imperialist labor bureau cracy. m Socialist Workers Party contingent in May 16, 1976, demonstration for the ERA in Springfield, Illinois The CP had become so discredited that it could not muster any broad_ support for its defense against government prosecution. Its ranks grew war against the USSR and an anticommunist SWP's defense of postcapitalist China and North more and more demoralized and divided. crusade at home. For a prolonged period this Korea.) The reprecussions of the Khrushchev report closed off further possibilities of expansion for The processes of desertion eventually affected ' confirming Stalin's crimes and the crushing of the SWP, thrusting the party back into agonizing the inner core of the party. This was expressed in the Hungarian revolt in 1956 delivered smashing isolation. the emergence of the Cochran-Clarke-Bartell blows to its unity and morale and decimated its faction. The assault of these leading figures on ranks. Thousands walked away in dreadful disil lusionment from the party. The CP is still hemor The Witch-hunt the party program, which was intertwined with a split in the Fourth International, erupted at the rhaging from the continuing effects of the decom Beginning in 1947, the anticommunist witch height of McCarthyism and its excruciating position of world Stalinism. hunt the consolidation of the labor bureaucracy, squeeze on the Trotskyist movement. The The radical movement as a whole lost virtually and the conservatizing of the better-off workers Cochran-Clarke-Bartell group enlisted the most an entire generation of recruitment to the cold under the sway of prolonged prosperity adminis exhausted and disillusioned elements of the war and witch-hunt. Relative to other currents, tered a stiff setback to American radicalism in membership. the SWP came out of that ordeal with the best all its forms. While the CP was the main target Thes·e cadres had been disheartened by the morale, since world events had substantiated its and victim of capitalist persecution and was postwar strangulation of the revolution in West basic ideas. It made the most of the upheaval in dealt the heaviest blows, the SWP likewise suf ern Europe and disoriented by the Kremlin's American radicalism generated by the crisis fered severely at the hands of reaction. expansion in Eastern Europe and the Stalinist within the hard-hit CP. The immense dispropor Nonetheless, at the opening of this dark period, role in the revolutionary victory won in the tion of forces and influence between the Trotsky the party took one of its biggest steps forward in Chinese civil war. ists and Stalinists, which had prevailed for more national politics. Up to this point, it had not had Softened by prosperity and wearied by inces than three decades, was steadily lessened to the the resources to enter candidates in the presiden sant and inconclusive struggling against the . advantage of the Trotskyists. tial race. In 1948 our party launched its first stream, they lost faith in the revolutionary presidential ticket. Its candidates conducted a potential of the American working class and Years of Revival rigorous nationwide campaign to popularize its began to challenge the principles of Marxism At the beginning of the sixties the victory of program against the two major capitalist parties. and the future of Trotskyism. They no longer the Cuban Revolution, the civil rights movement, It also challenged the radical pretensions of the believed it possible to build a mass revolutionary and the end of student apathy spurred the Progressive Party, a short-lived third capitalist party capable of leading a successful struggle to revival of radicalism. This was manifested effort which fielded Roosevelt's former vice replace capitalism with a workers regime in the within our own movement by the reconstitution president, Henry Wall ace. The Progressive Party United States. of a Trotskyist. youth organization for the first was strongly backed by the Communist Party. This minority threatened to undo all the basic time in twenty years. The Young Socialist Al This has been a permanent advance. Overcom conquests of our movement since its birth. They liance became the prime vehicle for the regenera ing many obstacles, the SWP has never been were dead set against our aim of building a tion of the SWP. absent from the national elections, regularly proletarian vanguard party. At the cost of an Our party did its utmost to recruit and inte running a presidential slate every four years. In unavoidable split, the majority succeeded in grate young rebels from the campuses into its 1976 it was on the ballot in twenty-six states and beating back this challenge to its heritage and depleted ranks and bring them into the leader- the District of Columbia. The intensified reactionary atmosphere during the Korean War years from 1950 to 1953 placed , ...... ··· the party in deepening difficulties. The youth and the union militants were immobilized, and RJr.Further Reading ... the possibilities of recruitment dwindled to a minimum. The Black- population continued to wage spasmodic struggles against their oppres The History of American Trotskyism by James P. Cannon. A vivid and exciting account of the early sion, but these could not reverse the conservative struggles of the American Trotskyist movement. It concludes with the founding of the Socialist tide. However, they did win some major conces Workers Party in 1938. 268 pp. $4.45. sions, the most important being the 1954 Su preme Court decision outlawing school segrega tion. The Struggle for a Proletarian Party by James P. Cannon. This volume was written during a struggle With the workers increasingly unresponsive to over the character and program of the Socialist Workers Party in 1939-40. It is a classic defense of the socialist ideas and proposals, virtually the entire strategy and methods of building a working-class revolutionary party organized along democratic membership of SWP fractions in auto, aircraft, centralist lines. 302 pp. $4.45. steel and maritime unions were driven from thei; jobs and blacklisted. Many fine worker militants, seeing little chance for effective opposi The Socialist Workers Party in World War II by James P. Cannon. This volume of writings and speeches tells how the SWP stood up to government persecution in World War II. The SWP was tion to the ascendant labor bureaucracy, drifted almost alone in exposing the imperialist character of the war. The book describes the party's out of the party, as did many Black members important role in opposing government strikebreaking and defending unions against wartime speedup who had expected the party to mobilize wide and wage freezes. 446 pp. $5.45. support for their demands. Party branches with ered and disappeared. The Johnson-Forest group (headed by C.L.R. Prospects for Socialism in America by Jack Barnes, Mary-Alice Waters, Tony Thomas, Barry James), which had returned to the party in 1947 Sheppard, and Betsey Stone. The program and proposals of the SWP for defending the interests of aftet breaking with Shachtman's Workers Party, working people today. 269 pp. $2.95. again. bolted from the party in 1951 under the impact of the Korean War. (They opposed the
1f (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW/PAGE 10)
The Trotskyists made gains because they re sponded favorably to militant, independent struggles, recognized the requirements of these movements, and worked out a correct and con sistent attitude toward them. U.S. imperialism suffered its first defeat in a war as a result of the tenacious resistance of the Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian peoples and the massive opposition at home to its crimi nal and bloody intervention in Southeast Asia. With the end of the Indochina war, the SWP continued and deepened its participation in all other movements of social protest. The Seventies and the Prospects for Socialism It was among the first to recognize the impor tance of the resurgence of feminism at the close of the sixties. And it has published more litera ture on the problems of women's liberation than any other working-class tendency. SWP members have been in the forefront of struggles to win August 1975 convention of the Socialist Workers Party abortion rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, and affirmative action, and to direct the atten ship. This was imperative if the party was to need for workers to break with the capitalist tion of women's rights organizations to the needs cope with the enlarged opportunities presented to political apparatus. of working women and women of the oppressed it. To the impact of the deepening Black struggle nationalities. The SWP has likewise been a firm The reorientation of our movement to the was added that of the Chicano struggle. Growing supporter of the movement to achieve democratic changed national and international situation sentiments of Chicano nationalism and solidar rights for gays. and the transition to a wider arena was not ity found expression in the farm workers' organ Unstinting support to women's and gay rights accomplished without internal controversies and izing drives in California and Texas, the demand has given the SWP added advantages over its breaks with a diversified range of dissidents who for bilingual education, and more recently in reformist opponents, the Stalinists and Social responded in a sectarian way to new openings or opposition to the deportation of undocumented Democrats, who have reacted with fear, hostility, had abandoned the positions we held in common. immigrant workers. and incomprehension to these struggles. These included the currents that today function The SWP has supported these manifestations. Following Watergate, the SWP undertook a as the Workers League and Spartacist League, as It encouraged and backed the candidates of the bold and unprecedented step for a small, revolu well as a few individuals who went over to Raza Unida parties in local and state elections in tionary party. In 1973 it instituted a $27 million Maoism. the Southwest. Trotskyists viewed this practical lawsuit against the government, demanding an All together, these did not amount to as much step toward political action independent of the end to its forty-year harassment of the SWP. This as earlier oppositions, and their departure did not Democrats and Republicans as being worthy of action has succeeded in documenting Nixon's impede the progress of our movement from 1960 emulation by Black organizations and the trade Cointelpro program and securing proofs of such to 1965. The domestic defections were more than unions. illegal operations as break-ins at party headquar counterbalanced by the healing of the ten-year Thanks to these experiences, the SWP has ters, stealing records, wire-tapping, mail open split in the Fourth International in 1963, which deepened its understanding of the dynamics of ings, and interference in individuals' private unified the main forces of world Trotskyism-a class and national struggles unfolding on Ameri lives. move opposed by most of the dissidents. can soil. It has concluded that the coming Ameri The thousands of documents pried out of FBI The party's attention during the decade was can revolution will have a combined character. files have disclosed damaging information with directed not toward internal dissensions but The democratic aspirations of the Blacks and held even from congressional investigators. The outward to the social struggles agitating the other oppressed nationalities for equality and campaign around this landmark civil liberties country. Its principal areas of activity were the freedom from racial oppression will be inter suit, which has been publicized from coast to defense of the Cuban revolution, the Black libera twined with the movement of the working class coast for five years, has become the main chal tion struggle, the student ferment, and the anti as a whole to throw off capitalist domination. lenge to the methods of disruption practiced by Vietnam War movement. The one will reinforce the other. This concept is the FBI, CIA, and other government agencies to When the leaders of the Cuban revolution one of the most important contributions of the stifle dissent. pulled that country out of the orbit of imperial SWP to the theoretical understanding of the Since the ending of the long postwar capitalist ism and overturned capitalism, Trotskyists foundations of the coming American revolution. boom and the recession of 1974-75, the labor hailed the action and set out to defend the movement, the oppressed nationalities, and embattled island from U.S. assault. The SWP Young Socialist Alliance women have been compelled to cope with the and YSA participated in the Fair Play for Cuba From its inception the YSA sought to establish offensive launched by the ruling class to roll Committee. Farrell Dobbs, th~ party's national itself on the campuses as the chief voice and back our gains and reduce our living standards. secretary, visited Cuba and made defense of that organizer of socialist-minded students. The Whatever defensive struggles have broken out revolution a central plank in his 1960 campaign YSA's success was largely attributable to the role such as the fight to defend busing in Boston for president. The SWP recognized that the it played in the anti-Vietnam War movement, SWP members have participated in them to the Cuban revolution was not only a hammer blow to which was based upon student activists. best of their ability. capitalism but also a promising departure from The SWP was the only working-class current to The long-term decline of U.S. imperialism and Stalinist bureaucratism because of the non run against Johnson in the 1964 presidential the ruling-class offensive, aimed at recouping Stalinist origin and refreshing honesty of revolu campaign and warn against his warlike inten some of its lost positions, has sparked the begin tionary leaders such as Castro and Guevara. tions in Indochina. The SWP and YSA threw nings of a new period of labor radicalization. their full force into the antiwar protests that This has opened new possibilities for the SWP to Collaboration with Malcolm X mounted after Johnson began a full-scale air take strides toward its historic goal-building a While the SWP supported every action against war, supplemented by massive troop landings in party of revolutionary workers capable of leading racism, it was especially concerned to establish South Vietnam, in February 1965. This gave the all struggles against oppression toward the so collaboration with the most combative and pro party its first opening in many years to partici cialist revolution. gressive forces in the Black liberation struggle pate in extensive mass action on a nationwide The composition of the party is changing. More such as Robert F. Williams, the leader of the scale. of its members are employed in and recruited Monroe, North Carolina, NAACP who organized The SWP consistently strove to build an from basic industry. This is imperative to pro Blacks to defend themselves against Klan terror; antiwar coalition of diverse forces aimed at the mote its aim of building a class-struggle left wing Malcolm X the Black Muslim leader who broke mobilization of the largest body of protest around in the labor movement. Such a force can give with the religious sect in a ,revolutionary nation the issue of getting the United States out of leadership to the militants who want to trans alist direction; the Student Non-Violent Coordi Vietnam. Within the broad movement, party form their unions into organizations controlled nating Committee, which organized antisegrega and YSA members fought-,-with considerable by the ranks and acting in their interests. All tion struggles in southern communities and first success-for adoption of the slogan of immediate, steps in this direction, such as the Steelworkers raised the slogan of "Black Power"; and the unconditional withdrawal from Vietnam. They Fight Back election campaign in 1977 and the militant caucuses of Black workers. combated tendencies that sought to derail the miners' strike, have had the enthusiastic support Through our solidarity with these militants movement by orienting it to Democratic Party of SWP militants. and the publication of our resolutions, books, and election campaigns. The stress on the importance of the organized pamphlets on their problems-particularly The experience of working within the antiwar labor movement is hardly a new one for the through the contributions of George Breitman movement from 1964 on was an immensely Trotskyists. It is part of the historic proletarian the SWP won a hearing and respect for its ideas. educative one for young Trotskyist cadres. orientation of the Leninist-Trotskyist movement. The SWP was the first radical group to recognize The anticapitalist and antiwar positions of the What is new today is that the thinking and and explain the progressive nature of the revolu SWP and YSA; their fight for democratic rights outlook of the U.S. working class as a whole is tionary implications of Black nationalism, par in the workers states; for independent Black and changing, making possible further strides m ticularly as expounded by Malcolm X. labor political action, and for revolutionary so applying that orientation within the unions. The rise of Black nationalism placed the long cialism have earned wide esteem in radical cir standing position of the SWP in favor of the cles. * * * right of self-determination for Black people in a Rival tendencies did not benefit as much striking new light. The demand for a Black party during this period-largely because of their class Three times our party has had to endure was added to the proposal for a labor party based collaborationist or sectarian politics, which ren isolation and fight for its survival: from 1929 to on the trade unions, which had been advocated dered them unable to adjust their policies to the 1933; in the first years of the Second World War; by the party since 1938, as an expression of the necessities of the antiwar and Black movements. and during the cold war. It successfully wea- (NOVEMBER 1978) (PJ!GE 11/INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEVfi)
thered these periods of extreme adversity, despite wasn't built in a day. the forces to combat the begun to attract convergent political currents, as defections. mightiest of imperialisms on its home ground its recent merger with the Revolutionary Marxist The variable development of the Trotskyist could hardly be assembled in a year or a decade. Committee testifies. movement in the United States was not caused A revolutionary party that has set itself the That is why, on this fortieth anniversary of the by the occasional misjudgments of the leader goal of combating U.S. imperialism must always SWP's founding, our forces face the future with ship on national or international questions. be prepared to parry the blows of reaction. But assurance. The party consciously carries forward These errors were overcome through further that is not the situation today. From all signs, the best traditions of America's revolutionary experience and corrected upon collective recon this country is entering a phase of working-class past embodied in such figures as Sam Adams sideration. The rate of growth was fundamen revival with highly promising conditions for the and Tom Paine, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner tally regulated by the environing conditions. growing influence of its vanguard. Truth and Nat Turner, Wendell Phillips and When these were adverse, the party was pushed All the developments we have outlined have John Brown, Albert Parsons, Mother Jones, back. As the tide turned, it picked up momentum paved the way for outstripping other tendencies Eugene Debs, and "Big Bill" Haywood. It is and surged forward again. The necessity of within American radicalism. Since the latter part determined to become the kind of multinational periodically readjusting to the ebb and flow of of the sixties, the relationship of forces in the Marxist workers party that can lead the masses the class struggle taught our central cadres the radical movement has continued to shift in our of America to victory over the capitalist rulers value of objectivity. They learned not to give way favor. Today in some regions the SWP is and to socialism in association with the other to impressionism and impatience but to view stronger than the CP, and in some places it is the liberated peoples on this planet. their vocation in a long-term perspective. If Rome onlv active, organized radical group. It has
Even before it reaches the point of a hot war as The movement against U.S. support to the far as U.S. forces are concerned, we are seeing white racists in southern Africa is beginning at a ... Black Americans growing protests and demands for an end to all time of reawakening in the Black struggle. Continued from page /SR/4 U.S. intervention. If there had been such a cant numbers. They belonged to unions like A lot of thought is going on about the lessons movement in the early 1960s, for example, the District 1199 of the Hospital Workers and others of the last two decades of struggle. The new imperialists would have found it much more with large Black memberships. deepening of Black nationalist ideas and the difficult to smash the Congolese liberation move radicalization taking place in the trade unions is But this didn't prevent the Black misleaders ment and murder Patrice Lumumba. bringing a new layer of potential Black leaders from trying to block the road to mass antiwar There are some ways in which the Black into action. action by Blacks. When Nixon mined Haiphong movement is better situated to act effectively in What's going on in Africa is the top interna Harbor in May 1972, Black students at Washing defense of Africa than it was in Vietnam. The tional issue in the Black community today. We ton's Eastern High School walked out of class. feeling of solidarity among Black people with the are recognizing more and more that the Black They marched and held rallies against the war. antiracist struggle in southern Africa is deep. liberation stru·ggle is indeed international. Our The students asked the predominantly Black It's going to be pretty hard for anyone to sell enemy in the United States is the same enemy in school board, presided over by former civil rights Blacks the idea that racism in South Africa or South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. activist Marion Barry, to call assemblies in all Zimbabwe is a "white issue." No, it's clearly a schools to discuss the war on May 19, Malcolm And this movement is beginning when there gut issue for the Black community. It not only X's birthday. Barry flatly refused. are many more Black revolutionary socialists deals with the issue of freedom for Blacks in Later Barry, Walter Fauntroy, and sixty-two than at the time of the anti-Vietnam War move Africa, but poses the question of racist institu other Democratic Party stalwarts issued a state ment. tions in the United States. ment, full of militant and nationalist phrases, Our task is to do our utmost to forge a united denouncing Women's Strike for Peace as racist One indication of this depth of feeling is the front in the Black community, as well as the and demanding that it call off a protest it had fact that the NAACP, which abstained from the allies of the Black struggle, in the streets, in planned at the Capitol against Nixon's policies. fight against the war in Vietnam, organized an massive demonstrations against U.S. interven Among the charges leveled against the antiwar anti-apartheid demonstration last March in tion in Africa. This is the job that confronts us in movement by these Black Democrats was failing Nashville. Five thousand people participated the struggle for national liberation and self to offer "substantial backing of Black political even though the NAACP leadership didn't throw determination. candidates." all its resources into building the action. In their list of priorities, these leaders put the preservation of a Democratic Party monopoly in the Black community and favors they hoped to receive from it above the need to end the war. The fact that there was never a truly gigantic outpouring of the Black community against the FRED HALSTEAD'S war, despite the sentiment that existed for such action, is a measure of the death grip that the Democratic Party has on the Black community. In my opinion, however, if the ruling class had OUT NOW! pursued the war on the level that it was doing in 1971 and 1972 for very much longer, there would A Participant's Account of the have been such an outpouring, not only of the American Movement Against Black community but of the trade-union move the Vietnam War ment and many others. In those days particularly at such times as the mining of Haiphong harbor-we began to see the big bat • A vivid and valuable account of a mass popular movement that had a talions of the working people stirring into action. treme~dous The ruling class decided to back off before that impact on modern history ... an important contribution. happened. Noam Chomsky • Out Now! is an exceptionally well-researched and interesting book. Black Struggle Today Si~ney Lens I want to conclude by looking at what is • Out Now! brings back vividly the whole story of the struggle to end the Vietnam-War. happening today, because a new struggle is It is told by one of the key organizers who knew personally all the others, and he pulls emerging that poses some of the same issues as no punches. the struggle against the Vietnam War. Dr. Benjamin Spock The U.S. is propping up racist regimes in A Monad Press book, 759 pages, $8.95 (include $.75 for postage). Order from Pathfinder southern Africa, and there is a growing danger of Press, 410 West Street, New York, New York 10014. U.S. military intervention against the African liberation struggles.
current antigay laws do not represent the Marx- tion. These moves occurred when a privileged ist approach to this question. · and reactionary bureaucracy took control of the ... gar liberation When the Bolshevik revolution swept away government. Continued from page /SR/12 The CP continues to sneer at homosexuality tsarism in 1917, it moved quickly to abolish statement of support to gay rights. legal inequalities and persecution. In December and give only the most grudging defense to Last summer, members of the CP on the 1917 the new regime did away with all laws human rights against the Anita Bryants and John Briggses of this country. National Preparatory Committee organizing the against homosexuality. It was not until March U.S. delegation to the World Youth Festival in 1934 that Soviet law again outlawed homosexual The reason is that support for full human Cuba succeeded in having feminist singer Holly ity, making it a "social crime" that could result rights for gays and lesbians in this country Near barred from the festival. in a three-to-eight-year prison sentence. would be too great a contradiction with the By a vote of twenty-eight to three, the commit Soviet bureaucracy's current practices. Human tee denied Near a seat on the delegation, citing The outlawing of homosexuality went along rights for all is too great a challenge for a her lesbianism as the reason. with the reinstituted oppression of national mi bureaucracy to tolerate. The CPUSA's attitude and the Soviet Union's norities and steps away from women's emancipa-
21 (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW! PAGE 12)
Until the rnid-1930s, a large sec tion of the werking class opposed Pathfinder's lovember Discount Choice voting for capitalist parties. By the tens of thousands, they voted for the Communist Party, the Socialist Party, or some other working-class '!he Lesser lvilt' current. The dramatic rise of indus trial unionism and the formation of the CIO raised the possibility of building a mass working-class al Contribution to a Growing Debate ternative based on the unions, a rights and living standards of the aim of "transforming the Dem minority who manage their rule labor party. workers. As a result, some top ocratic Party into a genuinely pro through this coalition-the Ameri But a cynical, class-collabora union officials have had to admit gressive people's party." He wants can capitalist class-are the ones tionist union bureaucracy managed that their policy of backing Demo to reinvigorate the old labor-Black who need the coalition." to divert the labor movement from cratic hacks who claim to be liberal Democratic coalition as a The Lesser Euil? also features a this road and and channel it into friends of labor is meeting with means of pressuring Carter for 19G9 debate between SWP represen abysmal failure. some concessions. tative George Breitman and the The most recent of the three Jack Barnes, explaining the revo late Carl Haessler, who sympa The Lesser Evil? debates in The Lesser Evil? was lutionary socialist position in a thized with the views of the Corn- held on the eve of the 1976 presi 1965 debate with Stanley Arono rnunist Party. Haessler argued for The Left Debates dential election. The participants witz published in The Lesser Evil(, the "practicality of organized polit the Democratic were then-Socialist Workers Party explained the nature of this coali ical action by taking over an al presidential candidate Peter tion: ready established party [the Demo Party and Social Camejo and Democratic Socialist "What we are really talking crats], instead of going through the Organizing Committee leader Mi about when we use the phrase agony of trying to set up one of Change chael Harrington. American labor-Negro-liberal coali your own." By Michael Harrington, Pe The policy of supporting the tion is a coalition between the Breitman answered, "The union "lesser evil" in elections is owners of American industry and leaders not only have become de ter Camejo, and others. thrashed out in all three debates, finance and, on the one hand, the pendent on the Democratic Party, New York. Pathfinder but it is most developed in the professional ward-heelers and poli they have become its captives .... Press. 1977. 128 pp. Carnejo-Harrington confrontation. ticians who keep the party machin Labor's support of the Democrats is The proponents of supporting ery oiled, and, on the other hand, wrong in all respects-from the capitalist candidates often grant the various trade union bureau~ standpoint of principle, from the the morass of the capitalist two that these candidates are a pretty crats and leaders of protest move pragmatic standpoint of results." party system. sorry lot. Thus Harrington re ments in American society, whose The Lesser Euil? shows that so- "Why do workers need a party of marked, "If Carter wins, he will do job is to bring out the ranks of the cialists understood from the start their own when they could be part some horrendous things-! guaran coalition at voting time to guaran that the labor bureaucrats' strategy of a powerful, progressive tee it." But, the argument went, we tee the continuance of the rule of had led the movement into a blind coalition-the Democratic Party?" can expect worse from Gerald Ford. this party as opposed to the Repub alley and that socialists have real argued the union tops. Harrington, like the union bu lican Party." istic proposals for another course. What is the Democratic Party? Is reaucrats, figured that Ford would Barnes goes on to say, "Who Union activists should read the it practical to support liberal capi block pro-union legislation while really needs this coalition? If you book, think about it, and make it talist politicians? Can the Demo Carter would not. So "socialists'' stop to think about it for a moment, available to co-workers. cratic Party be "used" or reformed such as Harrington and the union it is crystal clear that the small -Barbara Mutnick in such a way to serve the interests officialdom placed labor's votes in of the working class? Carter's pocket. Now, two years These questions are debated in later, these officials are forced to three exchanges, spanning a admit that something's gone awry. seventeen-year period, in The AFL-CIO President George 25°/o Discount Offer Lesser Evil? Meany and United Auto Workers The debate format makes the President Douglas Fraser have ac book very readable. It is a timely cused the employers of launching The Lesser Euil? is available at a special discount price of $1.:l0. The contribution to the discussion "class warfare," and they charge regular price is $1.75. Order from Pathfinder Press, 410 West Street, New York, New York 10014. Send check or money order, or return this that's opening up on the job and in the Carter administration with the unions about the political road helping the bosses press their of coupon to one of the socialist bookstores listed on page :n. Offer expires December 31, 1978. for organized labor. fensive. "Whatever happened to This discussion has a central our partnership, our coalition?" place on labor's agenda today, they complain. Name ~------because the ruling class has been The response of Fraser was to Address successful in using its control of hold a 'national meeting at the end both parties to cut deeply into the of October to form a coalition with City, State & Zip The Communist PartJ and laJ Liberation: A Comment that it is nght to politicize people's sexuality, so I selves lined up alongside Phyllis Schlafly and By Diane Wang don't think we would support such a bill." her ilk against women and the labor movement. The ultrarightist thrust of Anita Bryant's The CP was forced to hedge. antigay crusade, which has focused its attacks A similar process has been going on in Califor Mary-Alice Waters's article about the Ameri on the kind of gay rights legislation Tyner nia around Proposition 6, the Briggs initiative can Communist Party in last month's ISR de opposed, placed the CP in an embarrassing posi that would drive gay rights advocates out of the scribed how and why the CPUSA has betrayed tion. To avoid seeming aligned with Bryant on state school system. the labor movements, Blacks, and women. the issue, the CP downplayed its "homosexuality In California, prominent CP leader Angela Another stain on the Stalinists' record has is a perversion" theme, insisting instead that Davis has publicly opposed Proposition 6, say been their opposition to human rights for gays "homosexuality is a diversion." ing, "What began with the antibusing hysteria in and lesbians. Last May the magazine supplement to the CP's Boston moved rapidly in the direction of the In 1971 Carmen Ristorucci summed up the Daily World carried a commentary by Francis Bakke decision, the anti-ERA drive, the anti CP's attitude, writing in Political Affairs maga Henry Touchet in its "Ask an "Expert" .column. abortion rights campaign and the vicious as zine that homosexuality is "a product of decay Touchet, psychotherapist and vestryman at a saults led by Briggs in this state ... on the ing capitalism which confuses and corrupts the New York church, was asked about the current rights of gay people. minds of people." state of churches. The CPUSA was, of course, mimicking its He explained that the "main-line white "Since we are all in this together, since we are mentors in the Soviet Union. The 1971 Great churches ... are beset with the diversion of all confronting, in one way or another, wealthy Society Encylopedia also described homosexual women-priests, gay rights and Biblical interpre financial interests and reactionary politicians, it ity as "a sexual perversion" punishable under tation. seems we should resolve to fight back together." law. "In the face of social and moral collapse, Davis's support for gay rights is a welcome During the 1976 presidential election, the CP's conservative forces are growing," Touchet con change in CP policy. vice-presidential candidate, Jarvis Tyner, was tinued. "Liberal groups play host to parasitic The CP has not completely changed, however. interviewed by the Boston weekly Gay Commu· post-graduate SDS 'Marxists,' women's libera In the CP's west coast paper, the People's World, nity News. He explained the CP's stand on gay tionists, gay activists and cultural entrepre Mark Allen explains that "Briggs has rnobilizt>d rights legislation: "The Party does not believe neurs. . . . Many laypeople and clergy are dis a hysterical campaign around what evidence turbed with these futile forms of disguised indicates is a non-issue." Diane Wang, a staff writer for the Militant, is despair." Allen's article quotes labor leaders opposed to co-author of the pamphlets Gay Liberation To Waters's article told what trouble the Equal Proposition 6·. So far, so good. But even while day and FBI V s. Women, both published by Rights Amendment has been for the CPUSA. opposing Briggs, Allen and the CP evade a clear Pathfinder. Opposing the ERA, the Stalinists found them- Continued on page ISR/11
22 SWP candidate told 'no campaigning on job' Campaigning By David Salner And they have no right to examine SAN ANTONIO-To many transit our literature in order to put their workers, the bus garage is by necessity stamp of approval on it. Management for socialism a second home, where we kill time cannot supervise our ideas. between show-ups. What is behind this attempt to re On October ::l, while I was on one of strict free speech in the MTA bus ga these breaks in the San Antonio-area rage? Management knows that I am a No to the neutron bomb Metropolitan Transit Authority bus socialist and that my party has spoken President Carter's decision to build some elements of the neutron bomb garage, I handed a socialist campaign out strongly against the abusive work was protested October 21 in St. Paul, Minnesota. SWP campaign support leaflet to another bus driver and was ing conditions that transit employees ers picketed Carter's speech to a Democratic Farmer Labor Party "victory about to talk to him about some of the and other San Antonio workers face rally." A separate picket by supporters of the Iranian Students Associa Socialist Workers Party campaign every day on the job. tion protested U.S. support for the shah's brutal dictatorship. proposals. Supporters of my campaign are plan Carter was in town to boost the U.S. Senate campaign of Bob Short, This particular discussion never took ning a fight to win back free speech who beat incumbent Don Fraser in the Democratic primary. Short is place. The MTA chief station foreman rights in the bus garage. The San called me into his office to tell me that Antonio branch of the American Civil the front office would not allow me to Liberties Union has agreed to back pass out any more campaign leaflets. this effort. A few days later, a campaign worker Why are they afraid to let drivers and I went over to the front office and read a campaign leaflet? Decide for talked to the MTA general manager yourself. Here's part of the text: and an assistant general manager. "Our unions have flushed millions of They told us that I could only cam our hard-earned dollars down the drain paign on a specified day prior to the of the Democratic Party. election, "the same as any other candi "The Democratic Party supports date." 'right to work' laws and laws against But I am not "any other candidate." collective bargaining for public em Like other bus drivers, I am compelled ployees. Jimmy Carter, elected with to spend time in the bus garage off the labor support, opposed the miners' clock. strike, postal workers' wage increases, When the transit system is not pay and has betrayed his campaign prom ing us, they have no right to interfere ises to provide national health insur with our discussions, which may m ance, raise the minimum wage, and clude exchanging literature. pass the Equal Rights Amendment. "We need a labor party, based on our Picketing Carter in Minneapolis unions, to mobilize support for our David Salner is the Socialist strikes and organizing drives. We need considered by many DFL members to. be more conservative than Fraser. Workers Party candidate for San a labor party to educate the public Antonio City Council in the Ninth about the need to defeat 'right to work' All-out support for Short's campaign has threatened to split the party. District. laws and cutbacks. Carter and Vice-president Walter Mondale have campaigned in Minne sota to try to heal the rift. When the socialist pickets arrived, many of the DFL supporters already lined up to get into the auditorium cheered and clapped. Inside the meeting Carter was booed twice when he tried to introduce Short as "the next Senator from Minnesota." Flint takes campaign Most DFL members who oppose Short are threatening to vote for his Republican opponent David Durenberger. But the ferment in the party is also shown by a "Viewpoint" column in the Reader, a widely circulated toW. Va. coalfields alternative newspaper. DFL activist Philip Moe, who wrote the article, called for a vote for Christine Frank. "The Socialist Workers party and MORGANTOWN, W. Va.-Rosa tremely serious because of strip mining Christine Frank, their candidate for the four-year Senate term," Moe linda Flint, Socialist Workers candi in the area. f!int will also attend the reasoned, "take positions on major issues that we can support." date for U.S. Senate, recently com Kanawha Valley Central Labor Coun pleted a campaign swing through the cil reception for candidates. cities and mining communities of Open the debates-1 southern West Virginia. "We probably don't have too much in common with the views of Mark Flint campaigned at mine portals Zola, the Socialist Workers Party candidate for governor, but we do share and factory gates, addressed campus with him the belief that he should have been allowed to participate in the meetings, was interviewed by the debate between major party candidates Richard Thornburgh and Peter Charleston press, and met with cam Flaherty to be aired on Channel 33 tonight." That's the way the paign supporters. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Patriot begins its editorial October 12. Many workers nodded in agreement The state capital daily points out that Zola "is a bona fide candidate for as Flint charged that the Democrats the state's highest office. As such, his position on the issues facing the and Republicans turn a deaf ear to the state ought to be represented in what is billed as a non-partisan debate by needs of working people. the candidates for governor." While on her tour, Flint sought to The paper goes on to point out that "aiding and abetting the two major testify at hearings conducted by the parties in maintaining their preeminent position in the hearts and minds president's Commission on Coal, but of the electorate may be perfectly legal, since it is, after all, the Democrats was turned down. The commission was and the Republicans who make the laws, but it strikes us as alien to the set up by Carter after the 110-day coal American tradition in which there are no government-established politi strike to investigate "problems" in the cal parties and every shade of opinion is tolerated. And as a practical coalfields. matter, the debates could well benefit from an infusion of spirit and The commission members include Gov. John D. Rockefeller IV; Dewey novelty to offset the blandness and repetition of the same few issues that Presley, on the board of directors of have marked the campaign of the major party rivals to date." Continental Oil, which owns Consoli- . dation Coal Company; and a retired Open the debates-It U.S. Steel executive. They say the Exclusion of SWP congressional candidate Bill Hoyle from a televised "problem" is that miners are resisting debate has become a major issue on the Salt Lake City campus of the the coal companies' speedup schemes. University of Utah. KUED-TV, the city's "Public" Broadcasting System "In her two-week sweep through the outle\, scheduled a program with Ed Firmage and Dan Marriot, Hoyle's West Virginia southern coalfields," Democratic and Republican opponents. Hoyle asked to be included. wrote the Charleston Gazette-Mail Oc But KUED and the debate's cosponsor, the Associated Students, tober 22, "[Flint] says that many min refused. A.S. Public Relations Director Pat Butcher said, "We're paying ers have been receptive to her charges for this, we don't have to give equal time to these obscure parties." that miners' safety is being traded for A letter of protest from professors at the university sparked a debate in increased prod ucti vi ty. the letters column and the controversy became front-page news in the "'Miners' rights and safety should campus daily. be more important than money,' Ms. During the discussion period at the debate, Hoyle asked his opponents Flint says. Her message to factory if they thought he should be part of the program. Both candidates said workers is similar." yes, but moderator Jeff Morrow', refused, to a chorus of boos from the As her campaign continues, Flint audience. will visit the mining communities of The sponsors have claimed they met equal-time requirements by having Beckley and Bluefield. She will visit the site of the Tug Fork River disaster, "minor party candidates" on an earlier show without a studio audience. where residents who have been flooded Such an approach, Hoyle said, "turns fairness upside down." out of their homes are fighting the coal Many Utah students seem to agree with him. A Young Socialist companies and the government. They Alliance table on campus the next day received an excellent response and are demandiqg sites for new homes thirty copies of the Young Socialist newspaper were sold. and a dam to protect the area from -Bob Schwarz future f1oods, which are made ex- ROSALINDA FLINT Militant/Martha Harris
THE MILITANT/NOVEMBER 10, 1978 23 This deficit spending-not wage increases by workers-is the central cause of inflation. In 1974 during the depression the gross average fte U:J.. gov81'8J181lt u debtor weekly earnings of American workers, measured in Massive borrowmg ~ ... and its big impact on the 1967 dollars, was $104.57. (By measuring wages in current post-recession economy terms of a fixed dollar the effect of inflation is taken by Washington ... into consideration.) In May 1978 the gross average weekly earnings, also measured in 1967 dollars, had grown to $104.75. Four years of labor brought a Federal budget deficit whopping 18-cent increase in real purchasing as a percent ot gross power! nat.ional product• In his speech Carter did promise to limit the fiscal 1980 deficit to about $30 billion. That deficit, even though it is half the originally projected $60 billion for fiscal 1978, is still huge. It is higher than any of the deficits during the Viet nam War and was only topped before the 1970s during World War II. It is a guarantee of continu ing inflation, regardless of Carter's promises. But should workers demand that the federal government stop deficit spending? The trap of California's Proposition 13 should be a warning of the consequences of this approach when imple mented by the capitalist state. When California's tax income was slashed the Business Week first people fired were those who needed jobs most Washington's multi-billion-dollar war budget-financed by expansion of credit-is main engine of Inflation and who were most needed by the communities. It is and will be no different with budget slashes in Washington. The Carter administration has already slashed health, medical, and jobs programs, while steeply increasing military expenditures. Further, is it actually to workers' benefit that the government deflate the economy? Right-wingers can sound off all they want about balanced budgets and fiscal conservatism. The truth is that if Wash ington did not deficit spend the economy would end up right back in the devastating blight of the Great Depression, or worse. Who's at fault? The inflation-deflation dilemma, in other words, is built into the capitalist system. It's a no-win game. By Dick Roberts the problems of the next country. The end result is a President Carter's main pitch in his inflation tendency toward simultaneous world downturns as Military spending speech October 24 was that everybody is responsi occurred in 1974-75. Socialists believe that the only solution to these ble for inflation. He said that in the past decade pressing problems is to abolish the monopoly profit Americans have developed "attitudes and habits" Inflation system, to end national and international competi that keep prices rising. Inflation is a direct consequence of the overpro tion, and to put the regulation of world agricultural Once inflation is going, he said, wages and prices duction crisis of world capitalism. and industrial production under a plan worked out "chase each other up and up." The 1930s taught the capitalist rulers that they for the benefit of working people. "It is like a crowd standing at a football sta cannot afford to let a world downturn reach its We do not pretend that there is any solution to dium," Carter said. "No one can see any better than "natural" limits. These were drastic price slashes, capitalist contradictions short of this. The 1974-75 when everyone is sitting down-but no one is the imposition of massive tariff and quota barriers depression was only a prelude of a much worse willing to be the first to sit down." against world trade, chain-reaction bankruptcies economic and social crisis that could follow. But it depends on what's happening on the field around the globe, and the growth of unemployment Meanwhile, however, working people can attack whether people stand up or sit down. If Joe Namath everywhere by leaps and bounds. the problem of capitalist inflation along two main has just gotten off a seventy-yard pass no one is These crisis conditions prompted a working-class lines-both of which will advance the struggle to going to sit down until they know whether it is response. By the mid-1930s socialist revolution was end capitalism. complete. on the agenda in such major European countries as We must never cease to point out that the over In America today it is not the people in the Spain and France. There was a massive labor whelming government expenditure is on military stands, not working people, who are responsible for upsurge in the United States. forces and arms. what is happening out in the field of capitalist Since that time the capitalist governments have The U.S. armed forces, secret intelligence forces, finance. resorted to inflationary deficit spending to partially and global nuclear arsenals have no other purpose The inflation is caused by deepgoing problems of offset cyclical downturns. than to defend and extend the global rule of U.S. the capitalist system. These are in no way under the The government spends more money than it takes capitalism. They should be abolished. control of working people. in in taxes. This deficit is financed by the creation Military expenditures should be slashed to zero. of new money by the central bank-in this country The huge funds that are released should be used to Postwar boom & crisis the Federal Reserve Board. As Washington borrows build the houses, hospitals, urban mass transporta The inflation that has increasingly gripped Amer money to finance its deficit, the Federal Reserve tion, parks, and playgrounds that this country ican and world capitalism in the 1970s results pours new money into the banking system. needs. fundamentally from the end of the prolonged The end result is that even when companies have Such a mass public works program would provide period of overall capitalist expansion that followed overproduced and find that they can't sell goods, tens of thousands of jobs. World War II. instead of lowering prices to get rid of their invento Building on the ashes of the war and utilizing ries, they tend to raise prices. They try to make up Escalator clause computer and chemical technology developed in the for slack sales with higher prices. Government At the same time, however, working people must war, industry expanded. More and more workers deficit spending and monopoly pricing conse fight to gain protection against inflation. The cost were hired. Wages increased. In America many quently dovetail to unleash inflation, even when of-living escalator clause in union contracts, which working-class families could afford to buy houses production is declining. automatically raises wages as prices increase, is the and cars and send their sons and daughters to best way to defend our paychecks against inflation. college. Credit explosion Since the Consumer Price Index is rigged by the But capitalism cannot expand indefinitely-either The process was already well underway by the capitalist government to understate the real impact in one country or in the capitalist world as a end of the 1960s. U.S. deficit spending to finance of inflation, consumer price committees are needed whole-without leading to crisis. the Vietnam War helped to extend the upturn well to follow actual price increases in the gas stations, As each industry manufactures and sells more beyond the normal limits of a capitalist business supermarkets, and shopping centers. goods, markets inevitably become saturated. There cycle. But it did so only at the expense of intensified Moreover, cost-of-living clauses should cover not aren't enough customers. Industry slows down inflation. only wages but also Social Security pensions for the production. Workers are fired. In turn their purchas In fact, the real wages of American workers-the aged, unemployment programs for the jobless, and ing power declines, all the more undercutting sales. real purchasing power of our dollars after inflation social welfare programs for the needy. The economy slumps into recession. is taken into account-have pretty much been To this the capitalists scream bloody murder. You In the postwar period recessions occurred regu frozen since the escalation of the Vietnam War in begin to think that there is nothing more sacred in larly in the United States, but both Europe and 1965. this world than their right to raise prices and their Japan expanded almost uninterruptedly into the With the onset of international depression in insistence we should not have the right to protect middle 1960s. This expansion abroad provided a 1974-75, however, deficit spending took on immense ourselves against their price increases. "safety valve" for the U.S. economy. Even though proportions. "Escalator clauses are inflationary," they shout. goods couldn't be sold here, they could be exported ' "In 1974, as the economy was sliding into reces They should also take a closer look at the ball abroad. sion, the public debt of the U.S. government stood game. We are confronted with a deepgoing world The crisis developed on a world scale when the at $474 billion," Business Week said October 16. capitalist crisis. It has thrown us into one interna long postwar booms in Europe and Japan ulti "By the end of this year, with the recession three tional recession already. It has eliminated millions mately crested. Recessions reappeared abroad. Now years gone, it will be nearly $800 billion-more than of jobs on the world scale. And it has unleashed all major capitalist powers have to find foreign one-third of the country's gross national product." rampant inflation. outlets for goods and capital. Washington has borrowed these immense "Down in front!" we might respond. "We want to Each is threatened with overproduction. But their amounts of money to finance its international protect our wages against your system and that is attempt to resolve their own problems exacerbates military apparatus and to prop up the economy. our right!"
24 Safeway striker appeals for solidarity By Shelley Kramer over a brutal speedup plan Safeway zek said. "Whenever a unionist sees strike support activities on the West Jim Watzek is a driver for Safeway had instituted. But it soon escalated our picket lines they should come up Coast last winter, compared that soli markets in Richmond, California. He into a major test of forces in which the and talk. darity movement to what the Teams is a shop steward and member of the union's very survival is at stake. "You wouldn't believe how many ters need today. rank-and-file negotiating committee of Despite the fact that the interna negative comments you hear out there. "Any financial or food supply dona Teamsters Local 315. tional union officialdom's support for It really makes a difference to hear tions would be appreciated," said Wat For more than four months he has the strike has been lukewarm at best, something positive. It really raises zek. "They can be sent to the offices of been fighting one of the most grueling the strikers have held firm. They have morale. Workers should do this in any any of the striking locals." strikes in recent West Coast history. organized mass rallies and pickets and strike-! know I would." Safeway and its allies in the Food unanimously voted to turn down Safe Grocery workers who are not on Other suggestions that came up were Employers Council have hit Local 315 way's last contract offer. strike can serve as the eyes and ears of also based on the experience of the and eight other striking Teamster lo "The backbone of this strike is soli strikers on the inside, Watzek ex miners' strike-union resolutions sup cals with a union-busting assault re darity," Watzek explained. "From day plained. porting the Safeway strikers and invi miniscent of the violent labor battles of one we worked to patch up differences "They should get information on tations to strikers to address meetings the 1930s. But Watzek and many other between Safeway drivers and ware sales, pass it on to the media, and try of unions and community organiza young strikers have been inspired by house workers. Safeway tries to keep to talk to customers. When the TV tions. these early union struggles as well. its workers divided-blaming the prob news reports empty store shelves, cus "We're in a head-on battle," Watzek "The old union ideas have been kept lems of one group of workers on the tomers stay away, markets worry, and concluded. "Not just here on the West alive in.our nine striking locals," Wat other. But now we're all out on the the strikers' spirits go up." Coast but between big business and zek told the Militant in an interview at picket lines together and no one's Customers, of course, can help by unions across the country. Our first job the Teamsters for a Democratic Union going back until everyone wins." refusing to patronize the struck stores, is educational-we've got to win sup convention, held October 21-22 in We discussed what Teamsters, other Watzek added. The striking locals are port for our side." Windsor, Ontario. "And we sure as hell unionists, and their allies can do to aid seeking international sanction for a Messages and contributions can be aren't going to let those ideas be sacri the strikers. national strike and boycott against sent to Teamsters Local 315, 2727 ficed now." "Well, they can begin with the most Safeway. Alhambra Avenue, Suite 1, Martinez, The Teamsters' strike began July 1tl basic gesture of. union solidarity," Wat- Watzek, who was active in miners' California 94553. Boston meetin 'Lift shah's martial law' By Lisa Potash The disrupters accused both Payam BOSTON-More than 300 people Daneshjoo and the Committee for Ar attended a meeting at the Massachu tistic and Intellectual Freedom in Iran setts Institute of Technology on the of being agents of SAV AK, the Iranian new upsurge of the freedom struggle in secret police. Iran October 15. Prior to the October 15 meeting, two Maoist-oriented factions among the The audience, which included nearly attackers issued a statement threaten 100 Iranian students, heard a panel of ing "political and decisive struggle and speakers that included: MIT Prof. Jo even a forceful one" if supporters of seph Weizenbaum, who was centrally Payam Daneshjoo or CAIFI "hold responsible for the cancellation of a their meetings and make propaganda contract to train nuclear engineers of their reactionary views one more between MIT and the Iranian govern time." ment; Sharif Elmusa, a representative of the Committee of Palestinians in These slanderous and crude threats New England; Harvard University against free speech were repudiated in Noble Prize-winning biologist George a statement signed by a broad range of Wald; and MIT Prof. Noam Chomsky, organizations and individuals. the well-known human rights activist. These included, in addition to many Babak Zahraie, the editor of Payam of the panelists at the October 15 Daneshjoo, and Parvin Najafi, a writer Three hundred people heard Parvin Najafi (at pod and other speakers meeting: poet Denise Levertov; MIT for the publication, also spoke. repression in Iran. Threats to disrupt protest meeting at MIT were defeated. Prof. Salvador Luria; and Edward Texiera, chairman, Massachusetts Payam Daneshjoo is a Persian Communist Party. language magazine .published by Iran Chile Solidarity Committee; Mobiliza The meeting-which took place with Such united opposition ultimately ian student opponents of the shah's tion for Survival; Unitarian Universal out disruption-was called after a Sep forced the ISA to dissociate itself from dictatorship. ist Service Committee; Young Socialist tember 17 MIT campus forum spon the threats made by two of its own A broad range of organizations and Alliance; and John Roberts, executive sored by Payam Daneshjoo h~:~.d been factions in an October 12 statement individuals endorsed the meeting. director, Civil Liberties Union of Mas disrupted by four factions belonging to printed in Thursday VooDoo, a cam These included: the New England sachusetts. the Iranian Students Association. pus newspaper.
power into the hands of a small, bu As the Washington Post declared in formation of a workers and farmers reaucratic clique, the U.S. imperialists an October 31 editorial on the shah government to begin the construction ... Iran have been left without any credible and the crisis in Iran, "the United of a socialist Iran, is in accord with the Continued from page 5 alternative to the shah. States has no good choice but to help most basic interests of the Iranian shah's byzantine regime stands the In the context of the revolutionary him see it through." people. The depth of the mass mobili "Light of the Aryans" himself. Even mobilization of the working class, the President Carter himself reiterated zation now shaking Iran means that a the shah's most fervent well-wishers downfall of the shah could quickly Washington's support for the shah, revolutionary socialist party can grow have had to admit that the light has threaten the survival of capitalism in declaring October 31 that "our friend with explosive rapidity. been shining a bit dimly of late. Iran. This is especially true because ship and our alliance with Iran is one Even if the shah manages to survive An October 31 editorial in the Wash the royal family and its hangers-on of our important bases on which our the current upsurge, the days of Oc ington Post complained that "the shah have established themselves as the entire foreign policy depends." tober 1978 will go down in Iranian seems uncertain what to do .... Lead wealthiest section of the Iranian ruling With tens of thousands of U.S. advis history as the beginning of the end for ership, supposedly his long suit, is class through their control of the state ers already in place in Iran, and in the Pahlavi dynasty. simply not coming through." apparatus. light of the stakes for the imperialists In his October 26 column, Kraft Socialist ideas are receiving a broad there, it is necessary to warn against described the mood of the shah: "He hearing in Iran. At Tehran University, the danger of a military adventure by Committee shrugs his shoulders when asked what the majority of participants in student Washington. he thinks will happen next. He shakes demonstrations October 25 rallied for Artistic his head when asked if his allies can under the red flag of socialism rather Constitu'ent assembly help." than the green of Islam. It is clear that Iran is at a turning and Intellectual Now that the shah is running into They called for "a revolutionary point. The question of who will rule the trouble, the imperialists are bemoan democratic republic of Iran, under the country-the Iranian people or the Freedom ing the corrupt and repressive charac leadership of the working class," termi Pahlavi dynasty-has been posed and ter of his regime. But the truth is that nation of economic and military trea is now being decided in the streets. 1n Iran corruption and repression are the only ties that keep Iran in bondage, and The Iranian Trotskyists, organized ... is a civil liberties organiza methods that imperialism can use to expulsion of all imperialist military in the Sattar League, have raised the tion publicizing the cases of maintain its control in the countries demand of a constituent assembly in advisers from Iran. Solidarity with the victimized I rani an artists, intel that it exploits. students was voiced by representatives which the elected representatives of lectuals, and political prisoners. In fact, the shah came to power in from a number of factories. the Iranian people would decide on the the first place through a CIA For the U.S. ruling class, a social kind of government they want. 853 Broadway. suite 414 New York. New York 10003 organized coup in 1953. For the past revolution in Iran would be a disaster. This demand is already being taken twenty-five years, he has been one of It would tear Iran's immense reserves up by newspapers inside Iran. It 0 Enclosed is my contribution of $ _____ Washington's most important clients. of oil out of the grip of the imperialists; strikes at the heart of the shah's dicta it would deprive them of a strategic torship and opens the way for the Name Fear of revolution military base on the Arab-Persian Gulf further development of the Iranian Address Having helned entrench a regime and the Soviet border; and it would be revolution. that outlawed even the mildest opposi a radicalizing factor throughout the The Trotskyist progr;lm, with its call City/State/Zip tion and that gathered every strand of Middle East. for a constituent assembly and for the
THE MILITANT/NOVEMBER 10, 1978 But not by supporting a "people's" Democrat. Instead, discussions of Kucinich's antilabor record could have been held at union meetings and in Cleveland's large Black community. These could have culminated in a union-Black com munity conference called together by the Cleveland labor movement to dis cuss fielding a political alternative to Kucinich-and all the rest of the Dem Are there ocratic and Republican politicians. At such a conference, unionists, Black activists, women's rights fight ers, and students could have ham mered out a political platform that antiDlODOJlOIJ reflected the interests of working peo ple, not big business. That program would have included full support for busing to achieve school desegregation; a plan to tax the capitalist rich, not workers, to pay for schools, child-care centers, hospitals, mass transit, and other needed social servi ces; and cancellation of all bond pay ments to the banks. politicians? On the basis of such a fighting program, the conference could have 4 l nominated a candidate that truly spoke for Cleveland labor and all the CP answers yes, ~''"'78 oppressed. Communist Party says campaign Classes & parties against recall of Cleveland Mayor Den The CP's support for Democrats such but SWP says no as Kucinich represents a rejection of nis Kucinich (above) was model of independent 'antimonopoly' coalition. the ABC's of revolutionary working class politics as practiced by socialists from the time of Marx and Engels, to By Steve Clark bourgeois political parties, as the SWP There you have it. An "independent, Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and in the (Second of three articles) does, is infantile." antimonopoly coalition" made up of United States by Eugene V. Debs, and How does the Communist Party at All this is deliberate distortion. The whom? "Independent-'llinded council the SWP today. tempt to square its support for Demo- . SWP does not "write off' all those who men and Democratic committee Socialists start from the recognition crats with its rhetoric about "the need vote for Democrats and Republicans. members"-with some union bureau· that capitalist society is fundamen for a new political course-out of the Socialists run election campaigns, pub crats assigned to try to round up tally divided between two social two-party, big business trap"? lish the Militant, and carry out other workers' votes. classes. Their interests are antagonis- The CP isn't stymied by this ques activities to convince working people And organized around what? Back tic. tion. It's been called on to answer it that they, not big business and its ing the incumbent capitalist politician. • On the one hand there are the before. And it has a ready answer: parties, should run the government. capitalists. They are the bankers, fi "How can a third political party be Klausen pulls out this red herring to Real alternative nanciers, and industrialists who own created without the workers and pro cover up what is really involved. That The Cleveland Socialist Workers and control the mines, mills, and facto gressive forces now in existing par is the CP's refusal to break from the Party, in contrast, backed the recall. ries where America's wealth is pro ties?" politicians who keep their wallets full They saw it as a chance to educate duced. But they do not produce that The quotation is from a July 26 by suckering workers into remaining around the need for a working-class wealth. To the contrary, they reap article by Daily World writer Paul in the bosses' parties. political alternative to the Democratic their profits from the ore, automobiles, Klausen. It is reliance on these parties that is and Republican parties. and myriad other commodities pro On the surface, Klausen makes a "suicidal" for working people. And it is The SWP denied that Kucinich was a duced by the majority, the ... telling point. Tens of millions of work not "sectarian" for socialists to tell "people's" candidate. Some 40 percent • Working class. Workers' only ing people vote for the Democrats and workers that. It is simply honest polit of the people in Cleveland are Black, means of livelihood is to sell their Republicans today. Any political break ics. for example. Yet the mayor opposes capacity to labor in return for wages. from those two big-business parties what he calls "forced busing" to They produce all of society's wealth, must strive to win the allegiance of Keep the puddle muddy achieve quality, desegregated educa but receive only a small portion in those workers. The CP's talk about a third "antimo tion. return. Those at the very bottom But Klausen is begging the question. nopoly" party-sometime in the And Kucinich never publicly repu Black, Chicano, and Puerto Rican The question is, how will a political future-is designed to obscure all this diated the racist methods his support workers, and working women-receive break with the big-business parties by holding workers inside the existing ers used to fight recall on Cleveland's an even smaller share due to their· ever be accomplished if those who call capitalist political framework, while largely white West Side. A pro double oppression. themselves socialists help con workers paying lip-service to political indepen Kucinich scare campaign was con To maintain their hold over the into staying in those parties? dence. ducted there, warning that the Black wealth of society, the capitalists con The CP's unflagging devotion to city council president would become trol the government, cops, and army at Not for labor party Dennis Kucinich, Cleveland's Demo interim mayor if the recall were every level-from the White House and The CP has a ready answer to that cratic Party mayor, is a good indica passed. Pentagon, to city hall and the corner question too-but not for public con tion of what it has in mind when it Despite Kucinich's publicized vetoes precinct house. They implement this sumption. talks about "antimonopoly" politics. of tax abatement proposals for several governmental power through their two The answer is that the CP is not The man the Daily World calls the major corporations, he has done no really interested in such a break. Not "antimonopoly mayor of Cleveland" thing about the big tax giveaways that wanting to put it so boldly, however, was almost recalled in an August 13 were instituted prior to his election. the CP clouds the issue by talking election. Kucinich squeaked by with a And Cleveland banks continue to rake about an eventual third "antimonopoly few hundred votes. in exorbitant interest payments on people's party." The anti-Kucinich Recall Committee municipal bonds. Working inside the Democratic to Save Cleveland was made up of both Meanwhile, social service cutbacks Party, the CP argues, is a "tactic" to Democrats and Republicans, and was and layoffs of city workers continue. bring about such a third party. endorsed by the Cleveland AFL-CIO. Kucinich has assured bankers and That, for example, is how Bill Whit On the other side, lined up behind businessmen that the city will pay off ney explained the CP's support to Kucinich, were many Democratic every penny of interest and principal Black Democrat Ernest Morial in the Party liberals, the United Auto on the bonds. 1977 race for mayor of New Orleans. Workers ... and the CP. Profits before people-that is the Writing in the January 1978 Political Here is how the Daily World as program of Cleveland's "antimonop Affairs, a CP monthly, Whitney saw in sessed these events in an August 5 oly" mayor. Morial's victory the "sprouts" of a article headlined: "Reactionary forces Shortly after his recall victory, the "broad, independent anti-monopoly press drive for Kucinich recall": "Iteople's" mayor flunked another test. coalition-a coalition based on the "Disgust and disaffection with the He failed to say one word in support of unity of all of the working people of two major party machines is so wide teachers during their more than New OrleaPs.... " spread that some observers believe the month-long strike. During that time, Whitney chided "petty-bourgeois left recall drive could provide the spark to teachers faced strike-breaking court ists, such as the Trotskyite Socialist ignite a surge towards a new indepen orders and threats of major layoffs. Workers Party" for running an inde dent political formation to carry for Kucinich also stood idly by while the pendent campaign against Democrat ward the antimonopoly policies begun city department that was supposed to Moria!. by the Kucinich adminstration," the implement the court-ordered school A similar point was made by Daily CP daily asserted. desegregation plan was dismantled in World writer Paul Klausen in the arti "They point out that the combined order to "_balance the budget." cle cited above. Klausen charged that forces around Kucinich, plus the UAW Despite all this, the CP encouraged the SWP's refusal to support "progres which is the largest union in Cleve the labor movement and Black com sive" Democratic Party politicians is land, plus a number of independent munity to fall in line behind Kucinich. ''sectarian.'' minded councilmen, Democratic The Daily World was right on one "To fence oneself off from all those committee-members and other indepen thing. The recall debate could have GUS HALL: Urges workers to keep eyes who do not fully agree with you is dent progressives could pull it off and provided "the spark to ignite a surge open for elections 'where there are suicidal," Klausen said. become the major political force in the towards a new independent political some important differences' between And, "To write off all members of city in a relatively short time." formation." bosses' candidates.
26 parties-the Democrats and Republi cans. Political parties are not a loose col Is GM's 'Southern Strategy' over? lection of individuals from different By Shelle;v Kramer bor laws. It harassed and fired union improvements in quality and efficiency social backgrounds and interests who Haven't we heard this before? organizers. It subjected workers to of production in these modern facili- compete for influence over policies and That's what came to mind when antiunion threats and .intimidation. ties." programs. United Auto Workers President Doug- Solidarity reported: "The company's Just what such "improvements" will Parties represent the interests of las Fraser announced in September antiunion attitude means 'workers are be are not spelled out-but the wording classes. that General Motors had agreed to scared to death to talk to me,' said smacks of a productivity deal. Union "abandon" its Southern Strategy-the Southern UAW organizer Lloyd Darby. recognition in exchange for speedup. Workers have no voice company's ruthless campaign to keep "It's as though someone's got a gun to UAW leaders struck a similar bar Today there is no mass party in this the union out of its new plants in the their heads." gain with Volkswagen recently when country that represents the interests of open-shop South. the West German company opened its labor and the oppressed. A quarter of GM President Elliott Estes stated Something different? New Stanton, Pennsylvania, assembly the working class is organized in trade that UA W members already working Has GM holstered its guns? Is this plant. UA W officials signed a contract unions to protect them against their for GM would be given "preferential latest peace pact more trustworthy setting lower wages than provided in bosses on the job. consideration" in hiring. Estes added, than the one in 1976? · the Big Three contracts. But workers have no political organi "The Corporation has no objection to Let's look at some of the agreement's But VW's workers fought back in a zation to protect themselves from those the UAW becoming the bargaining provisions: week-long strike. If GM and Solidarity same bosses on the governmental representative of employes in the new • Under the current national con House have the same plans in mind for level. GM plants." tract between the UAW and GM, union the South, the rank-and-file response The CP admits that the Democrats This agreement covers thirteen new recognition in plants that move their could be similarly explosive. and Republicans a~e big-business par or recently opened plants. All but two operations elsewhere is supposed to be While GM has deferred a confronta ties. But they counterpose a vague are located in the South. Most are automatic. Four plants covered by the tion with the U A W, there is no evi "antimonopoly" alternative to avoid smaller parts plants. But two are new new GM pledge would fall into this dence that it has given up its Southern posing a clear working-class break assembly divisions, including the category. Union recognition in these Strategy. That strategy is a central from the bosses. It is not at all just 5,000-employee Oklahoma City plant locations would, of course, be a gain. part of the antilabor offensive another term for a labor party, or for an independent Black or Chicano party. ·~_. Contrary to the CP's claims, there are no "antimonopoly" Democratic Party mayors, legislators, or members Gl of Congress. To be a political representative of the A Democratic Party is to be a mouthpiece for U.S. capitalism. And U.S. capital ism in the twentieth century is monop VOTE oly capitalism; there is no other kind. The entire American economy is dominated by a handful of giant banks and corporations. And these monopoly interests are controlled by an even tinier club of fantastically wealthy families-the Rockefellers, Mellons, DuPonts, and Pews, to name a few of the more well-known. The Democratic and Republican par ties are their parties. Working people have no effective voice in these parties now, and never wilL The CP does not rule out some future realignment of liberal capitalist politicians-along with misleaders of the umon and other social Solidarity movements-into a more "progressive" Monroe GM workers celebrate organizing victory in 1976. Company-inspired sign in background urged a vote against the UAW. big-business party. And if a labor party were formed in this country, the CP would be there due to open next spring. But Solidarity reports that recogni launched by the biggest corporations pushing its policy of conciliation with, "The UAW is confident," declared tion is only "expected" in these in the country. Like the coal compan rather than opposition to, the pro Vice-president Irving Bluestone, "that shops-not yet certain. ies' assault on the United Mine grams of capitalist politicians. this agreement with the General Mo • The most publicized feature of the Workers last winter-but on a smaller But even these eventualities are not tors Corporation means the end of pact is "preferential consideration" of scale so far-its goal is to weaken and what the CP is talking about today. It what the union has called GM's union employees in hiring. GM eventually eliminate the industrial un is still telling workers to stay in the 'Southern Strategy.'" workers can apply for new jobs ions. Democratic Party. And its talk about through their home plant and even Even when corporations such as GM political independence is simply de Second time around receive excused absences to visit job talk peace, they are preparing for war. signed to make this more palatable in This is not the first time GM has locations. In the September 9 Nation, labor com times when there is growing working promised to ease its open-shop cam But promises of "preferential consid mentator A.H. Raskin recounted a class disenchantment with the two paign. The company signed a "neutral eration" do not amount to guaranteed conversation with an unnamed corpo party charade. ity pledge" during 1976 contract talks, hiring. The union has no contract with rate executive about GM's 1976 neu vowing to "neither discourage nor GM covering hiring in these thirteen trality pledge. Lesser evil? encourage the Union's efforts in organ plants. The company is free to come up "All big managements want to oper " . . . Our emphasis on political izing." with any excuse it wants to screen out ate 'double-breasted,' [with nonunion independence and Communist candi With the same fanfare as today, militant unionists. operations] whatever they say,'' the dates ·never meant that we were not union leaders hailed GM's statement. It's up to the workers' present man executive told Raskin. "That goes for interested in what happened in the two Bluestone claimed it would "play an agement to determine the "eligibility" du Pont, General Electric, General old parties," CP General Secretary Gus important role" in helping the union of applicants-to pass on job qualifica Motors, Union Carbide, you name it. Hall told the party's National Council "organize the unorganized." tions and work records. Most of the new plants they open are in June. But while the ink was drying on this • While workers who are hired in nonunion and they are staying that "This never meant that we should peace treaty, GM was waging war new plants retain company seniority, way.'' close our eyes to the significance of against workers trying to unionize its they lose their home-plant seniority. If Business Week has speculated that who wins the elections in cases where Monroe, Louisiana, Guide Lamp plant. they are fired from a nonunion south GM's southern agreement is intended there are some important differences Union forces finally won the day in ern plant-hardly unusual for union to head off sentiment for a national between candidates." Monroe. "Breaking GM's Southern organizers today-they have no right strike against the company in 1979. But this "lesser evil" approach has Strategy" is how the UA W's magazine to return to their old job. "GM's new policy now defuses a nothing whatsoever to do with Solidarity described this victory in • W ork~rs are allowed to apply to highly emotional issue that would working-class political action. January 1977. only one plant at a time-and are have been a major barrier to a peaceful In fact, the capitalists hang on so But in the next two years the UAW expected to wait for an opening for up settlement in next year's critical auto tightly to the two-party system pre did not organize another southern GM to two years. In the meantime, if they negotiations," the big-business maga cisely because it helps create the illu plant. By July 1978 Solidarity's cover submit another application, the first is zine states. sion that "there are some important read, "Is GM Trying to Destroy the automatically voided. If a worker re It remains to be seen whether the differences between candidates." Union? Revival of the 'Southern Strat ceives an employment notice-whether UA W ranks, once they read the fine "You don't like the bum in office?" egy.', or not the job is accepted-he or she is print, will accept GM's promises as they tell working people. "Vote for a GM's southern management con out of the hiring program for good. good coin for now. better Democrat, or a better Republi tinued to fight tooth and nail to keep But this is certain: GM's antiunion can next election." the UA W out-using the same dirty 'Constructive approach'? strategy, North and South, cannot be Yet Gus Hall dresses up this tired tricks as such notorious southern • In GM's press statement the fol stopped or settled through such flimsy trick of the bosses as a step toward union busters as J.P. Stevens. lowing hitch is attached to union rec deals. It can be broken only when the political independence. With the collaboration of local politi ognition. The company "expects that union's 1.5 million members are mobil But why is the CP so hell-bent cians, cops, and state employment the union will take a constructive ized in the kind of militant actions that against independent working-class pol offices, GM screened out job applicants approach so that parties working to conquered GM's open-shop fortresses itics? Is it just a well-intentioned mis with union backgrounds. It defied la- gether can effect real and measurable in the 1930s. take? One road among many toward a common socialist goal? That will be the topic of next week's article.
THE MILITANT/NOVEMBER 10, 1978 In Brief DAMAGES SOUGHT American Friends Service uote unquote IN A-TEST DEATHS Committee, Socialist Workers Hearings on gay· rights bill In a landmark action, rela Party, supporters of Haitian The New York City Coun tives of four civilian victims of rights and gay rights, antinu U.S. bomb testing have filed clear activists, and others. "Our storm troop sec cil will begin hearings on line at Broadway and that city's gay rights bill, Warren Streets from 4:30 to damages claims, seeking in The largest group was a con tion is always ready to excess of $1 million. Additional tingent of 300 Iranian stu take to the streets in Intro 384, on November 8. 7:00p.m. The Coalition for Lesbian The CLGR also plans a claims will be filed by others. dents, who demanded an end to support of our policy." The victims lived in the path U.S. support for the shah. -A letter from the Na and Gay Rights is urging rally on November 9 at 8:00 people to attend the hear p.m. at Sheridan Square to of the radioactive fallout from Supporters of Leo Harris's tional Socialist (Nazi) Nevada bomb tests. Three died fight against frame-up charges White People's Party to ings, which begin at 9:00 demand passage of Intro a.m., and to join a picket 384. of leukemia and one of lym in Miami carried a banner antigay crusader John phoma. One was fourteen, the calling for freedom for all polit Briggs, offering support others, married men with chil ical prisoners. to California's Proposi dren. The Miami Herald described tion 6. A Tuscon attorney for sev the 3,500 people who came to eral of the claimants said that hear Carter as "mildly his clients alone represented 6 friendly" and noted that only FBI VS. CIVIL RIGHTS leukemia deaths among 2,000 "ear-pummeling amplifiers" FBI Director J. Edgar in two towns in the Arizona were able to drown out the l Ioover, fearful the murder of Utah area. "cacophony of banner-shaking \'iola Liuzzo would rally the. A normal rate, he said, is 6 protesters." civil rights movement, em cases in a population of barked on a slander campaign 100,000. MILLION DOLLAR AWARD against the civil rights worker One resident of the area com after her death in 1965, accord Twenty-one Black workers at mented that the bombs would Fieldcrest Mills of Eden, North ing to FBI memos reported in be detonated only when the the Detroit News. Carolina, have been awarded wind was coming in their direc $1 million in damages after Liuzzo, thirty-nine, was shot tion, not toward Las Vegas. to death in a car outside Selma, charging the company with Alabama. Two members of the racist hiring and promotion practices, the Carolina Times Ku Klux Klan were convicted ROSENBERG MEMORIAL Militant/Anne Teesdale reported October 21. of the federal crime of violating New York City, June 1978 Three hundred people at Although neither the com her civil rights. tended a meeting in Cleveland pany nor its codefendent, the Hoover falsely alleged that October 21 to mark the twenty Amalgamated Clothing and Liuzzo used drugs and was fifth anniversary of the execuc Textile Workers Union, admit mentally unstable. tion of "atom spies" Julius and after conviction of possession of bank stock in return for their ted any wrongdoing, the out-of Revealing his own deepgoing Ethel Rosenberg. A multimedia of firearms. influence in awarding federal court settlement provides for racism, Hoover added what he The motion noted that a contracts. Flood is also presentation related the gov must have thought was the ernment's role in the Rosen recruiting more Black workers former Denver cop, convicted charged with receiving $16,500 and ending the use of tests that most serious "charge" of all: berg frame-up to the constant of the same charge, got an in bribes and soliciting another discriminate against Blacks. that Liuzzo was ''necking" eighteen-month suspended $100,000. harassment faced by activists with a "Negro man" when she sentence. The congressman was also today. was killed. Haro-a leading Crusade for indicted September 5 by a Rosenberg son Michael Mee Hoover also sought to talk Justice activist-was convicted grand jury for lying about al ropol, one of the founders of the President Lyndon Johnson out solely on the word of one wit leged payoffs from lobbyists. Fund for Open Information CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS of becoming publicly involved ness, a police informant. There and Accountability, pointed MORE SEGREGATED in the case. was not a shred of evidence out the legal victories which Nearly 1 million Black and Liuzzo's family has sued the linking Haro to the four hand BIRDS OF A FEATHER have already been won against Chicano students in California FBI for $2 million, charging grenades he supposedly gave President Carter posthum- government spying, and the go to segregated schools, ac the bureau could have averted away. 1 ously restored the citizenship need to keep pushing for addi cording to a state survey re her death. FBI informant Gary Haro was ordered to report to of Jefferson Davis, president of tional gains. leased October 18. The figure Rowe has admitted he was in Leavenworth federal prison the Confederacy during the represents a 27 percent in the car with the two convicted at his own expense! Civil War, on October 17. crease over 1974. Klansmen when they fired at November 2. Referring to the war that PROTESTERS GREET Nearly half of all Black stu Liuzzo. abolished slavery as "the CARTER IN FLORIDA dents go to schools that are FLOOD INDICTED tragic conflict between the President Carter flew into majority Black, and 35 percent Democratic Rep. Daniel states," Carter declared that Miami October 26 to campaign go to schools at least 80 percent COURT DENIES APPEAL Flood of Pennsylvania was Davis "had served the United for Democratic gubernatorial Black. BY CHICANO ACTIVIST indicted on ten counts of con States long and honorably... candidate Robert Graham, and Forty pecent of Latino stu A federal judge in Denver spiracy and bribery October 12. Gen. Robert E. Lee's citizen 400 people lined the sidewalk to dents go to segregated schools. denied a request October 18 by A federal grand jury charged ship was restored in 1976. It is protest the president's "human The study showed a steady Chicano activist Juan Haro for that Flood and his former exec fitting that Jefferson Davis rights" hypocrisy. The crowd increase in school segr~gation reconsideration of the six-year utive assistant sought and re should no longer be singled out included members of the Iran since 1967, when the first such sentence he received in 1976 ceived $65,000 and 100 shares for punishment." ian Students Association, survey was undertaken. What's Going On
CALIFORNIA POWER. Speakers: Gordon Fox, Socialist dates; refreshments; TV; music; 'Militant' NORTH CAROLINA Workers Party; Greta Coleman, Chesa sales awards. Tues .. Nov. 7, 7:30p.m. 325 KAREN SILKWOOD MEMORIAL AC LOS ANGELES E. 17th (between 1st & 2nd Ave.) Dona RALEIGH TIONS. Rally, Mon., Nov. 13, noon; 5- THE FIGHT FOR LABOR AND BLACK peake Energy Alliance; Roger Hansen, American Friends Service Committee. tion: $1. Ausp: Socialist Workers 1978 MEET THE SOCIALIST WORKERS 6:30, candlelight vigil. JFK Plaza, 15th & RIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA. Speaker: Campaign. For more information call PARTY CANDIDATE FOR SENATE. JFK Blvd. Ausp: Mobilization for Survival Drake Koka. founder and secretary Sun., Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m. 2117 N. Charles. (212) 982-5963. Food, drink, music, dancing. Sat., Nov. 4, & Keystone Alliance. general of Black Allied Workers Union of Donation: $1.50. Ausp: Militant Forum. For more information call (301) 547-0668. 8 p.m. 630 Sasser St. Ausp: Socialist South Africa. Fri., Nov. 10, United Steel Workers Campaign Committee. For more workers Local 1845 union hall. 60004 WILMINGTON 10-USA 10,000.' A film information call (919) 821-2869. Maywood Ave. For more information call by Haile Gerima. World premier Sat., Nov. THE FIGHT AGAINST APARTHEID IN (213) 234-1995. 11, 7 p.m. Hunter College Assembly Hall SOUTH AFRICA. Speaker: Drake Koka, (69th St. & Lexington). Tickets $10, $15, founder and secretary-general of Allied Black Workers Union. Tues., Nov. 14, MASSACHUSETTS $50. Tickets available at Liberation Book OHIO 12:30 p.m. Temple Univ., Room 302, ILLINOIS BOSTON store, 421 Lenox Ave.; Tricontinental Film CLEVELAND 'TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE Center, 333 6th Ave.; Brooklyl'l New Student Activities Center. There will be a CHICAGO CARTER'S ANTI-INFLATION PLAN: second meeting at 7:30p.m. United Elec WORLD.' A film by Sergei Eisenstein. Fri., Muse, 1530 Bedford, Brooklyn; Ashanti 'MAKE WORKING PEOPLE PAY.' FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRA trical Workers Hall, 5700 N. Broad St. For Nov. 10, 8 p.m. Harvard Univ., room to be Bazaar, 872 Lexington Ave. For more Speaker: Steve Tormey, organizer for TION OF THE 'MILITANT.' Speakers: more information call (215) 849-3399. announced. Donation: $1.50. Ausp: Mili information call (212) 686-0394. United Electrical Workers. Sun., Nov. 12, Harry Ring, former editor of the 'Militant,' tant Forum. For more information call 7 p.m. 13002 Kinsman. Donation: $1. Pat Grogan, Socialist Workers Party can (617) 262-4621. WHO KILLED KAREN SILKWOOD? Ausp: Militant Forum. For more informa didate for U.S. Senate; Bill Hampton; HOW THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY SI tion call (216) 991-5030. PITTSBURGH others; music by Carlos Torres, guitarist. LENCED THE TRUTH. A teach-in on the SOCIALIST WORKERS CAMPAIGN Sat., Nov. 11, dinner 6:30 p.m., rally 8 dangers of nuclear energy. Speakers: PARTY. Speaker: Mark Zola, SWP candi p.m. Shoe Workers Union Hall, 1632 N. MICHIGAN Bella Abzug; Barry Commoner; Kitty date for governor of Pennsylvania. Tues .• Milwaukee. Donation: $5 for dinner and DETROIT Tucker, Supporters of Silkwood national PENNSYLVANIA Nov. 7, 8 p.m. 5504 Penn Ave. Ausp: SWP rally, $1.50 for rally only. Ausp: SWP. For MY FIGHT FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM president; Jim Haughton, Harlem Fight Campaign Committee. For more informa more information call (312) 939-0737. PHILADELPHIA IN THE UNITED STATES: HEAR HEC Back; Norma Becker, Mobilization for SOCIALIST WORKERS CAMPAIGN tion call (412) 441-1419. TOR MARROQUIN. Other speakers: John Survival; Connie Hogarth, Women's Inter PARTY. Speakers: Naomi Berman, So Conyers. U.S. rep., 1st District; Faye national League for Peace and Freedom, cialist Workers Party candidate for lieu LOUISIANA Williams, National Education Association, WESPAC; Michie Kaku, nuclear physicist. tenant governor; Ben Bailey, SWP candi NEW ORLEANS Metro Detroit assistant director; Pete CCNY. Sun., Nov. 12, 3 p.m. Columbia UTAH date for Congress. Tues .. Nov. 7. 8 p.m. LOUISIANA ABORTION LAW: Camarata. Thurs., Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. Hil Teachers Colleqe, Horace Mann Aud., 218 S. 45th St. Donation: $1. Ausp: So SALT LAKE CITY WOMEN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE ON berry A&B Student Center Building, 120th St. & Broadway. Ausp: NYC Shad cialist Workers Campaign Committee. For SOCIALIST CAMPAIGN RALLY. TRIAL. Speaker: Peggy Cottle, Delta Wayne State Univ. Ausp: Hector Marro Alliance and NY Mobilization for Survival. Speakers: Bill Hoyle, Socialist Workers more information call (215) 387-2451. Women's Clinic, others. Fri., Nov. 10, quin Defense Committee. For more infor For more information call: (212) 249- Party candidate for Congress; Dr. Joseph reception 7:30p.m.; forum, 8 p.m. 3319 S. mation call (313) 526-4828. 7649. Navarro, professor of political science, Carrollton. Donation: $1. Ausp: Militant Univ. of Utah; Howard Johnson, attorney; Forum. For more information call (504) NYC: QUEENS THE WOMEN'S LIBERATION MOVE Pam Burchett, United Steelworkers Local 486-8048. SOLIDARITY WITH SOUTH AFRICAN MENT TODAY: WHERE DO WE GO 4208. Sun., Nov. 5, refreshments 6:30 NEW YORK FREEDOM FIGHTERS! Fri., Nov. 10, 7:30 FROM HERE? A panel discussion. Fri., p.m.; rally, 7:30 p.m. 677 S. 700 East. MARYLAND NEW YORK CITY p.m. 90-43 149th St., Jamaica, Queens. Nov. 10, 8 p.m. 218 S. 45th St. Donation: Donation: $1. Ausp: Socialist Workers BALTIMORE SOCIALIST WORKERS ELECTION Donation: $1.50. Ausp: Militant Forum. $1. Ausp: Militant Forum. For more infor Campaign Committee. For more informa THE FIGHT AGAINST NUCLEAR NIGHT CELEBRATION. Meet the candi- For more information call (212) 658-7718. mation call (215) 387-2451. tion call (801) 355-1124. 28 The Great Society Compiled by Arnold Weissberg Harry Ring Victory for Chicano college The federal government opment. When the school has finally agreed to stop couldn't make the payments, trying to foreclose on Cole HUD tried to sell the cam He's no crook-Special copies of RN's joy I want to share." For instance, drop by gio Cesar Chavez, a Chicano pus and throw out the staff Memoirs, which were peddled for $50 to Neiman Marcus and pick up a photogra college established five and students. $150 each, included Nixon's signature and phic reproduction of an early Picasso. years ago in Mt Angel, For five years the Chica the inscription, "This copy has been Framed, $850. Oregon. nos organized widespread signed by the author." But several leading After buying the five-acre support and held off the gov autograph experts refuse to handle the Final shortage-New York is running campus, the institution ernment. books, convinced the signatures are not out of burial ground so fast that by the found itself saddled with a Now, HUD has an authentic. "Absolutely false," huffed a end of the century morticians may have to $1 million mortgage held by nounced it will write off the Nixon aide. take their business elsewhere. In Queens, the U.S. Department of $1 million. The colegio will the principal burial area, there are now Housing and Urban Devel- buy the campus for $250,000. And rightly so-"Business Bids Fond more than 2 million graves. In fact, there Farewell to 95th Congress"-Headline in are more dead than living in the county. Advertising Age. Cemetery rates, needless to say, are keep ing pace with the shortage. Things are tough all over-A study disclosed that corporations are getting Lucky it wasn't meat-Two men with more "tight-fisted" with executive-pay sawed-off shotguns hijacked a truck in increases. For instance, the average cash Pennsylvania carrying a shipment of compensation for top execs rose only 11 o/o coffee worth $75,000. in 1977 as compared with 14% in 1976. Chief executive officers at manufacturing First lesson-A business flyer advises: corporations drew an average base salary "If your competitors, your employees, your of $251,600, plus an average bonus of suppliers and your local bureaucrats are $101,700. calling you 'a no good son of a bitch' behind your back-you are probably run Art for the masses-Nelson .Rocke ning a very successful enterprise." If not, feller is offering quality reproductions of send a mere $20.65 for a copy of "Why some of his art works through better Son's of Bitches Succeed and Nice Guys department stores. Art, he explains, "is a Fail in a Small Business." Women in Revolt Diane Wang 1975 picket in support of Colegio Cesar Chavez Give us an inch ... Picture the scene in 1928. The Olympic records have been broken almost every PARENTAL CONSENT denied any violation of cam Games included an 800-meter run for year. In 1967 the women's marathon FOR ABORTIONS? paign spending laws, and said women. That's only about half a mile. But record was 3:15:22. Waitz has trimmed The Supreme Court has the charges "smack of harass in those days it was a long-distance about forty-five minutes from that! agreed to hear arguments ment." women's race. That means the gap between men's and about a Massachusetts law The right-wingers have de All the women who entered were used to women's performances is closing. In 1969 that requires single women clared their intention to file running 100- or 200-meter dashes. They the men's record was more than an hour under eighteen to get their formal complaints with the had no training for distances and tried to faster than women's. But in the New York parents' or a judge's permis Federal Election Commission. sprint the entire half mile. Many col marathon Rodgers crossed the finish line sion for an abortion. Virtually all the contribu lapsed. Those who managed to finish were only twenty minutes earlier than Waitz. The high court had ruled tions under attack went to several years ago that a state Democrats, who have consist in bad pain. Who knows how far women will go in cannot have a blanket law ently stabbed working people Proof positive! declared the Olympic closing the gap? Before insisting that requiring parental consent. So in the back. But any infringe officials. "The distance seemed so far for women can never be as fast as male several states passed laws say ment on labor's right to finan the weak sex that many finalists showed runners, take a look at long-distance ing young women could avoid cially support candidates is a great signs of distress," said a report then. swimming. Women already hold the speed getting their parents' consent further obstacle to the unions' It was 1960 before the Olympics again record for crossing the English Channel. by getting a judge's permis breaking with the two capital had a women's 800-meter run. In 1976 the The most important thing is that sion. ist parties and running labor longest women's race in the Olympics was women are proving to the the world-and A federal court struck down candidates. still less than a mile. to ourselves-that biology does not deter the Massachusetts law last What a difference from the 1978 New mine destiny. Social norms, exclusion, May, saying, "A minor has a BACK IN BUSINESS York City marathon on October 21! About lack of training-these held women back. basic constitutional right to Bernard Bergman, convicted 1,100 women ran the twenty-six-mile race. But now we are catching up. abortion." But the state ap of stealing $2.5 million in Medi That was up from the 88 women who ran The same, no doubt, is true for just pealed that decision. caid funds while a New York the marathon two years ago. about every other field of human activity. nursing home operator, is back Leading the women to the finish line Once women are allowed to participate UNION POLITICAL in the nursing home business. was Greta W aitz, an English teacher from there is no telling what new achievements RIGHTS ATTACKED Bergman, who got out of jail Norway. This was her first marathon; lie ahead. The right of trade unions to October 5, purchased his son's usually she runs 3000-meter races. But she Or, to adapt the old saying, give us an support candidates for public real estate interests in the set a new women's world record, running inch and we'll take our miles. office came under attack Oc White Plains Nursing Home. the twenty-six miles in two hours, thirty tober 30 when the National Although Bergman is barred two minutes, and thirty seconds. Right-to-Work Committee, a from getting a license to oper Waitz's 2:32:30 time is so fast that it right-wing union-busting out ate a nursing home, nothing would have won the gold medal in nine of fit, charged that labor unions prevents him from owning the the eleven men's Olympic marathons up had made more than $700,000 land on which it sits. until 1952. in illegal campaign contribu Bergman, who promised to Posing for a picture with Waitz, the tions. pay back the stolen money, men's winner, Bill Rodgers, handed over still owes $1.1 million. An AFL-CIO spokesperson his winner's wreath to Waitz. "Make her wear it," he said. "I can't believe what she did today." LBJ's secret front group A few years ago nobody would have A "nonpartisan" group set prowar arguments. believed it. The Amateur Athletic Union up in 1967 to support the only gave women "permission" to run war in Vietnam had the The "Citizens Committee official marathons in 1972. When Kathy secret backing of President for Peace with Freedom in Switzer ran the 1967 Boston marathon, a Lyndon Johnson, and was Vietnam" signed up former race official tried to throw her off the road established by White House presidents Truman and Ei when he realized she was female. (He aide John Roche, the St. senhower as co-chairmen. failed.) Louis Post-Dispatch re The group's purpose was to It's true that everyone's times are im vealed October 25. Roche provide support for John proving, both men's and women's. But was a professor brought into son's goal of crushing the women's records are improving more When Kathy Switzer ran the 1967 Boston the admini~tration to pro Vietnamese revolution by quickly than men's. Marathon, a race official (in black) tried to vide intellectuals with force. The men's marathon world record has throw her out. Another runner came to her stood at 2:08:33.6 since 1969. But women's defense . . ·· THE MILITANT/NOVEMBER 10, 1978 29. Our Revolutionary Heritage Letters Celebrating 50 years of the Militant, 1928-1978 U.S. out of Vieques! me with information that has When Carlos Zenon, become a great asset in aiding president of the Fishermen's me in developing my life in the Volume One, Number One Association of Vieques, was right direction. Volume One, Number One of the Mili can Party," as a contribution to this here in New York as part of a A prisoner mt rolled off the press fifty years ago party-building work. Puerto Rican Solidarity California 1is week. This document aimed at getting the CP Committee-organized national On October 27, 1928, three prominent ready for the explosion of radical activity tour, he spoke with anger and leaders of the Communist Party-James among the masses of unorganized bitterness of the actions of the Discussing Nicaragua P. Cannon, Martin Ahern, and Max workers in basic industry. The Trotskyists U.S. Navy and of the attempt The coverage of the events in ~ hachtman-were expelled because they expected such an explosion as a result of of the U.S. District Court in Nicaragua in the Militant and , 1pported the views of Leon Trotsky and the then-sharpening crisis of U.S. capital San Juan to keep him silent by in Perspectiva Mundial have t 1e Left Opposition inside the CP of the ism. imposing a "gag" order on him been very helpful at work. : oviet Union. The document called for "a reorienta for the length of the Vieques It all started one day during The three published the first issue of the tion of the Party's perspectives to chang court case. lunch when I gave a leaflet to a 1:filitant only one week later. ing conditions and a reformulation of He expressed at the same Chicano co-worker. Half They protested that their expulsion Party policy toward more aggressiveness, time warm appreciation for the talking to myself, I asked, "was designed to deprive . . . Party initiative and militancy." efforts of the PRSC and others "H-m-m, I wonder who else I members of the opportunity to hear our It complained that instead of such a in the U.S. who support the should give a leaflet to?" He Yiews." turn, "we confront the danger of holding Viequenses' struggle. He introduced me to some This "abrogation of the Party constitu- on to old perspectives, outworn policies appealed to "all people of Nicaraguan workers and gave 1ion" and "denial of our rights," the three and methods of work, which prevent a full conscience in the United them a leaflet. I found out that , Kplained, "compels us to take this meth unfolding of the Party's leadership in the States" to stand with the they are involved in a nd of direct appeal. . . . We will con developing struggles." Viequenses in their struggle Nicaraguan political group. tinue to expound our views in the columns Another Militant tradition that began against the U.S. Navy The next day, I sold them of The Militant until our Party rights are with Volume One, Number One, is its restored." unwavering defense of the victims of The goal of Cannon, Ahern, and capitalist injustice. Supporters comment on Shachtman-as was the case with all of The first issue carried an appeal for socialist campaign Trotsky's followers at that time-was to support to the campaign by the Interna remain inside the CP and win over a tional Labor Defense to free Tom Mooney majority of its membership. The 1978 campaigns of the Socialist Workers Party and Warren K. Billings. Mooney and have reached thousands of people across the country. In its first issue, the Militant began Billings were two antiwar labor leaders As the elections approached, the SWP National Cam serializing Trotsky's "The Draft Program who at that time had been in prison for paign Office and the 'Militant' received many letters of the Comintern, a Criticism of Funda twelve years. They had been framed up and comments from people looking for a socialist alternative. Below is a sampling. mentals," later published in book form as on charges that they set off an explosion The Third International After Lenin in downtown San Francisco during a (available from Pathfinder Press, New prowar parade. Fox vs. wolf and would be interested in York, for $4.95). "A militant fight, led and organized by I find it impossible to sup any information regarding the class-conscious elements, is the best port either of the two major the Socialist Workers Party, Drawing on the lessons of defeats for assurance for a speedy victory in this candidates for governor of since there is a major elec revolut\onaries in Germany, Great Brit fight," the Militant declared. "The hope California. tion here in November. ain, and China during the 1920s, as well of Mooney and Billings, of the Centralia One is a foxy, back R.C. as the positive lessons of the Russian I.W.W. [Industrial Workers of the World] tracking opportunist (Jerry East Long Meadow, Maine revolution of 1917, Trotsky explained and of every other labor prisoner in the Brown) who will say or do what was wrong with Stalin's policies of country lies in the protest movement of anything to win. The other "building socialism in one country." the masses." -Peter Seidman is an overt reactionary wolf 'Highly impressed' Setbacks in the United States could also (Evelle Younger). Enclosed is a check for as be expected if the CP followed Stalin's I throw my support to many copies as possible of course, the first Militant warned in a Fred Halstead, the prin your "Bill of Rights for reprint of the statement Cannon, Shacht cipled socialist candidate Working People." I have man, and Ahern made to the kangaroo from the Socialist Workers only recently gotten in touch court that expelled them from the CP. Party. with the Socialist Workers The statement insisted that "the prob Party, and I find your ideas For the Russian Opposition! Frank Greenwood lems of the American Party are organic Los Angeles, California refreshing and extremely ally bound up with the fundamental ques progressive. tions confronting the Communist Party of (Frank Greenwood is the I take issue with several the Soviet Union and the Comintern.... Black writer and producer of points in the brochure I re "The left wing of the American party the play, "Malcolm X, Re quested, but I was for the . . . will go forward only insofar as it miniscences of a Revolution most part highly impressed recognizes the necessity of a struggle ary") with its content. against the right danger on an interna I have not yet joined the tional scale and links up its fights in the Tired of 'two parties' SWP, but I will continue to American Party with the Bolshevik fight As a concerned voter, I am stay in touch. I will also rapidly tiring of the "two introduce others to your for the fundamental tenets of Leninism in TnH~~~ ,111d Hadd, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Scrunbl~ Ill party" system both nation group. You have much to and in the Comintern." wide and in the state of Mas offer us all. The Militant has hammered away ever sachusetts. C.T. since at this theme. Building a revolution I was given your address Willow Street, Pennsylvania ary party in the United States is impossi ble without absorbing fully the lessons of the international class struggle. It has occupation and destruction of copies of the Militant and PM also made the building of such a party one their island. that carried articles on of its central priorities. While more hospitals are Nicaragua. That evening, The first Militant began the serializa being closed, while minority when they read the papers, it tion of "The Right Danger in the Ameri- unemployment remains at provided them with a lot of crisis levels, while city workers information about my view of are being threatened with the situation. "furloughs," our tax dollars are For the past couple of weeks, Our party is your party being spent to bomb a peaceful we've been spending our lunch island and for the military to period nearly every day practice maneuvers for discussing a variety of aspects THE MILITANT is the voice of 0 I want to join the SWP. potential use in support of of the Nicaraguan upsurge. the Socialist Workers Party. 0 Send me __ copies of Prospects corporate interests in Puerto The need for a socialist for Socialism in America at $2.95 Rico, Latin America, and revolution (as opposed to just IF YOU AGREE with what each. Enclosed$ ___ Africa. getting rid of Somoza and you've read, you should join 0 Please send me more information. When we stand up with the installing other capitalists). Name Viequenses against the navy Broad involvement of the us in fighting for a world and the U.S. government, we masses in running the country without war, racism, ·or Address stand up for ourselves as well. under socialist democracy. The exploitation-a socialist City Paul Horowitz similarities between the Cuban world. Coordinator, N.Y. PRSC revolution and the events State ______Zip New York, New York today in Nicaragua. The tasks Telephone ------ we must undertake to prevent U.S. intervention. The crisis of JOIN THE SWP. Fill out this SWP, 14 Charles Lane, New York, N.Y. 'Great asset' a lack of revolutionary coupon and mail it today. 10014 I would like to thank you for leadership. The scandalous role the sample copies of the of the Nicaraguan Socialist Militant that you have sent me. and Communist parties. And, I do hope that I am fortunate most recently, the role of enough to continue to receive ·women in the upsurge. JOIN THE SWP your paper because it provides They brought me an article 30 Learning About Socialism on the latter subject and have promised to bring me a copy of their group's political program. Financing the socialist movement They have invited me to attend As more people become interested in socialism, it is not Our full-time staff only takes what it needs to cover basi their next meeting, and they unusual to hear the question, "How does the Socialist necessities. What staffers receive is quite a bit less than ca:·, have agreed to get Workers Party finance itself?" Frequently this is asked by subscriptions to the Militant usually be earned in an industrial job. Our guidelines on and Perspectiua Mundial. someone who is impressed with the way a relatively small this allow for no difference between our highest elected Sure makes for better party manages to do so much. officials and other party staff members. Sometimes it's asked by people who are a little suspicious, lunchtime conversation than In most other organizations, finances are the concern and sports! too. By unionists who are fed up with bureaucratic officials responsibility of just a selected few. The opposite is the case I ask that my name not be who squelch democracy and regard the union treasury as in the SWP. In our party the basic units are the branche:; printed, not so much for their own private feeding trough. Or by working people who located throughout the country. There, every single member watch the Democratic and Republican party "fund raising" myself as for my co-workers' participates in discussions and votes on all proposals right to political privacy vis-a techniques and come to the conclusion that any kind of relating to policy and activity. An important point our politics is crooked. vis the company. members consider and decide on is how best to use and As working people discover that Socialist Workers Party A steelworker augment our limited funds. This is regarded not only as a supporters do not sell the Militant for profit, and do not right but as a duty. support SWP candidates in hope of getting soft jobs, they Zimbabwean reader also begin to understand the SWP. Thus, the elected branch leaderships give the most careful Enclosed is my initial They begin to realize that the SWP is different from other thought and attention before submitting proposals to the subscription fee for the organizations. Our approach to financing our activities is membership for approval. This process continues up to and Militant. based on this difference. during our national convention, the highest body of the I have followed your The SWP's goal is to lead the majority to make the party. newsweekly since my arrival to American socialist revolution. Everything we do is consid That political commitment to building the revolutionary this country through a friend, ered in light of that, including how we raise and use our socialist party demonstrated by the pioneer Trotskyists in and my decision to subscribe funds. Minneapolis is the bedrock enabling us to build today. was logical more than How does this work? The SWP constitution states that Regularized financial support from party members and anything. What struck me every member of the party, in addition to a one-dollar from those who support us is crucial to achieving our goal. foremost is the accuracy with initiation fee, pays monthly dues of four dollars if employed -Paul Montauk which the articles are and two dollars if totally unemployed. portrayed and its revolutionary Our dues, which are the only fixed financial requirement essence that cannot escape a for membership, are minimal. In addition, each member conscious reader. makes a regular weekly contribution to the party according I am a Zimbabwean political to her or his commitment and ability. This voluntary Education for exile, and I am affiliated to contribution is the heart of the party's finances. ZANU (Zimbabwe African How this worked in the early forging of the American Socialists Tapes National Union) based in Trotskyist party is described by James P. Cannon in The Maputo and a component of Maoism and the Chinese Revolution, 1949-1978, by History of American Trotskyism. the Patriotic Front. Leslie Evans, 1978. Two talks. Price: $9. Revolutionary greetings to Referring to the cadre who in the 1930s helped make all the Militant staff! Minneapolis a union town, he said: The Fourth International After World War II: Reconstruc A Texas student "Our comrades who later gained great fame as labor tion and Split, by Leslie Evans, 1978. Price: $6. leaders weren't always famous labor leaders. In those days Trade Unions and the Revolutionary Party: Past and [the early 1930s] they were coal heavers, working ten and Present, by Tom Leonard, 1978. Two talks. Price: $9. twelve hours a day in the coal yards, heaving coal, the American Stalinism and Trotskyism, by Harry Ring, A criticism hardest kind of physical labor. Out of their wages they used to dig up as high as five or ten dollars a week and shoot it in 1978. Three talks on two cassettes. Price: $9. While reading the interview to New York .... Once or twice a sympathizer would give with John Briggs, the antigay us $25.00. Those were real holidays in our office." California legislator, which How was this money used? One example was that our was reprinted in the October 27 All talks recorded on 90-minute issue of the Militant, I was movement, despite its poverty and weakness, managed to publish a full-sized book, The Problems of the Chinese cassette tape. For complete catalog or concerned with what I felt was further information contact Education Revolution by Leon Trotsky. a missed opportunity to for Socialist Tapes, 14 Charles Lane, Then as now funds were raised from class-conscious educate your readers. New York, N.Y. 10014. Briggs states unequivocally, workers for one purpose alone: to build a revolutionary "Well, we already know that socialist party. homosexuals are attracted to children. . . . " This was not answered by the interviewer, Robert Scheer, and could have been answered by the Militant. If You Like This Paper, Look Us Up Less than 5 per,cent of all Where to find the Socialist Workers Party, Young Socialist Alliance, and socialist books and pamphlets child molesters are homosexuf'll. Yet, Briggs and ARIZONA: Phoenix: SWP, YSA, 314 E. Taylor. Zip: MARYLAND: Baltimore: SWP, YSA, 2117 N. Charles OHIO: Athens: YSA, c/o Balar Center, Ohio Univer others, like Anita Bryant, 85004. Tel: (602) 255-0450. Tucson: YSA, SUPO St. Zip: 21218. Tel: (301) 547-0668. College Park: sity. Zip: 45701. Tel: (614) 594-7497. Cincinnati: 20965. Zip: 85720. Tel: (602) 795-2053. YSA, c/o Student Union, University of Maryland. SWP, YSA, 970 E. McMillan. Zip: 45206. Tel: (513) conduct a rather successful CALIFORNIA: Berkeley: SWP, YSA, 3264 Adeline Zip: 20742. Tel: (301) 454-4758. 751-2636. Cleveland: SWP, YSA, 13002 Kinsman fear campaign around the St. Zip: 94703. Tel: (415) 653-7156. East Los MASSACHUSETTS: Amherst: YSA, c/o Rees, 4 Rd. Zip: 44120. Tel: (216) 991-5030. Columbus: claim that homosexual is Angeles: SWP, YSA, 1237 S. Atlantic Blvd. Zip: Adams St., Easthampton 01027. Boston: SWP, YSA, Box 106 Ohio Union, Rm. 308, Ohio State synonymous with child 90022. Tel: (213) 265-1347. Los Angeles, Cren YSA. 510 Commonwealth Ave., 4th Floor. Zip: Univ., 1739 N. High St. Zip: 43210. Tel: (614) 291- shaw District: SWP, YSA, 2167 W. Washington 02215. Tel: (617) 262-4621. 8985. Kent: YSA, Student Center Box 41, Kent molester. Blvd. Zip: 90018. Tel: (213) 732-8196. Los An MICHIGAN: Ann Arbor: YSA, Room 4321, Michigan State University. Zip: 44242. Tel: (216) 678-5974. This lie must be refuted geles: City-wide SWP, YSA, 1250 Wilshire Blvd., Union, U of M. Zip: 48109. Detroit: SWP, YSA, Toledo: SWP, 2507 Collingwood Blvd. Zip: 43610. repeatedly! We cannot dismiss Room 404, Zip: 90017. Tel: (213) 482-1820. Los 1310 Broadway. Zip: 48226. Tel: (313) 961-5675. Tel: (419) 242-9743. MI. Pleasant: YSA, Box 51 Warriner Hall, Central it as ridiculous. Too many Angeles, Southeast: SWP, YSA, 2554 Saturn Ave., OREGON: Portland: SWP, YSA, 711 NW Everett. Hunti~gton Park, 90255. Tel: (213) 582-1975. Mich. Univ. Zip: 48859. Zip: 97209. Tel: (503) 222-7225. MINNESOTA: Mesabi Iron Range: SWP, P.O. Box people have been convinced of Oakland: SWP, YSA, 1467 Fruitvale Ave. Zip: PENNSYLVANIA: Bethlehem: SWP, Box 1096. Zip: 94601. Tel: (415) 261-1210. San Diego: SWP, YSA, 343, Eveleth, Minn. Zip: 55734. Tel: (218) 741- its truth by antigay 18016. Edinboro: YSA, Edinboro State College. 4968. Minneapolis: SWP, YSA, 23 E. Lake St. Zip: 105315th St. Zip: 92101. Tel: (714) 234-4630. San Zip: 16412. Philadelphia, SWP, YSA, 218 S. 45th propaganda. 55408. Tel: (612) 825-6663. St. Paul: SWP, 373 Francisco: SWP, YSA, 3284 23rd St. Zip: 94110. St. Zip: 19104. Tel: (215) 387-2451. Pittsburgh: Jane McComsey Tel: (415) 824-1992. San Jose: SWP, YSA, 942 E. University Ave. Zip: 55103. Tel: (612) 222-8929. SWP, YSA, 5504 Penn Ave. Zip: 15206. Tel: (412) MISSOURI: Kansas City: SWP, YSA, 4715A Troost. New York, New York Santa Clara St. Zip: 95112. Tel: (408) 295-8342. 441-1419. State College: YSA, c/o Jack Craypo, COLORADO: Denver: SWP, YSA, 126 W. 12th Ave. Zip: 6411ll. Tel: (816) 753-0404. St. Louis: SWP, 132 Keller St. Zip: 16801. Zip: 80204. Tel: (303) 534-8954. YSA. 6223 Delmar Blvd. Zip: 63130. Tel: (314) DELAWARE: Newark: YSA, c/o Stephen Krevisky, 725-1570. RHODE ISLAND: Kingston: YSA, P.O. Box 400. Zip: 638 Lehigh Rd. M4. Zip: 19711. Tel: (302) 368- NEBRASKA: Omaha: YSA, c/o Hugh Wilcox, 521 02881. Tel: (401) 783-8864. 1394. 4th St., Council Bluffs, Iowa. 51501. TEXAS: Austin: YSA, c/o Mike Rose, 7409 Berkman FLORIDA: Miami: SWP, YSA, 7623 NE 2nd Ave. Zip: NEW JERSEY: Newark: SWP, 11-A Central Ave. Zip: Dr. Zip: 78752. Dallas: SWP, YSA, 5442 E. Grand. 33138. Tel: (305) 756-8358. 07102. Tel: (201) 643-3341. Zip: 75223. Tel: (214) 826-4711. Houston: SWP, GEORGIA: Atlanta: SWP, YSA, 509 Peachtree St. NEW MEXICO: Albuquerque: SWP, 108 Morning YSA, 6412-C N. Main St. Zip: 77009. Tel: (713) NE. Zip: 30308. Tel: (404) 872-7229. side Dr. NE. Zip: 87108. Tel: (505) 255-6869. 861-9960. San Antonio: SWP, YSA, 112 Frede ILLINOIS: Champaign-Urbana: YSA, 284 lllini NEW YORK: Binghamton: YSA, c/o Larry Paradis, ricksburg Rd. Zip: 78201. Tel: (512) 735-3141. Union, Urbana. Zip: 61801. Chicago: City-wide Box 7261, SUNY-Binghamton. Zip: 13901. Capital UTAH: Logan: YSA, P.O. Box 1233, Utah State SWP, YSA, 407 S. Dearborn #1145. Zip: 60605. District (Albany): SWP, YSA, 103 Central Ave. University. Zip: 84322. Salt Lake City: SWP, YSA, Tel: SWP-(312) 939-0737; YSA-(312) 427-0280. Zip: 12206. Tel: (518) 463-0072. Ithaca: YSA, 677 S. 7th East, 2nd Floor. P.O. Box 461. Zip: Chicago, South Side: SWP, YSA, 2251 E. 71st St. Willard Straight Hall, Rm. 41A, Cornell University. 84110. Tel: (801) 355-1124. The letters column is an Zip: 60649. Tel: (312) 643-5520. Chicago, West Zip: 14853. New York, Bronx: SWP, 2271 Morris WASHINGTON, D.C.: SWP, YSA, 3106 Mt. Pleasant open forum for all view Side: SWP, 3942 W. Chicago. Zi'p: 60651. Tel: Ave. Zip: 10453. Tel: (212) 365-6652. New York, St. NW. Zip: 20010. Tel: (202) 797-7699. (312) 384-0606. Brooklyn: SWP, 841 Classon Ave. Zip: 11238. Tel: WASHINGTON: Seattle: SWP, YSA, 4868 Rainier points on subjects of gen INDIANA: Bloomington: YSA, c/o Student Activities (212) 783-2135. New York, Lower Manhattan: Ave., South Seattle. Zip: 98118. Tel: (206) 723- eral interest to our readers. Desk, Indiana University. Zip: 47401. Indianapolis: SWP, YSA, 7 Clinton St. Zip: 10002. Tel: (212) 5330. Spokane: SWP, P.O. Box 672. Zip: 99210. Please keep your letters SWP, 4163 College Ave. Zip: 46205. Tel: (317) 260-6400. New York, Queens: SWP, YSA, 90-43 Tel: (509) 535-6244. Tacoma: SWP, 1022 S. J St. 925-2616. Gary: SWP, P.O. Box M218. Zip: 46401. 149 St. Zip: 11435. Tel: (212) 658-7718. New York, Zip: 98405. Tel: (206) 627~0432. brief. Where necessary they KENTUCKY: Lexington: YSA, P.O. Box 952 Univer Upper West Side: SWP, YSA, 786 Amsterdam. WEST VIRGINIA: Morgantown: SWP, 957 S. Univer will be abridged. Please in sity Station. Zip: 40506. Tel: (606) 269-6262. Zip: 10025. Tel: (212) 663-3000. New York: City sity Ave. Zip: 26505. Tel: (304) 296-0055. dicate if y'ou prefer that Louisville: SWP, 1505 W. Broadway, P.O. Box wide SWP, YSA, 853 Broadway, Room 412. Zip: WISCONSIN: Madison: YSA, P.O. Box 1442. Zip: 3593. Zip: 40201. Tel: (502) 587-8418. 10003. Tel: (212) 982-8214. 53701. Tel: (608) 255-4733. Milwaukee: SWP, your initials be used rather LOUISIANA: New Orleans: SWP, YSA, 3319 S. NORTH CAROLINA: Raleigh: SWP, YSA, P.O. Box YSA, 3901 N. 27th St. Zip: 53216. Tel: (414) 445- than your full name. Carrollton Ave. Zip: 70118. Tel: (504) 486-8048. 5714 State Univ. Station. Zip: 27607. :>076
THE MILITANT/NOVEMBER 10, 1978 31 TH£ MILITANT hit 's ish fence By Bruce Kimball Mexican-Americans," declared Vilma lems on "aliens." Congress recently announced a "plan" for dealing with SAN ANTONIO-Chicanos and Martinez, president of the Mexican approved $1.5 million for a fence on the "problem" of undocumented Mexicans have condemned a Carter American Legal Defense and Educa the Arizona border and $900,000 to ' workers. He wanted to step up deporta administration plan to build a ten-foot tion Fund (MALDEF). repair the existing fence near San. tions of these immigrants, while deny Diego. It also voted to allow INS and ing democratic rights to those allowed high border fence that could cripple "Is this the administration's new to stay. climbers. Good Neighbor Policy?" Martinez Border Patrol agents to search vehicles United opposition from the Chicano The galvanized steel grating is to be asked. "Is this the new proposal to without warrants. movement forced the administration to "so sharp it will shear off toes," ac defend human rights-barbed wire fen A Los Angeles Times dispatch noted recently shelve its plans. cording to the government contractor, ces?" that the proposed new barriers "are The proposed fence, though, is part and the Anchor Post Products com Ruben Bonilla, Texas director of the steps along a technological road that of the same scheme. And the same pany of Baltimore. League of United Latin American Citi could one day seal the entire border." kind of united opposition is needed tO Plans for the fence, dubbed the "tor zens (LULAC), noted, "Most people Shortly after taking office, Carter turn back this latest attack. tilla curtain" by its opponents, were equate a wall with oppression." . announced October 23 by the Immigra INS Commissioner Leonel Castillo, tion and Naturalization Service (INS). himself a Chicano, has responded to In addition to the razor-sharp grating, these protests by announcing that the fiendish device will be set in a some aspects of the fence may be Socialists: 'Stop the wall!' concrete base to prevent tunneling. modified. An INS spokesperson Fences are initially planned for two In a joint statement released Oc tacks against undocumented granted that the fence may have "too tober 24, the U.S. Socialist Workers workers are attacks against the en locations: between El Paso, Texas, and many exposed edges. Ciudad Juarez; and the San Diego Party and Mexican Partido Revolu tire labor movement, against the Tijuana border. Total cost for the two "They may try to round them off, or cionario de los Trabajadores (Revo Chicano people, against the civil projects is estimated at $3.5 million. something like that," the spokesperson lutionary Workers Party) declared liberties of U.S. citizens, and against In addition to brutality. by INS cops, said. that the proposed border fence re the people of Mexico." Mexican workers will now face a But Castillo remains firm on the veals "the true face of the Carter further risk in trying to escape Mexi need for. a "better" barrier. "The cur administration-which praises itself The two groups called for a united co's subpoverty wages and 60 percent rent fence is filled with holes and is for its humaneness, while it builds a response to halt construction of the unemployment. constantly being repaired," he said. wall that wou.ld seriously injure fence, bring an end to deportations, "Building these fences is an act of "It's really not much of a fence at all." anyone who tried to cross it." and win full rights for undocu unwarranted, stepped-up hostility di The fence is part of Washington's The SWP and PRT said that "at- mented workers. rected both toward Mexico and attempts to blame U.S. economic prob- Drastic drop in Medicaid abortions reported By Diane Wang The number of Medicaid-funded abortions has dropped 98 percent in states following new government Paying according to guidelines. HEW guidelines What has that meant for thousands of women in the past year? Paying for all medically Home-made abortion remedies. necessary abortions Visits to back-alley abortionists. Desperate attempts to raise money for an abortion, delaying the operation Paying for all abortions until it is too late. There is a critical need to sound the Paying only if the life alarm on the government's war on the • of the woman is right to choose abortion, before more endangered women become casualties. +++++ Varying circumstances; After the Hyde amendment cutting .+++++ usually rape, incest and Medicaid funding for abortions went +++++ life endangerment into effect in August 1977, state after ~") state began cutting their funds for . }\' ~ '\ .' abortions too. Before the Hyde amend Waiting for court action ~ -\,..; ment was enacted, forty-seven states • and the District of Columbia paid for - ~- National Abortion Rights Action League most Medicaid abortions. Today only six do. Nineteen states follow the restrictive exceptions that are supposed to be • derlied abortion funds to Peace half of the right to choose will not let guidelines published by the Depart made. Corps members; up until that right is regained on ment of Health, Education and Wel Between February, when the HEW • passed a pregnancy disability bill behalf of all women, and until a threat fare. Those allow payment for abortion guidelines were issued, and June, ten requiring bosses to give sick leave and to that right no longer exists." only in cases of "rape, incest, severe states funded no abortions. medical insurance to pregnant The decrease in other states was The resolution called for coordinated and long-lasting health damage, or life workers-except for abortion; local actions across the nation on the endangerment." equally shocking. New Jersey, for ex ample, previously funded about 1,150 • gagged the Civil Rights Commis weekend of January 20-21, as well as sion, saying it could not study or write Another eleven states pay only for abortions a month. Now it funds about educational activities, lawsuits, and about the denial of women's right to lobbying. abortions when the pregnancy threat 19 a month. In Texas the number fell choose abortion. ens a woman's life. from 257 to 1.9 abortions funded each The National Abortion Rights Ac Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, month. Moreover, several states and cities tion League reports that it is also Pennsylvania, and California are The Ninety-Fifth Congress extended have· imposed severe abortion restric planning coordinated actions, target under court order to pay for "medically still further the attack on women's tions. Anti-abortion vigilantes have ing state legislatures that will be in session in January. necessary abortions." And on October right to choose. Specifically Congress: staged invasions and arson attacks on 20 a court ordered Virginia to ease its • again passed a HEW-Labor De clinics. January 22 will be the sixth anniver restrictions and pay for abortions . partment budget restricting abortion In response, women have called for a sary of the Supreme Court decision when the pregnancy is a "substantial funding; defense effort. At its October 6-9 na recognizing women's legal right to endangerment of health." • denied abortion funds to those tional conference, the National Organi choose abortion. Unless we rally to The cutoff of funds has been almost who get their health care through the zation for Women passed a resolution defend that right, it may become only total in many states, regardless of the defense budget; affirming that "NOW's efforts on be- a memory.
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