DECEMBER 1944 ,' AMERICA•s ELECTIONS AND THE TEHERAN CONCORD EA RL BROWDER ' I • THE ELECTipNS AND THE NEW CONGRESS ADAM LAPIN t ' r • THE STRATEGY OF "MERCY " A. TRAININ • THE POLITICA L SITUATION IN ITALY ( . PALMIRO TOGLIATTI (ERCOLI) • BRETTON WOODS AND WORLD SECURITY JAMES S. ALLEN • THE A NTI-FRA NCO U PS URG~ IN SPAIN T. G. ZAMUDIO Just Published- MORALE EDUCATION IN THE AMERICAN ARMY BY PHILIP FONER In this new study, a distinguished American historian brings to light a wealth of material, including documents and speeches by Washington, Jackson and Lincoln, letters from soldiers, contemporary newspaper articles and editorials, .)'esolutions and activities of workers' and other patriotic organi,2ations backing up the fighting fronts, all skiijfully woven together to make an illuminating analysis of the role of morale in the three great wars of American history-the War of Independence, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. Price 20¢ MARX AND ENGELS ON REACTION ARY PRUSSIANIS·M ~ An important theoretical study which assembles the writings and opinions of Marx and Engels on the histori~ roots, .charaCter and reafclonary political and military role of the Prussian Junkers, and illuminates the background of the plans for world domination hatched by the Ge;man general staH, the modern industrialists_and the criminal Nazi clique. Prle..e iO¢ WALT WHIT MAN- POET OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY BY SAMUEL SILLEN A new study of the great American poet, together with a discerning selec- - tion from his prose and poetic writings which throws light on Whitman's views on the Civil War, democracy, labor, internationalism, culture, etc. Price $J.50 • W ORKERS LIBRARY PUBLISHERS P.O. Box 148, Sta. D 1832 Broadway), New York 3, N. Y. VOL. XXIII, No. 12 DECEMBER, 1944 THE COMMUNIST A MARXIST MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO ADVANCEMENT OF DEMOCRATIC THOUGHT AND ACTION EARL BROWDER, Editor EUGENE DENNIS, Associate Editor V. J. JEROME, Managing Editor CONTENTS America's Elections and the Teheran Concord Earl Browder . 1059 The Elections and the New Congress Adam Lapin 1067 The Strategy of "Mercy" A. Trainin 1073 Bretton Woods. and World Security James S. Allen 1078 The Political Situation in Italy Palmiro Togliatti (Ercoli) 1087 A Tribute to Wendell Willkie John Stuart 1103 Toward a National Uprising Against Franco and the Falange T. G. Zamudio 1111 Historic Documents 1124 Index-Volume XXIII, 1944 1139 Entered as second class matter Ncwember 2, 1927, at the Post Otlice at New Yqrk, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879. THE. COMMUNIST is published Monthly btl Workers Library Publishers, Inc., at 832 Broadway, New York 3, N. Y. (mail address, P. 0. Box 148, Station D), to whom subscriptions, payments and con'espondence should be sent. Subscription rate: $2.00 a year; $1.00 for six months; foreign and Canada, $2.50 a year. Single copies 20 cents. niNTBD IN TRB U.LL New and Forthcoming Publications FOR VICTORY AND ENDURING PEACE • $.03 by Joseph V. Stalin POST-WAR JOBS FOR VETERANS, NEGROES, WOMEN .05 by Roy Hudson ECONOMIC PROBLEMS OF THE• WAR AND PEACE .02 by Earl Browder THE MEANING OF THE ELECTIONS • .10 by Earl Browder CHINA'S NEW DEMOCRACY .25 by Mao Tse-Tung. With an Introduction by Earl Browder THE TROTSKYITES IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT • .05 by George Morris COMMUNISTS IN THE STRUGGLE FOR NEGRO RIGHTS .05 by James W. Ford, Benjamin Davis, Jr., William Patterson and Earl Browder POLITICAL ECONOMY IN THE SOVIET UNION • .15 THE WAR ELECTIONS 1860-1864 • .15 by Leonard Norton • WORKERS LIBRARY PUBLISHERS P. 0. Box 148, Station D (832 Broadway), New York 3, N. Y. AMERICA'S ELECTIONS AND THE TEHERAN CONCORD BY EARL BROWDER N November 7, 1944, Franklin port of Roosevelt, and by the superb O D. Roosevelt was re-elected leadership of the President himself President of the United States for at the head of the camp of national the fourth consecutive term. At the unity. same time Congressional elections changed the composition of both The Strategy of the Hoover-Dewey House and Senate in the direction of Reactionary Camp strengthening support for the Presi­ dent's policies. Plans of the reactionary camp for This simple news, flashed around this campaign began to shape up the world in the early hours of No­ immediately after the 1940 election. vember 8, brought joy to all peoples The strategy that gave coherence in all lands fighting for freedom to all these plans had the following and democracy. For this was vic· main points: tory in one of the greatest, most fateful, political struggles of history. 1. Secure command of the Repub­ lican Party as the main base of It was America's confirmation of the Teheran Concord, established elev­ operations. For this purpose the en months earlier, by Roosevelt, main task was to eliminate Willkie; Churchill, and Stalin, the program and for the elimination of Willkie for victory in the war and a dur­ it was necessary to put forth a able, prosperous peace. candidate without a well-defined iso- The outcome of this battle, was lationist record. That is why Dewey determined through a complicated became the front man for Hoover, and bitter struggle, in which the Vandenberg, Taft & Co., the real camp of reaction, enemies of Teher­ power in the old Republican ma­ an, threw in all their resources, and chine. employed every politicai strategem 2. Penetrate the Democratic Par­ in the book. The reactionary camp ty and either capture it for the re­ was defeated by the aroused intelli- actionaries, in which case the elec­ gence of the masses, by the unity tion is won without a battle, no brought about among the most ad· matter which candidate is elected; vanced sectors of all classes in sup- or disintegrate and split that party. 1059 1060 THE ELECTIONS AND THE TEHERAN CONCORD For this purpose Hoover and Com­ ministration for the strikes that re­ pany found a host of powerful sulted. The Republicans took John agents at hand ready made: Jim L. Lewis under their protection, Farley, for eight years the head of while blaming Roosevelt for the the Democratic National Committee, strikes Lewis instigated, not only was ripe for treason to his party; among the miners but throughout the Garner-Dies-Byrd-Reynolds-0'­ industry. The Republicans gathered Daniels sector of the Southern Dem­ evidence of malpractices among A. ocratic Party leadership, part of the F. of L. labor leaders, not in order · anti-Roosevelt coalition in Congress to bring about reforms among them, with the Republicans, were ready but in order to blackmail them into for a coup to split the solid South coming out in support of the Repub­ away from the President; Governor lican candidate. They further stim­ Edison in New Jersey had made a ulated by all means the jealousies coalition with the Republicans un­ and suspicions between the A. F. of der the false banl).er of "reform," L. and C.I.O., and all other poten­ and was leading the "liberals" of tial differences within labor. the nation by the nose on this is­ 5. Bring back the Negro people to sue; and a hundred other footholds their traditional allegiance to the had been secured within the Demo­ Republicans. To this end an elab­ cratic Party by Hoover and Co. In orate provocation was carried out: New York State, Jim Farley de­ The Republicans supported the poll­ livered the governorship to Dewey, tax Democrats of the South in by forcing his own handpicked re­ blocking the repeal of the poll-tax, actionary candidate Bennett upon defeating the anti-lynching bill, and his party against the wishes of sabotaging the Fair Employment Roosevelt and of the labor · move­ Practices Committee; then they ment. All in all, the Hoover camp turned around and adopted in their figured on capturing or splitting the own Convention a beautiful plat­ Democratic Party in 1944. form in favor of these things they 3. Keep the total national vote as had helped to defeat. They blamed low as possible by obstructing the Roosevelt for all the grievances of ballot of the armed forces and ham­ the Negro people, which Roosevelt pering registration. had been moving to remedy against 4. Divide and demoralize the la­ the united opposition of his own re­ bor movement, and thus prevent it actionary colleagues and the Repub­ from rallying to Roosevelt as in the licans. This exceedingly "clever" past. To this end, the Republicans maneuver was depended upon to joined with their Democratic allies take the Negro vote away from the in Congress, in passing over the Preside:p.t. President's veto the Smith-Connally 6. Mobilize every discontent and bill which places restrictions on la­ grievance existing in the country, bor political action, and encourages and combine them all into a move­ strikes; and then savagely attack­ ment against Roosevelt; promise ing the labor movement and the ad- everything to everybody, regardless THE ELECTIONS AND THE TEHERAN CONCORD 1061 of how contradictory the promises How the Hoover-Dewey Strategy may be; promise economy and Worked Out greater spending, lower taxes and higher governmental income, the As the whole world learned on abolition of all government controls November 8, to the joy of all pro­ but the preservation of the results gressive and democratic-minded of control, the continuation of all people, the Hoover-Dewey strategy Roosevelt's policies but the reversal failed to gain its supreme goal, of those policies at the same time; which was to assume power in the promise to continue the war to vic­ United States. The whole world tory, but give the wink to all the does not realize as yet, however, anti-war forces and sentiments; how critical and close was the bat­ speak for continuation of our war tle, how seriously the U.S.