FROM LENIN to KHRUSHCHEV STATEMENT REQUIRED by the ACT of AUGUST 24, 1912, AS by William F
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and militantly protested America's ruth less oppression of Negroes. The U.S. Monroe, N. C. Government seeks my arrest at the re quest of Union County Klansmen be The American people have been who witnessed the incident say Wil cause my newsletter, The Crusader, was shocked and horrified, time and again, liams accorded the white couple protec in opposition to Kennedy's censorship at the blatant injustice of the courts, tion which the Stegalls had sought. plan. the police and the legislatures of the Racist Monroe officials, who collab "In conjunction with the KKK, the South. Their rabid racism has not only orate openly with known KKK leaders, U.S. Government is seeking to lynch mocked the most elementary sense of after six years of struggle with the me for political reasons. The U.S. Gov human decency in this country, and in militant Monroe anti-segregation lead ernment's interest is based solely upon ternationally, but has violated both the er, are undoubtedly quite capable of the fact that I refuse to be an Uncle spirit and the letter of the law of this concocting a frame-up against Robert Tom apologist for the State Department land. Williams. It would seem that this was and because I have openly supported Time and again, the majority of the the case. Even after consultation with Revolutionary Cuba. the police, Mrs. Stegall told North American people have voiced their in "The U.S. Government knows that I Carolina newspapers that Williams had dignation by demanding federal enforce am innocent of any crime. It seeks to "chided" the crowd. "They [the crowd ment of every man's right to freedom take over where the Ku Klux Klan of Negroes] were expecting somebody to and justice (witness the election cam failed. It intends to lynch me to silence come after them, and they were all paign programs of both major parties my international newsletter which rep ready. I've never seen so many guns in on the question of civil rights). The resents unbridled opposition to imperial my life," she told the Charlotte Ob Federal government has been chided for ism and racism." inaction; the Justice Department has server, Aug. 29. "Williams, he made The Committee to Aid the Monroe been accu~ed of inaction. But until now, out like he wanted to let us go. He neither has been charged with conspir acted like he wanted to be nice to us. Defendants, headed by Dr. A. E. Perry ing with the Southern racists, the Ku But he said if he let us go the mob out of Monroe, N. C., has asked everyone Klux Klan to persecute those who are side would kill us. Somebody kept yell to send protests to the Department of fighting for freedom in the South. ing, 'Let me kill them. Let me kill Justice and to Attorney General Rob ' That is what is unique in the current them.'" ert Kennedy against the FBI's le<:fa _ struggle in Monroe, North Carolina. The Robert F. Williams, in a letter made lynch campaign of Robert Williams. De Federal government, has joined hands public by The MiLitant and the Na mand that the circulars be retracted at with the Ku Klux Klan and the racists tional Guardian, declared, "I had saved once and that all who received the cir who run the local government in Monroe the lives of people who were now ac culars be notified immediately that the to persecute those who have fought cusing me of kidnaping. I am not guilty." information on them is false. bravely for human dignity and justice. Williams wrote that during the night In addition, the Negro people of Mon The facts are these: for an entire of this rioting, Aug. 27, "I received a roe need help. They have been living week young Freedom Riders and mem telephone call from a voice I identified under con:iitions of terror. One Freedom bers of the Monroe Non-Violent Action as that of the Chief of Police. He said Fighter was forced by a fully garbed Committee had been harassed by racist that I had caused a lot of race trouble KKK gang to leave the state under attacks on their peaceful demonstrations and that state troopers were coming and threat of violence against his family. against segregation. On Aug. 27 the that in 30 minutes I would be hanging Another is still in jail. Many others suf Freedom Fighters demonstrated in front on the courthouse square. I saw police fered economic reprisals. Some have of the Union County Courthouse in pro cars blocking off the block in which we been cut off relief. They need the help test against police collusion with the lived ... I told my wife that we had of all Americans who believe in equality racists. Thousands of racists, organized to leave with the children right away and justice. by the Ku Klux Klan, threatened the and that we didn't have time to get any The Committee to Aid the Monroe demonstration with violence and the clothing or anything ..." Defendents has called for a thousand pickets were compelled to seek refuge Williams and his family slipped past people to join as members and work for inside the Courthouse. Instead of pro the police cars through an alley. With the defense of the Monroe victims of tection, many of them were arrested and the help of friends they escaped to racist terror. Carlton Beals, W. E. B. jailed. One was badly beaten in his cell. Greensboro, N. C., where they took a bus DuBois, Maxwe~l Geismar, Horace Kal Robert F. Williams, President of the for New York. They thought they would len, the Monroe Freedom Riders are Union County NAACP was at home find safety out of the reach of Southern among the first to submit their names with his family when the mobs began racists. to the honor role of CAMD. their campaign of terror. The Negro But alas! The FBI joined hands with The Editors of the International So residents of New Town, the Negro dis the Monroe racists and the Ku Klux cialist Review join in this appeal. We trict of Monroe, gathered together to Klan. The FBI issued a warrant for urge you to join and to send financial defend themselves against a mob inva Williams' arrest on charges of kidnap aid immediately to: The Committee to sion and armed caravans of the KKK. ing. FBI Wanted Circular Number 290 Aid the Monroe Defendents, Suite 1117, The Negroes returned the fire of the was posted throughout the country. In 741 Broadway, New York 6, N. Y. Klan. this circular Williams was vilely de A white couple drove into New Town. scribed as "extremely dangerous," They were stopped and disarmed. They "heavily armed," and "schizophrenic." were taken to Williams' house and at This is nothing less than a call for NEXT ISSUE Williams' suggestion they were released. legally lynching Robert Williams. It is They sought refuge in Williams' house an invitation to shoot him on sight in The Myth for several hours while fighting con the Southern traditi0n of legal lynch of "People's Capitalism" tinued outside. Then they departed un ings. Through the FBI, the hand of the harmed. KKK has reached across the entire na by Art Preis There are conflicting stories about tion. this incident. Monroe police claim that How to explain this barbarous, mur One Year derous action of the FBI? Robert F. Williams held the white couple as "hos of the Kennedy Administration tages," demanding the release of the Williams, in his letter to The Militant, Freedom Fighters in exchange for the explained it this way: "My only crime by Myra Tanner Weiss white couple, the Stegalls. The Negroes is that I am a Negro who has loudly 102 INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW INTERNATIONAL Fall 1961 SOCIALIST Volume 22 • No.4 REVIEW William Z. Foster An Approisal of the Man anti His Career by James P. Cannon May 27, 1954 ment. Even Browder, who had been a pre-war Fosterite NOTE from your numerous questions about Foster that syndicalist, did not come to the CP by way of Foster. He I you are reaching for the heart of the mystery in his jumped over the head of the Foster group - if it is proper case. I knew Foster - close up - precisely in that period even to speak of such a formation as a definite ideological when he decided to make the transformation from a trade tendency - and came in as an individual three years ahead union leader to a party politician, and to pay whatever of Foster. It was Browder who was commissioned by the price it might entail in formal subservience to Moscow. party to invite Foster to attend the Congress of the Profin I thought I knew Foster in his bones thirty years ago, tern in 1921 and thus started him on the road to the party. and still think so. His later evolution, sickening as it be In his History of the Communist Party of the United came to those who had known and respected him as a rebel, States Foster makes an elaborate attempt to backwrite his never surprised me at any stage. The basic decision he tory by blowing up the minuscule Foster group of practical made at that time conditioned him for his step-by-step trade unionists in the AFL, and representing it as a serious degeneration. He could not have made the decision, how ideological tendency and a contributing current to the move ever, unless the tendency was inherent in his character.