WfJRIlERS ,,1NIIII1R' 25¢ No. 402 25 April 1986

u.s. Hands Off Libya! Defend the Soviet Union! • ea an's errorlsm

APRIL 22-With its dead-of-the-night bombing of Libya on April 14, the United States has proclaimed in blood U.S. Murder Mission targeted Qaddafi its criminal policy of assassination and and family, massacred civilians in mass terror against anyone and any their homes. Here, Tripoli after F-111 blitz. government the White House perceives to be opponents of Ronald Reagan's "free world." This was no "surgical military strike," as the Reaganites claimed, but a murder mission to kill Qaddafi and terrorize the Libyan population. As the Pentagon later admitted, Libyan army bases were not the targets-they bombed Qaddafi's residential compound in Tripoli, his alternate headquarters in Benghazi, his personal transport aircraft. The civilian casualties may be embarrassing to Reagan's accomplice, British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (herself responsible for the gratuitous murder of hundreds of Argentine sailors during the Falklands/ Malvinas war), but they were expected too. Anti-personnel cluster bombs were dropped on Bengha­ zi. Washington wanted a visible blood­ letting. As one reporter in Tripoli noted: "The American attacks on a missile base at Surt and on Libyan vessels in the Gulf of Sidra last month, although they may have cost the lives of more than 60 Libyan sailors. made so little impact on this country's major cities that Qaddafi domestically was able to claim the engagement as a victory." -s-Washington Post, 15 April So Reagan has his "victory": he managed to kill Qaddafi's adopted baby daughter and to kill and maim more than 100 civilians. After two days of stories of gunfire in the streets and rumors of coups and Qaddafi's death­ purposeful wishful thinking by.Arneri­ hospitals where they saw surviving In the U.S. it was a media hit, timed so their planned European vacations en can intelligence-the Libyan leader victims of the raid with broken arms and that millions could hear the bombs masse out of fear of terrorist reprisals. went on TV to denounce the bombingas ; legs, faces and bodies full ofshrapnel. In dropping, live, on the evening TV news. For months, with aU his "warnings" that barbaric and "crazy." "We tell Reagan a middle-class residential neighborhood Three-quarters of all Americans re­ American tourists are terrorist targets, that he does not need to protect his reduced to rubble they spoke to out­ portedly approved of this terror raid his ordering of U.S. citizens to leave children and his people," he said. "We raged Libyans: "See now who the according to an instant popularity poll. Libya, etc., Reagan has been daring are not like you. We do not bombard terrorists are," said one. "This is the "Rambo" Reagan flexes his muscles and Palestinian refugees, Qaddafi or anyone cities." Western reporters visited the terror of the Americans." the public cheers-and then cancels enraged by the crimes of American imperialism to respond by criminally attacking, holding hostage or killing individual Americans. Not only are such random, indiscriminate terrorist attacks abominable crimes, they are playing Reagan's game, helping him whip up war fever in an American population Who Bombed Berlin Disco? that ever since Vietnam has resisted every attempt to drag them into another Something is fishy about Reagan's Well, we know about "skeptical" Dem­ likeable, but as the head of an Islamic dirty, losing colonial war. story, the pretext for the U.S. terror­ ocrats. If it's so believable, where is it? North African country, it doesn't seem The U.S. is creating terrorism with its bombing of Tripoli. The La Belle The fact of the matter is, they haven't reasonable or likely that he would order ownfar more deadly state terror. Even discotheque in West Berlin was bombed released one shred of evidence. Nothing. the mass murder of blacks and Muslims. former U.S. president Jimmy Carter April 5, killing a black American GI, What the Times (and others) did not Indeed, it seems much more like the recognized this. Referring to the death Kenneth Ford, and a Turkish woman, see fit to print, and effectively hid for a modus operandi offascist killers, who of Qaddafi's 15-month-old daughter Nermin Haney, and injuring 230 others. number of days, was the vital fact that have launched numerous murderous Hana in the bombing of Tripoli, Carter The White House claims the disco was the soldier killed was black and La Belle attacks on Turks in West Germany and remarked that if someone had killed his bombed by agents acting under Libyan was a well-known soul music club West Berlin. And when we began daughter Amy 17 years ago, "I would orders, a charge which was bought frequented by black Gis and foreign checking into the various accounts, we have sworn as long as my life existed, I wholesale and echoed ad nauseam in the workers. When we read of this in the 7 found that a neo-Nazi outfit had would retaliate" (New York Post, 18 American bourgeois press. The lead April Los Angeles Times, we wondered. claimed the heinous bombing ofthe La April). And not everyone in Reagan's editorial in the 20 April New York In the scenario worked out in Washing­ Belle disco. This lead was buried, except America is caught up with Rambo­ Times claims that "proof of Libyan ton months ago to "get Qaddafi," the for some whispers in Berlin. mania. The family of Peter Kilburn, the complicity" is affirmed because "skepti­ bombing of the Berlin disco fell in the In the U.S., where the state­ librarian at the American University in cal Democrats in Congress" and "West time slot assigned by Reagan for Libyan sponsored "terrorism" scare is being Beirut who was slain by Lebanese Germany's ChanceUor Kohl" believe it. terrorism. Qaddafi may not be very continued on page 9 terrorists in retaliation for the U.S. raid. continued Oil page /0 i Letters I

We print here two letters, editedfor Space, from the Freedom Socialist Party struggle to break the bonds of the communist, anti-labor right. In Decem­ and our replies. bureaucratic police state, you rigidly ber 1981, Clara Kaye's FSP joined conclude that if we do not agree with with the far-right Libertarian Party­ you on Poland, we no longer adhere to followers of Milton Friedman, master­ the Trotskyist analysis of the Soviet mind of union-busting and mass starva­ Union as a degenerated workers' state tion from Pinochet's Chile to Thatcher's An Un-Tied Front of and the necessity to defend it uncondi­ Britain-demonstrating in San Francis­ tionally against capitalism. Wrong, co against the Polish regime's last­ Refugees from Trotskyism wrong, wrong. minute crackdown which stopped So­ It is indeed unfortunate that you lidarnosc' counterrevolutionary power New York, New York should be a programmatic or merely could not muster the journalistic integri­ bid. FSPers marched alongside liber­ March 26, 1986. tactical matter. Attendees also dis­ ty to accurately describe the political tarians who chanted "Socialism is tendencies at the San Francisco confer­ tyranny!" and carried signs saying Editor agreed over the issues, and the approach ence and state straightforwardly what "Smash the Red Tyrants." Whatever Workers Vanguard to them, that must be dealt with before regroupment and the revitalization of you think of regroupment as a tactic for this is, Trotskyism it ain't. Dear Editor: American Trotskyism can take place.... the regeneration of U.S. Trotskyism. All one has to do is to listen to any Your article on the San Fran­ You write that anyone proposing to This is the central political question Reagan speech to' know that the cisco Trotskyist Regroupment Confer­ seriously discuss Trotskyism and the which your article so deliberately commander in chief of U.S. imperalism ence ("Anti-Trotskyist Regroupment SWP must come to grips with the avoids. aims to destroy the Soviet Union... and Flunks," WV [No. 393], 12/13/85) is Spartacist League. Here we agree. But Sincerely, not in the distant future. It's pretty hard another in an unbroken series of the in dealing with you since the Freedom Stephen Durham to drum up sympathy among c1ass­ Spartacist League's sectarian denuncia­ Socialist Party's departure from the for the Freedom Socialist Party conscious workers for counterrevolu­ tions of the U.S. left, especially its SWP in 1966, we have been forced to and Committee for a tionary terrorists like the Nicaraguan Trotskyist sector. Once again you show conclude that your chronic male chau­ Revolutionary Socialist Party contras and Afghan mujaheddin. So a preference for arrogant, infantile and vinism, ultraleftism, homophobia and "Solidarity with Solidarity," the one sensationalistic polemics over comrade­ racism tear at any prospects for produc­ WV replies: Stephen Durham of the "union" Ronald Reagan loves, has ly discussion and analysis of ideas-a tive political engagement in the Trotsky­ FSP/CRSP talks of the need for become the main social-democratic tendency which ultimately pulverizes ist regroupment arena. For years, you programmatic agreement in the "Trot­ battle cry of Western imperialism's anti­ the Trotskyist traditions you claim to have sneered and jeered at the FSP and skyist regroupment arena," reports on a Soviet war drive. Durham claims uphold. What a wildly contradictory CRSP without once deigning to deal conference of grouplets where by his Solidarnosc represents the Polish work­ position for a gro.up that claims to bethe with the socialist feminist content of our own admission the participants dis­ ers' struggle to "break the bonds of the sole inheritor of Trotskyism on U.S. programs. Instead you prefer to indulge agreed on everything from A to Z, and bureaucratic police state." And replace soil! in name-calling, as you did in the then whines that Our article "Anti­ it with what? In late 1981, Lech Walesa We take issue with yourassertion that article.... Trotskyist Regroupment Flunks" con­ & Co. called on the 1MF bankers' cartel there was nothing revolutionary about Having side-stepped some of the key cluded there was nothing revolutionary to take over the Polish economy. Today, the San Francisco conference. It was the issues we raised at the conference-the about this gabfest. He complains about the official Solidarnosc leadership has first attempt at a national discussion of reasons for the degeneration of the our "name-calling," after accusing the come out for the restoration of capital­ Trotskyist regroupment since the final SWP, the relation of Permanent Revo­ Spartacist League of "male chauvinr ism in an even more shameless manner: shattering of the SWP by its total lution to the struggles of women, people ism," "homophobia" and "racism." they want a stock market in Poland! abandonment of Permanent Revolu­ of color and lesbians and gays, and the Admitting that his "regroupment" The Spartacist League has from its tion. This fact alone gave the conference key role of Trotskyists in the coming is programmatically a very disunited inception sought a revolutionary re­ revolutionary significance. And that is American revolution-you fabricate front, Durham then claims he upholds groupment in a Trotskyist party Trot­ why the Freedom Socialist Party (FSP) your own target for polemic. You write the Trotskyist position on the Russian sky would have recognized: this is at the and the Committee for a Revolutionary that everyone at the San -Francisco question...and hails Polish Solidar­ heart of our struggle to reforge the Socialist Party (CRSP) endorsed it. conference has abandoned the Trotsky­ nose. For that matter, the other refugees Fourth International. You can read The conference did not succeed in ist position on the Russian question. from Trotskyism at the San Francisco about it in a collection of our basic forging programmatic agreement; in This is not true. The FSP upholds this conference (TO, ISL, WSL), as well as documents, the SL's Marxist Bulletin fact, fundamental disagreement pre­ tenet of Trotskyism. But blinded by the various expellees from the SWP who No.9. As for our analysisof the demise vailed over whether regroupment your disdain for the Polish workers' didn't show (SA, SU, FIT), are all of the SWP, we refer our readers to the "united" on this point. And this is Spartacist pamphlet, The S WP: An precisely what unites them with the anti- . Obituary.• Defend Colonial Peoples Against Imperialism When Mussolini's Italy invaded Emper­ Still "Contra Socialists" or Haile Selassie's Ethiopia in 1935, Seattle, Washington you assert, how on earth could we have Trotskyists gave unconditional military March 26, 1986 the principles to fight the bourgeois support against this colonial aggression, courts on disclosure of internal party and denounced the "neutralists" of the Workers Vanguard records? Why would we care about centrist London Bureau and British Dear Editor, protecting the rights of other Left Independent Labour Party who claimed parties? this colonial war was simply a dispute What the Spartacist League gives with one hand, it takes away with the It is absurd to accuse the FSP of any TROTSKY between dictators. A July 1936 resolution LENIN degree of support to the contras. We ofthe Fourth International stated: other. The Freedom Socialist Party appre­ have unconditionally defended Nicara­ The struggle against war, properly understood and executed, presupposes the ciated Workers Vanguard's 1/31/86 gua against imperialist attack. Yet, uncompromising hostility of the proletariat and its organizations, always and [WV No. 396] article "Government unlike many other Left groups, we everywhere, toward its own and every other imperialist bourgeoisie.... Hands Off FSP'" and we thank you for criticize the Sandinistas when we see The struggle against war and its social source, capitalism, presupposes direct, refraining from sectarianism when them act in a fashion that threatens the active, unequivocal support to the oppressed colonial peoples in their struggles and fundamental rights of radicals are at revolution. wars against imperialism. A "neutral" position is tantamount to support of stake. We also appreciate the endorse­ The Sandinistas' racist and chauvinist imperialism. Yet, among the announced adherents of the London Bureau congress ments and donations the Spartacist policy toward the Miskito, Sumo, and are found ILPers who advocate leaving the courageous Ethiopian warriors against League and Partisan Defense Commit­ Rama Indians is a tragically unneces­ marauding Italian fascism in the lurch on the grounds of "neutrality," and "Left" tee sent to aid our campaign to repel sary repetition of the historical disasters Poale Zionists who are even at this moment leaning upon British imperialism in its the witchhunt against us and to defend caused by revolutionaries who rejected savage campaign against the legitimate, even if confused, struggle of the Arab the right to privacy and freedom of the just demands of oppressed nations peasantry. association. and drove them into the arms of -"Resolution on the Antiwar Congress of the London Bureau," Documents Yet alongside this article is another counterrevolution.... of the Fourth International-The Formative Years (1933-1940) [1973] which blasts us as "Contra Socialists" Lenin wrote brilliantly. on the rights We ask, if the FSP has made"an unholy of oppressed nations and on the duty of alliance with Reagan's Miskito contra revolutionaries in oppressor nations to terrorists" against the Sandinistas as continued on page 8 '!~!!!!!o'll!f!!.~!!.!~ DIRECTOR OF PARTY PUBLICATIONS: liz Gordon EDITOR: Jan Norden PRODUCTION MANAGER: Noah Wilner CIRCULATION MANAGER: linda Jarreau Miskito EDITORIAL BOARD: Jon Brule, George Foster. liz Gordon. Jan Norden, James Robertson. contras Reuben Samuels. Joseph Seymour. Marjorie Stamberg. Noah Wilner (Closing editor) plunder dead Workers Venguard (USPS 098-770) published biweekly. except 2nd issue August and with 3-week interval December. Sandinista by the Spartacist Publishing·Co.• 41 Warren Street, New York. NY 10007. Telephone: 732-7862 (Editorial); 732-786t (Business). Address all correspondence to: Box 137'7. GPO. New York. NY 10116. Domestic subscriptions: $5.00/24 soldiers. "Self­ issues. second-class postage paid at New York, NY POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Workers Vanguard. determination," Box 1377. GPO. New York, NY 10116. FSP? Opinions eKpre..ed in signed articles or letters do not necessarily aKpress the editorial viewpoint.

No. 402 25 April 1986

2 WORKERS VANGUARD Editorial Notes

contains the germ of the whole outlook of a reformist labor party: to take ET Wants Unions to Police Workers "control" of all the shit of capitalist society, from running bankrupt indus­ tries to policing prostitutes. And what about keeping an eye onAIDS carriers, compulsive gamblers, vivisectionists? Ed Meese Unionism Where does it stop? The ET line is closely related to the idea that prison As Big'Brother Ed Meese and the this cynical employer offensive, one campaign with his callfor a union detox' guards and police should belong to the Reaganites in Washington gear up for a Howard Keylor, in his misnamed campaign. unions. This view used to be popular in Moral Majority pot-and-porn crack­ "Militant Longshoreman" (3 January) What's next, Howard, "union­ Britain, but after the miners strike down, out in the heart of "Reagan newsletter, calls on the ILW U to controlled" lie detector tests? This is no workers discovered that cops are not Country" compulsory drug testing of "exercise union discipline as part of the joke. The drawn-out Coors brewery just friendly bobbies. In less than two workers has already touched off an effort to help our brothers overcome strike was touched off in part by the steps this program of making the unions uproar. While Los Angeles police chief their problem"! What this amounts to is company's use of lie detectors on job responsible for "resolving" social evils Daryl Gates and Orange County state calling for union narcs!! applicants, covering everything from under capitalism leads to joining com­ senator John Seymour have called for marijuana and sex to "subversive, pany boards of directors and participa­ Keylor claims this is "a traditional random urine tests for all workers, the revolutionary tion in capitalist governments. Keylor union solution to the problem of or communist activities." Machinists union is suing General aspires to be brothers who use substances that affect Adolph Coors is a major Reagan another "Sir Harold" Dynamics for violating constitutional Wilson. their functioning:' Like hell! Stan Gow, backer, who has kicked in big bucks to protection of privacy with its arbitrary finance the CIA's contra terrorist war a member of the Local 10 exec board In World War II, the then-Trotskyist drug testing of employees (Los Angeles against Sandinista Nicaragua. Socialist Workers Party raised the and long-time Trotskyist on the water­ Times, 10 April). The misleaders of the Henry Ford had his own "morals" "proletarian military policy" of trade­ front, sharply denounced this crap: International Longshoremen's and "The argument is that since the PMA, experts for spying on workers, lest they union control of military training. This Warehousemen's Union (ILWU), on the or the government, raise it, therefore engage in extramarital sex, unauthor­ mistaken notion was an opening toward other hand, have gone along with the there must be A PROBLEM. And ized absenteeism, left politics or what­ social patriotism, and contrasted sharp­ PMA maritime bosses in ordering therefore, for reformist-minded people ever. It took bloody fights to build trade ly with the SWP's principled, interna­ compulsory "screening" for drug and like Keylor, what better 'solution' than unions to protect the workers against tionalist opposition to the imperialist using the union as the bosses' eat's paw alcohol use by new-hires on the docks. to subject the workers to one more form this crap. Now the ET IBTproposes that war and defense of the Soviet Union. We denounced such totalitarian of regimentation for the anti-Soviet war a bunch of fat-cat bureaucrats be given But for Howard Keylor, his policy of controls in our article "Down with drive. Reagan and his crony Jerry the power to police the workers' "proletarian Meesisrn" is a return to his Meese's Drug Witchhunt!" (WV No. Falwell would love it." "morals." So what about policing their Stalinist-reformist roots. In fact, even 400, 28 March). It should be clear to any Gow, a spokesman for the Militant politics, or their productivity? Millions before he and the other ET IBT quitters fighter for labor's rights that this sinister Caucus in the union and a supporter of of workers today are bedeviled by individually fled from Spartacist poli­ form ofcapitalist control will be used to the Spartacist League, has forthrightly company spies, like the "beakies" in tics in the hard times of Reagan's intimidate and tyrannize the workforce fought against this "moral rearmament" New York transit, whose job is to make America, Keylor continued to hold the and frame up union activists. With their witchhunt. But Keylor, as the main sure that workers calling in sick are Stalinist line ofsupporting the imperial­ drug testing the bosses make no bones public spokesman for the former "Ex­ really home in bed. Perhaps Howard ist Allies in WW II. about the fact that they're after speedup ternal Tendency" (now self-proclaimed would like to see this function too taken This is not simply a "historical" and putting liability for accidents on the "Bolshevik Tendency"), is legitimizing over by the unions? question. During the war it led Keylor's workers. Yet, incredibly, in the face of the maritime employers' anti-drug Keylor's despicable position on drugs continued on page 8 Another U.S. S~y Satellite Goes Kaboom Titan Up, Up and Away

The Central Intelligence Agency Security-certainly it's not the military Curiously, the U.S. Titan rocket has snoops at Langley have got a real budget that will get squeezed.) "I t means segmented solid rocket· boosters like problem. While Reagan & Co. blithely that the United States is currently those used to launch the Challenger­ claim that American high technology dependent on a single reconnaissance with the joints sealed by those notorious will build a "Star Wars" shield to satellite in space," moaned military O-rings which are the probable cause of provide one hundred percent protection space expert Paul Stares of the Brook­ the shuttle disaster. "The Titan ex­ against thousands of nuclear warheads ings Institution in Washington (New ploded at a time when only, the boosters (so that the u.s. could strike at Russia York Times, 19 April). "If it should fail, were supposed to be firing," noted the with impunity), the CIA has been trying the U.S. would have no spy satellites Times. Apparently there was an "in­ to get one single photographic recon­ over the Soviet Union"-and no way to quiry" after the last Titan failed, but "no naissance satellite into space for the last launch another. design changes resulted." Sounds like AP nine months-without success. The the work of the same bunch who built Half-billion-dollar fireworks at Van­ The space shuttle had been slated to denberg AFB. latest attempt failed on April 18,when a be the main launch vehicle for U.S. the shuttle. Noone was killed by the Titan 340 rocket carrying the half­ militaryIspy satellites, but that system Titan, but the Challenger carried seven ocean recovery operation when the billion-dollar KH-II spy satellite blew has been grounded since the January 28 human beings, at least some of whom remains of the crew and cabin were up in a spectacular fireworks display Challenger disaster. The CIA's latest probably believed they were expanding found. seconds after liftoff at Vandenberg Air model spy-in-the-sky, the KH-12, is too man's knowledge, rather than preparing At first the secrecy was supposed to be Force Base in California. big and heavy to be carried by anything for World War 1II by providing a in deference to the families and to Last August another KH-II launch­ but the shuttle, so that too is grounded. backdrop for Reagan's planned "Star preserve the "dignity" ofthe dead and all ing also failed when the Titan rocket The CIA had relied on the USAF's Wars" State of the Union speech that that, but it's gone on for weeks. The went astray, forcing the range safety handful ofTitan rockets as a fallback to day. crew cabin is still excluded from the officer to blow it up. That's over a launch the current model KH-II, but The latest leaks about the Challenger exhibit of shuttle parts shown to billion dollars worth of hardware lost now that's fallen through too. To top it affair add more fuel to this political reporters and the public. And there's right there. (N ot that Reagan cares: he'll off, the New York Times (22 April) powder keg. Enhanced photography of more behind the curtain, namely the just chop another billion out of social reports that "the payload destroyed last the disaster shows that the crew cabin telltale tapes: programs like school lunches or Social Friday was apparently the nation's last was not destroyed in the initial explo­ "N ASA ... has not revealed whether KH-I I." sion but broke away in one piece: flight recorders, recovered from the wreckage and now being processed at Spartacist League/ "It's a real crisis," moaned think tank "There is a consensus developing the Johnson Space Center in Houston, expert Stares. So far this year, the among NASA engineers and officials contain the crew's final words." Spartacus Youth League who have seen this imagery that the -Philadelphia Inquirer, 10April Public Offices Soviets have successfully launched 23 seven-member Challenger crew may militaryIintelligence satellites, while the not have been subjected to fatal or de­ They have certainly listened to these -MARXIST LlTERATURE­ U.S. has only gotten one into orbit. bilitating g-Ioads [gravity forces], and tapes by now, but they've been wrapped Bay Area With this lopsided scorecard, it's getting that it is likely some or all of them in secrecy by NASA in the same way were conscious and aware of the crisis Fri. 5:00-8:00 p.m .. Sat.: 3:00-6:00 p.m. kind ofdifficult for Reagan & Co. to sell that Air Force radar tapes of the KAL 1634 Telegraph, 3rd Floor (near 17th Street) as the crew module fell for 3-4 min. un­ Oakland, California Phone: (415) 835-1535 their "Star Wars" scheme. From their til impact." 007 spy plane have been "disappeared." first-strike Pershing 2 and MX missiles -Aviation Week & Space What are they protecting-Nixonite Chicago to their plans for a net of space-based Technology, 21 April "national security"? Ifanyone's "securi­ Tues.: 5:00-9:00 p.m., Sat.: 11 :00 a.m.-2:00 p.rn. 161 W Harrison sr. 10th Floor battle stations, American high-tech In short, the crew could have survived if ty" is at stake, it's Reagan's political Chicago. Illinois Phone: (312) 663-0715 know-how is supposed to guarantee they had had ejection seats, as the neck. .You can be sure that if the New York City pinpoint accuracy, and provide a original shuttle Columbia had-but astronauts were conscious in those last Tues.: 6:00-9:00 p.rn., Sat.: 100-5:00 p.m. "shield" that's supposed to work per­ these safety mechanisms were eliminat­ agonizing moments before impact, they 41 Warren St. (one block below fectly the first time it's switched on, ed on the Challenger in order to squeeze would have recorded some choice Chambers St. near Church St.) New York. N.Y. Phone: (212) 267-1025 untested. Reagan's Silicon Valley fanta­ in a few more pounds ofspy satellite. No comments about the people who sent 'sies are literally going up in smoke, and wonder that NASA suddenly dropped them on this disaster mission. Did they? that's a good thing. an iron curtain of secrecy around the We'd like to know.• 25 APRIL 1986 3 Who Was Behind the "Bulgarian Connection"? Pope Plot Frame-Up Flops

It was billed as the "Trial of the Reagan's Cold War. Antonov is now On 13 May 1981 Turkish fascist hit­ Kalb special on the "Bulgarian Connec­ Century." The "pope plot" trial in Rome free (after a vindictive last-minute delay man Agca shot the pope in St. Peter's tion." Featured consultant: Claire Ster­ was supposed to prove Reagan's charges in releasing him). However, the quali­ Square. One week after the shooting the ling. Research by Paul Henze. that the Soviet Union was an "Evil fied acquittal leaves the Italian courts first article appeared charging the These "Soviet connection" stories Empire," sinister source of international free to go after him. Antonov's attor­ Soviet Union with complicity, in the were floating for more than a year anda terrorism, by "proving" the USSR was neys intend to appeal the verdict to win right-wing Milano paper Il Giornale half before Agca himself-the only behind the shooting of Pope Wojtyla via full vindication and compensation for Nuovo, a known CIA asset. The author: source the prosecution ever came up a "Bulgarian Connection." As we noted this persecuted and deeply wronged Michael Ledeen. On 3 September 1981, with to "prove" any of these stories­ in "Whose Kill Pope Plot?" (WV No. man. the private British Thames TV company said anything about it. Only in Novem­ 315,15 October 1982), "The 'Pope Plot' If this frame-up had gone through, airs a film on the "plot," featuring ber 1982-18 months after Agca's Against Andropov" (WV No. 323, II the so-called "free" press would be Solidarnosc' Anna Walentynowicz arrest, 17 months after his first three­ February 1983) and "Shot Pope, Thinks hailing it as proof positive of "Commu­ breathing heavily, "I fear the attempt on day trial in which he was declared a He's Christ" (WV No. 382, 28 June nist evil," portraying former Soviet the Pope's life was a Soviet conspiracy "lone fanatic"-did Agca finally name 1985), the whole spectacle was based on leader Andropov as the devil incarnate intended to suppress the Polish workers' some Bulgarians in court. Thereupon a Western smear campaign, intended to who ordered Christ's vicar rubbed out. movement." Thames TV "source" for Sergei Antonov was arrested as a mobilize public opinion behind Rea­ ,Given the ambiguous acquittals, a new gan's war drive against the Soviet "inquiry" into the supposed "Bulgarian Union. Connection" has already been launched Instead it ended up the flop of the in Rome. But this doesn't faze the "pope century. The Bulgarian concoction plotters." An "instant movie" resurrect­ began unraveling farcically from the ing the plot has already appeared on first day of the pope plot trial, as crazy Italian TV. The New York Times, which fascist Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who shamelessly pushed the "Soviet plot" pulled the trigger, howled that he was story, has busily been wiping the egg off really Jesus Christ, lying on the stand its face with a sullen editorial about and repeatedly changing his story (at unsolved "riddles" and "mysteries" in least 115times by one count)! Further, it the case. And even after the prosecution came out that Italian intelligence offi­ asked the court to acquit for lack of cials had secretly visited Agca in prison, proof, the Wall Street Journal declared After and other high-level officials linked to it's "beside the point" if Antonov goes four years the right-wing "P-2" (Propaganda Due) free and Moscow declares victory: "We in detention conspiracy had enlisted the Mafia to get can't imagaine there are very many as victim of Agca to implicate Soviet-bloccountries. people in the West who still harbor anti-Soviet On March 29 an Italian court was finally doubts about who tried to kill the pope." frame-up, Sergei Antonov Following Goebbels, they figure that if forced to acquit "for lack of evidence" with his sister the three Bulgarians and Turks accused the lie is big enough, and repeated often upon his of conspiring with Agca to murder the enough, it will stick. release in pope. Rome. As San Francisco journalist Warren The Bulgarian Concoction Hinckle noted when the presidingjudge first called for the acquittal of the In Reagan's first days in office, then secretary of state Al Haig announced that "international terrorism" would be the central focus of the administration. the story: Il Giornale Nuovo. "suspect" (though it wasn't until Octo­ Working in tandem with Haig a band of In November 1981, an article in the ber 1984 that Martella got around to New Right propagandists was already NATO magazine Atlantic Community actually indicting Antonov, the other feeding smear jobs on a Soviet "terror accuses the Soviets of conspiring to Bulgarians and Turks). conspiracy" to the media. The New assassinate Pope Wojtyla. Author: Paul York Times in particular, which prides Henze, whose credentials include his The "Connection" Connection itself on being the nation's "journal of stint as head of the CIA station in record," became an early and aggressive Turkey and as aide to Polish-born Cold So how did the "connections" sup­ purveyor of the "red terrorism" scare. Warrior Brzezinski on the National plied by Sterling, Ledeen, Henze & Co. On 2 November 1980, the week before Security Council. This "terrorism ex­ get passed to Agca in his "high security" the Reagan election, the New York pert," whose "investigation" is widely prison cell'? Washington Post corre­ Times Magazine published a Robert cited as prooffor the Bulgarian Connec­ spondent Michael Dobbs, one of the few Moss special titled "Terror: A Soviet tion, argues that proof shouldn't be holdouts against the media's slavish Export." And only weeks after Reagan's necessary, that it only serves Soviet prostration before the disinforrners, has inaugural, the Times Magazine (I interests to insist on a "minimalist, documented how Agca had access to March 1981) featured a story by Claire legalistic approach" and "documentary magazines, papers and TV which Sterling claiming to have "massive evidence" to prove this charge! repeated much of the Henze/Sterling proof" that "the Soviet Union and its Then in September 1982, Reader's thesis. And whatever "facts" he didn't surrogates... have provided the weap­ Digest published Sterling's "exclusive have could well have been supplied by Arturo Mari ons, training and sanctuary for a world- ­ report" on "The Plot to Murder the coaching. By whom? Italian defense The "Anti-Communist Connection": wide terror network." We called it "The minister Lagorio told the Italian parlia­ Pope meets hitman Agca in 1983. Pope," using Henze's "research." That Terror Times" (WV No. 276, 13 March same month NBC-TV aired a Marvin ment that members of the SISMI and SISDE intelligence agencies had visited accused Bulgarian officials, "The whole 1981) noting that: "Tntemational terrorism' is the Reagan Agca, without the knowledge of prose­ pipe dream blew up last week like the code word for a war drive against the cuting judge Martella, on 29 December space shuttle Challenger" (San Francis­ Soviet Union, just as 'Human Rights' 1981. Further, L'Espresso (23 June co Chronicle-Examiner, 2 March). "The was Carter's." 1985) interviewed Giovanni Pandico, 'Papal Plot' thesis stank from the At the same time, writing in the the state's witness in a Naples Mafia beginning of disinforrnation," he 'said, Village Voice (4 March 1981) columnist trial, who said that Pietro Musumeci, "as its principal proponents were a Alexander Cockburn pointed to a tight deputy chief of SISMI, used a Mafia couple of Red Scare novelists, a Rea­ little church of "ideologists of terror­ chief in Ascoli prison to offer Agca a ganoid right-wing think tanker and a ism" including Sterling, Moss, Arnaud deal in 1982 to free him if he'd implicate female journalistic hack with more de Borchgrave (now editor of the anti­ the Soviet Union. (Agca began to "sing" cheesy intelligence service connections communist Sun Myung Moon cult's shortly afterward.) than Tugboat Annie had ropes." Washington Times), Michael Ledeen, But why did it take so long for the Though the gang of Western Edward Luttwak, Walter Laqueur, "Bulgarian Connection" story to devel­ "dezinformatsiya" experts who pushed Martin Peretz(New Republic), Norman op, especially when it was floated im­ this Big Lie against the USSR almost Podhoretz and Midge Dector (Com­ mediately after the shooting'! For one from the moment Wojtyla was shot mentary), with General Haig and thing, only a week after Agca shot the failed in court, they did manage to Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick as the pope, a major scandal exploded in the destroyone man's life: Bulgarian airline high priest and priestess. Pretty soon we Italian press. It was revealed that Italian clerk Sergei Antonov. Antonov was will see this team go into action, quoting military, and intelligence services were arrested in 1982 and spent 19 months each other and becoming the "authori­ riddled at the highest levels with behind bars, finally changed to house ties" on the Bulgarian Connection they members of the ultraright "masonic" arrest due to his rapidly failing health, themselves concocted. What's notable is lodge, P-2, members of whom (includ­ and was then forced to appear in court how the "connections" discovered by The ''pope of counterrevolution" ing Musumeci) were accused of setting in a steel cage. "Free Antonov!" we these "terrorism" experts areafterwards stars in 1982 NBC-TV "disinfor­ up a secret "Super S" (Super SISMI) demanded for this political prisoner of raised as accusations by Agca himself. mation" special. group of "plumbers" tied to organized 4 WORKERS VANGUARD crime and fascist groups. Those on the disgruntled ex-CIA factions~!Asto who P-2 list suddenly found themselves done it, we'd just like to note the dumped out of theirjobs, lacking direct connections between the. P-2 plotters, access to the levers of power so crucial in the Italian fascists and high Vatican fabricating a plot. Moreover, many of officials, some of whom were less than them had their hands full trying to stay pleased with the elevation of a Polish out of the line of fire in the scandal over pope. the collapse of'the Vatican-connected Banco Ambrosiano and. the mysterious Reichstag Fire to Pope Plot: death of its head, P-2 member Roberto Preparation for War Paul Henze Ctalre Sterling Arnaud de Borchgrne Calvi. UPI The disinformers' "pope plot" was Take the case of Francesco Pazienza, just too much to swallow,Agcajust too whose name came up at the trial: at one unstable and crazy, to make a really point in the tumultuous proceedings the successful "Big Lie." While Reagan judge called for pazienza ("patience") himself and "the Company" officially .and Agca said, "Yes ... lmet Francesco stayed out of this one, they were Pazienza. He asked me to collaborate." perfectly willing to let it roll. The Pazienza, currently in jail in the U.S. in Reagan administration is up to its neck connection with the Calvi/Ambrosiano in its own anti-Soviet "Big Lies," affair, was a former top aide in the notably its attempt to smear the Soviet Italian spy agency SISMI and a member Union over the shooting down of of P-2. While denying he. himself Michael Ledeen Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a U.S. spy coached Agca, Pazienza said other plane provocation in which Reagan & James Jesus Angleton intelligence agents had told the gunman Co. deliberately sacrificed the lives of to finger Bulgaria. The former SISMI Big Liars. for hire: J. Jesus Angleton and his star dlslnformers. They cook over 200 innocent passengers. Currently bigwig has also been linked to Italian the "Qaddafi terror connection" is fascist terrorist Stefano delle Chiaie, up a plot, then "expose" it, then quote each other as proof. Then It goes respectable in the New York Times. running at hysterical full blast, a charged with directing the 1980 bomb­ "surrogate" for the Soviet Union and ing of the Bologna train station that. and Brian Crozier, among others. prove. So what about these youth sinister casus belli to justify imperialist killed and maimed hundreds. And So is it all just a big CIA disinforma­ squads of the Turkish National Action aggression. delle Chiaie was reportedly on the tion plot'! Well, there's a strange twist­ Party'! A recent pamphlet titled Bulgari­ The Reaganites, with the help of the run with Turkish fascist Gray Wolves the leading "pope plotters" vehemently an Connection: CIA & Co. (1986) put Cold War liberals, keep producing such leader Abdullah Catli, a close asso­ attack the CIA for not buying their out by the USSR's Novosti Press anti-Soviet myths and broadcasting ciate of Agca (Vii/age Voice, 24 De­ story. In her lurid potboiler, The Time Agency points to Paul Henze's own them at full blast with the imperialist cember 1985). Earlier, according to ofthe Assassins (1983), Claire Sterling well-documented ties to these fascist propaganda machine because they CovertAction (No. 23, Spring 1985): complains about the "mounting irrita­ killers. It reports that in 1979, after a themselves think like, act like and are "Italian investigators have shown that SISMI, Pazienza,and Michael Ledeen, tion" of "Western secret services, includ­ massacre of hundreds by the Gray the real terrorists. Who else runs around perhaps working through Super. S, ing the CIA" with the pope plotters' Wolves, where a U.S. embassy officer the world openly attempting to assassi­ together lured President Jimmy Car­ antics, and she even accuses the U.S. spy was photographed giving orders, CIA nate heads of state'! And they come from ter's brother Billy into a compromising agency'of "unaccountably taking the man Henze had a bitter argument with a long tradition. relationship with Col Qaddafi during Bulgarian line." Curiouser and curious­ the editor of the liberal Mil/iyet, Abdi The 1933 "Reichstag Fire" trial, the 1980 Reagan presidential cam­ paign.... After Reagan's election Le­ er. Ah, but there is someone who knows Ipekci, Shortly afterward, Ipekci was presided over by Hitler lieutenant deen was more powerful than previ­ everything in the world is a Kremlin gunned down in the street. Agca, the Hermann Goring, tried to finger Bulgar­ ously (he is at present working under plot, who knows the CIA is riddled with man convicted of murdering Ipekci, was ian Communist leader Dimitrov for contract to the Pentagon and the State Soviet moles, has plenty of axes to later sprung from jail with the aid of the burning down the German parliament. Department)." grind, and has-or had-terrific Israeli Gray Wolves. Like the "pope plot" trial of today, the intelligence connections. Agca keeps The proposition in the Novosti Nazis' effort backfired spectacularly. The Israeli Connection screaming he's "Jesus Christ," which is pamphlet is that all the "pope plotters," Nonetheless it was a prelude to Hitler's pretty funny coming from somebody from Agca to Henze, conspired to kill Anti-Comintern Pact and World War The "pope plotters" feed at the same who's some kind of Turkish anti­ the pope. Frankly, this seems a bit like IL Today's "Big Lie" campaigns against troughs: Sterling, Ledeen and Moss all Christian fanatic. Maybe he got the that Agatha Christie Orient Express the Soviet Union are even more deadly, testified before Alabama Senator Jere­ name wrong. Maybe he meant. .. James story where everybody did it. Still, who for behind them looms the shadow of miah Denton's terrorism committee, Jesus Angleton. knows what evil lurks in the hearts of nuclear Armageddon.• and they all buzz around the George­ Moss and de Borchgrave are big fans, town University Center for Strategic of course-in their Cold War spy novel and International Studies. Many of the The Spike Angleton is "Nick Flowers," principals in the "pope plot" business the bounced head of CIA counterintelli­ got together in Jerusalem in July 1979, gence who proves to gullible reporters Subscribe!-- where they founded the "Jonathan that the "Western media" is riddled with Institute." Named after an Israeli Soviet disinformation agents. Angleton commando killed in the Entebbe raid, and his top aides were dumped from the this outfit first launched the line later CIA in 1.974. And as Fred Landis points taken up by the Reagan administration out in CovertAction (No. 18, Winter that the Soviet Union was the center of 1983): an international terror network. (This, "The story of an international Israeli­ of course, whitewashes Israel's' own CIA Terror Networkbegins withJames state terror against the Palestinians, Jesus Angleton, former head of coun­ terintelligence at CIA and Catholic portraying it as front-line defense of the zealot. While stationed in Rome he set "free world.") The 1979 conference up a network of 60 media agents and brought together Israeli intelligence controlled CIA-Israeli MOSSAD col­ officers with a large Anglo-American laboration. Over a period of 20 years, contingent, including. Claire Sterling, many of Angleton's mediaagents were recruited from the staff of Newsweek Arnaud de Borchgrave and future vice [where de Borchgrave worked for 17 president Bush, former CIA deputy years] or The Washington Post in director for intelligence Ray Cline and Rome. ClaireSterlingwasone of these; British MI6/CIA "assets" Robert Moss Michael Ledeen is her protege: Robert Moss is a fellow traveller." But that's not all: Angleton may actually have given Israel the bomb. - A Spartacist Pamphlet $1.00 "The veteran journalist Tad Szulc has quoted 'sources close to' Angleton as SolidamoSc· ­ confirming that the C. LA. secretly aided Polish · the. Israelis with technical nuclear information in the late 1950's," wrote Company Union tor Seymour Hersh (New York Times CIA and Bankers Magazine, 25 June 1978): "This fits in with something 1 had been told by a Marxist Working-Class Biweekly of the Spartacist League high-level C. LA. official-that Angle­ ton, then in charge of C. LA. liaison with o $5/24 issues of Workers Vanguard 0$2/4 issues of Israeli intelligence, gave the Israelis (includes Spartacist) International rates: Women and Revolution i~f~t~ similar technical information the in o New 0 Renewal $20/24 issues-Airmail mid-60's." $5/24 issues-Seamail 0$2/10 introductory issues of There still remains one genuinely Workers Vanguard mysterious question about this "pope o $2/9 issues of Young Spartacus (includes Spartacist) plot": If the Bulgarians and Soviets Mame _ didn't set up Agca, who did'! Assuming, that is, anybody at all did-back in 1979 Address ---, -,-- _ Agca himself, while still in Turkey, had ______Phone (__) _ $1.00 (40 pages) threatened to off "crusade commander [pope] John Paul." Agca's Turkish Make checks payable/mail to: City State Zip _ Spartaclst Publishing Co., connections among the fascist Gray 402 Box 1377 GPO, New York, NY 10116 - Wolves were the only genuine links the Make checks payable/mall to: Spartaclst PUblishing Co., Box 1377 GPO, New York, NY ~0116 three-year investigation was able to 25 APRIL 1986 5 The Living Hell of Apartheid South Africa

By Alan Raux

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning account of life in white supremacist South Africa, Move Your Shadow (New York, 1985),Joseph Lelyveld tells of a visit to a wealthy Afrikaner farm and a desolate camp for blacks nearby on the open veld (plains) of the Orange Free State. At the end of the day, he watches as both are blotted out by a huge dust storm. He reflects that "the dust storm was exactly what the producer of a second-rate TV documentary might have seized on for White his fade-out on such a day. But I had police state grown mistrustful of all South African rules by metaphors. The thought of an inevitable terrorizing catastrophe was frightening, but even black majority. more frightening was the thought that it could be indefinitely deferred." Lelyveld looks at South Africa through the eyes of an American liberal, but here he comes to a conclusion most liberals shy away from, as they take refuge instead in mealy-mouthed rhetoric of "peaceful change." A long-time New York Times foreign dictions in the land of apartheid which scream, "Jy raak wit, troept" ("You're have been achieved as a result of correspondent, Lelyveld is currently the cry out for revolution. acting white, private!"). At the time and planning." Times London bureau chief and has Lelyveld found the title for his book since, I don't recall anyone reflecting on KwaNdebele has no economy of its been mentioned as a contender for the in a handbook ofphrases in Fanagalo, the irony of one white disparaging the own. The only jobs are in distant succession to powerful Executive Editor the lingua franca which originated with "whiteness" of another in an institution Pretoria. But the apartheid social A.M. Rosenthal, who is scheduled to the influx of men from many different dedicated to slaughtering blacks. In engineers are prepared to invest heavily retire. Politically, Lelyveld identifies black tribes to work South Africa's gold South Africa the domination of white to keep KwaNdebele's people in the himself as "a naive democrat who mines. Fanagalo consists chiefly of over black is the relation of master and status of perpetual "commuters." The believes in what a South African expressions used by the racist white subordinate, stamped on the whole South African government's subsidy for Cabinet member dismissed as 'simplistic foreman to order black workers around. society; to tell a troep he can't act bus transport between KwaNdebele and Western solutions'." Though he is on Susa lo-mtunzi gawena ("move your "white" is the clearest way of telling him the Pretoria area works out to more target about the tendency of American shadow") was listed in the phrase book he has no rights. than $1,000 per passenger per year-it liberals "to misconstrue the conflict, to as one of several handy expressions for adds up to more than KwaNdebele's talk about human rights and living white golfers to use on their black "A Nation of Sleepwalkers" "gross national product"! Lelyveld rode standards while fuzzing the central issue caddies. It's an apt metaphor for life in Move Your Shadow represents a the 2:40 a.m. bus KwaNdebele workers of power," he is basically indulgent South Africa, where the apartheid rulers powerful application of Lelyveld's prin­ must endure just to get to work each day toward what he calls the "earnest but fear even the shadow of the black man cipal maxim as a journalist: that each and got the riders to tell their own inconsistent dabbling" of U.S. imperial­ falling on their special preserve of white person is an expert on the circumstances stories: ism in southern Africa. The strong point privilege. Such concrete details that of his life. Instead of just reciting "J ohn Masango ... said he worked six of Lelyveld's powerful narrative is 'not illuminate the anatomy and pathology statistics on black migrant labor in days a week at a construction site near his political conclusions, but his sharp of social relations under apartheid, so South Africa, he makes the acquain­ Benoni, an industrial town forty miles newsman's eye for the hideous contra- violently contradictory yet so deep­ on the far side of Pretoria, taking three tance of migrant workers employed in buses each way. Even at the concession­ rooted-these are the stuff of Move his apartment building and, on their a1 rates arranged by the authorities for Your Shadow. annual leave, drives them the soul­ KwaNdebele, the total bus fares he paid South Africa's Black Homelands .This book is Lelyveld's summing up out in a week gobbled up one-quarter of Source: Move Your Shadow destroying hundreds of miles back to the by Joseph Lelyveld of what he personally saw and heard starving KwaZulu bantustan where his wages. He was fifty-three years old, and on days when he was not required during his tour as the Times correspon­ their families are forced to live. Perhaps to work overtime, he could get back to dentin South Africa. He does not his most memorable eyewitness report­ Kameelrivier by eight-thirty at night. devote much attention to news events or ing concerns the insane apartheid Only on Sundays did he ever see his to well-known South African political project that is the latest bantustan, home or his family in the light of day .... UJ figures such as P.W. Botha, the Mande­ KwaNdebele. With four hours' sleep at home and a o couple of hours' sleep on the bus, he iii'" :::; las and Bishop Tutu; nor does he In order to create KwaNdebele, the managed to stay awake at work." < N explain the origins of apartheid in settler o Botha regime uprooted hundreds of :::; colonialism and capitalist development. thousands of blacks-destroying neigh­ In Pretoria, KwaNdebele is viewed But combining a journalist's tenacity borhoods in Pretoria, evicting labor "as a tremendous success for the racial with a novelist's command of the tenants from white-owned farms, ex­ planners," he reports. A high official language, Lelyveld fills a need in the propriating landowning agricultural said seriously blacks didn't want to live literature on South Africa for a reasona­ communities (so-called "black spots")­ in towns: "They were much happier with bly comprehensive book that gives you and dumped them in the rural ghettos their own kind out in the bush. The the harsh feel of life under apartheid. known as "closer settlements." To get Afrikaans term he used was dood­ Having grown up in South Africa, I there, Lelyveld writes, "You drove gelukkig ('dead happy'). That seemed expected that reading Move Your through the Pretoria suburbs and then singularly apt for emergent KwaN de­ Shadow would bring back many memo­ through more than forty miles of rich bele, a nation ofsleepwalkers." Lelyveld ries. But it is a measure of this perceptive [white] farm country before you hit it; reminds himself that the KwaNdebele SOUTH account that I continually found myself then you could drive another forty "commuters" are more fortunate than AFRICA reflecting as iffor the first time on things miles, and it was seldom out of sight: a many South African blacks-they at that had seemed simply normal when I serpentine stream of metal shanties and least have jobs and "live with" their was there-it was like being given a mud houses the metal roofs of which families. sharper lens. were typically weighted down by small These journeys measure the gulf (the One recollection concerned my nine boulders to keep them from blowing off moat?) apartheid has dug between black months as a conscripted troepie in the in the Transvaal's violent hailstorms. and white. While the na ture ofapartheid New York Times apartheid army. To a troepie who Such sights can be seen in other is brutally clear to the blacks who live Bantustan system is key to super­ -showed any lack .of obedience, the countries, usually as a result of famines under it, the whites who live off it are exploitation of black labor. redneck Afrikaner corporals would or wars. I don't know where else they experts in masking the reality of 6 WORKERS VANGUARD oppression from themselves. This ap­ the black unions, commenting on the plies to all ruling groups, but reaches "touching but basically dizzy sense of fantastic proportions in "white South invincibility," the "atmosphere of a Africa." Having uprooted millions, revival" in the union headquarters, apartheid ensures that "Hardly any­ raising an eyebrow when told "that the where do whites now have to live near power of the new black unions would blacks ...and hardly anywhere is it even ultimately put an end to the pass laws, necessary for them to see where blacks the migrant labor system, and the live, except occasionally at a distance Group Areas Act." "On subsequent from a passing car." For the whites, trips to East London and Port Eliza­ "the resentment in the depths, among beth," he writes, "I saw how hope was blacks and browns, is beyond their systematically cut down to size, how the comprehension." reality of white power in South Africa Throughout the book, Lelyveld dis­ gradually made itself felt." sects the racist consciousness of whites, But there is a reason for the tremen­ from the kept "sociologists" who lament dous energy and hope unleashed with that the black "national character" is the explosion of black unionism­ "inimical to growth," to the baas on the organized as workers, black militants farm who "knows the black" but not the had touched on the source of power, the real name of his oldest servant. "If motor force of social revolution. The whites took the long view, they would be N.U.M. black unions today are no longer just in a panic," Lelyveld observes. In fact, Achilles' heel of apartheid capitalism is dependence on black labor. Militant "green branches... regularly pruned," as panic is not far below the surface; but gold miners are in forefront of powerful black union movement. Lelyveld writes. As organized workers the whites' overwhelming monopoly of cal to all forms of human emancipation duce such a disaster. Apartheid, stand up for their rights against the force gives them the luxury ofprojecting apartheid bosses, the whole range of as slavery was in the South, or tsarism in pyramid-like, not only keeps white over "any version of reality they please," apartheid practices is thrown into flux. Russia. No amount of reformist tinker­ coloured (mixed-race) over Indian over from the myth of "separate develop­ A small but interesting example is the ing, "responsible" imperialist states­ black, but maintains a complex hier­ ment" under apartheid to the recent fate of Fanagalo ; the artificial language manship and divestment "pressure" will archy among the blacks. A fortunate delusion that apartheid is being re­ of apartheid command. With black eradicate it. It will take social revolution few may own homes in segregated areas formed out of existence. miners now organized in a powerful to topple the edifice ofapartheid slavery within "white" South Africa. The This delusion in particular is annihi­ union, the bosses can no longer simply which has created glittering empires for KwaNdebele "commuters," less fortu­ lated in Move Your Shadow. Lelyveld the "Randlords" while the black toilers nate, are still better off than the migrant tell superexploited migrant workers has actually been the New York Times what to do. As contracts are thrashed who dig the gold are denied every right. workers, who are in turn better off than correspondent in South Africa twice, out, as the miners raise their demands, In the chapter titled "Controlled those who can only starve in the and this has given him a certain vantage Fanagalo is proving to be increasingly Strength," Lelyveld depicts not just the bantustans or seek work illegally. point on the evolution of apartheid. He obsolete. nightmare of surveillance and torture in Talking with a young man cast to the was first sent there after covering the With hundreds of thousands of mem­ which the South African security police bottom of this pyramid, Lelyveld finds racist murder of three civil rights bers, organized now in every important envelop their opponents, but also the him blaming the blacks who have jobs workers in Mississippi during the industry of this heavily industrial enormous capacity for racist violence of for his plight. Lelyveld describes also the "freedom summer" of 1964. When country, the black unions have the the white population at large. There is a grotesque little black tribal despotisms Lelyveld arrived in South Africa in 1965 power to bring the country to a licensed private gun for every white that police the bantustans for apartheid. the apartheid rulers had crushed all standstill. The power, but not the adult male. After two bull terriers break When rural blacks are to be forcibly organized opposition and they booted program. Lelyveld notes that the ANC their chains and kill the household's moved from land they have cultivated him out eleven months later. In 1980 in "nearly a quarter century ofexile has black maid, the SPCA is besieged by for decades to the bare veld in a they let him return, apparently hoping failed to whites wanting to buy the dogs. bantustan, workers from a distant tribe produce a South African What to impress him with their "reform" In "W-A-R," Lelyveld delineates the are employed to do it. In the tribal Is To Be Done?" Or, as Newsweek program-or did they perhapsjust want military weakness of the African Na­ violence of recent months we' have seen correspondent Ray Wilkinson put it last him to see how firmly they were still in tional Congress, the emphasis on mar­ the success of apartheid divide-and-rule September, for which he was expelled control? tyrdom. He understands that Nelson tactics in inflaming divisions. from the country, "Their revolution The changes Lelyveld found in "white awaits its Lenin." As we have insisted: Mandela "has become the living symbol South Africa" are rather bizarre. The "South Africa Awaits Its Lenin" "The black proletariat is still being used dour Afrikaner who in the '60s cited of his movementand the personification as cattle to haul the ideological cart of scripture to sanctify apartheid is now an of the bondage of his people." But why Workers Vanguard has, uniquely on nationalism. A Bolshevik party must be built to lead a victorious struggle for "arriviste puritan" aping every Western have the ANC and the allied South the left, warned that so long as the African Communist Party (SACP) 'arnandla,' power,' for the oppressed, consumer fad .' Clad by Gucci, he mixes national principle predominates, there proven unable to lead a revolution in the through workers revolution." with blacks at casinos and fancy is a danger of a multi-sided communal­ ~"South Africa: Razor's Edge," land of apartheid, where the dramatic restaurants; he dares to be regaled by race war in which blacks would today be WV No. 376, 5 April 1985 social contradictions have repeatedly Richard Pryor tapes. Apartheid too is overwhelmingly the victims. The black What is lacking in South Africa today reached the boiling point? The pres­ reclothed, in jargon borrowed from nationalists cannot overcome the divi­ is revolutionary leadership at the head sure cooker of apartheid's social oppres­ American sociology, and dismissed as sions fostered by apartheid-s-witness the of the burgeoning black workers move­ sion and social contradictions compel passe. But the reality, which Lelyveld confrontations between the largely merit. In the course of his book, Lelyveld to see beyond his frequently graphically documents in thousands of Xhosa United Democratic Front and Lelyveld makes several allusions to the stated liberal anti-communist preju­ miles of travel throughout the bantu­ Gatsha Buthelezi's Zulu impis, and history and literature of 19th century dices. Thus, he writes of the SACP: between black township youth and Russia. But even more important than stans, those barren fragments of land "South African security men tirelessly where millions have been sent to starve, spread the ancient allegation that the migrant workers this past year. But with historical similarities is the unique is that apartheid has been and is being minuscule, antediluvian Communist its six-million-strong black working legacy left us by the Bolshevik Party that relentlessly extended. When the ump­ party which has dutifully followed class as the motor forcefor proletarian led the workers to power in October teenth verligte ("enlightened") Afrikan­ Moscow's line on Czechoslovakia, revolution, the class principle can 1917. That legacy is embodied in the Poland, and Afghanistan, dominates prevail in South Africa. er rhetorically asks him if he sees any Umkhonto we Sizwe ('Spear of the Trotskyist internationalist program of changes, Lelyveld replies, "Yes, I never Nation'); the [ANC's] underground's The biggest weakness of Lelyveld's permanent revolution, which holds that imagined they would be able to carry military arm.... Ifthis is so, then the book, a direct result of his liberal the emancipation of the oppressed apartheid so far." effect for many blacks is not to lower the politics, is his denial of the significance nation can only be achieved through prestige of Umkhonto we Sizwe but to of the black workers movement. He the revolutionary dictatorship of the raise that of the Communist party." "W-A-R" measures the distance between white proletariat. Lelyveld would not be surprised at the and black, but he does not show the A South African Bolshevik party Move Your Shadow was not written appearance of the Soviet red flag with its to demonstrate a political thesis, but the utter dependence of "white South must be centered on the black proletari­ hammer and sickle at funerals for black Africa" on black labor. His discussion at, and integrate the vanguard of the cumulative effect of its description militants over the last year. He goes on: makes a statement of cardinal impor­ of the black trade unions falls in the coloured and Indian oppressed masses "The immediate attraction is its sup­ chapter, "Controlled Strength," where as well as revolutionary whites. A book tance: apartheid is a social structure as posed extremism-ideology comes lat­ elaborate, as entrenched, and as inimi- er. if at all-because the choice for he describes the roundups, the hideous such as Move Your Shadow arouses the blacks between 'moderate' and 'radical,' torture of union militants, the tremen­ determination to smash apartheid: the as it is defined by whites in South dous courage of those who persist in the international Spartacist tendency, in­ Africa. is a choice between reaching face of inhuman cruelty. heritor of the lessons of October, has the some accommodation with apartheid and insisting on full citizenship." Lelyveld is markedly defeatist about program to do it.. In fact the combination of the ANC's call to "make the townships ungovern­ able," appeals for an international boycott and meetings with leading South Africa: capitalists like Anglo American's Gavin Razor's Edge Reily, are all part of a program in which militancy is employed in the service of Order your packet pressuring apartheid capitalism to featuring a selection of reform itself and, ultimately, finding articles from Workers accommodation with it. Vanguard and Women "South Africa could be worse than and Revolution. Belgium and Northern Ireland and Lebanon all rolled into one," an $1.00 Afrikaner law professor told Lelyveld, "underscoring with a curious combina­ Order from: Spartacist Publishing Co. tion of pride and alarm the possibilities ..~ Box 1377 GPO Time of racial and ethnic strife." Move Your New York, NY 10116 Sl.lJO Armed white population determined _ Shadow anatomizes the social divisions to defend Its privileges, fostered by apartheid that could pro-

25 APRIL 1986 7 and war••.. the church hierarchy and siphoning ()ff as a s.taging ground for wiping out the Wwkers Vanguard's blanket con­ to the Nicaraguan capitalists much, 'of Nicaraguan Revolution. "Contra demnation of nationalism in general is the vital national resources needed to For Bolsheviks, the question of social also wrong. There are democratic fight imperialism. These policies' a~ all , revolution stands higher than the Socialists" ... national demands-prime among them reflections of a petty-bourgeois nation­ national question, which is part of the (continued from page 2) the right to self-determination-that alist program. At issue in Nicaragua is overall democratic program. Lenin respect those rights. He left no doubt must be supported even in this era of the question of socialrevolution. The favored the right of Poland to secede that it was up to workers of the capitalist decay. This is because imperi­ Sandinistas are equivocal. You are on from the tsarist empire. But at the height oppressor nations to prove their dedica­ alist hegemony is based onthe denial of the other side. ' of the imperialist First World War, he tion to the principles of liberation, even the right to self-determination, just as it The Sandinistas, at least, fight arms in wrote: to the point of allowingthe oppressed was in Lenin's day. That's why he hand and mobilize the masses to fight "To raise the question of Poland's supported this nationalist demand U.S. imperialism. This is why, to the independence today, with the existing nations to secede and set up their own alignment of the neighbouring imperial­ state. If the workers of the larger state unconditionally.... best of our ability, we raised dollars for ist powers, is' really to ... plunge into remained the perpetuatorsof national All this serves to illustrate why the Nicaraguan government to use as it narrow-minded nationalism and forget vanguard organizations must listen to sees fit, while not hiding our very the necessary premise of an all­ oppression after the revolution, the European or at least a Russian and a responsibility was theirs for the inevi­ the most oppressed, whose demands for worried criticism of the direction in national, racial, and sexual equality German revolution." table reaction against the revolution. which Sandinista policy is going. The -V.l. Lenin, "The Discussion on In Nicaragua, THE policy question strike directly at the ensemble of Spanish Republic at least held out the Self-Determination Summed facing the Sandinistas now iswhether to inequalities which divide all workers promise of revolution cfter winning the Up" (July 1916) recognize the Indians' right to self­ and keep the capitalist system intact. war (which they lost). In Nicaragua, One of the most succinct presentations determination, in this case autonomy, Only those can lead who first get in step where so much of the economy was in of the Leninist position on the national i.e., control over their own land and with the march of the most oppressed question concerned the Ukraine in late resources. The Sandinistas refuse to do toward liberation and wed it to the 1917, when the Central Rada, dominat­ so, as they have since 1979.... Their conscious struggle for socialism. ed by bourgeois and petty-bourgeois current "autonomy" plan, unilaterally Workers Vanguard has cleverly made nationalist parties, suppressed the Kiev drawn up by Minister of the Interior up new words-polyvanguardism and soviet and arrested its Bolshevik leaders. Borge's office, in essence denies the right sectoralism-to describe this program. The Soviet government sent an ultima­ to self-determination. It allows for The FSP calls it by its right name: tum, authored by Lenin, to the Rada Indian "control" over the land and Leninism. which simultaneously I) recognized the resources, but only within the frame­ In struggle, independence of the Ukrainian People's work of national economic develop­ Robert Crisman Republic, 2) refused to recognize the ment-dictated out of Managua! Some Rada as its government, and 3) gave it autonomy! That's why the Indians have WV replies: Reading the letter by FSP 48 hours to stop aiding the White Guard withdrawn from negotiations for the spokesman Robert Crisman, you would counterrevolutionaries. present. hardly know that U.S. imperialism is Self-determination for the Miskitos? In the "Contra Socialists" article, waging a war of counterrevolutionary Doesn't the FSP care if the Miskitos are Workers Vanguard never states its terror against Nicaragua-or that his Barricada fighting for soviet power or Yankee position on the autonomy issue. Calling organization supports one wing of the Miskito guerrillas visit Nicaraguan power? In fighting for soviet power, we Brooklyn Rivera a CIA agent is not an contras. Freedom Socialist (Summer town under cease-fire agreement are fighting for workers democracy, not answer, it is diversionary slander. 1985) hailed Miskito Indian leader with Sandinistas. a nationally delimited, bureaucratically However, in a companion piece in the Brooklyn Rivera and published an the hands of a single family, the deformed regime-i-i.e., another Cuba. same issue entitled "Sandinistas and interview with him without a word of overthrow of the Somoza dynasty A proletarian internationalist regime in Miskitos," you deny that the Miskitos criticism. This is what caused us to label opened the door to social revolution. Managua would offer regional autono­ are a nation and insist that "national­ the FSP "contra socialists." But rather than committing themselves my for the Atlantic Coast population, ism" in any case is wrong in this era of You say it is a "diversionary slander" to complete the revolution, the Sandi­ just as the Bolsheviks did for numerous imperialist decay. You are wrong on to call Rivera a CIA agent. But as we nistas want to stop short. tribal peoples in the Caucasus and both counts. reported in WV No. 396, former contra As for diversions, consider the Central Asia. Such a policy might well First, the Nicaraguan Indians are leader Edgar Chamorro has flatly smokescreen Crisman throws up over have prevented any significant number nations by Leninist criteria. They are an stated: "Brooklyn Rivera was receiving whether the Miskitos are a pre-national of Miskitos from going over to the "historically evolved, stable community funds from the CIA." So what does that tribal people or a full-fledged nation. In contra camp. But as long as various of people, formed on the basis of a make you, brother Crisman? A "social­ WV No. 396 and in previous articles we Miskito forces take up arms on behalfof common language, territory, economic ist" left cover for counterrevolution, like sharply criticized the Sandinistas' na­ U.S. imperialism, they must be militari­ lifeand psychological makeup manifest­ Max Shachtman over the Bay of Pigs, tionalist treatment of Indian peoples ly smashed or otherwise induced to lay ed in a common culture." They have when he supplied laborite arguments for and English-speaking blacks on the down their arms.• survived as small nations through some the gusanos, those squalid leftovers Atlantic Coast, and clearly advocated 500 years of Spanish, English: U.S., and from Batista's dictatorship. Today you regional autonomy. The fundamental Nicaraguan encroachment. play Shachtman's role for Rivera and fact the FSP wants to ignore is that Workers Vanguard asserts that his off-and-on ally, former Somoza Rivera & Co. subordinated themselves Ed Meese Nicaraguan Indians are not nations police agent Steadman Fagoth. to U.S. imperialism. because 100,000 Mestizos (people of You say that for the Sandinistas, Being a member 0/ a national minor­ Unionism... Indian and Spanish ancestry) have "THE policy question ... is whether to ity isnot a license/or counterrevolution. (continued from page 3) immigrated to the Atlantic Coast from recognize the Indians' right to self­ Looking back in history, does the FSP former Communist Party comrades to the Pacific region and are now the determination...." With this focus, it's back the fascistic Ukrainian, Byelorus­ scabherd in the name of the "anti-fascist majority in the Indians'homelands. By no wonder you get dragged into the sian or Lithuanian nationalists who that logic, the Palestiniansare no longer contras' wake. In Nicaragua, the ques­ coalition." In 1984, as he worked hand fought with Nazi Germany against in glove with Stalinist supporters like a nation because the Jews are now the tion is whether or not a U.S.-dominated Stalin's Russia in World WarIl? Does it majority in the Israeli settler state! Or capitalist class can reconsolidate its Leo Robinson in sabotaging an SF retrospectively side with' the Georgian dockers' boycott of a South African U.S. Indians are no longer nations class rule, or whether it will be eliminat­ Mensheviks or Ukrainian nationalists because they are outnumbered by ed by social revolution along with the ship, Keylor hailed the ILWU's 1939 under Simon Petlyura against the Red boycott of scrap iron to Japan as a whites. Indian territory is noteconomi­ power of its institutionalized ideological Army of Lenin and Trotsky? cally viable, according to Workers matrix, the Catholic church. model (see"Battle Over Union Action at Imperialism frequently seeks to use Vanguard. But by all accounts, the As we pointed out in our article on South Africa Ship," WV No. 368, 7 minority peoples against what it sees as Indians carryon their traditional "Sandinistas and Miskitos," the FSLN's December 1984). Yet this was simply a the main enemy. Sikhs provided the economic activity as best they can un­ sometime persecution of ethnic minori­ part of Roosevelt's imperialist sanc­ backbone of the British colonial army in der pressure of Sandinista relocations ties is of a piece with its acquiescing to tions, to strangle Japan economically in India, while Nepalese Gurkhas consti­ order to force it to go to war! It led tuted the elite shock troops. The British straight to the A-bombing of Hiroshima organized various Indian tribes against and Nagasaki. If that boycott was so SPARTACIST LEAGUE/U.S. LOCAL DIRECTORY the American colonists in the War of great; how about calling on the workers Independence. The Dutch-maintained to boycott American imperialism which National Office: Box 1377 GPO, New York, NY 10116 • (212) 732-7860 order in their East Indian colony (today was embarking on a global expansion?! Indonesia) with native soldiers recruited Today, Reagan & Co. are trying to Atlanta Detroit Norfolk specially from the South Molucca frame everyone from the Sandinistas to Box 4012 Box 32717 Box 1972, Main PO islands. The Americans formed a "secret union militants on charges of terrorism Atlanta, GA 30302 Detroit, MI 48232 Norfolk, VA 23501 army" of Meo tribesmen in Laos.just as and drugs. Yet it's precisely the U.S. spy Boston Los Angeles Oakland they are doing today with the Miskitos agencies, working hand in glove with the Box 840, Central Sta. Box 29574, Los Feliz Sta. Box 32552 in Nicaragua. Afghan mujaheddin and Nicaraguan Cambridge, MA 02139 Los Angeles, CA 90029 Oakland, CA 94604 In the abstract, it's as absurd to contras, who are up to their necks in (617) 492-3928 (213) 384-9716 (415) 835-1535 pretend the Miskito Indians are a nation drugs-for-guns trafficking. Keylor's rather than a tribe as to claim that the drug program is class collaboration Madison San Francisco Chicago 262 American Indian tribes are so many masquerading as concern for "safety." Box 6441, Main PO c/o SYL, Box 2074 Box 5712 nations seeking self-determination from Madison, WI 53701 San Francisco, CA 94101 Consider what it would mean in Chicago, IL60680 the United States. But over Nicaragua, (312) ~63-0715 (608) 257-8625 (415) 863-6963 practice. Suppose his union narcs nab this is not just idle sophistry, for the someone smoking a joint, what then? Cleveland New York Washington, D.C. different programs are backed by guns. Dock their pay? Is the union supposed Box 91037 Box 444, Canal S1. Sta. Box 75073 Rivera calls not just for "aboriginal to supply straitjackets to force members Cleveland, OH 44101 New York, NY 10013 Washington, D.C. 20013 rights" but for MISURASATA control to go "cold turkey"? Howard Keylor isa (216) 621-5138 (212) 267-1025 (202) 636-3537 of the Atlantic Coast, an anti­ canting hypocrite and a renegade, and democratic program which would mean the bosses have uses for such types. In Toronto a Miskito dictatorship over the black his desperate efforts to secure a niche in TROTSKYIST LEAGUE Box 7198, Station A and mestizo town of Bluefields, for the ILWU bureaucracy Keylor is offer­ OF CANADA Toronto, Ontario M5W 1X8 example. And given Rivera's CIA ties, it' ing hi-mself up as an anti-drug narc and - (416) 593-4138 would mean handing over half of an anti-red narc, to keep the union in the Nicaragua's territory to Ronald Reagan straitjacket of reformist politics.• 8 WORKERS VANGUARD that it is'incontrovertible'tend to betlecl Berlin' Disco.... to their policy stances. For example, several who say the evidence is definitive (continued/rom page I) seem to favor a strong military re­ trumpeted as the marching song on the sponse" (New York Times, 12 April). road to World War III against the Such blatant "news management" led Soviet Union, whatever the White Robert MacNeil on the MacNeil-Lehrer House says is printed as truth, unless TV news show to comment on the proved otherwise. Among the few media "nearly universal skepticism" concern­ in America not buying the White House ing the Reaganites' story. As for the story whole hog is the black press, which West German government, they contin­ is none too pleased by the Reaganauts' ued to label the "evidence" of a Libyan bloody assault on a North African link "not completely clear"-until the country. "Libya Bombing Gets No U.S. attack, whereupon Helmut Kohl Cheers," headlined the front page ofthe declared it fact. Amsterdam News (19 April), noting that while Reagan asserted that "Libya "Signature of the Nazis" was responsible for the nightclub bombing and the Trans World Airline Nine days after the West Berlin bombing... the President presented no incident, the New York Times (14 April) ran a story belatedly reporting that the AP Jet evidence to support his allegations." La Belle disco was popular among black Gis, a fact hushed up in American By now the American public is used American soldier was black, and that press. Kenneth Ford's mother holds photo of son killed in bomb blast. to White House spokesman Larry there was something strange about the Speakes' Newspeak and all the verbal disco bombing: Arab Friendship Association, in the quentiy proven to be fabrications," and contortions surrounding the "overt/ "But one of the mysteriesof La Belle is Turkish district of Kreuzberg, injuring recalled "the famous 'Ems cable,' whyColonelQaddafi wouldapprove an covert" war against Nicaragua, where assault on a disco patronized heavilyby seven people. fabricated by Bismarck when he wished Congress openly discusses how much black G.l.s and foreigners from third And on April 8, Unsere Zeit, news­ to carry out aggression against France." funding to give the "secret" CIA­ world nations. paper of the West German Communist Bismarck's forged cable totally dis­ financed contra war. Now we are told, "One of the dead in the blast was a 21­ Party, published a commentary titled, torting a report from the French that the U.S.' "incontrovertible evi­ year-old black soldier, Sgt. Kenneth Terrance Ford, and the other wasa 28­ "The Signature of the Nazis," noting ambassador was the pretext for the 1870 dence" of Libyan involvement is "too year-old Turkish woman, Nermin that the disco bombing looked more like Franco-Prussian War. In September sensitive to discuss." Whereupon Rea­ Haney; among the 230 wounded the work of the fascist perpetrators of 1939, the Nazis had recourse to the same gan gets on the tube with the story of were a number of Arabs. A curious the Bologna railway station bombing method of lying provocation. They intercepted cables and broken codes mixture of victims for an Islamic that killed 80 people in 1980 or the dressed German concentration camp revolutionaryand professeddefenderof supposedly proving that "orders...sent the downtrodden." Oktoberfest bombing of the Munich inmates in Polish uniforms, trucked from Tripoli to the Libyan People's beer festival by neo-Nazis that same them up to the frontier and then shot Curious, indeed. Particularly in view of Bureau in East Berlin" directed the year. them, claiming "self-defense" against a the fact that several groups had taken Berlin bombing. If there really were As we go to press we learn that these Polish attack on Danzig. As William "credit" for the bombing, including secrets they're trying to protect, this reports have finally broken through the Stevenson wrote in A Man Called supposed leftists and an Arab 'group, procedure is guaranteed to blow any­ wall of silence. An article by Norman Intrepid- The Secret War, Hitler's but "none with known ties to Libya," thing or anybody's cover. When Qadda­ Birnbaum in Der Spiegel (21 April) "ruse" worked: according to the 6 April fi was asked about the "secret message," Washington reports: "The New York Times reported that he just laughed, saying, "We defy them, Post. What has not been reported here is "The 'proofs' of Qaddafi's responsibility regular Polish Armytroops took part in that one of the groups claiming to be for the Berlin disco explosion have an attack on German positionsand that we challenge them, to publish it." this was the signal for a general Both Libya and East Germany have the authors of the indiscriminate terror reportedly convincedeveryone-except at the La Belle disco was a fascist for the West Berlin State Security. offensive by Polish forces. The lie explicitly denied the U.S. charges. On confused the British-bound by treaty organization. "Theseofficialsdeserverespect. In a city April 9, UPI reported from Tripoli that where the word 'protecting power' to help Poland if she was attacked "Khadafy said he was not responsible On April 6 Die Wahrheit, newspaper causes so many to snap to attention, it first-long enough to make interven­ tion too late." for the TWA and West Berlin attacks, of the West Berlin section of the East takes courage to so directly contradict an American president. And, of course, there was the 1964 Gulf and he challenged the Reagan adminis­ German Communist Party, wrote of the "The more issaid about Qaddafi's guilt, tration to prove its claims. 'This is an old bomb investigation that "the right­ the more I recallthe former CIA official of Tonkin incident in which the U.S. story,' he said. 'The world has not heard radical spectrum is no longer being who commented on every revelation by falsely claimed they were fired on by the any evidence or any proofabout this old excluded," particularly given the claim our government on Central America North Vietnamese: this Big Lie was used story. It is only an excuse for aggression from the "Wehrsportgruppe Hess," or with professional disdain: 'I personally to provide the "legal" basis for the entire produced much better fabrications.' Vietnam War. against an independent state'." On April "Hess Defense Sport Group." Rudolf "Because the disco was a friendly 10, the East German foreign ministry Hess, a leading Hitler deputy, impris­ atmosphere for black Americans and We ask, cui bono-who benefits? The issued a statement expressing disgust oned for life in Berlin's Spandaujail, has Turks, it is not unthinkable that Berlin La Belle bombing is oh-so-convenient and indignation over the bombing, been the object of repeated fascist neo-Nazis were at work here." for the Americans. In Reagan's attack calling it a "criminal act" which they had campaigns for his release. One of the The West Berlin police are evidently on Libya in March, high U.S. officials nothing to do with. Again after the U.S. leading fascist terror groups in West not pursuing this line of inquiry. This is admitted the whole purpose of the Sixth terrorist assault on Libya, AP (17 April) Germany was the notorious Wehrsport­ hardly surprising. Consider the recent Fleet's move into the Gulfof Sidra was a reported, "East Germany denied today gruppe Hoffmann, since banned. Is the scandal surrounding the forced resigna­ provocation against Qaddafi: "If he that the Libyan Embassy in East Berlin "Wehrsportgruppe Hess" the old Hoff­ tion of West Berlin's .interior minister sticks his head up we'll clobber him. had orchestrated the AprilS bombing of mann gang in new .guise? and deputy mayor, Heinrich Lummer. We're looking for an excuse." There is a West Berlin discotheque." On April 7, Die Wahrheit wrote that According to Der Spiegel (7 April), no reason to believe this is any different. And Washington keeps changing its La Belle was "known as a meeting place Lummer funneled several ithousand The U.S. is now on warfooting, and story. The first version was the one for foreign citizens," raising speculation German marks in Christian Democratic the imperialist press has been conscript­ about the "communique" which U.S. concerning right-wing elements and Party funds to a fascist outfit. Lummer ed: it is no accident that the New York intelligence said they "intercepted from "certain tendencies hostile to foreigners, has also been implicated in supplying Times has been sounding like Hitler's Colonel Qaddafi to his envoys in East which even extend to the head of the arms to the fascistic Lebanese Phalange Volkischer Beobachter these days. As Berlin congratulating them on ajob well [Berlin] Senate." The article reported and was a bosom buddy of Bashir columnist Alexander Cockburn said in done." This was floated for a few days, .that "slogans calling for the persecution Gemayel, whose assassination was the a speech on American news coverage at then they withdrew it and subsequently of foreigners" were found scrawled pretext for the Phalangists' mass slaugh­ the New School for Social Research: officials "flatly denied" all knowledge nearby the disco, reinforcing the view ter at the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian "The basic technique of the Reagan administration has been to endlessly of it. As political/intelligence analyst that the bombing could be the work of refugee camps. Now West Berlin police reiterate falsity. The president says Leslie Gelb wrote of the daily shifting fascists. Exactly one week before, on have announced the arrest of a "stateless black isthe sameas white. The presswill accounts: "Officials' assertions that the March 29, a powerful bomb exploded in Palestinian," probably from one of the initially worry about this and say. well, evidence is 'strong but inconclusive,' or Berlin at a meeting of the local German- camps, on "suspicion of involvement" in most people seem to agree that black the disco bombing; the alleged connec­ isn't the same as white. Eminent academics are consulted: they say. no. tion was not specified. there are definite distinct differences between black and white. Spartacist ,~ Forum Reagan-Hitler: "Now Reagan keeps at it-that is his Lying Provocation genius. and his tremendous. and in a way reasonable. contempt of toe media Labor Needs Revolutionary Leadership to Win! Speaking in the United Nations and of their senility.... He says no. Security Council April 18, the Libyan black is unquestionably the same as ambassador, Dr. Ali Treiki, accused the white. there'sa report from the Heritage Foundation to prove it. Then the media Union",Busting and Government U.S. of pursuing "a campaign of ag­ begin to fear that they might be gression and provocation": excessively critical of the president. and Terror in Reagan's America "What is the problem that exists be­ theysay, well, black is the same as grey, tween the United States and Libya'? It is after all, when you look at it, to a Speakers: ------­ the same problem that exists between degree, and grey possibly bears some Ed Karlsen, Spartacist 1985 candidate for Manhattan Borough President; the United States and all small peoples, identity to white, and therefore you can former member and candidate for president, TWU Local 100 beginningwith Nicaragua and Grenada see that, in a characteristic leap. a and extending to Viet Narn, toAngola, conflation of these stages. it is true that Gene Herson, member, National Maritime Union to Ethiopia. to the Palestinian people black is the same as white. as the and to the people of Namibia. The president says." Striking TWA flight attendant United States has fallen prey to the -WBAI, 6 March arrogance and madness of power,and it That was before the bombing of Libya. wants to becomethe world's policeman. Friday, May 2, 7:30 p.m. Any party that does I'!0t agree to Today when The President says the Bor-ough of Manhattan Community College, Room N402 becomea vassaland agent of the United evidence is "irrefutable," they don't have States is an outlaw, a terrorist, a For more information: (212) 267-1025 to see it to believe it. Reagan said it, they communist and a devil." all read it. Did the fascists bomb La NEW YORK CITY Treiki said the U.S. had "attempted to Belle discotheque'? We don't know, but forge documents, which were subse- Reagan's story stinks.• 25 APRIL 1986 9 --Down, Down Reagan!-- A team of journalists from the international Spartacist tendency went to Tripoli In late March as Reagan attacked in the Gulf of Sidra. Sixteen years ago the British colonialists were booted out of their mllitary bases in Libya, . followed by dismantling of American bases. Now Libyan masses are demonstrating against U.S. imperialist aggression.

Soviet Union, Nicaragua, Cuba, Af­ that "the only good one is a dead one." "In December [1985], at.Bollingairbase Reagan's ghanistan, Poland, and any other Reagan is rightly bracketed with mass outside Washington, a special confer­ country that is perceived as an obstacle murderers like General Sharon, the ence attended by mainstream policy­ to imperialist domination." makers from the White House, Penta­ Terrorism ... architect of the Sabra and Shatila gon, State Department and intelligence Cops of the World massacre of defenseless Palestinian services agreed [on] a broad outline for (continued from page 1) refugees. The Israeli air strike on a action." condemned Reagan's attack on Libya. Increasingly, the president of the Palestinian camp in Tunisia last year So Qaddafi, a military client of the "I don't think Peter will be the only United States has been proclaiming a that left over a hundred men, women Soviet Union and small-time Arab one that will be sacrificed," said his sort of "super-sovereignty" that smacks and children dead, was a virtual trial run nationalist strongman whose own ter­ sister-in-law. of the Roman Empire. Following the for the Americans' Tripoli raid. rorism has never been shown to touch U.S. imperialism's West European seizure last fall of the Achille Lauro In recent articles, columnist Alexan­ anybody abroad except Libyan dissi­ allies felt compelled to distance them­ cruise ship by Palestinian hijackers, der Cockburn has pointed out that dents, was chosen to take the rap for all selves from this blatant state-sponsored Reagan declared, "You can run but you compared to 282 Israelis killed by the world's terrorist incidents. The mad terrorism. Mass protests hit the streets can't hide." To prove it, he ordered F-14 Palestinian violence between 1967 and bombers in Washington not only picked in London, Athens and Madrid; demon­ fighter jets to skyjack an Egyptian 1982, some 20,000 Palestinians were their target, they laid out a precise strators battled cops in Germany: it was airliner carrying the hijackers, forcing it killed in Lebanon during Israel's 1982 schedule, and the computer tape is still an atmosphere not seen since the Viet­ to land at a NATO base in Sicily, and invasion. And while Amnesty Interna­ running ... nam War. In Italy, dozens of factories then tried to kidnap them to the U.S. tional has documented 14 known cases were shut down by work stoppages to This was only stopped by a guns-drawn of political killings orattempted killings Reagan's Murder, Inc. standoff between Italian soldiers and by Libyan "hit teams," U.S.-armed, discuss the attack. In Afghanistan and At first Reagan tried to pretend that the Americans' Delta Force "anti­ trained and funded armies and death Nicaragua, both under Reagan's guns, the bombing raid on Libya was an act of terrorist" hit squad. (This imperial squads have killed more than 100,000 tens of thousands rallied in defiance of "self-defense" (!), supposedly, in Mafia attitude was also displayed in the U.S.' Central Americans in the last decade. U.S. imperialism. In Managua, elemen­ language, to provide Libyan colonel demand that New Zealand must receive Even Zionist state terror pales before tary school children rallied for peace Qaddafi with "incentives and reasons to outside embassies while factory workers the nuclear-armed terrorist in the White alter his criminal behavior." The world House. marched with placards protesting U.S. was supposed to take Reagan's word While the Israelis applauded and intervention in Central America and the that Qaddafi was responsible for the Reagan got Thatcher's permission to bombing of Libya. The pro-Sandinista indefensible terror bombing of a disco­ use his British-based F- llI bombers, the newspaper Nuevo Diario wrote: "Yes­ theque in West Berlin (see "Who terror raid was disowned by most West terday it was Grenada, today Libya and Bombed Berlin Disco'!" in this issue). European governments. One paper tomorrow Nicaragua." But for Reagan this was just the excuse described it as the biggest split in NATO Reagan explicitly linked Libya to he wanted to strike again at Libya. since Vietnam. France in particular Nicaragua in his global counterrevolu­ In fact, the Reagan administration earned the Pentagon's ire by refusing to tionary plans, using the Tripoli bomb­ has a policy of assassination, and is allow the U.S. bombers to cross their ing to try to push through arms aid for openly bragging about it. "U.S. Tried to airspace en route to Libya, forcing them the CIA's anti-Sandinista contra terror­ Kill Khadafy" headlined the reactionary to fly an extra 1,200 miles in each ists. "If necessary, we will do it again," New York Post (18 April). Film footage direction. Was the bombing of the said the president. And in the future, played on American TV showed they French embassy in Tripoli the Ameri­ they won't bother with pretexts-they'll had Qaddafi's tent in their cross hairs. cans' reply'! (No overflight'! Take that!) undertake "preemptive strikes" against The National Security Council had even But the difference between Reagan and "terrorism," meaning anyone on the drafted a statement describing Qadda­ the European bourgeoisies (and their White House list of "outlaw states" is at . fi's death as "fortuitous"; another social democratic lackeys) is essentially risk. Their ultimate target, of course, is administration official said it would be tactical-having far more to do with the Soviet Union. In the classic style of "serendipity," and War Secretary Wein­ geographic proximity to Libya (and Cold War brinkmanship, they think berger was quoted by the New York dependence on Libyan oil) than any­ they can terrorize the Russians into Post as saying that Qaddafi had "forfeit­ thing else. Mitterrand is no stranger to abject capitulation. The Libyan strikes ed his right to occupy space on the Australasian Spartacis~ state terrorism, as his lethal operation will embolden the imperialists in their planet." The Libyan-leader is labeled a Sydney, Australia: Spartaclsts de­ against Greenpeace in New Zealand and anti-Soviet war drive, aimed at "rolling "mad dog"-and we all know what nounce Reagan's terror bombing of his dispatching of troops to Chad and back" the 1917 October Revolution and you're supposed to do to a mad dog: Libya. . New Caledonia show. restoring unhindered capitalist domina­ The U.S. attacks on Libya were shoot it. Last time they put dump trucks tion of the world. its nuclear ships.) Reagan and the rest of in front of the White House, Stinger the American ruling class desperately planned nine months ago, long before As a team of journalists from the the bombing ofthe West Berlin disco or missiles across the street, even plastic international Spartacist tendency which want to regain the imperialist hegemony snakes in the trees to ward off bomb­ they lost in the Vietnam War. They the Rome/Vienna airport massacre, visited Tripoli in March, during Rea­ which provided the excuse. As the carrying pigeons-all because of a gan's earlier attack, stated in a declara­ think they are still the cops ofthe world. mythical Libyan plot to kill Reagan. But Reagan's bombing was welcomed London Sunday Times (30 March) tion to the press: revealed, the Reaganites wanted to pick it's the Libyan "White House" that was "We have come to Libya whilst the U.S. most enthusiastically by the Israelis. bombarded, not the one in Washington, imperialist 6th Fleet was threatening to One Jerusalem "terrorism expert" on somebody to restore U.S. imperialist D.C. . prestige on the cheap and send a repeat its criminal aggression against boasted that the air strikes against It was a small-scale practice run for the Libyan state, in order to reassert Tripoli and Benghazi are "the kind of message to the Soviet Union: concretely with our presence here the "At a White House meeting of the Reagan's nuclear first-strike plans iSt's deep respect and support for the method which until now has been national security planning group in July against the Soviet Union, which call for just cause of Libyan independence and identified exclusively as the 'Israeli [1985] there was general agreement that "decapitating" the Kremlin in the first territorial integrity against assault by method" (Washington Post, 17 April). a target must be chosen.... Libya was few minutes of World War III.Presi­ U.S. imperialist aggression. These "Israeli methods"-modeled on the soft option with Gadaffi able to . "The terrorist actions of the U.S. dential spokesman Larry Speakes de­ Adolf Hitler's policy of count only on words to support his imperialists against Libya are part and Schrecklichkeit leadership. The Arab world and the clared in his announcement of the raid parcel of the war preparations of the 'or terrorizing the populace-are as Soviet bloc would not back him with on Libya that the U.S. struck at USA and NATO powers against the American as the murderous proposition muscle.... "command and control systems, intelli- 10 WORKERS VANGUARD gence, communications," or "ClI" in Pentagonese. This "decapitation" policy was laid out inJimmy Carter's Presiden­ tial Directive 59 in 1980. Of course, murdering foreign leaders is ostensibly prohibited by federal law. But this legal wrinkle will be ironed out by a bill introduced by Senator Jeremiah Den­ ton, to "permit the President .to order the assassination of a foreign head of state under some circumstances" (New York Times, 18 April). The Pentagon warm-akers think that their laser-guided "smart" bombs will give them the pinpoint accuracy to accomplish this ultimate terrorist strike. And the main lesson they have drawn from the bombing of Tripoli was that high tech works. Time (28 April) called the raids "A Lethal Video Game." But Operation EI Dorado Canyon was something less than the "flawless suc­ AP Photos cess" claimed by Weinberger and In Reagan's bombsights: White House assassins aim to kill Qaddafl and Reagan. Fully one-third of the F-III family, murdering infant daughter and badly injuring young sons. bombers had to abort their missions because of mechanical failure, and their the black population did. But the brother in the White House, whether it's less wedded to the illusions of "peaceful targeting can't have been too good reactionary triumphalist mood is brittle. in Tripoli, Managua or Philadelphia. coexistence," the direct consequence of When Reagan moves to send '.'American their treacherous program of "socialism unless they really intended to "take out" Defend the Soviet Union! a chicken farm two miles away from a boys" to die on foreign soil, he will find in one country" rather than internation­ Libyan air base, killing 300 chickens! . the "Vietnam syndrome" very much Within two days of the terror raids on al proletarian revolution. Even as the Soviets were breaking off a planning This. and the explosion on launching of alive and still in his way. It's one thing Libya, Washington was blaming it all on the U.S.' last two Titan missiles and the for U.S. bombers to rain down death on the Russians. "We urged the Soviets and meeting for the summit in the wake of Challenger space shuttle, does not.augur Libya with virtual impunity. But to take East Germans to restrain the Libyans," the Libya bombing, Gorbachev was well for Reagan's "Star Wars" plans. and hold Nicaragua would cost many State Department spokesman Bernard unveiling a new initiative for reducing In the fevered war atmosphere being thousands of American lives. Kalb said. "Had they done so, this entire conventional arms. But the NATO whipped up by Washington, we will no The working class must stand militar­ cycle of events would have been imperialists are only interested in doubt soon see a new game in the video ily with Libya against the aggressions of avoided." Indeed, even before the U.S. disarming the Russians. For them, arcades-"Kill Qaddafi"-using the U.S. imperialism. As Leon Trotsky, co­ Sixth Fleet sailed last month toward the Reaganiterhetoric aside, "detente" actual tapes from the Tripoli bombing leader with Lenin of the Russian Gulf of Sidra, its ships had been engaged served to hold back the Soviet missile run. Three direct hits on Qaddafi's tent October Revolution, wrote during the in a brazen provocation within Soviet program while the U.S. rebuilt its and you get a free game, plus a visit from I930s when European social democrats territorial waters outside its major Black nuclear arsenal which had deteriorated your Air Force recruiter. But World refused to defend colonial Ethiopia even Sea naval installation at Sevastopol. under the impact of the Vietnam War. War III won't be a video game in which against the Italian fascist Mussolini, on The Soviets would have been entirely For the Kremlin bureaucrats to be white middle-class America escapes grounds that .Ethiopia was led by a within their rights to have blown those bargaining with the Americans over the without casualties. repulsive monarchical dictatorship: Navy warships out of the water. Recog­ disarmament of the Soviet Union is a "If Mussolini triumphs, it means the nizing that this could mean world war, betrayal of the October Revolution. Democrats Salute Their reinforcement of fascism, the strength­ the Soviets said, "we showed patience In his July 1932 "Declaration to the Commander in Chief ening of imperialism, and the discour­ and restraint"-"this time." Antiwar Congress at Amsterdam," agement of the colonial peoples in Reformists like the U.S. Communist Leon Trotsky' trenchantly exposed the Predictably, the Libya raid received Africa and elsewhere. The victory of [Ethiopia], however, would mean a Party don't defend the Soviet Union fraud of "disarmament": bipartisan support from Democratic mighty blow not only at Italian imperi­ because with their inveterate tailing "Without the slightest confidence in the "doves," who are no less anti-Soviet alism but at imperialism as a whole, and after the liberal Democrats they are capitalist programs for disarmament or than their Republican colleagues, and would lend a powerful impulsion to the beholden to the American capitalists. arms limitation, the revolutionary eager to show it. When news of the rebellious forces of the oppressed proletariat asks one single question: In peoples. One must really be completely Blinded by illusions in detente, the CP's whose hands are the weapons? Any bombing reached Democratic Party blind not to see this." initial response to the KAL 007 spy weapon in the hands of the imperialists leaders at a New York fund-raiser, they -"Ou Dictators and the Heights plane affair was to deny that the is a weapon directed against the instantly snapped to attention. "I think of Oslo" (April 1936) Russians shot it down-they couldn't workingclass, against the weak nations, all Americans would stand with the against socialism, against humanity. . The fake-left believed that Reagan believe that the Soviets would defend Weapons in the hands of the proletariat commander in chief at this moment," "spoke loudly and carried a small stick" their borders against a provocation and of the oppressed nations are the said Senator Ted Kennedy, while House because their stock-in-trade is peddling which they had every right to believe only means of ridding our planet of leader Tip O'Neill lambasted the lily­ illusions that the Democratic Party was a military incursion. And only oppression and war." livered Allies in Europe. The New York could be pressured to restrain Reagan. recently CP head Gus Hall astounded The imperialist war drive can only Times poked holes in some of the sillier The knee-jerk response by the Demo­ Gorbachev by suggesting that he had a be answered by revolutionary class lies-pointing out, for instance,that the crats and the liberal press in lining up duty to come to a summit in the U.S., no struggle. The working people of Ameri­ bomb damage in civilian areas of Tripoli with Reagan over Libya gives the lie to matter what (Daily World, 12 March). ca, united with their class brothers could not have been caused by Soviet­ this. The Democrats hate Qaddafi That just happens to be Reagan's line! around the world, must rise to their made antiaircraft missiles falling back because, like Reagan, they link him with The American CP's reaction is a historic mission and disarm the bloody to earth. But the Times (15 April) Russia. And when it comes to bombing capitulation to the anti-Soviet climate imperialists by smashing capitalist class editorial, "The Terrorist and His Sen­ babies and other innocent civilians, of Reagan's America. rule and establishing the revolutionary tence," concluded they could only the Democrats will go with their big The Stalinist rulers in Moscow are no regime of workers power.• "approve and applaud" Reagan's as- sassination attempt. . Initially, Americans seemed mostly to concern that "Rambo Reagan has USSR in the face of an imperialist be buying Reagan's tine. Indeed, 77 Hands Off achieved the impossible: he has made attack which even the bourgeois press percent of Americans surveyed support­ getting rid of the bases look not only recognizes is aimed at the homeland of ed the raid on Libya, though barely half conceivable but perhaps desirable." the October Revolution, these fake­ Libya ... Meanwhile the fake-revolutionaries, Trotskyists are looking for a "Third (continucd iront pag« 11) tailing after Labour "lefts" like Tony Camp" position. They join with the Berm, push anti-Americanism while Labour-loyal fake-left-from the CP "Rambo's daughter," as the Guardian providing a "left" cover for the anti­ Stalinists' to the centrist Workers (17 April) put it, sees herself as "a fellow Soviet war drive which is the motive for Power-in focusing on the demand for crusader against evil empires of any the terror-bombing of Tripoli. The call U.S. bases out of Britain. kind." for today's rally was the social-patriotic Ronald Reagan, with the avid In this situation the Labour Partyand slogan, "Protect Britain and World assistance of Margaret Thatcher, is the pseudo-revolutionary left have done Peace." These "Little England" nation­ tugging the trip wires for thermonuclear all they can to deflect any challenge to alists focus on American imperialism, World War IIl. In the midst of this war the Tory government and British impe­ parodying Liebknecht's stirring interna­ danger, there is real interest in a rialism. Labour leader Neil Kinnock, tionalist appeal from World War I by revolutionary-internationalist alterna­ who supported the bloody Falklands/ turning it into the slogan, "The main tive to the popular front pacifist Malvinas adventure, counterposes to enemy is abroad!" At today's demon­ nationalism supplied by the fake-left. Reagan/Thatcher's bloodthirsty provo­ stration, Tony Cliff's anti-Soviet So­ Spartacist comrades sold more than 150 cations an alternative imperialist policy cialist Workers Party even initiatedthe papers on the Tuesday evening demon­ of isolating Libya until "the pressure of burning of an American flag-but, stration. almost 600 more today. Many commercial, economic, financial. diplo­ conspicuously, you didn't see the Cliff­ were eager to read oureyewitness report matic and political sanctions squeezed ites igniting a Union Jack. from Tripoli, "Under Reagan's Guns in the life out of the Gaddafi regime" And the Banda/Slaughter WRP Libya," in the current issue of Workers (Times, 17April). What NATO loyalists flatly refused to join us in chants of Hammer, and scores of Workers Van­ like Kinnock and the Social Democratic "Defend the Soviet Union!" at various guards were sold to those who wanted to Party are concerned about is that this demonstrations, with the bogus argu­ read the paper of the American Trotsky­ latest action will exacerbate opposition ment that the Soviet Union has done ists who defend Libya and the Soviet Newsday to the Atlantic alliance and the presence nothing to defend Libya! Funny, those Union against imperialism. We say: Photo distributed In Libya shows of U.S. bases here. A columnist in the looked like Tupolev transports and "Reagan/Thatcher Hands Off Libya! Qaddafl with baby daughter Hana, - pro-Atlanticist Guardian (14 April) on Soviet SAMs the U.S. was targetting, Defend the Soviet Union! The Main murdered by Reagan. the eve of the attack expressed open Far from unconditionally defending the Enemy Is at Home!". 25 APRIL 1986 11 WIRNER' ""'IIIIR'

MOVE Survivor Puts State on Trial Free Ramona Africa!

"Free Ramona Africa-Put the mur­ members including five children and derers in jail!" chanted 150 protesters burning down 61 homes in the black .before a Philadelphia city hall court­ neighborhood. Because they could not room on April 14. But that was not to be burn to death this courageous 30-year­ in Reagan's America. Ramona Africa is old black woman last May 13, the the sole adult survivor of the Philly cop authorities robbed her of freedom from firebombing of the black MOVE com­ that day, first holding her on $2 million mune. In an hour-long statement read bail, then framing her up on "riot" before her sentencing she told the packed charges. On April 14, Judge Michael R. courtroom: "I'm here simply because I'm Stiles put Ramona behind bars for up to a MOVE member and I survived" one of seven years. the most grotesque racist crimes in this Shortly after the Philadelphia judge deeply racist country. In her powerful pronounced sentence, a U.S. terror indictment of state murder Ramona strike bombed babies, homes and embas­ Ramona stated she was "tried, convicted and sies in Libya. As two score prison guards defiant after sentencing sentenced on May 13." and cops led Ramona from the court­ in racist On that date one year ago, in a room, proud and unbowed, she shouted Philly court, terrorist conspiracy that ran from the to her supporters: "You all didn't expect April 14. Reagan White House to the Philadelphia anything? Down with this rotten sys­ city hall of black Democrat mayor tem!" Free Ramona Africa and all Wilson Goode, police dropped a bomb MOVE prisoners! American workers burning alive eleven black MOVE revolution will avenge MOVE martyrs!

ists, who shortly wandered off, and the Trotsk~ists Sa~: Enem~ ostensibly Trotskyist WRP refused to British The Main Is at Hom;e! join in our chants of "Defend the Soviet Union!" instead counterposing: "U .S. bases out of Britain!" To underscore the full and enthusi­ astic complicity of the Thatcher gov­ ernment in Reagan's bloody operation, the SL contingent led the demonstra­ "Reagan/Thatcher tion, including the WRP contingent, on a march from the American embassy to Downing Street. As the march ap­ proached Downing Street-with an SL banner at its head reading, "Down with Reagan! Down with Thatcher! For Bloody Hands Off Libya!" Workers Revolution!"-it was greeted enthusiastically by many of the demon­ strators already there. The CND hon­ LONDON, April19-More than 10,000 chos tried to push the line that what was people converged on the American criminal about the American aggression embassy here today in protest against and Thatcher's involvement was that it the barbarous bombing raid over Libya, set the British people up for "terrorism." joining tens of thousands of other. But the general tenor of the crowd was demonstrators in the rest of Britain one of outrage at both Reagan and and throughout Western Europe. The Thatcher, and fear that their insane war Anglo-American terror-bombing of provocations would trigger nuclear Tripoli and Benghazi has unleashed world war. a wave of opposition and outrage Broad sectors of the population throughout Britain, in distinct contrast already revile Thatcher for her year­ to the muted response here to last longcivil war against the miners and her month's U.S. provocation in the Gulfof attempts to incite a racist bloodbath in Sidra by the Sixth Fleet. Only hours the inner city ghettos last autumn. They after news of the attack broke, several remember her own role as a war thousand demonstrators came out onto criminal in ordering the cold-blooded the streets, many of them headed murder of several hundred Argentine straight for Thatcher's official residence sailors aboard the cruiser Be/grano at Downing Street. Hostility to the during the Falklands/Malvinas war. already deeply despised Tory (Conser­ Workers Hammer The Libya bombing has plunged the vative) government of Margaret London, April 15: After protest~outside U.S. embassy (above), Spartacist Thatcher government into even deeper Thatcher is visible, vociferous and League of Britain led marchers to Downing Street behind banner reading crisis, provoking opposition not only rising. There are even serious divisions "Down with Reagan! ,Down with Thatcher! For Workers Revolution!" on the Tory back benches, but within her in her own party and throughout ruling own Cabinet. A poll conducted the day circles. ing social-patriotic anti-Americanism, U.S. embassy in Grosvenor Square. Our after the bombing registered opposition The Spartacist League of Britain has the SL has fought for effective united­ chant "Reagan, Thatcher, hands off by two-thirds of the British population thrown its forces into these demonstra­ front action in defence of Libya. Our Libya!" was picked up by many of the to the attack; an even greater number tions, hammering home the connection central banner in today's demonstration several hundred demonstrators there, opposed British participation. One BBC between Reagan/Thatcher's ,criminal· read, "Reagan/Thatcher Bloody Hands which included a contingent from the news commentator noted that Thatcher assault on the Libyan people and the Off Libya! Defend the Soviet Union!" Banda/Slaughter Workers Revolution­ was getting "bouquets in the U.S. and imperialist anti-Soviet war drive. While On the evening of April 15, immedi­ ary Party (WRP), as well as supporters brickbats at home." While America's most of the left has either taken a dive on ately after the attack, an SL contingent of the pro-Moscow opposition within other NATO allies expressed discom­ defence of Libya or sought to amnesty joined a protest called by the Campaign. the Communist Party, the Communist fort over Reagan's murderous raid, their "own" bourgeoisie through push- for Nuclear Disarmament outside the Campaign Group. But both the Stalin- continued on 'page II 12 25 APRIL 1986