Lessons Learned from the in formally dissolved in 1944 and turned into vanguard party concept, have removed 1 the CPUSA the Communist Political Association. Truly, discussion of Lenin’s works from By Joseph F. Hancock Browder believed, as did leaders of the discussion beyond saying that he was one of Secretary, International Department, PCUSA CPUSA that came along later like Sam Webb, the great communist minds. They envision (The author was a member of the CPUSA that and could building a bourgeois left electoral front to from 1979 until 2013) ‘peacefully co-exist’ in a competitive world. compete in elections that will include all of the other small parties like theirs. Finally, We Need A Comintern they never discuss socialism as a possibility To understand where modern day revisionism for the United States. comes from in the CPUSA it is necessary to For lack of a Communist International This year, for all these reasons, some of us go back to the party’s beginning in 1919. The (Comintern) Communist Parties are free to who were dropped from membership in the CPUSA was formed out of the split with the develop dangerous ideological trends like CPUSA formed a new party, the Party of Socialist Party and the Second International. Euro- and peaceful co-existence Communists, USA. We are a cadre party that But because comrades could not agree on a that limit the role of CP’s worldwide. In the is built around 8 points of Marxist-Leninist unified program, two separate parties were case of the CPUSA, this is exactly what has unity. We immediately began to try to build formed. It was only through decisions made happened. Let’s take a look at the present ties with CP’s associated with the KKE of by the Comintern that the Americans were situation. The CPUSA properties are the Greece. We published their articles on our forced to unite into one Communist Party of party’s main source of income. But instead of website, ideologicalfightback.com and we the United States of America. using the income for organizing purposes, the funds are used to maintain a small staff of sent a representative to the World Federation Right opportunism always existed in the of Democratic Youth (WFDY) festival in party. In the ‘20s there was the opportunism technocrats that perform various non-political functions. As of this writing, it is possible to Ecuador in 2012. We also attempted to work of . He was expelled when it with the International Meeting of Communist was discovered that he was double dealing. join the CPUSA on-line for only $12! No ideological or political training are needed. A and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP) without In the 30’s there was the split with the success. We did all this because the CPUSA Trotskyites, who left the CPUSA to form the plastic membership is mailed out with a few party documents and the person that sent in was not representing the communist socialist Workers Party. J.D. Cannon, who led ideological view in the United States. this split was one of Trotsky’s main the $12 becomes a member. It doesn’t matter confidants. Then there was . In if the person is an agent of the government or The Origins of Modern Opportunism the beginning, he wrote many good party another “left” group or not. Now think about pamphlets and was ideologically very sound. for a moment what is necessary to join any We see the origins of modern opportunism He was a staunch supporter of the Soviet other credible Communist Party around the and class collaboration in the CPUSA as it Union, but toward the end WW II, he adopted world. The comrades would never allow this! developed during the years, even in the theory of what came to be known as From a Cadre Party to a Mass Party without colloquial terms. The position of General ‘American exceptionalism.’ This concept the Masses Secretary of the party was changed to separated American workers from workers in The CPUSA has changed from a cadre National Chair. The Central Committee was other countries and eventually led to the organization to a mass organization without changed to the National Committee. Around liquidation of the CPUSA. The party was any masses. They have abandoned the the world communist meetings are called congresses. In the U.S. they are called All Centralism, No Democracy in front of the Los Angeles Workers’ 2 “conventions.” Anything to be exceptional; to In the 1940’s the Social-Democratic unions Center. Finally, it was the Austen Hogen be different from other workers! Although it in the United States used to have a saying: (New York) transportation club because they cannot be known with absolute certainty, we “clear it with Sidney,” referring to Sidney were supporting the website mltoday.com. believe that in Gus Hall’s later years, the Hillman, the leader of the needle trades The decision to stop printing the party ideas that were published as being his were unions. He called the shots. And so it is in the newspaper altogether was made by the actually penned by someone else. These CPUSA. There are no clubs/cells to speak of. CPUSA National Committee over strong ideas, including many of Sam Webb’s ideas Only individual members sending in dues. protest from the comrades around the country and many that think the way he does, were District meetings are few and far between. So that depended on the paper to engage workers substituted for Gus Hall’s true thoughts. decisions are made in a vacuum. The in their communities. All of these decisions Personal contact with him, including phone decisions of the CPUSA are made in New were made for the self-interest of bureaucrats calls were cut off. York and Chicago by a National Committee protecting their jobs and had nothing to do Here is an example. Gus formulated the that no one knows. In other words, all of the with real communist politics because all of concept of the “Communist Plus.” What he capitalist stereotypes about communists and these clubs and individuals were doing good used to say about our comrades involved in their organizations apply to the CPUSA. communist work, just as comrade Gus Hall work was that they were They lack humanity or concern for their said: “the Communist Plus.” excellent trade unionists, but very poor comrades. They are manipulative, cunning, comrades. They never brought up the subject deceptive, and dishonest. Why would any Before Gus Hall of communism or the party with their co- worker want to join such an organization? Before Gus Hall took over leadership of the workers. Later, a concept came out that The truth is that most do not. The problem is CPUSA in 1963, there was flawed leadership comrade Gus called “Bill of Rights” that the CPUSA gives all the rest of us honest after Earl Browder was expelled from the socialism. How could a leading communist communists that speak from the heart a bad party. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were take a bourgeois document, the Bill of Rights name. Since 2010, 4 clubs have been dropped executed on June19, 1953. John Gates was a of the U.S. Constitution and compare it to our from CPUSA membership by party party leader in the 1950’s and caused a lot of vision of socialism? On the one hand, he bureaucrats not connected in any way to damage because of his opposition to the criticized our trade union comrades for not those clubs in violation of the CPUSA’s own defense of socialist Hungary by the USSR in bringing up communism on the job, while on constitution. First it was the Arts and Media 1956. This was followed by the Khrushchev the other, he suggests that American club in New York because they had too many revelations , which turned out to be socialism will be based on the bourgeois Bill close connections to the Canadian completely false. But the damage was done. of Rights! How can communists implement organization North Star Compass. Then it There were also many political repressions in the communist plus when it is based on the was the Houston Communist club because the 1950’s that vanquished important party party’s allegory to a bourgeois document? they refused to remove their internet website. leadership. Gus Hall himself spent 8 years in This was largely right opportunism, and Then it was the Los Angeles (California) federal prison on a charge of “conspiracy to many comrades were confused and many Metro club because the club distributed teach” communism. The party did not fully worked inside the Democratic Party instead information from the KKE at a district recover from these political repressions. of building the CPUSA. meeting and hanged a banner of Joseph Stalin Henry Winston, for example, became blind because he was in prison and had a brain with the broader party. This kept him Work Among the Youth 3 tumor. Prison officials refused to give him insulated. This must never happen. When it One of the cardinal sins of the CPUSA medical care. He never regained his sight. does, disaster strikes. I was very impressed was to allow their Young Communist League His saying was: “I lost my sight but not my by the stark contrast of the CPUSA to fall apart. It has no political direction, no vision.” The great singer, actor, performer, conventions and the fifth congress of the youth magazine or newspaper to distribute lawyer, athlete Paul Robeson had his passport PCM. In Mexico there were no issues of and no active communication. This must revoked and was not able to travel. All of transparency, no issues of democratic never happen in a communist organization. these events had a huge impact of the centralism. The comrades functioned from Our new party, the PCUSA has a youth functioning and effectiveness of the party. beginning to end as true communists. They organization called the League of Young Then came the 60’s and Dorothy Healy’s are a shining example of how a Communist Communists (LYC) with a newspaper titled defection from the party over Czechoslovakia Party should be organized, whereas, the Our Time Is Now, a webpage, a Tumbler in 1968. Then came Al Richmond’s anti- CPUSA was not. Microphones were turned page and has reached out to youth across the communist book, Long View From The Left. off, resolutions that were passed on the floor United States. We now have active LYC cells All these events taken separately don’t mean were overturned by the comrades on the dais. in Los Angeles, Texas, Indiana, , much, but taken together, a pattern can be Parliamentary manoeuvres were made to and Florida. We are growing all the time established that shows the ideological limit debate. The pre-convention period was because we have a program and a respect of weakness of the party, and a rejection of shortened to one month and so on. All of this the important role the youth play in our Democratic Centralism. Gus Hall was a was done by non-communists to honest hard society. We consider this to be the most product of the Khrushchev era. As such, he working party members. Why? Because in important aspect of good communist work. was anti-Stalin and accepted the anti-Stalin the CPUSA we were taught to listen to our We are also participating in the People’s paradigm which influenced the CPUSA. leaders and read their publications. School for Marxist-Leninist Studies During the Brezhnev period, the anti-Stalin Unfortunately, our leaders were wrong and (http://www.psmla.org). We believe that slanders were never corrected. Later, were not challenged until it was too late. educating the youth of today to take our place Gorbachev continued with more vigor, the What has happened to the CPUSA is a in the revolutionary struggle is the most slanders of comrade Stalin that were started tragedy and a great setback for the world important. by Khrushchev. communist movement. We have not only the right but also the duty to speak up and to Communist Parties Must Retain Their Principles Before Personalities challenge our leaders when we feel they are Structure making mistakes in judgment. This was not In our movement, there have always been During its formative years, the CPUSA had done for many reasons. As it turns out, those strong personalities. We have to guard against two different types of clubs or cells. There who did were dropped from membership in the tendency of working as individuals. Our were shop clubs and community clubs. When violation of the CPUSA constitution. The collectivity is the strength of our Bolshevik a comrade was on the job, he/she was leaders of the CPUSA are people without outlook. Bad ideas and decisions come from building the party there. There were shop communist principles. us not working collectively. As I mentioned papers distributed by members of the local previously, Gus Hall was surrounded by community club. For many years, I comrades that did not permit him to interact distributed, along with many other comrades, the party paper at the plant gate at the local Webb’s mis-leadership, they became proletariat. This is not socialism. For a 4 GM auto assembly plant. This was a kind of glaringly apparent, but existed for many long time we communists in the United inside / outside strategy. Little by little, the years. The ideological weakness in the States believed that nationalization of major party atrophied until almost no one was left. CPUSA can be traced to the absence of a industries like banking and Many industrial plants were shut down in the Comentern. The first step in making the telecommunications would be better than 1980’s. As this happened, the effective Communist movement strong ideologically, direct private ownership. But now, as Lenin strategy disappeared along with it. Study is to build a new Communist International correctly teaches us, with the collusion groups disappeared. Bookstores disappeared. that is based on the direction from the KKE, between the state and the bourgeoisie, this is Soon the CPUSA was a shell of its former the PCM, the PCPE, the Communist Party of no longer true. Nationalization would just self. Those of us that demanded that we Portugal, the Communist Party of Ireland, the further the interests of the bourgeoisie and continue this club building strategy were Workers Party of Ireland, the Communist would give them even greater control that called “has beens.” That is to say that we Party of Palestine, the Turkish Communist they have now with much more force. With lived in the past. Instead of a militant, Party, the CP of El Salvador, the CP of an international communist policy, individual fighting organization, the party became an Brazil, the CP of Sudan, the Workers Party of CP’s would not be free to develop theories on appendage of the Democratic Party. Trade Hungary, the CP of Germany, and the their own. Had this been the case, after WW Union sections disappeared along with the Russian Communist Workers Party (RCWP), II, the situation in the CPUSA would have shop clubs. The Neighborhood clubs that still the Communist Party of Columbia and the been very different. As it was, all we saw was existed did precinct work for the local FARC, the Communist Party of Bolivia, the a letter from Jacques Duclos of the French Democratic candidates. Some CPUSA party PCUSA and other parties and formations that Communist Party admonishing Browder and leaders actually ran for office as Democrats. agree with the line of the Communist American exceptionalism. While this was This must never be allowed to happen in a International. This would have to take place very helpful, it turned out not to be enough to Communist organization. Comrade Lorenzo outside of the International Meeting of stop the CPUSA’s ideological slide. The Torrez, the CPUSA District Organizer in the Communist and Workers Parties (Solidnet). ideological strength has to come from the state of Arizona always ran for public office First and foremost, we must launch a polemic Comintern as it does through the KKE’s as a communist. He never expected to win. against Trotskyism, Maoism, Anarchism, and publication, World Communist Review The point of his candidacy was to publicize Social-Democracy as anti-communist (http://iccr.gr). It should be pointed out now the CPUSA platform and to recruit. He was a ideologies. We must reject schemes that here that the CPUSA now accepts Trotskyites great example of Gus Hall’s Communist Plus promote “market socialism” which requires and social-democrats into leading positions in idea. the roles of exploiter and exploited to the organization. Their purpose is to pry the continue to exist. The role of the state needs party away from the working class and Conclusions to be clarified so that comrades understand, deliver it to the petty-bourgeoisie. So far, In summing up the ideological problems laid as in Mexico, that nationalization of they have been successful. For this reason, at Sam Webb’s doorstep beginning with his industries like petrochemical does not change we are starting over as a completely new Reflections On Socialism and subsequent the relationship of the bourgeoisie to the organization with a new set of principles writings, the ideological problems existed in state. The industry is “nationalized” but the based on Marxism-Leninism and alliance the party long before his watch. Under bourgeoisie still controls it and reaps the with likeminded CP’s. profits from it and still exploits the