Intercontinental Press the Americas i, v' ? ~ * :S8E«SS^i^SM< Fred Flalstead addressing mass demonstration in Washington, D.C., May 9, 1970. With this issue we begin serializing the forthcoming book Out ment. Halstead was one of the leading organizers of the largest Now!, Fred Halstead's account of the American antiwar move- national antivyar demonstrations. See page 804. Other Features: Rockefeller's Laundry Job on CIA Struggle for Right to Abortion In Britain Washington's $25 Billion Spy Network Interview With Bernadette Devlin McAiiskey Democracy and the Portuguese Revolution A Letter from 0. Slaughter . The Predictions About an Economic Upswing .. And a Reply by Joseph Hansen policy since the turn of the century. The protests of publications like the Times are designed primarily as propagan da to smear the image of proletarian revolution and to furnish a lying, democrat The Reopening of Republica—a Significant Victory ic cover for more direct intervention in Portugal if the MFA and the Communist An important victory for workers democ the Socialist party leaders agreed to conces party prove incapable of controlling the racy was won in Portugal June 6 when the sions demanded by the military high coun mass movement and blocking its develop bourgeois military regime, in response to cil, one of them being resumption of their ment in an anticapitalist direction. mass pressure, decided to permit Republica, participation in cabinet meetings. For the bourgeoisie, democratic rights are the Lisbon daily that reflects the views of not essential to preserve their class rule; in the Socialist party leadership, to resume fact, in today's world, democratic rights publication. Two arguments were advanced in behalf stand in the way of maintaining their The heads of the Armed Forces Move of the printers whose action led to the rule—which is why we see such an erosion ment(MFA) had shut down the newspaper closing of Republica: of democracy in the "free" world. For the and sent troops to enforce evacuation of the 1. That they were concerned about an working class, democratic rights are pre premises May 20 following a provocation by alleged loss of circulation because of the cious assets in the struggle for social eman members of the printers union employed by editorial policy, which could end by bank cipation. Republica. The printers union is dominated rupting the paper and thus causing them to by the Portuguese Communist party. lose their jobs. Freedom of the press—which was directly By suppressing the only daily paper The phoniness of this argument is obvi under attack in the Republica affair—is a expressing the views of the Socialist party, ous. Through the government's action, they basic democratic right, won in long, hard which is the largest political formation in lost their jobs at once. struggles, which the working class has the Portuguese workers movement, the 2. As honest, revolutionary-minded work every interest to defend. The revolutionary- military struck a blow against freedom of ers, the printers had a right to a voice in the socialist approach to this question was the press, setting an ominous precedent for editorial policy of the newspaper on which explained by Leon Trotsky in succinct clamping down on political parties and they worked. fashion in 1938 in an article summing up This argument is as false as the first one. tendencies that offer even a semblance of the principled position of the Bolsheviks. Where they have a right to exercise a voice resistance to the MFA's efforts to block the (See "Freedom of the Press and the Working development of the Portuguese revolution. in editorial policy is in the newspaper of the Class," in the June 9 issue of Intercontinen The SP leaders fought the suppression of Communist party, Avante!. Would the CP tal Press, p. 799.) Republica by such means as withdrawing leaders agree to these printers closing down Trotsky's main argument is as follows: from cabinet meetings of the coalition Avante! because it was losing circulation or 1. Working people cannot free them government, in which they hold posts, and because they disagreed with its editor? selves from the influence of reactionary trying to mobilize international support, The logic of this argument leads to odd ideas by means of a ban on reactionary principally in bourgeois and Social Demo results. If the printers employed by Avante! publications. "In reality, only the greatest cratic circles. were members of the Socialist party, would freedom of speech, of the press, and of the CP leaders concede that they had a However, what was decisive in forcing association can create favorable conditions right to close down the paper if its editorial the military to retreat were the mass for the advance of the revolutionary move policy did not meet with their approval? demonstrations organized by the Socialist ment of the working class." Obviously every political tendency has a 2. In capitalist society, restrictions on party in defense of Republica's right to democratic right to determine its own publish. Demonstrations mobilizing, repor freedom of the press arm the bourgeois state editorial policy. And if rival political tend tedly, up to 60,000 persons were staged in with special means for controlling public encies seek to intervene on some pretext, Lisbon—proof of the sharpness of the issue opinion. Moreover, the restrictions are they are violating the democratic rights of and the awareness of many workers of its turned against working-class publications. others and laying a basis in principle for importance. That the SP leaders, thorough 3. "It is essential to wage a relentless violation of their own democratic rights. ly committed as they are to electoralist struggle against the reactionary press. But The military government's suppression of workers cannot let the repressive fist of the methods, felt obliged to mobilize the masses Republica, heartily supported by the Com in the streets indicates the pressure placed bourgeois state substitute for the struggle munist party, enabled a leading voice of that they must wage through their own on them as a consequence of the moves American imperialism, the New York against Republica. organizations and their own press." Times, to portray the conflict as evidence of In return ifor lifting the ban on Republica, Viewed from this standpoint, the failure the antidemocratic nature of communism. of the Portuguese military regime's attempt The Times sought to take advantage of the to suppress the Socialist party press must situation, just as it has taken advantage of be counted as a victory for the working Next Week . the crimes of Stalin in the USSR to smear class in the revolutionary process in Portu "Problems of General Concern in the the Russian Revolution. gal. Soviet Dissident Movement." A new But it requires imperialist gall for imperi The bourgeoisie ruled for a half century in document by Soviet historian Roy alist critics of the Portuguese regime to pose Portugal through a totalitarian dictator Medvedev. Topics discussed include ef as defenders of democratic rights. From ship. Today they are exercising their rule fects of the detente on the struggle for South Vietnam to Brazil, Spain, and Iran— through a different means, the Armed democratic rights in the USSR, disagree and in Portugal itself for almost half a Forces Movement. The MFA is relying ments among the dissidents, and Solz- century—they have amply demonstrated heavily on the Communist party to "disci henitsyn's "new messianism." From the their preference for the most sordid, venal, pline" the labor movement, to control and forthcoming book Detente and Socialist and brutal dictatorships to defend and head off strikes, and generally to contain Democracy. uphold the capitalist system. This has been the class forces pressing toward breaking the main component of American foreign up the capitalist system and its state Intercontinental Press structure. But the Stalinists' usefulness is limited by the growing economic crisis, which restricts the employment of refor In This Issue Closing Date: June 10, 1975 mist tactics. In addition, the CP is becom ing discredited among the more militant FEATURES 804 Out Now.'—Chapter 1: The Old Peace layers of the working class, owing to its Movement—by Fred Halstead class-collaborationist policy and its antide The Predictions About an Economic Upswing —by Dick Fidler mocratic attitudes. The MFA is using the time placed at its "It Is Completely Wrong to View Ecology As a Secondary Issue" disposal by the treacherous role of the BRITAIN 807 The Struggle for the Right to Abortion Stalinists to build a political movement —by Gwyn Davles directly controlled by the commanding Why Britain Should Get Out of the officers of the armed forces of the Portu Common Market guese state. London Marchers Demand, "Drop Charges A necessary part of this course is the Against Iranian 21"—by Marian McManus gagging of outlets for actual or potential Campaign to Free Desmond Trotter opposition to the MFA's goal. The closure of —by Jo O'Brien Republica was a case in point. It marked a U.S.A. 808 Rockefeller's Laundry Job on CIA Murder new level in the series of attacks by the Plots—by Caroline Lund MFA regime on the Socialist party, Maoist Washington's $25 Billion Spy Network groups, elections, and freedom of the trade —by Robert Dumont unions. PORTUGAL 812 Democracy—a Key Issue in Portuguese In this respect, the action of the CP-led Revolution—by Gerry Foley union in ousting the editor of Republica and IRELAND 822 The Conflict Between the IRSP and censoring the newspaper's editorial content "Official" Republicans dovetailed with the course followed by the CHILE 827 ILC Denounces Torture of Labor Leaders military.