MAY 22, 1981 75 CENTS VOLUME 45/NUMBER 19

A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY/PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE FRENCH ELECTIONS: WORKERS WIN BIG VICTORY -PAGES 2, 7

'·

The plan

Solidarity to slash with miners' strike workers' wages -PAGE 5 -PAGE 4

Black party leaders denounce FBI disruption -PAGE 12 In Our Opinion VOLUME .45/NUMBER 19 MAY 22, 1981 CLOSING NEWS DATE-MAY 13

United States, and around the world will be work force and an incredibly expensive substi­ U.S. workers & encouraged by this victory, which shows it is tute for personal retirement savings." possible for the workers to throw out right­ This reflects the bosses' mentality in a French elections wing capitalist governments. nutshell. As long as we produce profits for The May 10 election of Fran~;ois Mitterrand Mitterrand's election will give encourage­ them, they recognize that it is unfortunately as president of France is a victory for working ment to workers and peasants in the colonial necessary to provide us with some kind of people. and semi-colonial world, too. The French So­ wage-as long as we don't win "excessive" The Socialist Party candidate defeated in­ cialist Party is a member of the Socialist Increases. cumbent President Valery Giscard d'Estaing International, which opposes the brutal junta If we can't work any more, however, they by 52 to 48 percent. in El Salvador. Mitterrand is a member of the think we should be thrown on the scrap heap The French franc immediately plummeted. Committee for the Defense of the Revolution in like· a used-up machine. As the Times editorial The stock market was in chaos. And no Nicaragua, initiated by the Socialist Interna­ shows, they are now beginning to present wonder. For the first time since General tional. The new president will be under pres­ social security for retirees as a boondoggle. Charles De Gaulle came to power in 1958, sure to take his distance from Washington's They portray the elderly as lazy "cheats," just the workers of France finally elected a .caridi­ war drive. as they have always portrayeq recipients of date of one of their own parties. The French workers' action in tossing out welfare and unemployment compensation. The White House and Wall Street were Giscard points the way forward for American Nothing more clearly demonstrates the need shocked. The State Department said the Uni­ workers. to replace the capitalist system with a social ted States will be "watching carefully" the We face the same problems: high inflation, order where production will be for the needs of situation in France. unemployment, social cuts, racist attacks, the great majority and not the private profits Reagan's belated congratulatory statement attacks on women's rights, and the soaring of a tiny handful. was cautious. war budget. Major capitalist dailies like the New York Unlike our brothers and sisters in France, Times and Washington Post also expressed we have no mass workers party. We have concern. powerful trade unions-but the policy of the Israeli war threats The Israeli regime is pushing the Middle The Post observed, "His (Mitterrand's) vic­ union leadership is t<;> support the capitalists' East to the brink of war. tory adds another element of uncertainty to . parties. The crisis began in early April when fight­ the task the Reagan administration has set We need to build a labor party based on this ing broke out in Lebanon between Israeli­ for itself of restoring the strength and unity of potential power of our unions. backed rightists and Syrian troops stationed the West." The French people have shown what can be there. The response of French workers was quite done. The Zionists used the outbreak of fighting as different. According to ABC's "Nightline," 70 Let's follow their example. percent of French industrial workers voted for the pretext to step up their raids on Palesti­ Mitterrand. More than 100,000 people gathered nian refugees and Lebanese Moslem villages at the Place de la Bastille in Paris the night of in southern Lebanon. the victory. The scrap heap On April 28, Israeli warplanes flew into One rail worker interviewed said he backed Despite his campaign promises to the con­ central Lebanon and shot down two Syrian Mitterrand as a way to push for the 35-hour · trary, President Reagan moved on May 12 to helicopters, killing four Syrian soldiers. work week. slash social security benefits. In response, the Syrian government-moved A bakery owner said he supported Mitter­ Workers who retire at sixty-two currently get antiaircraft missiles into eastern Lebanon to rand because he was feeling the squeeze from 80 percent of the benefits they would receive if defend against further attacks. inflation and Giscard's austerity drive. they retired at sixty-five. Reagan is proposing Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin Intercontinental Press correspondent Claude that this be reduced to 55 percent. He also warned repeatedly last week that Israel would Rodier reports (see Militant page 7): "To show wants to eliminate the benefits that children of resort to "military action" if Syria did not the bosses that the relationship of forces had workers who retire at sixty-two are now en­ withdraw its missiles from Lebanon. Currently changed, workers used company time to drink titled to. Israeli troops, armor, a nd heavy artillery are toasts to their victory and discuss the results The administration is also taking aim at the reported to be massing along the border with among themselves." way the cost-of-living formula is calculated. Lebanon. The new hope and high expectations among The intention is to slow down or eliminate Although the Reagan administration is cur­ French workers is what the ruling circles in increases in the income that retirees now rently acting as a mediator, Washington's Paris and the capitalist world fear. The capi­ receive from social security. policy is directly responsible for th e Israeli talists are stepping up attacks on working The cuts that Reagan is proposing reflect provocation. people, not granting them concessions. Mitter­ not only his reactionary personal views. They When Secretary of State Haig was in the rand's victory throws a monkey-wrench into are being urged on the administration by Middle East in April, he gave his approval to their austerity drive. Republicans and Democrats alike. Some Dem­ the Israeli attacks against Syrian forces. He Seven years of Giscard's austerity combined ocrats, for example, want to raise the retire­ presented Syrian resistance to the right­ with an aggressive imperialist foreign policy is ment age to sixty-eight-going even further wingers as a danger to peace. what French workers want to alter. They want than Reagan. Reagan's security adviser, Richard Allen , jobs, not war. In a May 13 editorial, the New York Times declared Israeli raids into southern Lebanon Imperialism understands this well. This is hailed the actions of Reagan, the House, and as "hot pursuit of a sort and therefore justi­ why Washington, London and Bonn are so the Senate to slash social security. The Times fied." concerned about the Socialist Party victory. wrote, "Social Security h as become both an Israel h as no business in Lebanon. Stop the Workers in Western Europe, J apan, the inducement for the productive to leave the raids! Militant Highlights This Week The Militant Editors: CINDY JAQUITH · ANDY ROSE Business Manager: NANCY ROSENSTOCK Editorial Staff: Nan Bailey, Nelson Blackstock, Steve Bride, Fred Feldman, Nelson Gonzalez, Wil· liam Gottlieb, Sue Hagen, Suzanne Haig. Diane 3 ·Atlanta candidates· debate Jacobs, Margaret Jayko, Malik Miah, Harry Ring, 5 Miners solidarity Vivian Sahner, Priscilla Schenk, Stu Singer. Published weekly except two weeks in Au · 6 Socialist vs. KKKer gust, the last week of December, and the first 7 Protest waste dumping week of January by the Militant (ISSN 0026- 8 Sales team reports May 3 and fight against.war 3885), 14 Charles Lane, New York, NY 16 Vietnam-Salvador rally Washington is on a drive toward 10014. Telephone: Editorial Office, (212) 22 Testimony of George Breitman militarization and war, in an effort to stem 243-6392; Business Office, (212) 929-3486. the tide of liberation struggles in Latin Correspondence concerning subscrip­ 10 DaybyDay America, Asia and Africa. The May 3 tions or changes of address should be 17 Solidarity with Central America Pentagon march showed the depth of addressed to The Militant Business Of­ and Caribbean fice, 14 Charles Lane, New York, N.Y. popular opposition to that drive. Page 16. 18-21 World news and analysis 10014. 29 Our Revolutionary Heritage Second-class postage paid at New York, 30 The Great Society NY Subscriptions: U.S. $24.00 a year, out­ American Way of Life side U.S. $30.00. By first-class mail: U.S., What's Going On Canada, and Mexico: $60.00. Write for air­ 31 Letters mail rates to all other countries. If You Like This Paper. .. Signed articles by contributors do not necessarily represent the Militant's views. These are expressed in editorials.

2 THE MILITANT MAY 22,1981 Atlanta mothers expect massive May 25 ·rally By Carlos Williams show their solidarity with Atlanta's ATLANTA-I spent April 22 in the Black community and to protest the offices of the Committee to Stop Child­ continued killings. Mine locals back action ren's Murders. The committee is organ­ Obviously, this is an expression of With the-discovery ofthe body of endorsed May 25. The Coalition of izing a raliy in Washington, D.C., on race solidarity-not race war. Moore seventeen-year-old William ·Barrett Black Trade Unionists and the May 25 to protest the unsolved said she's also frequently been asked if in Atlanta on May 12, bringing the Coalition to Stop the Children's murders of Black youth in Atlanta. the killings are racially motivated. She total of murders of Black youth Murders are organizing buses from Along with protesting the wave of answers she's not interested in the race there to twenty-seven, civil rights, Pittsburgh to go to Washington. murders of Black youth in Atlanta, of the killer. labor, and other organizations in The May 25 rally will assemble May 25 is focusing on other questions, 2:00 p.m.-Loud cheers went up in many states continue to build for at 11 a.m. at the Lincoln Memorial. including opposition to President Rea­ the office. IBM called saying they were the rally in Washington, D.C., May The program begins at 1 p.m. For gan's cutbacks in social services. donating a xerox copier ninety days, 25 to protest the killings. more information call the Commit­ 12:00 noon-"We're protesting how free of charge, for the office. Two United Mine Workers lo­ tee to Stop the Children's Murders, the country is falling apart," Sharon 2:26 p.m.-Political activist Dick cals, 6132 near Pittsburgh and 1949 Washington, D.C.: (202) 783-6627. Moore, a staff worker, told me. "We're Gregory called to speak to Venus Tay­ in Fairmont, West Virginia, have Atlanta: (404) 525-7892. protesting murdered and m1ssmg lor, one of the mothers of the slain children all across the country. This children. could happen anywhere. That's why 3:20 p.m.-The ABC-TV local affil­ "He's doing a little talking now, but he of the parents. people are demonstrating. That's why iate visits the office to film a special. came twenty-four children too late," "It hurts all Black women in general. we formed our organization." 3:40 p.m.-Volunteers, staffers, and was her reply. If they can say this, it means they're A quick look around the office and brothers and sisters of some of the I asked Jones about the media saying this is what Black women in one could see a calendar of speaking slain children finish putting out a slander that the murdered youth were general do. My mother didn't kill me." engagements. The entire months of 1,000-piece mailing with information "street kids." 4:24 p.m.-Hodding Carter III, of April and May are filled. From Califor­ on the march. "Little white kids do the same thing former President Jimmy Carter's ad­ nia to New Jersey, from Florida to 3:45 p.m.-I asked Eunice Jones the as our kids do to survive-run errands ministration, walks in. Carter III is Indiana, Ohio and Colorado. The importance of May 25. "Through all for people in their neighborhood. But now a columnist for the Wall Street mothers are getting out their story. this," she replied, "lots of people from they blame the Black child. White kids Journal and an interviewer for public They have addressed union meetings, around the world will give us moral are not branded as hustlers. They're television. He came to interview Ann community groups, students, and the support. This is good because we can't not branded as street kids. They're not Maxey, a key organizer of the commit­ media. do it all by ourselves." branded as homosexuals, because tee. I asked Moore if she got any hostile Jones explained that the investiga­ they're not being killed." Maxey told Carter that people from questions when speaking. She said the tion is "not going well. I think they Jones expressed her views on the ninety cities will be in D.C. on May 25. only one was about the green ribbons. should get the murderer. There's not FBI charge that some of the parents I left the office full of people, busy A person asked wasn't it "a symbol of enough being done: There's too many killed their own children. It was "cold with activity, building the- May 25 a race war?" people on computers sitting behind blooded and unfitting. It's like they're rally. Calls were coming in from all All across America, Blacks and desks. They got to get out on the not paying any attention to our pain over the country. Little did I know that whites in the hundreds of thousands streets." and agony. They have no facts. If they more Black· youth would be murdered are wearing green ribbons. Why? To What about Mayor Jackson? I asked. did they'd arrest one of us. It hurts all - or missing before this historic rally.

Mayoral candidates debate Atlanta killings By Dick McBride ATLANTA-Nine candidates have entered the race for mayor of this city. Among them are a fired police chief, Reginald Eaves; a fired United Na­ tions ambassador, Andrew Young; and a fired Lockheed worker, Andree Kahl­ morgan of the Socialist Workers Party. Because the mayoral offic~ is limited to two terms, Mayor Maynard Jackson is unable to run for reelection. The problems facing working people in Atlanta are the same as in other cities across the country: unemploy­ ment, inflation, cutbacks in social ser­ vices. But the central issue in the Atlanta Campaign debate. Socialist Chris Hoeppner, third from left, speaking. Far right, Andrew Young. campaign is the murder of Black youth. Except for Kahlmorgan, all the can­ a business-as-usual position." Hoeppner explained the socialist generate a vibrant neighborhood busi­ didates have a silent agreement not to He explained the government inac­ campaign's total opposition to the ness revolution that will help, us em­ make the murders of the Black youth tion to solve the child murders is part propaganda by the government and ploy ourselves." an issue in this campaign. of a Democratic and Republican party media blaming the children. The other candidates addressed The response of the candidates to stepped-up racist campaign going on He spoke against the accusation themselves to what they called the this issue was demonstrated recently throughout this country. made by an FBI agent that the moth­ "burning issues" of increasing Atlan­ at a debate before a predominantly "We've seen the murder and refusal ers had killed their own children. ta's tax base and luring business into the city to create jobs. Black audience of 300 at Morehouse to bring to justice the killers of Arthur During the opening statements, College. McDuffie in Miami, the killing of Hoeppner was the only candidate to be One candidate, Sydney Marcus, a Chris Hoeppner represented SWP Black men in Buffalo, New York, and interrupted by applause. white contractor, suggested that the women at the predominantly Black candidate Kahlmorgan at the debate. the recent killings in New Orleans," he Andrew Young and the other candi~ His opening remarks went straight to said. dates said nothing in their opening Capital Homes housing project who the point. He urged everyone to build the May remarks about the child murders. have "native ability to sew" could Hoeppner told the audience, "While 25 rally in Washington, D.C., which Young's plan for Atlanta is to create have jobs in the needle trades if we many don't think the child murders has been called by the mothers of - jobs by new businesses starting up in "lured" these businesses into Atlanta. should be made an issue in the cam­ Atlanta's slain Blacks and which can neighborhoods (grocery stores, auto That's white business compassion for paign, they are an issue. This is hap­ help force the local, state, and federal repair shops, etc.). "People have access you. You dread to hear his proposal for pening in our streets, and we can't take governments to act. to capital," he said, "and we can the "living wage" to pay this "native ability to sew." All of the candidates except for so­ cialist Hoeppner talked about streng­ thening the police, suggesting every- · thing from using shotguns to the idea Read the ideas from one candidate, named Schulman, an ex-CIA agent, that "the police should use mushroom bullets. You can they're out to suppress stop a robber with less shots, two or three, as opposed to seven or eight," he One of the most important trials of the 1980s is taking 0 $2 for eight issues (new readers only) said. 0 $5 for three months 0 $24 for one year During the question period, a Black place in a courtroom in New York City. At stake is the right 0 New 0 Renewal man asked all the candidates why only of American workers to hold socialist ideas and to put one of them had addressed the child those ideas in practice. Name murders. He asked if they favored investigating the KKK and defending Unfortunately, they're not going to let you watch it on Address -~~~~~- ---~-~---­ City -~------~~--~------· ·- ·-· -- the mothers against FBI accusations. live television. But you can read about it in the Militant. State ------~--- - Z1p __ ~------__ ___ Andrew Young said it was inapprop­ Subscribe now. riate to say anything in public regard­ 14 Charles Lane. New York . New York 10014 ing the investigation and to do what we can .in private. Continued on page 8

MAY 22, 1981 THE 'MII,.IT ANT 3 Conrail workers hit by wage-cutting pact Ful·l ·text of agreement on contract concessions By Stu Singer union officials backing Conrail management de- the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, is 1'he Militant is printing all the text and accom~ mands. The only additional poirits are agreement to . referred to. This is the law that established Conrail panying charts and letters we have beEm able to also cut the pay of management and to support and Amtrak. obtain explaining the wage, benefit and work-rule putting a "representative of the employees," pre- In addition to their proposal to cut Conrail concessions agreed to by rail union leaders and the sumabiy Fred Kroll, on the Conrail Board of Direc- funding and sell it to other railroads, the Reagan management of Conrail. tors. administration is also pushing a bill to end the We feel this information should be available to all Kroll acknowledges the extent of the concessions: government-backed income guarantees that rail rail workers as quickly as possible. "Two hundred million dollars is a hell of a lot of workers won when Conrail was set up. This is These concessions will be a real blow to Conrail money from the workforce-a hell of a sacrifice." called Title V. workers and all other rail union members if they go It takes a hell of a nerve to offer Conrail's Another development related to the fate of Con- through. The national rail contracts are presently fabulously rich owners $200 million a year out of rail concerns the commuter lines around New York being negotiated and will be influenced by these the pockets of working people. City and Philadelphia. They carry 370,000 people a concessions. And the concession agreement contains no provi- day. The United Auto Workers members at Chrysler sion at all to safeguard jobs. Richard Ravitch, head of the Metropolitan Trans- who are already suffering from similar contract Fred Kroll is chairma1;1 of the Railway Labor portation Authority in New York, demands that rail concessions will want to study the proposed Conrail Executives Association and president of the Broth- workers be put under New York's no-strike Taylor deal; so will coal miners who are entering the erhood of Railway and Airline Clerks, one of the Law before the MTA will consider taking over seventh week of a national strike to avoid give- largest rail unions. Conrail commuter lines. backs. The reaction of the Reagan administration so far * * * The Conrail contract concessions were announced is to go ahead with their plan to cut Conrail funding Behind the lawyers' language, this set of conces- at a May 5 news conference by New Jersey Demo- and sell it off. sions represents an attack on rail workers and all cratic Congressman James Florio, union leader The concession agreement has been approved so other working people. Fred Kroll, and Conrail Board Chairman L. Stanley far by the heads of twelve ..of the fourteen unions It requires wide circulation and serious discus- Crane. which represent the 70,000 Conrail workers. The sion. The announcement came less than a week after Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the Rail workers gave an example of their militancy the demonstration protesting the proposed cuts in Signalmen's union have not agreed. and a hint of their potential power at the April 29 Conrail and Amtrak. The protest brought up to Most rail unions do not have the right of the demonstrations. 25,000 rail workers to Washington April 29. The membership to vote on their contract. As yet, none It will require the same unity among the different militant action, which disrupted some rail service in of the unions have announced a ratification proce- rail unions to fight the givebacks in this contract the northeast that day, saw workers chanting dure. and the attacks of the Reagan administration. Rail "Strike, Strike, Strike!" Conrail (Consolidated Rail Corporation) is the workers will have to act in some of the bold ways Thousands of other rail workers demonstrated in 17,000-mile, federally funded railroad put together hinted at on April 29. cities throughout the country April 29. from six bankrupt lines in the Northeast and A successful figbt to save the jobs and wages of The demonstrations were organized to protest the Midwest. It was formed in 1976. Conrail workers will require action by rail wo.rkers plans of both the Reagan administration and Con- Conrail is a privately owned corporation. It has across the country and the backing of the entire rail management. The Reagan proposal is to abol- received over $3.3 billion from the government since union movement. ish workers' job protection rights, cut funding for it was set up. In particular, the fate of the rail workers is tied to Conrail, and sell it to private lines. Conrail manage- Much of Conrail's income goes into the pockets of the hard battle being fought by the United Mine ment proposes to keep Conrail as a system to be the previous owners. Penn Central Corporation, for Workers. made profitable by big wage concessions by the example, a Conrail shareholder and now a major The Militant will continue to report on the discus- workers. Both plans will eliminate rail worker jobs, real estate owner, was paid $2.1 billion by Conrail. sions about the serious questions facing rail work- wages, working conditions, and benefits. One reference in the proposed agreement needs ers and the perspectives that are raised to help win The concessions announced May 5 represent the further explanation. It is Section 4, where Title V of the fight.

May 5, 1981 senting Conrail employees when the tenns of dited Railway Labor Act procedure. collectively referred to as "rates of pay"), pro­ present directors expire in March 1982. • The Agreement is subject to each organi­ vided for in the National Agreement to be Mr. Fred J. Kroll Very truly yours, zation's ratification procedures. made effective on or before December 31, Chainnan R. E. Swert • The Agreement lasts for the term of Na­ 1981, shall be made effective for each craft or Railway Labor Executives Association Senior Assistant Vice President, tional Agreement (or 3 years), but if Conrail class of Conrail employees on the respective 815 16th Street, N. W. Labor Relations sells small parts of railroad, employees ori dates set forth in the National Agreement to Washington, D. C. that part go back to National wage levels. the extent the sum of such increases exceeds • Conrail will recommend to Federal Go­ 10%. Dear Mr. Kroll": May 5, 1981 vernment that employees receive stock for (ii) Increases in rates of pay provided for in This letter reflects a number of under­ deferred wages, and be represented on the the National Agreement to be made effective standings reached by parties in connection Fred J . Kroll Board of Directors. on or after J anuary 1, 1982 shall be made ef- . with the Agreement of May 5, 1981 regarding Chairman, Railway Labor labor contr ibutions to self-sufficiency for Executives Association Conrail. AFL-CIO Building 815 16th Street, N. W. Washington, D.C. Suppose industry Conrail increases Conrail lags Nonrailroad Subsidiaries Date increases are: would be: industry by: The labor organizations signatory to this Dear Mr. Kroll: 4/1/81 7% 0% 7% agreement strongly desire that employees of This letter refers to conferences leading to 7/1/81 3% 0% 10% nonrailroad subsidiaries of the Corporation an agreement between Conrail and labor or­ 10/1/81 2% 2% 10% make wage concessions equivalent to those ganizations representing its employees re­ 1/1/82 2% 0% 12% ptovided for in this Agreement. The Corpora­ garding labor contributions to self-sufficien­ 7/1/82 5% 5% 12% tion agrees that equity requires such conces­ cy for Conrail. 1/1/83 5°io 5% 12% sions by subsidiary employees. The Corpora­ In the event Conrail negotiates an 7/1/83 5% 5% 12% tion will instruct the managements of its sub­ agreement with an organization not signato­ 1/1/84 5% 5% 12% sidiaries to exert every reasonable effort to ry to such labor .contribution agreement induce the labor organizations representing which does not contain wage deferrals sub­ subsidiary employees to agree to such conces­ stantially identical to those contained in that sions. . agreement, the wage deferrals, or lack there­ of, contained in such agreement with a non­ Suppose industry Conrail increases Conrail lags signatory organization shall be applicable Date increases are: would be: industry by: Shares of Stock immediately to the employees represented by The labor organizations signatory to this the signatory organizations. 4/1/81 6% 0% 6% Agreement strongly desire that employees Very truly yours, 7/1/81 3% 0% 9% making the concessions regarding rates of R. E. Swert 10/1/81 2% 1% 10% pay provided for in this Agreement receive Assistant Vice-President 1/1/82 4% 2% 12% shares of stock in the Corporation in ex­ Labor Relations 7/1/82 5%· 5% 12% change for the economic value of their conces­ 1/1/83 5% 5% 12% sions. rhe Corporation understands and sup­ 7/1/83 5% 5% 12% ports this desire, but is without legal authori­ Explanation of Conrail 1/1/84 5% 5% 12%. ty to transfer stock to employees in exchange Labor Contribution Agreement for the concessions. The Corporation will rec­ ommend strongly to the Department of • Conrail will place into effect all provi­ Transportation and to the United States sions of the National Agreement for each or­ Agreement between Conrail and Certain fective for each craft or class of Conrail em­ Railway Association that an arrangement be ganization, except Labor Organizations for Labor ployees on the respective dates set forth in made to provide shares to the employees of · - Wage increases on Conrail will lag Na­ Contributions to Self-Sufficiency for Conrail the National Agreement to the extent the Conrail securities constituting a meaningful tional increases by 10% until December 31, sum of such increases, combined with . the interest in the Corporation. 1981. 1. This Agreement is intended to provide sum of the increases in rates of pay provided - Thereafter, wage increases on Conrail for the deferral of certain wage increases, for in the National Agreement for 1981 and will lag National increases by 12%. without reductions in current rates of pay, referred to in subparagraph (i J, exceeds 12'k. Directors - Examples of how this works are at­ from agreement employees as a means of en­ The labor organizations signatory to this tached. hancing Conrail's prospects to become self­ (iii) For the purposes of t his Agreement, Agreement strongly desire that the represen­ • At no time will wages on Conrail be cut. sustaining. To accomplish this objective, each "increase," including each cost of living tatives of Conrail employees be elected to the • Management will take the same wage Conrail agrees to adopt and apply the terms · adjustment, shall be computed as a percen­ Conrail Board of Directors. The Corporation deferrals and force reductions as agreement of the National Agreements reached between tage increase over the rate of pay existing im­ will encourage the Department of Transpor­ employees. the industry and signatory organizations, mediately prior to the increase. tation and the United States Railway Associ­ • The contribution agreement is cancelled subject to the limitations hereinafter set (b) This document shall not be construed ation, which control the majority of the stock if the Federal government passes laws to forth. to require a reduction in rates of pay in effect of the Corporation, to give careful considera­ break-up Conrail. 2. (a) (i) Increases in rates of pay, includ­ as of the date of t his Agreement. tion to the appointment of directors repre- • Work rules will be handled under expe- ing cost of living adjustments (hereinafter 3. The Corporation reserves the right not

4 THE MILITANT MAY 22, 1981 to place into effect the terms and conditions of promptly investigate the facts of the dispute the Na tional Agreement for Conrail employ­ and make a written report to the parties, set­ ees in any craft or class the representatives of ting forth advisory recommendations for res­ Labor answers which are not signatories to this Agreement.· olution of the dispute. Such report shall be issued within 180 calendar days from the 4. Labor cost savings resulting from (al date of the appointment of the public the National Agreement a~ applied to a craft member(s). The time limit for issuing there­ attacks on miners or class of Conrail employees, or (b) imple­ port may be extended by agreement between mentation of the existing Crew Consist By Fred Feldman arbitration. the organization and the carrier members of Big business and the government are Brnusak also pointed to the dangers Agreements or the Fireman Manning the Panel. However, in the event the carrier Agreement, or (c) any action by the Corpora­ escalating their efforts to bring the to miners' safety involved inthe forty­ and organization members are unable to tion authorized by Title V of the Regional agree on an extension time, the public United Mine Workers of America to five day probation period the mine­ Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, as amended, member(s) may extend the time limit on their heel. And that means labor solidarity owners are demanding for new (the "Rail Act") or, (d) separation of employ­ own motion for one thirty (30) calendar day with the miners is becoming even more hires. A probation period would give ees under any other law or agreement, or (e) period. The procedures and manner of inves­ important. the company forty-five days during termination or transfer of Conrail's responsi­ tigation of the Fact Finding Panel shall bees­ Anti-miner propaganda is taking a which new miners could be forced by bility for the actual payment of allowances, tablished by the Panel. the company to work under unsafe expenses or costs under Title V of the Rail new tack. Up until recently, the bosses Act, or other employee protection program, (e) Following the issuance of the report of claimed that it made no sense for conditions with no union protection if shall not be counted toward the amount of la­ the Advisory Fact Finding Panel, negotia­ miners to strike in defense of their they refused. · bor contributions or labor cost savings re­ tions and/or mediation will resume for a peri­ rights, since even a long strike would' "You had a demonstration last week quired under this Agreement. od of not less than sixty (60) calendar days have little impact on the industry or against U.S. Steel," said Brnusak, from the date the report was issued. referring to a protest action outside the 5. The signatory parties to this Agreement the economy. recognize the necessity of an expedited proce­ (f) If the dispute is not resolved during pro­ Now all the problems of the economy U.S. St~l stockholders' meeting in dure for the processing of proposed rules cessing in the procedural step set forth in the are being pinned on the striking min­ Pittsburgh, May 4, which Local 1397 changes served pursuant to the Railway La­ paragraph next above, and has not been sub­ ers. was involved in. bor Act by or on the Consolidated Rail Corpo­ mitted to arbitration, then any time follow­ The employers' public relations cam­ "Miners demonstrated against cuts ration. Accordingly, proposals served by or on ing the expiration of the moratorium pro­ paign needs to be answered by spread­ in black lung benefits in Washington the Consolidated Rail Corporation subse­ vided for in Section 6(a) of this Agreement or ing solidarity with the miners through­ March 9. And we protested the four­ quent to the date of this Agreement shall be after the Mediation Board has terminated its out the labor movement. And that is day week policy at Kirby. It's clear handled in accordance with the terms of the services, whichever is later, either party to beginning to happen. that we have to be united like the the dispute may serve a 30-day written notice Railway Labor Act, as amended, subject to The miners' demonstration in Pitts­ Polish workers if we're going to get the procedures outlined below: to. the other that peaceful efforts have failed to resolve the dispute. Thereafter, the dispute burgh April 30 showed broad labor anywhere." (a) The Consolidated Rail Corporation or a may be progres~ed to a conclusion under the support for the union. Speakers in­ The Steelworkers local agreed to labor organization may serve a Section 6 No­ Railway Labor Act, as amended. cluded United Steelworkers Vice­ hold a plant gate collection on May 20 tice on the other party of desired changes in president Joseph Odorcich and District for the miners. the applicable working rules agreement. 6 (a). The parties to this Agreement shall 15 DirectOr Paul Lewis; Amalgamated Officers and members of Local 1397 Within 90 calendar days thereafter the other not serve nor progress prior to the date or Clothing and Textile Workers Vice­ sense the big stakes for all workers in p~rty will be privileged to serve counterprop­ dates for such action as provided under the president Henry Dropkin; AFL-CIO the miners' strike. As more unions and osals for concurrent handling with the initial National Agreement or April 1, 1984, which­ International Representative Alan Section 6 Notice. ever is earlier (not to become effective be­ other organizations find out the truth fore the date or dates provided in such Na­ Kissler; Jesse Young, representing the about the strike, active support for the (b) The parties will make a sincere effort International Association of Machi­ miners will spread Tapidly. to resolve the issues in direct negotiations. tional Agreement or April1, 1984, whichever is later), any notice or proposal for the pur­ nists and Aerospace Workers; and (c) Direct negotiations between the parties pose of changing the provisions of this Mario Rosso, representing the mari­ will continue for a minimum of ninety (90) Agreement and any proposals in now pend­ time unions. calendar days. If either party feels that insuf­ ing notices on subject matters covered by this A good example of what is possible Women miners ficient progress is being made in direct nego­ Agreement will be withdrawn by the parties tiations at any time following the expiration was reported to the Militant by Bill concurrent with the settlement of the Nation­ Kalman, a member of United Steel­ to meet of the initial ninety (90) calendar days here­ al Agreement. This will not bar management The Third National Conference inabove referred to, such advice will be given workers Local 1397 at U.S. Steel's and any organization from agreeing upon Homestead works. of Women Coal Miners will meet in to the other party to the dispute and the par­ any subject matter of mutual interest. ties will jointly invoke the services of the Na­ At a recent union meeting, the local Carbondale, Illinois, on May· 22-24. tional Mediation Board with the request that (b). This will not bar the parties from han­ voted in favor of supporting the min­ The conference will begin with a the National Mediation Board immediately dling work rule notices in accordance with ers' strike and to invite miners to the memorial service at Mother Jones's .docket the disp~te and conduct concerted and the provisions of Section 5 of this Agreement. next meeting. gravesite, both because she was a expedited mediation. The National Media­ 6(c). This Agreement shall expire as to At the May 11 union meeting, sev­ staunch advocate of the rights of tion Board will conduct mediation for a min­ freight employees leaving service with the enty-five steelworkers heard two offic­ coal miners and because the Equal imum of ninety (90l calendar days from the Corporation upon sale or transfer of freight Rights Amendment is coming up date the dispute was docketed by that BoaTd. ers of United Mine Workers Local2300, rail properties of the Corporation upon which representing union members at the for a final vote in Illinois. (d) At the end of that period, the notices in­ those employees were employed. For pur-· Cumberland mine in Kirby, Pa. The Addie Wyatt, the Executive Vice volved in the dispute may be submitted at the poses of this subsection, rail properties has officers were Local President Tony President of the Coalition of Labor request of either party to an Advisory Fact the same meaning as under Section 10202) Brnusak and Recording Secretary Union Women and a leader of the Finding Panel consisting of 7 members, 2 to of the Rail Act. United Food and Commercial be selected by the organization, 2 to be select­ Jane Christopher. 7. If this Agreement should be determined Workers Union, will give the key­ ed by the carrier, and 3 public members to be Formerly owned by U.S. Steel, the to be invalid in whole or in part with respect selected by mutual agreement of the parties Cumberland mine was sold a few note address. to any craft or class covered, this Agreement and appointed by the National Mediation Workshop topics include: mine shall be of no force or effect with respect to weeks ago to Sohio, one of the Rocke­ Board. If either party makes such submis­ health and safety; childcare in the that craft or class and the rates of pay of all feller ·family oil companies. sion, the parties shall request that mediation coalfields; union organizing and employees in such craft or class shall be re­ The t~o miners were introduced by be recessed. The appointment of the public turned to the levels applicable on the effec­ Local 1397 President Ron Weisen. building the UMWA; sexual ha­ members shall be made within ten (10) ca­ tive date of this Agreement. Taking up the issues in the strike, rassment; and special health con­ lendar days of the date of request. If the par­ 8. The Corporation will abide by the provi­ Brnusak described how the Arbitration cerns of miners. ties cannot agree upon the selection of the 3 sions of proposed legislation pending before Two hundred people are expected public members, the National Mediation Review Board was used against the the House of Representatives Committee on to attend from ten states, including Board shall make such selection. One of the Kirby miners. (The UMW A is demand­ Energy and Commerce as of the date of this for the first time a contingent of public members shall be selected chairman ing that the pro-company ARB be Agreement regarding nonagreement employ­ by the parties, or failing agreement, by the abolished and all its rulings cancelled.) women miners from Utah. ee compensation and force levels, which reads National Mediation Board. The Advisory He told how Local 2300 had been The conference is open to all as follows: Fact Finding Panel shall convene within forced out on strike even · before the women coal miners and their sup­ "(1) Non-agreement personnel.-(A) (i) porters. Organizers say it's a good thirty (30) calendar days from date of ap­ Employees who are not subject to collective­ contract expired, when U.S. Steel fired pointment of the public member(s) and shall bargaining agreements (hereinafter in this. six miners for joining a picket line idea to pre-register. The registra­ section referred to as 'non-agreement person­ against imposition of a four-day week. tion fee of $48 includes room and nel') are foregoing wage increases and bene­ The company claimed the right to fire board. fits in an amount proportio.nately equivalent the six under ARB ruling 108. That The conference is sponsored by to the amount forgone by agreement employ­ ruling authorizes dismissal of any the Coal Employment Project. For ees pursuant to paragraph (5) of this subsec­ miner for picketing, making state­ more information, contact Mary AMERICAN tion, adjusted annually to reflect inflation. ments, or any other action that can be Anne Cabage at P.O. Box 3403, "(iiJ For purposes of this subparagraph, interpreted as encouraging an unauth­ Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 37830; or RAILROADS non-agreement personnel shall be assumed call (615) 482-3428. to be eligible to receive periodic wage in­ orized strike. creases to the same extent as agreement em- The issue of the firings is now in ployees. " "(B) The number of non-agreement per­ sonnel is reduced proportionately to any re­ duction in agreement employees (excluding reductions pursuant to the termination pro­ gram under section 702 of this Act). Any re­ duction in non-agreement personnel which occurs after May 1, 1981 , shall be included for purposes of this subparagraph." 9(a). This Agreement shall be construed as a separate Agreement by and on behalf of Conrail, its employees represented by the la­ bor organizations signatory hereto, and each such signatory. (b). This Agreement is made subject to the ratification procedures of the respective labor organizations signatory hereto. Such organi­ zations agree to notify Conrail promptly of the results of such ratification. (c) This Agreement shall be null and void if there is enacted into law any provision that The Case for Nationalization could cause the sale or transfer of substan­ 109 pp. , $2.45. Order from Pathfinder tially all of the Corporation's freight rail Press, 410 West St., New York, N.Y. properties (as defined in Section 102(12) of 10014. Please include$. 75 for postage. the Rail Act) during the term of this Agreement. Miners demonstrate May 12 at coal terminal in St. Louis.

MAY 22,1981 THE MILITANT 5 Socialist vs. KKK in N. Carolina race By Kelly Lawrence But Grady's activities don't stop at and Greg McCartan picnic lunches and rallies. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.-Until Two months ago, he led a group of ·three weeks ago, Betsy Soares was the twenty robed KKKers to the Lincolnton only announced candidate for mayor of County jail to try to post bond for a Winston-Salem. Soares, a welder at twenty-year-old Black man accused of Bahnson Company, is running on the raping a white woman. Grady claimed Socialist Workers Party ticket. that the racist vigilantes wanted to "see But on April 24, Joe Grady, the Impe­ that justice was done." rial Wizard of the White Knights of Lib­ Grady also heads the recently-tilrmed erty, a faction of the Ku Klux Klan, an­ coalition of the KI\K and Southern nounced that he will run for mayor on Whites Against Tyranny (SWAT), a the Republican ticket. group that took credit for threatening James J . Booker, the chairman of the meetings of Black leaders Dick Gregory Forsyth County Republican Party, said, and Julian Bond during Black History "We're not going to disavow him or back Week here. him. Mr. Grady is a citizen of this coun­ Since her news conference, Soares try. Right now, he is registered as aRe­ herself has received threatening letters publican and he has a right to run. I from the Klan, inviting her to a July 4 don't expect him to survive the pri­ burning-in-effigy of Black City Council mary." members, and to a showing of the racist Soares's response was very different. film, "Birth of a Nation." This harass­ At a well-attended news conference, she ment is an attempt to intimidate her called on the labor movement to "launch and her campaign supporters. The an emergency effort to field its own in­ Klan;Republican says that one aim of dependent candidates" to oppose this ra­ his campaign is to keep communists out cist, anti-working class campaign. of Winston-Salem. Grady's campaign comes on the heels of the acquittal last year of six Klan and Soares explained, "Racist scum like Nazi members who murdered five anti­ Grady feel comfortable in both of the major capitalist parties. Grady himself racist activists in Greensboro, North Carolina. has run for public office twice before Grady organized a support rally for --once as a Democrat and then as a Re­ the murderers, where they displayed publican. SOCIALIST BETSY SOARES • autopsy photographs of the victims. "This fact should lay to rest any belief He also brought picnic lunches to the that the two parties represent different courtroom for the defendants during the interests. about support to the 'working class man' an atmosphere where avowed racists trial. "The Klan-Republican's rhetoric is simply a smokescreen. like Grady ca n operate openly. "Grady claims he· opposes the "Grady appeals to white workers in 'wealthy white manipulators who run order to try and divide those of us who this city like a country club.' But a look work for a living. at his program shows that there's no­ "That's why this Klan-Republican thing in it for working people, Black or campaign, and the racist violence that SWP hits restrictive ballot law white." goes with it, poses a grave danger to the By Greg McCartan time since the 1.930s that a socialist par­ Grady is opposed to the city's affirma­ labor movement of this city. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.-On April ty was on the ballot. tive action program for hiring Blacks in "My campaign stands 100 percent op­ 17, the North Carolina state legislature The ability of the four parties to at­ local government positions. He's op­ posed to the Klan, and on the side of passed a bill that further restricts the tain ballot status reflects the growing posed to federally-funded programs to Blacks, women, and all working people. voting rights of working people. House dislike of the policies of the Democrats upgrade housing and services in the I'm for making Winston-Salem a union Bill 406 requires that anyone signing a and Republicans, policies that benefit Black community. He's a big supporter town . I support the Voting Rights Act, petition to attain ballot status for a the rich, and not the poor and working of "free enterprise." busing to desegregate the schools, and third party would have their voter regis­ people. But rather than change their Soares pointed out that the Klan has open housing. I join with the Black com­ tration changed to that party. Although policies, the two parties decided to just traditionally opposed workers organiz­ munity's outrage over the Klan's photo the bill also lowers the number of peti­ make it harder this time for third par­ ing into trade unions. They oppose the exhibit to be displayed in our public li­ tions needed from the current 10,000 to ties to express their views. Equal Rights Amendment and legalized brary. 5,000, the measure basically requires Betsy Soares, Socialist Workers can­ abortions. "Let's follow the example of the 4,000 third parties to register at least 5,000 didate for mayor of Winston-Salem, "That's why, despite rhetoric to the women and men who marched here for voters under the party's name. said: "The Democrats and Republicans contrary, the interests of the Klan and the ERA on May 2; the tens of thousands of young people who went to Washing­ Douglas Clark, chairperson of the hope to further restrict the rights of the interests of workers are diametrical­ ton on May 3 to oppose Reagan's war Elections Laws Committee, explained working people to organize independ­ ly opposed. drive; the textile workers, rail workers that after a party had submitted the re­ ently of the two parties of the rich. So­ "But they mesh quite nicely with the and coal miners who are saying quired signatures, "The [local] election cialists get on the ballot for the first textile and tobacco barons who run this boards would then note that [the time in forty years, the National Black state. 'Enough' to the White House and the corporations. signers'] registration had been changed Independent Political Party is being or­ "The ruling rich and their two parties "Through mobilizing in actions like from Democrat to Communist." ganized here and in other states, and know very well that they can use cam­ these, we can show the people who run there is a discussion in the labor move­ paigns like Grady's as a battering ram ment about labor forming its own party. this city that the majority does not sup­ In 1980, four parties in addition to the to make even further inroads with their port their pro-big business policies. Democrats and Republicans achieved The response from the parties of the rich own offensive against Blacks, Latinos, "And by labor fielding its own candi­ ballot status in the state. Independents is to clamp. down on democratic rignts, women, and labor. for Anderson, the Citizens Party, Liber­ to try to stop Blacks and working people dates in the elections, we can provide an tarian Party, and the Socialist Workers from questioning their policies. "It's their bipartisan policy of war alternative to the whole gang- Klan, Party all fulfilled the requirements un­ "We plan to go on a campaign to chal­ against the workers and farmers in the Republicans and Democrats--on the der the old state law. It was the first lenge this blatantly undemocratic law." U.S. and around the world that creates polit ical level." U.S. Irish protests win Black support An outpouring of support for the Irish One of the keynote speakers at the In Philadelphia, 5,000 people held a Latino, and Irish demonstrators carried freedom fight has taken place across the aervice was Rev. Nicholas Hood, pastor candlelight vigil at the Philadelphia a symbolic coffin. country since Bobby Sands died on May of Plymouth Congregational Church Bulletin offices, May 5, according to Mil­ In Chicago , 500 attended a memorial 5. and a member of the Detroit City Coun­ itant correspondents Newton Brown and mass on May 9, and picket lines are up cil. every day at the British consulate. Marc Lichtman reports from New John Warner. Hood, who is Black, received loud ap­ York City that "protests at the British "The action, called by Noraid, took In South Boston, 500 attended an plause when he said, "I am not here be­ place at the Bulletin because of its con­ consulate have been going on around outdoor mass on May 9, followed by a cause I am a Protestant clergyman. This motorcade and picket line downtown. the clock since Sands's death." They nections with Associated Press, which is not a struggle between Protestants Irish Republicans feel has rendered the have been called by the Irish Northern and Catholics. I have come here because Aid Committee (Noraid), with many most biased, pro-British imperialist coverage of all international press agen­ other groups and unaffiliated individu­ human rights denied anywhere means als participating. that human rights will be denied every­ cies," they write. Paul Chelstrom dies where. Jack Sharkey, a leader ofNoraid, told Paul Chelstrom, a member of the The biggest protest to date occured on "We must all unite against segrega­ the rally, "The action our government Socialist Workers P arty since 1938, May 9, when more than 5,000 people tion and discrimination in Northern Ire­ takes is to suppress our movement and died on May 5 at the age of sev­ picketed the consulate and marched to land, South Africa, the sunbelt, and the new~ from Ireland. In the last ten years enty. He had been a rail worker for the United Nations for a prayer service. snowbelt. There are those in this coun­ the federal government has closed down thirty years. Rev. Herbert Daughtry of the Nation­ try who know all too well the effects of our paper [The Irish People] and accused A meeting in tribute to Chel­ al Black United Front addressed the ral­ segregation, discrimination, and vio­ us of being foreign agents." strom's life will be held Saturday, ly, and NBUF members marched at the lence." Charlie Crumlie, who spent three May 16, at 7:30 p.m., 508 N. Snel­ head of the demonstration. A boycott of British Airways was an­ years on H-Block, a lso spoke. ling, in St. Paul, Minnesota. In Detroit, according to Militant cor­ nounced at the rally. A conference to or­ A march has been called for May 17 at An appreciation of his contribu­ respondent Sheila Ostrow, more than ganize the boycott will be held on Satur­ 2 p.m., from Cottman and Frankfort tions to the revolutionary move­ 1,000 people came together May 7 for an day, May 16, at 3 p.m. at the Gaelic Aves. to Roosevelt Blvd. ment will be published in an up­ interdenominational service, followed Leaglie, 2068 Michigan Avenue in De­ In · San Francisco, 500 people coming issue. by a candlelight march and rally. troit. marched on May 6. A group of Black ,

6 THE MILITANT MAY 22, 1981 A turning- ~oint in France Workers celebrate·defeat of ri htist regime By Claude Rodier Gaullists between themselves have a PARI~n Sunday, May 10, at 8 majority in the assembly. p.m., the television news announced the Even with the best results, the SP will results of voting in the second round of not win a majority in parliament. A par­ the French presidential elections: 52 liamentary majority will have to bees­ percent for Socialist Party candidate tablished through alliances with other Fran~ois Mitterrand, 48 percent for in- · forces. cumbent President Valery Giscard d'Es­ Among the potential partners in such taing. a coalition are the Communist Party, As soon as the results were reported, the Left Radicals (a small bourgeois par­ there was an outpouring of joy. On Sun­ ty), or certain Gaullist deputies who go day night, the streets belonged to the over to Mitterrand. workers. Given this situation, on the morning In Paris, where the Socialist Party after the election the Revolutionary called on people to gather in the huge Communist League (LCR), French sec­ Place de Ia Bastille,' more than 100,000 tion of the Fourth International, began people responded. The Revolutionary massively distributing leaflets in the Communist League (LCRl, French sec­ factories, focusing on three immediate tion of the Fourth Inte.rnational, had a objectives: contingent there. First, that the workers' parties win a Neither rain nor the closing of the majority in the legislative elections, and subways for the night could disperse the that this majority be translated into a immense and enthusiastic crowd. The parliamentary majority through a pro­ only reason they gave up the idea of a portional representation system. triumphal march through the streets of Second, that a government be organ­ Paris \yas that the streets were blocked ized based on the main workers parties by the massive traffic jams made up of and them alone, meaning a government the streams of horn-blowing workers in of the Communist Party and Socialist their cars. Party, without any renegade Gaullists On Monday morning, the new mood or Left Radicals. could already be felt in the factories. Finally, the leaflets called on Mitter­ President Giscard's defeat was also a de­ rand to take steps that will encourage feat for the bosses. The two candidates the mobilization of the workers. These in the second round had been from two Voters who supported the Communist 1976, had waged a first~ round campaign steps include an immediate halt to camps. And the bosses's camp had lost. Party candidate in the first round over­ that was extremely critical of Giscard's layoffs, an increase in the minimum To show the bosses that the relation-­ whelmingly cast their votes for Mitter­ performance. Chirac had accused Gis­ wage, and the abrogation of existing ship of forces had changed, workers used rand in the second. The attacks carried card of weakness in foreign policy and measures that restrict democratic company time to drink toasts to their out by the bourgeoisie under Giscard laxity on economic questions. rights. victory and discuss the results among had reached an intolerable level and af­ The Gaullist leaders did not mobilize The LCR ran Alain Krivine for presi­ themselves. fected ever wider layers of the popula­ their supporters behind the incumbent dent. He campaigned for a united For the first time in twenty-three tion, who were radicalized under the im­ president in the period between the two workers' response to the attacks of the years, the workers had been able to pact of the economic crisis. rounds. Some even called openly for a ruling class. place their representative at the head of At the same time, the bourgeoisie was vote for Mitterrand. An undemocratic election law kept government. in the midst of a serious political crisis. The new president has already an­ Krivine off the ballot at the last minute, The victory over the right was at the Jacques Chirac, the leader of the Gaul­ nounced that he will dissolve the Na­ so the LCR called for a vote for any same time a victory over the divisions list party (the Assembly for the Repub­ tional Assembly and order new legisla­ workers' party candidate on the first and disunity that have plagued the lic-RPRl, and himself a former prime tive elections before summer vacations round and for Mitterrand on the second. workers movement. minister under Giscard from 1974 .to begin. At present the Giscardians and From Intercontinental Press

Pa. mining communities protest waste dumping By Ronnie Zuhlke began in the early 1920s. During the admitted finding high concentrations tivity through mine subsidence and the BURGETTSTOWN, Pa.-Over 400 1940s, uranium was refined there for of cancer-causing radon gas seeping contamination of their water supply. residents met in the high school gym­ the Manhattan Project to build nuclear into the buildings in the Industrial Danice Brinkley, executive officer of nasium here April 14 and April 30 to bombs. Park. the Concerned Citizens of Southwest­ In 1965, the U.S. Atomic Energy resist the dumping of radioactive nu­ So, today, the Department of Energy ern Pennsylvania, believes a lot more Commission approved a plan for the clear waste in Hanover Township, and the Department of Environmental organizing needs to be done. "cleanup" of the radioactive material. about twenty-five miles west of Pitts­ Resources are seeking a new site for The procedure included the burial of She says, "We got involved because burgh. Other mass meetings have also the disposal of their radioactive taken place throughout Washington thousands of tons of radioactive con­ of the chemical wastes and that was wastes. County. taminants in a lagoon that has since the problem that brought us together. Residents of this predominantly coal become the Canonsburg Industrial The proposed sites are abandoned The nuclear issue is quite new, we plan mining area gathered to register their Park. strip mines. Residents are deeply con­ to get informed and to educate others. strong opposition to the use of their Ten years later, federal inspectors cerned about the spreading of radioac- We feel that the whole area is sited." environment as an all-purpose dump site for industry and the U.S. govern­ ment. Robinson and Findlay Township residents began to organize themselves The ·Changing Face last year, when they learned of a proposal to dump 11.5 million gallons of pickling acid into the pits of area strip mines. Pickling acid is a chemical of U.S. Politics waste product that was to be brought • into the area from the major steel mills in Washington and Allegheny counties Building a Party and from as far away as Cleveland. of Socialist Workers The chemical wastes were to be dumped in the pits of worked-out strip A new book of reports and resolutions of mines. the Socialist Workers Party. Edited by Jack But area residents searched public Bames and Steve Clark. records and found chemical dumping had, in fact, already been occurring. How is the U.S. labor movement chang­ Shortly afterward, the U.S. Depart­ ing today? How can working people organ­ ment of Energy announced plans tore­ ize to defend their living standards and de­ locate 200,000 tons of radioactive mocratic rights? How can the Black and waste currently stored at the Canons­ women's movements defend past gains burg Industrial Park, also located in Washington County. and ~dvance their fight for full equality? The relocation proposal is part of a What kind of government does the working state and federal effort to decontami­ class need to promote its interests? What nate the Canonsb\lrg Industrial Park, kind of party is needed to fight for such a where radium and uranium refining government? These are among the important questions examined in this selection of major reports and resolutions of the Socialist Ronnie Zuhlke is a member of United Workers Party from 1978 to 1980. Special offer for May only $5.00 (reg. $7.95). Mine Workers Local2874 in Washing­ Order from Pathfinder Press, 410 West Street, New York, N.Y. 10014 (Please include $.75 for postage and handling.) ton County, Pennsylvania.

MAY 22, 1981 THE MILITANT 7 -Re~ort from 'Militant' sales teams Miners. discuss strike, Atlanta Rea By Margaret J ayko In the past month, over 1,100 coal miners and their families have bought subscriptions to the Militant news­ paper. The Socialist Workers Party and the Young Socialist Alliance have fielded eight sales teams of miners and other socialist workers to visit coal towns across the country. They are selling special introductory Militant subscrip­ tions and distributing the new Path­ finder pamphlet, "Coal Miners ON STRIKE." The teams wanted to find out what miners have to say about the strike, the contract, and their union­ something you can't learn by reading most papers or watching the news. But miners know that their strike is part of a bigger picture. They invited the socialists into their homes to dis­ cuss everything from the child murders in Atlanta and the Reagan budget cuts, to what's happening in Poland, El Salvador, and Ireland. Miners were also interested to hear about the SWP /YSA suit against Washington's political police, and the socialist ideas that the government is trying to suppress. The teams went door-to-door in min­ ing communities in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Illinois, Colorado, and Utah. Issue is scab coal Linda May Flint, a socialist coal miner from West Virginia, talking with Colorado miners. The Denver team went to Redstone, site The Alabama team sold 108 sub­ of the recent mine disaster that left fifteen miners dead. scriptions, ninety of those to miners. Black miners bought 65 percent of them. The team spent its time in right thing in standing up for their "I'm really proud of my Polish broth­ worked at an Armco mine. She bought Walker County, northwest of Bir­ union. ers and sisters. Look at what they've a subscription and took a bunch of sub mingham. She bought a subscription. been able to do over there," commented blanks for her friends. They found, as did all the teams, one Chicano miner. that miners see the central issue in this Though miners were friendly to the Ireland team, the cops weren't. "We have to unite here just like in strike as being whether the coal com­ Poland. All miners, rail workers, steel­ The northern West Virginia team panies will be able to expand their non­ In Jasper, which is the political and workers, all of us. That's the way we'll sold 176 subscriptions, about half of union operations. That would deliver a economic center of Walker County, get everything we need. It's going to them to UMWA members. crippling blow to the UMW A. cops ran the team out of town for happen here sooner or later." Ireland was on the minds of some As one retired miner told the team, selling without a license and selling Interest in the Militant's coverage of miners there. "If they let scab coal come in, it will door-to-door. The team promptly filed a El Salvador and Central America ran One team member, a coal miner, was break the union." suit against the undemocratic laws high there. talking to a couple about the issues Miners-both white and Black-were and got a temporary restraining order. One retired railroad worker, seem­ involved in the hunger strike in Ire­ horrified by the murder wave in ingly uninterested in a discussion his land. The woman interrupted her and Atlanta. Many Black miners, espe­ The Birmingham News covered the story. When the team returned, despite wife was having with a team member, said, "Don't they just want the English cially, felt that the police are running a suddenly looked up from his tomato out of Ireland?" cover-up and that Ifot enough is being cop harassment, they sold eleven sub­ scriptions. Many miners who had seen garden and said, "What this country The team met a young guy who's done to find the killer. needs is a Castro." been a miner for twelve years. He The team found that most mines in the article said they thought it was fine for them to sell door-to-door, and His wife bought a subscription. supported Reagan's budget cuts and the area had women working in them. volunteered that he thought the U.S. they wished them luck with the case. Most miners were opposed to the The big majority of male miners they construction of nuclear power plants. government should intervene in El Sal- talked to thought that women who As the wife of one UMW A miner said, vador. · needed the jobs had a right to be in the Utah miners "If it [nuclear power] can't be con­ They met some non-miners who op­ mmes. The Price, Utah, team sold 168 sub­ trolled, then we shouldn't use it." posed the strike. Generally, these peo­ Households with no miners in the scriptions and 170 single copies of the ple were not interested in buying sub­ family supported the strike also. Militant in ten days. Reagan no solution scriptions. One young woman's husband had Most of the subscriptions were Southern West Virginia is the heart Team members talked to many wid­ been laid off from his job in an explo­ bought by miners and their families, of the UMW A. So far, the Charleston­ ows whose husbands had died of black sives factory. The company said"it was with many others sold to rail workers. based team has sold 239 subscriptions, lung disease. In Shinnston, a town of because of the miners strike. The Chicanos make up a large proportion putting them out in front. about 200 families, team member Gina woman supported the strike and of the 3, 700 union miners in east The response to the socialist suit March talked to a woman who had thought the miners were doing the central Utah, and they bought a lot of against government spying was sym­ buried two husbands who were victims the subscriptions. pathetic there. Miners understand of black lung. She'd "do anything to There are also a number of nonunion from personal experience that the cops support the miners." mines in this area, which are still are on the side of the companies. And In discussing Atlanta, she pointed operating. District 22· of the UMWA, many have their own stories about out, "If those kids were white, . they'd which Utah is part of, voted for the federal or local cop harassment of their have done something by now. You • • • Atlanta proposed contract by a two-to-one mar­ umon. know, we're white, but we could just as Continued from page 3 gin. So miners were eager to talk to The team sold subscriptions to min­ easily have been Black." All candidates thought it was wrong Linda May Flint, a miner from West ers who had voted for Reagan because Miners bought the Militant because for the FBI to accuse the mothers, Virginia. They had a lot of questions they were groping for radical solutions it covered their strike from other than especially if they had no evidence. But and misconceptions about why eastern to the problems they faced. But they the company point of view, and it had only Hoeppner explained that the FBI miners voted the contract down, and didn't like the "solutions" that Reagan news on what other union brothers was attempting to discredit the moth­ what conditions were like in the mines is now proposing. and sisters were doing and saying ers in order to divert attention from back east. As the team drove through the town about the strike. their own inability to solve the crimes. Miners were glad to see the Militant. of Madison, about thirty miles south of But they were also interested in All candidates thought the KKK and The Price paper comes out only two Charleston, they did a double-take. A reading a paper with a socialist point other racists should be investigated, if times a week, and its "coverage" of the big yellow banner was stretched across of view. they weren't already. strike is neither extensive nor sympa- · the main road: "Remember the chil­ Some miners were turned off to the Andree Kahlmorgan said in a state­ thetic. dren in Atlanta April20-25." The same explanation that this was a socialist ment released to the press that she Miners there are worried about the thing happened in Danville. Both paper. But most weren't. "will continue to raise the issue of the Reagan administration's cutbacks in towns are mostly white. One miner in southern Illinois killings and help build mobilizations of social services. Local 1769 had sent It turned out that the NAACP had wanted to know why a socialist paper the Black community, labor move­ representatives to participate in the gotten the mayors and city councils of was supporting the Polish workers. ment, and others to demand a stop to March 9 UMW A demonstration in the two towns to declare a week in And the teams had many hours of the murders and a stop to the cover-up. Washington to protest proposed cuts in solidarity with Atlanta and to·call a discussion about what socialism is and "The government's treatment of the black lung benefits. rally for April 25. their view of the Soviet Union. Atlanta killings," she stated, "is the Some miners are looking to Poland When the team stopped to eat in · There's a lot of political discussions way they treat all crises affecting for ideas on how to defend their union Whitesville, they met a waitress who going on in coal towns across the working people, from plant closings to and stop the big business assault on was wearing a homemade T-shirt that country. And the Militant is becoming racist murders: blame the victims." their rights and living standards. said, "I'm a miner and I love it." She a small but significant part of them.

8 THE MILITANT MAY 22,1981 POLITICAL POLICE ON TRIAL NEWS OF THE TRIAL IN THIS ISSUE In addition to coverage of day­ by-day events in the trial • Threat to deport Iranian socialist (page 11) against government spying, this issue contains a number • What's at stake for labor (page 14) of features highlighting the • Testimony of George Breitman (pages 22-27) socialists' case. White House staffer to be questioned By Nelson Blackstock . others in the Reagan White House, an answer. Finally Judge Thomas longed to any of these organizations. NEW YORK-The trial of the social· including the man in charge. Griesa intervened to get Stoops to In 1974 President Nixon abolished ist suit against government spying come across with a response to the key the attorney general's list. But the and harassment has reached into the 'Loyalty unit' questions. underlying executive order remained Reagan White House. Gary Stoops was formerly head of Stoops had been called to testify on intact. the FBI's "loyalty unit." In that capac­ FBI administration of Executive Order Stoops testified that scrapping the Mary Lawton, a member of the ity he supervised investigations of 10450. list had no practical impact on the White House staff and formerly an socialists who applied for jobs with the In the weeks leading up to the trial it FBI. They still maintained their own attorney with the Justice Department, federal government. emerged as one of the executive orders private list of proscribed organiza~ was required to give sworn testimony Stoops testified Friday, May 1, and (measures decreed by the president tions. in Washington May 13 in conjunction continued the following Monday. with no discussion or vote) that the As for what changes did take place, with the trial under way here. The next day Barry Sheppard, SWP FBI cites as the basis for its authority Stoops said, "Before I think they had national co-chairperson, took the to continue its "investigation" of the described fascism as one of the groupsy Lawton's name first entered the pic­ stand. He remained there, with the SWP. and so forth, and they tried to bring it ture May 4 under questioning of FBI exception of one morning session, for The initial version of the order ap­ more in line with the current thinking agent Gary Stoops by Margaret Win­ the next five days of the trial. peared in 1947. President Harry Tru­ of the times." ter, attorney for the Socialist Workers Sheppard is the latest of several man demanded a "loyalty" check of all In 1976, under pressure of the cur­ Party and Young Socialist Alliance. witnesses to testify extensively about · government employees. It was an op­ rent lawsuit, the attorney general an­ the political views of the SWP. (See box ening volley in the anti-communist nounced an end to the "domestic secur­ Stoops testified he consulted with below.) witch-hunt. ity" investigation of the SWP and Lawton when she was still in the On May 13, with the trial wrapping YSA. Justice Department in figuring out up its twenty-fourth day, the socialists Attorney general's list This had no effect on investigations what to do about the policy of automat­ were still putting on their direct. case It authorized the notorious "attorney carried out under the rubric of "foreign ically investigating SWP and YSA and had called a total of twenty-six general's list of subversive organiza­ intelligence." members applying for government jobs witnesses. tions." Among them was the Socialist Nor, as Stoops testified, did it stop after the attorney general announced Stoops was not what you would call Workers Party, as well as the Commu­ investigations under 10450. an end to the "domestic security" a cooperative witness. A high-level nist Party and many groups associated Shortly before Stoops took the stand, investigation in September 1976. administrator, his testimony was with it. For almost three decades, the government turned over to the riddled with purposefully hard-to­ before you could go to work for the socialists a copy of a memo dispatched These developments are cert-ainly understand bureaucratic lingo. It took government, you had to sign a state­ to the attorney general from the FBI being watched with great interest by persistent questioning by Winter to get ment saying that you had never be- Continued on next page

SWP leader explains socialist views NEW YORK-By the end of the Griesa took over questioning of of evidence of illegal acts is the On May 11 attorney Winter ex­ third of his five days on the stand, Sheppard several times to probe secret affidavit. Claiming it contains .pressed the opinion to Griesa that the transcript of Barry Sheppard's socialist ideas further. He wanted to evidence of crimes by socialist lead­ even if he disregarded the informa­ testimony was already two-and-a­ find out, for example, how SWP ers, government lawyers insist that tion in the affidavit, that did not get half inches thick. views compare with those of the only they and the judge can lay eyes rid of the problem. An appeals court Under direct examination by Mar­ British Labor Party; and how the on it. "National security" would be could later decide that the affidavit garet Winter, the national co­ SWP thinks a workers and farmers endangered by exposure of "sources" was crucial in ruling on a lower chairperson of the Socialist Workers government will come to power. if others see it, they say. court decision. Winter also raised Party discussed in depth a range of Major excerpts from Sheppard's several proposals designed to get The socialists have been trying to political questions. testimony will appear in future around the "national security" deal with this problem. George Breit­ When the trial opened, it was not issues of the Militant. roadblock in dealing with the affi­ man's testimony dealt a blow to its clear just how much testimony of In cross-examination, the govern­ davit. credibility. (See page 22.) this kind there would be. ment has been treading on well-worn "Just have· a little patience with But as things proceeded, the politi­ ground. On May 6, the judge said that as me and I'll see what I can work out," cal views of the plaintiffs have be­ Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward the trial has proceeded, the secret the judge said. "I am in a better come more of a factor than anyone Williams returned again to the ques­ affidavit has "loomed less large" in position to make a proposal because had predicted. tion of SWP financial practices. relation to the whole case. The plain­ I know what's in the secret affi- This resulted, in part, from counter Sheppard said that the socialists tiffs need not be so concerned about davit." moves by the government. On April have long had a policy of destroying it, was the message. -N.B. 30 Glenn Bertness took the stand to financial records that would reveal explain the Immigration and Natu­ the names of members or contribu­ ralization Service threat to deport tors if the records fell into the hands socialists. He justified it on the basis of political police. that the SWP advocates "world com­ Griesa ha!;; expressed sharp disap­ munism," which the· government proval of the destruction of records. defines as "totalitarian dictator­ During Sheppard's testimony he ship." said that the socialists should have This raised some questions. Is this brought their concerns on this to his true? What are the socialists' real attention rather than continue to views? discard records. Sheppard answered these ques­ Williams has also returned repeat­ tions. He laid out the long-standing edly to the subject of pen names-or socialist opposition to totalitarian "aliases" as he calls them-used by dictatorship of any kind. He ex­ party members. The socialists have plained where the real totalitarian explained many times now that danger comes from-the U.S. ruling these names are used within the class, forced to employ increasingly Fourth International to protect the coercive and undemocratic measures identity of socialists from countries to safeguard the rule of a small with repressive regimes. minority. These questions actually reveal Sheppard cited positions detailed the weakness of the government's in a document called "Socialism and defense. After more than forty years · Democracy." It was approved by the of spying, they've not been able to SWP leadership in 1979, he said, and come up with a single illegal act. Sheppard presented it at the World They're reduced to trying to clutter Congress of the Fourth Interna­ the court ·record with innuendoes. tional that same year. Their other ploy to get around hick

MAY 22, 1981 THE MILITANT 9 POLITICAL POLICE ON TRIAL

WHAT HAPPENED IN COURT

Judge declares two-day recess. No sessions of trial held Thursday, May 7, or Friday, May 8.

DAY 22: MONDAY, MAY 11 SWP attorney Margaret Winter urges steps to deal with questions posed by secret affidavit, said to contain evidence of crimes by socialists. Judge Griesa urges patience, says he Is working on proposal on matter. In cross-examination, government at­ torney Edward G. Williams presses SWP National Co-chairperson Barry Shep­ pard to say that party favors violence. Sheppard reiterates that SWP favors peaceful social transformation, but ad­ vises workers that capitalist rulers will seek to thwart majority decision, and majority has right and need to defend itself.

DAY2~TUESDAY, MAY 12 Sheppard returns to stand. Continu­ ing cross-examination, Williams tries to establish, without shred of evidence, that despite denials, SWP Is an actual section of Fourth International. Shep­ pard explains again that the SWP would be, if reactionary Voorhis Act did not make it impossible. As fraternal section, party has never concealed its full politi­ cal solidarity with International. Williams tries to discredit Peruvian revolutionary Hugo Blanco and other leaders of Fourth International targeted by cops. Sheppard testifies about SWP efforts to mobilize support that won Blanco's release from prison .

Justice Department for approval before tim;t under the rug, at least until the DAY 24: WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 . . . trial going ahead. suit had run its course. In rehash of previous questions, Wil­ That's the reason for the off-the­ liams again tries to establish SWP is Continued from preceding page The attorney general announced an record policy and the attempt to cover section of Fourth International and fa­ on February 10, 1977. It asked about end to the SWP "domestic security" it up that is now coming out. vors violence. how to conduct "loyalty" investiga­ investigation in 1976 because they Under redirect examination by SWP tions under 10450 in light of the recent wanted to make it appear that the attorney Winter, Sheppard tells full story announced end to the other investiga­ · issues posed by the socialist suit were of Peruvian peasant struggle that led to tion. no longer relevant. - Blanco frame-up, how his freedom was Under questioning, Stoops swore won, and points out that he is now elected member of Peruvian parliament. that there had never been a reply to The 1977 memo from the FBI on AmeriEa's Sheppard elaborates on prediction of this letter. executive order 10450 brought out the ruling-class violence, citing testimony fact that under its provisions the FBI Road The answer was not very convinc­ by SWP leader James P. Cannon in 1941 has full authority to continue its inves­ ing. The judge demanded he come up Minneapolis Smith Act trial. Again citing tigation of the SWP. Rather than con­ with the real story. Ta SaEialism Cannon, he outlines party's position on front this issue head on-by either Stoops then told of a series of meet­ openly going ahead with the investiga­ By James P. Eannan nationalizations by workers government, including issue of compensation. ings between the FBI and Justice De­ tion on one hand, or rescinding the paper $2.95 partment. executive order and ending it on the Order from Pathfinder Press, 410 West Street, New York, NY 10014 The FBI wanted the policy spelled other-they chose to sweep the ques- ,------..., out in writing. Apparently, the Justice Department was stalling on this until the completion of litigation on this , Howyou I suit, which gives the plaintiffs access to government records. Come to the trial I can he/p . I I Add my name to the list of sponsors of the I Unwritten policy Is there anything you can 'do to help further away, some from quite a dis­ 1Socialist Workers Party and Young Socialist I in this court fight? Yes, a lot. For one tance. There are supporters, friends, co­ Alliance lawsuit against government harass- 1 But that didn't stop them from com­ I thing you can contribute to the Politi­ workers, parents, brothers, sisters, and ment ing up with an unwritten policy. Before cal Rights Defense Fund, and go to the others interested in what's taking the supposed end to the investigation I I PRDF rally in your area. You can place here. Enclosed is $ to help defray legal I of the socialists, Stoops revealed, the I show your friends the Militant. I and publicity costs of the suit I FBI automatically conducted , a "full On the morning of May 12 some ten field investigation" when the name of But one of the most important-and students, about eleven years old, I Name I an SWP member was referred to his most enlightening-things you can do showed up. Signature unit. Now what they do is handle each is to attend the trial yourself. I I name on a "case by case" basis. The judge began by explaining what I Address I The spectators in the courtroom are the trial was about, and who the con­ They send back to the agency to not mere passive observers. By their tending sides were. I ~ity I very presence, they play a role in the which the socialist is applying a state­ I State I proceedings. They represent the count­ As the students were leaving, some ment that says: "The SWP is a revolu­ less victims of FBI criminality through socialists who had also been viewing I Union/Organization I tionary Trotskyite Communist organi­ the trial asked them what they zation" which "believes that eventual the years-who now have a chance to I I see the government put on trial, and thought. violent revolution in the U.S. is inevit­ who are asking for justice. 1Send to Political Rights Defense Fund, I able." They hadn't been able to check the I Box 649 Cooper Station, New York, NY I Who comes to court? Ther-e are so­ whole thing out, they said. But from I 1ooo3_ I If that agency requests a full field cialist workers from the New York/ what they'd seen, they thought the investigation, the FBI then goes to the New Jersey area. Others come from socialists ought to win. L..------1 10 THE MILITANT MAY 22, 1981 Iranian socialist faces deportation threat The following article is sche­ exam in 1978. For this reason, and the duled to appear in the May-June anti-Iranian climate whipped up by the issue of the 'Young Socialist.' U.S. government, she did not report for the INS round-up. By Etta Ettlinger As a student at Morgan State Uni­ If Mojgan Hariri-Vijeh was a versity ip Baltimore, Hariri-Vijeh car­ wealthy despot from a U.S.-backed ried a full-time course load, and "main­ dictatorship, she would have no trou­ tained an above-average academic ble staying in this country. The U.S. record," according to the international government welcomes to our shores student adviser there. tyrants like the Shah of Iran, Sir Eric In addition to her classroom studies, Gairy of Grenada, or Nicaragua's Som­ she became involved in political activi­ oza-all dictators recently toppled by ties, as do thousands of others. In popular movements. particular, she became active in the But Mojgan Hariri-Vijeh is not a movement against the draft and U.S. dictator. She is a nineteen-year-old intervention in El Salvador. student. She's a socialist. She is a Hariri-Vijeh joined the YSA in Feb­ supporter of the revolution in her na- ruary 1981. She told the YS, "I joined tive Iran. . the YSA because it stands for things I The Immigration and Naturalization believe in. The YSA supports the revo­ Service (INS) has a proven distaste for lutions in my country, in Nicaragua, young people, Iranians, and socialists. and in El Salvador. The YSA opposes That's why Hariri-Vijeh is today fac­ the draft. We support Black rights and ing deportation from the United women's rights." States. Less than three weeks after she Like many other young people from joined the YSA, Hariri-Vijeh was vi­ countries underdeveloped by years of sited by two agents of the INS. Shortly U.S. economic domination, Hariri­ thereafter, she was scheduled for a Vijeh came to this country to attend deportation hearing on June 9, 1981. school. When she left Iran it was still Hariri-Vijeh's only "crime" is failing under the rule of the shah, whose jails to pass an English exam, and to file swelled with critics of his brutal re­ some papers on time. Thousands of gime. other international students face sim­ The shah was overthrown by a mas­ ilar problems. sive popular upsurge in January 1979. Hariri-Vijeh's real crime in the eyes Ten months later, when the shah came of the INS is her membership in the to this country, the U.S. embassy in YSA. Documents filed by the INS in Iran was seized. It had long been used federal district court in New York as a base for spy operations by the indicate that membership in the YSA U.S. against the Iranian people. or Socialist Workers Party may be The INS announced in November grounds for exclusion or deportation. 1979 that it would ask 50,000 Iranian Speaking at a May 6 news confer­ MOJGAN HARIRI-VIJEH: Iranian student challenges immigration cops' harass­ students in the U.S. to report for a ence in Baltimore, Mojgan Harirt-Vijeh ment of socialists. review of their student visas. explained, "The U.S. government found This blatantly racist and discrimina­ room for the shah, a man who mur­ YSA and Socialist Workers Party are mand that Harari-Vijeh's student visa · tory move came about because of the dered and tortured thousands of my in federal court right now, suing the be restored, and to demand a halt to U.S. government's hostility toward the people for speaking up against oppres­ FBI, INS, and other government agen­ deportation proceedings against her. Iranian revolution. It was designed to sion and exploitation. Why isn't there cies for violating the Bill of Rights. Telegrams and letters of protest intimidate critics of the American gov­ room for me? My only crime is the Hariri-Vijeh told the YS, "Through should be sent to: Wallace R. Gray, ernment's policies against Iran, and to ideas I hold. If Ronald Reagan can our lawsuit we are standing up for the District Director, Immigration and Nat­ drive a wedge between U.S. workers pardon convicted criminals like FBI rights of every worker and student in uralization Service, E.A. Garmatz Fed­ and their brothers and sisters in Iran. burglars Felt and Miller, why can't the this country, whether they were born eral Building, 100 S. Hoover Street, By the time the INS announced this INS renew my visa and let me com­ here or not. I am proud to be a part of Baltimore Md. 21201. plan, Hariri-Vijeh's student visa had plete my education?" this fight." Copies should be sent to: Political expired, as a result of temporary prob­ It is exactly because of harassment The Young Socialist Alliance has Rights Defense Fund, 2913 Green­ lems in passing an English proficiency such as this deportation threat that the launched a national campaign to de- mount Avenue, Baltimore, Md. 21218.

Foreign-born socialists Asylum for Tulio Mendoza! An urgent appeal has been tional, the Catholic archdioceses of ready to tour your area issued by the U.S. Committee for San Diego and San Francisco, the By Andrew Pulley he is a member of the SWP and YSA. Justice to Latin American Political Maryknolls,. and the Unitarian If the Immigration and Naturaliza­ Maura Rodriguez, a 24-year-old Sal­ Prisoners (USLA) to help save the Universalist Service Committee. tion Service thought its threat to pro­ vadoran, is a member of United Steel­ life of Tulio Mendoza. Nearly 100,000 Salvadorans have scribe the Socialist Workers Party and workers Local 14019 in Baltimore. She Mendoza, a teacher who fled El fled to the United States; more Young Socialist Alliance as "subver­ is also a member of the Committee In Salvador in December after his than 4,000 are seeking asylum. sive" organizations would intimidate Solidarity with the People of El Salva­ name appeared on a "hit list," is Reagan's deportation policy is a foreign-born members of the SWP and dor

MAY 22, 1981 THE MILITANT 11 POLITICAL POLICE ON TRIAL Black party leaders denounce FBI disruption By Malik Miah powerful contributors to our total liber­ ation. Three leaders of the National Black "The NBIPP represents this kind of Independent Political Party recently FBI informer's letter potential, yet because of its embryonic sent a letter to Black organizations and level of development, it is very suscepti­ leaders, informing them of an attempt ble to counter-intelligence activities by an FBI informer to discredit and dis­ Brother/Sister within its ranks." rupt the New York State chapter. You rray consider this letter a confession or a warnin~. The NBIPP, formed last November at Secret memorandum . a conference of 1,500 people in Philadel­ Muntu Matsi.rrela, Elanbe Brath, Sequncb t.bdiho and ~· self are infonners The' Black leaders refer to a secret phia, is holding its first congress August memorandum (NSC-46) written by 21-23, in Chicago. At the congress, the for the F.B.I. former National Security Council direc­ party's statement of principles and char­ tor Zbigniew Brzezinski. This memo, ter will be discussed and voted on. Na­ Orders are to destroy the National Black Independent fuli tical Party. they say, urges the FBI to begin plans to tional officers will also be elected. assure that "the idea of an independent Presently, NBIPP chapters and or­ A few of the rrethods. black political party now under discus­ ganizing committees are planning activ­ sion within black leadership circles ities to celebrate Malcolm X's birthday, DISRUPI' & cm:ATE CO!\FlJSION. would soon lose all support." May 19, and to build support for the If you, are asking \l.hy i' am V.Titing this letter. This memo was written before the May 25 march on Washington called by Philadelphia Black Party convention. Atlanta mothers. ~!y 0\\n conscience. "It is clear to us," the New York lead­ FBI slanders ers observe, "that in light of the heavy ~luntu Mats~la, Sequnoo ~bdioo were voted out a.S rre.r.'lbers of t he !ti 1 CIA/FBI orientation of the present Rea­ For these reasons, no doubt, the go­ gan regime, and its nefarious policies vernment's agents and informers are African People•s Party. against the worldwide Black movement, concerned about the Black party. that NSC-46 is not one of the Carter Ad­ Elombe Brath, Muntu Matsimela, and ministration programs that has been Segundo Modibo, the three Black party KEEP nrE FATE scrapped!'' leaders, explained in their letter how The FBI and other government agen­ they learned of the informer, and what cies' attempts to disrupt and destroy the it means for the Black movement: Black movement are not 'hew, as· the "On Thursday, March 12, 1981, a three brothers in the New York Black batch of scurrilous and slanderous let­ party explain. Exposing the actions of ters were mailed anonymously from such finks to the Black community and Brooklyn, New York, to many individu­ to other working people is one way to ex­ als and organizations around the coun­ RUPTION & CONFUSION.'" pressed people struggling for self-deter­ ert pressure on the government to get its agents out of our organizations. try by a self-professed informer for the What is the response of the Black par­ mination throughout the world. The Socialist Workers Party and Federal Bureau of Investigation. . . . ty leaders to this smear attempt and dis­ "The writer," they say, "must also be Young Socialist Alliance trial against "While this self-confessed 'informer,' ruption? ignorant of the lessons the masses of our in reality an agent provocateur, can people painfully learned as a result of the FBI, INS, and other government probably speak with honesty about his What kind of party similar activities initiated by the .FBI agencies shows how the political police 'Counterintelligence Program' (Cointel­ attempts to harass and "cause confu­ -or her-own activities, this insidious "Instead of trying 'to destroy .the pro) during the late '60s against the sion" in the working class movement. individual sought to implicate by name NBIPP,'" they explain, "we have been several members of the NBIPP as ac­ 'Black· Nationalist' movement. Al­ The socialist suit helped to expose the articulate advocates for the building of COINTELPRO programs of the 1960s. complices in the said informer's foul ac­ the Party into a genuine, progressive, though the danger that a letter of this sort poses is clear, we must say that The reveiation that FBI agents are tions. popular mass party. "According to this FBI agent," they those experiences, bitter and hard as seeking to destroy the newly-estab­ continue, "the letter was meant as both "The NBIPP we envision and struggle they have been, have taught us that our lished Black party is further proof why 'a confession and a warning that Broth­ daily to build is a Party that is in total oppressor flourishes in an atmosphere of ·· all Blacks should defend the right of the ers 'Muntu Matsimela, Elombe Brath' opposition to reaction and oppression, distrust, confusion and paranoia. These NBIPP to function, free of government and 'Sequndo (sic) Modibo,' along with whether in the form of imperialism, conditions allow our oppressor to exac­ interference. It also provides another the author, were all informers for the monopoly capitalism, or its guardians, erbate contradictions and create insta­ reason for supporting and publicizing FBI, under some mysterious 'orders to the FBI and CIA-the historical ene­ bility with the ultimate result being the the socialist suit in the Black communi­ destroy the NBIPP' by causing 'DIS- mies of all Black people and all op- complete disintegration of potentially ty.

N~w film: 'The Case of the Legless Veteran' By Dick Roberts Petrick himself was also a target of the cinematography was done by Ashley San Francisco viewing. SAN FRANCISCO-An important witch-hunters in 1967, when he was in James. The film will initially be made availa- documentary film about the witch-hunt the Army. He was arrested at Fort Petrick dug deep into archival mate- ble for fundraising purposes through the of the 1950s was premiered here May 2 Hood, Texas, for organizing antiwar ac- rial to bring alive the period leading up Political Rights Defense Fund, Box 649 before an audience of 300 at the Bay tivities among the Gls. Faced with court to the case and the case itself. Sources Cooper Station, New York, N.Y. 10003. Area Filmmakers Showcase. Entitled martial, Petrick launched a civil liber- included the National Archives, Library Phone: (212) 691-3270. The Case of the Legless Veteran: James ties struggle and in 1971 won an honor- of Congress, NBC-TV, Pentagon, Vete- Kutcher, the 58-minute film was pro- able discharge. rans Administration, N ew York Times, duced and directed by Howard Petrick. "There are always .infringements of Militant, and Library of Social History. It is the story of a clerk in the Vete- civil liberties," Petrick told me in San There is news footage of President rans Administration who was fired in Francisco. "I wanted to make a film that Truman's main speeches launching the 1948 because of his membership in the shows how to fight against those in- witch-hunt attacks, of Eisenhower and Socialist Workers Party. Kutcher lost fringements." Churchill, of actors before the House his legs at the battle of San Pietro dur- The film does this through the inter- Un-American Activities Committee ing World War II. views. It is mainly narrated by Farrell hearings, of events surrounding the Ro- Nevertheless, he was charged with Dobbs, former national secretary of the sen berg execution and the Smith Act subversion and fired. Kutcher fought for SWP. Dobbs explains the policies of the trials. Also a 1950 TV interview with ten years against the Federal Employee government at every turn of historical Farrell Dobbs explaining why U.S. in- Loyalty Program. In this difficult time, events. And he explains how the SWP tervention in Korea should be ended im- the government at one point went so far mapped out Kutcher's defense. mediately and the American troops as to attempt to evict Kutcher's aged Others interviewed include journalist brought home. parents from their apartment because I.F. Stone, who coined the phrase "the The climax of the Kutcher case was Kutcher dared to fight. case of a legless veteran"; Joseph Rauh, precipitated in 1955 by the govern- Ultimately, Kutcher won reversal of Jr., lawyer for Kutcher, playwrights Ar- ~ ment's attempt to revoke Kutcher's dis­ the decision and reinstatement at his thur. Miller and Lillian Hellman; and ability pension. This provoked such pub- job. George Novack, national secretary of lie outrage that after eight years of Petrick tells this story through an in- the Kutcher Civil Rights Committee. closed hearings the Loyalty Board was termixture of news footage of the time Of course, the central person inter- forced to open its doors. and interviews with the central people vie.~ed is Kutcher himself, who tells his We see the historic TV foot~ge of this Involved in the case. The result is a vivid own history; how it felt to be spotlighted kangaroo court event, where Kutcher description and anaylsis of the ten-year in such an important civil liberties tells the board why he is a socialist. struggle. struggle, and why he wanted to conduct From start to finish, this movie is a It brings out what today is little the fight. . · compact education about the struggle known about tpe McCarthyite period. Kutcher won admiration from the for civil liberties in this country. With Working people like Jimmy Kutcher, viewers in the San Francisco audience. the Socialist Workers Party again in the side-by-side with blacklisted actors and "I was impressed by the almost off-way courts battling for the rights of Amer- writers, were victims of this scourge. Jimmy put his finger on the main icans to hold · socialist political views, Just as important, the film shows how points," one viewer remarked. this review of a proud chapter in the to fight against the witch-hunters and The film was edited by Debra MeDer- party's history couldn't be more timely. defeat them. mott-Seligman along with Petrick. And "It fits like a glove," Dobbs said at the Kutcher's book on his case.

12 THE MILITANT MAY 22,1981 What media are saying about the trial By Michael Baumann THE WASIIINGTON POST - "At issue is the right to free speech in general, and specifically the right of so­ cialists to hold and promote their ideas." Socialist Workers Accuse U.S. of 45 Years' Harassment ·-'Guardian,' April 22. N~;w YOIrs Partv c______·- ___ ; .• 1i.. i,..t nf middle 8j.!e, !'()C.Jkt• l(,r man). ties cases in litigation-and the first ma­ i.1 the mo\"tment .L'i lht' party's ~ uit f'R I special atoni Chtulrs E. ·: .:ainst the government proceeded Mandigo on tht stand. jor test of alleged government harass­ J. ~· ~e last wrek. ment aimed at a political group." : ~rve been waitin)! for tM trial my Spying trial tu.rn.s "'hole .We." he said ... but I didn't !lunk -'Washington Post,' May 1. · l"d be the plaint~I I thollj(ht I'd IJe -tJ •t' defendant .. He i.• :,;,, a third-generttt ion Social· -~~ !~·· ..• .· You can go to the trial. ;_,,. and a member of the Socialist 011 political vievvrs· · • -.Workers Party fur :13 years. Like You can read about it, in detail in the u .:.ny in the party, he claim."' that a."' ~' · :~ a' he h.. been a Socia!i.;t he has ··-··· _.u Militant. ht·t'n hounrlt!Jd by the l{owr- :nent, You might see something in your lo­ .j,._ulg Ill» job as a merchant st-tunaJt cal newspaper, or in one of the radical weeklies. But you'll find damn little on the so­ cialists' trial against government spy­ ing in the major daily newspapers, and nothing on network TV or in the nation­ al newsmagazines. 'Brown-out' The Washington Post is a good exam­ ple of this editorial brown-out. The Post has published one article on the trial, on May 1, nearly a·month after it opened. This despite their own conclusion that the case is "one of the most significant" now going on the country. (The article has subsequently appeared in other newspapers, including the Boston Globe . The New York Times, the big-busi­ ness "newspaper of record," has left the record of the trial pretty thin. Three ar­ 1970 because of his stand against the case involving a local employer-a ship­ eludes a statement by NLG President ticles have appeared. Vietnam War. building company in the Brooklyn Navy Mary Alice Theiler endorsing the suit Yard that fired five workers for their so­ and commending the socialists for their The first, April 3, announced the be­ Prominent in the reports by both dai­ efforts "to expose to as many people as ginning of the trial and summarized the lies were the results of follow-up inquir­ cialist views, only to be forced to rein­ possible these illegal attempts to deny opening arguments of the socialists and ies they made at INS national head­ state them the following day. the government. quarters in Washington, confirming Ro­ people their basic rights to organize." bertson and Starsky's charges. FBI publicity The second, April 26, focused on the The 'Guardian' socialists' practice of shredding finan­ Starsky's own case was featured in Typical FBI work in the c9urse of the cial records. Not mentioned even once the April 15-21 issue of the Arizona al­ trial itself resulted in media coverage on Two weeklies on the left have given was their testimony in court stating the ternative weekly New Times . opposite sides of the country.· prominent coverage to the trial. reason why-to keep the names of con­ In Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Trib­ When the names of two elected The Guardian, published in New tributors out of the hands of the political une and the Deseret News reported on a public officials-Mel Mason, a socialist York, has provided regular news of police. news conference held the day the trial city councilman in Seaside, California, developments in the case since the trial The third, May 1, is a report on the opened. and Bernard Sanders, the recently elect­ opened and has strongly endorsed the Immigration Service's threat to begin ed mayor of Burlington, Vermont socialists' .suit. deportation proceedings against lockheed firings ---<:arne up one day during trial testim­ An editorial in its April 22 issue, en­ members and supporters of the Socialist Andree Kahlmorgan was interviewed ony, the FBI immediately investigated titled "The stakes are high," said in Workers Party and Young Socialist Al­ by her hometown newspaper, the Atlan­ the;m. This triggered a protest. part: liance. ta Journal-Constitution, in cpnnection In the case of Sanders, who ran as an "At issue is the right to free speech in with the trial. independent against the Democratic general, and specifically the right of so­ In local media, the picture has been Kahlmorgan is one of the fifteen and Republican candidates, an editorial cialists to hold and promote their brighter. In cities where socialists and Lockheed-Georgia workers fired last in the Burlington Free Press demanded ideas . . . . supporters of civil liberties have organ­ December for their political views. She · from the FBI"an apology to Sanders and "While the Guardian differs political­ ized news conferences to get out the was quoted extensively in the paper's the citizens of the city." ly with the SWP, the largest Trotskyist facts, some substantial coverage has re­ April 30 issue on the relation between formation in the U.S. , we believe it is in­ sulted. those dismissals and the socialists' suit. Hector Marroquin cumbent upon left and progressive peo­ In Cincinnati, both daily newspapers, "[Company] documents unearthed af­ Another source of publicity for the ple to understand the far-reaching im­ the Post and the Enquirer, covered a ter the Lockheed firings," the Journal­ trial has come from speaking engage­ plications of the current trial. It is not May 4 news conference protesting the Constitution reported, "show that the ments by socialists around the country. just the SWP that must face the govern­ recent deportation threat against SWP company authorized investigation and In Boston, the Tufts University Ob­ ment's accusations. In a fundamental members. The news conference, hosted surveillance of party members and con­ server published ari interview with Hec­ sense, . it is Marxism itself that is on by the Political Rights Defense Fund, tacted the FBI about getting help in that tor Marroquin, an SWP member who trial. All progressive people would bear heard from Margie Robertson, head of work." faces an order of deportation. the brunt of an adverse decision." the local chapter of the American Civil Big Red, a Brooklyn Black weekly Under the headline "Young Mexican Liberties Union, and- Dr. Morris widely read throughout the New York socialist denied asylum," the Observer 'In These Times' Starsky, an SWP member fired from the City area, reported on the trial April 25. tells how "the FBI wants to deport Mar­ In These Times, published in Chicago, faculty of Arizona State University in It cites in particular an aspect of the roquin back to a certain death in Mexico printed a substantial article on the trial because he holds socialist beliefs," and in its May 6-12 issue. Noted in particu­ explains that his case is part of the trial lar is how much information about FBI under w~y in federal court. crimes has "surfaced as a result of the Marian Bustin, a Scottish-born coal SWP's persistence": Big response on Black station miner out on strike with the rest of the "Out of these painstaking legal pro- United Mine Workers union, has·been ,·ceedings we have learned,of 'Operation When WLIB, New York City's "One woman called in who was speaking in several cities on the fight Chaos,' targeting college campuses; the popular Black radio station, hosted from the Caribbean. She talked against government attempts to deport 'SWP Disruption Program,' a program a call-in show recentiy on the so­ about how important the suit is for her for her socialist views. aimed directly at the party that spon­ cialists' suit against governrpent anybody who is from the Carib­ Prior to a recent speaking engage­ sored over 90 burglaries of party offices spying, the response was "abso­ bean and supports the revolution- . ment in the Midwest, Bustin was inter­ and 1,300 informers; COINTELPRO lutely fantastic," says Susan W ald. ary .process that is going on there. viewed by the Milwaukee Sentinel. The plots to sow confusion and violence "People called in from all over "She mentioned Grenada in par­ interview, published as the lead article among antiwar and black power groups; the tristate area to talk, not just ticular, and how hostile the U.S. on the women's page, covered the issues and infilt_ration of the women's libera­ about the suit, but to ask what the government is to anyone who sup­ in the trial, discriminatory use of immi­ tion movement at the personal behest of Socialist Workers Party's program ports the revolution in Grenada." gration legislation, and the facts behind J. Edgar Hoover. People discovered how was. What we would do if we were The New York SWP headquar­ the coal strike. their lives had been disrupted-often in power. What we represent as ters received three telephone calls An interview on the suit with touring ruined-as files confirmed that in­ opposed to the Democrats and Re­ from peopl~ who heard the pro­ SWP leader Richard Ariza appeared in formers and agents had sent anonymous publicans." gram, reports Miriam McCray, the March 31 issue ofthe,Arizona State letters, phoned employers, parents, W aid, who is the SWP candidate SWP candidate for City Council University Daily Wildcat . landlords to report their political activi­ for City Council president, said who was heard on the show along Two legal journals, Guild Notes, pub­ tie!;." there was special interest in the with Wald. lished by the National Lawyers Guild; Coverage of the trial has also ap­ socialists' fight against the Immi­ "Two of them asked how they and the National Law Journal have peared in Workers Viewpoint, the news­ could join." gration service. published major articles on the trial. paper reflecting the views of the Com- The article in the Guild Notes in- munist Workers Party. ·

MAY 22,1981 THE MILITANT 13 .POLITICAL POLICE ON TRIAL What's at stake for labor in SWP suit By Malik Miah ing on its constitutional right to oper­ The United Mine Workers of Amer­ ate. ica, the United Steelworkers of Amer­ "Police state tactics are not only ica, the United Auto Workers and other unconstitutional but are abhorrent to unions should consider sending repre­ the spirit of a free and democratic sentatives to the federal district court- country and should not be tolerated." · house in New York's Foley Square. Other union sponsors include: the The most important political trial in International Executive Board of the decades is occurring there. The Social­ American Federation of State, County ist Workers Party and the Young So­ and Municipal Employees; Edward cialist Alliance are suing the govern­ Clinch, director, International Associa­ ment for over forty years of spying and tion of Machinists, District 98; Alice harassment. Peurala, president, United Steel­ The outcome of the trial will affect workers of America, Local 65; Cleve­ the major industrial unions and all land Robinson, secretary-treasurer, supporters of democratic rights. District 65, United Auto Workers; Michigan Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO; Minnesota Federation of Labor and finks Teachers, Local 59, AFL-CIO; James Throughout American history, the Mangan, manager, Twin Cities Joint government and bosses ·have worked Board, Amalgamated Clothing and hand-in-hand to make America ~·union Textile Workers Union; Henry Foner, free." president, Fur, Leather and Machine How? By hiring informers-who Workers Joint Board, New York City, many times are double-dipping as em­ AFL-CIO; Moe Foner, executive secre­ provocateur un ployees of the company and the FBI. tary, District 1199, Drug and Hospital 'bomb conspiracy' frame-up are lAM member Mark Loo, and Ironworkers oa·vid The aim of these finks has been Union, New York City, AFL-CIO; Lo­ Boyd and Rodney Johnson, shown with attorney Leonard Weinglass. simple: to frame up and victimize labor cal 255, International Chemical Work­ organizers-by any means necessary. ers Union, Los Angeles; and Lodge Many in the labor movement know 1380 Brotherhood of Railway and Air­ from this rich history why the socialist line Clerks, Seattle. case is of concern to them. It is not surprising that more labor officials and union members are supporting the Modern spying Political Rights Defense Fund (PRDF), Why labor organizations are backing man, a former FBI agent. and other protests against the danger­ which is gathering endorsers and rais­ the socialist suit is seen in two recent So far, the fifteen workers have not ous working conditions and substand­ ing money to help pay for the expenses examples of government and company gotten their jobs back. Significantly, ard wages. of the trial. spying and harassment. scores of labor officials, civil liberties supporters, and others have sent pro­ In response to this militancy, the Fifteen workers at Lockheed's. giant test telegrams to Lockheed. company sent an undercover cop, aerospace plant in Georgia were fired Ramon Barton, into ·the yard. He PROF last fall allegedly for "falsification" of A second example of government PRDF is seeking to raise $125,000. quickly became one of the most bellig­ their employment applications. and company collusion against the So far, $57,000 has been pledged, and erent workers against the company. rights of workers is seen in San Diego, half of that collected. This shows a big Most of the fifteen workers are California. When the struggles began to make effort is needed to meet the goal. members of the SWP and YSA. real progress, however , Barton Through the national lawsuit, Lock­ On April 28, the trial of three fired Broadly sponsored rallies, cocktail emerged as a cop. He alleged that the heed was forced ·to turn over secret, employees of the .National Steel and parties and other fundraising events­ three workers were planning to blow internal documents to the workers. Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) be­ where union officials will be among up a power plant. What did these documents show? gan. The three are charged by federal the speakers-are being organized to indictment with conspiracy to bomb Interestingly, Barton was a fink for help in these fundraising efforts. (See How the bosses regularly spy on the the shipyard and failure to register the company, the San Diego Red box below.) workforce, spy on union meetings, destructive devices. Squad, and the FBI. The FBI paid him The labor movement's growing un­ follow employees off the job, spy on several thousand dollars. This is a classic case of government derstanding of the case is reflected in a political activities, and pry into work­ These two examples highlight how support statement by UAW President ers' personal lives. . and company use of agent provoca­ teurs. the companies and government work Douglas Fraser. Fraser said: This violation of the workers' demo­ together to deny workers their rights "The fact that the causes espoused cratic rights is considered a normal The three workers were part of a on and off the job. It is good reason for by a specific party may be unpopular company-employee relationship by the broader rank-and-file leadership at the the labor movement and all working or controversial should have no bear- Lockheed management and its security yard. They· helped to organize rallies people to support the socialist suit.

olitical Rights Defense Fund rallies planned Supporters of the Political Rights Defense Fund are planning rallies across the country during May and June. Up-to-the-minute trial news on the Socialist Workers Party $40 million lawsuit against the government will be a main attrac­ tion. Victims of the government's political police-trade unionists, Black rights acti­ vists, participants in the women's movement, and others---will be featured speakers. For more information on the rally nearest you, call the numbers listed below.

May 16 Los Angeles June6 New York (213) 225-3 126 (2 12) 533-2902 May21 Burlington. Vt. June6 San Diego (2 12 ) 691-3270 (714) 234-4630 May29 Schenectady J une 10 Miami (5 18 ) 374-1494 (305 ) 769-3478 May30 Louisville June 13 St. Louis (502) 587-8418 (3 14) 725-1570 May30 Philadelphia June 13 Seattle (2 15 ) 927-4747 (206) 723-5330 May30 Salt Lake CitY June 14 Portland (801) 355-1124 (503) 222-7225 May30 Twin Cities June 14 San Francisco (612) 644-6325 (415) 824-1 992 May31 Detroit June 14 San Jose (313) 875-5322 (40 8 ) 998-4007 June 6 Piedmont J une 14 Oakland (919 ) 723-3419 (415 ) 763-3792 J une 6 Cincinnati (5 13 ) 751-2636

14 THE MILITANT MAY 22, 1981 Nation·wide retests against deportation threat National Lawyers Guild; the why so many groups came to New York City chapter of the picket: "If.the government can National Alliance Against Ra­ successfully go after the Social­ cist and Political Repression; ist Workers Party, then none of Village Voice columnist Nat us are safe." Hentoff; Michael Harrington, Another who recognizes the of the Democratic Socialist Or­ seriousness of the INS attack is gamzmg· Committee; and Fae Stem, a longtime activist Frank Durkan, attorney for from Women's International Dessie Mackin, a jailed IRA League for Peace and Freedom. supporter who also faces depor­ She told the Militant that tation. although she was a child at the An emergency picket line at time, she remembers the the INS offices here was held Palmer Raids in the 1920s, on May· 5. when hundreds of foreign-hom Representatives of the New workers were deported. York Mobilization for Survival "Only by people getting out ~ : i ),;: · ::; ~i~~o:l~o~!, l/t .~~~· RRioirn,~g i joined that protest. Messages in the streets will these kinds of support were sent by the of things be stopped," Stem Hollywood blacklist victims John Randolph, Albert Maltz, and Ring Lardner, Jr. are among promi­ New York Civil Liberties Un­ said. nent endorsers of trial against FBI, CIA, and INS harassment. ion and the New York City Others walking in the picket chapter of the National Organ­ line could be directly affected Los Angeles Party, and the National Lawy­ New York ization for Women. by the policies of the INS. Joe ers Guild are going to send Miller, executive director of By Rebecca Finch NEW YORK-"We condemn *Organizations for identification representatives to participate the Immigration and Naturali­ only. Philadelphia SANE, is a natu­ LOS ANGELES-When in the INS delegation." ralized citizen. news of the threat to review zation Service's use of deporta­ New support is being won for tion or exclusion as a means to • "Wherever people around the deportation status of members the lawsuit in the labor move­ Philadelphia world are fighting for their of the SWP and YSA reached suppress political views with ment as a result of the work which it does not agree." By Josh Walton rights, they are under attack Los Angeles, members of both that is being done. from the U.S. government," groups and supporters of the That's how a broad group of PHILADELPHIA, Pa.-Fifty Supporters of the lawsuit prominent individuals and or­ people picketed the Federal Miller remarked. "These cut­ socialist lawsuit moved into distributed literature about it ba<:ks in social services and action. ganizations here responded Building here May 5 to protest at a demonstration called by when they learned about the the INS threat to deport social­ current moves against civil An ambitious campaign was the Amalgamated Clothing liberties go hand-in-hand." mapped out in conjunction INS's threat to deport members ists. and . Textile Workers Union. of the SWP and YSA. Organizations represented at with the Political Rights De­ One of those who received fense Fund (PRDF) to reach Signers of the protest state­ the picket line included the Washington, D.C. some was Ruben Saenz, Jr., the ment include Rev. Daniel Berri­ National Lawyers Guild, the campuses, trade unions, WASHINGTON, D.C.-With recording secretary for Local gan; Noel Correa, from Casa Women's International League Black and Latino groups, and chants of "One, two, three, 255 of the International Chemi­ Nicaragua*; the Guardian for Peace and Freedom, Asocia­ liberal and left-wing organiza­ four, this ain't the fifties any­ cal Workers Union. The 180 newspaper; Jim Haughton, ci6n del Istmo Centroameri­ tions. PRDF has been coordi­ more!" a spirited picket line workers in the local, who make from Harlem Fightback; and cano Nicaragiiense (a Nicara­ nating financial and other sup­ was held at the INS national asbestos pipe, are currently on the Haitian Fathers. guan community organiza­ port for the suit since it was headquarters here May 8. strike. Also, Paul O'Dwyer, former tion), Committee in Solidarity originally filed in 1973. Prior to the picket, Political Three days after the brown president of the New York City with the People of El Salvador A special media committee Rights Defense Fund spokes­ lung demonstration, PRDF rep­ Council; Bertell OHman, profes­ (CISPES), Philadelphia SANE, was set up. person Toba Singer was inter­ resentatives called Saenz to sor at New York University; and the Consumer Party. And a series of fundraising viewed by WHUR, one of the ask him for his endorsement. author Grace Paley; Mary Al­ Max Weiner, of the Consu­ projects was begun. most widely listened-to radio He informed them that not ice Theiler, president of the mer Party, told the Militant Already impressive new sup­ only had he endorsed the suit, stations in the city. port has been won. but his entire local had as well. An afternoon reception was They had mailed the endorser sponsored by PRDF on Sun­ card along with a check to the Indianapolis day, May 2, to explain the Political Rights Defense Fund INDIANAPOLIS-Channel4 threat from the Immigration in New York. TV, two radio stations, and and Naturalization Service and Steve Cooney, general man­ the Indianapolis Star covered a to introduce some of the wit­ ager of Service Employees Lo­ news conference held here May nesses from the trial to sup­ cal 660, the largest public em­ 7 to protest the INS deporta­ porters of the lawsuit. ployees union in California, tion threat. A longshore worker who at­ added his name to the open Presented to the press was a tended took literature and com­ letter. message of protest to INS mitted himself to try to get a Supporters of the lawsuit are headquarters, signed by Henry speaker about the lawsuit be­ now initiating discussions with Price, president of the Indiana fore the executive board of the about fifty other labor officials American Civil Liberties Un­ two Longshore locals in the to seek their support. ion, as well as by several local area. A member of the Com­ In addition, a special mailing student leaders, professors, and munications Workers of Amer­ was done by PRDF to profes­ civil rights attorneys. ica did the same. Another sup­ sors; student organizations, porter, who is familiar with the campus newspapers, and high Los Angeles media, agreed to schools, requesting speaking help try to break the press engagements and interviews blackout. Over $1050 in pledges for witnesses in the trial. PROF rally in New Orleans and contributions was raised. Potential for building sup­ By Michael Beslin to trial the police who mur­ People's Bookstore, at­ Then a special telephone port in the entertainment in­ NEW ORLEANS-On dered four Blacks in Algi­ tacked the hypocrisy of the campaign was launched to ask dustry is especially great. April 25 the Political ers, Louisiana. U.S. government. "Progres­ for participation in a special Many here remember the Rights Defense Fund Dywond Belle, speaking sive movements are always protest delegation that would blacklist of the McCarthy pe­ (PRDF) sponsored a sup­ for the organizing commit­ attacked by the police," go to the INS May 12. Those riod. port rally for the SWP trial tee for a New Orleans Lefstein said, "but when who could not attend were "We've launched a special against government spy­ chapter of the National right-wing terrorists strike, asked to sign an open letter to project to get many more sign­ ing. Black Independent Politi­ the police do nothing. the commissioner of the INS, cal Party, stressed the ne­ "They do nothing about ers for the Statement by Enter­ One of the featured or send a statement that could cessity for the Black move­ the Somozaist guerrilla tainment Industry Blacklist­ speakers was SWP Na­ be read to the press at the time ment to join with the training camps in the Ev­ ees that was first circulated by tional Chairperson Malik of the delegation meeting. socialists in fighting the erglades or the Klan's Ring Lardner, Jr.," said Patti Miah , who gave a first­ FBI. camps.' Their target is the "The response to this was liyama, another activist work­ hand report on the trial. ,very good," said PRDF spokes­ ing on the lawsuit for the Poli­ "COINTELPRO was de­ progressive movements." person Jerry Freiwirth. "Two tiCal Rights Defense Fund. Kalamu Y a Salaam, a signed to destroy the Black Rev. J erome Owens of blacklistees from the entertain­ "With the help of some of the leader of the Police Brutal­ liber a tion movemen t," the A. Philip Randolph ment industry, John Randolph original signers of the letter, ity Committee, pointed out, Belle said. "And today, as Institute gave greetings and Albert Maltz, signed the we are compiling an additional "In every demonstration our people begin to strug­ and expressed his support open letter. Mark Ridley­ list of fifty to one hundred for justice in New Orleans, gle again, the same FBI for the SWP lawsuit. Thomas, executive director of blacklistees and will be asking the police come out with gangsters who were in­ "When people in a demo­ the Southern Christian Leader­ them to endorse the statement. cameras and video equip­ volved in the assassina­ cratic society can't express ship Conference (SCLC), in Los Then we will reach out beyond ment. . . . They use this tions of Malcolm X and their beliefs, we're headed Angeles, endorsed the socialist that to entertainers who were information to try and in­ Martin Luther King will be for serious trouble," Owens lawsuit and signed the open not blacklisted, but who would capacitate the leaders of unleashed again. said. letter. oppose the practice, and ask the movement. We have to "We have to do what the Rally participants con­ "About a dozen groups, in­ them for their support." · fight this by telling the SWP is doing-fight to ex­ tributed $1,158 to the Poli­ cluding the Citizens Commis­ A special appeal for funds to truth to the people." The pose the government's dis­ tical Rights Defense Fund sion on Police Repression, the help pay the legal expenses of Police Brutality Committee ruption campaign." to help cover expenses of Socialist Party, the Peace and the trial is being made to those is leading the fight to bring Martin Lefstein, of the the trial. Freedom Party, La Raza Unida in the entertainment industry.

MAY 22, 1981 THE MILITANT 15 May 3Inarch: blow to Washing By Fred Feldman basis of the counterrevolutionary front The tens of thousands who con­ Washington is trying to create will be verged on the Pentagon May 3 to the terrorist Khmer Rouge army, protest U.S. intervention in El Salva­ headed by ousted dictator Pol Pot, dor have thrown a spotlight on the responsible for millions of deaths. The depth of the antiwar, antidraft senti­ latest moves are part of the attempt to ment that exists in this country. The tighten the screws on the Vietnamese widely publicized demonstration dell­ revolution, which is also the target of vered a blow to the Reagan adminis­ an economic embargo. tration's drive tovvard war, and had a Two days later, the administration significant impact on the working announced plans to resume military class. aid to the dictatorship in Guatemala. The war drive is at the heart of The latest moves fit into a course set American politics today. Confronted from the first day of the administra­ by the gains scored by revolutionary tion, with the provision of aid and struggles in Central America, South­ advisers to the Salvadoran junta as ern Africa, Iran, and Indochina, Wash­ the most widely publicized example. ington is preparing new and vastly Other steps include the offer of up to more murderous Vietnams. $1 billion in arms to the Argentine It is using the threat of nuclear military dictatorship; the tacit support confrontation and nuclear war in an to exile groups in Florida and Hondu­ effort to impose its will on the toiling ras that are preparing a counterrevolu­ people of the world. tionary invasion of Nicaragua; and the mounting threats to Cuba and Gre­ Stepped-up intervention nada. The week of the May 3 protest saw The U.S. military buildup in the striking examples of administration Persian Gulf region is continuing. And moves to step up intervention on the we have the establishment of closer side of brutal dictatorships and coun­ ties with the apartheid regime in South terrevolutionary gangs. Africa; the cutoff of food aid to Mozam­ On May 2, the State Department told bique; and the probes about legalizing the news media that the government CIA aid to South African-backed guer­ will increase its support to reactionary rillas in Angola. forces seeking to topple the Heng Sam­ Unable to provide even the hope of a rin government in Kampuchea. The better life to the peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, Washing­ ton looks to war preparations to stem the tide of revolution. Protest Reagan Heart· of offensive Top left, scene from April 25 rally in Denver against Rocky Flats nuclear weapons at Notre Dame The war drive is at the heart of the march and rally in Washington, D:C. A turnout of several thousand is offensive waged by big business and expected to protest Ronald Reagan the government against American when he appears at Notre Dame working people. University in South Bend, Indiana, It has shaped the Reagan budget, hearing of the Senate subcommittee on effect of deepening and spreading it. on May 17. with its massive increases in arms "terrorism." The high-water mark thus far was A demonstration, set for 1 p.m., spending and cuts in social services. In seeking to regain the offensive May 3, when-in addition to the out­ against the struggles for liberation pouring in Washington-10,000 has been organized by the Chicago The creation of new nuclear weapons around the world, U.S. imperialism marched in San Francisco, and 5,000 Religious Task Force on El Salva­ systems like the MX missile-aimed at faces two big obstacles. One is the in Seattle, to protest U.S. support to dor. It is endorsed by the Christian achieving a "first-strike" capability­ growing determination of the peoples the Salvadoran junta. The protest at Committee on El Salvador, a Notre and increases in the size of the armed of the world not to be crushed. The the Pentagon was the biggest single Dame University-based solidarity forces are getting first priority. Cubans, Nicaraguans, Vietnamese, antiwar action since J anuary 1973. group, and the Indiana Latin Am­ The armed services have floated erica Network. proposals to increase the "volunteer" Iranians, and others have proven As the May 13 Guardian pointed out again and again to be unexpectedly United Auto Workers Local 6 is army by 250,000 over the next few in an editorial, " If the dispatch of a hard nuts to crack. involved in the effort and will be. years. few dozen military advisers and the Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) has sending of arms and money to a right­ protesting plans to close down the Vietnam syndrome Bendix plant in South Bend, as introduced a bill reinstating the au­ ist dictatorship in El Salvador, making well as Reagan's appearance. thority of the president to introduce The other obstacle is the massive threatening gestures to Cuba and Ni­ antiwar sentiment of the American caragua in the process, can bring The National Organization for conscription. And Rep. G.V. Montgo­ people, which took root during the 100,000 angry people into the streets of Women in Indiana, the Paddle mery (D-Miss.) has submitted a bill Wheel Alliance, an anti-nuclear calling for drafting up to 200,000 peo­ Vietnam war. Reversing this "Vietnam Washington , wh at would it be like if syndrome" is the top priority for the Reagan tried to intervene massively as group in Indianapolis, and other ple annually. Reagan administration-as it was for in Indochina?" groups will also be on hand that In addition to trying to convince day. American workers about the need for the Carter and Ford administrations. · May 3 culminated two months of It is behind the propaganda that por­ growing protest demonstrations on Activists from Chicago, Milwau­ stepped-up military preparations and trays Moscow as the root of all evil in kee, Toledo, Cleveland, Detroit, In­ intervention, the ruling class is aiming this issue, with tens of thousands the world, and that attempts to turn participating in local actions March 24 dianapolis, and other cities and to intimidate those who disagree. public opinion against all liberation and April 18 called by the Committee states in the region are planning to Hence the moves to strengthen the FBI movements by branding them "terror­ participate. and CIA, Reagan's demonstrative in Solidarity with the People of El ist." Salvador and other groups. The central theme of the protest praise for FBI criminals in the pardon Far from reversing antiwar senti­ During the same period, nuclear will be, "Money for jobs, not for of Felt and Miller, and the . smear of ment, however, the Reagan adminis­ war; U.S. out of El Salvador." Mobilization for Survival- an antiwar, weapons have been targets of rising antinuclear group-at the opening tration's war moves have had the protest. Some 5,000 marched April 25 New York rally hails Vietnam revolution, Salvad By Nelson Gonzalez against U.S. intervention in El Salva­ Chinese government. international speakers and guests. NEW YORK- "Our rally, held dor. "Last, but not least, the U.S. govern­ These included representatives -of the nearly one week after the huge May 3 Ambassador Dung, who was greeted ment has carried out an embargo pol­ Association of Vietnamese Patriots, a demonstration in Washington to pre­ with a standing ovation, told "of deep icy vis-a-vis Vietnam, economic blocka­ group of Vietnamese living in the vent an armed intervention in El Sal­ feelings still dearly kept in the memory de . .. a policy that has been pursued United States; supporters of the Afri­ vador, is the continued strong impetus of every Vietnamese. We consider against Cuba, Angola and newly­ can National Congress, South African of the American conscience to defend American mothers, housewives, stu­ independent countries where revolu­ Blacks who .are fighting apartheid; a the nation's right to self-deter­ dents, teachers, clergymen, lawyers, tion has just been successfully carried member of the Angolan mission to the mination." and workers who in the 1960s and out." United States; a representative of the With these words, Ambassador 1970s contributed to the ending of the Ambassador Dung expressed the Committee in Solidarity with the Peo­ Nguyen Ngoc Dung of the Permanent painful Vietnam war as the builders solidarity of the Vietnamese people ple of El Salvador; and Joseph Canute Mission of Vietnam to the United of the genuine friendship between the with the "struggle for peace, stability, Burke, Grenada's consul-general for Nations opened her remarks to a May two peoples of Vietnam and the United and self-determination waged by their North America. 9 meeting here in solidarity w1th Viet­ States." brothers and sisters in Salvador, Nica­ Chan Bu Han, a Kampuchean na­ nam and El Salvador. She pointed out that "the dr~am of ragua, Grenada, Cuba . . . in the tional, described visiting his native so many Vietnamese generations­ Southern part of Africa," and with The rally, which drew 150 people, land after an absence of ten years. He namely, national independence, liqui­ "their Palestinian brothers and sis- was initiated by the Committee in found that scores of his relatives had dation of the _ century-old colonial ters." Solidarity with Vietnam, Kampuchea perished under the Pol Pot regime, yoke-has come true." But, she added, The meeting was chaired by Abe and Laos (CSVNKL) and cosponsored which was toppled with the help of "a great number of problems have not Weisburd and Harriet Tanzman. Merle by a number of other organizations. Vietnamese troops. He declared that yet been solved. The Vietnamese peo­ Rattner from CSVNKL blasted the the people of Kampuchea would "con­ Hailing the sixth anniversary of ple have not enjoyed . .. peace." She Reagan . administration's war drive, tinue our revolutionary struggle for Vietnam's 1975 victory, it linked de­ cited the U.S.-supported invasion of including its continued hostility to socialism." fense of the Vietnamese and Indochi­ Vietnam by China as an example, Vietnam. A statement prepared for the rally by nese revolutions to today's movement along with continuing threats from the There were an impressive array of the United Nations mission of the Lao

16 THE MILITANT MAY 22, 1981 Dn's war drive reflected in the stands taken by a growing number of church leaderships. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops has continued to oppose U .S. policy in El Salvador, joined by a wide range of Protestant and evangelical groups. The Reagan administration was par­ ticularly shaken when the leaders of the Mormon Church-the dominant force in Utah and normally a bedrock FMLN/FDR greetings to May 3 demonstration of support to right-wing policies­ The following message was sent to the massive May 3 antiwar march declared its opposition to the MX mis­ in Washington: sile. Church leaders described the MX The Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) and the as "a denial of the very essence" of the "gospel of peace to the peoples of the · Democratic Revolutionary Front (FDR) hereby extend our warmest earth." · greetings on behalf of the people of El Salvador and congratulate you for the solidarity you have harnessed for our people in this event. The failure of Reagan's policies to Your presence among. thousands of compaiieras and compaiieros reverse the "Vietnam syndrome" is represents the overwhelming repudiation of the people of the United spurring tactical differences in the States to the interventionist and military policies of President Reagan ruling class over how to proceed with who in the last four months has provided fifty-six military advisors and the war drive. over $30 million in military aid to the genocidal Salvadorean Junta. That is why the capitalist media Your participation in today' s march also manifests the historical gave significant coverage to the Mas 3 action. commitment of the people of the United States and El Salvador to The impact of May 3 was also sig­ struggle together to bring to a halt the military aid from the United naled when the Senate Foreign Rela­ States government, to topple the Military Christian Democratic Junta, tions Committee voted May 11 to make and to reinstate a broad-based democratic and revolutionary government U.S. aid to El Salvador conditional on determined to respect human rights and to be truly representative of the assurances from Reagan that "signifi­ interests of the Salvadorean people in order to implement the economic cant progress" is being made in assur­ and political transformations necessary to bring peace to our embattled ing human rights. country. This move will not change the ad­ The historical commitment of our peoples has been sealed with the ministration's course-and is not in­ blood of more than 18,000 Salvadoreans and at least six citizens of the tended to. It is an attempt by the United States who were cowardly assassinated by the Military Christian Senate committee to give U.S. military Democratic Junta. The blood shed by our peoples must give North intervention a more attractive face. Americans the strength to develop a broad solidarity movement aimed at Kopec, and Rose Peery withdrawing all military advisors and stopping the military aid sent by other photos are of May 3 antiwar May 3 and working class President Reagan. It is urgently necessary to contain the increasing Actions like the May 3 protest, uni­ amounts of aid before the Administration decides-as in the case of Viet­ ting a wide range of organizations and Nam-to sent large-scale shipments of U.S. troops. Such action would involving participants from all walks unnecessarily prolong the Salvadorean conflict and would trigger its of life, have a powerful effect on the expansion to the entire Central American region. demand a shutdown of the Rocky working qlass. They reinforce and ex­ The blood shed by Salvadoreans and North Americans commits the tts, Colorado, weapons plant, and tend the antidraft, antiwar sentiment FMLN-FDR, the legitimate representative of the Salvadorean people, ~)0 protested the MX missile in Salt as that already runs strong among mil­ to express our solidarity with the other demands of this demonstration :! City on May 2. lions of union members. Public em­ and to reiterate our unbreakable determination to struggle until we ployees, auto workers, electrical work­ 1urches voice opposition ers, and other unionists joined the May overthrow the military dictatorship that has repressed the Salvadorean .'he danger of nuclear war is also 3 march. people for more than forty-nine years in order to safeguard an unjust ~ing wider opposition in the The widespread protests have also economic structure. uches. "In a time of political pres­ helped inspire the formation of labor Our triumph is inevitable since it counts with your support and since it ·e for more U.S. arms buildup," committees on El Salvador in San Jose is based on the Salvadorean people's fimi decision to struggle in unity •orted Associated Press religion wri- and New York. Speakers from the until the final victory. ' George Cornell, "Christianity has Revolutionary Democratic Front of El REVOLUTION OR DEATH!!! WE SHALL WIN!!! :orne increasingly skeptical about Salvador have appeared before dozens UNITED IN STRUGGLE UNTIL THE FINAL VICTORY!!! ather modern warfare can ever be of union meetings. •rally justified, especially if it in­ Buoyed by actions like May 3, the 'ves nuclear weapons." opposition in the unions to U.S. inter­ 'Mexico will defend cause of Nicaragua' fe cited Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, whom vention puts , those who support the As military threats to the Nicaraguan revolution from the U.S.-backed described as the Catholic Church's government's role-like AFL-CIO Pres­ dictatorship in· Honduras continue to mount, President Jose LOpez 1ief expert on the issue," as saying ident Lane Kirkland-increasingly on Portillo of Mexico has reiterated his government's commitment to tt the emergence of nuclear weapons the defensive. maintain close ties and provide extensive aid to the Sandinista regime in s "provoked an increasing moral Actions like May 3 also play an Managua. ~pticism about the legitimacy of the indispensable role in bringing into "Mexico will defend the cause of Nicaragua as its own," LOpez PortiUo 1 of force to resolve political prob- motion the forces that can stop the declared on May 6, during an official visit to Mexico by Commander '1S." U.S. war drive-the tens of millions of Daniel Ortega, coordinator of Nicaragua's Junta of National Reconstruc­ -lehir added, "We are unconvinced American working people. Mass ac­ tion. 1t limited nuclear war can be fought tions-even bigger and broader-will The Mexican president assailed Washington for "presenting Nicaragua thin the confines of a just-war be needed as part of the struggle to 1ic." stay the hands of the nuclear-armed as a passing domino in a vast plot to destroy Western democracy." He L'he pressure of the broadening oppo­ madmen in the White House and the also expressed "deep worry" over recent attacks on Nicaragua by ion to war and nuclear weapons is Pentagon. counterrevolutionaries operating with impunity from Honduran territory. Ortega and L6pez Portillo signed a series of agreements under which Mexico will increase its economic, commercial, technical, and cultural assistance to Nicaragua. Such aid will reportedly total some $200 million r struggle during the next two years . .:>pie's Democratic Republic ex­ ~ssed firm support to the cause of the Reagan to resume Guatemala aid tlvadoran people. The Reagan administration is preparing to resume military aid to the ''At ~the present time, the valiant ople of Salvador under the direction right-wing terrorist regime of Gen. Romeo Lucas Garcia in Guatemala. the Democratic Revolutionary Front Claiming that the Lucas regime faces a "major insurgency" with · 1ges an unyielding struggle against "strong Communist worldwide support," John Bushnell of the State e oppression of the fascist junta that Department told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee May 4 that Ids power and serves the interest of Washington "is disposed to support Guatemala." 1perialism . . . . The Lao people~voice Two days later, the State Department announced that Gen. Vernon : support to this struggle and will Walters (ex-deputy director of the CIA) and former U.S. ambassador to md firmly on the side of the people Guatemala Frank Ortiz would soon travel to the Central American El Salvador ·until the total defeat of country to work out arrangements for resuming military aid. On May 7, " fascist clique. Lucas Garcia's foreign minister, Rafael Castillo Valdez, left Guatemala The Lao People's Democratic Re­ for talks in Washington on the same subject. olic reiterates its militant solidarity Guatemala's military rulers have not received U.S. arms aid since 1977, ,th the brotherly peoples of Cuba, when they rejected a $2.1 million offer because of State Department icaragua, and Grenada." criticisms over human-rights violations. Since then, however, the Pen­ The meeting gave impetus to de­ tagon has helped Lucas and company secure arms, training, and :mds that the U.S. government recog­ technical aid from Israel, Chile, and Argentina. "-e the Vietnamese and Kampuchean •vernments, stop aiding counterrevo­ iIi Lou owort -Nelson Gonzalez tionary forces in the region, and lift Nguyen -Ngoc Dung, Vietnamese am- e economic embargo against Viet­ bassador to the United Nations, at May iffi. 9 rally.

MAY 22,1981 THE MILITANT 17 World news and analysis from ... ·Intercontinental Press combined with lll}lrecor Jamaica's struggle against . . U.S. domination Part I Beginning this week, we are serial­ crops like bananas and sugar used up izing Ernest Harsch's article on Ja­ more and more land and drove tens of maica, which appeared in the April thousai].ds of small farmers off their 27 'Intercontinental Press.' Harsch plots. The rural unemployed and land­ takes up last year's electoral victory less flocked to the cities in the hopes of of Edward Seaga over Michael Man­ finding jobs. Huge shantytowns arose ley . in the context of U.S. imperial­ in the western areas of Kingston. Ur­ ism's drive to contain the revolution ban discontent became rife. in the Caribbean. A similar situation prevailed In part one of the article, Harsch throughout Britain's Caribbean em­ reviews the anticolonial struggles of pire. And almost everywhere the work­ the Jamaican masses and the origins ers responded in the same way: of Seaga's Jamaica Labor Party and through massive strikes and the organ· Manley's People's National Party. ization of trade unions. Beginning in 1934, big strikes ·and urban uprisings By Ernest Harsch swept through the region, hitting Tri­ The new governments in Washing­ nidad, Guyana, St. Kitts, Barbados, St. ton and Kingston have wasted little Vincent, and St. Lucia. time in consolidating their reactionary alliance. '37 -'38 strikes On February 23-less than a month In 1937-38, it was Jamaica's turn to after President Reagan welcomed Ja­ explode. First, spontaneous strikes by maican Prime Minister Edward Seaga sugar workers and banana cutters to the White House-a U.S. destroyer broke out in various parts of the is­ pulled into the Kingston. docks. Its land. Then, in May 1938, police fired visit was part of a series of U.S. naval into a crowd of sugar workers, killing maneuvers in the Caribbean aimed at ·four. Massive protest marches and intimidating the people of El Salvador demonstrations swept the country. Ba­ and other countries. nana workers brought the industry to Then in early March, a team of a halt, marching from plantation to leading U.S. businessmen arrived in plantation to bring the workers out. Kingston to discuss with their Jamai­ Dockers paralyzed the wharves. Strik­ can counterparts ways to increase U.S. The imperialist governments and has long considered an "American ers and unemployed workers poured investment in Jamaica. The team­ banks have shown their gratitude to lake.'' And to protect its interests, it into the streets of Kingston; virtually which was named by Reagan­ Seaga by pledging hundreds of mil­ has repeatedly intervened in the Carib­ taking them over. The mobilization of included Chase Manhattan Bank · lions of dollars in loans. In addition, bean with troops and other means. British troops and the arrest of the Chairman David Rockefeller and the · the International Monetary Fund has workers' main spokesman, Alexander heads of Exxon, Gulf and Western, tentatively approved $650 million in Role in region Bustamante, just added to the ferment. Alcoa, Kaiser Aluminum, Reynolds new credits to Jamaica. This is in Jamaica is important to Washington The upsurge was brought to an end Aluminum, United Brands, and other sharp contrast to their attitude toward in its own right. But it is even more only after Bustamante was released, large corporations, most of them with the Manley government, which they important within the context of the the workers won wage increases, and interests in Jamaica. helped undermlne through a severe Caribbean as a whole. It is the largest the British authorities promised land Secretary of State Alexander Haig financial embargo. and most populous of the English­ reform. has designated a senior adviser to the As Seaga's policies have already speaking islands. It is very close to joint U.S.-Jamaican business commit­ shown, his regime does not represent Cuba and Haiti, and only 400 miles Anticolonial struggle tee to "help assure harmony with the interests of J amaica's working from Central America. Political devel­ The 1938 rebellion marked a major United States Government policy." population, the mostly Black workers opments in J amaica have often had a turning point in Jamaica's struggle Jamaica News columnist Aggrey and farmers who make up the vast big political impact in countries as far against foreign domination. It showed Brown commented, "Lest any natives bulk of the island's more than two away as Trinidad and Guyana. the power of the young J amaican continue to harbour the illusion that million people. It represents the inter­ There are also historical links be­ working class and gave a big spur to we are not for sale, let it be said, 'We ests of the North American and British tween the people of Jamaica and the the organization of trade unions. Anti­ are not for sale.' bankers and industrialists who domi­ struggle of U.S. Blacks. Marcus Gar· colonial sentiments were greatly shar­ "We have been sold." nate the Jamaican economy, plus the vey, the founder of the Universal Ne­ pened. tiny elite of wealthy-and mostly gro Improvement Association, the first Against this background, the first A proimperialist regime white-J amaican capitalists who are mass Black political organization in J amaican political parties were estab­ Since Edward Seaga came into allied with the foreign companies. the United States, was a Jamaican. lished. In 1938, Norman Manley, a prominent lawyer who had played a power in early November-following a Thus, the outcome of the struggle in brutal U.S.-inspired destabilization New stage key role in arbitrating between the The U.S. imposition of the Seaga Jamaica will not only decide the future workers and the authorities during the campaign against the previous govern­ of:that island, but will have profound ment of Michael Manley-he has regime was an attack against the rebellion, formed the People's National sovereign rights of the J amaican peo­ repercussions far from its shores as Party (PNP). adopted policies very much to the well. liking of his mentors in Washington. ple. It marked the beginning of a new The PNP declared itself a "demo­ stage in the long conflict between the cratic socialist" party similar to Bri­ Job programs have been cut and people of Jamaica and their foreign United Fruit Co. tain's Labour Party. It adopted an prices have been raised, while more oppressors. American business has had a direct anticolonial stance and demanded J a­ funds and arms are being allocated for What Jamaicans want is to be able stake in Jamaica for nearly 100 years. maican "self-government" under th~ the police and military. Repression has to decide their own future, and to be The United Fruit Company, which British crown. It launched a struggle been unleashed against radical politi­ able to utilize the wealth they produce later became notorious for its exploita­ to win universal adult suffrage. cal activists. for their own benefit. tion of Central America, first moved P arallel to the emergence of the Plans have been announced to turn But the U.S. rulers h ave shown that into J amaica in the 1890s, at a time PNP, Alexander Bustamante built up some nationalized enterprises over to they will not willingly accept that. when it was still a direct British col­ the island's first large union, the Bus­ private concerns and to revise the What they want is unrestricted access ony. tamante Industrial Trade Union country's rent control laws. Govern­ to J amaica's bountiful natural resour- For several decades, the American (BITU). Bustamante was able to win a ment supporters have called for steps . ces, including some of the world's companies were junior partners in the wide following, and the strength of the to control J amaica's restive trade un­ richest deposits of bauxite, the raw e:xploitation of the country. But Ameri­ BITU forced employers to make con­ ions. material from which aluminum is can involvement in Jamaica grew. cessions to the workers. On foreign policy questions, Seaga made. They want to be able to employ Gradually, U.S. imperialism sup­ The effectiveness of the BITU as a has lined up with Washington's offen­ J amaica's workers at the lowest possi­ planted the British as the dominant workers' organization was seriously sive against the people of Central ble wages, without having to deal with foreign influence over the island. hampered, however, by the political America and the Caribbean . strong unions. They want a govern­ By the 1930s, however, the American orientation of its leadership. Busta­ One of his first acts was to expel the ment in power that will readily follow and British imperialists began to face mante himself was. a businessman, Cuban ambassador to J amaica and Washington's foreign policy dictates. stiffer opposition from the J amaican and he administered the union like a sharply reduce J amaica's relations That is the same thing they are after population, opposition that was fueled business, from the top down. He ensh­ with Cuba. A witch-hunt has been in the rest of the Caribbean, a region of to a great extent by their deteriorating rined himself as "president-for-life" launched against young J amaicans great political and economic impor­ living standards. and retained sole control over the who have studied in Cuba. tance, which the American ruling class The expansion of commercial export union's funds. Most seriously, Busta-

18 THE MILITANT MAY 22,1981 mante tried to steer workers away from ing involvement of North American the West," Bustamante proclaimed. The vitality of this movement be­ involvement in the anticolonial strug­ corporations in Jamaica. Although Jamaica was thrown open further to came evident in 1968. When the JLP gle, ridiculed the PNP's calls for self: they claimed to speak to all Jamai­ imperialist economic interests. Be­ government deported Walter Rodney, a government, and attempted to limit the cans, especially the workers, their lead­ tween 1958 and 1969, Jamaican trade popular Marxist lecturer at the Univer­ BITU's concerns to solely economic erships more directly represented the with the United States increased by sity of the West Indies who first popu­ Issues. political and social interests of the more than four times. larized the term "Black Power" in the But the anticolonial movement con­ Jamaican petty bourgeoisie and capi­ Most of the new foreign businesses Caribbean, widespread student pro­ tinued to grow. In 1942, the British talist class. Jamaica's top "twenty-one attracted to Jamaica were small or tests swept the island. Police were sent authorities felt obliged to make some families" divided their support be­ highly mechanized, creating few jobs against the demonstrators, and three constitutional concessions. They an­ tween the two parties, although the for the growing work force. In the people were killed. nounced that elections would be held JLP traditionally enjoyed the greater countryside, more and more peasants Under the impact of this radicaliza­ for a House of Representatives in 1944. share of capitalist backing. were driven off the land and agricultu­ tion, the People's National Party em­ The PNP still called itself socialist, ral production declined. barked on a sharp change in political Origins of JLP and in. 1951 became a member of the The JLP regime established closer course. The growing militancy of the Determined to block the PNP from Socialist International. But the follow­ political and military ties with Wash­ PNP's trade union supporters (espe­ winning office in those elections, Bus­ ing year, at the height of the Cold War, ington as well. In 1963, it signed a cially among industrial workers), the tamante broke from his supposed the leadership of Norman Manley U.S.-Jamaica Defense Treaty, under criticisms directed at the party by the "nonpolitical" stance and set up the launched a witch-hunt against the left which the JLP government received Black Power movement, and the wing of the party. A number of promi­ Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to run U.S. military aid and training. mounting demands for change among against the PNP. Although the JLP nent trade unionists, who also consi­ young Jamaicans in general impelled . claimed to represent the working class, dered themselves Marxists, were ex­ This was in direct response to the successful socialist revolution in neigh­ the PNP to shed many of its proimpe­ few workers were among its candi­ pelled from the PNP. rialist positions and policies. In the dates. The party won the backing of boring Cuba. The imperialists and their allies throughout the Caribbean process, the party began to undergo an the planter class and businessmen. PNP in power evolution. The PNP likewise claimed to cham­ By 1955, the PNP got its first chance feared that the example of Cuba could spread. In 1969, Michael Manley was chosen pion the workers' interests, and had an to gain office. The JLP's popular sup­ leader of the PNP following his fa­ active left wing that included several port had declined considerably in thE;! ther's death. Since the early 1950s, he leading unionists who were admitted preceding years, and the voters de­ Repression stepped up Within Jamaica, repression was had served as a central leader of the Marxists. But the main leadership of manded a change. National Workers Union, playing ma­ the party was composed of petty­ Once in office, however, the policies stepped up. Some socialist literature was banned from Jamaica, as were the jor roles in the organization of the bourgeois nationalists and much of its of the PNP and Norman Manley were bauxite workers and in numerous funding also came from Jamaican little different. Manley launched a plan writings of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmi­ chael, and other Black American radi­ strikes led by the NWU. He was one of business circles. Unlike the British of "capitalistic expansionism," under the most prominent figures involved in Labour Party, which the PNP held up which he sought to lure more foreign cals. The JLP engaged in widespread electoral fraud in 1967 to assure its building solidarity with the 1964 strike as its model, the PNP in that period investors to Jamaica. Although it was at the Jamaica Broadcasting Corpora­ had only a very small union base. successful in attracting some new capi­ "reelection." The Jamaican capitalists rallied tion. Most workers thus remained behind tal, the plan brought with it few of the Coming from this background, Mi­ around the JLP as the best defender of Bustamante, despite the PNP's more jobs that had been promised. chael Manley more directly felt the the social order. In 1967, Sir Neville anticolonial positions. The JLP won In 1959, popular frustrations led to pressures of the PNP's working class Ashenheim, one of Jamaica's most office in the 1944 elections. an armed revolt by unemployed urban members than did the old-time party prominent businessmen, was given a youth. Norman Manley called on Brit­ leadership. He criticized both the JLP cabinet post. U.S. companies charge ahead ish troops to help put it down. and PNP for ignoring the interests of In response to this ruling-class offen­ It was during the JLP's first period At the same time, the PNP never­ workers and called for greater local sive, popular frustrations and anger in government that American business theless managed to build up a strong control over Jamaica's natural resour­ began to move into Jamaica on a truly trade union base. Supporters of the grew. Workers in many sectors of the econ­ ces. massive scale. In the forefront were the PNP had established the National The PNP under Michael Manley also omy went out on strike. Although the U.S. aluminum companies. Workers Union (NWU) in 1952. By the adopted a new stance toward the Black JLP regime tried to enforce the Essen­ Jamaica has some of the world's end of the decade the NWU was as Power and Rastafarian movements. tial Services Act, which limited the largest and richest deposits of bauxite. large as the JLP-affiliated BITU. Al­ While his father called out British right to strike, there were .so many Lured by these deposits-plus the low though both were "blanket" unions, troops to put down the 1959 armed labor actions that . it was forced to wages of Jamaican workers and the with membership open to workers from rebellion, Michael Manley-during the retreat. incentives the Jamaican government all sectors of the economy, the ·NWU course of the 1972 election campaign­ · In 1964, a major strike broke out at accorded to foreign investors­ had a much stronger base among the publicly associated himself with the the Jamaica Broadcasting Corpora­ American and Canadian aluminum more socially powerful sectors of the central figure in that revolt, Rastafar­ tion, leading to a series of solidarity companies began to establish major working class, especially the industrial ian leader Claudius Henry. The party strikes by bauxite, hotel, utility,- and operations there. Reynolds, Alcan, and workers employed in the bauxite indus­ made political overtures toward the sugar workers. Tens of thousands Kaiser sunk millions of dollars into try and ill manufacturing. Rastafarians and Black Power groups turned out for support rallies. mining and port facilities, and later ·and adopted many of their slogans and In 1965, protests rocked downtown into the establishment of bauxite refin­ A decade of rebellion symbols. The younger party candi­ Kingston. The following•year, clashes ing plants. The PNP's new trade union base did dates began to address rallies in the between slum dwellers and the police Close on their heels came the U.S. not save it from defeat at the polls, dialect of the workers and peasants, in Western Kingston prompted the banks. North American tourism to however. The 'policies followed by the rather than the Oxford English of the regime to declare a state of emergency. Jamaica skyrocketed. Jamaican trade Norman Manley government alienated ruling classes. The Rastafarian movement, a pan­ ties increasingly shifted away from voters, and allowed the JLP to return At a time of growing opposition to Africanist cultural-religious current, Britain and oward th United States. to power in 1962, the year Jamaica the JLP regime, the PNP's new course gained much wider influence among While the bauxite firms reaped enor­ won its formal political independence won it considerable popular support, young Blacks. mous profits, the conditions for the from Britain. greater than at any time before in its . mass of Jamaicans remained abysmal. Numerous Black Power groups of a The JLP's second period in office, more openly political nature also history. Unemployment was still high, and the Borne on the hopes of the Jamaican from 1962 to 1972, witnessed an ever­ emerged. These were inspired to an acquisition of more than 100,000 acres masses for some basic changes, the widening class polarization within the extent by the American civil rights of land by the bauxite companies drove PNP was swept into office in 1972. country. struggle. They criticized the traditional even more small peasants off their With 56 percent of the popular vote, the Bustamante-and after his retire­ policies of both the JLP and PNP, and farms. The wages of bauxite workers PNP took thirty-seven seats in parlia­ ment in 1964, Hugh Shearer-followed the domination of Jamaica's largely were very low, until they organized ment, compared to sixteen for the JLP. themselves and forced the companies even more proimperialist policies than white ruling class over the Black ma­ to pay more. those of Norman Manley. "We are with jority. (To be continued) The Jamaican economy experienced a rapid growth during the 1950s, but in a very deformed manner. Production was geared largely toward export. The few manufacturing industries that were developed had little relationship with each other or with Jamaica's still important agricultural sector. The Ja­ maican economy became more and more dependent on imperialist markets, capital, and finance. A few Jamaicans did benefit from this, however: members of the old plantation aristocracy who began to diversify into construction and other There was, for example, an analysis by IP staff writer Janice Lynn of the Mideast war threat posed by Israeli aggression industries. They formed the nucleus of in Lebanon. From /P's Managua bureau,_Arnold Weissberg reported on a May Day rally of 100,000 in Nicaragua, and on a new industrial bourgeoisie that was the continuing attacks on that country from neighboring Honduras. And there were three points of view from socialists on closely allied with the imperialist com­ the Cuban revolution. In short, there was a lot of international news and analysis that we at the Militant, frankly, didn't panies and banks. Corrupt politicians have room to print. And this week there'll be more. Subscribe now to Intercontinental Press . and local managers also found numer­ ous opportunities to enrich themselves. Yes! Start my subscription now! · Make checks payable to: Income gap grows D INTRODUCTORY OFFER. Send me three months of IP for $8.75. Intercontinental Preas Mail to: Overall, the gap between the stand­ D Send me six months of IP for $17.50. D Send me one year of IP for $35. Intercontinental Preas ard of living of the ruling class and the Name _____ 41 0 West Street masses of working people grew wider. New York, N.Y. 10014 By the 1960s, Jamaica had one of the Address ------highest ratios of income inequality in the world. City/State/Zip ------­ Both of the main Jamaican parties, Canadian Rates: $41 for one year; $21 for six months. Send for rates to other countries. the JLP and PNP, defended the grow-

MAY 22, 1981 THE MILITANT 19 Ranks of Polish Communist Party demand

By Ernest Harsch er of the strike in his plant, was elected In hundreds of meetings in factories first secretary of the factory party or­ and workplaces. members of the Polish ganization. He has called for a "thor­ United Workers Party tPUWP. the ough housecleaning throughout Po­ land" and has insi13ted that "the facto­ Communist Party) are boldly standing Orc:;~:-.1:hcj1 s;>olec=:o-:pol1 tycznych up to voice their opinions; on a scale un­ 17 17 ries must have greater autonomy and precedented in the party's history. In­ the workers must be able to make the spired by the enormous gains won by the decisions." Polish working class since the strikes of For his radical views, lwanow was ex­ August 1980, they are insisting that the pelled from the party by higher bodies, party be completely transformed, that it but was reelected to his position by the base itself on the revolutionary changes .Dn1a 19 luteco 1S31 r. Nr 17 defiant ranks of the factory party organ­ ization. taking place in Polish society. --~~------·-~-~======::-::-=.:::--~::.:· ::::·===== This was pointed to by one PUWP In November 1980, a discussion docu­ If ~rod~ 15 lc:te ~o " . aul1 L':.:L oart~jr.e"O r.asze.;o member at the giant Lenin Shipyard in \OO~c ·.t O dzt ·.t:\ ;t <:C~ l !!.>C::: z.-cy czi ~ n ! . a J.>lUra l ' Oiltyc .: · e~o , se .. rct::rza ];C ment was presented to the party organi­ Gdansk. In a play on the party's name, to·.; . :lo::oe :rzctle,; rcl::.::jonuje codzieo:-.a prnsa. Po1.ie,.a1 orr;ar.iz~> c ja ;:>artyj Lodz, and subsequently was discussed in Zycie Warszawy, the main Warsaw dai­ To·.t t ..Joru jc ~ no z ;:-..: c:r.ie Oli.r c.jl1la s ·.,oje St1nOn1s~o" s n1"::~\1 i A uvhn,. ,1~ ~ J"7.,a other party organizations in the region. Zj,zdc~ or~z t o~L::.~ t 6 ~ poziocyoh, lt~re Z30~oco~3ly J The document pointed out: ly, as saying, "We must do everything to KonsultecyjLO-~orozu-iea::..cz.ej, cie L~~z.ie~y po raz k ensure that our party becomes truly Pol­ ar,;t: ..;eut.Jw "z.a". O.;;a:.iczy::y ale do liilJ.;u li.rytycz1.yc!J oO•cOw .~tn~uj;.cycb ~o;;;lsj,. They I the workers! are saying that the dic­ ish, truly united, truly of the workers, tatorship of the proletariat should not be a and truly a party." 1. Cl:arn:.:tcrystyczr.e jest, te liryty:;uJ•,cy liooisje oic a przeclet teby oo~ oc~nic trz.cba oajplerw ~o poz.n dictatorship over the proletariat, that the Lech Witkowski, one of the leaders of broad masses' right to free expression must 2. \Vi~ksz.o>C >~takuj .-; c)· cll k o:J i ,-, j'O rJO~t lla "w 1::1cr: iu" l the rank-and-file movement in Torun, ',Tyra~aj;;o z Cnnle, te przeJsta11lciele !.J.t' ole p o11ln be guaranteed in law and in fact. put it in a different way. "We are not ~ro~z.y to"nrzysze, ln2dy z

20 THE MILITANT MAY 22, 1981 Open letter: 'Socialism sweeping reforms nOt for benefit of elite' Another. from a computer factory in sponsible for the country's economic and [At the March 29-30 plenum of socialism, and belongs equally to ev­ Wroclaw, explained why her party or­ political crisis and for the expulsion the PUWP Central Committee, Ka­ eryone. ganization had decided to join the strike from the party of those who have. been zimiera Gromada, an alternate Socialism should not be for the be­ despite the leadership's ruling. "compromised" or who have a "low mor­ member of the Central Committee nefit of an elite. It should not com­ Under the pressure of the ranks, the al or ideological leveL" One demanded and a metalworker in the com­ prise the privileges of an exclusiv~ leadership of the PUWP finally agreed the "liquidation of the foreign bank ac­ munications assembly section of ruling layer held together by narrow to convene an extraordinary congress of counts of ministers and directors, as the Mielec aircraft factory, got up interests. Socialism means people's the party July 14-18 (the regularly well as party .leaders, who have en­ to read an open letter to the ple­ power, elected by the working class scheduled congress was not due until riched themselves at the expense of the num from the factory party organ­ and representing its interests. 1985). people." ization. The following are the ex­ The party must be a revolutionary In preparation for the congress, rank­ The documents did not limit them­ cerpts of the letter that were pub­ party, for that is the need of the mo­ and-file organizations in different parts selves to party affairs. They also dis­ lished in.the March 30 issue of'Zy­ ment. It must be revolutionary not of the country began to establish closer cussed various aspects of the country's cie Warszawy.' The translation is through bloodshed, but in thought links with each other, both to discuss social and economic problems, including by 'Intercontinental Press.'] and action. It must demonstrate good their ideas and to press for as democrat­ wage policies, rent levels, pension plans, sense, but also determination. It must ic a congress as possible. These groups and so forth . In the difficult situation facing our rid itself of fortuitous elements .., II themselves "horizontal" structures, The ferment within the ranks of the country, a growing majority of people -those who have been compromised, in contrast to the present "vertical" PUWP has alarmed the bureaucrats in are becoming anxious, not only with who have violated the law, and who structure of the party, in which direc­ the Kremlin, who fear that the revolu­ concern about the future of the coun­ have squandered the dignity of the ~";1ves are handed from the top down. tionary example of the Polish workers try, but also about the very survival name "party member." On April 15, the first national confer­ and rank-and-file party me"mbers could of the nation. Unqualified people al­ But it is already difficult to regain ence of the movement was held in Tor­ become contagious. low themselves the luxury of carrying. confidence in the organization. There un, drawing 750 delegates from rank­ An April 25 Tass press agency report out provocations against the govern­ are people at the highest levels of the and-file party organizations around the charged in a threatening manner, "Re­ ment of Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski. party who have been able to maneuv­ country. After singing the Internation­ visionist forces in the party are demand­ They try to manipulate public opin­ er for years, who have already sur­ ale, the delegates stood up to express ing reform of the party, abandonment of ion. They seek to walk a tightrope in vived many a crisis and renewal and support for Solidarity, to demand demo­ its present organizational structure and the face of a growing social storm. still know how to applaud new ones. cratization of the party, and to condemn the creation, under theguise of so-called Most members of the party's factory We demand that the Ninth Plenum the bureaucratic policies of the leader­ horizontal structures, of various uncon­ organizations in Rzeszow Province find a way out of the crisis, and avoid ship. stitutional forums that would replace have expressed their direct support a . confrontation from a position of "The authorities should not present the party's leading organs." . for General Jaruzelski's measures strength. We also demand qualitative the changes going on in our country as The purpose of these "revisionists," and general stance of seeking justice steps to purge the party's ranks, espe­ the work of antisocialist forces," de­ Tass claimed was to inspire "a campaign along a Polish path-through a so­ cially through the holding of demo­ clared Tadeusz Neckowicz, a delegate aimed at discrediting party workers, cialist renewal of society and an eco­ cratic elections to all leadership posi­ from Bydgoszcz, "but as a proper resto­ seeking to create difficulties between nomic revival of the country. At the tions, by developing a political pro­ ration of Marxist-Leninist principles." the various party bodies, between the same time, they express their regret gram and carrying the extraordinary The conference adopted resolutions Central Committee arid the primary or­ that the leaders of the party are be­ congress through to the end, and by calling for the expulsion from the Politi­ ganizations." coming detached from the masses; bringing to trial and punishing in ac­ cal Bureau of "those members who have Rather than reflecting a "revisionist" they cannot or do not want to under­ cordance with the law all those who lost the trust of the rank-and-file" and current, the activists organized in the stand them. are responsible for our country's eco­ demanding the direct election of a new "horizontal" structures represent those Democracy cannot be a gift from nomic and political crisis. leadership at the upcoming congress. elements in the party who are begin­ the leadership. It is an integral part of From Intercontinental Press Although the official Polish press ning to discuss aspects ofa revolution­ relegated its coverage of the Torun con­ ary alternative to the years of bureau­ ference to a few perfunctory reports, the cratic misrule of the current party lead­ April 21 issue of Zycie Warszawy carried ership. As this process continues, the po­ tion, or it becomes a re

MAY 22, 1981 THE MILITANT 21 POLITICAL POLICE ON TRIAL FBI LIES ANSWERED Veteran Socialist Gives the Facts Testimony of George Breitman

George · Breitman, a longtime leader of the Socialist Workers Party, testified on April 30 and May 1 at the trial of the SWP and Young Socialist Alliance suit against government spying and harassment. Breitman's testimony further discredited the "Mandigo affi­ davit" on alleged crimes of six current and former SWP leaders. The affidavit was prepared by FBI special agent Charles Mandigo. Breitman documented the large­ scale errors, lies, and distor­ tions in the public section of the Mandigo affidavit. This para­ graph-by-paragraph dissection served to discredit the secret part of the affidavit, which Mandigo has sworn he was 'just as thor­ ough and careful in drafting' as the public part. Although the actual contents of this affidavit are still secret to all but the government lawyers and Judge Thomas Griesa, the govern­ ment says it contains evidence of crimes they have so far been un­ able to present in public-despite more than forty years of spying. The purpose of the secret affi­ davit is to block the trial from confronting the fundamental issues at stpke-particularly the government's claim that it has the George Breitman on witness stand right to violate the democratic rights of socialists in order to 'defend' the U.S. Constitution. Breitman also talked about some think, up to this point, of the SWP itself, positions were when you worked on organization of the SWP and indeed it is of the early history of the Fourth and I have attended twenty-one or the 'Militant,' the times and posi­ history and- International and the role played twenty-two of them as a regular dele­ tions. Winter: That was a detail I wanted in it by the SWP. He pointed out gate -or as a fraternal delegate. A: I began as a writer on the Militant to come out. Mr. Breitman was arrested that the center of the Interna­ I have also been a member of the na­ in 1941. I became an editor later that but we can skip this. tional was moved to New York tional commit~e for forty-two years, year, and remained an editor until to­ Griesa: All right. Let's really draw with the outbreak of World War II, since 1939. I estimate that as a member ward the end of 1943 when I went into this plaintiffs' case to a close. and stayed here until the end of of that committee, I have attended close the Army. Q: I believe you testified you were the war. The SWP leadership to one hundred meetings of the national I resumed as editor again in 1946 and on the political committee from 1939 played a central political role in committee. continued until1954. to 1954 and again from 1969 to 1978; the center during this period-as a Judge Griesa: Are you still on the is that right? formal part of the International national committee? Early years i·n movement A: Yes. until December 1940, when the Breitman: Yes. And I was a member Q: How did you happen to join the Q: Was there a reason for the ga p V oohris Act was passed; and as of the political committee from 1939 to SWP? between 1954 and 1969 w hen you fraternal members afterwards. 1954 and again from 1969 to 1978. I esti­ A: I was unable to obtain work after were not on the political committee? This week's 'Militant' has the mate that as a member of that commit­ leaving high school until I enlisted in A: I moved to Detroit, where I was ac­ first part of Breitman's testimony, tee, I attended over 1000 political com­ the Civilian Conservation Corps which tive in the leadership of the Detroit which goes over the Mandigo affi­ mittee meetings. was a New Deal agency for youth, un­ branch of the SWP, and worked as a davit. employed youth. I spent close to a year printer and a member of the I nt~rna­ Public spokesperson in Alabama working on the building of a tional Typographical Union. DIRECT EXAMINATION By Mar­ Q: Have you ever officially r epre­ fire tower. While I was there- in com­ garet Winter sented the SWP in public as a candi­ pany with 200 other young men from Editor of 60 books Q: Mr. Breitman, where do you date or otherwise? the New York metropolitan area , work­ Q: When did you return to New live? A: Yes. I represented the SWP before ing together with them- I came to the York? A: New York City. congressional committees and other go­ conclusion that I would like to try to A: I returned to New York at the end Q: Are you a member of the So­ vernment bodies- national, state and work to improve society and remove of 1967. cialist Workers Party? local. I have spoken before other organi­ such problems as unemployment, war Q: What was your chief responsi­ A: Yes. zations in the name of the SWP. I was a and fascism. So on my return-to Newark bility in the SWP after you r eturned Q: When did you join the Trotsky­ candidate for public office as the SWP in 1935, I joined the Workers Party of to New York? · ist movement? candidate in ten different election cam­ the United States. A: When I returned, my first year A: The Trotskyist movement? Well, paigns from 1940 to 1954 in New Jersey, was spent in a hospital because I had a when I joined my first political organi­ running for state, county and municipal Early role new attack of arthritis. zation, I couldn't tell the difference be­ office. Q: Mr. Breitman, what was your Q: When you got out? tween Trotskyism and Stalinism and Q: Have you ever worked on the main political responsibility when A: I was unable to return to work as a rheumatism. 'Militant' newspaper, Mr. Breitman? you joined that organization? printer because I couldn't sit up or stand I learned about those things later. A: Yes, I have worked on it. I have A: Well, for a time I was a branch and up long enough to hold a job. At that The first organization I joined was a written hundreds of editorials and arti­ district organizer of the party. I also be­ time J ack Barnes of the SWP, whom I forerunner or ancestor of the Socialist cles, some of which were signed by pen came a member of an unemployed or­ got to know in the Midwest, invited me Workers Party called the Workers Party names. ganization, which later took the name to become an editor on the staff of Path­ of the United States. I became a member of the editorial Workers Alliance of America, and finder Press. He pointed out that I would Its chief executive officer was A.J . staff in 1941. I can thank the govern­ which consisted of unemployed people be able to work the hours that I was able Muste. ment for that because it was the begin­ and WPA workers. I became state or­ to work and that I could do much of the I joined it forty-six years ago in 1935 ning of the Minneapolis trial of SWP ganization secretary of that organiza­ work at home. in Newark, New J ersey. leaders and the Militant felt that it tion. Q: When did you start work for needed to expand its staff in order to Q: What kind of activities did you Pathfinder Press? A leader of the SWP · deal with that event. engage in in the Workers Alliance? A: Around the beginning of 1969. Q: Have you ever held any nation­ Griesa: I'll tell you, all of this is most A: We represented our members as a alleadership positions in the SWP? interesting but you listen carefully to sort of collective bargaining agency- Q: Have you been editing since Miss Winter's questions and limit your Griesa: I don't know why we have to the time you started at P athfinder A: Yes. The national convention is answers to those quetions. get into all of this. We have really got to P ress? the highest authority in th~ SWP. There A: What was t Q.e question again? remember that by now there is a lot of A: Yes, I have edited around sixty have been twenty-five conventions, I Q: I am trying to find out what the general testimony about the goals and books that I would take responsibility

22 THE MILITANT MAY 22,1981 for; either as editor or co-editor, or as refer to him in this way. So by whom he consulting editor. was considered to be the head of the FI, I Q: What were the subjects of the don't know. books you have edited? Griesa: Look, Miss Winter, what do Frame-up you need to bring out through this wit­ Q: Looking at the next sentence: ness? 'In 1942 Cannon was interviewed as Winter: The reason why I wanted to a possible suspect in a sabotage of a establish what kind of books- train.' Do yo~ r'ecall that the 'Militant' Mandigo affidavit published an open letter to Attorney Griesa: What is it you want to bring General Biddle from James P. Can­ out through this witness? non on this subject? Winter: There are two subjects. One A: Yes, I recall it very well. is early history of the Fourth Interna­ Q: Were you the editor of the 'Mil· tional and meetings of the Fourth Inter­ itant' at the time this was printed? national in this country, which no other A: Yes. living SWP member has knowledge of. Q: I am going to hand you Plain­ Griesa: When were these meetings? tiffs' Exhibit 250 for identification, Winter: These meetings were in the which is the November 21, 1942, early 1940's. And the other subject of issue of the 'Militant.' Is the open let­ the examination relates to the affidavit ter on that page? of Mr. Mandigo, and we think that it is A: Yes, under the title: quite important. "Is the FBI concocting a frame-up Griesa: What is he going to say against the SWP? An open letter to At­ about the affidavit of Mr. Mandigo? torney Biddle by James P. Cannon." Winter: The affidavit of Mr. Mandigo Q: Did you have any discussions relates to six members of the SWP, four with Cannon on the running of this of them leading members of the SWP letter in the 'Militant.' who are no longer living. A: Yes, I did. If you look at the top of Griesa: Is he one of the six? the page, the article is cut off. It says there "hold up two issues of the Mil­ Expert testimony itant." Winter: No, he is not one of the six. That is referring to the fact that the Mr. Breitman, and this is what we are United States PostOffice had held up attempting to establish, has qualifica­ the previous two issues of the Militant. tions that are very extraordinary This was, in my opinion, the most im­ -knowledge of SWP history and also portant issue that the Militant faced at the history of these deceased members, that point. and also has knowledge of allegations I was in favor of making a big cam­ relating to-- paign in order to protest this interfer­ Griesa: I will assume that he has ence with the circulation of our newspa­ been there a long time. You want to just per. I told Cannon that I thought it was come right specifically to your questions a mistake to get involved at the same about these people. time in a story about supposed sabotage Winter: I want to begin with Exhibit -that everybody who was at all in­ 130 in evidence and I could provide you formed about the SWP would regard it with another copy. ' maga~ine 'of lnTAFI'1,.1'1nl'1"'1 as preposterous, and it would merely get Q: Mr. Breitman, I give you a copy James P. Cannon, then a leader of Communist Party, was national secretary of ILD in the way of the main thing that had to of the declaration of Mr. Mandigo, from its founding in mid-1920s until his expulsion from CP in 1928. Under his be done. Plaintiff's Exhibit 130 in evidence. leadership, ILD was nonpartisan defense body that mobilized world support for I recall the discussion quite well be­ Have you seen this document be­ Sacco and Vanzetti and other victims of capitalist frame-ups. cause he explained to me that if there fore? was a frame-up, a new frame-up being A: Yes. prepared, it was important to publicize any error or inaccuracy in that sent­ not the FBI number but, 'His life fea­ it as soon and as widely as possible. That James P. Cannon ence? tured numerous other arrests and if we did not do so we would regret it Q: Mr. Breitman, there are certain A: Yes. It says that he led the Com­ short jail terms.' very much, because it would come back individuals that this affidavit relates munist League of America from 1929 to A: Well, yes. It depends on what is again and again. to, and one of them is James P. Can­ 1933. The actual dates should be 1929 to meant by numerous, I suppose, but I I concluded eventually that he was non. Did you know Cannon person­ 1934. tried to determine what other arrests correct. Now I think more correct than ally? Griesa: I am sorry, what was the had occurred. I was able to discover only ever since it has come up again. A: Yes, I did. correct title of the workers organiza­ three--Qne in 1913, one in 1919, and one Q: When did you meet him? tion? in 1934. Alleged Cannon 'quotes' A: I met him first in 1946-in 1936, Breitman: Industrial Workers. All three of these cases involved Q: Mr. Breitman, could you turn excuse me. I got to know him well from Griesa: And what were the cor­ strikes in which Cannon was active. In to page 13 of the affidavit of Charles 1941 to around the end of the 1940s, ex­ rect dates down below? the first two cases there were indict­ Mandigo, Plaintiffs' Exhibit 130 in cept when he was in prison, and I was in Breitman: 1929 to 1934 for the Com- ments brought against him, but they evidence. At the bottom of the page: the Army. We worked on the same floor munist League of America. were dropped or withdrawn after the 'In 1950 Cannon stated that he be· in an office right next to each other. I Griesa: Instead of 1929 to 1933? strike was over. lieved that in the event of a world consulted with him quite frequently. Af­ Breitman: Yes. In the third case, the charge against conflict the SWP would support ter he moved to the West Coast, we cor­ Winter: Your Honor, a lot of the er­ him was vagrancy, which the judge did Russia against imperialist America.' responded frequently. rors in there are obviously going to be not act on after the strike was over. ·Are there any errors or inaccurt· Q: Have you read all of Cannon's minor ones. But we think that since we So I don't think it is correct to say that cies in that statement? published works? have no other way at this point of at­ there were numerous arrests. I want to A: Well, I tried to find the source of A: Yes, I have. tacking the credibility of the other affi­ emphasize that in no case was he con­ this statement in the published writings Q: How many books is that? davit that Mr. Mandigo wrote and we victed of anything. of Cannon. I went through his books, his A: There were nine books of his pub­ cannot examine, that it is important to Q: Look at the very next sentence: pamphlets, his speeches, internal bul­ lished before his death. Since he died in go through this. The other reason is, 'In 1940 Cannon was considered letins, the Militant, the magazine 1974, there have been two additional vol­ there is an area like this and it talks head of the Fl.' Is there any error or Fourth International for the year umes of his writings and speeches which about perhaps purported crimes. We inaccuracy there? 1950-as I did with other statements in are part of a series of eight or nine that think that the dates and names may be A: That is not true. In 1940 Cannon this affidavit which do not have a pre­ are going to be published. The third one important. was not considered to be the head of the cise source given. I tried to find the will be out later this year. Griesa: Just cover the important Fl. statement. It wasn't there. I have the Q: Have you read any unpub­ things, please. Q: Did anyone in the SWP or the conviction this is not in print anywhere. lished works by Cannon, writings by Winter: I guess we will just have to Fourth International, to your knowl· It may, therefore, be a verbal statement Cannon? see what your Honor considers impor­ edge, ever say that Cannon was the attributed to Cannon by some unknown A: Yes. After his death, I read unpub­ tant here. head of the FI or was considered to person, unstated person. lished articles and notes of unpublished Q: I would like you, Mr. Breitman, be the head of the Fl? Q: Did you ever hear Cannon say speeches when I went through this ar­ to skip to the third sentence in that A: No, never. anything like that? chives. paragraph that begins: "He wrote Q: Who was considered the head A: No. frequently for the SWP paper, the of the Fourth International at that Q: What about the next sentence Mandigo's 'expertise' 'Militant'" Is there any error or inac­ time? at the top of page 14: Q: Would you please turn to page curacy in that sentence? A:· In 1940 Trotsky was undoubtedly 'In 1946 at the SWP National Con­ 13 of the Mandigo affidavit heading the head of the Fourth International, up vention Cannon stated that the SWP James Cannon. In the first para­ Errors, small and large until his death in 1940. stood for a revolution in'America, it graph, is there any error or inaccu­ A: The last part of the sentence is After that no one was considered the was the only way to establish social· racy in that first sentence? wrong. Cannon never wrote a book head of the Fourth International. I had ism and the SWP would be the one to A: Yes, there is an inaccuracy. There called, Building a Proletarian Party. to know that kind of information as the start the revolution'? is no such organization as International Q: Do you know of any book by editor of the Militant and I am quite cer­ A: I read the speeches of Cannon at Workers of the World. The organization that name? tain about this. Neither the SWP or any the 1946 national convention and did Cannon joined in 1911 was the Industri­ A: No, I have never seen one. of its press ever referred to him in that not find any such statement. I don't al Workers of the World. Q: I would like you to look at the way, nor did I ever think of him in that think that it will be possible to find any Q: Would you go down to the next last· sentence of that paragraph. Is way. Nor did anyone else in any other such statement made by Cannon, be- paragraph, first sentence. Is there there any error or inaccuracy there, newspaper or magazine of that period Continued on next page

MAY 22, 1981 THE MILITANT 23 POLITICAL POLICE ON TRIAL

Continued from preceding page field office was instructed to determine cause neither he nor the SWP ever if he committed peijury, and an investi­ thought or said that the SWP would be gation was conducted, but no prosecu­ the one to start the revolution. Their tive action was taken." I would like to idea is that the working class is going to supply your Honor with a copy of what start the revolution. has been marked Plaintiffs' Exhibit 244 for identification. Wrong anniversary · This is a June 30, 1960, report- FBI Q: Looking at the next sentence: report--on Farrell Dobbs. 'Cannon has also made the following statement'-and then there is a long Dobbs testimony quote. I would like you to look at the synop­ It is attributed to the 'Militant' of sis under the caption "Internal Security, November 16, 1946. Apart from the SWP." The synopsis says that it is a text of the quotation itself, is there summary of the testimony of Dobbs at any inaccuracy in that attribution? an INS hear ing 12/16/59, which is evi­ A: Apart from the text? dently the deportation hearing Q: Yes, the attribution of the 'Mil­ testimony that is referred to in the Ma·n­ itant,' November 16, 1946, remarks digo affidavit. The reason I would like to · from Cannon's speech on the occa­ draw your Honor's attention to this is sion of the thirty-ninth anniversary that the document discusses the basis of the Russian revolution. for t he contemplated perjury prosecu­ A: The text itself corresponds to the tion. one in the Militant which I checked, ex­ It states that "During the hearing cept for one minor change in one word. Dobbs testified that the SWP had at no But the description of the speech is t ime advocated use of force and violence wrong. In 1946, the twenty-ninth anni­ to bring about the change from capital­ versary of the Russian revolution was ism to socialism and further testified being celebrated, not the thirty-ninth. that he had not personally from 1938 to And this is not the error of the Militant, the date of the hearing ever advocated because the Militant said the twenty­ or taught the overthrow of the govern­ ninth anniversary in print around an ment by force or violence." inch high. I would like you to turn back to these­ cond page of the document, and it says Farrell Dobbs here that "Will continue to seek wit­ Q: The next section is on Farrell nesses who may testify that Dobbs or Dobbs, who testified previously. Do the SWP taught or advocated the over­ you have any independent knowl­ throw of the U.S. Government by force edge relating to the incidents that or violence or other unconstitutional are referred to in the section on means in order that a peijury citation Dobbs? may be presented based on the testi­ A: Yes, independent in the sense that mony set out in the details ofth is report." I participated in some events that are So that establishes what the basis for mentioned. Also because in the last ten tary of the SWP.' the headline 'Atlantic Pact· Aimed the contemplated perjury prosecution years I have been doing research on the Do you have any personal knowl­ Against Socialism, Dobbs Tells Se­ was. history of the Socia list Workers Party, edge as to the accuracy of that state­ nate.' and have had the occasion to read a m ent? Is this a copy of the issue that you Loyalty oaths great many documents out of its history. are referring to? Q: Mr. Breitman, I would like you Q: Now, could you look at the very A key decision A: Yes, this is the issue referred to, to look a t the last sentence in that first sentence in paragraph 32 on A: Yes. It is inaccurate because h,e and I notice that there is another article p a r agraph, 'Dobbs h a s counseled page 14 on Dobbs that says: 'Dobbs did not resign his post in 1940. He re­ on the same page by Dobbs, telling SWP members not to sign loyalty joined the Workers Party in March signed in 1939. I remember this inde­ about his impressions about the hear­ oa ths, b ut to d en y m embership in a 1934.' Is there any inaccuracy there? pendently, because I had just been elect­ ing. There is a small box just above that subversive group so that they would A: The Workers Party did not come ed to the political committee, and it was saying, "The full text of Dobbs's state­ n ot lose contacts in the union s, a n into existence until December 1934. subject of discussion there. ment is printed on page 2." act wh ic h would b e violative of the What Dobbs joined was the Communist This was a rather big event at the Taft-Hartley Act.' League of America. time and an important decision was be­ More confusion To you r knowled ge, are th er e a ny Griesa: In March? ing made about whether the leading Q: I would lik e you to look at th e er r ors or in accu racies in this sent­ Br eitman: In March 1934. trade unionist of the Socialist Workers very next sentence, the begin ning of en ce? Party should leave that union. So it was the n ext paragraph. A: Yes. This is one of the most diffi­ Wrong local the subject of consultation and discus­ 'In an article by Dobbs in the Pio­ ctilt statements in the affidavit to un­ Q: I would like you to look a t the sion which went on for some time before neer pamphlet, 'The Coming Am er­ derstand, but it is very typical in its in­ ver y next sentence, Mr. Breitman: the decision was made. But it was made ican Revolution ,' Dobbs states,' et accuracy and in its distortion of fact. 'From 1934 to 1939 with the excep­ in 1939. cetera. I would like to have a few minutes in tion of a ten-m onth period he was se­ Q: I would like you to tu r n the Is th er e a n y error in this state­ which to explain adequately what was cretary of Local 554 of th e Drivers page, page 15, and look at the first m ent? involved in this. Union in Minneapolis, Minnesota.' full p a ragraph. A: Yes there is. The pamphlet "The Silak: May I interject here for a mo­ Is there a ny.error or inaccuracy in The first senten ce, 'He was reelect­ Coming American Revolution" does not ment? I had understood the testimony of that sentence? ed to the Na tiona l Committee of the contain any article by Dobbs. It does not Mr. Breitman was being offered at this A: Yes. There was no Local 554 of the SWP at the November 1945 conven ­ contain any introduction or anything by time because there were four persons Drivers Union in Minneapolis. The only tion,' et ceter a . Dobbs whatever . whose names are mentioned in the affi­ Local 554 of the Drivers Union was in To your kn owled ge, is there any Q: I am h a nding you a copy of davit who were dead. Omaha. error in that statement? wh at has been marked P laintiffs' Winter : That is a misstatement.., It is Q: And was Dobbs secretary of A: Yes, there · was no convention in Exhibit 236 for id e ntification, 'The three people, three are living and three Local 554 in Oma ha? November, 1945, or at any other time in Coming American Revolution .' Is are no longer living. A: No, Dobbs was secretary of what 1945. this the pamphlet that you r eferr ed Silak : I meant the persons unavaila ­ was first called Local 574, which later to? ble to testify. Mr. Dobbs was here and I became Local 544 of the Drivers Union NATO A: Yes, this is the pamphlet. believe he did testify. Griesa: That does not mean he is the in Minneapolis. Q: What about the very n ext sent­ Q: And its entire contents is a r es­ o Q: Now, I would like you to look at ence, or skipping a sentence and go­ olution adopted by the convention in nly one who can testify. Objection over­ ruled. th e very next sentence, the third ing to 'he testified b efore the Sen ate a speech by James Cannon. Is that Q: Would you go ahead , Mr. Breit­ sen ten ce. In 1938 h e, tha t is Dobbs, F oreign Rela tions Committee corr ect? m a n ? visited Leon Trotsky in Mexico. Is against the Nor th Atla ntic P a ct on A: Yes, that is correct. ther e any inaccuracy ther e, to your May 5, 1959.' Q: I would like you to look a t the knowled ge? Is there any er ror ther e? very n ext sentence in that same pa­ Response to Taft-Hartley A: Yes. Dobbs did not visit Trotsky in A: Yes, there is an error. It is an error ragraph: 'Dobbs h as stated th at A: This refers to a period in 1947 at 1938. He visited him in Mexico in 1940 of date. It is off by ten years. That is in w h en one joins the SWP h e is not the time when the Taft-Ha rtley labor on two different occasions. May, 1949. The NATO Treaty came up n ecessarily a Trotskyist bu t rather a law was passed by Congress. It resulted Q: How do you k now th a t? in 1949, and Dobbs went to Washington m em b er of the r evolutionary van­ in a big uproar in the labor movement A: There is a letter about the first to testify on it before the Senate commit­ gua rd a nd one thing is certain, we - a great deal of protest against this visit in a volume of the writings of Leon tee. There would be no sense in doing a r e the p arty th at is going to lead th e bill, which President Truman vetoed Trotsky for the year 1939-1940, in such a thing ten years later. Am erican r evolution.' and which. the Congress then overrode which Trotsky reports the arriva l of Q: How d o you know that it was in Do you know if Dobbs said this? and put into law. Dobbs. Later in the same volume, five or 1949 and not in 1959? How do you r e­ A: This is another undated and unat­ At this time the labor movement was six months later , there is a transcript of call th at? tributed quotation that I looked for divided into the separate bodies of the a discussion between Trotsky, Dobbs, A: I was editor of the Militant at the without success. I never heard him say AFL-CIO and the Railroad Brother­ and some other people who were visiting time. I remember it. I remember the oc­ anything like this. And I do not know hood. And all of them initially were very Trotsky a few months before his death. casion, and I checked the dates in the whether it can exist in perhaps some much opposed to a great many of the Q: Now , I would like you to look at Militant after I read this in order to see less garbled form elsewhere. provisions in the law, into which I will th e very n ext senten ce. whether it was accurate. Winter : Your Honor, I would like to not go. 'In 1940 he resigned his post as direct your attention to the next para­ But there was one provision in the law gen er a l organizer for the In terna­ Q: I a m h a n ding you P la intiffs' graph, the third sentence: "Based on tes­ wh ich is relevant to this sentence. That tiona l Br otherhood of Teamsters Exhibit 248 for iden tification, a May timony by Dobbs on December 16, 1959, provided for the signing of an affidavit a nd becam e National Labor Secre- 16, 1949, issu e of th e 'Militant' with at a deportation hearing, the New York popularly known as the anti-Commu-

24 THE MILITANT MAY 22, 1981 nist affidavit, which members of unions from Dobbs stressed that SWP members marizes the decision of the political com­ joining that fight. had to sign if they wanted to make use of holding union positions were to refuse to mittee: So I think if this is the letter it is cer­ the services of the National Labor Rela­ sign affidavits in connection with the "Our people should refuse to sign the tainly not characterized fairly in the tions Board. Taft-Hartley law unless they were ·Taft-Hartley affidavit wherever they Mandigo affidavit. Initially, for about three months, placed in a position where they would be have a realistic chance to fight it but we Winter: The only thing I want to there was a big dispute inside the labor fighting alone and their identities as advise them to sign the affidavit under draw out, and I don't believe this is too movement and a large number of unions members of SWP might be revealed." attenuated, is that the Mandigo affidav­ protest where they have become isolated were opposed to signing the affidavit I would particularly call your atten­ in the fight against it by general capitu­ it appears to be based on this document, -not because they were pro-Commu­ tion to that characterization of the let­ this FBI document. The document itself lation of the national and local officers nist, but because they felt this was an ter. The letter also instructed that any in the union." does not fairly characterize the letter invasion of their rights, of their dignity, party member signing the affidavit as a that it refers to-and the Mandigo affi­ or whatever. There was a big struggle union official must advise the party and Then it goes on to say cases of excep- davit introduces, in my opinion, further which began to take place inside the unclarity into the original FBI report. union. Griesa: Let's go to the next one. The Socialist Workers Party's posi­ Silak: Your Honor, as far as Miss tion on this was that the unions should Winter's statement that the FBI report refuse to sign the affidavit. There was unfairly characterizes the letter, I nothing illegal about refusing to sign would point out that the letter does the affidavit. All it meant was that you mention twice the circumstances of com­ would not be able to use the NLRB ser­ rades making a last-ditch individual vices in an election. stand. That's in the first paragraph of But after some disputes, the leaders of the letter. several of the unions began to waver on Then in the paragraph which is num­ this question. bered one, second from the end para­ Several of the biggest unions con­ graph, is a reference to people becoming tinued to hold out for about three or four isolated in the fight against it. months, including the United Mine Workers, the United Steelworkers, the 'Just argument'? Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen So I submit it is just argument on -and my own union, the Int~rnational . Miss Winter's part to say that the letter Typographical Union. is unfairly characterized. Some of them held out.for more than Griesa: Where? two years. But after three, four months, Silak: The paragraph on page 0016. they began to give in on this, because it Griesa: I am not really concerned placed in the hands of the unions'· that with that. I am concerned with the accu­ were willing to sign this a tremendous racy of the Mandigo affidavit. tactical advantage over those that Silak: The Mandigo affidavit itself would not sign it. It enabled them to win does not characterize the letter. It ap­ representation in elections which the pears to be, if indeed it is, based on the other unions that had not signed could. FBI report. The FBI report is based on not even pa:r:ticipate in. an informant's report. The letter itself is not contained in the FBI report. Opposed signing Griesa: Look, Mr. Mandigo says flat­ Q: What was the SWP position at ly Dobbs has counseled SWP members that point? not to sign loyalty oaths, but to deny A: The SWP position up to that point membership in a subversive group so was and continued to be that the unions that they would not lose contacts in the should not sign. They should hold out, union-an act which would be violative and this would be followed by an eventu­ of the Taft-Hartley Act. al change in the law. Like everything else, most everything But when after three months the na­ else in the Mandigo affidavit, it is not tional CIO began to waiver on this, and intended to put these people in a good the United Auto Workers, a very key light. It is intended to put them in a bad union in the CIO, voted by a narrow light. So everything is slanted in that di­ margin to sign the oath-then the SWP rection, and so this sentence is the same was confronted with a problem of advis­ way. ing its members on what they should do. l11tar11/Nianc:v I don't know what Mr. Mandigo's The political committee took this United Mine Workers played leading role in initial fight against Taft-Hartley, defied sources were. We haven't explored that question up and adopte

MAY 22,1981 THE MILITANT 25 POLITICAL POLICE ON TRIAL

Continued from preceding page itor of the Militant, I know that the Mil­ ·A: Yes. itant tries to be accurate about facts. But Griesa: When did Cannon die? even the Militant makes mistakes, like Breitman: In 1974. I worked togeth­ everyone else-and these mistakes have er with Hansen as a member of the na­ all been repeated and incorporated into tional committee in the same city for the Mandigo document. around thirty-five years. Griesa: I am just glancing at this Q: Did you become members of quickly. I don't know whether the sub­ the national committee at the same stance of statements in the Mandigo af­ time? fidavit are contained in the Militant - A: I became a member a year before item, but certainly it is not a quote. he did. As editor of the Militant, I edited The witness said it appeared. This did many of the articles that he wrote for not appear. the paper and collaborated with him in Winter: The second sentence under the writing of other articles. Skoglund, where it says "participated in Q: Have you read any of his pub­ military strike of 4,000 soldiers, and"­ lished writings? Griesa: Where is there anything A: Yes, I think I have read everything about this? by him that has been published. Winter: Look at the beginning of the Q: Have you read any of his un­ Mandigo paragraph 35, and starting published writings? with the first sentence or the second A: I have read some of the correspon­ sentence under Carl Skoglund. dence that his wife was collecting after Griesa: This does not help us. I as­ his death. I helped her to collect part of sume that some of the things in the it. Mandigo affidavit appear in this Mil­ At Harvard University in the Trotsky itant item. Where does that get us? archives, there were a couple of dozen Winter: I will tell you where we are letters between Trotsky and Hansen, Joseph Hansen, left, with Harry DeBoer, who played important role in 1934 Min· headed and we ca n cut out a lot and per­ which I helped her to get copies of. neapolis Teamster strikes. haps just point to one thing. She let me read some of this material. It is that there are a number of errors I also found some of his correspondence here. The Mandigo affidavit repeats at the Tamiment Library in New York those errors, plus adds interesting infor­ University. And, secondly, World Outlook never you have examined so far? mation. Q: Now, looking under the first was and never was described as an offi­ A: Well, we found taped interviews sentence in the section on Hansen, cial organ of the Fourth International. by him about his youth, and typed inter­ Mistakes pile up It did not describe itself that way and views about his activities in the Amer­ he was recruited into the Workers Griesa: Let's find out what the errors there was nobody in the Fourth Interna­ ican labor movement. I have written to Party in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1934. are. What are the errors? over one hundred people who knew him Is there any inaccuracy here? tional, to my knowledge, that described Winter: Should we go through the it that way. and are still alive. I am collecting infor­ A: Well, he was not recruited into whole thing, or go through the new stuff mation, impressions, pictures, and so on the Workers Party in 1934, because at that Mandigo adds to this? French events with a very good response so far. the time he was recruited, the Workers Griesa: I am not interested in a cri­ Q: Are you collaborating with Party had not yet come into existence. Q: The next sentence, 'On June 15, tique of the 1929 Militant. The question anyone in your research? He was recruited into the Communist 1968, Hansen was arrested in Paris, is whether the Mandigo affidavit is ac­ A: Yes. A very fortunate circum­ League of America in 1934. France, and was expelled from curate or not. stance made it possible to get the collab­ Q: Would you turn the page and France.' Q: Would you please look at the oration of a teacher and researcher in la­ look at the next paragraph, the very Do you know why he was arrest­ first sentence, Mr. Breitman? bor history in Sweden, who has been fu-st sentence. ed? A: Yes. able to examine a great many official 'In 1948 Hansen stated that "Every A: He was arrested because the arti­ Q: Are there any errors there? Swedish records. The Swedes apparent­ comrade in the SWP will some day cles that he was writing about the big A: Yes, there are two errors there. ly save such things more carefully than be expected to lead an army in the events of that period-the student and What Skoglund participated in, in 1906, we do. He has been allowed access to overthrow of the capitalism in labor upsurge of May-June 1968-his was not a military strike but a soldier's various government files and archives, America."' articles about that were very unpopular demonstration. As a result, he was re­ and has found a Wealth of information Is there any error or inaccuracy in with the French Government, and they stricted to company barracks, not pun­ about the first third of Skoglund's life this sentence? told him to leave. ished by solitary confinement. A: Yes. This is another one of the un­ Q: Was he charged with any par­ -which was lived in Sweden before he dated attributions which I tried to find. I ticular crime? came here. Blacklisted A: No, he was not charged with any read everything for the year 1948 by Q: I would like you to look at the crime. Correcting record Hansen that was in print and did not next sentence, Mr. Breitman. 'He Q: That is the end of the section on Q: Mr. Breitman, I would like you find anything like this. was blacklisted by labor in Sweden Hansen essentially, with the excep­ to look at the first paragraph on Carl and came to the United States in tion of the reference to classified in­ 'Rather absurd' Skoglund, page 17, the whole thing 1912.' formation and- up until the last sentence--every­ It does not sound like Hansen, who Are there any errors here? Griesa: I didn't get the point. wrote and spoke good English, and the thing but the last sentence. A: Yes. There are two errors in that What was the problem about this Do you recognize this paragraph idea is rather absurd. sentence too. He came to the United statement about 'World Outlook'? At this time there were around 1,200 from some other source? States in 1911, not 1912 . .. . as the Man­ A: Yes, I do. members of the SWP. The idea that they Breitman: First, that the date is not digo affidavit and the Militant said. And Q: What source is that? were all expected to lead an army would accurate and, secondly - he was not blacklisted by labor in Swed­ A: It is essentially, with a few more have meant 1,200 armies marching up Griesa: What is wrong with the en. Such a thing was impossible because changes, something that appeared in an and down. The whole idea is out of char­ date? the places where he worked were not acter for Hansen. Breitman: 1963 to 1968 is not the old issue of the Militant many years ago. unionized at that time. Even if they had Q: When you say 'an old issue,' Q: Now, looking at the next sent­ late 1960s. Do you have the second been, those unions that did exist in how old do you mean? ence, 'In 1951 he stated that "In the point? Sweden in 1911 or before, did not en­ A: I mean one from the year 1929, event of war between Russia and the Griesa: What is the second point? gage in blacklisting of their own United States, the SWP would be Breitman: The second point is that it fifty-two years ago. members. forced to fight on the side of Rus- was not an official international organ Q: I am handing you Plaintiffs' Q: Is this error from the 'Militant'? sia."' of the Fourth International. Exhibit 248 for identification, which A: This error is not from the Militant. Is there anything inaccurate or er­ Griesa: All right. is a February 1, 1929, edition of the The Militant says "blacklisted in Swed­ roneous here? 'Militant.' I would ask you to turn to en." The words "by labor" have been A: This is another statement I tried Carl Skoglund the second page of the document added in the Mandigo affidavit. That to find in print and could not find. It Q: We are going to skip the section and look at the middle column changes the meaning somewhat, since does not sound correct. It does not sound on Andrew Pulley, who testified af­ where it says, 'The expelled' in bold Skoglund was the object of blacklisting right because I don't understand what ter Mr. Mandigo, and move on to headline. Then look down a whole by employers in the United States later the meaning of force would be in· this page 17 on Carl Skoglund. paragraph to where it says, in much -as well as in Sweden in his youth. particular case-who or what would Did you know Mr. Skoglund? smaller bold type, 'who were the ex­ Q: I believe we were on the third force the SWP, or why Hansen would A: Yes. I met him in 1936, but I did pelled Communists' and then it says sentence in the section under Sko­ make such a statement in this form. not know him personally as well as I did 'Carl Skoglund.' glund on page 17: So it may be something that some­ the other people I have spoken about, Do you see that? 'He was a member of the Interna­ body claims to have overheard, but because we did not live in the same city. A: Yes. tional Workers of the World from which I could not find in print. He lived in Minnesota. But at the end of Q: Is this the part of the 'Militant' 1917 to 1921 and traveled through­ Q: In the very next sentence, 'In the 1940s he moved to New Jersey. I that you recalled on Skoglund, as out the United States organizing and the late 1960s Hansen edited "World used to fee him on weekends for a while, being what the Mandigo affidavit is aiding this movement.' Outlook," an official international and I spent a couple of summers at the based on? Do you know if there are any er­ organ of the Fl.' camp where he was employed. A: Yes, just by coincidence I hap­ rors or inaccuracies here? Is there any error here? Q: Are you currently writing a pened to have looked at this recently as A: The name of this organization is A: Late 1960s is inaccurate because book on Skoglund's life? part of my collection of material about the Industrial Workers of the World, Hansen began editing World Outlook in A: Yes. In 1984 it will be the 100th Skoglund. That is why it was easy for and Skoglund did not travel throughout 1963 when he was in France. He edited anniversary of his birth. For the last me to recognize it when I saw it in the the United States organizing and aiding it for five years until 1968, when they year or so I have been collecting infor­ Mandigo affidavit. in this movement. were compelled to change the name be­ mation about his life and activities, Q: In preparing your materials on He was a member of it, but his pri­ cause some other periodical had rights with the intention of having a book the Skoglund book, did you rely on mary political loyalty was to the Social­ to that name ahead of them. ready in time for the centennial celebra­ this article in the 'Militant'? ist Party. Whatever traveling he did It became Intercontinental Press, tions which I expect will take place at A: My experience as an editor has was in the state of Minnesota and was which Hansen continued to edit until that time. taught me that every source has to be on behalf of the Socialist Party. his death in 1979. Q: What have been the sources double-checked or more. As a former ed- Q: Mr. Breitman, are these errors

26 THE MILITANT MAY 22, 1981 that you just mentioned from the edition of the 'Militant' that we have been looking at, the passage in the 'Militant'? A: No. It is not called the Interna­ tional Workers of the World in the Mil­ itant. It is called the IWW, and the Mil­ itant has nothing about his traveling and aiding this movement. Q: I would like you to look at the last sentence in this paragraph, which is not reflected in the 1929 'Militant' article. Are there any er­ rors or- Griesa: What sentence are you speaking of? Q: The sentence is: 'He was presi­ dent of General Drivers Union 544 until removed by a Federal District Court because of his alien status.' A: Well, this is a partial truth, per­ haps misleading. There was no reason why anyone would be removed from a lo­ cal office in a union because of his alien status, since at that time in 1945 there were probably thousands of aliens who were local officers in unions throughout the United States. What happened was that there was a suit by some members of this union against the union which went to the dis­ trict court in Minneapolis. The judge or­ dered Skoglund removed because the constitution of the International Broth­ erhood of Teamsters had an undemo­ cratic clause prohibiting aliens from holding local union office. Griesa: I don't understand. The Socialist Workers Party leader Carl Skoglund, right, with other initial leaders of movement. From left, Arne Swabeck, James district court did what? The district P. Cannon, Rose Karsner, Sam Gordo,n, Oscar Coover, Sr. court enforced the clause? Breitman: In the union constitution. Griesa: You said it was unconsti­ by force and armed revolution. In May they had Skoglund arrested And then on the fifth and sixth lihes he tutional. The judge didn't hold that, Q: The next sentence: 'On July 15, and taken to Ellis Island. He was in­ was national organizational secretary did he? 1941, with several others he was in­ terned for five months and then placed from 1969 to 1972, not 1976. Breitman: He said the union consti­ dicted at St. Paul, Minnesota, in an on a ship that was heading for Sweden. Griesa: New York branch organ­ tution should be complied with but that indictment charging the overthrow He was removed from the ship only at izer should be 1965 instead of 1964, the local union - , of the Government of the United the last m~ment by a court order. right? Griesa: You said in your answer a States,' et cetera. So I think that this statement is very Breitman: Right. minute ago that was an unconstitution­ Is there any inaccuracy in this wrong, and I can't understand how any­ Griesa: What was the other item? al provision. sentence? one familiar with this case could have Breitman: From 1968 to 1972, na- Breitman: That it was an undemo­ A: Well, · obviously the indictment made such a statement. tional organizational secretary-1972 cratic provision. could not have charged overthrow of the instead of 1976. Griesa: Undemocratic: That was Government, since the Government had Jack Barnes Q: Now, the very next sentence: not anything that the judge said? not been overthrown. Q: Mr. Breitman, would you just 'Barnes commenced close associa­ Breitman: No. Q: You say the indictment did not turn back for a moment to page 12? I tion with the FI in approximately Griesa: That is your characteriza­ say that? would like you to look at the section 1971 which was still ongoing at the tion? Griesa: We will assume that the in­ on Jack Barnes and I just have a date the investigation was terminat­ Breitman: Yes. dictment didn't say that. We don't know. couple of questions relating to your ed September 7, 1976.' Q: Would you look a the very next Q: In the next paragraph the se­ personal knowledge of things that Are there any errors here? sentence in paragraph 2: cond sentence: are stated here. A: Well, I would say that his associa­ 'He was a charter member of the 'On May 25, 1954, the Immigration tion with the FI commenced in 1969.cHe I would like you to look at the first SWP and openly advocated and & Naturalization Service obtained a was a delegate to the World Congress of preached the overthrow of the deportation order but never acted sentence and tell me if to your the Fourth International, gave a report knowledge there are any inaccura­ United States Government by force on the order." at that congress, and was elected to the cies or errors here? and armed revolution.' Is there any inaccuracy here? . International Executive Committee. Any error there? A: Yes. The INS obtained a deporta­ A: There is one inaccuracy in the That was two years before the approx­ A: To my knowledge he never openly tion order and .acted very vigorously on third line. Barnes was an organizer of imate 1971 date given here. or otherwise advocated the overthrow it. the New York branch in 1965, not 1964. (To be continued)

Can the Federal Bureau of Investigation feed Information from political flies to employers to get unionists fired from their jobs? Can the Immigration and Naturali­ zation Service deport foreign-born workers for their political views? Can police agencies legally plant stool pigeons in unions and other organizations, even if no one involved is suspected of a crime? According to ·the government, the answer is yes. · The Socialist Workers Party and Young Socialist Alliance are putting the U.S. go­ . vernment and its police agencies on trial to challenge these practices. "Workers' Rights versus The Secret Police" tells the story of the socialists' lawsuit and traces the fight for labor's rights beginning with Marx and Engels. 46 pp. $1.00.

Socialism on Trial, by James P. The Case of the Legless Veteran, Cannon, is a clear and simple expla­ by James Kutcher, is the story of a nation of the principles and aims of man who fought and defeated the Lt ·e h ·ss revolutionary socialism. It comes from witch-hunters during the Joe \t·tt•ran Cannon's testimony at the 1941 McCarthy era. Kutcher lost both legs James KutcJe frame-up trial of members of the So­ fighting in World War II, but the go­ cialist Workers Party and Minneapolis vernment fired him from his job at the Teamsters Union for their antiwar and Veterans Administration and took pro-union activities. 184 pp. $3.45 away his disability pension because of his socialist beliefs. After an eight-year fight-Kutcher won. 225 pp. $4.45

Order from Pathfinder Press, 410 West Street, New York, New York 10014 (include $.75 for pbstage and handling).

MAY 22, 1981 THE MILITANT 27 POLITICAL POLICE ON TRIAL Vote SWP? FBI did its best to stop you By Vivian Sahner dential candidate. NEW YORK-When Andrew Pulley Pulley described his trip to Grenada, took the witness stand in the Socialist and countered the lies by the Reagan Workers Party trial against govern­ administration and the capitalist news ment spying April 24, the government media about the gains of that revolu­ tried to show why the FBI should tion. follow socialists around. "That country is, of course, a Black The government claims it must trail country and I wanted to see what had the SWP and Young Socialist Alliance been achieved. because they are "subversive." They "The great drive against unemploy­ claim that past and current leaders of ment, free medical care in a country the SWP have committed illegal acts­ that is poor-the whole direction of ·that it's all in a secret affidavit. But . things is one of providing more servi­ only the FBI and Judge Griesa have ces to the people, more education, more been allowed to see it. jobs," Pulley said. In Pulley's case, the government "I felt that was important to grasp sought to discredit SWP election cam­ because my campaign approach and paigns, implying socialists run for the policies we ran on ... was sim­ office for nefarious reasons. ilar. That is, we didn't and don't think Pulley has been a candidate on the that the living conditions and social SWP ticket five times. In 1980 he was services and education and medical the Socialist Workers candidate for care should be cut back. president. "So we were interested in looking at Pulley explained that his campaigns a small, poor, new country ostensibly discussed the rights of working people, being able to apply in their .own situa­ opposed racism, supported womens' tion some of the things we think are rights, and outlined the socialist pers­ urgently needed in the United States." pective. The government attorneys had a What interested the government tough task during cross examination­ most was the international issues­ how could they make running for a raised by the SWP campaigns. They public office sound un-American, un­ implied that such issues have nothing derhanded, and sneaky? to do with American people or elections here. 'Strict political control' SWP attorney . Shelley Davis asked "When you campaigned for the pre­ Pulley if he made any trips abroad as a sidency and the vice-presidency," gov­ congressional candidate in 1970. ernment attorney Edward Williams "My party and I totally opposed the asked Pulley, "did you advise your Vietnam war and played a big role in prospective voters that if elected to the antiwar movement," Pulley told office, you would at all times be under her. the strict political control of the Social­ "One thing I wanted to do was get a ist Workers Party in office?" sense of people in other countries, hear Pulley told him, "I think the ques­ their views on the question of the war, tion of democratic centralism came up and also be able to report to them that at one meeting, oddly enough ... 'there was not majority support for the "And I used this instance to compare war in this country .. . ." how democratic the Socialist Workers Pulley told the court that he traveled Party was compared to how totally to Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, undemocratic the Democratic and Re­ the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, publican parties were. and North Vietnam. He said he tried to "That is, they adopted a policy and visit South Vietnam.• "I got into the Wang adopted a platform and basically it airport there-that's as far as I got." Above, Andrew Pulley discusses socialist campaign with Brooklyn shipyard workers. does not mean anything, especially Below, Pulley in meeting with Grenada's Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. when it comes to the great promises Barred from South Vietnam they make to the American people." Davis asked Pulley what happened. Pulley compared the Democratic and .. _. .. the South Vietnamese customs protected by the First Amendment. Service Programs/Misuse by FBI and Republican conventions, where "what officials told me that the U.S. Embassy Griesa was not convinced. "A person CIA," describes how "in 1969 the IRS the party decides at the convention in Saigon had instructed them not to goes over to South Vietnam and the established a Special Service Staff to means zero," to SWP conventions. permit me to enter the country," Pulley surrounding nearby nations and urges gather intelligence on a category of "The only way to have democracy is said. the people and the Gls there against taxpayers defined essentially by politi­ to have majority rule," he said. "Our "They took me back into a little the war," he said, "and to argue that cal criteria. party .. . has a convention where room, questioning me as to whether I the government should not even make " ... This included the returns of delegates are elected to come and de­ was an agent of the Vietnamese free­ notes of that is just preposterous. Now, forty-six new left activists and seventy­ cide policies and perspectives and can­ dom fighters ... they said 'Viet let's just drop that." four black extremists as part of the didates from our party . . . to seek Cong.' Davis continued by questioning Pul­ Bureau COINTELPRO operations to office and present the party's point of " ... they put me back on a plane ley about his 1972 campaign for vice- neutralize these individuals." view." and flew me out of the · country to president. · Davis asked Pulley if he was ever the To illustrate this point, Pulley spoke Bangkok, Thailand, and of course I The Vietnam War was the burning target of an IRS investigation. Pulley about Mel Mason, who was elected last was not heading in that direction." issue in 1972, Pulley told the court. He ,said yes-the IRS came to his cam­ year as a city councilman in Seaside, The government shadowed Pulley on described a trip to West Germany paign headquarters in 1971. California. Mason recently joined the his entire trip. Documents turned over where he spoke with hundreds of sol­ "To your knowledge," Davis asked, SWP. in the socialists' lawsuit even include diers who opposed the war. "did the IRS determine if there was a The government asked if Mason was details like Pulley's airline flight Pulley was a leader of Gls United tax deficiency?" now under the "strict political control" numbers. Against the War at Ft. Jackson, South "Yes," Pulley admitted. "I had to of the SWP. Davis also introduced as evidence an Carolina, in 1969. Army officials at Ft: pay the amount." Davis askt!d Pulley "Mel Mason agrees with the Social­ FBI report on Pulley's campaign activ­ Jackson arrested him and se'l(en others how much he owed. ist Workers Party, which is why he ities in the United States. She pointed and threatened them with a court-mar­ "It was $3.00 and some cents," he joined, and we are glad to have him," out to Judge Griesa that the 1975 tial, but quickly backed down under told her. Pulley also had to come up Pulley told the court. Privacy Act bars the government from public pressure. with a nickel for interest and penalty. "Democratic centralism is not a maintaining files on citizens' lawful problem at all when one is a political activities. Support Irish freedom fighters FBI 'Index' person who agrees with the views of Judge Griesa wasn't so sure. Pulley also described his 1971 trip to Immediately afterwards, Davis took the party, as Mel Mason and others do. "The government has a right, you Ireland in court. up the question of the FBI's "Security "The policies he agrees with are also know, some free speech rights, too, don't "I went there to learn more about the lndex"-a secret list of people the FBI apparently the views-on certain ques­ they? Can't they write about Mr. Pul­ Irish freedom struggle . . . and to brands as subversive and spies on. tions-that the people who elected. him ley?" he asked Davis. indicate my support for their fight for Documents turned over in the SWP favor and support. ". . . just imagine, during the Second such freedom. lawsuit prove that Pulley was listed on "I think the people who voted for World War when the United States "I wanted to convey to them what I the FBI's Index at least from March him voted consciously knowing that was fighting the Nazis-let's suppose felt was common interest between their 1971 to August 1975. his were socialist views," Pulley added. somel:iody was going around the coun­ fight for self-determination and the Another way the FBI kept track of "They were all over the press. try advocating or urging servicemen endless struggle of Blacks and Chica­ Pulley and other leaders of the SWP "And he represents the interests of that the war was improper and that nos in this country," Pulley added. and YSA was by spying on the 1971 the people out there in California, they should oppose fighting the Nazis. Government harassment of Pulley YSA national convention in Houston. marching on every picket linet support­ " .. . I think the United States Army increased during the 1972 campaign. FBI documents on this were also intro­ ing the miners' struggles. So much so would be derelict in not making notes Davis introduced part of the Church duced into the court record. that he just had to have a press confer­ to see how successful he is." Committee report-a 1976 congres­ Pulley's testimony continued on ence, because the FBI began harassing Davis pointed out that running for sional investigation of the FBI-into April 28. Davis concluded her ques­ him and spying on him, precisely office and speaking out against a war the court record. tions by asking Pulley about his trav­ because he was doing such a wonderful are rights that are supposed to be A section called "Internal Revenue els as the Socialist Workers 1980 presi- job out there."

28 THE MILITANT MAY 22,1981 Our Revolutionary Heritag, Karl Marx on the Irish struggle In the 1840s Marx and Engels began a study of If England is the bulwark of landlordism and Euro­ poor whites of the Southern States of North America the history, economy, and political situation of pean capitalism, the only point where one can hit offi­ regard their black slaves. This antagonism among Ireland. Back as far as the twelfth century Ire­ cial England really hard is Ireland. the proletarians of England is artificially nourished land has suffered from exploitation by England. In the first place, Ireland is the bulwark of English and supported by the bourgeoisie. It knows that this Marx and Engels explained that Ireland was landlordism. If it fell in Ireland it would fall in Eng­ scission is the true secret of maintaining its power. the first colony of England. The colonial plunder land. In Ireland this is a hundred times easier since This antagonism i!> reproduced on the other side of of this country was a major factor in enriching the economic struggle there is concentrated exclu­ the Atlantic. The Irish, chased from their native soil the English bourgeoisie and hastening the sively on landed property, since this struggle is at the by the bulls and the sheep, reassemble in North growth of its capitalist economy. time national, and since the people there are more America where they constitute a huge, ever-growing Deeply impressed by the revolutionary energy revolutionary and exasperated than in England. section of the population. Their only thought, their of the Irish, Marx and Engels fully supported Landlordism in Ireland is maintained solely by the OQly passion, is hatred for England. The English and their fight for freedom from the British mon­ English army. The moment the forced union between American governments (or the classes they repre­ archy. They campaigned in defense of Irish the two countries ends, a social revolution will imme­ sent) play on these feelings in order to perpetuate the political prisoners. Many of their letters, docu­ diately break out in Ireland, though in outmoded covert struggle between the United States and Eng­ ments, speeches, and reports are collected into a forms. English landlordism would not only lose a land. They thereby prevent a sincere and lasting al­ book called 'Ireland and the Irish Question. A great source of wealth, but also its greatest moral liance between the workers on both sides of the Collection of Writings by Karl Marx and Frede­ force, i.e., that of representing the domination of Eng­ Atlantic, and consequently, their emancipation. rick Engels' (distributed by Pathfinder Press, land over Ireland. On the other hand, by maintaining Furthermore, Ireland is the only pretext the En- $3.25). the power of their landlords in Ireland, the English . glish government has for retaining ·a big standing Below are excerpts from a document Marx proletariat makes them invulnerable in England it­ army, which, if need be, as has happened before, can wrote to all organizations in the First Interna­ self. be used against the English workers after having tional, the International Workingmen's Associa­ In the second place, the English bourgeoisie has not done its military training in Ireland. tion. Written in 1870, it is a reply to an attack by only exploited the Irish poverty to keep down the Lastly, England today is seeing a repetition of what the anarchist leader Bakunin. Bakunin was op­ working class in England by forced immigration of happened on a monstrous scale in Ancient Rome. Any posed to the attention the International Associa­ poor Irishmen, but it has also divided the proletariat nation that oppresses another forges its own chains. tion was giving to the Irish question. He felt it into two hostile camps. distracted the workers from social problems. Thus, the attitude of the International Association The revolutionary fire of the Celtic worker does not to the Irish question is very clear. Its first need is to Marx explains how central the Irish national go well with the nature of the Anglo-Saxon worker, encourage the social revolution in England. To this liberation struggle is for the emancipation of solid, but slow. On the contrary, in all the big indus­ end a great blow must be struck in Ireland. workers the world over. trial centers in England there is profound antago­ Today, while the British capitalist class no nism between the Irish proletariat and the English Quite apart from international justice, it is a pre­ longer has a substantial landlord sector, Bri­ proletariat. The average English worker hates theIr­ condition to the emancipation of the English working tain's domination of Ireland continues to play ish worker as a competitor who lowers wages and the class to transform the present forced union

editorials in the Irish Press, the daily as­ protests in the United States, in particu­ ment's gesture of renaming the street in sociated with the ruling Fianna Fail lar, does not really mean anything. ·Tehran where the British embassy . . . Ireland party' historically the more nationalist Polish Solidarity leader Lech Wale­ stands. From now on every letter to the Continued from beck page of the two bourgeois parties. And the sa's praise for Sands was noted with con­ British embassy in Tehran will have to masse to join the demonstration. criticisms it raised against the British siderable interest in Ireland. Also much be addressed to Bobby Sands Street. In Cork city, the mayor and the presi­ government have been broadened. commented on is the Iranian govern- From Intercontinental Press dent of the local council of trade unions The May 8 Irish Press gave greater so­ knelt together in a memorial mass for lemnity to its statement on the Sands Bobby Sands, attended by some 4,000 funeral by running ari. editorial in Irish persons. In the nearby town of Cobb, 90 under the one in English. Interestingly percent of the workers at the Irish Steel­ the editorial in Irish was more directly mill Development Site, the major em­ aimed against Britain. It said: ployer, walked off the job. "Because of Bobby Sands's death and In the town of Waterford, the other the merciless face that Thatcher has, major industrial center in the south, shown to the world, more young people about 3,000 persons marched in a dem­ will join movements such as the IRA. onstration called jointly by the Council ... It is not just the H-Block problem of Trade Unions and the H-Block Com- that has to be solved, although that . mittee. Waterford has a total population should be gotten out of the way quickly . of less than 30,000. The problem of the system that drives In Clara, County Offaly, the two local thousands of Bobby Sands's into the IRA factories closed. The mining center of and into throwing stones in the streets Mavan was entirely shut down. The must be solved. giant Arigna mines in County Leitrim "There comes a time in the life of a closed. In the towns of Sligo and Tralee people when patience and discipline are there were demonstrations of about exhausted. And since 1969 the Catholic 10,000 persons. people of the north have never been so The extent of industrial and business close to that point. The British govern­ shutdowns was thus substantially ment has made another 'big mistake in larger than on the December 10 Nation­ Ireland.. .." al Day of Action, when the first H-Block hunger strike was going into its critical Building a mass movement phase. It remained far short of a general In the North, all the authority of the strike, but the protests are mounting. H-Block movement and the Republican In Drogheda, for example, a rally of movement, as well as the moral authori­ 5,000 persons on May 7 adopted by ac­ ty of the Sands family, is being brought clamation a resolution calling for a gen­ to bear to prevent any outbreak of vio­ eral strike. A motion for an official lence that would impede the growth and strike in the city had been only narrow­ broadening of mass protests. ly defeated in the local trades council. The extent of the demonstration on May 7 shows how widespread the anger Hunger strikers seriously ill was at the British government's intran­ The condition of two other hunger sigence and callousness. But this ~trikers-Raymond McCreesh and Pa­ anger is being contained. There is only trick O'Hara-Continues to deterio­ scattered violence. rate. And it has been announced that The efforts of the republicans to stop another prisoner--Joseph McDonnell, futile outbursts of rage did not, how­ the father of two children-began a ever, prevent the hypocritical British hunger strike on May 9. press from portraying the essential Pressure against the British colonial­ quiet of the Catholic ghettos as a defeat ists and the conciliationist Irish politi­ for the militant nationalists. cians is building up in the South. Since The extent of international sympathy the eve of Sands's death, the.edge of edi­ _for the Irish hunger strikers is begin­ Informations Ouvrier~ • torial opinion in all the major national ning to come through, even in the Brit­ The five demands of the Irish political prisoners on a wall in Belfast. dailies has been turned against the Brit­ ish press-which is devoting a lot of ish government. There have been sharp space to arguments that the growth of

MAY 22, 1981 THE MILITANT 29 The Great Society Harry Ring

By Reagan?-Former attorney gen­ and chemical wastes, has changed its findings indicate this will make them four days to replace lost travelers eral Richard Kleindienst, indicted on name to "more accurately reflect its more "docile." He said they will "spend checks, is suing Karl Malden and 14 perjury counts, declared: "I am not business operations." The new name? more time producing eggs rather than American Express. Contrary to a liar. I am a Christian.... That "Ecology, Inc." fighting." Malden's commercials, the suit says, doesn't mean I have never committed a the company knew it could not, or sin, but when I commit a sin, I'm going Ain't felt nothing yet-:-FMC, the Eh?-A New York ''noise abate­ would not, replace the lost checks im­ to be forgiven for it." San Jose military vehicle maker, now ment" team asserts the city subway mediately. struck by members of the lAM, has system is a bit more quiet than it used Especially if they're union-A changed the name of its in-house news­ to be. However, they conceded, it's still Guardians of law-A criminal in­ team of researchers told a gathering of letter. Instead of the weekly Tank twice as noisy as the Paris and London vestigator for the Dallas D.A. faced psychologists that what people expect Talk, there's now a daily bulletin, systems which are of comparable age. dismissal for allegedly biting off part to be paid can affect what they're paid. Labor Pains. of a man's ear in a bus brawl. It was a charter taking a load of lawyers to a George Orwell, president?-The The march of science-One re­ Don't leave home without ballgame. Four passengers were hospi­ Nuclear Engineering Cmnpany, which sel,lrcher says chickens and turkeys them-An Arizona man whose Mexi­ talized. "The main ingredient was too operates disposal sites for radioactive may be fitted with contact lenses. His can vacation was ruined when it took much alcohol," a cop explained.

The American Way of Life

'I'm not an anti-nuclear nut, but • • • ' The American people know more about nuclear She also failed to mention how much electricity Nuclear power plants cost more to build (each power now than they did five years ago. In the will cost from nuclear plants. Well, just ask your WPPSS nuclear plant costs more than $3 billion), interim there have been antinuclear demonstra­ friends or relatives from back east, because that's have the shortest operating life (30 to 35 years), and tions, the accident at Three Mile Island, and the what we will be paying, folks. Your $30 per month cost more to shut down ($100 million) than any massive antinuke actions that followed. A growing could easily be $300 per month. Isn't conservation, other power-generation method. In short, nuclear­ section of organized labor has joined the fight. insulation, and a solar water heater a better buy? - power generation is not economically feasible-. - Much has been written and spoken on the subject. Georgene Ranney John M. Pryor Public opinion was reflected recently on the "Letters" page of the Seattle Times. On March 25 the Times had run an article by Marcia Terry in I read Marcia Terry's article concerning nuclear Anyone reading [Terry's] article has been grossly support of nuclear power. power careful1y, hoping that I, too, might become a The pa per was deluged with letters in response. misled about the dangers of nuclear technology. convert. Perhaps she got her information, as she suggests Some people were not in favor of shutting down Alas. Nowhere did she tell us that the industry existing plants; others had wanted to be convinced we should, from such an objective source as our has at last found a foolproof, safe method of friends at the Trojan nuclear plant. Or perhaps the of the feasibility of nuclear power. But not one disposal of waste from nuclear plants-or from agreed with the article or fa vored the construction Nuclear Regulatory Commi'ssion or General Elect­ anywhere else. . nc. of more plants. Most were bitterly opposed to nu­ Until this has been done, I consider it reckless clear-generated energy, and suggested alternatives. and irresponsible to build and operate yet more There is no safe amount of radiation; radiation Below are excerpts from the letters. nuclear plants. -Doris Vinnege produced throughout the n uclear fuel cycles does -Diane Jacobs contaminate our air, water and food chains, in­ creases the rate of genetic mutation, and causes We need only one nuclear accident to destroy an cancers in uranium miners, nuclear-power-plant I am not an anti-nuclear nut. I don't think it area for possibly a thousand years or more. We can workers, and the general population. clean up after a hydroelectric dam failure and be would be feasible to shut down existing plants and I certain that no one was exposed to radioactivity. am not in favor of ending nuclear research, espe­ The public deserves to be 'given honest informa­ Would Ms. Terry like to live in the vicinity of a cially research on the fusion process. tion concerning not only the scientific aspects of nuclear accident anq be pregnant at the time? But I do think that a small group of greedy people nuclear power, but also the economic and political Yes, a radiation leak can wipe out an entire city is trying to ram nuclear power down our throats issues so conveniently ignored by Ms. Terry. If artd thank you, but I like to choose my source of and is unconcerned about the long term (in thou­ nuclear energy is so safe, why won't insurance radiation. I prefer it from my microwave or my sands of years) impact of this ultimate pollution to companies provide coverage for nuclear accidents to dentist, not from a nuclear accident. our planet. Until we have-better safeguards and a either the power companies or the American public? Does botulism or diphtheria have the half-life of feasible way to dispose of nuclear waste, simple We are ill-served by a recitation of "facts" about plutonium? Have you ever tried to cook out pluto­ prudence would dictate that we not waste any more an industry more concerned with its own image and nium by boiling it? Can you get vaccinated against money on this form of energy production. - economic security than its potentially deadly effects it? Lawrence E. Gourley on life on our planet. - Gary Povick What's Going On

Workers Party under deportation order; Richard Sob­ WEST VIRGINIA Donation: $2, miners free. Ausp: Political Rights De­ CALIFORNIA el, attorney; Bokiba Enjuenti, National Black Inde­ fense Fund. For more information call (304) 345-3040. SAN FRANCISCO pendent Political Party. Sun., May 31, 7 p.m. St. An­ CHARLESTON ATTACK ON ABORTION RIGHTS: THE HUMAN drew's Hall, 431 E. Congress. Donation:' $2. For more EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE: TWO CLASSES LIFE AMENDMENT. Speakers: Page Melish, National information call (313) 875-5322. A RALLY FOR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS. Speakers: ON THE ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF SLAVERY. Organization for Women; Patti Post. Religious Coali­ Andrew Pulley, Socialist Workers Party 1980 presi­ Spea-.er: Maceo Dixon, Socialist Workers Party Na­ tion for Abortion Rights; Sylvia Weinstein, Socialist dential candidate; Marian Bustin, United Mine Workers tional Committee. 12 noon: "Slavery in Ancient World." Workers Party. Fri., May 22, 8 p.m. Socialist Book­ Local 2095 and member of SWP and Young Socialist 2:30 p.m.: ~ l ave ry in the United States." Sun., May store, 3284 23rd St. Donation: $2. Ausp: Militant Fo­ Alliance· Rev. James Lewis. activist in movements 31, Central Charleston Community Center, 31 4 Don­ rum. For more information call (415) 824-1992. NEW-YORK against the draft. U.S. intervention in El Salvador, and nelly St. Donation: $2. Ausp: Socialist Workers Party, Klan violence. SaL, May 30, 7 p.m. reception. 8 p.m. Young Socialist Alliance. For more Information call MANHATTAN rally. St. Johr]'s Episcopal Church, 11 05 Quarrier St. (304) 345-3040. THE NEW YORK POLITICAL POLICE: SHOULD THE SUIT AGAINST THEM BE SETTLED? Victims ILLINOIS and lawyers speak out on the proposed settlement ending the ten-year-old suit against the "Red Squad." CHICAGO Fri. , May 29, 8 p.m. 108 E. 16th St. Ausp: Militant Fo­ GRENADA: TWO YEARS OF REVOLUTION: rum. For more information call (212) 260-6400. EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT. Speaker: Adrienne Ka­ plan, United Steelworkers Local 1010, Socialist Workers Party. Fri., May 29, 7:30p.m. 434 S. Wabash. PENNSYLVANIA OVINC? Donation: $2. Ausp Militant Labor Forum. For more in­ formation call (312) 939-0737. PHILADELPHIA STOPPING THE WAR AGAINST BLACK AMERI­ Take the 'Militant' with you. CA. A film: "Tribute to Malcolm X." Panel discussion to follow. Sun., May 17, 7 p.m. 5811 N. Broad St. Dona­ To avoid missing a sing le tion: $2. Ausp : Militant Labor Forum. For more infor­ iss ue. send us notice of your MICHIGAN mation call (215) 927-4747. change of address right away. DETROIT ROOTS OF IRISH CRISIS. Speakers to be an­ Be sure to inc lude the add ress POLITICAL POLICE ON TRIAL: RALLY SPON­ nounced. Sun., May 31. 7 p.m. 58 11 N. Broad St. Do­ label o ff your copy. SORED BY POLITICAL RIGHTS DEFENSE FUND. nation: $2. Ausp: Militant Labor Forum. For more Infor­ Speakers: Hector Marroquin. member of Socialist mation call (215) 927-4747.

30 THE MILITANT MAY 22,1981 Letters Class-based, informed also appoints the judges. Can reporting supporters of the SWP anticipate a Morton Halperin A few Fridays ago I heard a decision? (I believe he won a short piece on National Public case against the government Radio's "Morning Edition." The and Kissinger only to have the reporter interviewed Jack victory gutted on appeal.) Barnes .. That is the only non­ Just call me cynical, yet still Militant coverage [of the trial] supportive. I've heard or read. J .S. It was concise, and Barnes Erie, Pennsylvania made some excellent points, but like 99 percent of such news from NPR or other sources, it could have been a Utah and nuclear weather report. Background weapons and context just do not stand An important point was out. brought home to me by a In any case, I appreciate the "downwind" Utahn, a woman positions of the SWP and who grew up downwind of the coverage provided by the Nevada Nuclear Testing Site. Militant more and more with Her editorial was featured in each issue after comparing the Salt Lake Tribune. other sources to the party's Ms. Catalan points out that sources. I am thinking here of the fight against nuclear the people's progress in Poland. weapons does not spring from A couple of people at work hindsight or foresight, but from and I have discussed the Polish clear sight-the fight is for economy and debt. It was humap survival today. Ms. Catalan states that if match into a tinderbox of a theo.ry-not as a scientific pleasant, for a change, when The entire Uintah Basin is one flies over the test site, one public rage. fact. discussing the world, to see a "hot" with radioactive areas. can see fissures in the earth Stopping the MX needs to be On April 26 the Toledo Blade way out that wasn't repression, All of northern Utah has been that were not there a few years a national movement. That's devoted an entire page to war, or workers caving in. contaminated by the ago. These nuclear testings are ·where the power is. And there comments for and against I suggested the economy was aboveground nuclear testing of rocking the fault lines of the are no safe zones where creationist theory. strong and the debt could be the 1950s. West and contaminating nuclear blasts are involved. At the Sylvania School Board reorganized. My fellow The government admits forty underground water sources The MX cannot be allowed to meeting itself, Dr. William workers, I believe, saw that leaks of radioactive material needed for our survival. be built or based anywhere. Bischoff of the University of capitalist debt wasn't since the testing went These tests are killing us The nuclear-weapons industry Toledo biology department and necessarily life's top priority. underground. Ms. Catalan's now, just as surely as must be stopped in its tracks. Dr. Earl Freimer from the Without the class-qased, organization, Citizens's Call, downwind people are dying A government that would Medical College of Ohio argued informed reporting of the suspects many more. from cancers induced by the end passenger rail sevice and strongly for the scientific Militant, the discussion would After a detonation in October testing of the 1950s. gut freight rail service, yet irrefutability of evolution. have been less useful. 1980, there was a series of Utahns are conservative build a new railroad to whiz "It is just as established in One other thing, since I am small earthquakes in southern people in many ways, but I the MX upon, is a government biology," commented Freimer, writing. My concern in this California, followed by a series haven't seen a stronger distrust that deserves to be replaced. "as is the law of gravity in trial is not whether the party around Cedar City, Utah. A 20 of the government than that Sara Smith physics." wins. My concern is: when the kiloton blast, unannounced, which is flourishing here. Salt Lake City, Utah Bischoff called scientific SWP wins, how long can the occurred February 25, 1981. It These people have watched creationism a "self­ capitalist government and its was followed by small quakes their parents die of radiation­ contradictory nonsense courts delay through appeals? around Los Angeles February induced cancer in long, 'Scientific creationism' phrase." Of course I do not question a 27 and the 4.1 Richter Scale agonizing, and costly ways. On April 27 the Sylvania, One of the most effective . defendant's right to appeal, but quake in San Francisco March Basing the MX missile in Ohio, School Board rejected a speakers in favor of evolution as this defendant appeals, it 3. Utah would be throwing a motion that would have at the meeting was Craig granted proponents of . Kuhn, a sophmore at "scientific creationism" equal Sylvania's Northview High time in science classes with the School. Our party is your party teaching of evolution. Carolyn Marlen, speaking for The motion, brought by the the creationist group, could Committee for Scientific only feebly contend that 0 I want to join the SWP. Creationism in the Schools, sCience can prove the validity THE MILITANT is the voice of the 0 Send me .__ copies of The Changing Face was opposed by the of neither evolution nor Socialist Workers Party. of U.S. Politics: Building a Party of Socialist overwhelming majority of the creation. Why that makes her brand of creationism IF YOU AGREE with what you've Workers at $7.95 each. Enclosed is$. ___ more than 150 people present 0 Please send me more information. at the meeting. The "scientific "scientific," she declined to say. read, you should join us in creationist" adherents could John Bartleby fighting for a world without Name ------'------only muster about twenty Toledo, Ohio war, racism, or exploitation-a Address ______supporters. City ______socialist world. The issue of "creationism" in The letters column is an open State ______Zip ______the school system here has forum for all viewpoints on JOIN THE SWP. Fill out this coupon Telephone ______become an important one in subjects of general interest to Union/Schooi/Org. ______recent weeks. Washington our readers. Please keep your and mail it today. SWP, 14 Charles Lane, New York, N.Y. 10014. Township, another suburb of letters brief. Where necessary Toledo, recently passed a they will be abridged. Please motion at their school board indicate if you prefer that your meeting that science teachers initials be used rather than JOIN THE SWP had to teach evolution only as your full name. . If You Like This Paper, Look Us Up Where to find the Soci•list Workers P.,.y, Young Soci.,llt Alli•nce. Md soceal11t books •nd p•mphlets

ALABAMA: Birmingham: SWP, YSA, 205 18th St. S. KENTUCKY: Louisville: SWP, YSA, 131 W. Main NEW YORK: Capital District (Schenectady): SWP, RHODE ISLAND: Providence: YSA. 52 Earle St., Cen­ Zip: 35233. Tel: (205) 323-3079. · #102. Zip: 40202. Tel : (502) 587-8418. YSA, 323 State St. Zip: 12305. Tel: (518) 374-1494. tral Falls. Zip: 02863. ARIZONA: Phoenix: SWP, YSA, 1243 E. McDowell. LOUISIANA: New Orleans: SWP, YSA, 3207 Dublin St. . New York, Brooklyn: SWP, YSA, 335 Atlantic Ave. TEXAS: Austin: YSA, c/o Mike Rose, 7409 Berkman Zip: 85006. Tel: (602) 255-0450. Zip: 70118. Tel: (504) 486-8048. Zip: 11201. Tel: (212) 852-7922. New York, Manhat­ Dr: Zip: 78752. Dallas: SWP, YSA, 5442 E. Grand. CALIFORNIA: Oakland: SWP, YSA, 2864 Telegraph tan: SWP, YSA, 108 E. 16th St. 2nd Floor. Zip: 10003. Zip: 75223. Tel: (214) 826-4711. Houston: SWP, MARYLAND: Baltimore: SWP, YSA, 2913 Green­ Ave. Zip: 94609. Tel : (415) 763-3792. Los Angeles: Tel: (212) 260-6400. New York: City-wide SWP, YSA, YSA. 806 Elgin St. #1. Zip: n006. Tel: (713) 524- mount Ave. Zip: 21218. Tel: (301) 235-0013. SWP, YSA, 2211 N. Broadway. Zip: 90031. Tel: (213) 108 E. 16th St. 2nd Floor. Zip: 10003. Tel: (212) 533- 8761 . San Antonio: SWP, YSA, 337 W. Josephine. 225-3126. San Diego: SWP, YSA, 1053 15th St. Zip: MASSI!CHUSETTS: Amherst: YSA, P.O. Box 837. Zip: 2902. Zip: 78212. Tel: (512) 222-8398. 92101. Tel: (714) 234-4630.San Francisco: SWP, 01004. Boston: SWP, YSA, 510 Commonwealth NORTH CAROLINA: Piedmont: SWP, YSA, 216 E. 6th UTAH: Salt Lake City: SWP, YSA, 677 S. 7th East, 2nd YSA, 3284 23rd St. Zip: 94110. Tel: (415) 824-1992. _ Ave., 4th Floor. Zip: 02215. Tel: (617) 262-4621. St., Winston-Salem. Zip: 27101. Tel: (919) 723-3419. Floor. Zip: 84102. Tel: (801) 355-1124. San Jose: SWP, YSA, 44 Race St. Zip: 95126. Tel: MICHIGAN: Ann Arbor: YSA. Tel: (313) 663-7068. De­ OHIO: Cincinnati: SWP, YSA, 2531 Gilbert Ave. Zip: VIRGINIA: Tld-ater Area (Newport News): SWP, (408) 998-4007. troit: SWP, YSA, 6404 Woodward Ave. Zip: 48202. 45206. Tel: (513) 751-2636. Cleveland: SWP, YSA, YSA, 111 28th St. Zip: 23607. Tel: (804) 380-0133. COLORADO: Denver: SWP, YSA, 126 W. 121h Ave. Tel: (313) 875-5322. 2230 Superior. Zip: 44114. Tel: (216) 579-9369. Tole­ WASHINGTON, D.C.: SWP, YSA, 3106 Mt Pleasant St. Zip: 80204. Tel: (303) 534-8954. MINNESOTA: Mesabi Iron Range: SWP, YSA, 1012 do: SWP, YSA, 2120 Dorr St. Zip: 43607. Tel: (419) NW. Zip: 20010. Tel: (202) 797-7699. Baltirnore-W• FLORIDA: Miami: SWP, YSA, 1237 NW 119th St., 2nd Ave. South, Virginia, Minn .. Send mail to P.O. Box 536-0383. shington District: 3106 MI. Pleasant St., NW., Wa­ North Miami. Zip: 33167. Tel: (305) 769-3478. 1287. Zip: 55792. Tel: (218) 749-6327. Twin Cities: shington, D.C. Zip: 20010. Tel: (202) 797-7021. OREGON: Portland: SWP, YSA, 711 NW Everett. Zip: GEORGIA: Atlanta: SWP, YSA, 509 Peachtree St. NE SWP, YSA, 508 N. Snelling Ave. , St. Paul. Zip: 55104. WASHINGTON: Olympia: YSA, Room 3208, The Ever­ 97209. Tel: (503) 222-7225. Zip: 30308. Tel: (404) 872-7229. Tel: (612) 644-6325. green State College. Zip: 98501. Tel: (206) 866-7332. ILLINOIS: Champaign-Urbana: YSA, 1301 W. Green, MISSOURI: Kansas City: SWP, YSA, 4715A Troost. PENNSYLVANIA; Edinboro: YSA, Edinboro State Col­ Seattle: SWP, YSA, 4868 Rainier Ave. South. Zip: Room 284. Zip: 61801. Chicago: SWP, YSA, 434 S. Zip: 64110. Tel: (816) 753-0404. St. Louis: SWP, lege. Zip: 16444. Tel: (814) 734-4415. Harrisburg: 98118. Tel: (206) 723-5330. Wabash. Room 700. Zip: 60605. Tel: (312) 939-0737. YSA, 6223 Delmar Blvd. Zip: 63130. Tel: (314) 725- SWP, YSA, P.O. Box 3255. Zip: 17105. Philadelphia: WEST VIRGINIA: Charleston: SWP, YSA, Box 3761 . INDIANA: Gary: SWP, YSA, 3883 Broadway. Zip: 1570. SWP, YSA, 5811 N. Broad St. Zip: 19141. Tel: (215) Zip: 25337. Tel: (304) 345-3040. Morgantown: SWP, 46409. Tel: (219) 884-9509. Indianapolis: SWP, NEW JERSEY: Newark: SWP, YSA, 11-A Central Ave. . 927-4747 or 927-4748. Pittsburgh: SWP, YSA, 1102 YSA. 957 S. University Ave. Zip: 26505. Tel: (304) YSA, 4850 N. College. Zip: 46205. Tel: (317) 283- Zip: 07102. Tel: (201) 643-3341. E. Carson St. Zip: 15203. Tel: (412) 488-7000. State 296-QOSS. 6149. NEW MEXICO: Albuquerque: SWP, YSA, 1417 Cen­ College: YSA, P.O. Box 484, Bellefonte. Zip: 16823. WISCONSIN: Milwaukee: SWP, YSA, 4707 W. Usborr IOWA: Cedar Falla: YSA, Box 352. Zip: 50613. tral Ave. NE. Zip: 1J7106. Tel: (505)) 842-<)954. Tel: (814) 238-3296. Ave. Zip: 53208 ~ Tel: (414) 445-2076.

MAY 22,1981 THE MIUTANT 31 THE MILITANT Protests shake Ireland

Francis Hughes died May 12, on the fifty-ninth day of a hunger strike to demand political status for Irish republican prisoners at Maze Prison. Within minutes of the announcement of·Hughes's death, hundreds of men, women, and children poured into the streets of Belfast's working- class Catholic neighborhoods. · People banged garbage can lids on the sidewalks to signal Hughes's death and crowds shouted "Frankie, Frankie," "Bobby, Bobby." In Dublin, some 1,506-.demonstrators broke down the garden walls of the British embassy. The death of Hughes, one week after Bobby Sands, prompted Irish Prime Minister Charles Haughey to say that "Northern Ireland, as at present constituted, is no longer a viable political entity." Hughes, who was twenty-five, came from a staunchly republican family of ten in south Derry. He was a committed fighter for a free Ireland from his youth. Outside Maze prison, his brother Oliver declared that British Prime Minister Thatcher "has murdered another IRA man-and has created another IRA hero." The following article was written shortly before Hughes died.

By Gerry Foley Sands's death. On the southern side of BELFAST-One-fifth of the entire the border, the counties of Cavan and nationalist population of Northern Ire­ Monaghan, and the largest frontier land-100,000 people-attended Bobby town, Dundalk, were shut down. The Sands's funeral in Belfast on May 7, ac­ major industrial center in the region cording to the most conservative press north of Dublin, Drogheda, was also estimates here. It was the biggest na­ stilled. · tionalist demonstration in Northern Ire­ The largest border county, Donegal, land's sixty-year history. was shut down from one end to the oth­ Sands died May 5 on the sixty-sixth er. About 5,000 people marched in the I day of a hunger strike demanding politi­ small town of Letterkenny in central Black activist Dick Gregory and Irish leader Bernadette Devlin McAiiskey at April 29 cal status for republican prisoners m Donegal. Belfast news conference on Bobby Sands. Northern Ireland's jails. In Dublin, most building workers There were extensive shutdowns of walked off the job and bus service was poem in honor of Bobby Sands at the ral­ back to the Garden of Remembrance, a businesses and factories in the national­ disrupted. ly. park commemorating the dead of 1916. ist areas of the north. In Derry, the se­ cond city of the north, a march of thou­ About thirty factories and some shop­ Many center-city- shops also closed. In Limerick, a town of some 60,000 in­ sands was held at the same time as the ping centers closed down in the Irish About 10,000 persons marched silently habitants, about 4,000 people marched. funeral in Belfast. capital. In the J anelle clothing factory, through downtown Dublin in heavy Their numbers were swelled by the all 300 young women workers walked rain. Their route led them from the Gen­ workers from Alcan, the largest plant in In the south, an estimated 150,000 out and joined the demonstration. The eral Post Office, the site of the 1916 in­ Ireland. They walked off the job en people took part in actions mourning shop stewards committee presented a surrection, to the premier's office and Continued on page 29 4,000 march for ERA in N. Carolina By Valerie Eckhert Locals 3616 and 3060, the American RALEIGH, N.C.- "There will never Federation of Teachers, and the be another season of silence," stated Teamsters. . Beth McAllister, president of North Other signs at the march showed the Carolinians United for the ERA (NCU­ support of the Tobacco Workers Inter­ ERA). And that was exactly the mood national Union, United Food and Com­ of nearly 4,000 participants gathered mercial Workers, Amalgamated Clo­ in this city May 2, in a march and thing and Textile Workers, and rally demanding passage of the Equal International Ladies Garment Workers Rights Amendment. Union. The action was called by NCUERA, Speaking at the rally, Rev. Joan a coalition of over fifty civil rights Campbell described the ERA as part of groups, churches, students, · the N a­ a broader struggle for human justice, tiona! Organization for Women, the tying it to the oppressive apartheid state AFL-CIO, and the Communica­ regime in South Africa, the plight of tions Workers of America (CWA). farm workers, the killing of the Mary­ The ERA must be ratified by three knoll nuns in El Salvador, and the more state legislatures by June 1982 in racist murders of children in Atlanta. order to become law. The fight to win She commented that the "violence ratification in North Carolina is impor­ unleashed on the children in Atlanta tant for the national battle for the should disturb the sleep of every one of ERA. us." "There is no way they can say ERA Jackie Kaalund, a staff member of isn't wanted," remarked a marcher NCUERA and organizer of Women of from CWA Local 3616 in Winston­ C~lor, blasted Reagan's budget cuts, Salem. "This march is what was attacks on affirmative action, cutbacks needed." in the EEOC, and attacks on abortion The Central Labor Union, made up rights. She denounced the failure to of all affiliates of the AFL-CIO in pass the ERA. Winston-Salem, endorsed the march and sent a busload of trade unionists­ Also speaking were North Carolina including members of the Interna­ Gov. James Hunt and Sen. Rachael Part of crowd at North Carolina march. tional Association of Machinists, CWA Gray. Poland: ranks of Communist Party fight for sweeping reforms - PAGE 20