The First 10 Years of American Communism

Strike Hits 4 Kennedy Steps Up THE NYC Papers, Others Close Cold- War Moves MILITANT By Jgck Katz Published in the Interests of the Working People NEW YORK, Dec. 11 — This By Fred Halstead city’s newspaper printers struck Immediately following the Ken- Vol. 26 - No. 46 Monday, December 17, 1962 Price 10c four of the major city dailies, the nedy-Khrushchev arrangement in Times, News, Journal- American the “Cuban crisis” widespread and World-Telegram, Dec. 8. The hope arose that a general easing Publishers Association - quickly of the cold war was in the offing. Exclusive Report locked out the workers on the The significance of the current other four papers, the Post, M ir “Stevenson affair” is that this was ror, Herald Tribune and Long Is a dangerous illusion. The affair land. Press. The publisher’s action indicates a tougher line by the Revolt in Angola-An Uprising in closing down the non-struck Kennedy administration in the plants was to put the blame on cold war as well as a continua the union for the news blackout tion of the policy of unilateral Against Unendurable Misery and build up public opinion and U.S. attempts to crush the Cuban government pressure against the Revolution. striker«. An article in the Dec. 8 issue This is the first strike by New of the Saturday Evening Post York Typographical Union Local began a neat, but not so subtle, bit 6 {Big Six), in its 65 years of of political hatchet work on Adlai contractual relations with the Stevenson, U.S. ambassador to the Publishers Association. UN, and on the “liberal wing” of The strike was called after it the Democratic Party which he became clear that the publishers symbolizes. would not budge from their posi The article, by Stewart Alsop tion of forcing the union to aeeept and Charles Bartlett, both highly- John F. Kennedy the $8-for-tw©-years package that placed, authoritative journalists the Newspaper Guild accepted last and intimate friends of President month after an eight-day strike Kennedy, reports on the secret the new weekly paper of news at the News. discussions during the Cuban crisis analysis put out by the publishers The strike was preceded by a among the president and his eight of the Wall Street Journal, ex series of unprecedented unity top advisors. plains that the political butcher moves among the ten unions in ing of Stevenson by Kennedy The article suggests, in the the industry which are now “strengthened his [Kennedy’s] words of a Dec. 5 New York Post banded together in the Commit image, forged in the Cuban crisis, editorial, “that the only thing rel tee for Newspaper Unity under as a man who can get tough with evant in the Cuban crisis — and the chairmanship of Bertram Khrushchev and make it stick. Powers, president of Local 6. On by implication, in future crises — That’s a far cry from the image was a readiness to brandish our Oct. 14 the ten unions held a joint he would project if he cared nuclear power and to invite the mass meeting at Manhattan Cen greatly about wooing the more impression that Mr. Kennedy holds ter where an overflow crowd of liberal wing of his party, rep to that view.” In addition, the ar more than 3,500 newspaper w o rk resented by Mr. Stevenson, which ticle implies that Stevenson did ers cheered their craft leaders’ historically seeks the soft ap not hold that view and was “soft pledges of unity against the pub proach in dealing with the reds.” on communism” during the delib lisher’s solid front. Stevenson is no threat to Ken- The unity committee was born erations. nedy’s war plans, but Steven last year after all contracts were Whether the article was pub son is expendible. He serves as a signed, when the leaders of the lished with Kennedy’s direct handy whipping boy for Kennedy nine crafts and the Guild began knowledge is not the point. There in the political maneuver of to meet to discuss methods of can be no doubt that the story — placating the right wing and, at breaching the publishers’ arrogant by two of Kennedy’s intimate as the same time, intimidating the take-it-or-leave-it bargaining sociates — represents administra U.S. peace movement. technique. tion policy. It is designed to serve The real purpose and effect of Current application of this tech notice on the shell of “liberalism” Kennedy’s current propaganda nique is the publishers’ attempt left in this country that it had campaign and political moves have to force all the other crafts to better not get in the way of a been noted by “highly placed ANGOLA LIBERATION MOVEMENT, now in its second year of accept at their later contract ex hard line in the cold war. United Nations diplomats.” armed struggle against the Portuguese imperialists, had its origins piration the pattern of the recent Stevenson hastened to deny that The Dec. 8 Christian Science in the formation of guerrilla bands in the colony’s villages as settlement with the Guild. he has any such idea. He called M onitor reports: shown above. This plan worked for the past the article “inaccurate” and dec “Wholly apart from what they decade while the printers and the lared that he “strongly supported call the mistaken account of Mr. Stevenson’s views, however, two By Victor Moazul other crafts slowly saw their lead the decision taken by the Presi ing position in labor slowly dis- dent on the quarantine” of Cuba. things particularly disturb UN Mozambique, the Cape Verde Is ALGIERS — Nearly two years (Continued on Page 4) The Dec. 10 National Observer, people: 1) The general popular have passed since the Angolan lands and Saint Thomas — all of belief in the United States that people took the road of armed which are dominated by Portugal the blockade, and the blockade struggle against Portuguese im — into an indivisible alliance. alone, produced the Soviet cap perialism. It was not until Feb They have been made increasing Economic Soothsayers Sure itulation — and that therefore the ruary 1961, with the Luanda re ly aware that the victory of one United States should be ‘tough’ volt, that the world was informed colony contributes towards the more often. 2) The tendency to of the atrocious nature of Por victory of all. And, of course, this Of One Thing - More Jobless glorify as ‘hard nosed’ and cour tuguese imperialism. unity is backed, encouraged and ageous suggestions that the missile Hitherto a mysterious silence reinforced by the solidarity of the By Art Preis bases should have been bombed independent African states, social had surrounded Portuguese co DEC. 11 — Since President total em ployment was 67,981,000 or that Cuba should have been ist countries and liberal opinion in lonialism, but the sweep of the Kennedy unleashed the Cuban in November, or about 900,000 less invaded . the imperialist countries. African liberation movement in crisis, the mood of the capitalist than in October. “ In any event, moral standards Faced with this combination, it evitably penetrated the iron bars economists and the business com Seymour L. Wolfbein, Deputy seem to have been turned upside is apparent that victory in the long of the Angolan prison house. With munity has shifted abruptly from Assistant Secretary of Labor for (Continued on Page 2) run is on side of the oppressed. the Congo’s independence in 1960, pessimistic uncertainty to opti But before victory can be achieved, Manpower, said that if the 5.8 per the Portuguese, fearing unrest mistic uncertainty. Before Oct. 22, cent rate of unemployment con there w ill have to be a hard and spreading across into their West the economic forecasters and prolonged struggle; because Por tinues, the number of jobless w ill White Supremacist African colony of Angola, hastily soothsayers were predicting that reach four million this month, 4.6 tugal is rendered behind-the- deployed their military forces to U.S. economic conditions would million in January and 4.7 mil scenes assistance by her “ oldest Gets African Boot crush any revolt. get worse if they did not get bet lion in February. This would be ally,” Britain, on the one hand and But in February 1961 Angolan ter; now they confidently forecast only 800,000 less than when K en Senator Allen J. Ellender, a by United States and other im big Democratic Party wheel nationalists, under the leadership that the economic situation will nedy took office in January 1961 perialist interests on the other. from Louisiana, on tour in A f of the MPLA (People’s Movement get better if it does not get worse. on a pledge to “get America mov rica, has been barred from for the Liberation of Angola), as NATO Support But there is one element of the ing again.” Uganda, Tanganyika, the Congo saulted jails and police head The two most powerful coloniz economic future about which there The most significant element in and Ethiopia because of his ra quarters in Luanda in an attempt ing nations, Britain and France, is unanimous and unshakable cer the November unemployment rise cially insulting remarks at a to free their leaders who had been have had to make a tactical re tainty: unemployment is going to was an increase of about 150,000 press conference. Since other rounded up over the previous two treat in the face of the African get worse. in the number of jobless teen independent African nations years. liberation struggle — for economic In fact, as average prices on agers.

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