By Leon Trotsky
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Why Is Russia Mobilizing?... By Leon Trotsky Not Even the Three - Times - a - Week Kremlin Knows! L E T T H E P E O P L E VOTE ON WAR Moscow mobilizes and everybody asks himself, against Socialist Appeal whom? But at the present moment even the Kremlin doesn’t know. One thing is clear: the German-Soviet agreement facili Official Organ of the Socialist Workers Party, Section of the Fourth International tated the defeat of Poland, but didn’t at all guarantee the Soviet Union’s neutrality. The Polish army proved to be weaker than many supposed. Now in Paris and London, undoubtedly, the VOL. Ill, No. 70 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER I5, 1939 3c a Copy people are looking at the German arm y’s approach to the Soviet border with interest and without excessive alarm. The friend ship of Stalin and Hitler needs distance. The complete defeat of Poland can prove fatal to the German-Soviet agreement. Hav ing settled down on the borders of the Ukraine and White Rus sia, Hitler w ill propose to Stalin to give a more active character to his new “friendship” . Simultaneously, he can turn to Paris and London with a proposition to give the German army an op portunity to march farther east, and w ill show complete willing F. D. R. CALLS SPECIAL SESSION ness to bind himself, at the same time, not to raise the question of colonies for twenty-five or fifty years (Hitler gladly exchanges time for space). Under the pressure of double blackmail Stalin will have to make a definite choice. In view of this critical moment’s approach, the Kremlin is mobilizing. In order to main tain both possibilities, the Moscow radio stations are giving news in tlie Russian language favorable to the Western democracies, and in the German language favorable to Germany. It is diffi TO FORCE VOTE ON WAR MOVES cult to imagine a more symbolic expression of the Kremlin’s -<*> double dealing politics and of Stalin’s personal character. In what way is this double dealing going to be solved? Long War Dangerous to Hitler SWP D rive Stalin understands what even ex-Kaiser Wilhelm understood: Act of War Seen in namely, that with a prolonged war Hitler is headed toward a great catastrophe. But the whole question is one of time limits To Get on and tempo. On the road to the abyss Hitler can not only crush Poland, but he can give the Soviet Union such blows as to cost His Statement on the Kremlin oligarchy their heads. And those gentlemen value N. Y. Ballot their heads above everything. For their salvation they can be compelled to go farther on the road with Hitler than they wanted at the moment the pact was concluded. Defense of Canada As an obstacle on this road there is, it is true, the extreme Progresses unpopularity among the masses of the alliance with fascism. Molotov referred to it recently in his latest speech when he com- pained that the “ simplified propaganda” (that is, the Comin tern’s propaganda of yesterday against fascism) gave birth even Report Good Results Sole Function of Congress W ill Be to Put in the Soviet Union to discontent with a German-Soviet combina tion. The above mentioned radio news in the Russian language Despite Interference Rubber-Stamp on Presidential Decrees— testifies to this fact. But Stalin expects to master public opinion in his own country by further purges: the enmity of the Russian O f Tammany Repeal of Arms Embargo Certain workers and peasants, unlike the enmity of Hitler, is not yet armed. Thus, having started as H itler’s quartermaster, Stalin can become his half-prisoner and ally. NEW YORK CITY, Sept. 13— Despite orders from Tammany Having stacked all the cards, in open defiance of law, the Is a New Turn Possible? ward heelers to their support But can’t the Kremlin complete a new sharp turn, breaking ers to block the anti-war cam Constitution and the w ill o f the people, by his decree declar the Soviet-German agreement and throwing itself at the last paign of the Socialist Workers ing a “ limited state o f national emergency” and by his un moment against Hitler? For this there would be necessary, of Party and prevent it from ob course, serious m ilitary successes by France and England in the taining the number of signa paralleled proclamation that the United States w ill defend tures necessary to place candi next period, plus a radical change of the neutrality law in the Canada in its war against Germany, Franklin Roosevelt on United States. But the Kremlin would hardly enter an open war dates Max Shachtman of the against Hitler even in this case. However, the concentration of Bronx ad George Lyman Paine Wednesday summoned the Special Session of Congress to of Manhattan on the ballot for significant forces on the western border would permit Stalin to meet on September 21st. reject Hitler’s absolutely inevitable new demands. the coming Councilmanic elec To connect the question of the direction of Moscow politics tions, canvassers report steady The war-mongering Roosevelt administration, rushing progress in filling out the nom with the ideas of the international working class, with the tasks headlong toward direct m ilitary intervention, has decided not of socialism, with the principles of democracy, et cetera, can mating petitions. only be done by completely ignorant babblers or by paid agents ' In the Bronx yesterday 300 merely to deprive the people of any voice on the issue o f the signatures were obtained in less of the Kremlin. In reality, Moscow politics is exclusively deter war. Following the example o f the totalitarian democrats of mined by the ruling oligarchy’s struggle for self-preservation. than an hour and a half by can The Krem lin’s choice of roads w ill be determined by the mate vassers of the Bronx branch. Britain and France, Roosevelt People not members of the So rial interrelation of forces of both camps and by the march of is determined also to reduce m ilitary operations in the next weeks. It is better not to say the cialist Workers Party but sym "choice of roads” , but the direction of the next zig-zag. pathetic to its anti-war cam CIO JOBLESS Congress to the function o f paign, reports Max Mont, or approving steps which have LEON TROTSKY ganizer of the Bronx branch, Coyoacan, D.F. are giving the most encourag been taken beforehand by ex Septem ber 11, 1939 ing help in order to insure the UNION FORMED ecutive decree. appearance of Max Shachtman The plain fact of the mat on the ballot in their borough of the B ro n x. AT CONFERENCE ter is that Roosevelt’s state Needle Trades Respond A Manifesto- ment on the defense o f Cana Behind the Lines In Manhattan the workers in da is an act o f war. Canada the needles trades industry are By GEORGE STERN. Delegates at Seven has declared war against Ger giving the campaign a particu many. Roosevelt has notified larly warm welcome. They are Stalin has moved more than only against adversaries who the world that the armed forces fam iliar with the successful an State Meet Oppose a million troops to the Polish are helpless. He may use his To the Oppressed Peoples o f of the United States w ill defend ti-fascist drives of the Socialist and Rumanian frontiers and bayonets against the Polish ref F.D.R. W ar Plans Canada against its declared the whole world is wondering ugees who seek haven in his Workers Party at Madison enemy. By such a move, Roose- w hy domain, but this column’s guess Square Garden on February 20 Ivelt drops even the pretense of' and in Union Square on August The black line of the Nazi ad' is that when the German troops Latin America, A s i a , A fric a ! (Special to the Socialist A p p e a l) neutrality. vance through Poland is mor reach the first Russian outposts 19 when the Coughlinites threat PITTSBURGH, Sept. 10—Del By what right, by what au ing like lava across the land. It they w ill more likely be greeted ened an invasion. Canvassers egates from CIO-WPA unions in thority, does Roosevelt usurp for George Lyman Paine report has already submerged the in' with respectful salutes and con^ seven states met here over the the power to commit the United dustrial heart of Poland and at gratulations for the speedy and that those who sign the nomin weekend, at the call of the Before even a generation has passed, Eu to the bellicose snarl of the beast excited by States to war? this writing the Germans are efficient completion of the drive ating petition greet them sym United Project Workers Organ rope is again at war! The imperialist beasts the odor of blood and carnage. The state of Roosevelt’s Strategy Plain claiming entry into the out across ‘Poland. pathetically on the streets when izing Committee of the CIO, to are at large again, anxious to devour, in thp.’r emergency already decreed in the United stepYto set up Yperman- Roosevelt’s campaign to rush skirts of Lwow, capital of the With the conquest of Poland they chance to meet later, and greedy ferocity, all the riches of civilization States creates the necessary conditions for the country into the war within Polish Ukraine, only 100 miles Hitler will have other means of lend a hand in securing more ent International Union of WPA and all of humanity itself.