FEBRUARY 6, 1976 25 CENTS VOLUME 40/NUMBER 5

A 'SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY /PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE

-

-PAGE 6

GROWING PRESSURE ON S. AFRICAN IMPERIALISTS TO PULL OUT. PAGES 3, 10. PLEA ATH ROW LOUISIANA BLACK YOUTH BATTLES RACIST FRAME-UP, APPEALS FOR HELP. PAGE 5. CLUW WHAT STRATEGY FOR UNION Massive protest by workers in Lisbon one week before abortive WOMEN'S RIGHTS? PAGE 8. November 25 coup. Military regime has used putsch attempt as pretext for antilabor crackdown. ERA WOMEN DISCUSS ACTION FOR PASSAGE IN '76. PAGE 9. Po al: ns PRO FBI'S SECRET WAR AGAINST Olthe at temPI ANTIOCH COLLEGE. PAGE 25. In Brief

AIM LEADER DENNIS BANKS ARRESTED: Ameri­ Thursday demonstration by their church. Students inter­ can Indian Movement leader Dennis Banks was arrested viewed by reporters said they had been taught in religion January 24 in El Cerrito, California, a suburb of San classes that abortion is murder and, "You're supposed to go Francisco. into a marriage to have kids." In July 1975, Banks was convicted by an all-white South Speakers at the protest railed against abortion as Dakota jury on riot charges stemming from a February 1973 "massacre unlimited," and compared those who support the THIS demonstration in Custer, South Dakota, that was savagely right of women to control their own body to the Nazis who attacked by police. His trial was conducted immediately murdered six million Jews. WEEK'S after the shooting deaths of two FBI agents in Pine Ridge, Among the speakers at the protest were a dozen U.S .. during a racist anti-Indian hysteria whipped up by false senators and representatives, including members of both MILITANT reports about the incident. the Democratic and Republican parties. Details of the trial are sketchy, since the judge issued a 3 Angola: growing pressure sweeping gag order to stop reporting on how Banks was BLACK ASSEMBLY ENDORSES JULIAN BOND: for S. African pullout being railroaded into prison. The National Black Assembly announced January 21 that 4 Protests oppose U.S. On August 5, Banks was scheduled to be sentenced. He it intends to draft Georgia State Sen. Julian Bond as an intervention in Angola failed to appear, and was declared a fugitive from-of all independent candidate for president of the United States. things-"justice." Since his disappearance, the government Assembly leaders said Bond could represent the group's 5 Letter from death row: has tried to link Banks to a number of alleged incidents desire to create "a society based on humanism, democracy, Gary Tyler asks support involving explosives and firearms. and self-determination, free of oppression and exploitation Banks, who feared being killed in prison, explained after of humans." 6 New racist violence his arrest that he knew he would eventually be caught, but Bond reacted to the move by saying he was "flattered," rocks Boston schools fled South Dakota because he knew the racism there made it but, according to the New York Times, he added that he has 7 Newark cops attack impossible for an Indian to get fair treatment. no plans for national politics "until the 1976 legislative Kawaida Towers marchers Banks was arraigned January 26 on a federal firearms session is over in March." charge. A hearing will be held February 9 to see whether he The assembly hopes to formalize its campaign at its 8 What strategy in fight will be extradited to Portland, Oregon, to face charges of March 17-21 convention in Cincinnati. The assembly is the for union women's rights? allegedly having shot at a state trooper last November. He outgrowth of the 8,000-strong Black political convention in 9 Mpls. speak-out maps will also face federal unlawful flight charges later. Banks is 1972 in Gary, Indiana. being held in lieu of $100,000 bail. drive to pass ERA 'NOT OF PUBLISHABLE QUALITY': In last week's Militant we published a statement by Peter Camejo in 25 Hoover's secret war MORGENTALER FREED PENDING NEW TRIAL: which the Socialist Workers party presidential candidate on Antioch College Dr. Henry Morgentaler was released January 26 without bail after having sperit ten months in· prison on a charge of castigated proposals contained in the draft of President 26 Is Tom Hayden's Ford's Economic Report to Congress. The draft said that having performed an illegal abortion. campaign 'realistic'? Morgentaler has already gone through trials on two cases government attempts to clean up the environment and upgrade health and safety conditions on the job hadn't 27 Pittsburgh teachers debate of performing illegal abortions. Both ended in jury acquit­ worked, and concluded that the government agencies terms of new contract tals, but in the first case, the Quebec Court of Appeals reversed the jury decision and imposed an eighteen-month responsible for these areas should have much of their power 28 N.Y. AFSCME hears sentence. Justice Minister Ronald Basford has now ordered taken away. call for labor party a new trial on the first charge, leading to the doctor's Now, according to a White House mouthpiece, it has been release. decided to remove these sections from the report before it is 29 Sit-in to fight submitted to Congress because the analysis "was not of library cutbacks Morgen taler faces ten additional cases. As an opponent of Canada's undemocratic abortion laws, he says he has publishable quality." Not that the arguments were invalid, 32 CIA files bare details performed 5,000 abortions. the White House said, but "more research must be done to on 'Operation Chaos' make the conclusions hold." SUPPORT RIGHT OF:BLANCO TO ENTER U.S.: The The truth is that "more research" isn't really necessary to see why these agencies have had an "insubstantial effect." 2 In Brief Intellectual Freedom Committee and the International Relations Committee of the American Library Association As Camejo explained in these pages, the reason is that the 10 In Our Opinion adopted a resolution January 18 demanding that Peruvian federal government has consciously sabotaged the enforce­ Letters author an'rl revolutionist Hugo Blanco be allowed to enter ment of even the feeble laws and regulations that have been put on the books. -Jose Perez 23 National Picket Line the United States. The ALA is a national organization of By Any Means Necessary professional librarians. Blanco was the central leader of a union movement 24 Women in Revolt among the Quechua Indian peasants of Peru in the early ;La Raza en Acci6n! 1960s. The history of that struggle is recounted in his book Their Government Land or Death. Blanco had been scheduled to conduct a U.S. speaking tour last fall, but the government has refused 11-22 International Socialist him a visa, citing "classified" information and slandering Review him as a "terrorist." The U.S. Committee for Justice to Latin American Political Prisoners, which is coordinating the effort to reverse the ban on Blanco, charges that the real reason the THE MILITANT government won't let Americans hear Blanco is because he was an eyewitness to the Chile coup and many other U.S.­ VOLUME 40/NUMBER 5 inspired atrocities in Latin America. FEBRUARY 6, 1976 Noting that "threats to freedom of expression of any CLOSING NEWS DATE-JAN. 28 person become threats to the freedom of all," the resolution

Ed1tor MARY-ALICE WATERS says that the government's action "denies citizens of the Managmg Editor: LARRY SEIGLE United States right of access to information as guaranteed Bus1ness Manager: ROSE OGDEN by the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution." Southwest Bureau HARRY RING Washington Bureau NANCY COLE S.F. 'EXAMINER' BACKS ELECTION LAW CHAL­ Special Offer Published weekly by The Mil1tant Publ1shmg LENGE: The San Francisco Examiner declared its support Assn .. 14 Charles Lane. New York. N.Y 10014 in a January 25 editorial to a suit challenging California's Telept•one Ed1tonal Off•ce (212) 243-6392; Busi­ undemocratic election law. What is at stake in the court For New Readers ness Office (212) 929-3486. Southwest Bureau: 710 S Westlake Ave. Los Angeles. Cal1t. 90057. action, the Examiner said, is "the right to differ." The Equal Rights Amendment still isn't law, and its Telephone (213) 483-2798. Wash1ngton Bureau The suit was filed by the Committee for Democratic supporters around the country are stepping up a campaign 1345 E. St NW. Fourth Floor. Washington. DC. Election Laws on behalf of the Socialist Workers party, the to get it passed. Keep up with the latest developments in the 20004. Telephone: (202) 638-4081. Raza Unida party, and several other parties. It seeks to drive to ratify the ERA by reading the Militant every week. Correspondence concerning subscriptions or changes of address should be addressed to The have federal courts strike down the statute because of high Subscribe now. Militant Business Office, 14 Charles Lane, New petition requirements that make it virtually impossible for a York, N.Y. 10014 new party to win ballot status. Second-class postage paid at New York, N.Y. A three-judg" panel has heard arguments in the case and The Militant-i Months/51 Subscriptions: U.S., $7.50 a year: outside U.S., $13.00. By first-class mail: U.S., Canada, and Mexico, a decision is expected soon. ( ) $1 for two months (new readers only) $35.00. Write for surface and airmail rates to all other ( ) $4 for six months ( ) $7.50 for one year countries. REACTIONARIES RALLY AGAINST WOMEN'S ( ) New ( ) Renewal For subS<;IIptions airmailed from New York and RIGHTS: The third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court then posted from London directly to Britain, decision recognizing women's right to choose abortion Ireland. and Continental Europe: £1.50 for eight Name issues. £3.50 for six months, £6.50 for one year. brought out thousands of anti-abortionists to Washington, Send banker's draft or international postal order D.C., January 22. Police estimated the crowd at its peak at Address (payable to Pathfinder Press) to Pathfinder Press, 18,000, while organizers claimed it was more than 50,000. 47 The Cut, London. SE1 8LL. England. Inquire for City ______State ___ Zip ______a1r rates from London at the same address. About half of those participating in the march and rally 14 Charles Lane, New York, N.Y. 10014 S1gned art1cles by contributors do not necessanly w~re students in Catholic schools, mobilized for the represent the Militant's v1ews These are expressed m editorials

2 Pressure mounts on South Africa to withdraw troops from Angola By Steve Clark prisoners being carted around the with heavy support from Cuban earlier indicated some of the problems From Intercontinental Press continent." troops. facing the UNITA itself. A number of dispatches from south­ A report in the January 24 British In the northwestern region of Ango­ The half of Angola held by UNITA, em Africa report that South Africa is Economist noted the growing unpopu­ la, the MPLA has held on to the towns Kamm said in a January 21 dispatch withdrawing troops from their posi­ larity inside South Africa of the war, of Uige, Abriz, Abrizete, and others, from Huambo, is "virtually cut off tions along battlefronts in south­ despite government attempts through where during the past month it has from the world, producing almost central Angola. censorship to shield the population driven back forces of the Frente nothing and consuming the fruits of its New York Times correspondent Hen­ from news of the conflict. "Casualties Nacional de Liberta~ao de Angola past labor." It "appears to be heading ry Kamm, in a January 25 dispatch could be high and public opinion in (FNLA-Angolan National Liberation from crisis toward catastrophe," he from Kinshasa, Zaire, reported, "South South Africa, already showing signs of Front). said. Mrican troops are withdrawing from nervo~sness, could become positively "The plantation agriculture, mineral frontline positions across the center of hostile," the report said. Low morale extraction and light manufacturing Angola, a well-placed official of the Nonetheless, Washington's moves Earlier in the week, UNITA leader plants of the former Portuguese colony National Union for the Total Indepen­ will play the pivotal role in determin­ Jonas Savimbi announced that his have been paralyzed by the exodus of dence of Angola [UNITA-Uniao Na- ing the extent and character of Pretor- forces plan to airlift 5,000 soldiers to the settlers who owned or operated them .... "Whatever foreign exchange Angola possessed at independence last Nov. 11 was in the hands of the Popular Movement, based in Luanda, the colonial capital and center of bank­ ing." Breakdown in Huambo Kamm described the severe shortage of gasoline and other petroleum pro­ ducts; the lack of adequate food and medical supplies in Huambo; the total breakdown of the city water supply; the paralysis of the postal service and internal transportation throughout the area; and the lack of communication with the outside world, since all telephone, telegraph, and telex lines are centered not in Huambo, but in Luanda. "Although Huambo is the capital of Mr. Savimbi's government," Kamm reported, "there is no evidence of a functioning government." The UNI­ TA's military headquarters is not in Huambo, but in nearby Silva Porto. Coming on top of the FNLA's reverses, such a picture of the UNITA­ held territories could strengthen the hand of those in Washington who believe-as cold-war liberal Hubert South African troops training on Angolan border. Pretoria is quick to make clear that despite pressure it has no Humphrey recently put it-"In fact, we intention of completely withdrawing from Angola. are supporting two political factions about which we know nothing .... which have the least chance to achieve cional para Independencia Total de ia's involvement. Washington Post the northern battlefront to aid FNLA a military victory." Angola] disclosed here today." correspondent Herbstein's January 24 troops, who Savimbi said were suffer­ These ruling-class circles fear that But the South African imperialists dispatch pointed out, "Botha clearly ing from low morale after their recent American economic and political inter­ were quick to make clear that despite blames the Western powers, and parti­ defeats. ests may suffer unless a quick policy mounting pressure, they had no inten­ cularly the United States, for not FNLA leader Johnny Eduardo said shift is around the comer. tion of withdrawing completely from helping South Africa and its Angolan his organization will accept the offer of Reflecting this concern, Mark Angola. According to a dispatch from allies to match the weaponry of the support, but that the UNITA reinforce­ Moran-a top aide to California Sena­ Capetown in the January 26 New York Soviet backed Popular Movement." ments should have been sent much tor John Tunney-visited Luanda for Post, "Defense Minister Pieter Botha earlier. According to a January 24 several days beginning January 22 to said today South African troops would dispatch by Kamm, Eduardo also meet with top MPLA officials. Another stay in southern Angola until South Protests vs. Ford "ridiculed statements by br. Savimbi Tunney aide met during the same Africa received a guarantee that the This highlights the importance of that National Union troops were period with leaders of the FNLA. South West Africa border was safe." continued protests in the United States needed to raise the morale of the New York Times correspondent and around the world against the Ford National Front forces." Overtures to MPLA Kamm's dispatch from Kinshasa cited administration's role in mastermind­ A dispatch by Kamm several days "The American [Moran] says his the UNITA official as saying that ing the imperialist intervention. conversations here have been very South Africa was leaving behind for If reports of Pretoria's withdrawal 'useful,' and that they involved to a UNITA forces "important items of from the battlefronts are true, it is great extent the suspended oil­ materiel, such as artillery pieces and highly unlikely that they signify an extracting operations of the Gulf communications equipment." end to South African involvement in Company in Cabinda, and the sale of Kamm continued, "The official said Angola. Boeing aircraft to the Luanda govern­ the National Union had been given to ·As Botha indicated, Pretoria will ment, which has reportedly been understand by foreign quarters that almost certainly retain a firm foothold blocked by State Department pres­ support the pro-Western movement along Angola's border with Namibia. sure," New York Times correspondent that the withdrawal was a move to Its interests in this area are twofold. Michael Kaufman reported from Luan­ encourage a similar retreat on the part First, Pretoria wants to protect the da January 23. of the Cuban military units spearhead­ $200 million Cunene hydroelectric dam The overtures have not all been in ing the forces of the Popular Move­ project, which it began to construct one direction, according to Kaufman. ment for the Liberation of Angola before the downfall of the Salazarist ". . . there seems to be less anti­ [MPLA]." dictatorship in Portugal. Second, it American sentiment in newspaper and intends to continue its operations on radio reports, coinciding with the Pressures on Pretoria both sides of the border against guer­ current visit here of Mark Mor­ Washington Post correspondent De­ rillas of the South West African an ... ," he reported. nis Herbstein pointed to some of the People's Organization (SWAPO), "Officials of the Popular Movement pressures bearing down on Pretoria as which is fighting to sever South have sought to convey the impression a result of its Angola involvement. African control over Namibia. that there is at least one element in the Herbstein reported from Johannesburg With troops amassed along the Luanda government that fears that a ,January 24, "Now, at least, white Angolan border, South Africa could lack of flexibility in Washington can South Africans are hoping that they reintervene in the fighting at any lead only to increased Soviet influence will be spared further scenes of tearful point. in Angola.... parents waving farewell to their teen­ Inside Angola, the Movimento Popu­ "These officials say that they recog­ age sons going off to war, the regular lar de Liberta~ao de Angola (MPLA­ MilitanVGienn Campbell nize that to a great extent-the wealth funeral of young men in towns and People's Movement for the Liberation Continued protests against U.S. of Angola-its oil, its diamonds, its villages throughout the country, and of Angola) continues to hold the government's role in Angola are needed coffee-is dependent on Western mar­ the sight of manacled South African offensive in the civil war-reportedly to end imperialist intervention. kets." Continued on page 30

THE MILITANT/FEBRUARY 6, 1976 3 T~~ch-ins & rallies hit U.S. war in Angola· By J os~ Pe~ez . . In St. Louis, Thomas spoke on a T~ach-ms, ~1cket hn~s, ~nd rall1es panel including Wale Am.usa of the agamst U.S. mterventwn m Angola St. Louis Committee on Africa and are being organized across the coun- Thomas Crensha, a leader of the try. Missouri Communist party. The event . On January 20 in Philad~lphi:'l, was held January 20 at St. Louis e1ghty p~ople attended a meetmg m University. preparatwn for a march and rally The meeting was covered in a front- that have been called for S~turda~, page article in the student newspaper, February 7. The demons.tratwn wlll which published in large type the assemble at Broad a~d Guard streets heart of Thomas's message: "The U.S. at 12:3~ p.m. and wlll march to the is trying to take advantage of the Gulf 01l offices at Seventeenth Street Civil War in Angola in order to and the Parkway. . maintain control of it and other poor Other street demonstratwns for African nations." February 7 . are bei~g planned in The article noted that, although Denver, Ch1cago, Pittsburgh, and there were differences on the role of Boston. . the three Angolan liberation groups, . A scheduled spee~h by Henry ~1s- "all the panel participants agreed s1~ger Febru~ry 3 m San ~ranc1~co that the U.S. is largely responsible Wl~l be met ~th a protest p1cket h~e for the hostilities." ?emg orgamzed by Bay Area actlV- It singled out Wale Amusa's state- lsts. . . . ment that "the U.S. is the real enemy The folloWln~ da~, a teach-~n Wl.ll be in Angola and the backbone of held at the Umvers1ty ?f Ca~tforma at oppression in Africa" as typical of the Berkeley. The event 1s beu~g ~pon- sentiment at the meeting. sored by a number of orgamzatwns, . including the Daily Californian; the In Pttt~burgh, Thomas spoke at the Black Board, an umbrella organiza- Commumty College of Allegheny tion of Black groups on campus· County on January 22, and that Students for Tom Hayden; Youn~ eveni~g at the Militant Forum. Als? Socialist Alliance; People's Bicenten- speakmg at the foru.m was Yusef Ah, nial Commission· and the Student from the Black studtes department at Coalition Against' Racism. the U?iver~ity of Pittsburgh. Among the speakers will be Social- .Mahk Mtah, a~other SWP lead~r, ist Workers party leader Tony Tho- Will. also be tour;mg .the country m mas; Ageibou Yansan, professor of commg week~. Mtah 1s a. member ?f African studies; attorney Howard finder Press, which will soon be student government. Sharing the the SWP Nat~onal Co~m1ttee and m Moore; and a representative of the publishing a new book on Angola platform with Thomas was Professor 1975 was n:'ltl.onal c~a1rperson ?f the Venceremos Brigade. coauthored by Thomas and Ernest fndakwe, head of the Afro-American ~ oung Soctahst Alhance. He 1s the Thomas, who is touring the country Harsch, a staff writer for Interconti- studies department at the University author of the Pathfi~der Press speaking on the need to oppose U.S. nental Press. of Houston. pa~phlet The U.S. Role m Southern intervention in Angola, has partici- On January 23, Thomas spoke During a discussion period after the, A{rzcc:, and has b.e~n a ~reque?t pated in teach-ins, protest news con- before a crowd of 120 at Texas presentations, it was agreed to sche- contnbut~r to _the Mzlztant. Mta_h wlll ferences, and meetings. His tour is Southern University in Houston. The dule a meeting to plan protest actior..s. be speakm_g m ~tlanta, Balt~more, being coordinated by Viewpoint meeting was cosponsored by the Thomas also spoke at the Unive·sity Bo~ton, ChiCago! New York, Phlladel- Speakers Bureau, a division of Path- Houston Militant Forum and the TSU of Houston. ph1a, and Washmgton, D.C. Spain: monarchy clamps down on strikes By David Frankel economists, journalists, and architects Economist, "but all that had been From Intercontinental Press who had gathered outside the police achieved by last year was a start on To counter the wave of strikes and headquarters to request an explana­ talks about a trade agreement. . . . demonstrations that has erupted in tion for the arrests. Now the new-look post-Franco Spain is Spain, the regime of King Juan Carlos On January 19 the government looking for more than just a revival of I is resorting to further repressive announced it was drafting 72,000 those talks: it wants proper associa­ measures. railway workers into the army in order tion, to be quickly followed by full EEC Police moved in January 20 to to force them to work under military membership, along with membership smash a demonstration in Madrid that discipline. This strikebreaking tactic, of Nato." had been called by a wide range of frequently used by the fascist dictator­ According to the Economist article, opposition groups, including the pro­ ship when Franco was in power, "There is every prospect of the trade Moscow Communist party and the follows the conscription of 55,000 ta,lks starting up again soon . . . but Social Democratic PSOE (Partido So­ postal workers. beyond that the EEC would want to cialista Obrero Espaiiol-Spanish So­ Premier Carlos Arias Navarro, see more evidence of Spanish democra­ cialist Workers party). The action had speaking to the fascist National Move­ tisation before ma~ng a move." been initiated, according to the PSOE, ment the same day, hailed the forty "to support peacefully the just de­ years of Franco's rule and vowed that In contrast to its European partners, mands of wage-earners and to seek the "the Government is determined to use the Ford administration exhibited little right to democratic liberties." with energy and firmness all the hesitation about establishing close Calling the demonstration "a clear means the law has put at its disposal." links with the new Spanish govern­ attempt to disturb public order," the So far, the repressive measures have ment. On January 23, the Madrid police clamped down hard. Thousands not been successful in stopping the regime reported that it had reached an of riot police occupied the center of strike movement. "In Barcelona, Val­ accord with Washington on the contin­ Madrid. According to a report by encia, Zaragoza and Seville, labor ued operation of U.S. military bases in Henry Giniger in the January 21 New agitation has increased," Giniger re­ Spain. York Times, " ... helmeted policemen ported in a January 20 dispatch. "In The agreement, which will be sub­ with truncheons and automatic wea­ the Barcelona area 69 companies are mitted to the U.S. Senate and given pons sealed off the area and charged reported affected by work stoppages." full status as a "treaty" in order to against people attempting to form into On January 21, strikes closed down the underscore the ties between Madrid groups on its periphery. On foot, in coal mines of Asturias. and Washington, calls for $1.22 billion jeeps and on horseback, they put on In the Madrid area, Giniger reported in military aid to the Spanish regime one of the biggest shows of force here January 19, "when the Chrysler plant over the next five years. This compares in years." in Villaverde employing 12,000 reop­ with a $500 to $600 million figure that The regime's display of force was ened only a few workers appeared and had been agreed upon with Franco just clearly part of a general approach these quickly left because of hostility before he died. adopted in hopes of halting the from pickets." In a calculated boost to the monar­ working-class upsurge. On January 18, While the Spanish monarchy is chy's hopes of being admitted to the PRIME MINISTER ARIAS: Francoism for example, police in the Basque city attempting to impose a wage freeze NATO alliance, the treaty will note without Franco. of Bilbao attacked thousands of dem­ and curb mounting demands for demo­ Madrid's contributions to that imperi­ onstrators demanding amnesty for cratic rights, its foreign minister has alist bloc. Henry Kissinger is sche­ political prisoners and democratic been visiting West European capitals duled to stop in Madrid January 24 to Radioactive pollution from the bombs rights, while in Madrid twenty-two to trumpet the supposed liberalization sign the agreement. affected crops, soil, and people in the lawyers connected with the labor of the regime. The Spanish capitalists However, even in announcing the vicinity, and technicians had to ship movement were arrested. badly want admission to the European accord, Foreign Minister Jose Marla de 6,000 tons of polluted soil to the United The arrests took place at a private Common Market, both for economic Areilza had to make mention of the States for disposal. party at which thirty-three other per­ and political reasons. "unpopularity" of the U.S. bases in According to Areilza, the new pact sons were also taken into custody by "Spain applied for an association Spain. Residents of Palomares, for provides for the removal of nuclear­ plainclothesmen with submachine agreement with the EEC as early as example, doubtlessly remember very armed submarines from the Rota guns. Although those arrested were 1962 and originally hoped for full well the 1966 incident in which a U.S. naval base in southern Spain some released the following day, club­ membership by 1970," noted a report B-52 bomber collided with another time before the termination of the five- swinging police beat 200 lawyers, in the January 17 issue of the British .plane, and four H-bombs were lost. year agreement.

4 GaryJY-Ier tells his storY- An appeal from Louisiana's death row [Following is a letter from a These racist attacks by white youths small towns in St. Charles Parish, prisoner on death row in Louisia­ and adults had been going on for Louisiana. What kind of justice could I na. Its author, Gary Tyler, is a weeks. The authorities did nothing to get from such a jury? Only injustice. seventeen-year-old Black who stop these brutal attacks, and many Are the Black community and the was convicted last November by Black children were harmed and Third World going to let a young Black an all-white jury of a murder he feared for their lives. man become another victim-another did not commit. So, when I was arrested and charged statistic-of the racism of this coun­ [On October 7, 1974, a series of with this murder that I did not commit, try? I had a right to the education I fights between Black and white everyone involved in the stoning of the was trying to obtain, and no one had students at Destrehan High School school bus should have been arrested the right to stop me from trying to in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, as accessories to the crime. It was they receive that education. prompted the principal of the who were at fault for whatever hap­ On December 15, I was secretly school to close it early. pened that day; that includes the transferred to the Louisiana State [Gary Tyler was not at the authorities, since they did nothing to Penitentiary and placed on death row! school while the fights were going stop the attacks. What happened was I am scheduled to be executed on May on that day. He and a friend were caused by those who were attacking 5. My case is an important one walking along a road several the school buses, and those who considering all the trouble that is miles from the school when they permitted these attacks. going on with busing to achieve school were picked up by a sheriff's Seventeen-year-old Gary Tyler (right) Black people have been brutally desegregation. · deputy and driven to the school. now sits on death row. attacked and killed by racist whites We have all rallied to the defense of [Tyler arrived at the school just since the day we were kidnapped and Angela Davis, Joanne Little, the Atti­ in time to join other Black stu­ brought to this country of theirs. Look ca Brothers, the San Quentin Six. Now dents being crowded onto buses back into the past, at the four little is the time for us to rally to the aid for past a mob of 200 stone-throwing that she had seen Tyler fire a gun. Black girls who were killed as they Gary Tyler, a Black youth who has white students. Sworn statements obtained by prayed in a church in Birmingham; been railroaded by hatred and racism. [As the buses pulled away, a attorneys after the trial showed four innocent lives taken by racism. white student was shot. He died a that this student had been under Now look at the present situation in Let us not let a Black youth die in few hours later. Cops stopped the psychiatric care for seven years, Boston. Every day Black children are the electric chair or spend the rest of bus Tyler was in, claiming the shot lied frequently, and had drug attacked in some form as they ride his life behind bars because of some had come from it. The bus and all charges pending against her at the school buses, and their lives are in sick people's hatred and racism. Be­ seventy-five students on it were time of Tyler's trial. constant danger. Yet no one, North or cause if we do let them victimize me, searched for two hours. All seats [The following letter was trans­ South or even in Washington, is trying we are telling these people to do with were taken apart, but no gun was mitted to the Militant by Juanita to put an end to these brutal attacks. our brothers, sisters, sons, and daugh­ found. Tyler, Gary's mother. His convic­ In Destrehan, Louisiana, we faced ters anything they want to do. [Then the students and bus were tion is being appealed and readers the same violence on our school buses. I need all the legal help I can get, taken to a police station, where are urged to se~d contributions to On November 14, 1975, I was found because it's going to be very hard to further searching ensued. Finally, help defray publicity and defense guilty of first-degree murder by an all­ get the Louisiana courts to overturn the cops removed a seat from the costs to: Gary Tyler Fund, c/o white jury and sentenced to die in the my conviction, a conviction I should bus, took it into the police station, Juanita Tyler, 736 Mockingbird, electric chair. It is a known fact that not have received at all, a conviction and a few minutes later announced St. Rose, Louisiana 70087.] no Black can get a fair trial from an full of hatred and .racism. Let's not they had "found" a .45-caliber all-white jury, especially in the South. abandon a young Black brother when automatic pistol stuffed into a Jan. 11-0n October 7, 1974, I was There is no doubt that these white he is in need. Anyone wishing to slash in the seat. Mysteriously, the arrested and charged with fatally jurors were in sympathy with the contact me and give moral support can same weapon had "disappeared" shooting a white youth. This white parents of the slain youth. We can do so at my address. from a police firing range earlier. youth was one of many who _were even speculate that some of the jurors Gary Tyler [Only one student-of the throwing bricks, stones, and bottles at must be friends of the slain youth's Death Row-C-127 seventy-five on the bus-testified the bus I was riding. family, since they all live in the same Angola, Louisiana 70712 Agreement brings new cease-fire in Lebanon By Dick Roberts A new cease-fire and political com­ promise has been agreed upon in Lebanon through the intervention of Syria. The terms of agreement on the new government call for a Maronite Catholic president, preserving the chief office for the 40 percent Christian minority, which has ruled Lebanon through a system of religious quotas imposed by France in 1943. The prime minister, by tradition a member of the Muslim majority popu­ lation, will now be elected by Parlia­ ment and not chosen by the president. And Christians and Muslims will have equal representation in Parliament, where before Christians had six seats for each five held by Muslims. The settlement thus amounts to a parliamentary gain for the Muslim Prisoners of right-wing Phalangists are lined up against wall in Beirut during fighting. New cease-fire agreement does majority, but it does not solve any of not solve fundamental problems facing Muslim masses. the fundamental problems. Religious discrimination still prevents the Mus­ lims from having full democratic There are 300,000 to 400,000 Palesti­ warnings and a desire not to poison basic warning remains unchanged: it representation in the government, nian refugees in Lebanon. They, along the atmosphere before the 11-day visit will not permit overt and direct Syrian while it assures the preservation of the with poor Lebanese Muslims, have to the United States by Prime Minister intervention in the internal affairs of disproportionate political power of the borne the brunt of brutal attacks by Yitzhak Rabin, which began today." Lebanon." Christian minority. the rightist Christian forces. Moreover, Israel would not want to Israeli newspapers and politicians Syria's ability to impose a settlement Last week the Militant reported the have provoked Washington when it have already labeled the PLA forces in was enhanced by the occupation of destruction of Beirut slum areas and was counting on a U.S. veto of the Lebanon a form of Syrian interven­ large areas of the country by the the massacre of their inhabitants by United Nations Middle East resolution tion. Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) be­ the Christian Phalangists, who are calling for establishment of a Palesti­ ginning in mid-January. Previously dedicated to maintaining a Christian nian state and withdrawal of Israeli The civil war in Lebanon could the Christian rightist forces appeared state in Lebanon. forces from all Arab territory occupied explode at any time. On top of this is to have had the upper hand. The Phalangists have the support of in the June 1967 war. Washington the danger of a new and escalated New York Times reporter Terence Israel. Recent threats from Tel Aviv vetoed the resolution January 26. Israeli attack on Lebanon that could Smith wrote from Jerusalem January have made it clear that Israel is After Rabin's visit, Te~:ence Smith provoke a war in the Middle East every 26 that "about 3,000 men, four to five champing at the bit to seize a new continued, "and after Congress has bit as ferocious as the October 1973 battalions of the Syrian-based Pales­ "buffer" in southern Lebanon border­ acted on Israel's pending $2.3 billion conflict. tine Liberation Army, are estimated to ing on Syria. aid request, the Government will have The U.S. sent troops in to occupy have moved across the frontier from According to Terence Smith, "The considerably more freedom of action in Lebanon in 1958. A new upsurge in the Syria during the week before the cease Israelis held back during the last Lebanon. Noting this today, a senior fighting would also raise again the fire." round mainly because of Ameriean military source stressed that Israel's danger of direct U.S. intervention.

THE MILITANT/FEBRUARY 6, 1!76 5 Black students beaten, victimized New racist violence rocks Boston By Jon Hillson Headmaster John Best, fighting again BOSTON-The antibusing move­ broke out. ment here, spearheaded by the violent Hundreds of students were involved city-wide action of racist high school in the battle, with white parents from students, has dealt court-ordered the neighborhood and South Boston desegregation-and the very safety of students joining the foray as the Boston's Black students-the biggest outnumbered Black students defended blows since mob attacks met the start themselves. of busing in the fall of 1974. Twenty people suffered injuries as Schools remain tense in the wake of Boston police arrested eight white a week of disruptions in which white students. No Blacks were arrested that students and some white parents day, but reprisals demanded by the waged a virtual war on Black students bigots began to take shape January 26 at Hyde Park High School. with the arrest of a Black Hyde Park Bat- and pipe-wielding thugs roamed High School leader. She was collared school corridors and grounds in search by the cops as she entered the school, of Black students after two days of on two counts of assault with a deadly provocations that led to the explosion. weapon-her foot. On January 19, under the guise of The high school was closed January "retaliation" for the burning of an 22-23. American flag by a Black student, the South Boston High School remained school's racist youth put out the word temporarily cool, under the impact of that "the niggers are going to get it." Federal District Judge W. Arthur On January 20, gangs of white Garrity's order last December placing students jumped individual Black the school under receivership. students, sometimes as many as ten But as Hyde Park bubbled with whites cornering and beating one tension, large numbers of white stu­ Bogus 'hearing' by all-white school committee excluded Black students, provided Black youth. dents bolted East Boston High School platform for ROAR propaganda. January 20-22. They blocked tunnel Hundreds batUe exits leading from the area, disrupted Fighting spilled outside the building traffic, overturned cars, and scuffled at the dismissal of school, as a tiny with police. Nine people were arrested. classrooms. They assaulted a Black the Black students. police force was unable-and These actions were in anticipation of teacher, who fought them off. The Boston City Council President unwilling-to stop the racists from the transformation of the high school students clashed with the cops, then, Louise Day Hicks, the central leader of going after Black students with hockey into a city-wide "magnet" technical singing "God Bless America," began a the racist drive for more than a decade, sticks. A mob of nearly 100 whites institution in the fall of 1976 as part of sit-in for the remainder of the day. declared the tumult at Hyde Park had tried unsuccessfully to board a bus the desegregation plan. been "premeditated" by the Black carrying Black students, after they In a carefully planned disruption on Media campaign students, charging "100 armed Blacks" had shattered windows and rocked the January 22, 100 white Charlestown As the disruptions spread, the city's had "taken over the school." vehicle. High School students, according to in­ antibusing leadership went on a hys­ Hyde Park ROAR (Restore Our On January 21, while Black student school police observers, ''ran amok" in terical media campaign to blame the Alienated Rights, the city's chief leaders were meeting with school the hallways after walking out of their violence on the Black community and antibusing organization) organized a ~You're always waiting -for them to jump you' BOSTON-Last year, racist white viewed, Bernice had to use a pseudo­ by ten white students. "My teacher Blacks, Yvonne said, "get broken up students at Hyde Park High School nym as a safeguard against reprisals. tried to hold me back but I broke away by teachers or white students." had whistles. And when a whistle went "But those white students were just to help him." "No Black students can go in the off, young antibusing toughs would looking for something to start it off." The racist students, Bernice said, get [industrial arts] shop. The whites run appear in isolated corners to grab and The flag burning by a Black student their instructions "from their parents. it," Yvonne said. beat Black students. was the pretext for a campaign of I saw these parents come into the Some of the attackers on January 21 This year, the key racist leader the physical assaults on the Black stu­ school and fight and beat up Blacks. were armed. "They had pipes, bats, ice Black students call "the king" yells dents. South Boston students came in the packs full of rocks, and razors," "niggers!'~ out loud and his accom­ "They just want us to be bad so they front door. Even some Black parents Yvonne said. Bernice said she was plices rush into action. It happened can start something," Yvonne, who, got beat up by them. That stuff never ganged up on by ten or fifteen whites last week when Hyde Park racist like Bernice, is a leader of the Black got on television." in a phone booth while trying to hooligans declared open season on students at the school, told me, "The Black girls got it bad," Yvonne escape. Black high school students. "You're always waiting for them to said, referring to the assault. She said "We've got to get organized like "We knew something was coming jump you," she continued. Gang at­ the racists made a point of jumping those white students, who are really after the flag burning," Bernice, a tacks occur, Yvonne said, "in the gym, young Black women. "But we fought organized," Yvonne said. Hyde Park High School senior, told the in the bathrooms, in the corridors." back too." "And we've got to stick together. If Militant. She was describing the racist After the flag incident the harass­ The frustration is high among the we stick together they can't break us buildup to the January 21 explosion at ment was stepped up. Yvonne wit­ Black students. "We come in on the up," Bernice said. the high school. Like others inter- nessed a friend of hers being jumped buses and see these old women just "We fought to get into Hyde Park," watching you from their porches. Yvonne said, "and no one's going to Sometimes they call us monkeys. drive us out." Sometimes they give us the finger. You know it's just prejudice," Bernice said. Some of the Black students are The teachers are overwhelmingly beginning to work with the Boston white and insensitive to the Black Student Coalition Against Racism. students' needs. The headmaster, Bernice helped to build the January 28 Yvonne said, "just doesn't do any­ picket line called to defend the Black thing. Once he just yelled, 'I know the students and to end racist violence. teachers are prejudiced. What do you With the help of Boston SCAR the want me to do, tell them to stop?'" Black students' side has begun to get The police favor the white students. out to local and national Black media, Last year, Yvonne said, "some whites and a fact sheet is being prepared on would beat up a Black student and the what really happened at Hyde Park. police would just let them go. So they It's going to be an uphill fight. The say to themselves, 'We can beat up a antibusing movement is pushing for nigger and get away.'" the arrest of the Black students for "We just want protection," Yvonne defending themselves in the turmoil said. last week. They want the heads of the In fact, she contended, the adminis­ leaders. Four days after my interview tration "knew something was going to with these young Black women, happen, but there were hardly any Yvonne was arrested the moment she police there. It was a setup." returned to the school, along with Blacks, Bernice said, are suspended Francie, another Black student leader, more often than whites, a fact borne as the racist reprisals began. out by statistics. White students roam And more victimizations are report- Stack students leave Charlestown High Januwy 22 after white student riot freely in the halls, while groups of ed in the making. -J.H.

6 Kawaida Towers strugg~ Newark cops attack Black protest By Mike Shur NEWARK-On January 17 a demon­ stration of fifty people demandjng the construction of Kawaida Towers was schoolsnews conference where white students attacked by the Newark police. echoed Hicks's slanderous charge. Kawaida Towers is a project to build The all-Democratic Boston School low- and middle-income housing in the Committee conducted a "hearing" on predominantly white North Ward of the Hyde Park situation-minus the Newark. The towers, planned by Black young Black victims of the assaults­ contractors, are sponsored by the where racist parents and students Temple of Kawaida. The project is issued statements and raised demands supposed to be financed by the New drawn up by ROAR. Jersey State Housing Finance Agency. On January 26, with a sharply Starting in 1972, racist mobilizations diminished attendance-and an in­ have taken place at the construction creased police presenC'e-Hyde Park site, stopping Black construction work­ High School reopened. But the racists ers from entering the site. On February remained active and at least one fight 22, 1973, Newark police attacked a broke out in South Boston High School counterdemonstration called by the and twelve suspensions were reported. Temple of Kawaida. While the racists were stopping 'White students caucus' construction physically, their leaders At Charlestown High School, white were in court trying to stop the project students began the day by throwing legally, but in July 1973 the New their books at the school administra­ Jersey Supreme Court ruled the project tion office. Upwards of 100 of them, legal. organized in the "white students cau­ Since then, the state housing agency cus," attended the wrong classes and, has stalled construction. It finally when asked by administrators and ruled in December 1975 that further police to leave, scuffled with the cops. financing for the towers would not be They marched out of the school to the forthcoming. This has stopped con­ city council chambers to protest "police struction because costs have risen 15 brutality." percent since the start of the project Construction of low- and middle-income housing project has been stal nee The disrupters were in a surly mood. three years ago. As they neared city hall, they spotted a by racist protests. Above, cop assault on 1973 demonstration in support of Kawaida The recent demonstration started as Towers. Black man and began shouting racist a spirited march through downtown epithets and throwing snowballs at Newark to Military Park, where a rally him. Police stopped the hotheads from was to take place. As the rally began a cops arrived, along with a police truck United Steelworkers union, and Aniiri jumping him. Then, a white city cop claimed he saw something suspi­ with riot equipment. Baraka, head of the Temple of Kawai- government employee exchanged cious being passed to a demonstrator The police then arrested three people da. . words with the bigots and was assault­ and tried to frisk him. Half the and charged them with assault and On January 22, 100 racists attended ed by a half dozen of them before the demonstrators went over to the cop to battery, atrocious assault and battery a meeting called by right-wing State cops intervened. see what was going on. on a police officer, and interfering with Assemblyman Anthony Imperiale. He After receiving praise as "ladies and Within seconds, twenty Newark a police officer. announced plans to file a suit in gentlemen" from Louise Day Hicks, Tactical Police Force members at­ The rally was able to proceed after federal court to permanently stop the gang marched into the Boston tacked the demonstrators, clubs swing­ the attack. Speakers included repres­ construction. The Temple of Kawaida School Committee offices. ing. At least five people were clubbed. entatives of New York and New Jersey plans further actions in response to Accompanied by ROAR leader Tho­ In minutes, five more patrol cars full of tenants' councils, a representative of these attacks. mas Johnson, the racist students later barred the media from a meeting with Mayor Kevin White at which they called for an investigation of the Black teacher they had assaulted on January 22, for his "attack" on a white student. Blacks hit racist redlining in Detroit By Paula Reimers Black-areas of the city. The term refused to say which areas had been DETROIT-Everyone in Detroit has "redlining" is used because a red line targeted by his association. Defends desegregation known for years that housing is is drawn on a map around areas More than 300 people crowded into A public response by supporters of segregated. But a five-hour hearing designated "undesirable." the hearing room, and many came desegregation in defense of the Black held by the Detroit Common Council The FNMA buys mortgage commit­ forward to recount their experiences students has come from the National brought to light evidence of a conspira­ ments from Detroit banks and other with discriminatory housing practices. Student Coalition Against Racism cy between mortgage companies and financial institutions across the coun­ The testimony showed that redlining (NSCAR) and its local affiliate, the banks to segregate housing and sys­ try. Nelson stated that his firm will not has been occurring in Detroit for at Boston Student Coalition Against Ra­ tematically impoverish the Black com­ buy mortgages in neighborhoods least thirty years, is widely practiced cism. munity. where there "is a strong chance that by the banks, and has been especially On January 22-23 the National George Nelson, an official of the homeowners will default on their directed against Blacks. Black Network broadcast statements Federal National Mortgage Associa­ loans." This form of financial discrimina­ by NSCAR staff member Hattie tion, admitted that his company prac­ Although he was the first mortgage tion has contributed to the economic McCutcheon that pinned the blame for tices redlining. Redlining means that financier in this area to publicly admit decay of Detroit and has driven those the disruptions on the antibusing mortgages are denied to people who to redlining, Nelson insisted that it residents who could afford to move­ movement. live in "undesirable"-usually all- was "acceptable business practice." He mostly whites-to the suburbs, where An emergency news conference on redlining is less prevalent. January 23 took place at the offices of Three Black women testified that School Supt. Marion Fahey, where their husbands and relatives had no Black college students and Boston trouble buying expensive cars with a SCAR leaders, along with NSCAR small down payment, but found it coordinators Maceo Dixon and Cheryl impossible to buy modest homes be­ Brown, met with Fahey to demand cause of the large down payments that she ensure the safety of the Black required. students. Testimony showed that redlining is Boston SCAR initiated an emergen­ also practiced by companies insuring cy picket line for January 28 at Boston homes. People living in "undesirable" School Committee headquarters to areas are forced to do without coverage support desegregation, and to demand or must pay high premiums for little a stop to the racist violence and that coverage. Residents of suburban areas all charges against the arrested Black with higher crime rates than Detroit students be dropped. for many years obtained better insur­ The action was endorsed by Black ance coverage for lower cost. Testi­ student organizations at Boston Col­ mony also showed that the same is lege and Boston University; the Puerto true for car insurance. Rican Student Union at the University Blacks and other minorities are of Massachusetts, Boston; and the trapped by the racist policies of the Boston NAACP Youth Council. Other banks, the mortgage companies, and endorsers included longtime civil the insurance companies. It is these rights leader Rev. Vernon Carter; New policies that segregate housing and England Regional NAACP Youth schools as surely as Jim Crow laws Council Director Cathy Darby; and did. They promote decay of the Black leaders of Black student organizations communities and deprive Blacks of the at Tufts University and the Massachu­ right to live in decent housing, forcing setts Institute of Technology. Redlining conspiracy by banks leads to decay of communities, forces Blacks to live them instead to pay exorbitant rents in high-rent slums. for the profit of slumlords.

THE MILITANT/FEBRUARY 6, 1976 7 own positions inside the labor move­ ment. Why they formed CLUW is not as important as the fact that they did form it. Mobilize labor What strategy in CLUW's purpose is very simple-to mobilize the ranks of labor in the fight for full equality for women on the job, • in the unions, and in society as a whole. As the Statement of Purpose says: "Full equality of opportunities for and rights in the labor force require the full attention of the labor move­ ment . . . and especially, the full attention of women who are part of the labor movement. . . . "The power of unions must increas­ women's r· ingly be brought to bear," it continues, in order to wipe out sex discrimination. Despite the populkrity of this con­ cept among union women, indicating the potential for CLUW's growth, CLUW is a relatively small organiza­ tion today. The challenge for union militants who want to build CLUW is to put forward and win support for an action perspective that will attract new members. Such a perspective means carrying out struggles for women's rights through the unions. To the extent this perspective has not been put into practice in the past, CLUW has remained small. Groups such as IS have a very different goal. The driving force they see in CLUW is not the struggle for women's liberation among union wom­ en, but an abstract struggle of the rank and file against "the bureaucrats." This view leads supporters of IS in practice to place women's issues and politics in second place, while elevat­ ing conflicts over rules and procedure to first place. As a result, whether intentionally or not, IS has often played a disruptive role in CLUW chapters, obstructing campaigns to reach out and involve women.

'Rank and File Action Caucus' The IS strategy was seen in action at the CLUW convention in the "Rank and File Action Caucus," which num­ bered about eighty women. This IS-led grouping was formed By Cindy Jaquith campaign against the ERA, delegates of the Coalition of Labor Union Wom­ around support to an alternate consti­ The December 1975 convention of voted to strengthen the Statement of en exhausted both its delegates and tution counterposed to the constitution the Coalition of Labor Union Women Purpose on the issue of equal-rights any remaining hopes for an effective drawn up by CLUW President Olga has opened up a discussion of perspec­ . legislation. An amendment was over­ organization," Workers' Power de­ Madar and other CLUW officials. The tives for CLUW as a union women's whelmingly approved stating, "Until clared. alternate constitution, according to organization. final ratification of the ERA is won, " ... If CLUW's leaders had not Workers' Power, "would have made This is part of an ongoing exchange CLUW will make the fight for the ERA already gutted the chapters, this would CLUW an organization of rank and in CLUW over how to fight for the a priority through a mass-action and have been a major defeat for working file women to fight for their rights." needs of women; how to build CLUW educational campaign." women. But the original widespread In reality, this constitution would into a mass, rank-and-file working But a discussion on how to clarify rank and file support and enthusiasm have done nothing to advance the women's organization; and what role and implement the constitution on the for CLUW has been strangled by the struggles of the rank and file, or to CLUW should play in the h~bor move­ issue of affirmative action was prevent­ bureaucrats in its 21 month history, increase democracy in CLUW. Instead, ment as a whole. ed from coming to the floor after the and the convention. was more like a it would have diverted CLUW from . The December gathering was a officers opposed it. This discussion was ritual killing.... these very goals. constitutional convention, occurring in very much needed, because the AFL­ "CLUW is now useless as an organi­ The alternate constitution would the midst of intensified attacks on CIO and United Auto Workers have zation for working women." have given local CLUW chapters women. Referenda on state Equal taken official stands that run counter This premature obituary offers some "independence" from international Rights Amendments had just been to affirmative action, upholding strict lessons for the more serious union unions. Workers' Power explains what defeated in New York and New Jersey, seniority in layoffs regardless of the activists who do want to build CLUW. this would mean: "Without this right, . sounding an alarm for all supporters of effect on women and Blacks. To p1,1t this discussion in perspective, the organization cannot fight for rank women's equality. The use of discrimi­ The burning issue before the .col\ven­ we need to begin by reviewing CLUW's and file women who al'e opposed by natory layoffs by the employers to take tion was affirming the Statement of origins. sexist leadership. For example, CLUW away affirmative action gains by Purpose in the constitution and char­ will not be able to fight for women's women and Blacks was-and still is­ tering' action programs around these Roots in women's llberaUon issues in contracts that are coming up a topic of heated debate in the labor demands to attract women to CLUW. CLUW's roots lie in the rise of unless the unions include them as movement. women's liberation struggles over the bargaining demands." Sectarians' view past ten years and the changing But the fight to raise women's Statement of Purpose Some women in CLUW had a totally consciousness these struggles have demands must take place inside th€ CLUW has supported affirmative different interpretation of the real produced. CLUW's founding conven­ unions, not from the sidelines. This action and ratification of the ERA issue before convention delegates. In tion in 1974-3,000 strong-revealed "independence" proposal would only from the beginning. Both these de­ this article, we will take up the the deep impact the ideas of women's isolate CLUW from the unions. The mands are contained in the Statement interpretation put forward by the liberation had made on working wom­ convention delegates correctly rejected of Purpose of CLUW's constitution. International Socialists. en. Just as the Black liberation move­ it. The Statement of Purpose says in l'S, along with the Maoist October ment had inspired Black workers to They also rejected a proposal from part: "The primary purposes of this League and a few other small groups, form union caucuses, so working the caucus to open CLUW up to women national coalition are to unify all has followed a sectarian approach to women were responding to the feminist not already in unions. CLUW is and union women in a viable organization CLUW from the start. The biggest movement by organizing to get union should be an organization of women to determine our common problems problem with CLUW, they argue, is its power behind the fight for women's unionists. Its main job is to get the and concerns and to develop action officials. In the name of "rank-and-file rights. unions behind women's needs, and to problems within the framework of our democracy," the sectarians focus their Women union officials played an do this it must be ~ased in the labor unions to deal effectively with our energies on "exposing the bureau­ important role in getting CLUW off the movement. Without a solid base there, objectives." crats." ground. They did so for different CLUW is powerless to do anything to The development of action programs This dead-end strategy bore bitter reasons. Some of these officials had help women workers, organized or around the ERA and affirmative fruit for IS and other sectarian groups been influenced by the feminist unorganized. action were the pressing tasks before at the convention. Their demoraliza­ struggle and they wanted to see unions the 1,000 delegates at the convention, tion was best summed up by a Decem­ join the fight against sex discrimina­ Danger of isolation as part of drawing up and implemen­ ber 12 article in Workers' Power, the tion. Some felt pressure from the ranks As a whole, the proposals of the ting a constitution. newspaper of IS. to take action. Others saw CLUW Rank and File Action Caucus-if Because of the intensified right-wing "The first Constitutional Convention primarily as a way to enhance their carried out-would lead in the direc-

8 tion of isolating CLUW, moving it not between all union officials and the away from the unions and away from ranks, but between those who are the rank and file. determined to transform the labor Mpls. spealfout maps Ironically, in the one important movement into a powerful fighter for debate over democracy at the women's rights and those who aren't convention-the discussion of chapter up to the struggle. IS has placed itself representation on CLUW's National on the wrong side. drive to pass ERA Executive Board-the Rank and File In reality, the IS "rank-and-file" By Mary Hillery This shows the need to step up activity Action Caucus played no role whatso­ grouping was nothing but a feeble MINNEAPOLIS-One hundred in "nationally coordinated demonstra­ ever. attempt at a power caucus to replace thirty people attended a speak-out for tions, teach-ins, and lobbying," she This debate was over how many CLUW's current leadership. It failed to the Equal Rights Amendment here said. members a chapter needs in order to win new supporters and demoralized January 16, sponsored by the Twin NOW in both Minneapolis and St. have a representative on the board. many it had brought to the convention. Cities Militant Forum. Paul has called for local actions in The constitution proposed by CLUW's Activists genuinely concerned with Speakers included Elaine Onasch, support of the ERA to coincide with officers required chapters to have at building CLUW supported a proposal president of the Twin Cities Coalition International Women's Day, March 8. least 100 members, thus excluding initiated by the Houston CLUW chap­ of Labor Union Women; Virginia Ramona Austin termed the ERA most chapters from representation. ter to add time to the convention Watkins, state coordinator of Minneso- "the most important single issue for ta National Organization for Women; the women's movement this year." She Convention delegates voted to lower agenda to ensure a full discussion of Ramona Austin, a Black woman who emphasized the special impact passage this requirement to fifty members in how to implement in action the politi­ is state coordinator of NOW's Minority of the amendment will have on Black an effort to increase participation in cal goals of CLUW. This proposal was Task Force; and Susan Welsh, presi- women and said, "Minority women's CLUW decision making. aimed at clarifying and implementing The article in Workers' Power, how­ the constitution, particularly on the dent of American Federation of State, participation is going to be a vital part ever, ignores this whole discussion. key questions of the ERA and affirma­ County and Municipal Employees of the massive effort we must muster." More importantly, Workers' Power and tive action. Supporters of the Houston (AFSCME) Local 1164. Black people have been involved in the Rank and File Caucus ignore the proposal played the major role in Although the ERA has already been the women's movement throughout its political issues facing CLUW. winning adoption of the ERA action passed in Minnesota, it is in danger in history, Austin said, pointing to the other parts of the country because of a support of fighters against slavery For all their constitutional propo­ campaign. stepped-up right-wing offensive such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner sals, they show no interest at all in the against it. Thirty-four states have Truth, and Frederick Douglass for the constitution's Statement of Purpose ratified the amendment-which would early feminist struggles. Yet those who and what it says about the ERA, ERA ratification drive end discrimination based on sex-and were in power feared this unity of affirmative action, and other issues Right now, the best opportunity for four more are needed for the ERA to abolitionists and feminists just as they where union power can make a great bringing new union militants into become law. All four ·panelists dis- fear the unity of Black women with difference. Workers' Power doesn't CLUW is around the fight to ratify the even inform its readers that the con­ ERA. The challenge laid down by the vention adopted an action campaign to right-wing opponents of the ERA is a win the ERA! challenge not only to women's libera­ Nor does the paper express any tion activists, but to the trade-union opinion on the issue of discriminatory movement. The full power of the layoffs and affirmative action. As a unions, in coalition with women, union women's organization, CLUW Blacks, and students, must be galvan­ has an elementary duty to demand ized into action to stop the anti-ERA that layoffs not be allowed to reduce forces and make equal rights for the percentage of women or Blacks on women the law of the land. the job. What is needed to win the ERA is a Unfortunately, CLUW's National massive, national campaign of demon­ Coordinating Committee, prior to the strations, rallies, picket lines, teach­ convention, retreated on this issue. The ins, and educational activities to show NCC narrowly defeated a resolution to that the majority of Americans do defend the affirmative-action gains support the ERA. currently under attack through layoffs. The responsibility of CLUW activists In doing so, the NCC contradicted is to mobilize their unions behind this CLUW's Statement of Purpose, which campaign. Unions should be organiz­ calls for "affirmative action in the ing ERA action committees, support­ workplace." This stand taken by the ing ERA coalitions, and mobilizing Militant/Harris Freeman NCC must be reversed. their members-both men and United effort involving unions and minority women will be crucial to winning ERA IS, however, ignored this issue alto­ women-to march by the thousands panelists said. ' gether. IS supporters were so busy for the ERA. If the labor movement's "defending the rank and file" in the tremendous resources and massive cussed the need for national action to white women in the feminist move­ abstract that when an issue of critical numbers are brought into this battle, win passage of the amendment. ment today, she said. "And this is concern to the rank and file was the reactionary, racist, labor-hating Elaine Onasch centered her remarks precisely why we must achieve this raised-affirmative action-they did leaders of the anti-ERA drive can be on the debate over the effect of the unity." not understand it and were unable to stopped dead in their tracks. ERA on protective legislation. She Susan Welsh, whose AFSCME local explain it. By taking the lead in the ERA pointed out that George Meany de­ of hospital workers has a majority­ struggle, CLUW will also prove itself fends the fact that the AFL-CIO female membership, spoke about the Logic of sectarianism to be the organization that fights for waited until 1973 before endorsing the character of the ERA opposition move­ This is the logic of their sectarian rank-and-file women. CLUW has the ERA with the rationale that women ment. approach. CLUW is not going to be potential to grow in size and influence wanted protective laws more than the A map published in the Minneapolis built on the basis of who can shout in the unions as a result. ERA in the past, but now want the Labor Review recently revealed that "bureaucrat!" the loudest, but on the How CLUW responds to the ERA ERA in place of protective laws. many of the states with the strongest basis of a program and action around challenge will be an important test-a This either/or choice was not made organized opposition to the ERA are it that speak to the needs of rank-and­ test for the future of this organization by the union women who pressured the the strongest "right to work" antiun­ file women. The division in CLUW is and for all those who want to build it. AFL-CIO to come out for the ERA, ion states. Welsh called for a co~=--~er­ Onasch said. In fact, she said, much mobilization against the right wing protective legislation should be abol­ that would rely on women and their ished as it excludes women from allies, not elected officials. workplaces rather than protecting The power of the labor movement them. must be mobilized through its women "The great insufficiency and hypoc­ members to build demonstrations, risy" of the laws, Onasch said, is teach-ins, and rallies just as the revealed in the area of maternity antiwar and abortion-law-repeal move­ rights, "an area where women do need ments did, she concluded. special protection." Not one state guarantees paid maternity leaves, nor does any state guarantee job security to women after childbirth, she said. Onasch called for the repeal of all NOW calls nat'l laws that perpetuate unequal pay for women and exclude them from certain action for ERA At its national board meeting jobs, and for new legislation to protect January 24-25 in Phoenix, Arizona, the rights of all workers-men and the National Organization for Wom­ women. She said she was confident en set Tuesday, April 20, as the date that if the women's movement is for a national demonstration in strong enough to ensure the passage of Springfield, Illinois, to win ratifica­ the ERA, "then we're also strong tion of the Equal Rights Amend­ enough to have the decisive impact on ment. how the ERA is implemented." NOW is calling on supporters of Virginia Watkins reviewed the sta­ the ERA from around the country to tus of the ERA nationally and pointed come to the Illinois state capitol to six states targeted by NOW as that day to demand that the state having the best chances for ratifica­ legislature ratify the ERA. tion votes: Missouri, Indiana, Florida, On the weekend leading up to the Militant/Cindy Jaquith Nevada, Virginia, and Illinois. She demonstration, campus teach-ins t Founding convention of CLUW in 1974 adopted strong Statement of Purpose on referred to the shock Minnesota wom­ and debates on the ERA are •· fight for women's rights. Action perspective is now needed to implement that en felt last year when a vote to rescind planned. statement and ~in new members to CLUW. the ERA lost by only a small margin.

THE MILITANT/FEBRUARY 6, 1976 9 In Our Opinion Stop Ford's war ... The Ford administration has suffered another setback in its Angola war plans. The House voted on January 27 to deny an administration request for $28 million. The funds were earmarked for "covert" military aid to the two factions Washington is backing in the Angolan civil war. The ban had passed -the Senate last December by a vote of 54 to 22. In the House the resolution, which was attached to a $112 billion arms appropriation bill, passed by an even higher mar· gin-323 to 99. The reason for the lopsided vote was clear. There is deep popular opposition to any U.S. involvement in another Vietnam. Following the House vote, Rep. John Burton of California indicated what was on the minds of many of his colleagues with next fall's elections in sight. Any member of Congress who voted for arms for Angola, Burton said, "might as well start drawing retirement pay." Despite the vote, opponents of U.S. intervention in Angola Letters spould make no mistake. The threat of a Vietnam-type war in Africa has not passed. Ford issued a statement saying that in "refusing help" to New reader 3) The Palestine Liberation U.S.-backed forces, Congress had caused "serious harm" to U.S. A friend just showed me an article in Organization has butchered security interests. your letters column that interested me defenseless women and children, both A White House aid said a Ford veto was unlikely. While a greatly. I borrowed his copy of the in Israel and Lebanon. Militant and after reading from cover I could go on, since much of what veto is still possible, Ford may not think it is required. The to cover decided to take my own you wrote is typical PLO lies. It is resolution specifically leaves the door open for funds for introductory subscription. typical of your paper to think that "intelligence gathering," which can be interpreted broadly. I now show your magazine to as Israel is a form of detested American The mentality of some members of Congress who voted many people as I can who seem imperialism and colonialism planted against the aid was expressed by House Speaker Cad Albert. interested in learning what the in the Arab world. But the truth is that "One thing about foreign aid, military aid, or war itself," he Militant offers or those unaware of in 1948 the Palestinian people, in a said, "you either do enough or you're better off not doing what the Militant reveals. I am quite revolution against British colonial anything." pleased with the paper and wish to rule, made their own independent state offer my support and thanks to all of Israel, through a people's army-the In other words, a full-scale military intervention is more those working to educate others by only true liberation army of the acceptable than a limited one. sharing the information the Militant twentieth century. As long as the United States interference in Angola gives. F.R. continues, those in this country who stand for the right of the M.M. East Jerusalem Angolan peoples to self-determination have a special duty. Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania United, visible protests are on the order of the day. The potential for Black involvement in such actions is high. The hypocrisy of Washington's talk of defending freedom in Zionism-II Africa is especially clear in the Black community. Ominous similarity Enclosed is $7.50 for another year. I Urgently needed now are picket lines, news conferences, and The article in the January 16 think you do cover information not so meetings to block any escalation in the U.S. role and to bring Militant entitled "'Labor Committee' apparent or available in other papers the current intervention to a halt. uses 'disruption, violence in bid to and the media in general. silence socialists" brought to my I take grave exception, however, to memory the experience of the German your stand on the United Nations Nazis in 1933 . resolution equating Zionism with I was enraged to hear the National racism. You should consider how much ... and Boston racists Caucus of Labor Committees spouting damage, on balance, such a stand can When it comes to maintaining a foothold for imperialism in the antigay epithet "pervert" at do toward inciting even more hatred and violence, not only in the Mideast, Angola, Washington is all too eager to use military force, secret Socialist Workers party presidential candidate Peter Camejo. However, it but everywhere prejudice is ready to be agents, and millions of dollars. But when it comes to enforcing should be recalled that similar used defensively by frustrated people the law on desegregation here at home-in Boston-the federal slanders were used by the German who feel their underdog position. government seems to be afflicted with paralysis. fascists, who implemented a genocidal By supporting this resolution and by Ford's refusal to act against the antibusing gangs in Boston antihomosexual program. presenting very selected facts, which is matched by the shameful conspiracy of silence among the When the Nazis came to power in tell only part of the story, you become Democratic candidates for president. 1933, tens of thousands of party to the escalation of the poles­ Not one of them has uttered a word of protest against the homosexuals were thrown into apart position of Arabs and Jews. Just as you claim Socialist Workers wave of racist terror that has engulfed the Boston schools in the concentration camps. The very large and active gay movement was­ party exemption from political past week. Not a single voice has been raised in defense of the exterminated, and one of its central donations disclosure (a position I right of Black students to attend desegregated schools! leaders, Magnus Hirschfeld-who the support) because of harassment, you Their silence has only emboldened the reactionary forces fascists labeled as "un-German"-was should restrain yourselves from organizing the terror campaign to think they can intimidate the driven into exile. presenting such a one-sided stance on Black community into abandoning the fight for equal educa­ In my opinion, the recent escalation Israel, or I will hold you partly tional opportunities. of NCLC threats poses the need for the responsible for another "holocaust," if and when it happens. In Hyde Park High School, the racists have roamed the gay liberation movement to close ranks with the SWP and other Geraldine Hart corridors, assaulting Black s~udents. In Charlestown High movements for social change, to Okemos, Michigan School, 100 white students left their classrooms and rampaged defend themselves against the further through the school, attacking Black students and assaulting a harassment and intimidation of these Black teacher. In East Boston, white students have overturned antigay bigots. cars, blocked traffic, and skirmished with police. Stuart Russell Spreading the word Montreal, Quebec Please send my friend the two-month Maceo Dixon, a coordinator of the National Student Coalition trial offer that I am paying for. You're Against Racism (NSCAR), issued a statement this week doing a fantastic job! The very best to declaring that "the renewed racist offensive against busing is all of the Militant staff in 1976. an emergency situation for all opponents of bigotry." H. B. Zionism-I "We demand," said Dixon, "the Justice Department investi­ Wappinger Falls, New York I am a Christian Arab educated at gate the real criminals and the real conspirators-the racists, Columbia University. I feel compelled whoever and wherever they are. . . . If the police can't enforce to respond to your opinion column of the law, federal troops must be brought into the racist November 21, 1975, on racism. strongholds." There are many facts you failed to SWP 'sectarianism'? NSCAR, which has been in the forefront of the fight in indicate, such as: Your article on Angola (special Boston and other cities to defend desegregation against racist 1) Half the population of Israel feature in the January 23 Militant) has attacks, has issued an appeal for actions around the country to consists of Jewish refugees who fled raised several questions as to the mobilize support for the Black students and backing for the from Arab countries. conclusions the Socialist Workers 2) Arab countries could have made a party Political Committee has reached. desegregation fight. Palestinian state from the West Bank My disagreement is not so much in We urge our readers to join in the response to that timely call and the Gaza Strip at any time prior to your analysis of the situation as in to action. 1967. Yet they chose not to. Continued on page 23

10 MONTHLY MAGAZINE SUPPLEMENT TO THE MILITANT FEBRUARY 1976

POB!UIIL: LISSOIS OF !II 101. 25 COUP 1!!1 At its meeting January 1-4, the National Committee of the Socialist Workers party discussed the meaning of recent events in Portugal. This article is based on the report given by SWP National Organization Secretary Barry Sheppard and approved by the national committee.

The American Stalinists denied tbat there had workers were most conspicuous by their absence. been any coup attempt. Tom Foley, writing in the As is always the case in such adventures, the By Barry Sheppard November 29 Daily World, said, "The Portuguese workers were spectators, not even consulted, right, and their U.S. imperialist backers, are much less involved. trying to justify their harsh actions by stating The following week, Workers' Power printed a The attempted coup of November 25, 1975, that this week's fighting was some kind of "correction." It seems they had been misin­ marked a turning point in the Portuguese revolu­ attempted military coup on the part of the left formed about what was actually happening by a tion. and the Communists. But any study of how telephone call from Lisbon. They did not indicate The strategies of the different tendencies events developed shows that it was the right who was on the Portuguese end of the line. claiming to represent the interests of the working which provoked the fighting, by insisting on The International Socialists in the United class and socialism were put to the test by the establishing military control of Lisbon at any States, like their sister organization of the same events of those days. cost, including bloodshed." name in Britain, politically identify with a group The result of the adventure was to strengthen Op the other hand, the November 28 issue of in Portugal called the Partido Revolucionario do the hand of the capitalist government. In the Workers' Power, weekly newspaper of an Ameri­ Proletariado (PRP-Revolutioriary Party of the wake of crushing the attempted coup the regime can group called International Socialists (IS), Proletariat). The PRP and the MES (Movimento has stepped up its offensive against the working carried the headline, "Portugal-All Power to the de Esquerda Socialista-Movement of the Social­ class. While it is proceeding cautiously out of fear Workers!" ist Left) were the dominant groups in a coalition of provoking a new upsurge, the government The lead story began: "The first shots in the formed last August called the FUR (Frente de aims at restricting and pushing back the econom­ Portuguese civil war have been fired. The lines Unidade Revolucionaria-Front for Revolution­ ic and political gains made by the Portuguese have been drawn and there can be no turning ary Unity). . masses since the April 1974 coup that overthrew back. It is only a matter of time. On December 6, the British IS printed an the Salazarist dictatorship. "There is just one question left-who will win, account of what happened on November 25, All the details of the attempted putsch are not the workers or their exploiters." based on information supplied by the PRP. "But yet known, although an outline of the events can While the exploiters were certainly the decisive how was the battle lost?" the IS asks. be pieced together from the various reports. force involved in the November 25 events, the "Already a myth is being pushed that the Also in This Issue: lhe ProfH S,stem: Boot of America's Crisis BJ Peter Camejo, Presidential Candidate of The Socialist Workers PartJ (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW/PAGE 2)

extreme left tried to stage a coup. construction workers surrounded the Palacio de styled "revolutionary left." The removal of Car­ "The real sequence of events was rather Sao Bento, trapping Premier Jose Pinheiro de valho signified a further reduction in the power different. The revolutionary left groups, the PRP Azevedo inside until he granted their demands of the "leftist" officers, that is, those who sought and the MES, had been arguing that an for higher wages. This massive, militant demon­ part of their support from the CP and even the insurrection was necessary to avoid the danger stration was the first action on that scale to groups in the FUR. of another Chile. challenge the government's austerity program. The "leftist" officers fell into the trap. The CP "But they expected it only after some weeks of General Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, head of the issued a call for a mobilization against a "shift building support for it in the factories. military security forces and commander of the to the right" during the night. Although its "However, on the night of 24-25 November, Lisbon military region, refused to send troops to actual involvement in the planning of the coup right-wing military figures made a number of clear the construction workers away. Carvalho's attempt is unclear, the CP certainly did not provocative moves-putting commandos outside personal reasons for doing so may have had mobilize the forces it controls for a concerted the military police barracks and removing Otelo something to do with his attempts to refurbish attempt at taking power. de Carvalho from his command for being too his "leftist" image. Indeed, he had by then During the night, the paratroopers, under tolerant to the left. apparently allied himself with the Communist orders from first sergeants, many of whom were "The paratroops, who had only just come party. But the facts are that any attempt to send pro-CP, seized four air force bases. The para­ over to the left, seized airbases and the main radicalized troops against the massive construc­ troopers' spokesperson demanded that Carvalho radio station in retaliation. The authorities are tion workers' demonstration could have failed be retained, and that Gen. Jose Morais e Silva be now claiming that 'elements of the Communist and run the risk of triggering a reaction in wider removed from the air force command. Party and the extreme left participated in the layers of the working class and among the Pro-CP officers of the Fifth Division marched rebellion.' soldiers. The government was interested in into the television stations. Along with them was "But when the paras moved, the revolutionary provoking the kind of thing that happened on the former head of the national television groups were as surprised as everyone else. The November 25, not a confrontation with the network under the previous regime headed by CP seems to have been directly involved. It working class itself. Gen. Vasco Gonc,;alves. He announced that issued an hysterical call for 'vigilance' and "People's Power is giving the orders now." bodies it influenced called people to the barracks. The PRP and other groups in the FUR were Only after these calls had been made did the apparently taken by surprise. Only after they revolutionary left join the movement. heard the appeals from "bodies [the CP] influ­ "Late on Tuesday morning [November 25], enced" did "the revolutionary left join the Fifth Division officers sympathetic to the Com­ movement," according to the information from munist Party visited the PRP offices to persuade the PRP. It must have been at this point that the them to join in. American IS received that telephone call from "However, at that point the CP did an about­ Lisbon. turn and abandoned to the fury of the right those The paratroopers, up until a few weeks before, who had followed its initiative-including some had been known as among the most conservative of its own key people in the armed forces. unitB in the armed forces. They were among the "The marines, who had initially supported the units that Gen. Antonio de Spinola relied on for paras, withdrew to the sidelines. CP-influenced his abortive right-wing coup attempt on March officers in key military units began negotiating 11, 1975. for surrender. creating general demoralisation. j The paratroopers had been used by the "The Metal Workers' union [CP-controlledJ, ''\v government on November 7 to blow up the which had called for a general strike on Tuesday, transmitters of Radio Renascenc;:a. a station did nothing to work for it the next day. The ' occupied by ""oppositionists who had used it to Intersyndical, the CP-led trade union federation, mobilize demonstrations with demands aimed did nothing. A CP leaflet called for 'serenity.' against the sixth government. The rank-and-file "Suddenly, the left wing soldiers and the paratroopers reacted against being used this revolutionary groups found themselves isolated. way, and claimed that the government had "The left wing army units were divided and tricked them. They also became apprehensive confused. Although they were opposed by at most Lou H that they were about to be demobilized, which 1000 right wing commandos, the CP-influenced Barry Sheppard speaking last September at New means being pushed into the army of the officers advised surrender. York meeting in defense of Portuguese revolution. unemployed in today's Portugal. "But why did the CP leadership do a somer­ sault that amounted to nothing more than Report From a betrayal of its own military supporters? The government was forced to give in to the Rank-and-File Paratrooper "The rumour in Lisbon is that, at the height of construction workers' demands. This encouraged Paratroopers at the Tancos air base had the rebellion, Cunha!, the leader of the CP, made other workers, in the face of soaring inflation removed their officers about two weeks before contact with the President of the Republic. and unemployment, to begin to challenge the November 25. In an interview published in the "Jointly they agreed that the CP would be austerity program. A demonstration called by December 6 issue of Combate Socialista, the allowed to remain in the government, providing Lisbon-area workers commissions under CP weekly newspaper of the Trotskyist Revolution­ it would oppose strikes in future and would work leadership on November 16 drew 100,000 people, ary Workers party in Portugal, one of the Tancos with the government to clamp down on the perhaps more. paratroopers explained how this happened (a revolutionary left. Leaders of the Socialist party, which plays a translation of the full interview is contained in "Certainly, the evening the revolt was crushed, major role in the sixth provisional government, the January 26 issue of Intercontinental Press): Melo Antunes, one of the leading 'moderates,' had been issuing warnings against a "leftist" "[Morais e Silva] came [to the base] to explain appeared on TV to say that the CP should still be coup attempt. They were aided in this by tlre the case of Radio Renascenc,;a, to say that this in the government. calls, for the previous month, of the PRP and was an order and could not be discussed. It was "The tragedy was that the revolutionary left MES for an "insurrection." The government the draftees who attended the meeting with did not have the foresight to see the scale of the made plans to shift communications from Lisbon Morais e Silva. They were taken there by the treachery, nor the strength in the factories to to the northern part of the country. officers. Almost all the privates were there who gain support for the soldiers once the CP had Azevedo and other key ministers in the had been in the general assembly. The crowd changed sides." government, including the SP ministers, claimed began to boo Morais e Silva, to say that they they could not govern, and suspended official were sick of him, that they already knew what he The Government Sets a Trap activity. Then the Council of the Revolution, the thought, that they didn't want to hear anything Both Foley in the Daily World and the PRP military body that wields real power in Portugal, more, and that they wouldn't let him keep on account point to a "provocation" by the sixth meeting the night of November 24-25, ordered trying to deceive the paratroopers. provisional government that led to the adven­ Carvalho dismissed as the Lisbon region com­ "Then, he said the paratroopers had three ture. The events leading up to November 25 mander. As Foley and the PRP indicate, the choices-to support the sixth government uncon­ indicate that the regime did indeed do just that. government knew this would be interpreted as a ditionally, to support a leftist minority, or to Early in November, a demonstration by provocation to the CP and the groups of the self- forget about politics. Finally, when he was

The Profit System­ Root of America's Crisis

By Peter Camejo 8 Editor: Caroline Lund Letters 12 Associate editors: Nan Bailey, George Portugal: Lessons Breitman, Fred Feldman, George No­ vack, Dick Roberts, Tony Thomas of Nov. 25 Coup Attempt The International Socialist Review ap­ By Barry Sheppard 1 pears in the Militant that is published the first week of every month.

Copyright © 1976 Militant Publishing Association

12 (PAGE 3/INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW)

Inspired by construction workers' victory against government austerity program, 100,000 workers demonstrated in Lisbon on November 16. The government used November 25 adventure as pretext to launch offensive against the rising demands of workers. leaving, he said: 'The paratroop corps is going to men were left. And then we held a general Since it came to power in April1974, under all be done away with soon.' assembly: 'We've lost, let's go home. There's no the various provisional governments, the mili­ "So, all the officers left; we drove them out. We possibility to continue the struggle.'" tary, with the support of its CP and SP allies, has were on alert. The same night we got information Once the paratroopers' action began, units been trying to force the masses to pay for the that the barracks was going to be flattened, and under "leftist" control took action. The Lisbon capitalist economic crisis. At one point this so we stayed at the ready. This was the military police took control of several buildings. objective was cloaked in the demagogic call to background for everything that happened later, The Lisbon Light Artillery Regiment on the win the "battle for production." Now Azevedo for the position of the privates and the first outskirts of the city set up armored vehicles and states the same objective more openly, talking sergeants who wanted to drive out Morais e Silva recoilless rifles to guard the northern approaches about "overemployment" at a time when 13 and Pinho Freire [the second in command of the to the city. Carvalho's military security com­ percent of the work force is unemployed. air force].'' mand took control of the national radio station. The government removed subsidies on essen­ Most of these newly radicalized paratroopers tial goods, with a resultant jump in prices, while did not know they were participating in a coup The Trap Shuts it clamped down on wages. The price of eggs attempt when they began their action. The same The move by these pro-CP and "far left" leaped 33 percent, potatoes 21 percent, and paratrooper reports: officers was what the government had anticipat­ carrots 14G percent, according to an article in the "The occupation was carried out at night ed and was waiting for. The military Council of January 11 New York Times. The price of public [November 24-25]. In the preceding days, there the Revolution, with the support of the SP transportation has gone up 100 percent, and had been no general assemblies. The personnel leadership, moved swiftly to close their trap. gasoline 40 percent. rushed to the bases. 'We are going to get rid of Using commandos that had been tested in a Another aspect of the government's offensive Morais e Silva,' that was the idea. But it was number of situations for their reliability, the was manifested January 9 when it announced certainly part of a putsch attempt. The first regime swiftly put down the challenge, isolated that the land-reform program would not be sergeants knew about it. They were the ones who the p&ratroopers, and waited for their surrender. applied at all in the northern two-thirds of gave the orders. And they were also the first ones "People's Power" wasn't able to give very many Portugal, nor in parts of the South. to leave Tancos on Thursday night [November orders after all. The regime also launched new attacks on the 27]. First sergeants influenced by the CP were The workers had basically nothing to do with rights of assembly and protest. To test its involved. the whole affair. They observed from the side­ repressive options it chose the occasion of a lines. January 1 demonstration in Oporto called to "We were surprised by the coup. 'A coup, but The CP, seeing how things were going and demand the release of 140 persons arrested in the what we wanted was to get rid of Morais e Silva, never intending a confrontation with the main wake of the November 25 adventure. and the men knew nothing about this.' If we had force of the military, reversed engines, called off Members of the Republican National Guard been sure we had the support of the population, the mobilization of its followers and the unions it opened fire on the crowd of 3,000, killing three we were ready to go right to Lisbon, to throw out leads, and issued appeals for "serenity." and wounding many others. A similar demon­ the sixth government, Mario Soares, Alvaro Cun­ The government was able to present its stration in Lisbon was broken up by commandos .hal, and all the rest of the government who emergency measures against freedom of the driving armored cars and firing over the heads of aren't doing anybody any good. If the population press, assembly, and other democratic rights as a the crowd. had been ready to move ahead, if they had defense of "democracy" against a minority The regime's use of the Republican National supported it-but this was a struggle for the putsch. Guard, a paramilitary police force known for its working masses. We did not go to carry out a The regime moved quickly to strike other blows right-wing character, was hardly accidental. A coup. Besides, we knew very well that the for capitalist "law and order.'' A state of siege report from Oporto in the January 3 Washington military personnel in the northern and central was proclaimed for six days, with the military Post pointed out, "A massive recruitment cam­ regions were with the sixth government. In empowered to make summary arrests. Military paign for 10,000 extra men is bemg boosted by addition, some paratroopers also supported the courts were established to deal with "crimes television commercials." sixth government. It would have been lunacy to against the public order." Meetings and demon­ The latest probe in the regime's offensive stage a coup. strations were prohibited, and censorship im­ against the working class came on January 13 "Then, when we saw that we did not have the posed. when the ruling Council of the Revolution support of anyone, we thought: 'We are alone. The government announced a wage freeze that, proposed a plan that would ensure continued OK, let's throw them out.' Before this we never among other things, annuls the victory of the military rule in Portugal until1980. In a dispatch thought about overthrowing the government." construction workers on the wage front. from Lisbon in the January 18 Washington Post, With the advantage of hindsight, the para­ Political parties were banned from the armed Bernard Nossiter said that "the military plan trooper continues: "We knew that it was not a forces in a drive to restore traditional hierarchi­ would enable the Council to dissolve the elected good government; we were against it. But a cal discipline. legislature and veto many of its decrees on thousand paratroopers are not going to over­ everything from nationalization through foreign throw a government. After falling into an error­ affairs to defense. ! think it was adventurism to occupy bases to get Capitalist Offensive "To be sure, this blueprint is not the last word. rid of Morais e Silva-we were inclined to push In one fell swoop the government was able to The civilian political parties are examining it ahead.'' regain the initiative against the workers. The and their agreement must be obtained before it But by November 28, "everybody was already upsurge in the workers' determination to fight for becomes effective. They are likely to insist on a leaving. There was a total demobilization, which their basic needs evidenced in the construction reduced military role and should gain some had been started by the sergeants. The men were workers' demonstration was cut short. concessions. But in the end, it appears the power demoralized. ('Before· they [the sergeants] sup­ On December 20, Azevedo called for "voluntary will rest where it has been, with the men who ported this; it was they who started it. And now and conscious acceptance of sacrifices.'' In a made the coup of April 25, 1974." they are running away.') There were also television speech three days later he warned that So far, the CP leadership has remained a paratroopers who did not want to fight or shed "unrealistic wage claims and overemployment strong supporter of continued military rule. blood, and they began to leave. Fewer and fewer had caused many enterprises to close." Socialist party chief Mario Soares was quoted in

13 (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW/ PAGE 4)

the January 18 New York Times as opposed to class found itself in a weak political position. their low vote relative to the SP as simply an the plan. "The new proposal is antidemocratic Virtually the only force to emerge from the old example of the evil results to be expected from and consecrates military guardianship over our regime with credibility among the masses was "bourgeois democracy" and attacked the Constit­ political life," he said. But the SP leaders have the Armed Forces Movement. The MFA was the uent Assembly in favor of the MFA's fake strongly supported the capitalist offensive that political arm of the rebellious officer caste. "people's power" plan. They even resurrected the has prepared the way for this latest attack. From the beginning the aim of the MFA was old Stalinist charge of the early 1930s that the Rightist forces have been emboldened to not to overthrow capitalism and begin the SP was "social fascist." organize more openly. In January, the regime construction of socialism. Quite the opposite, as released from prison key hangmen of the is now apparent for all to see. Attack on Democratic Rights Salazarist regime. The MFA cultivated the image of being above The CP gave full support to the takeover of the the classes, in a bonapartist fashion. As the newspaper Republica from its Socialist party Blow to Workers radicalization deepened both among the civilian editors. Then it unsuccessfully attempted, along It is the workers who have suffered most from population and in the armed forces, it was with the MFA and the "far left," to block mass the November 25 adventure of the pro-CP and compelled to adopt correspondingly more "social­ mobilizations called by the SP to protest the "far left" officers. A number of points highlight­ ist" and "anti-imperialist" rhetoric in order to government's restrictions on democratic rights, ed by November 25 fix the blame for that maintain support. It combined attempts at including the takeover of its newspaper. primarily on the leaderships of the Socialist and selective repression with concessions and dema­ The popularity of the Stalinists had already Communist parties. The forces that consider gogic promises to the masses. dropped, as was shown by its vote for the themselves the "revolutionary left" also share a Constituent Assembly, about 13 percent of the large part of the blame. There have been sharp divisions and conflicts total. In large measure, this could be attributed to The "leftist" officers who carried out the within the MFA over how much to use either the its support for speedup in the plants. Over the adventure were not demanding a workers govern­ carrot or the stick at each stage. Sections of the course of last summer, as it stepped up its ment to replace the capitalist regime. They MFA became identified with either the Socialist campaign against the SP and against the demanded only the retention of the command of or the Communist party, or the bourgeois parties. democratic rights of the majority of workers who a "leftist" officer, Carvalho, and the dismissal of Officers like the president, Gen. Costa Gomes, supported the SP, its popularity dropped further. Morais e Silva. The logic of their challenge, if succeeded in maintaining an appearance of As this happened, the CP began to rely more and successful, would have been to recompose the being "above it all" while using all these forces more on the MFA to defend its positions in the Council of the Revolution and the government, and shifting among them. Throughout, the MFA labor movement. Its stance was that the "social­ putting different officers, with ties to the CP, in remained a capitalist political instrument. ist revolution" would be made by a mi'nority-by key positions. This would amount to returning to Arrogating to itself the role of bonapartist the CP in alliance with the MFA-against the a situation similar to the one during the fifth arbiter of the class struggle, the MFA more and "moderate majority" of workers who supported provisional government last summer under Gon­ more needed arbitration to settle its own internal the SP. r;alves, in which the CP played the role of favored differences. The struggles within the MFA The CP's campaign for the "battle of produc­ junior partner to the Armed Forces Movement always carried an implicit threat of violence from tion" and against democratic rights helped pave (MFA). the contending factions. There were even two the way for restoration of one of the props of It was not an attempt to establish a govern­ right-wing coup attempts (September 1974 and capitalist rule-the fear of the masses that ment that excluded bourgeois political forces March 1975) and now an attempted "leftist'' socialism constitutes a threat to their rights and such as the MFA and the.Democratic People's coup. More and more power has been delegated subjugation to a tyrannical machine. party (PPD-Partido Popular Democnitico), a by the MFA to the much smaller Council of the The Stalinist campaign played into the hands government that would represent the interests of Revolution. Today, all key decisions are taken by of reactionary forces. For the first time since the the working class and poor peasants. the council, without formal consultation with the April 1974 overturn, rightists at the end of July The November 25 adventure, therefore, was not 200 or so officers of the MFA general assembly. and in August were able to mobilize mobs that an attempt to go beyond the policy of 'class­ The real power in Portugal has remained in the attacked and burned CP headquarters, especially collaborationism followed by both the Stalinists hands of the military. The various provisional in the north. and the Social Democrats. Both have sought to governments were set up mainly to draw in the The SP leadership saw a good issue being keep the workers they influence subordinated to support of one or another or both of the major handed to them. Radicalized workers and petty the military, while they vie with each other to working-class parties, the SP and the CP. The bourgeoisie more and more turned to the SP as a prove how indispensable they are to the Portu­ policy of the leaders of both parties has been to result of the Stalinist campaign. In July, the SP guese capitalist class. practice coalitionism with this bourgeois military resigned from the government. It did this not out scheme, blocking the thrust of the workers of revolutionary desire to defend the democratic The Armed Forces Movement toward forming their own government. rights of the masses, under attack by a capitalist Faced with the upsurge of the Portuguese One of ·the objectives of the military regime government; nor was its intention to fight for a masses following the April 1974 overthrow of the was to divide the working class, in order to class break with the MFA, for a united front of Salazarist dictatorship, the Portuguese capitalist progressively demoralize and demobilize the the workers in defense of their rights and workers and dispel the threat of united .action interests against the capitalists. that could lead toward a socialist revolution. The SP leadership's goal was to further its own To this end, the MFA worked to set the campaign to displace the CP as the dominant Communist and Socialist parties against each workers party in the coalition government. other. The policy of both of vying to be the Under the impact of the mobilizations of SP favored junior partner with the military played workers and supporters, the MFA decided to right into its hands. make a shift. At the end of August, officers most At first, the military leaned more on the CP. closely identified with the CP, such as the The Stalinists had an effective apparatus, which premier, General Gonr;alves, were dumped from they put at the service of the MFA. The <;::P the ruling Council of the Revolution and officers became the labor policemen for the military, favoring at least a temporary alliance with the portraying the "battle for production" as in the SP were elevated. Along with this change in the interests of the workers and socialism. composition of the top MFA body, a new-the In return, the regime supported the Stalinists' sixth-provisional government of collaboration position in the labor movement. For example, the with Portuguese capital was installed. The CP Trade Union Unity Law passed early in 1975 was reduced to a token role, with the major role froze CP control of the union structure. of junior partner of the military being filled by Before the elections to the Constituent Assem­ the SP. . bly last April, both the SP and CP signed a "pact" with the military, guaranteeing that military rule would continue. In the vote, the SP The Sixth Provisional Government and CP together got a majority. The vote for the The new government made new efforts to bourgeois parties was a distinct minority. The SP implement the military's austerity program. Like received the highest vote of any party, ~38 its predecessors it called for capitalist law and percent. The election results reflected the desire order in the factories and barracks. of the masses for socialism. But the continuing revolutionary dynamic In response to the setback suffered by the hindered their plan. Early in September, there capitalist forces in the election, the MFA were demonstrations by soldiers in an organiza­ launched a demagogic campaign against the tion called Soldiers United Will Win (SUV). It Constituent Assembly as merely a "bourgeois was organized independently of MFA control. democratic" institution. The SUV, while embracing only a small minority The MFA began to promulgate a program for of soldiers, reflected the continuing radicaliza­ what they called "people's power," which would tion among the rank and file, which was leading supposedly be a higher form of democracy than toward greater breakdown of military discipline. the Constituent Assembly. This plan called for The militant demonstration by construction the creation of "people's assemblies" under the workers in November indicated growing willing­ control of the MFA. The plan itself was never ness of the workers to fight for their interests. implemented. The CP leadership gave support to one degree At the same time, the MFA sought to deepen or another to the SUV demonstrations, the action the division in the working class by denouncing by the construction workers, and the mass the SP, charging it with being the "main danger" mobilization November 16 that was called by the General Carvalho. November 25 coup attempt was to socialism. The Stalinists became supporters Lisbon workers commissions under CP leader­ in support of Carvalho and other 'leftist' officers. and organizers of this campaign. They passed off ship.

14 (PAGE 5/INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW)

Assembly." This schema amounts to placing faith in a "left" capitalist government to turn power over to the workers. To understand this reactionary utopia, we have to back up a bit and examine the centrists' ideas of building "soviets." These groups presented a false picture of the real extent of the formation of soviets, or workers councils, in Portugal. The workers commissions that appeared in the period following the fall of the old dictatorship were primarily a response to the need for economic organizations representing all the workers in an enterprise, a need that the workers felt acutely because of the fragmentation of the trade-union-type organizations of workers under the dictatorship. These bodies have generally remained in the framework of organizations of economic struggle, and have not functioned as soviets. They do not as a matter of course discuss and act on the broad social and political questions before the working class and its allies. The workers commissions have been further limited and weakened by the deep division in the working class. They tend to be dominated by one or another of the political tendencies, and utilized by them in their rivalry. In many cases, their character as united-front committees of all the workers has been virtually destroyed. Some of the centrist groups have set up their own "soviets," which are little more than caucuses of their own supporters. The neighbor­ hood commissions are even more fragmented­ sometimes even giving rise to several commis­ sions in the same neighborhood-each dominat­ ed by a different tendency. The most advanced revolutionary-democratic forms of organization that have yet appeared in Portugal were the assemblies and committees of soldiers and sailors that sprang up at certain times in various units. However, they did not become standing committees on a national scale. Thus, dual power-a situation where organs of a soviet or council type emerge out of united-front action committees, embrace the masses of work­ ers, and begin to function as centers of authority ·and power on all economic and social questions, parallel to and competing with the govern­ ment-has not existed in Portugal up to now. The revolutionary phrasemongers made propa­ ganda for "building soviets" the axis of their work, without regard for the major political obstacles to building united workers' actions that could lead toward the creation of genuine council­ type organizations. This led the PRP to set up its own sectarian "soviets," and made the centrists easy game for the MFA's "people's power" 1 demagogy. May Day, 1974. Sailors mingle in crowd of hundreds of thousands in Lisbon. After overthrow of the dictatorship, upsurge of Portuguese masses challenged continued capitalist rule. Will the Capitalist Government Bring Socialism? When the MFA announced its "people's power" The CP's oppositional stance, like the SP's An element that remams constant in their plan during the summer, the centrist groups during the summer, provided openings for the politics is sectarian contempt for the majority of thought it had come over to their position on masses. Its support to the construction workers, workers who still follow the CP or SP. They place ·building "soviets." On July 16, the "far left" of for example, ran directly counter to its policy, up their own concerns above the needs of the great the centrists, ultralefts, and Maoists organized a through the fifth government, of opposing such masses. demonstration in support of "people's power" struggles in the interests of the "battle for It was these groups that dominated the FUR that marched on the Constituent Assembly under production." formed last August. In addition to the centrists, the slogans, "MFA-People's Powei' and "Dis­ But its support to mobilizations against the the FUR included a CP front organization, the solve the Constituent Assembly." sixth provisional government did not signal any Portuguese Democratic Movement. The FUR was In this campaign of support to the MFA, the break with its policy of subordination to the formed on the opportunist basis of critical centrists played the role of "leftist" cat's-paws for military. The Stalinists did not call during these support to the fifth provisional government. the Stalinists. The majority of the Portuguese actions for a class break with all bourgeois The Internationalist Communist League, a toilers, for whom the elections to the Constituent forces, including the MFA. On the contrary, they Trotskyist organization with an ultraleftist bent, Assembly were the first and only national called for a return of Vasco Goncalves, in essence also joined the FUR. While it criticized the elections they had been allowed to participate in a return to the fifth provisional government. support to a capitalist government, it held that for five decades, could only interpret this cam­ Thus the November 25 adventure occurred this was secondary to the importance of the paign as directed against their interests and within the framework of the rivalry between the organization of the FUR itself. The other rights. CP and SP leaders as to which could better sell Trotskyist group in Portugal, the Revolutionary By counterposing "MFA-People's Power" to out the workers to the military regime. Workers party, opposed the FUR because of its the Constituent Assembly they not only rein­ class collaborationism. forced illusions that the MFA would lead the The reasons the "super-leftists" had for sup­ struggle for socialism. They presented the idea The FUR Bears Responsibility porting the fifth provisional government were that workers democracy, socialist democracy, is The groups that call themselves the "revolu­ different from those of the Stalinists, however. contradictory to defending and extending the tionary left" share responsibility with the Stalin­ Their view was that a "left" MFA government of democratic rights that the workers wrest from ists and social democrats for the grave setback "revolutionary unity" should be set up in place of the employing class under capitalism. that the November 25 events and their aftermath the sixth government. This government would The Socialist party workers could only inter­ have meant for the workers. then turn power over to the "workers organized pret the campaign to abolish the Constituent The largest of these groups are the PRP and in a structure that culminates in a National Assembly as being aimed against them, because the MES. But far from being the "revolutionary People's Assembly," as the PRP put it in the their party had won a strong plurality in the left," they are at best centrist formations. Their November 21 issue of its paper. elections. political positions are class collaborationist, The MES declared about the same time, "We The "revolutionary contingent" of centrist, presented in revolutionary-sounding phrases. must create the conditions for the formation of a Maoist, and ultraleft groups supported a Stalinist Their course oscillates between, and combines, government of revolutionary unity that holds campaign that resulted in strengthening the rank opportunism and adventurous actions. power until the creation of the National People's hand of the reactionary and bourgeois forces

15 (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW! PAGE 6)

generally, as well as the class-collaborationist Democracy is a phase in the transition to Here again we see a reversal of the real leadership of the SP. fascism." relation between the workers and soldiers in a These sectarians failed in general to under­ This sectarian campaign, cavalierly contempt­ genuine revolution. In his History of the Russian stand the relation between bourgeois democracy, uous of the working class, also throws further Revolution, Trotsky took issue with those who workers democracy, and socialist revolution. To light on just what the small centrist groups mean "portray Bolshevism as a soldier movement." them, Lenin's injunction that the proletarian by "soviets." Their concept has nothing what­ Trotsky answers: "Fundamental historic facts revolution " ... means a gigantic, world-historic ever to do with real soviets, which arise out of were here ignored: the fact that the proletariat extension of democracy, its transformation from united-front struggle committees. was the first to come over to the Bolsheviks; that falsehood into truth, the liberation of humanity Their campaign was to "centralize" commis­ the Petrograd workers were showing the road to from the shackles of capital, which distorts and sions and committees that had become little more the workers of all countries; that the garrison truncates any, even the most 'democratic' and than organized supporter groups of one or and front much longer than the workers re­ republican, bourgeois democracy" remains a another Stalinist or centrist tendency. mained bulwarks of compromisism; that the mystery. (Collected Works, Vol. 28, p. 371, Their campaign was part of a political offen­ Social Revolutionaries and Mensheviks created emphasis in original.) sive that blocked the development of united-front all kinds of privileges for the soldier at the During the summer they joined the Stalinist struggle against the capitalist government and expense of the worker in the soviet system, campaign against democratic rights. They sup­ cut across the formation of genuine workers struggled against the arming of the workers and ported an attack on the real rights of a workers councils to organize and generalize these incited the soldiers against them; that the break party under a bourgeois regime in the Republica struggles. in the troops was brought about only by the case, claiming that was the road to workers Soviets or workers councils represent the influence of the workers; that at the decisive control of production. They called for the capital­ highest form of the united front-they seek to moment the leadership of the soldiers was in the ist military regime to abolish the Constituent embrace all the workers, of all tendencies, lead hands of the workers. Assembly, seeing that as the road to soviet them in action against the enemy class, and democracy. provide an arena where all the tendencies in the Their Criticisms And, they placed confidence in the ability and workers movement can try to win a majority to The complaints of the PRP and MES about willingness of at least a wing of the MFA to lead their proposals. November 25 are that they were not informed of the way to socialism. This leaves out the fact But the "revolutionary" new leftists of the the attempt and thus not prepared, and that they that the transition from a bourgeois regime to FUR had renounced the united front in practice needed "some weeks" more to build support in one of workers democracy takes place througr a through their sectarian campaign against the the factories for the "insurrection." Their self­ majority of the workers that support the Socialist criticism is that they should have had enough party. "foresight" to see that the Stalinists are treacher­ Real soviets can be built only on the basis of ous! fighting to unite the working class in struggle The CP did apparently turn its back on the around concrete issues and demands, not by forces it helped set in motion on November 25, calling for the "centralization" of organizations which compounds their criminal role in the that the majority of workers have no confidence whole affair. But the FUR muddleheads them­ ln. selves believed the CP was capable of following a revolutionary course and helped foster illusions Adventurism in the Stalinists. In early November, the MES wrote: "It is not The FUR leaders have a utopian-sectarian the 'revolutionary left' that is being dragged in conception of a minority revolution. They had the wake of the Communist party, but the consigned the majority of workers to the extreme Communist party that, since giving support to right. The British supporters of the PRP express the COPCON document systematically at deci­ this view openly. In a recent press statement, the sive moments of the struggle, has been dragged British IS declared, "We completely disagree in the wake of the revolutionary left.'' with those, like [the French] Lutte Ouvriere, who Copcon was the military security force headed pin their hopes on co-operation-on whatever by Carvalho, which was disbanded following the level-with the Portuguese Socialist Party. It is· crushing of the November 25 adventure. The Mario Soares who is attempting to organise Copcon document was drafted last August as a gangs of storm-troopers . . . .to drown the demagogic proposal from this section of the revolution in blood. It is the PS, leadership and armed forces as a plan for building "people's membership, who cheer the blowing up of the power" committees under MFA control. Support Radio Renascenca transmitter-symbol of work­ to this document was a fundamental aspect of ers control." (Emphasis added.) the FUR's platform. The petty-bourgeois revolutionists of the FUR do not believe that the fundamental job in The Road Forward Portugal remains that of winning the majority of The military is using the moment to assert its workers from the policy of the class­ authority and make as many inroads on the collaborationist leaders of the SP and CP and gains of the workers as it can. How far this from illusions in the MFA. process will go depends upon the response of the They reject the Marxist view that this must be masses. The workers have not been defeated, nor accomplished before the question of power can be have their organizations been dismantled. As the Workers from Lisnave shipyards were in vanguara' placed on the agenda. They believe that the demonstration of the construction workers of workers' struggles. Stalinists and social determined action of a "militant minority" can showed, there is deep opposition to the MFA's democrats view the workers as a base for their spark the majority into action or bring it to giv{! policy of forcing the working class to bear the class-collaborationist policies, while centrist tacit support to their "insurrection." brunt of the soaring inflation and unemploy­ groups view the workers with sectarian disdain. · Related to this is an incorrect view of the role ment. of the soldiers. The PRP and MES saw the The workers are cautious and confused in the revolution that dismantles the capitalist state radicalization that developed among the soldiers aftermath of the coup attempt. It remains to be apparatus and replaces it with the new power of and that deepened in the fall period as a seen how and when they will regather their a workers state-and that it is a fatal illusion to sufficient basis for revolution. If the revolution­ forces for a new rise of struggles capable of think this step will be carried out by a section of ary soldiers made a bold move, the workers upsetting the plans of the regime to reestablish the capitalist ,state apparatus, no matter how would support them. capitalist law and order. much its spokespeople talk of "people's power." This was especially so since, in the impression­ The SP and CP leaderships have renewed their This was the background to the goal of the ist view of the FUR leaders, the government was pledge of loyalty to the military in the wake of PRP and MES during the fall: Form a "govern­ powerless. On November 10 PRP leader Isabel do the coup attempt. The sectarian schemes and ment of revolutionary unity that holds power Carmo declared at a press conference: "For us, at revolutionary phrasemongering of the FUR have until the creation of the National People's As­ this moment, there is no solution except armed been exposed as barren and only capable of sembly." insurrection. As all history shows, the bourgeoi­ leading to adventures and a demoralizing dead sie unleashes a civil war every time it wants to end for the Portuguese workers. Sectarianism defend its interests. Fortunately, the forces of the In the forefront of a revolutionary strategy in The groups that dominated the FUR combined right possess no army in Portugal." Portugal must be the campaign to· mobilize the this rank opportunism with extreme sectarian­ workers and their allies in united actions in ism and adventurism. They attacked the Social­ The PRP's Views on November 25 defense of their basic interests, their economic ist party as a "phase in the transition to The PRP version of the adventure itself gains, and their democratic rights. This united fascism," and called for an insurrection against indicates these elements in the centrists' policy. front is necessary to overcome the bitter sectari­ the sixth provisional government. Nowhere does the PRP criticize the class­ an' divisions in the working class, to strengthen Early in November, theMES wrote: "Thus, the collaborationist objectives of the rebelling offi­ the defense of the workers against the growing Social Democratic forces serve the advance of the cers. Its criticisms are technical, not political. threat from the bonapartist regime, and to fascist forces; consequently, we cannot separate The statement printed by the British IS quoted prepare the ground for a new wave of upsurge of our slogan 'Death to the ELP [Exercito de earlier indicates that the PRP and MES would the toiling masses. Libertacao Portuguesa-Portuguese Liberation have carried through the attempt if they were The revolutionary process has not reached the Army, a right-wing terrorist group] and those stronger, even against the CP: "The tragedy was point where forms of workers power have who support it' from the slogan, 'Down with that the revolutionary left did not have the emerged. What have appeared are sporadic and Social Democracy.' That, comrades, is why the foresight to see the scale of the treachery, nor the scattered mass initiatives, factory committees, MES says-and this is ever more correct and strength in the factories to gain support for the and elements of workers control. These develop­ appears ever more clearly-that the Social soldiers once the CP had changed sides." ments point the way toward the emergence of

16 (PAGE 7/INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW)

front-type aetion committees that can mobilize and represent the workers and poor masses in the industrial centers combine closely with other revolutionary tasks. The fight for workers control under present conditions also fits in with these tasks. The workers have already asserted control in many instances to protect their specific interests in the face of government assaults, employer sabotage, and mounting unemployment and inflation. Workers control is necessary to obtain the economic information and organization to defend jobs, to prevent the flight of capital, to fight inflation, and to administer a sliding scale of wages and hours. Workers control cannot serve its purpose unless workers make clear that they do not accept any responsibility for the functioning of the economy until they have real political power over it. This means fighting against the "workers control" promulgated by the military govern· ment and supported by the CP and SP leader­ ships, which amounts to workers disciplining themselves to accept the capitalists' austerity program. 6. The struggle for a workers and peasants government. On the political level, the workers in Portugal I'An 1 their great majority look for leadership to the Banner reads 'Free union of railroad workers.' After fall of dictatorship, workers revitalized their trade Socialist party, the Communist party, and the unions, and assemblies in factories elected delegates to workers commissions. Intersindical, the trade-union federation. At present no alternative to these mass organiza­ tions has credibility among large layers of broader action committees· and eventually dual In addition, special attention is needed to workers. Nor can any alternative develop except power. Progress along this road hinges on a defend the rights and gains that have been won as the masses learn in practice the limitations of correct political course. The fundamental politi­ by women and by the youth and to support the the current class-collaborationist leaderships of cal task is to break the workers from the basic struggles they launch. these organizations. class-collaborationist course of the Stalinists and 2. The struggle for democratic rights in the Concretely, at the current stage, the slogan for Social Democrats of subordination to the Armed armed forces. The MFA is attempting to use the a workers and peasants government means Forces Movement. Instead they must assert their adventurist coup attempt of November 25 to calling upon the Socialist and Communist right to put a government in power that repre­ clamp down on all democratic rights of the parties, as the representatives of the overwhelm­ sents and fights for their interests, a workers and soldiers and sailors. Rejecting sectarian and ing majority of the Portuguese workers and the peasants government. putschist propaganda, the rank-and-file soldiers majority of the Portuguese people, to break with The strategic line of march of the revolutionary need to organize to defend their civil rights: The the pact-program that codified their capitulation struggle of the workers and their allies in broad masses must be educated that citizens in to the military junta, and establish a new Portugal at the present stage can be summarized uniform retain every basic . right to organize government without any bourgeois forces, by as follows: themselves and participate in the political life of exercising their majority in the Constituent 1. Defense of the gains of the workers and the country. Assembly and appealing to the workers, peas­ other layers of the masses against the attempts 3. Defense of the democratic rights of the ants, and the rank and file of the armed forces to by the capitalist government to make the citizen-soldiers is closely linked to defense of mobilize in support of it. workers bear the cost of inflation and unemploy­ democratic rights and democratic decision­ The Intersindical should remain independent ment. This includes fighting for a crash govern­ making in every area of social life. The political of any government, including a workers and ment program for jobs, for a reduction in the rights of most of the workers organizations have peasants government, since the unions must be hours of work without any reduction in pay to come under attack at various times since April the direct defenders of the economic interests of spread the available work, and for escalator 1974, including the rights of both mass reformist the workers. provisions in union contracts to protect the parties. Now the MFA is using the adventurist The only national politically representative workers from capitalist-caused inflation. coup attempt to strike additional blows against body chosen by the workers and masses in The struggle of the construction workers democratic rights. The principle of solidarity of Portugal up to now is the Constituent Assembly, illustrates both the need for a determined fight the entire workers movement against such in which the workers parties hold an absolute on this front and the potential for workers to be attacks is yet to be established. majority. The fight for a workers and peasants mobilized in struggle on these issues. 4. Opposition to any attempts by the capitalist government cannot be waged without defending Included in the demands to be raised are those government to intervene in the affairs of the popular sovereignty and all democratic gains, for a radical agrarian reform designed to meet former colonies. against efforts by the ruling class to restrict the needs of the small peasants, as well as the 5. The struggle for effective workers organiza­ them. Concretely, this means defending the promotion of state-assisted cooperatives and tions. The workers commissions and nuclei of Constituent Assembly against attempts by the state farms in the area of extensive farming. industrial unions that have developed are still military junta and the leaderships of the SP and Demands for state support for the individual not adequate on a national scale to effectively CP to undermine its authority and limit or small peasants have become especially acute, as defend the elementary interests of the workers. destroy its sovereignty. the policy of the capitalist government, with the In this situation, propaganda and agitation for Making this demand on the two mass reformist support of the CP and SP leaderships, has industrial unions, a united and democratic union parties of the working class, as a fundamental become identified with "socialism," pushing structure, free of government interference such as part of a united-front campaign of struggle, is an many of the small farmers into the hands of the the Trade Union Unity Law, and the transforma­ essential part of the process of advancing a right wing. tion of the workers commissions into united- working-class governmental alternative to the military regime and exposing the incapacity of , these parties to provide such an alternative. Incipient organs of workers power can only arise out of united mass struggles of the working class along these lines. Workers councils or soviet forms cannot be imposed on the workers. Advancing the independent organization of the working class is necessary so that the proletariat can meet the tasks of the class struggle in this period of crisis and win in a confrontation with the bourgeoisie. This involves pushing for broader and broader forms of workers organiza­ tions, industrial union structure, action commit­ tees, and democratic factory committees that can unify and mobilize the broad masses of the workers in the industrial zones and draw in other exploited layers. This process would culminate in regional and national congresses of workers organizations that can adopt general policies and lead the working masses in taking decisive initiatives. The arming of the masses to defend their rights against attacks by reactionaries likewise People line up to vote in elections for Constituent Assembly, April 1975. Socialist and Communist parties cannot be accomplished separately from building together received a majority of the votes, reflecting desire of the masses for socialism. united-front struggles along these lines. No

17 (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW/PAGE 8)

minority, no matter how heroic, can substitute Maoists have taken a severe toll. A Marxist axes indicated, such a nucleus can play a itself for the masses themselves in the decisive course based on the independent organization decisive role in building the revolutionary party showdown. and mobilization of the working masses assumes necessary to resolve the crisis of leadership in the This strategic line of march begins with the ever greater importance. The construction of a Portuguese revolution. immediate and elementary needs of the working revolutionary party to provide correct leadership Then the Portuguese working class will have class, and leads toward the establishment of a assumes ever greater urgency. Such a party does the leadership it deserves. The rnisleaders will be workers and peasants government and the not yet exist in Portugal. It must be created in swept aside, and the workers and their allies will , organization of soviets as the basis of a workers the heat of the struggle itself. storm to the victory of the Portuguese socialist state. But even a small nucleus of revolutionists, revolution. The traitorous policies of the SP and CP and armed with a correct program and strategy, can the confused lurchings of the centrists and make swift gains. By fighting along the basic

The Profit IJStem: Boot of America's. Crisis

Peter Camejo Discusses the Issues Before Working People Jean Vertheim

Peter Camejo is the Socialist Workers party candidate for president. The following are major excerpts from a speech he gave at the University of Chicago on Decem­ ber 2, 1975. The vice-presidential candidate on the Socialist Workers party ticket is Willie Mae Reid.

apartments. One of their favorite Everybody agrees that we are in But they don't want to tell us that. techniques is poison-pen letters an economic crisis. We face infla­ Because if we knew that, we might By Peter Camejo designed to set one organization tion, we face unemployment. But know who to get mad at. against another or members of an why? It seems like a mystery. For The first problem you run into When Willie Mae Reid and I organization against each other. a long time the econ·omy was doing here is that most teachers and announced our campaign in De­ Here in Chicago the police went so relatively OK, and then suddenly professors tell you that there is no cember 1974, the first organization far as to hire people to burglarize inflation hit us. ruling class in America. That is that took an interest was the offices and beat up members of the Everybody is against it. Have supposed to be Marxist jargon from Federal Bureau of Investigation. Socialist Workers party. you seen any candidate who says, the nineteenth century. Every so­ Through the lawsuit against Why is the federal government "I'm the one who is for inflation phisticated person knows that we government harassment launched doing all this behind the backs of and unemployment"? No, every are a society of many different by the Socialist Workers party and the American people to try to stop senator and congressperson, the types of pressure groups, a pluralis­ the Young Socialist Alliance in dissent? What do they fear? president,· management, labor, tic society. Can we speak of a 1973, we were able to force them to What happens in this country is every religious denomination is ruling class? give us more than 4,000 pages of that they tell us we have a free against it. But if everyone in this If you look in the daily newspap­ secret FBI and CIA documents. choice, that we can listen to all country is against inflation and er and turn to the society page, you These documents prove that the ideas, but at the same time the unemployment, how can it be hap­ can see pictures of people dancing. FBI has infiltrated every kind of federal government very conscious­ pening? Have they ever come to your party organization of dissent in this ly harasses and tries to intimidate Obviously it must be like torna­ to take a picture of it? Try calling country-the civil rights move­ all those who dissent, trying to dos. Everyone is against tornados, up a photographer from one of ment, the antiwar movement, the create an atmosphere in which the but they happen. these papers and tell him, look, I'm women's movement, the labor only points of view we can hear are This is the way the capitalist going to have a terrific party, come movement, the socialist movement. those of the Democrats and Repub­ economists. explain economics to and take some shots of it. Do you These documents prove that the licans. us. When we walk into a supermar­ think they would come? agency's policy in all of these What they are trying to do is ket we're supposed to think to our­ Ask your economics professor organizations is to attempt to prevent people from hearing a selves, "Oh, inflation struck last how the newspaper photographers destory them so that dissenting point of view which they are afraid night!" They try to portray it as an all over this country know which points of view cannot be heard, to could get very positive response event that human beings have no parties to go to, if there is no· ruling attempt to strangle the voice of the and in fact is beginning to get a control over and that cannot be class? The truth is that these oppressed and exploited. And we positive response. What I would explained. photographers know more about now know that assassination at like to do here is explain some of We socialists think there is a the class structure of America than horne and abroad is one of their the major issues that we are very simple explanation. But there the professors do! "normal" policy tools. raising in our campaign, the ideas is a reason why the newspapers Let's take a more concrete exam­ The FBI employs all kinds of they are afraid to let people hear. and the media will not explain it. ple, the case of Nelson Rockefeller. methods-wire tapping, mail tam­ That reason is that the United When Rockefeller was called before pering, and visiting employers and Why is There a Crisis? States is a class society. We have a the United States Senate for confir­ landlords to get people fired from Let me begin with the most ruling class. This class benefits mation of his appointment as vice­ their jobs or kicked out of their obvious issue: the economic crisis. from unemployment and inflation. president last year, he made some

18 (PAGE 9/JNTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW)

very revealing statements that happen if you told the truth? You they will pay you. That is, where raising their· prices. The rate of show how the ruling class func­ get up in the morning and put on they can exploit you. If you will not inflation starts slowing down, and tions. the clothes you want to put on. You make more money for them than the number of people unemployed They asked him how much mo­ walk in, and when they ask you what they will pay you, they don't starts going up. ney he had. Now, most people in questions, you answer honestly. hire you. So the only right working If the economy starts declining this country would have no trouble For example, if they ask why you people have in this country is to go too fast, and the unemployment is estimating how much money they picked Chrysler, you'd say, "Chrys­ around asking the capitalists, "Ex­ threatening to spark protests by had, at least within a million ler, Ford, General Motors, frankly cuse me, are you exploiting today?" working people, the capitalists· dollars. But not Nelson. They had it doesn't make any difference to And either they hire you, or they "pump" the economy. For instance, to question him at that hearing for me. What I want is a good stereo, answer, "I'm very sorry, we have they institute tax cuts, a tax rebate, weeks trying to figure out how and I want to pay my rent, and I'd no openings." or increased war spending. The much money he had. His first like to buy a car. In other words, I There are more than eight mil­ point on the Phillips Curve that answer was $20 million. Finally he want some money, and you have lion people unemployed in the Unit­ the capitalists consider "stability" got up to over $400 million before all the money and the only way I ed States today. There is only one is where unemployment is 3 or 4 the senators stopped pressing him. can get some is getting a job from reason they are unemployed: There percent and inflation is also only I hear he claims he misunderstood you. So that's why I'm here and is no rich person who can make a few percentage points. the question at first; he thought This is why we are taught that it they meant how much he had on is "healthy" for America to have ;3 him. or 4 percent unemployed. They also asked him what he did If you translate this into human with his money. And he answered terms-that is, that it is good for that he had nothing to do with his America to have millions of people money. He hires people to run it for out of work-of course it is totally him. These people invest the money irrational. on one criterion: what will bring If we understand this, we can the highest profit. In deciding understand what Ford has done in where to invest that money, they office. When Ford became presi­ are deciding what is going to be dent, he gave a speech to Congress. produced, how it will be produced, He said he was a conservative; he whether the air will be clean or not, wanted to balance the budget. This how many jobs there will be. They was in August 1974. The way most make all kinds of decisions that people probably remember that affect your life and my life and we speech is because of the WIN but­ have no say. And they do it on one ton. Everybody was supposed to criterion: profit. wear the WIN button-Whip Infla­ Who made the decision that tion Now. The main enemy was Nelson Rockefeller should have all inflation. And what did Ford pre­ this money? The day he was born, scribe? A policy of cuts aimed at Nelson's mother did not have to slowing down the economy to stop worry, "I wonder if he'll get inflation. ahead." He was already way Within four months the gross na­ ahead. He started out with more tional product had gone into a fast money than all of us here will see dip, unemployment was shooting in a lifetime. And he didn't even up, and Ford was up in Vail, Color­ know it; his eyes were not yet even ado, skiing. All the economic spe­ open. cialists went up there and told him, This is how it is decided who has "Look, you have to go before Con­ the money. The Rockefellers; the gress now and make a proposal Morgans, the Mellons, the Du­ that is the exact opposite of what Ponts, the Kennedys, and the rest Alan Mercer you said in August." of the families who run this coun­ 'Eight million of the nation's 12 million welfare recipients are children. These And that is exactly what he did. try pass on their wealth and power are the people-five-, six-, seven-year-olds-who "refuse to work."' He went back to Washington and through inheritance. And they proposed the largest budget deficit make the decisions that affect our in the history of the United States, lives. don't ask me stupid questions." money off them. There is no ration­ the most inflationary budget ever. Let's stop and think about what Then when they ask you how al reas.on for this unemployment. A $52 billion deficit. This is the our role is in the economy. long you are going to stay, you'd We have one out of five people same man who gives speeches answer, "Well, if I get a better offer living in slums and hundreds of about how New York City doesn't next week I'll quit, of course." thousands of construction workers balance its budget. Get a Job out of work. There is no reason for Why? Because the capitalists de­ As we grow · up, ,our parents If you did this, they would know that, except that there is no con­ cided that they had to try to stem continually bug us and say, you've you were telling the truth. But struction company that can make the downturn by pumping money got to get ahead, you've got to get a what would they think of you? money off them, so they're not into the economy. skill, you've got to get a college They would consider you a poten­ hiring. Then they gave us the $100-to­ degree in order to get a good job. tial troublemaker, or a subversive. So the unemployed are collecting $200 tax rebate. The purpose of the By "get ahead" they mean get Everyone knows this is the truth. unemployment insurance, and the rebate was very simple: to create ahead of other people. people who are working are paying demand. Don't you remember how All we do is fight with each other Everyone knows you have to lie. taxes to keep paying unemploy­ they told us to spend it, spend it? and compete with each other trying And you don't just have to lie when ment insurance to people who could They claimed this would help lead to get the best job. you get a job. You have to keep be working and producing wealth, to a recovery, which would effec­ This question of a job is a really right on lying. Because you have to but since no rich person can make tively lower unemployment. But interesting subject. We are taught act as if you believe there is some any money off them, they can't the jobless rate remains above 8 to accept that our role is simply to sort of rational reason for the work. percent. prepare for getting a job. Think existence of General Motors-t or Before I explain how socialists But the problem the capitalists about the weird things you do Chrysler, and the rest of them. would deal with this problem, let's are having, and the reason they are when you go to get a job. You get When you get a job, there is no look at what the capitalists' ap­ beginning to get a little panicky, is up in the morning and put on democracy. You don't have a say. proach is. that now they are starting to get special clothes. Not the clothes you There are· people on the top, and The way the Democrats and inflation and unemployment at the feel comfortable in, but special you come in on the bottom. They Republicans operate is never to same time. How can they fight in­ clothes. · introduce you to your supervisor, question the profit motive. Accord­ flation with unemployment, and Then you go for an interview. who tells you what to do. He is ing to them, we produce for profit, unemployment with inflation, And they ask, "Are you going to appointed by another supervisor period. They follow what they call when we get inflation and unem­ work at McDonalds just for the who is appointed by another super­ the Phillips Curve, where they ployment at the same time? Their summer?" And you say, "Oh, no, I visor, and it goes all the way up to make a correlation between the entire Phillips Curve is moving up­ want to work here for twenty the board of directors and the chief rate of inflation and the rate of wards. years." stockholders. They are not appoint­ unemployment. You have all heard the famous Or they ask, "Why did you pick ed; they are born. If we get too much inflation, they statement that socialism is beauti­ Chrysler to apply for a job." So you You come in at what they call an try to slow down the economy. ful on paper but it won't work in say, "Well, I'm looking for a "opening." You pick up the news­ They literally try to create unem­ real life. Well, capitalism doesn't corporation with a future" -you paper and look in the want ads, ployment. They raise interest rates. even work on paper. make up something like that. You and there they list the "openings." They make it harder to start probably worked on the answer the Or in sehool Yllll go to counselors bui,ldings. Construction workers Crisis of 'Overproduction' night before. who tell you what to major in, and other workers get laid off. If What solution do the capitalists They know you are lying. The depending on the "openings." they're laid off they don't have have? Every single advanced in­ people who interview you lied when What is an opening? An opening money to buy things. Demand dustrial country is having inflation they got their jobs, too. is where a corporation can make begins to go down. The capitalists and unemployment at the same Can you imagine what would more money out of you than what cannot sell their goods, so they stop time. The reason for it is simple.

19 (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW/PAGE 10)

Capitalism needs an expanding eight million children who live on have been living it up. The truth is afford to provide jobs for all of us? market just to stand still. And the the border of starvation. The poor­ the opposite. One of the reasons What the Socialist Workers party markets the United States was able est people in this country. New York has such a deficit is be­ would do is to make a job a right. to gain from the Second World War They give us propaganda articles cause of the poverty and unemploy­ Medical care should be a right. Ed­ are now saturated. Capitalism has about all the money we spend for ment of the majority of the people ucation should be a right. A secure entered a crisis that the economists welfare and Medicaid. But the poor who live there, many of whom are retirement should be a right. We call "overproduction." This does never get a penny from Medicaid. Blacks and Puerto Ricans. Look at would reorganize our economy so not mean that they produce too It is the doctors and the drug com­ Bedford-Stuyvesant, Harlem, or the that it was run de'lllocratically­ much for human needs, but that panies who get all the money from Lower East Side. These are among working people would decide what they can't sell what they produce. Medicaid. the poorest people in this country, is produced. How do they explain the crisis? living in horrible slums. Unemploy­ They blame the Japanese because The Big Show ment in the city is 12 percent. It is Capitalism is Killing Us they produce radios and cars. They Now let's look at what is happen­ racist oppression that has con­ Not only do we need a say over blame the Italians because they ing in New York City. Every few demned these people to greater un­ what is produced so that we can all produce shoes. Isn't it terrible that nights on the television news we employment and lower wages. have a job, but also so that we other countries are producing more, hear, "Will New York City default Now let's look more closely at the don't simply kill ourselves. Because they say. What a system we have! or won't it? Tune in tomorrow and actual budget of New York City. their system is killing us. It is esti­ The more the world produces, the find out." And we have Mayor Out of the total budget of a little mated that in New York City in ten worse the economic problems get! years-from 1963 to 1972-108,000 Now let's look at the "solutions" people died from pollution. And the ruling class proposes and what that is an underestimation. For ex­ they are doing right now in view of ample, cancer is now rising very the crisis. rapidly because the air we breathe One place to begin is with the is being destroyed. federal budget. The first thing to They have destroyed the rivers in note is that the largest item in the this country. They are destroying budget is war spending. They are the oceans. Right now they are go­ spending $100 billion on the mili­ ing back to strip mining. And they tary. They are spending more on are even cutting back what pollu­ war now than when we were in tion controls we had because their Vietnam. drive for profits is so overwhel­ You know why this is. If we want ming. peace, we are told, they have to When the capitalists can't make have a big war budget. That's how a profit, they turn off the machines we supposedly get peace. and they turn us off like we were The next-largest thing in the bud­ part of the machines. If General get this year (not counting transfer Motors can't make enough money, funds like Social Security, which they just lay off 10,000 people, as if you pay and then get back when they were turning off a machine. you retire) amounts to $36 billion. Socialists have a different con­ No one knows about this. This is cept. We say that since working the least-talked-about budget item people produce all the wealth, we in the United States. If you look up should have a say over the ma­ the budget in the almanac, you will chines. We shouldn't have to be find it listed under the word "inter­ slaves to the machines and their est." owners. What was 1776 all about? We Welfare for the Rich said to King George: "Just because This is $36 billion in welfare for you were born king doesn't mean the rich. $36 billion in taxes collect­ Jose Perez that' you can make the decisions. N.ew York teachers protest discriminatory layoffs. Racism is part of profit ed from everybody, which is just We want some decision-making given to the rich. This is interest system in America, and every economic downturn hits Blacks, Puerto Ricans, and Chicanos the hardest. power over our lives." payments on bonds. The richest 2 The people who are now running percent in this country own 90 per­ this country got their power by cent of all bonds. Beame saying, "This city is being more than $11 billion, one of the birth. What we need is a second All you hear about is that our tax sold out." And Ford is saying, largest items is $2 billion in "debt Declaration of Independence in money is going for welfare to the "New Yorkers have to put their service" to the rich. This includes which we say: "We are going to run poor. The articles every day in the house in order and balance their tax-free interest on city bonds. this country since 1) we happen to newspapers about how our taxes go budget.... " All the politicians In all the talk about the New be the majority of the people who for welfare never tell us about the and bankers have been putting on York budget, one big fact is rarely live in it, and 2) we are the people welfare for the rich. The way they a big show. mentioned. That is that New York­ who produce all the wealth that always put it is this: The hard­ Meanwhile, what they are doing ers pay $22 billion a year to the you have." working American is getting sick in New York is destroying the city. federal government. Of this, more and tired of paying for all these They are shutting down schools, than $6 billion goes tll the military The Scapegoats welfare chiselers who are too lazy shutting down hospitals, laying off budget. The problems we face are not just to work. sanitation workers, laying off fire In addition to this, New Yorkers economic. Deep social problems ex­ How many poor people are on fighters, applying discriminatory pay another $2 billion out of these ist, such as racism and the oppres­ welfare in this country? Twelve layoffs against Black and Puerto federal taxes in interest payments sion of women. These problems are million. About 5 percent of the pop­ Rican teachers, closing down child­ to the rich on the federal debt. interconnected with the economic ulation. This is an enormous num­ care centers, and cutting back on So the citizens of New York City crisis, which exacerbates race and ber. But eight million of these every single social program. They are paying more than $6 billion a sex discrimination as well as in­ twelve million are children.- Five-, have just raised the bus and sub­ year for bombs and weapons, as creasing pollution and other prob­ six-, seven-year-olds who "refuse to V\'ay fares from thirty-five cents to well as $4 billion a year to the weal­ lems, including the danger of war. work." The others are primarily fifty cents. And they are proposing thy. And then they try to tell us The connection between these ec­ elderly people, or the mothers of to raise the sales tax up to ten cents there is no money for jobs, schools, onomic and social problems is ref­ these children, who have no other on the dollar. Already, four cents hospitals, or day-care centers. lected in the methods by which the way to take care of them. goes directly to the banks through What the Socialist Workers party Democrats and Republicans at­ And how much money do these Big Mac. proposes is complete elimination of tempt to divert our attention away people get? They get $9.5 billion. Actually, the crisis in New York the military budget and turning from the real problems and toward And this .includes not only federal is not primarily a "New York" cri­ that money over to solving the scapegoats. government welfare payments, but sis, but an acute instance of the problems of the cities. This would National chauvinism is one im­ city, state, and federal all com­ growing crisis of American capital­ easily enable us to rehire all the portant aspect of their campaign to bined. This averages out to be no ism. The campaign by the politi­ workers that have been fired in "explain" the present crisis. We are more than $67 a month per person. cians and bankers to "avoid de­ New York, to restore the cuts in told that our problems are being They are really living it up, aren't fault" in New York through education and medical care, and caused by foreigners; that we they? massive layoffs and cutbacks is an start building some ·decent homes should blame foreigners. An average worker in this coun­ opening battle. What the capital­ for people living in slums. Take the example of the wheat try pays forty cents a working day ists are aiming for is to apply these And in regard to the interest pay­ deals with the Soviet Union. The in taxes to provide welfare pay­ policies of cutbacks and speedup ments, what I would propose is United States produces three times ments. We pay more than two dol­ nationally, in order to make all that anyone with an income of the amount of wheat consumed in lars a day in taxes that goes for working people bear the burden of more than, say, $30,000 a year sim­ this country. So the big wheat capi­ welfare for the rich (this includes the cns1s of the national ply shouldn't get any more interest talists sell it to the Russians and state and city taxes), and we pay economy-both in layoffs and cut­ payments. That's all. make a huge pile of money. Then nearly five dollars a day in taxes backs of social services-while This nation has 6 percent of the they tell us that because they sold for the war budget. keeping profits high. population of the world, and pro­ it to the Russians and made a lot of But what do the capitalists pro­ To cover this up, they put for­ duces one-third of the wealth of the money, now you are going to have pose to cut? The forty cents to the ward a big myth: New Yorkers world-and they tell us we can't to pay higher prices for a loaf of

20 (PAGE 11/INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW)

bread. They have the American ty's ruling was designed to keep explain their foreign policy in these tors in the world than any other people hating the ;Russians because Black children in the inferior terms: The United States is for free­ country. They don't oppose the So­ the Russians supposedly drove up schools and white children in the dom and democracy. We're fighting viet Union because a dictatorship the price of bread. So while agri­ better schools. So the issue is not communist totalitarianism, which ' exists there. They don't oppose Chi­ business makes millions extra from whether busing should be used, but is trying to conquer the world. na because the people there don't us by raising the price of bread, whether Black people are going to They try to whip up an anticom­ have democratic rights. What they and millions from the Russians, be allowed an equal education or munist crusade. don't like about China and the So­ they have us blaming the Rus­ not. Remember how they gave theca­ viet Union and Cuba is not the lack sians. The issue is racism; and Ford sualty reports on the radio and TV of democratic rights, but the fact Or take unemployment. What and the Democrats will not protect during the Vietnam War? "Last that Rockefeller and others are not creates unemployment? "Illegal ali­ these Black students. week 22 Americans were killed, but free to invest there they way they ens," they say. Think about those The policy of the Democrats and before they went down they took would like to. words. "Illegal." That means some Republicans who run this country 1,889 communists with them." On The Socialist Workers party's at­ sort of criminal. "Aliens" suggests is nothing but hypocrisy. They are one side they would give the figures titude toward the Soviet Union and something like Martians. Who are racists through and through, and according to nationality, but on the China is similar to our attitude they talking about? Everybody in yet they put on a big act claiming other side they would give it ac­ toward trade unions. We think the this country is a foreigner except that they are for equality, while cording to ideology. Why was this? Russian revolution, the Chinese re­ the Native Americans. they give backhanded support to If you read history books on volution, and the Cuban revolution By "illegal aliens" they mean were tremendous steps forward for mainly Mexicans. First the United those peoples. But in many of those States conquers a big part of Mexi­ countries a bureaucracy has taken co, and then they tell Mexicans over. they are "aliens," in their own What needs to be done is not to land. get rid of what is positive-the But despite all the talk about the planned economy, which has made need to crack down on "illegals," the Soviet Union the second indus­ the government does not seriously trial power in the world and has try to deport them at all. That is lifted the Chinese people out of just a show for you and me. The their previous condition of misery employers want to bring Mexicans and periodic famine. What is across ihe border to superexploit needed is to institute real democra­ them. They make them work for cy, democracy of the working peo­ less than the minimum wage. The ple. bo;oses know that many won't dare It is similar with the trade un­ to complain because they have no ions. I am for the trade unions, but legal status and can he thrown I'm against the bun:;aucracy that is back to Mexico where there is running the uni(ms. I'm for getting massivP unemployment. So the the unions back under the control capitalists bring tlwm across the of the working people. The fact that border and then use them as a unions were built was an enormous scapegoat to g,et us to blame some­ step forward. So I am for the econ­ one else for the problem of unem­ omic system in the Soviet Union, in Camejo campaigning in front of Scullin steel plant in St. Louis ployment. The trade-union bureau­ China, and in Cuba, but I am crats join in this campaign to tun~ against any bureaucracy that de­ one worker against another. the racist mobs. wars, they don't give the casualty nies those people their rights and And the capitalist-controlled me­ figures this way. that doesn't reflect the real inter­ Code Word: 'Antibusing' dia cooperate. The newspapers try Think how it would sound if they ests of those people. Another form that scapegoating. to portray it as if the racist mobs had given us a full ideological run­ I am often asked when I speak on takes is racism. A new racist cam­ represent all whites in this country. down-"Last week in Vietnam radio or TV: "Name a country that paign is on the rise. They don't represent whites. The there were twenty-two communists, is the way you want it to be." I For the past ten years, before this majority of white people are for fifteen socialists, fifteen fascists, answer that there is no country like economic crisis broke out, we did integration, even though they are five conservatives, six liberals, and that. It doesn't exist yet. not see any mobs of 1,000 whites confused on this busing question ten middle-of-the-roaders killed; In Czechoslovakia during the re­ yelling "Kill niggers." All of a sud­ because of all the propaganda. and five existentialists were miss­ volutionary movement of 1968, the den racist mob violence reap­ Last November, 6,000 students ing." But if they gave the figures in people had the right of freedom of peared, under the codeword "anti­ from New York marched on Wash­ terms of nationality, they would speech, theY, had a planned econo­ busing." ington to protest the cutbacks and have had to tell us that so many my, there were no capitalists there, "Forced" busing, they call it. Did demand federal money for educa­ Americans killed so many Vietna­ no rich. That country was moving you ever hear anyone refer to stop· tion. Not one daily newspaper in mese in Vietnam. This way of re­ in the direction that I am for. They signs as "forced" stops? Any law the country featured that news, to porting would have helped the Am­ were moving toward socialism; implies force. So if there is a law my knowledge. But three weeks be­ erican people realize that we were that is why Moscow crushed it. saying that schoolchildren have to fore, about 2,500 racists came to the foreigners killing people in But this is the same question be integrated, of course it is forced. Washington from Lousiville to pro­ their own country. that Sam Adams was asked in Forced desegregation. The phrase test busing, and that was front­ The way the politicians tell it, we 1776. They asked Sam Adams, "forced busing" is used to play a page news in newspapers through­ Americans don't kill people of other "You say you want to set up a trick on people's minds. out the country. countries,, we only kill "commun­ republic. Point to a republic." There Let's look at the real situation in As in every economic crisis, the ists." Think back to when the Unit­ was no republic in the entire world. Boston. Columbia Point housing first to suffer are Blacks, Chicanos, ed States invaded Santo Domingo They would tell him, "You want project in Boston is all Black. For Puerto Ricans, and women. In 1970 in 1965. Did we kill any Domini­ to try a revolution to set up a par­ these Black children from Colum­ Blacks were earning 61 percent of cans? No. They looked like Domini­ liamentary democracy, but they bia Point, their "neighborhood the income whites were making, cans. But they were all "commun­ tried that in England in their school" is South Boston High and now it is down to 56 percent. ists." The reason they looked like revolution of the 1640s and did it School. Many of the children you Dominicans, I suppose, is that the work? No, they ended up right back have seen on the TV screens facing commies are so tricky they manage with a king." the stoning and violence when 'Free World' versus to have their agents born in the Adams kept answering, "I don't schools opened last fall and the fall 'Communists' country they are going to "take care what happened in England. before were trying to attend their I want to go into one last exam­ over." I'm telling you a republic is what neighborhood school! ple of scapegoatism, and that is the The United States has troops on we need." The only reason these children international "anticommunist" every continent of the world pro­ And with all its failings and all were in buses at all was for protec­ campaign that the Democrats and tecting people, especially from the its weaknesses, the revolution of tion; they could walk! Republicans try to whip up. Let's danger that they might invade 1776 was progress. It set an exam­ Before "busing," the children look at the example of Vietnam to themselves. Because we are the ple that helped spark the French . from Columbia Point used to be see how this works. "free world." That is why we went revolution. After the French revolu­ bused to an all-Black school, be­ After Lyndon Baines Johnson down to Chile and helped over­ tion the same thing happened as in yond their neighborhood school. started bombing and sending Am­ throw the Allende government and England. The revolution went for­ The very best high school in Bos­ erican troops into Vietnam, we so­ put in General Pinochet. Now de­ ward and wiped out feudalism, but ton, by the way, is right in the cialists, along with others, began mocracy is safe there. then the historical process went Black community. It is called Bos­ as a tiny minority campaigning Or what about Spain? The ruling somewhat backward to reinstitute ton Technical High. That school against that war. Slowly an anti­ Democrats and Republicans have a king. That didn't mean that the used to be almost all white. How do war movement grew up and was never complained over forty years French revolution was not prog­ you think the white children got to able to win a majority by moblizing of totalitarian rule there. This fall ressive. Our position should be to this school in the middle of the millions of people in the streets and they gave the Spanish government keep all the progressive things that Black community before "busing"? changing the attitudes of the Amer­ $750 million to help them maintain came out of the French revolution. They used to be bused. ican people. what they have now-fascism. That is what we socialists want In other words, Boston has al­ The Democrats and Republicans The United States government to do in this country. We want to ways had a busing system. The used a gimmick on us then, which doesn't care about totalitarianism. keep all the progressive things that busing system before Judge Garri- they still use today. They try to Washington supports more dicta- came out of the American Revolu-

21 (INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW/PAGE 12)

tion; we want to keep the Bill of without using the word socialism, strikes and protests against the tion of such a party would be an Rights, and we also want to keep the majority of the American peo­ cutbacks. immense step forward and a step the bill of rights that came out of ple supported these concepts. toward our goal of building a mass the Civil War, the second American If the American people could be party of socialist workers. revolution-that is, the Thirteenth, won away from the capitalists' so­ Who Can Represent We are at the beginning of an Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amend­ lutions on the question of the Viet­ Working People enormous historical change in this ments to the Constitution. nam War, which was happening As working people are forced to country. After the rise of the civil Today the conflict between the 10,000 miles away, then we can win organize and to struggle against rights movement, the women's needs of the American people and them on the economic and social the present attacks on their stand­ movement, and the antiwar move­ the needs of the small elite that is problems that are happening right ard of living, against the racism ment, and now with the economic running this country is going to here. But we have to create that and sexism that are part of the crisis, we are going to see the rise drive this country toward a third mass movement that will fight for economic crisis, and against new of a socialist movement, a new so­ American revolution. the needs of the working class and wars such as in Angola, many peo­ cialist wave that can sweep this The masses of Americans ·are al­ provide a credible alternative to the ple will begin to draw new political country, winning the support of the ready far along in their thinking in masses of people. And that is what conclusions. They will be able to overwhelming majority of the Am­ terms of wanting social change in we are trying to do in the Socialist see more clearly that the Democrat­ erican people. this country. What does not exist Workers party. ic and Republican parties do not I have explained what our cam­ yet is any mass party that can pose No basic change-whether it was represent working people. They will paign is about, and if you agree an alternative to the capitalist poli­ the ending of Jim Crow, or the win­ begin to see the need to organize with us you should join the Social­ ticians. People are more and more ning of the right to vote for women, politically on a mass scale. ist Workers party. If you don't com­ turning their backs on the Demo­ or the building of unions, or stop­ Today more people can recognize pletely agree yet, start working crats and Republicans. In 1974, 62 ping the war in Vietnam-was won that the problems we face-from with us. And if you don't agree but percent of the people refused to vote by electing Democrats or Republi­ unemployment, to antilabor laws, are active in any of the struggles at all. In a Harris poll released last cans. They were won only by mass to pollution, to racial segregation, that are going on today, we extend July, people were asked whether campaigns independent of the to the New York City crisis-re­ our hand to you and want to work they had confidence in the federal Democratic and Republican par­ quire governmental solutions. That with you. What we would like to do government. Only 13 percent said ties. is, these issues are political, and is help build every struggle for so­ yes. A Hart poll from last Septem­ The Socialist Workers party pre­ cannot be resolved simply at the cial justice that is developing. We ber asked people if they would fa­ sidential campaign is very differ­ factory level or within one indus­ are convinced that out of those vor the working people running ent from the campaigns of all the try. What is needed is a new mass struggles will come the hundreds of and owning the factories them­ other candidates. Our campaign party of the labor movement, based thousands and millions of people selves, and 66 percent said they committees are active every day in on the trade unions, that could pro­ who, after learning from experience would prefer this. Only 20 percent support of the Equal Rights vide a political voice and fighting the nature of capitalist society, will said they preferred the system we Amendment, in support of the instrument for the needs of work­ become fighters for socialism. have now. United Farm Workers, in support ing people. That is, when this poll put for­ of the National Student Coalition Even if socialists were only a ward basically socialist concepts Against Racism, and in support of small minority at first, the forma-

the cutbacks and the racist attacks _ Enclosed is my contribution of on school desegregation and bus­ Support the ing. They are campaigning in (Funds are urgently needed.) support of the Equal Rights · Name ______Amendment and the United Farm Workers, in defense of political Address ______Socialist prisoners like Delbert Tibbs and City J.B. Johnson, and for an immedi­ ate end to all U.S. involvement in State ____ Zip ______Workers Angola. Phone Join with other supporters of the Camejo-Reid ca,mpaign in the fight Occupation Campaign! for a decent society. Check off Business Address below how you want to become Send to: Socialist Workers 1976 Peter Camejo and Willie Mae involved in the Camejo-Reid cam­ National Campaign Committee, 14 Reid, the Socialist Workers party paign. Charles Lane, New York, N.Y. candidates for president and vice­ __ I want to join the SWP. 10014. president propose a Bill of Rights __ Send more information, in­ Committee Officers: Chairpersons: Fred Hal· for Working People aimed at pro­ cluding a copy of the campaign stead, Ed Heisler. Linda Jenness, Andrew tecting us from unemployment and platform, "A Bill of Rights for Pulley-Treasurer: Andrea Morell. A copy of our report is filed with the Federal Election Debby Woodroofe Working People." inflation, wars, racism, and the Commission and is available for purchase oppression of women. Willie Mae Reid, SWP vice­ __ I want to help set up a meet­ from the Federal Election Commission. They are campaigning against presidential candidate. ing for a campaign speaker. Washington, D.C.

approve soldier membership. Union tions. prisoner in Turkey. I am sentenced to President Clyde Webber spoke posi­ Though Trotsky's .ideas on art are lifelong imprisonment. Two years ago tively of "the mutual benefits of particularly broad and open, one our jail sentences were reduced and bringing military personnel into would never get that impression from as a result mine was reduced to AFGE" in testimony before the De­ the caption accompanying the Ren­ twenty-four years. At the moment, in fense Manpower Commission on oir painting reproduced with the this prison there are forty-one politi­ August 18, 1975. Recent legislation article. The caption quotes the cal prisoners and two of us are Editors: The January issue of the has linked federal civilian and military journalist of the story protesting that women. International Socialist Review con­ pay increases, and AFGE has sought " ... the peasant will not understand I have heard about your magazine tained a comment I wrote in response to mobilize soldiers iri 1974 and 1975 this [impressionist] art!" The jour­ International Socialist Review. From to the 1976 resolution of the Socialist to pressure Congress for a full cost­ nalist is not attempting to justify time to time we are able to read some Workers party. The article contained of-living pay increase. According to censorship of impressionism but is excerpts from it in Turkish weeklies. a mistake. Webber, soldiers reacted positively to instead attempting to put the paint­ But this is not enough for us. We need The sentence reading "That there these efforts. erly mode used in a historical to learn more about the world Marxist will be no serious attempts to union­ If the organizing drive is approved, context. Unfortunately, art in the movements and especially about the ize the military in the near future is it will be a real battle to win union deformed bureaucratic states had world communist parties. Here in almost certain" is incorrect. Thus far, recognition. To even begin organiz­ descended to such narrow-minded prison it is rather difficult to get three major unions have expressed an ing, the union will have to overcome depths that an inexperienced reader detailed information on these sub­ interest in organizing the military, the many restrictive, anti-free-speech might assume that this was Trotsky's jects by means of the daily newspa­ most serious bid to date coming from policies aimed at dissident soldiers. voice chiming in with the regular pers, so we hope that you could help the American Federation of Govern­ A Gl Stalinist, philistine, horror-show us by sending your issues regularly. ment Employees. Fort Sill, Oklahoma chorus. A prisoner AFGE, the nation's largest federal My point in brief: A better quote Turkey employee union, already represents Editors: My comment is about the could have been used. 650,000 workers, including more than January International Socialist Re­ Otherwise, thanks for keeping 390,000 Department of Defense em­ view's story by Leon Trotsky, "A New Truth in the mails. This column is open tu all viewpoints ployees. Final approval or disappro­ Year's Discussion on Art." As one Albert Cassorla on subjects of Interest to our readers_ val for the organizing of soldiers will who fancies himself a poet, I particu­ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Please keep your letters brief. Where take place at the AFGE convention in larly liked the picture of a future necessary they will be abridged. Please August 1976. socialist society embedded, rather Editors: First of all I think I should indicate if your name may be used or if It seems likely that the union will than merely adorned, by artistic crea- introduce myself. I am a political you prefer initials instead.

22 Continued from page 10 National Picket Line your failure to draw a revolutionary conclusion. The conclusion that was reached was that "no political support ought to Frank Lovell be given to any" of the three groups fighting in Angola. This is a clear case of abstention, or what Trotsky saw as Shanker's divisive game being a characteristic of Teachers in New York have been harder hit than City are already facing these disasters daily ...." "sectarianism." Is the SWP, the well­ most by the drastic nationwide cut in funds for Under these circumstances it would seem reasonable known polemicist against . education. if Shanker and other officials of New York State sectarianism, itself taking a sectarian In general, where teachers unions-both the Nation­ United Teachers (NYSUT) tried to mobilize their position? al Education Association and the American Federa­ 217,000 members to unseat the Republicans and Does the question have to be one of political support or of no support tion of Teachers-have conducted determined strikes, Democrats who are undermining public schools and whatsoever? Are the three groups in school boards and local governments have been forced attacking teachers. fact equally unsupportable as you have to slow down their attacks. In some cases teachers It would seem reasonable if the teacher leaders took stated? My answer is no to both of have won temporary victories, gained new allies the lead in organizing a political party of working these questions. among parent organizations, student groups, and the people to dislodge the two parties of the bankers and There is an alternative to "political" union movement, and are in a better position than industrialists. support. It was used by the SWP before to campaign for school improvement and more It would seem reasonable if they demanded of the during the Second World War; this is teacher jobs. Not so in New York. federal government that the $100 billion annual the concept of "military" support. In New York City the United Federation of Teachers military budget be used for schools and other useful While not politically supporting the conducted a five-day strike soon after schools opened purposes. USSR's Stalinism, the SWP called for last fall. The strike ended on the promise of a contract Such an effort, of course, would seek support from the "military" defense of the USSR. that granted nothing beyond the dictates of the school Black and other minority communities, parent associa­ Why not extend this concept to the board and was then promptly discarded by the board tions, all teacher unions, and the entire labor move­ MPLA? and the city administration. This settlement was ment. But all this is alien to Shanker and other self­ Your article stated: "The workers accepted on the recommendation of UFT President serving bureaucrats of his kind. and their allies need to break from Albert Shanker, who is also president of the AFT each of these groups and form a party nationally. of their own based on a revolutionary He is more worried about holding organizational · Meantime, Shanker and others in the New York City working-class program." and political control of New York teachers than trying If this program is one of "permanent unions continue their political support to New York's to build a broad movement in defense of public revolution," I surely agree with this Democratic Mayor Abraham Beame and Gov. Hugh education and teacher rights. His present number one statement. However, if the MPLA is Carey. They hope for favors from these politicians that project is a move to pull NYSUT out of the National allowed to be smashed, there will be will benefit teachers, the school system, and other city Education Association and retain all 760 NYSUT little chance of building a Trotskyist workers. It hasn't happened. locals as AFT and AFL-CIO affiliates. In this way, party of "permanent revolution" in Shanker reported on January 11 that "New York Shanker hopes to keep for his own purposes the $5 Angola. teachers have had the roughest year in their history. million yearly dues that NYSUT currently pays to the Rodney D. Estvan There have been more st:rikes than ever, with huge NEA. Chicago, Illinois fines and penalties. Large numbers of teachers have Most likely the vote on NEA disaffiliation, conduct­ been thrown in jail for striking. Teacher unemploy­ ed by the Shanker-controlled executive board of ment and layoffs are high. School districts across the NYSUT, will split that organization. state are faced with default, and politicians are The AFT has 450,000 members nationally; the NEA Two points proposing a statewide wage freeze. There are proposals has 1. 7 million. They represent a two-million-member Here is four dollars to continue my to reduce state aid to education in· the current force that can defend public education and teachers, subscription for another six months. I legislative session. If this should happen, more than but only if they break their ties with the Democratic find information in the Militant I can't 15,000 teachers outside of New York City would face and Republican parties in the course of their struggles find elsewhere, but I have two layoffs next September. Class sizes would soar, school for survival. Shanker's game is to block any such criticisms. conditions further deteriorate. Teachers in New York development at all costs. First, every article, after presenting the facts and differing opinions and posing the question of what is to be done, gives the same answer-a workers party, whose elected officials By Any Means Necessary will truly represent working people. For those of us who have no faith in the electoral system and see it as inherently corrupting, it ruins a good Baxter Smith· paper to read your line all the time. I know what the Socialist Workers party position is, and as a dissenter to that position I would still like to get news On getting into Angola unbiased by a "line." This week Black journalists denude the fears and hastily."-Ethel.Payne, in a column in the January 17 My second criticism is simply that fancies of the racist mind. FlfJrida Courier. you do not cover gay oppression and "A vision": "I fell into a deep sleep and a vision "Angolan brides": "Think for a minute what the legal/political struggles (since I have came to me. . . . parents of a GI from Muskego will say when their son, been reading the paper). Most gays are "First thing they did was called a campfire meeting Johnny, writes and tells them he is bringing home a workers and are doubly oppressed by to decide on a name to call the enemy; something like bride from Angola. heterosexist prejudice (or triply, if they 'jap, kraut, gook, chink, injun, spic, guinea, etc.' One " 'Is she Portuguese?' the parents would hopefully are women). young white soldier thought that he had it. 'How about ask. Please take these criticisms in the nigger,' he said. The majority voted against it after " 'Well, yes,' the son would answer, 'only she has constructive sense in which they are they saw the trouble it caused when one Black soldier never lived in Portugal.' intended. in the group was thrown in the stockade, charged with " 'Is her father a government official or in busi- Betsy Firestar kicking the young soldier's teeth in. So they all decided ness?' Los Angeles, California to stick with 'golas."'-Ray Jenkins, writing in the " 'Well, sort of.' January 3 Carolina Times. " 'What do you mean sort of?' "Primitive": "A tremendous number of words have " 'You ·see, Dad, her father was the chief in the Another point been written and spoken in recent weeks about the village up in the jungle near where our unit was Please send me a one-year tragic civil war in Angola. Some 'experts' have even stationed.' "-Edward Blackwell in the January 5 subscription. The reason I want it is said that a war was inevitable after the Portuguese Milwaukee Journal. that I think you have a reasonable pulled out because of the 'primitive' nature of the "Black-white relations": "Well, we have a report view of the world, but I do wish you natives. . . . from Sen. Joseph Bidden, D-Del., on the closed-door would cover women's issues more "As for the allegation that the people of Angola are briefing. Here is what he told the press: 'The State thoroughly. somehow primitive because they are engaged in a civil Department and the CIA have been urging us not to R.O. war, anyone making this charge apparently forgets cut off economic and military aid to Angola. They Madison, Ohio that this country fought a bloody four-year civil war believe a Soviet-dominated government in Angola that left over one million persons dead, more than in would exacerbate black-white relations... .' any other war in the nation's history."-January 6 The letters column is an open editorial in the Philadelphia Tribune. "It is not necessary to dwell at length on the forum for all viewpoints on sub­ "Neglect": "After years of neglect so benign that it barbarity of South African society which is governed jects of general interest to our amounted to no poljcy, here we have President Gerald by those who publicly vow to fight to the death to readers. Please keep your letters Ford making a major address to an audience of maintaintotal white supremacy.... brief. Where necessary they will farmers who hardly know where Angola is on the map "The Union of South Africa has troops in Angola. be abridged. Please indicate if and calling for its right to self government without They are fighting against penetration by the Soviets your ,name may be used or if you outside interference. Meanwhile, the lights are burning and the rationale for their action is clear. They too fear prefer that your initials be used far into the night in the Bureau of African Affairs at that a Soviet dominated government in Angola might instead. the State Department and Henry Kissinger is hurried­ threaten the 'black-white situation' in South Africa."­ ly adjusting his schedule to hold talks with African Louis Martin, in a column in the December 27 Florida diplomats whose names he has had to learn Courier, entitled "A snake raises its head in Angola."

THE MILITANT/FEBRUARY 6, 1976 23 Women in Revolt Cindy Jaquith Fasten your chastity belts Fasten your chastity belts-the pope has just of its own finality and to those of human dignity. society based on private profit. Instead of organiz­ blessed us with another declaration on sexual These requirements call for a conjugal contract ing society so that the needs of human beings are morality. This time it's called the "Declaration on sanctioned and guaranteed by society." met as the social responsibility of all, the crushing Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics." Translated into terms we mortals can understand, burden of feeding, clothing, and caring for people is "In the present period, the corruption of morals sex is supposed to end in procreation, not pleasure. thrust upon individual family units. has increased, and one of the most serious indica­ It's outrageous enough that the Catholic church Women are set in the role of bearing and raising tions of this corrpution is the unbridled exaltation should tell us how to run our private lives, but even children, whether they want to have children or not. of sex," warns the document. more disgusting to do so in the name of "morality" Sexual repression is aimed especially at women, So serious, in fact, that it is "infecting the general and "human dignity." For if there is any institution instilling in them a sense of guilt and fear toward mentality." This infection has reached epidemic in capitalist society that has helped destroy human their own sexuality. proportions, the declaration asserts, with respect to dignity through repressive sexual codes, it is the But the impact of the women's liberation move­ three practices: premarital sex, homosexuality, and Catholic church. The church has taught that sex is ment and the struggle for gay liberation has shaken masturbation. dirty, that abortion and birth control are sinful, and up medieval myths and taboos about sex and the These are contrary to morality-as the pope sees that men by nature are dominant and women family. Today, traditional "morality" is undergoing fit to dictate it-because "every genital act must be passive. To violate these codes, the high priests say, a profound questioning in every layer of society, within the framework of marriage." Therefore, is to violate the sanctity of that God-given institu­ including among Catholics. masturbation is "a grave moral disorder," while tion, the family. This questioning ultimately points to the real homosexuality is "a serious depravity." The reactionary ideology of the church has been source of depravity and corruption in this society, As for premarital sex, the document says, used for centuries to help reinforce the family the profit system. Only when society is transformed "Experience teaches us that love must find its system, portraying it as the institution that "safe­ into a socialist system will human relationships be safeguard in the stability of marriage if sexual guards love." But in reality, the roots of the nuclear able to develop free of the distortions and repres­ intercourse is truly to respond to the requirements family lie in the economic needs of class society, a sions of capitalism. iLa Raza en Acci6n! Miguel Pendas New plot by California growers LOS ANGELES-California's growers are trying grower fraud, intimidation, and corruption, when Growers also demand that they not be liable for to cut down the state's new agricultural Labor given the chance to cast secret ballots, California back wages for failing to bargain in good faith. Relations Act. Funding for the farm labor law, farm workers have overwhelmingly chosen the Those are bad enough, but the real crippler is the which has given campesinos the right to hold union UFW to represent them. grower amendment that invokes the sacred right of representation elections for the first time, is due to Faced with the prospect of the elections going "private property" to deny union organizers access run out February 1. Without funding, the farm labor completely sour on them, rancheros are trying to to the fields even during nonworking hours to talk board will no longer be able to conduct elections on prevent renewed funding of the farm labor board to the field hands and collect signatures on election the ranches. with a little help from their friends in the state petitions. The law went into effect last August 28 with only legislature. A proposal by Governor Brown for $3.8 The bipartisan attempt to cheat campesinos a $1.5 million appropriation. Soon after, a $1.2 million of temporary funding now before the illustrates once again that it is impossible for farm million loan had to be floated to conduct an legislature is in danger of not passing. A two-thirds workers to rely on either Democratic or Republican unexpected volume of balloting as tens of thou­ majority is needed for approval, and a coalition of politicians to assure even their most elementary sands of farm workers began demanding elections Republican and rural Democratic grower flunkies rights. Governor Brown has given the public to determine which union they wanted to represent says it has the necessary "nay" votes to block it. impression that he is opposed to any compromises them in contract negotiations with growers. A leader of the opposition, Sen. Clare Berryhill, a with growers to refund the labor board. But a At the time, growers went along with the Republican grape grower, says they might vote for Democratic leader of the opposition, Assemblyman legislation, engineered by Gov. Edmund Brown, the appropriation if a few amendments are made. John Thurman, has stated that in private discus­ thinking they had found a way to curtail strikes led One amendment would extend the waiting period sions the governor "gave us hope of discussing it by the United Farm Workers union. They thought between the time when the workers file for an further." the elections could be manipulated to bring official election and the voting from one week to three Farm worker supporters are organizing protest certification and respectability to the sweetheart weeks. In an industry as fluid as agriculture, a crop actions demanding, "Fund the board!" Mobilizing contracts they had signed with the Teamsters. can be harvested and all the workers gone in three the movement is the only way to prevent the hard­ But it didn't happen that way. Despite massive weeks. · won victories from going down the drain. Their Government Nancy Cole. Big Brother meets the press WASHINGTON-Having digested your morning Forty Committee of the U.S. National Security would broadcast attacks on Soviet leaders. newspaper, have you ever been left with the Council gave the go-ahead for one of the CIA's One peripheral problem for the disrupters is that unpleasant feeling that you were just the target of fabricated news operations. the U.S. news media-always hungry for anticom­ some not.so-subtle government propaganda? The CIA began shelling out money to news munist propaganda-often picked up the CIA lies. Well, you were probably right. According to services and radio stations. Within a month, This is welcomed gravy as long as it only affects testimony before congressional intelligence commit­ eighteen foreign journalists arrived in Santiago, all the thinking of the American public. But how are tees, the CIA maintains a worldwide news media directly or indirectly under control of the CIA. Mote top government officials to differentiate between network to carry out covert propaganda campaigns. than $1.5 million was funneled to the Santiago anti­ legitimate news items and CIA plants? This network is made up of journalist-agents, Allende newspaper El Mercurio during the CIA To solve this, the CIA set up a top-secret subsidized newspapers, radio stations, and interna­ campaign. coordinating committee with the State Department tional wire and news services. Another CIA operation involved intercepting and the U.S. Information Agency. The committee There are two varieties of the reporter-spy. Some newspapers sent out of China. Subscribers' copies of meets before each major covert slander campaign so use their journalist entree exclusively as a cover. the papers would be held by cooperating post offices that a few of the top "policy makers" will know They devote all their time to spying, without ever while CIA agents removed a story, replaced it with what is CIA fabrication and what is just plain old writing a word that sees the printed page. Others, their version, and reprinted the entire paper. After a distorted news. according to the House committee report, are substitution at the post office, the phony issue The CIA has a regulation barring propaganda "directed to insert agency-composed 'news' articles would be mailed around the world. operations that risk influencing American pubhc into foreign publications and wire services." In the 1early 1960s, the CIA used its resources to opinion. Denying that any of their actions violate One of the largest propaganda efforts was deepen the rift between China and the Soviet that rule, one former top CIA official mused, "We're directed at Chile'e Salvador Allende beginning in Union. Posing as Chinese radio stations, CIA­ preventing suppression of truth." 1970. Prior to Allende's election as president, the controlled stations in Taiwan and elsewh~re in Asia With truth like that, who needs lies?

24 More from FBI secret files Hoover's vendetta against Antioch College By Arnold Weissberg agents to "consider measures by which Not satisfied with Cointelpro plots cooperative news media may be used to against individual students and pro­ counteract these allegations" of police I I fessors, or against campus organiza­ ~~~\\\I I brutality. tions, the FBI targeted an entire Hundreds of FBI documents released college for a "disruption" plot. This earlier have revealed the government's and other new disclosures are con­ role in attempting to sabotage the tained in FBI documents recently antiwar movement. This latest batch made public by the Senate Select contains still more examples of FBI Committee on Intelligence. dirty tricks aimed at disrupting the The target was Antioch College in movement. Yellow Springs, Ohio. Student activists In 1965, the San Francisco FBI at Antioch had aroused the ire of the asked for and received authorization to FBI watchdogs in Cincinnati. distribute an article from the San The newly available documents tell Francisco Jewish Community Bulletin the story of the FBI war on Antioch. entitled "'Withdrawal Not the An­ They also provide details on FBI swer,' A Rabbi Writes from Vietnam." recruiting of campus informers, plot­ The scheme included mailing the ting of illegal break-ins, framing of article to all active members of the activists on marijuana charges, and Berkeley Vietnam Day Committee other activities designed to "disrupt "who have no other subversive organi­ and neutralize" movements protesting zational affiliations." government policies. The supersleuths hoped that the An FBI memo of June 1968 outlined article, which opposed the "unilateral some of the reasons for picking on withdrawal" of U.S. troops, might Antioch. The college was a "center for convince the recipients to change their New Left activity." minds about the war. The Cincinnati FBI office explained that such groups as the Socialist Workers party, the Young Socialist 'Black bag' jobs Alliance, Students for a Democratic Another memo documents illegal Society, and "Black Power" had adher­ break-ins, or "black bag" jobs, by ents on the campus. There was no the FBI. Marked "Do Not File,'' the charge that any of these groups had memo casually notes that the bureau engaged in any illegal activity. "In "do[es] not obtain authorization for . . . protest-type demonstrations of a 'black bag' jobs from outside.... national character, " the memo noted, Such a technique involves trespass "Antioch and Yellow Springs have and is clearly illegal; therefore, it been represented by numbers exceed­ officers, kidnapping and torture mur­ campus activities as exemplified by would be impossible to obtain any ing their enrollment and population." der are all part of the picture. These New Left adherents." legal sanction for it." The Cincinnati office recommended violence-oriented black and white sav­ Just what connection Screw, not to Because the "black bag" jobs were so that the FBI check on the "achieve­ ages are at war with the Government mention the short story, had with the valuable to the FBI, the memo said, ment" of thirty to forty radicals who and the American people." "New Left" was not explained. they were going to be continued. had left the school. If their level of Hoover decided to escalate this A similar episode occurred in 1968 Hoover, however, wrote at the bot­ achievement was "low," this informa­ "war" by setting up a vast network of when the San Antonio FBI office tom that "no more such techniques tion would be fed to a friendly reporter campus informers. He ordered FBI devised a plan to send a copy of a must be used." on a Cincinnati paper. offices around the country to "immedi­ newspaper article on communal living An FBI report to the Senate Intelli­ "Low achievement," to the FBI ately institute an aggressive policy of at the University of Texas to several gence Committee last September ad­ mind, meant discrediting the school. developing new productive informants state officials, along with an anony­ mitted that the FBI had carried out 238 The FBI wanted to put the Antioch who can infiltrate the ranks of terrorist mous cover letter. break-ins between 1942 and 1968. administration on the spot and force it organizations, their collectives, com­ Several were carried out after Hoover to "curtail the activities of those munes and staffs of their underground ostensibly ordered a halt to them. students . . . engaging in anti-social newspapers." 'Bleeding hearts' The documents released so far rep­ activity, protest demonstrations, and It is clear now that these campus Another group of documents indi­ resent only a tiny part of the total affiliation with subversive groups." spies infiltrated groups that had noth­ cates the FBI's concern with covering number the committee received from ing whatever to do with terrorism, up the truth about the brutal police the FBI. Moreover, the FBI holds still such as organizations that opposed the attacks on demonstrators at the 1968 more that it did not turn over. war in Vietnam, Black student groups, Democratic convention in Chicago. The major source of documentary Drug frame-ups and socialist organizations. In fact, we In a memo dated August 28, 1968, information about Cointelpro has been Of particular interest to many in the now know, where there was terrorism Hoover noted, "Once again, the liberal the suit against the FBI and other radical movement is a memo dated and violence-either against govern­ press and the bleeding hearts and the federal agencies by the Socialist Work­ July 1968, addressed to all FBI offices ment institutions or against radicals­ forces on the left are taking advantage ers party and the Young Socialist from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover: the odds are that the FBI was involved of the situation in Chicago ... to Alliance. "Since the use of marijuana ... is in it. attack the police and organized law Although these files reveal only a widespread among members of the enforcement agencies." small part of the FBI's criminal New Left, you should he alert to The FBI also had another approach The bureau chief never contradicted conspiracies, they help to fill in the opportwtities to have them arrested. by to harassing campus activists. The any of the w~ll-documented charges picture of systematic violations of civil local authorities on drug charges. Any plan was to encourage conservative against the Chicago cops, nor did he liberties by both Democratic and information concerning the fact that state legislators to crack down on the indicate any interest in investigating Republican adminstrations against individual's have marii~a state campuses. violatioru~ of the civil rights ·of the · individuals and organizations chal­ should be immediately furnished to In 1969, for example, Hoover ap­ demonstrator!!!. Rather, he ordered hi8 · lenging their policies. local authorities and they should be proved a plot devised by the Newark encouraged to take action." FBI office to anonymously send a copy The FBI also encouraged cracking of a newspaper called Screw, which down on antiwar GI coffeehouses by had been distributed on a state cam­ passing along information about drug pus, to a state senator. Accompanying use to local cops. the magazine would be a phony letter, Exposure of this FBI policy under­ sigrred by "A Concerned Student," scores the importance of political asking the senator to do something activists not leaving themselves open about the distribution of "filth." to this kind of victimization by using In addition, the FBI letter called to illegal drugs. The government will use the senator's attention a short story, all the means at its disposal to silence which had been published in Ever­ political opposition, and locking up green Review, that some professors of radicals on drug charges is one way literature had distributed to their they do it. classes at Paterson State College. The FBI memo informed Hoover that 'Bombings & assassinations' the story contained "79 obscene terms The FBI portrayed the Black referring to incest, sexuality and biolo­ struggle and the student antiwar gy, four dozen 'cuss' words and a dozen movement as terrorist conspiracies to instances of taking the Lord's name in justify stepping up its repressive mea­ va1n.0 " sures. In September 1970, an FBI The Newark FBI office believed the memo declared: operation would give the bureau "an "Terrorist violence is all around us opportunity ... to focus lawmakers and more has been threatened. . . . [sic] attention on the depraved nature Bombings, assassination of police of the type of student now infesting Student participation in mass antiwar demonstrations of '60s and '70s enraged FBI

THE MILITANT/FEBRUARY 6, 1976 25 Is Hayden campaign 'realistic'? By Nelson Blackstock ...· -::.:::::.:: farsighted in opposing the war. LOS ANGELES-The scene was the "It's necessary to be farsighted right posh clubhouse of the Villa del Mar now," Marcus said. "Few could see the apartments. That's where the Marina possibility of a mass antiwar move­ Democrats meet on the second Wednes­ ment back in the mid-sixties. But the day of the month. way ahead now is even less clear to The Villa del Mar apartments, like most people." others in the Marina area, sit on a Before any substantial progress can narrow strip of land jutting into the be made, Marcus asserted, working Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles. people will have to get out of the Downstairs there's a place to park your capitalist Democratic party. boat. "That is the cold truth of the A "no host bar" opens a half hour Militant/Nelson Blackstock matter," he added. "In drawing people before the meeting. Some of the stylish­ Tom Hayden's flight into capitalist politics serves to create illusions about looking for change into that party, ly attired Marina Democrats were still Democratic party. Sign next to Hayden table gets across the message. Hayden is proving to be shortsighted. sipping their wine as the meeting At least as far as the workers' interests began. are concerned." "This is. a CDC club," the elegant As public sentiment moves to the chairwoman explained for the benefit left, it is likely that Democratic politi­ of newcomers. The CDC is the Califor­ cians using even more radical rhetoric nia Democratic Coalition, an alliance will come along. of liberal Democratic clubs. "We're But the ground rules don't change. committed to a strong Democratic The Democratic party exists to main­ party in L.A." tain capitalism. The CDC has had some problems in recent years. Unfortunately, there were Nature of party "polarized opinions on the war" that It's the nature of Democratic party "split up the CDC," she said. politics to shape those who get in­ "But there were still people who were volved in it in ways they may not interested in politics, and now we are expect. A future article will discuss growing," the woman asserted. some of the stands Hayden has been Next, she introduced another club taking. For right now, it is instructive member, a doctor, who in turn intro­ to look at how Hayden answered an duced the evening's guest speaker­ interesting question at the Marina Tom Hayden. The 1960s student radi­ Democrats: cal leader is now seeking the Demo­ What Democratic presidential candi­ cratic nomination to the U.S. Senate. dates would he not support? He only He hoped to get the Marina Democrats' named one-George Wallace. But, he endorsement. added, "I probably would not support Two days earlier I had seen another 'Scoop' Jackson unless he changed on candidate for the U.S. Senate speak­ while waiting for Hayden to show up movement, including many "radicals" certain questions having to do with Omari Musa, the Socialist Workers at a meeting at Grossmont College. of the day, steered it into the Demo­ defense spending. I want to hear it party nominee. The place was Pasade­ "This doesn't mean I'm embracing cratic party. from 'Scoop' Jackson, not from Jess na Community College, where Musa the. Democratic party," Ritter insisted. Omari Musa talked about something Unruh." talked to more than 100 Black students "What we are after are the rank-and­ that happened more recently. "The If it's "realistic" to become a Demo­ in a series of Afro-American studies file Democrats." Black movement in the 1960s had a crat, it's also realistic to make any classes. "Register Democrat," urged the big powerful impact on this country," he number of concessions in order to get The socialists are also growing, and sign standing beside the Hayden table. said. "But almost an entire generation yourself elected. Musa was especially looking forward Nearby was another table, where two of Black leadership got sidetracked The Jesse Unruh Hayden mentioned to meeting with the Pasadena students young people-presumably Hayden into the Democratic party-rather is an old-time political boss in Califor­ that day. The SWP was in the process supporters-were registering voters. than breaking with capitalist politics nia. He heads cold-warrior Henry of setting up a branch in that city-the Ritter said that the Democratic party by forming an independent political Jackson's campaign in the state. scene of a confrontation between in Southern California was particular­ party, a Black party." Unruh hasn't endorsed Hayden yet. racists and probusing forces. ly open to "activists." Other Hayden One hopeful sign, Musa noted, is But last fall he had lunch with the Before the first class began, a Musa backers voiced the opinion that the that some Black activists are now candidate and attended one of his supporter circulated among the stu­ party throughout the state was unusu­ beginning to take a second look at fund-raising parties. That made Hay­ dents. He discovered that one was a ally open to their participation. these Black officeholders. "They den look like a more serious Democrat­ longtime Militant subscriber. Another But the "openness" of the Democrat- _ haven't been able to produce," he said. ic contender. At the same time it had bought a subscription from a ic party in California is not really out "Just look at these cities with Black improved Unruh's image with some of socialist who had visited her house just of the ordinary. It could hardly play mayors. Nothing happening." the liberals and radicals supporting the day before. the role it does if it barred the door to At the same time, Musa pointed out, Hayden. The subject of the Democratic party all but bona fide members of the ruling the employers' offensive against the While Hayden's experience in the also came up during the Musa meeting. class. wages and working conditions of Democratic party has led him to rub But nobody seemed concerned with The socialist view of the Democratic American workers has made clear­ shoulders with the likes of Unruh, building a strong Democratic party in party begins with a basic premise: clearer than it has ·been in many Musa is doing something far more Los Angeles or anyplace else. political parties in the modern world years-the need for the trade unions to realistic with his campaign. He's represent social classes. In the United quit supporting the bosses' parties and building the socialist movement. Democratic party States the capitalists have two to form a labor party. "The policy of "We're going to be opening up our Tom Hayden's campaign squarely parties-the Democratic and Republi­ backing Democrats is not producing new campaign headquarters here poses the question of the relationship can. The working class has no mass results." soon," Musa told the Black students in between the Democratic party and the party. And it never has. "It was the huge Pasadena. "I urge you to come by. struggle to change society. "Everytime they run, they win, and strike waves and the CIO movement "And when the campaign's over, Polls are repeatedly showing that we lose" is the way Omari Musa put it that won unions and a higher stan­ we'll still be here. Fighting for jobs and Americans in record numbers are during one of his talks in Pasadena. dard of living," Musa said. to defend busing." ceasing to identify themselves as At one of his .meetings Tom Hayden Any real gains for Black people, he Democrats. Yet on every campus where said, "Of the two parties, the Demo­ explained, were the result of the protest I saw Hayden speak, he called on cratic party is the most responsive to of millions during the civil rights students to register in that party. the forces of change." In a certain movement. But even some of his active support­ sense he was absolutely right. The key was independent action. By ers appear to have doubts about The Democratic party is set up to act masses of people. Not walking into the Hayden's decision to run as a Demo­ as both a magnet and a political ballot booth to elect Democrats trying crat. For example, Arlene Rubinstein, graveyard for such forces. By drawing to get into office through appeals to the Musa campaign coordinator at San into the orbit of capitalist politics popular sentiments reflected in the Francisco State, reports that many of potential challengers of this economic actions. the Hayden campaign activists on that and social system, the Democratic Similarly, what was decisive in campus have some questions on this party has been remarkably effective in ending the war in Vietnam was the big score. blocking the development of any truly demonstrations. At least one active Hayden supporter independent mass political alternative. "It is realistic to run in the Demo­ at the school, a Vietnam veteran, cratic party," said Bruce Marcus, state switched his allegiance to Musa last Labor movement campaign manager for Omari Musa. fall. A former Hayden-Jactivist in the Probably the clearest example of this "It's realistic if your main aim is to get Los Angeles area is now in the Young process happened in the 1930s and elected." Socialist Alliance. 1940s. The American labor movement However, if you start from the "Realistic" is the word that most surged ahead in organizing powerful proposition that capitalism has no­ frequently comes up in discussions unions in basic industry. It threatened thing left to offer but wars, human with defenders of Hayden's Democrat­ to also move forward on the political misery, and ecological destruction, Militant/John Gray ic party strategy. level by setting up its own party-a then it's not very realistic at all. Omari Musa, SWP candidate for U.S. Bill Ritter is Hayden's San Diego labor party. The Hayden campaign tries to sell Senate, is campaigning for independent regional press coordinator. We talked Instead the misleaders of the labor its candidate on his vision. He was working-class politics.

26 End eight-week strike Pitt. teachers debate new contract terms By Dan Rosenheim made "subject to the continued availa­ PITTSBURGH-Pittsburgh teachers bility of federal funds for that pur­ voted on January 26 to end their eight­ pose." week strike and return to work. The section on reading teachers At a meeting of the Pittsburgh represents a setback both to the union Federation of Teachers, a new thirty­ and to the students. month contract was ratified by a vote of 1,486 to 657. The secret-ballot vote Class-size limits came after five and a half hours of In much the same way, the provision discussion by the union membership. limiting class sizes falls short of the The ratification meeting began on union's original goal. Although the an optimistic note. PFT President inclusion of average class-size limits in Albert Fondy opened his explanation the contract for the first time is a step of the proposed contract by stating, forward-Fondy called it "the major "When this meeting is over, you will be achievement of this settlement"-the fully satisfied and fully aware that you figures themselves are significantly fully won this strike." higher than the union had wanted. In As the discussion went on, however, addition, the wording in the contract the mood of the meeting grew steadily would allow large variations in the size less jubilant, and rank-and-file teach­ of individual classes so long as certain ers put forward widely varying assess­ averages are maintained. ments of the new contract. Because of provisions like these, the initial reaction of some parent

Salary gains leaders-who had supported the strike Militant/Mark Zota­ The new contract calls for salary as a fight for better schools-was one Picket line during recently concluded strike. Demands for smaller classes and more increases averaging 25 percent over of disappointment and disapproval. teachers won backing of parents, but these were weakest areas of settlement. the two-and-a-half-year period. Sala­ Probably the most serious setback ries now range from $8,700 to $16,700. for the union is the loss of the no­ layoffs provision that had been in the By March 1978 the range will be Fondy said that the $100-a-day fines White House, this war on public previous contract. In its place, the new $10,500 to $20,300. against each union member were being employees and social services is the contract calls for the school board to The salary package was generally dropped, although fines totaling bipartisan policy of the Democratic pay unemployment benefits to teachers seen by teachers as a substantial gain. $105,000 against the union will not be and Republican parties. laid off with more than two years' The opposition to ratification of the rescinded. Certainly teachers here cannot help seniority. contract came from the many teachers Despite the inability of the union to noticing that not one elected official of This is little consolation to the who felt that significant improvements win a number of its demands,· it is either party supported their struggle. had not been made in other areas. teachers most likely to be laid off­ clear that the board of education fell The Democrats and Republicans either those with less than two years' seniori­ For example, the union had original­ short in its attempt to deal the union a lead the attack or stood silent in ty. ly asked for fifty new reading teachers. crippling blow. The willingness of the acquiescence. Instead, the contract calls for one new 'I don't call that unity' PFT leadership to mobilize the ranks To effectively challenge these bipar­ full-time reading "diagnostician" and of the union-not only in daily picket­ tisan antilabor policies, working peo­ One teacher from Reizenstein Middle a guarantee that the currently em­ ing, but also in a series of demonstra­ ple need their own party, a labor party School responded: "When he 'was in ployed reading teachers will not be laid tions and mass indoor rallies-played based on the trade unions. Such a off. town to address our meeting last week, an important role in maintaining unity party could help to · organize mass Even this guarantee, however, is Albert Shanker [president of the Amer­ and determination among the strikers. action by the entire labor movement to ican Federation of Teachers] spoke It is also clear, however, that the win funds for schools and other social about staying united until the end. I'm board intends to continue its attacks services instead of war. afraid we're going to lose 200 teachers, on the union. In fact, as soon as the It could fight to shift the tax burden and I don't call that unity." agreement was announced and ratifi­ off working people and onto the Another teacher said, "I've been ed, school Supt. Jerry Olson stated corporate profiteers. trying to recruit people to the union on that a substantial number of city It could call a halt to the use of the basis of job security. Now we can't school employees, including teachers, strikebreaking injunctions a~d antila­ guarantee that. I feel we're selling will lose their jobs "because of the cost bor laws. people down the river and giving the of the contract settlement." This fall, the Pittsburgh Board of union a black eye. We've gone for the Education-previously an appointed money and given up on all the other An ongoing struggle body-will be up for election for the demands." Measured against other recent teach­ first time. The present board members Fondy responded by saying, "We ers' strikes, the Pittsburgh strike was have shown their disregard for educa­ cannot guarantee, I'm sorry to say, reasonably successful. The settlement, tion, and there is no reason for every teacher's job. There are teachers with all its inadequacies, is better than teachers and their allies to support laid off all around the country. There is what many teachers around the coun­ them-or any others of the same class no union that can really guarantee try have been forced to accept. allegiance. everyone a job." But Pittsburgh teachers, parents, Teachers could take the initiative in and students still face an ongoing running working men and women for Union faced severe attacks struggle to defend their schools, their the school board, independent of the Fondy also pointed to the severe jobs, and their standard of living. To Democratic and Republican parties attacks aimed at the union during the score lasting victories, new methods and supported by the organized labor strike. These included an antiunion are needed. movement, on a program to defend the propaganda campaign by the city The struggle is a political one, and schools. administration and the mass media, teachers need a political instrument. Such a move toward independent an injunction against the union, fines They are up against antiunion laws, labor political action could mark a big levied against both the union and strikebreaking courts, and politicians step forward in the fight for better individual members, and the threat of who are cutting funds for social schools. It could also set an example arrests and imprisonment of union services while demagogically trying to for working people across the country, officials. blame public employees for rising who face the same problems as the Albert Fondy, president of Pittsburgh "Under the circumstances," he said, taxes. Pittsburgh teachers and are also look­ Federation of Teachers. "we have achieved all that is possible." From the local school board to the ing for new answers.

By Bill O'Kain stration was to make education the GAE President Ed Deaton told ATLANTA-On January 17, 5,000 number one priority of the state by teachers that the reason Georgia 5,000 in angry Georgia teachers marched on giving salary increases to the teachers students had scored so low on national the state capitol here to demand higher and channeling funds into much­ standardized tests (8 percent below the salaries and more money for educa­ needed educational programs, such as national average) was because the per­ Georgia tion. the establishment of statewide kinder­ pupil expenditure of funds in Georgia The march, organized by the Georgia gartens. runs 2.5 percent behind the nation a. Association of Educators (GAE), an Although the temperature was well average. affiliate of the National Education below freezing, the militancy and spirit Other speakers at the rally includei march for Association, was in response to budget of the march was not cooled. At the Terry Herndon, executive secretary oJ cutbacks in educational programs and rally on the steps of the capitol, Gov. the NEA. His speech concentrated or_ the elimination of a salary increase George Busbee was continually inter­ the need for Georgia educators to build school aid won in 1975. rupted by boos when he tried to a large and strong organization to- wir:. The GAE organized its membership rationalize Georgia's poor showing in their demands. from around the state to participate in the field of education. When the After the rally, hundreds of teacherE the march. Teachers came from as far governor 11aid that the economic future went into the capitol to present letters away as Valdo.sta, Albany, and Savan­ looked "rosy" and encouraged teachers from all over the state to the legisla­ nah for th~ action. to be patient, th~ tetlchers once again tors, underlining their demands fot: The central demand of the demo»- interrupted him with jeers. better wages and funding.

THE WL1TANT"EeRUAflY 6,1911 By Jim Little the antilabor actions of Democrats NEW YORK-"Now I'm going to say elected with AFSCME support. a few words about the Democratic "When we voted to endorse all these party national convention," said Vic­ members of the city council," Markey tor Gotbaum, "and then Ray Markey said, "I voted no. I voted against every can have equal time." single one of them. Gotbaum, the executive director of "And when we endorsed [Abraham] District Council 37, American Federa­ Beame for Mayor and Hugh Carey for tion of State, County and Municipal governor, I voted no. I think I was Employees, was addressing a district almost alone in voting no. council delegates' meeting on January "Now I can say that I feel proud to 22. have done that." Markey is a delegate from AFSCME Markey described the severe cut­ Local 1930, the New York library backs that have hit the library workers workers, and a member of the Socialist and others, adding: Workers party. "Every time we turned to these After the report and Markey's re­ politicians and asked for support, sponse, it was obvious why Gotbaum asked for their help, we were told 'No.' had expected opposition from the so­ " 'No-you should accept a wage cialist. freeze. No-you· should accept wage Gotbaum first reported on the state cuts.' " of the union. He asserted that other city Markey continued: "If we printed in employees-police, fire fighters, teach­ Public Employee Press a statement ers, and sanitation workers-had been from each one of these people that we harder hit by layoffs than AFSCME. endorsed, showing what they actually According to Gotbaum, other unions said about the New York City crisis, it had lost 10 to 20 percent of their would be a scandal, a scandal! There members, but District Council 37 had wasn't a politician in sight that suffered "only" a 3 percent loss of supported us. permanent employees. "What we need should be obvious by In Gotbaum's opinion, "overall this now," Markey said. "We need to run has been a good year for D.C. 37, but our own candidates, candidates that the perspectives for the year ahead are come out of the union movement. We perilous." His only solution to the Militant/Mary Jo Hendrickson need an independent labor party.'' Militant/Walter Lippmann impending attacks is a publicity cam­ GOTBAUM: 'Cleanse Democratic party At this there was scattered applause. MARKEY: 'Unions should run our own paign against patronage jobs in the so it can be effective political instrument Some delegates and observers at the candidates who won't lay us off or cut city administration. for N.Y. workers.' meeting nodded their heads in agree­ our wages.' Kicking off this campaign in the ment. Not many, but a few. January 16 issue of Public Employee Even this modest expression of Press, the district council's newspaper, had "supported" New York in the support for a break with the Democrats They won't be down there voting to cut Gotbaum had written: budget crisis, except for Jimmy Carter was something new in the district our wages.'' "Yes, I am very much aware that the and George Wallace. Of the two, council where Markey has on many Markey ended by saying that there main culprit is my party, the Demo­ Gotbaum said that Wallace was the occasions been alone in opposing are candidates in 1976 who stand for cratic Party; I want to see the Party serious danger. He said AFSCME's endorsement of capitalist candidates. this perspective of independent labor cleansed of this disease of political delegates would block with those of the Markey went on .to say he agreed political action. He urged union mem­ patronage so that it can be a more auto workers and the electrical workers with Gotbaum that AFSCME should bers to support the Socialist Workers effective political instrument in behalf to "stop Wallace." unite with the auto workers, electrical party presidential slate-of Peter Came­ of our membership and all other New Gotbaum offered little positive moti­ workers, and other unions for political jo and Willie Mae Reid. Yorkers." vation for any of the candidates and action. "But," he said, "we should get The delegates' meeting was. larger Presumably in the spirit of this said the D.C. 37 delegates would not be together to run our own candidates. than usual, even though temperatures cleansing operation, Gotbaum pro­ committeed to any of them ahead of "If we elect candidates from our own were below freezing that night. The posed that District Council 37 send time. ranks," he said, "whether it be Victor turnout probably reflected the fear of fifteen delegates to the Democratic The only other speaker on this topic Gotbaum, or the president of a union union members that an even colder party convention. was Ray Markey. He strongly dis­ local, or one of the rank-and-file winter is on the way as New York's He said all the contenders for the agreed with any union support to members, we will know they won't be Democratic administration prepares Democratic presidential nomination Democratic party candidates, citing down there voting to have us fired. another round of cutbacks and layoffs. Columbia clericals win right to· vote for union By Ruth Cheney The current starting salary is only reclassification is through the person­ bargaining unit. Then the NLRB NEW YORK-Women workers at $115 a week. nel office or their own supervisor-the called hearings on the dispute. Then Columbia University are jubilant at a District 65, Distributive Workers of same people who gave them a low job the transcript of the hearing had to be .January 16 order by the National America, has supported the organizing classification to start with. taken to Washington because Colum­ Labor Relations Board directing the drive since it began. The union has When the staff at Barnard College bia insisted that the national board ·miversity to hold a union recognition opened a new "university division" to was organized into District 65, more make the ruling. election within thirty days. oversee organizing drives on a number than half were reclassified and conse­ It took that body more than five The NLRB order, covering nearly of campuses. quently got raises of twenty to forty months to decide whether clericals 1,000 workers, climaxes an organizing District 65 organizers say the union dollars a week-in addition to contrac­ working ten hours or more a week drive that began in 1972. The drive has is "going all out to win the Columbia tual raises. could vote in the election. Because of election.'' In addition, District 1199, the high turnover in the clerical work Ruth Cheney is a clerical worker at National Union of Hospital and With a union, we will no longer be force, women on the organizing com­ Columbia University and an activist Health Care Employees, has pledged dependent on the university adminis­ mittee had to continuously sign up in the union organizing committee. full support to the election campaign. tration and our supervisors for job more co-workers on NLRB pledge District 1199 represents 400 library security. A strong union can prevent cards during the entire period to be been spearheaded by feminists who workers at Columbia. _ arbitrary layoffs and firings and certain of having a majority when the realized that the affirmative-action The District 1199 members recently provide guaranteed procedures for election was called. plan they forced Columbia to adopt in won a new contract after eight months workers' grievances. The NLRB finally ruled that twenty 1971 was not sufficient to protect their of negotiations. They will receive a 13 The administration has tried to hours' work would be required to vote interests as women and as workers. percent pay increase over eighteen undercut the organizing drive by in the' election, but we hope to add the Fully 90 percent of Columbia's non­ months, and the university will in­ granting improvements in benefits and ten-hour workers to our union later. unionized work force is female. Nearly crease its payments to the union 10 percent raises last July-the best all are in low-paid, dead-end, boring benefit plan. Columbia workers have ever seen. The As soon as the organizing committee jobs providing clerical services and One of the most important demands credit for these gains should, of course, got the news about the NLRB decision, generally catering to the needs of the of Columbia clerical workers, if we get go to the union, as many workers we leafleted the entire campus announ­ university administration and the a turn·at the bargaining table, will be realize. cing the election. distinguished, 99 percent-male faculty. for increases in minimum starting pay. The biggest obstacle to union recog­ The organizing campaign has gone Women active in the organizing Nonunion workers now receive twenty nition has been Columbia's stalling on so long that many of the workers committee believe a union is necessary to thirty dollars less per week than tactics in the procedures for gaining an who were activists at the beginning for them to achieve recognition as those represented by District 1199. NLRB election. had given up hope that an election people whose work is vital to the We will also seek changes in the job­ District 65 filed the required pledge would ever take place. But now the functioning of the university. grading system so that jobs can be cards with the NLRB and requested an mood is one of confidence that a If we win the election, wages and reclassified through the union. Now election last April. Columbia protested majority of the vote. will be cast for benefit& will be the primary demands. the only way a wOl"ker can gain that we did net have an "appropriate" the union.

21 N.Y. librarv. sit-in Community debates strategy to fight cuts By Flax Hermes something favorable, and a number All the politicians agree that the Have it our way, we want to read; of aides from the offices of elected community should come up with some Have it our way, we have minds to officials and elected district leaders alternate way to fund the libraries, feed; have been sitting in at the library. such as getting donations from busi­ Leave our tables, leave our books. But what to do next is the big nesses, forming a community corpora­ Or we will grow up as schnooks. question, and the debates over strategy tion, or taxing library users a dollar or have been important not just for the two. All of the elected officials, how­ NEW YORK-A column of twenty survival of this library but for the fight ever, oppose the suggestions of Ruth­ students from the Children's Free against the cutbacks in New York as a ann Miller. School marched down Broadway sing­ whole. Three issues are under debate: For example, at a meeting called by ing their newly composed song (to the where the money to run the libraries the politicians to "hear the views of the tune of Burger King's "Have it your should come from, who should staff the community," Miller explained that our way"). Their parent-teacher, Ruthann libraries, and who represents our tax money should be used for our needs Miller, who is aiso the Socialist Work­ interests in this fight. and that the money to reopen the ers party candidate for New York State The issue of where the money can be libraries would be available if the city Assembly from Manhattan's Seven­ found to run the libraries is hotly stopped sending money to Washington tieth District, had brought her entire debated. The Democratic party offi­ for its war budget. Her ideas received Friday afternoon class to the Columbia cials have cfone everything they can to the biggest applause of the day. State branch of the New York Public Library confuse the issue. Some say it's the Sen. Franz Leichter angrily retorted Militant/Flax Hermes system to see for themselves what was library trustees' responsibility to come that it is a "sterile and unrealistic SWP's RUTHANN MILLER: 'Take money happening. up with money for the libraries. Others attitude to rail against· where the needed for library out of war budget.' Community residents had started a say it's the city's responsibility to money goes." sit-in the previous night to make sure finance the libraries, but since the city The second issue, who should staff the library wouldn't be shut January has no money we'd be wasting our the libraries, has been a confusing one library workers union have been at the 17, as ordered by the library board of time blaming them. primarily because of the default by the sit-in and community meetings. They trustees the previous Monday. Citing New York City unions, which have point out that already more than 500 lack of funds, the trustees ordered allowed tens of thousands of workers library workers have been laid off or eight New York City branch libraries to be fired without putting up a fight. lost through attrition, many others to lock their doors, pack up their books, So when the proposal is made to run have been forced to take pay cuts, and and lay off their workers (or, if the the library with volunteer workers, it that this is just the beginning. The branch library workers have high sounds to many like a good way to trustees have announced that another seniority, transfer them to another save money. Or when Marie Runyon, eight branches will be closed by July library and lay off workers there). the present assemblywoman from the and an additional seventeen branch Seventieth District, suggests laying off libraries are scheduled to have their The closing of the library has out­ provisional city workers to provide doors permanently locked by July raged the community, and support for additional funds, people seriously con­ 1977. the sit-in is widespread. In the past few sider the idea. The third question is who represents days there have been strategy meet­ But as Ruthann Miller pointed out, our interests in this fight. Miller says, ings of 150 people crammed into the these are union-busting proposals and 1 "The problem is not a shortage of stacks. Each evening 10 to 15 people part of the strategy that is being used funds, but a shortage of politicians and bring out the donated mattresses and to pit worker against worker, drive political parties that represent our bed down for the night or settle in with thousands out of work, and lower the interests. " a big enough pile of whodunits to last level of social services throughout the A growing number of people in­ until dawn. Poetry readings, lectures, city. As another protester put it, "If we volved in this struggle are realizing and a slide show on Mozambique all agree to volunteer librarians, why not that the proposals of the capitalist help the hours pass productively. volunteer firemen, volunteer sanita­ politicians would destroy the library During the day the library is open for tionmen, volunteer hospitals? Has system. They may not yet support the business pretty much as usual. anyone ever heard of such a thing as socialist alternative, but they are Every single politician who has said Library users slept in to make sure it volunteer politicians?" agreeing more and more with the ideas anything about the sit-in has said stayed open. Several members of Local1930 of the of the socialist campaign. Colorado rightists on book-banning drive By Chris Janos nist conspiracy.... " of its five members are ministers. Several teachers have protested the DENVER-Textbook censorship has During the summer, they tried to The rightists succeeded in getting antidemocratic action, announcing moved from the Appalachians to the censor textbooks in Denver,. on the the school board to ban eleven books, that they will continue using the Rocky Mountains. A few self-appointed grounds that telling the truth about all of them optional reading in elective banned books in their classes. The censors have been working Denver­ the history and culture of Chicanos high school Englisk classes. The American Civil Liberties Union has area school board meetings for the was "racist" against Anglos. In this banned works included poet Lawrence publicly warned the school board that past year, trying to impose their effort, the "League of Housewives" Ferlinghetti's A Coney Island of the it intends to go to court to defend reactionary views on entire communi­ worked in collusion with the Communi­ Mind and Starting from San Francis­ teachers' right to academic freedom. ties. Recently, these forces had some ty Association for Neighborhood co; Allen Ginsberg's Kaddish and A revealing sidelight to the book success in Aurora, Colorado, a suburb Schools (CANS), Denver affiliate of the Other Poems; Sylvia Plath's The Bell banning is that while the board spent of Denver. national antibusing coalition, Restore Jar; and J.D. Salinger's novel The two-and-a-half hours discussing cen­ The attempt to censor textbooks Our Alienated Rights (ROAR). Catcher in the Rye. sorship, it only found four minutes to started last spring with sex education. The reactionaries lost that round Among the reasons cited for banning talk about a new contract for the Calling themselves Concerned Par­ after protests by Black and Chicano a particular work were: "lewd," "de­ teachers. The 1,000 teachers represent­ ents, the right-wingers put out the leaders. So they moved back to Aurora, pressing," "disenchanting," "bad lan­ ed by the Aurora Education Associa­ John Birch Society line verbatim: "Sex where they found fertile ground. guage," "the movie was X-rated," tion have been working without a education, water fluoridation, and the The school board in Aurora was "advocates the overthrow of the gov­ contract since September and the Girl Scouts are all part of a Commu- elected by 5 percent of the voters. Four ernment," and "pernicious." board is refusing to negotiate.

Judge orders end to Michigan ~red squad' By Paula Reimers In his decision, Brown stated that The fate of the files is undecided. can find out whether files were kept on LANSING, Mich.-Ingham County the law "acted to inhibit the lawful, The judge's order directs that they be them. Circuit Court Judge Thomas Brown constitutional and God-given rights of destroyed, but allows anyone who has Soble and Corsetti have filed a ruled January 16 that the Michigan individuals." Even Attorney General evidence-"not theories or separate lawsuit on behalf of thirteen State Police must immediately disband Frank Kelley, whose office directs the possibilities"-that his or her name is people charging that the Michigan and its "red squad" and ordered it to "cease activities of the state police, had in the files to petition the court within Detroit police departments illegally and desist" from gathering any further conceded recently that the law was sixty days for access to the file. collected information on them and data on "subversives." unconstitutional. used it to ruin careers and reputations. The red squad has collected files on This aspect of the ruling would If the files are immediately destroyed, The ruling came on a suit filed by the political and union activities of perpetuate the cover-up of the unconsti­ valuable evidence will be lost forever. Zolton Ferency of the Human Rights more than 50,000 Michigan citizens tutional harassment of political dissi­ party. since its founding. In one example, the dents and union militants by the state The attorneys argue that the files Judge Brown declared Michigan's squad provided information to the police. should be destroyed, but not until Subversive Activities Act, part of the Chrysler Corporation that resulted in Detroit attorneys Richard Soble and everyone on whom a file was kept is legal basis for the squad, unconstitu­ the firing of workers organizing to George Corsetti have declared they will notified and given a chance to see the tional. The act was passed in 1950 as redress grievances around health and appeal the order to destroy the files file to decide whether to sue the state part of the McCarthyite witch-hunt. safety conditions on the job. since it does not say how individuals for damages.

THE MILITANT/FEBRUARY 6, 1976 29 ed from Johannesburg, "This latest quarters. peace initiative ... will reportedly be A similar treatment was accorded ... Angola one of the main subjects of talks George Fyson, a leader of the Trotsky­ Continued from page 3 between Dr. Kissinger and Soviet offi­ ist group in New Zealand, when he Calendar came to this country to attend the Some of these overtures are coming cials." ATLANTA from MPLA leader Agostinho Neto convention of the Young Socialist HOW TO FIGHT THE CUTBACKS. A panel Alliance in 1969. discussion. Panelists: Robert Beavers, president, himself, according to a dispatch from Atlanta Junior College Student Government Asso­ Kaufman January 22. "Dr. Neto and The CIA also focused a great deal of ciation; Rev. Ted Clark, chairperson, Bedford-Pine other leaders here have in their public effort on keeping track of the antiwar Project; Bill O'Kain, SWP; and others. Fri., Feb. 6, 6 statements developed an approach to ... CIA movement, both in the United States p.m. 68 Peachtree St., Third Floor. Donation: $1. the United States in which Secretary Continued from page 32 Ausp: Militant Bookstore Forum. For more informa­ and in other countries. tion call (404) 523-0610 of State Henry A. Kissinger and his the Militant Bookstore. There were at One document from 1968 reported Angolan policies are depicted as ad­ least seven foreigners and they re­ that Peter Camejo was on his "way to BROOKLYN: DOWNTOWN vancing imperialist designs while the mained for about two weeks." Chicago where a world-wide student CUTBACKS: PRIVATE PROFITS BEFORE HU­ Senate and to some extent American What countries these "foreigners" strike would be planned at a weekend MAN NEEDS. Speakers: Andy Rose, Militant staff writer; Deborah Allen, day-care centers director; companies that have holdings here are were from, and what plots they suppo­ conference of the Student Mobilization and others. Fri., Feb. 6, 8 p.m. 136 Lawrence St. (at carefully praised." sedly hatched during their two-week Committee." Willoughby). Donation: $1. Ausp: Militant Forum. Meanwhile, in the wake of the confinement in the bookstore, were not When a number of American dele­ For more information call (212) 596-2849. Organization of African Unity's fail­ included in the portion of the file gates attended a "World Assembly for ure to reach an agreement on Angola, released by the CIA. Peace" in Paris in 1972, the CIA there was widespread speculation in Another document, labeled "Radical BROOKLYN: EAST FLATBUSH compiled detailed reports on their JAMAICA: THE MYTH OF ECONOMIC DEVEL­ the world press that several African Activity on Campus of Utah State activities and prepared "personality OPMENT. Speaker: Lloyd D'Aguilar, former mem­ nations are themselves seeking to University," dated May 3, 1971, report­ sketches" on each member of the ber, New Beginning Movement. Fri., Feb. 6, 8 p.m. hammer out a "compromise solution." ed: "Source said on 27 April [deleted] delegation. Brooklyn College Student Union Bldg., Campus A report in the January 24 Econo­ The Utah State Campus is more A memo from the CIA to the FBI, Row. Donation: $1. Ausp: Militant Forum. For more information call (212) 596-2849. mist summarized the broad outlines of politically active than most in the dated February 17, 1972, begins, "A the proposal that has generated the state. There is an active chapter of the sensitive and reliable source reported CHICAGO most speculation. "This calls for the Young Socialist Alliance (YSA). A on 15 February 1972 that Debby ANGOLA: THE NEXT VIETNAM? Speaker: Malik formation of a two-party coalition number of small groups also exist but Bustin, national coordinator for the Miah, author of The U.S. Role in Southern Africa, government," the report said, "the are not as important." former YSA national chairperson. Tues., Feb. 3, 7:30 Student Mobilization Committee p.m. 428 S. Wabash. Donation: $1. Ausp. Militant stronger partner in which would be the Judging from the volume of materi­ (SMC). . . ." However, what follows is Forum. For more information call (312) 939-0737. Popular Movement under its leader, al, the CIA was especially concerned entirely deleted except for one sen­ Agostinho Neto, but which would with trips by socialists from other tence: "Bustin claims the SMC raised CLEVELAND include representatives of the third countries to the United States, and $150,000 last year and has raised THE HISTORY OF LABOR THROUGH SONGS. Speaker: Dick Tussey, Amalgamated Meat Cutters Angolan nationalist group, Unita. Mr. travels overseas by members of the $25,000 this year." mternational representative. Fri., Feb. 6, 8 p.m. 2300 Holden Roberto's National Front, long SWP and YSA. Throughout the files, there is not a Payne Ave. Donation· $1. Ausp: Militant Forum. For an implacable enemy of the Popular When SWP member Andrew Pulley scrap of evidence that the subjects of more information call (216) 861-4166. Movement, now holds only a fringe of toured the Far East in the summer of this surveillance were engaged in territory on the Zai:re border, and 1970, during his campaign for U.S. anything other than exercising their PITTSBURGH would therefore be excluded." Congress, a barrage of "Eyes Only" DO WOMEN NEED 1 THE EQUAL RIGHTS rights to travel, to speak out, and to AMENDMENT? Speai

AR1ZONA: Phollftilr. YSA, c/o Jessica Sampson, Box der Books, 1754 E. 55th St., Chicago, Ill. 60615. Tel: Labor Bookstore, 25 University Ave. SE, Mpls., PENNSYLVANIA: Edinboro: YSA, Edinboro State 2235, Scottsdale, Ariz. 85252. (312) 643-5520. • Minn. 55414. Tel: (612) 332-7781. College, Edinboro, Pa. 16412. Tucson: YSA, SUPO Box 20965, Tucson, Ariz. 85720. Chicago, West-North: SWP, YSA, Pathfinder Books, MISSOURI: Kansu City: YSA, c/o UMKC Student Philadelphia: SWP, YSA, Pathfinder Bookstore, 1004 Tel: (602) 881-0712. 428 S. Wabash, Fifth Floor, Chicago, Ill. 60605. Tel: Activities Office, 5100 Rock,tlill Rd., Kansas City, Filbert St. (one block north of Market), Philadel­ CALIFORNIA: Long aeach: YSA, c/o Student Activi­ SWP-(312) 939-0737; YSA-(312) 427-0280, Path­ Mo. 64110. .. phia, Pa. 19107. Tel: (215) WA5-4316. ties Office, CSU, 6101 E. 7th St., Long Beach, Calif. finder Books-(312) 939-0756. St. Louis: SWP, YSA, Militant Bookstore, 4660 Pittsburgh: SWP, YSA, Militant Bookstore, 3400 Fifth 90807. Chicago: City-wide SWP and YSA, 428 S. Wabash, Maryland, Suite 12, St. Louis, Mo. 63108. Tel: (314) Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213. Tel: (412) 682-5019. Los Angeles, Central-East SWP, YSA, Militant Fifth Floor, Chicago, Ill. 60605. Tel: (312) 939-0748. 367-2520. State College: YSA, c/o William Donovan, 260 Bookstore, 710 S. Westlake Ave., Los Angeles, INDIANA: Bloomington: YSA, c/o Student Activities NEW JERSEY: Newark: SWP and YSA, 11-A Central Toftrees Ave. #320, State College, Pa. 16801. Tel: Calif 90057. Tel: SWP, Militant Bookstore-(213) Desk, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. 47401. Ave. (Central and Broad Streets), Second Floor, ( 814) 234-6655. 483-1512; YSA-(213) 483-2581. Indianapolis: YSA, 3138 Perkins Ct. #C, Indianapolis, Newark, N.J. 07102 Tel: (201) 624-7434. TENNESSEE: Knoxville: YSA, P.O. Box 8344 Univ. Los Angeles, West Side: SWP, YSA, Pathfinder Ind. 46203. Tel: (317) 783-6447. NEW YORK: Albany: YSA, c/o Mary Ann Kellogg, 468 Station, Knoxville, Tenn. 37916. Tel: (615) 525- Books, 4040 W. Washington Blvd. Suite 11 (at Muncie: YSA, Box 387 Student Center, Ball State Madison Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12208. Tel: (518) 463- 0820. Washington Square Shopping Center), Los An­ University, Muncie, Ind. 47306. 5330. Nashville: YSA, c/o Warren Duzak, 3523 Byron Ave., geles, Calif 90018. Tel: (213) 732-8196. KANSAS: Lawrence: YSA, c/o Christopher Starr, Binghamton: YSA, c/o Debbie Porder, 184 Corliss Nashville, Tenn. 37205 Tel: (615) 269-9455. Los Angeles: City-wide SWP and YSA, 710 S. West­ Sunflower Apts. #23, Lawrence, Kans. 66044. Ave., Johnson City, N.Y. 13790. Tel: (607) 729-3812. TEXAS: Austin: YSA, c/o Student Activities, Texas lake Ave .. Los Angeles, Calif. 90057. Tel: (213) 483- KENTUCKY: Lexington: YSA. P.O. Box 952 Universi­ Ithaca: YSA, c/o Doug Cooper, 105 Dryden Rd., Union South, Austin, Tex. 78712. 0357. ty Station, Lexington, Ky. 40506. Tel: (606) 266- Ithaca, N.Y. 14850. Tel: (607) 273-7625. Dallas: YSA, c/o Steve Charles, 3420 Hidalgo #201, Oakland-Berkeley: SWP, YSA. Granma Bookstore, 0536. New York, Brooklyn: SWP, YSA. Militant Bookstore, Dallas, Tex. 75220. Tel: (214) 352-6031. 1849 University Ave., Berkeley. Calif. 34703. Tel: Louisville: YSA, Box 3593, Louisville, Ky. 40201. 136 Lawrence St. (at Willoughby), Brooklyn, N.Y. Houston: SWP, YSA, and Pathfinder Books, 3311 (415) 548-0354. LOUISIANA: New Orleans: SWP, P.O. Box 51923. 11201. Tel: (212) 596-2849. Montrose, Houston, Tex. 77006. Tel: (713) 526- San Diego: SWP, YSA, and Militant Bookstore, 4635 New Orleans, La. 70151. Tel: (504) 899-7684. YSA, New York, Lower East Side: YSA and SWP, 221 E. 2nd 1082. El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, Calif. 92115. Tel: (714) P 0. Box 1330 U.N.O., New Orleans, La. 70122. St. (between Ave. B and Ave. C). New York, N.Y. San Antonio: YSA, c/o Dorothy Taylor, 317 W. 280-1292. MARYLAND: Baltimore: SWP, YSA, P 0. Box 4314, 10009. Tel: (212) 260-6400. Evergreen, Apt. 2, San Antonio, Tex. 78212. Tel: San Francisco: SWP, YSA, Militant Labor Forum, and Baltimore, Md. 21223. Tel: (301) 547-0668. New York, Queens: SWP, YSA, 90-43 149 St. (corner (512) 223-9802. Mi!1tant Books, 1519 Mission St., San Francisco, MASSACHUSETTS: Amherst: YSA. c/o Mark Cera­ Jamaica Ave.), Jamaica, N.Y. 11435. Tel: (212) 658- UTAH: Logan: YSA, P.O. Box 1233, Utah State Calif. 94103. Tei: SWP-(415) 431-8918; YSA­ soulo, 13 Hollister Apts., Amherst. Mass, 01002. 7718. University, Logan, Utah 84321. (415) 863-2285; Militant Books-(415) 864-9174. Boston: SWP and YSA, Militant Forum, 655 Atlantic New York, Upper West Side: SWP, YSA, Militant VIRGINIA: Richmond: SWP, c/o Michael Pennock, San Jose: SWP and YSA, 123 S. 3rd St., Suite 220, San Ave., 1 hird Floor, Boston, Mass. 02111. Tel: SWP­ Bookstore, 2726 Broadway (104th St.), New York, 2310 Park Ave., Richmond, Va. 23220. Jose. Calif. 95113. Tel: (408) 295-8342. (617) 482-8050; YSA-(617) 482-8051; Viewpoint/ N.Y 10025.Tel: (212) 663-3000. Santa Barbara: YSA, P 0. Box 14606, UCSB, Santa New England and Regional Committee-(617) 482- New York: City-wide SWP, YSA, 853 Broadway, WASHINGTON, D.C.: SWP, YSA, Militant Bookstore, Barbara, Calif. 93107 8052; Militant Books-(617) 338-8560. Room 412, New York, N.Y. 10003. Tel: (212) 982- 1345 ESt. NW, Fourth Floor, Wash., D.C. 20004. Worcester: YSA, Box 229, Greendale Station, Wor­ 8214. Tel: SWP-(202) 783-2391; YSA-(202) 783-2363. COLORADO: Boulder: YSA, Room 175, University cester, Mass. 01606. Ossining: YSA, c/o Scott Cooper, 127-1 S. Highland WASHINGTON: Seattle: Central Area: SWP, YSA, Memorial Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, MICHIGAN: Ann Arbor: YSA, Room 4103, Mich. Ave., Ossining, N.Y. 10562. Militant Bookstore, 2200 E. Union, Seattle, Wash. Colo 80302. Tel: (303) 492-7679. Union, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. NORTH CAROLINA: Greenville: YSA, P.O. Box 1693, 98122. Tel: (206) 329-7404. Oenver: SWP, YSA, Militant Bookstore, 1203 Califor­ 48104. Tel: (313) 663-8766. Greenville, N.C. 27834. Tel: (919) 752-6439. Seattle, City-wide: SWP, YSA, and Militant Book­ nia, Denver, Colo. 80204. Tel: SWP-(303) 623- Detroit: SWP, YSA, Militant Bookstore, 6404 Wood­ OHIO: Cincinnati: YSA, c/o Charles R. Mitts, 6830 store, 5623 University Way NE, Seattle, Wash. 2825; YSA-(303) 893-8360. ward, Detroit, Mich. 48202. Tel: (313) 873-8836. Buckingham Pl., Cincinnati, Ohio 45227. Tel: (513) 98105. Tel: (206) 522-7800. Fort Collins: YSA, 325 E. Myrtle, Ft. Collins, Colo. East Lansing: YSA, First FloorStudent"Offices, Union 272-2596. WISCONSIN: Eau Claire: YSA, c/o Tom Brill, 221% 80521. Bldg., Michigan State University, East Lansing, Cleveland: SWP and YSA, 2300 Payne, Cleveland, Ninth Ave., Eau Claire, Wis. 54701. FLORIDA: Tallahassee: YSA, c/o Dave Bouffard, 754 Mich. 48823. Tel: (517) 353-0660. Ohio 44114. Tel: (216) 861-4166. La Crosse: YSA, c/o Derek Norskogg, 4625 Mormon El Rancho, Tallahassee, Fla. 32304. Kalamazoo: YSA, c/o Andy Robins or Dave Evans, Columbus: YSA, Box 3343 Univ. Station (mailing Coulee Rd., Box 95, La Crosse, Wis. 54601. GEORGIA: Atlanta: Militant Bookstore, 68 Peachtree Box 125 Union Desk, Kalamazoo College, Kalama­ address); 325 Ohio Union, Columbus, Ohio 43210. Madison: YSA, P.O. Box 1442, Madison, Wis. 53701. St., NE, Third Floor, Atlanta, Ga. 30303. SWP and zoo, Mich. 49007. Tel: (614) 422-6287. Tel: (608) 238-6224. YSA, P.O. Box 846, Atlanta, Ga. 30301. Tel: (404) MI. Pleasant YSA, Box 51 Warriner Hall, Central OREGON: Portland: SWP, YSA, Militant Bookstore, Milwaukee: SWP, YSA, 207 E. Michigan Ave., Rm. 25, 523-0610. Mich. Univ., Mt. Pleasant, Mich. 48859. 208 S.W. Stark, Fifth Floor, Portland, Ore. 97204. Milwaukee, Wis. 53202. Tel: SWP-(414) 289-9340; ILLINOIS: Chicago, South Side: SWP, YSA, Pathfin- MINNESOTA: Minneapolis-St. Paul: SWP, YSA, Tel: (503) 226-2715. YSA-(414) 289-9380.

30 NEW YORK CITY, LOWER EAST SIDE------l•alilliBI •a•lliliiR

WHY THE LOWER EAST SIDE NEEDS A SOCIALIST IN CONGRESS. Speakers: Nicomedes Sanchez,l•r•• resident and community activist in the Lower East Side; Catarino Garza, Socialist Workers party candidate for Congress from 18th C.D. Sanchez will explain why he is campaigning for a socialist. Fri., Feb. 6, 8 p.m. 221 East Second Street (between Ave. 8 and Ave. C). Donation: $1. For more information call (212) 260-6400. Sponsored by East Side Socialist Workers Party Campaign Committee. Chairperson: Katherine Sojourner; treasurer: Naomi Vega.

Classified Which Announcing 2nd Term: Feb. 4-April6 Way for Registration: Jan. 30-Feb. 11.4-8 PM SCHOOL FOR MARXIST EDUCATION 186W. 4th St., 7th fl., New York City Teachers! Marx's Cap1tal / the Russian Revolution Anthology. 24 pp., $.50 History of U.S. Capitalism I Indochina Includes: "A Fighting Program for Puerto Rico I Portugal I Black History Film I Women's & Gay Liberation Teacher Unionists," "In Defense of Philosophy I Science I NYC Crisis Quotas: A Reply to Shanker," What Is Socialism? "'Teacher Unity' in New York: The For info & catalogs, write: Real Record," and "Teachers Marxist Education Collective P.O. Box 560, Old Chelsea Stn. Discuss the Fight to Defend Jobs, NYC 10011 Salaries, and Schools." Order from Pathfinder P'ress, 410 West Street, New York, N.Y. 10014 Writings of

:..,.·

--~·-·· .. -.. ~~.-...... · ~{.. ··t.·:.·· ... Leon Trotsky 1929-40, in Twelve Volumes •"[Trotsky's] writings in his last exile represent the richest, most mature expression of his political thought, presented in the most lucid and effective fashion .... A unique kind of educational tool for people who are willing to do a little work to learn what Marxism really is."-George Breitman, interviewed in the Nov. 21 Militant Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist International by Stalin in 1928 and exiled from the USSR the next year. From this time until his assas­ sination in Mexico in 1940, Trotsky closely observed and analyzed the tumultuous events that shook the world in the 1930s-the global depression, the rise of fascism, the labor radicalization in the capitalist countries, the consolidation of the Stalinist bureaucracy's rule in the Soviet Union, the invasions of China and Ethiopia, and the outbreak of World War II. Where You Can Find In this series a special place is given to the struggle against the rising Stalinist bureaucracy. A record of his correspondence with leaders of the Left Opposition and articles dealing with the political problems raised by the Opposition's struggle is included along with Trotsky's articles and manifestos. Socialist Literature These writings rallied the International Left Opposition for a fight first to The Militant, the Young Socialist, Interconti- reform the Communist International and then to establish the Fourth , nental Press, Pathfinder Press books and pamphlets, International. and other socialist literature can be obtained from the Each volume has notes, photos, a chronology of Trotsky's life during the bookstores listed in the Socialist Directory . on the period covered by the volume, a list of Trotsky's other writings during these facing page. Contact the store in your area for hours years, and an index. and information. WRITINGS OF WRITINGS OF LEON TROTSKY (1929) LEON TROTSKY (1934-35) From the Turkey period, 464 pages, From the France period, 416 pages, cloth $13.00, paper $3.95 cloth $13.00, paper $3.95 WRITINGS OF WRITINGS OF Secret Documents Exposed LEON TROTSKY (1930) LEON TROTSKY (1935-36) Reualutian From the Turkey period, 443 pages, From the Norway period, 152 FBI Plot Against the cloth $13.00, paper $3.95 pages, 8lj2 x 11 format, paper only WRITINGS OF $2.95 (Second edition in regular &Eaunter· Black~ovemBent LEON TROTSKY (1930-31) book format in preparation.) From the Turkey period, 442 pages, WRITINGS OF by Baxter Smith cloth $13.00, paper $3.95 LEON TROTSKY (1936-37) Reualutian with reprinted FBI memos WRITINGS OF From the Mexico period, in prepar­ LEON TROTSKY (1932) ation. $.35 From the Turkey period, 415 pages, WRITINGS OF in Spain PATHFINDER PRESS cloth $13.00, paper $3.95 LEON TROTSKY (1937-38) 410West Street, New York, N.Y. 10014 By FELIX MORROW WRITINGS OF From the Mexico period, in prepar· Includes "The Civil War in Spain" LEON TROTSKY (1932-33) ation for publication in the spring 262 pp., $11.00, paper $2.95 From the Turkey period, 365 pages, 1976. Calendar and classified rates: 75 cents cloth $13.00, paper $3.45 WRITINGS OF per line of 56-character-wide typewrit­ WRITINGS OF LEON TROTSKY (1938-39) ten copy. Display ad rates: $10 per LEON TROTSKY (1933-34) From the. Mexico period, 430 pages, The Spanish column inch ($7.50 if camera-ready ad From the France period, 368 pages, cloth $13.00, paper $3.95 is enclosed). Payment must be included cloth $13.00, paper $3.95 WRITINGS OF with ads. The Militant is published each LEON TROTSKY (1939-40) week on Friday. Deadlines for ad copy: From the Mexico period, 465 pages, Reualutian Friday, one week preceding publication, By LEON TROTSKY cloth $13.00, paper $3.95 for classified and display ads; Wednes­ Order from: 416 pp., $14.00, paper $3.95 day noon, two days preceding publica­ PATHFINDER PRESS, INC. Order from Pathfinder Press. 410 tion, for calendar ads. Telephone: (212) 410 West Street, New York, N.Y. 10014. Write for a complete catalog of books West Street, New York, N.Y. 10014 243-6392. and pamphlets.

THE MILITANT/FEBRUARY 6, 1976 31 THE MILITANT on By Larry Seigle Despite claims that the CIA's Opera­ tion Chaos was ended in 1974, newly released files prove that the agency's spying is continuing. The documents were made public January 25 by the Political Rights Defense Fund, which is representing the Socialist Workers party and the Young Socialist Alliance in a lawsuit against the government. Among the papers are heavily cen­ sored portions of the CIA's massive dossier on Peter Camejo, Socialist Workers presidential candidate. The dossier contains reports on Camejo's political activities in this country and trips abroad. Other documents detail surveillance of other SWP members, antiwar lead­ ers, campus groups, foreign students, Black organizations, and women's liberation activists. They cover activi­ ties both in this country and abroad. In one case, a document indicates that Operation Chaos included "dis­ ruption" tactics similar to the FBI's Cointelpro activities. In none of the documents is there any indication that any of those spied on were engaged in or even suspected ---MiilitAnt/1'1 rian Shannon of illegal activities. Peter Camejo, standing at right, speaks to 1970 antiwar rally on Boston Common. Newly released files contain portions The day the documents were made of CIA's massive dossier on Camejo, who is now Socialist Workers party candidate for president. public, NBC-TV reporter John Hart interviewed CIA chief William Colby. The exchange went like this: "Does Colby's admission that the The files that have been released One comment in this agent's report Hart: I have to ask you this because CIA cooperates with 'friendly services' show the CIA was interested in every­ provides the first documentary evi­ it came up in tonight's news. Is the in other countries mean that the CIA thing from Camejo's involvement in dence that the CIA was actually CIA still supplying information to feeds them files on foreign students in campus protests and antiwar activities engaged in efforts to foment splits and foreign intelligence agencies on Ameri­ the United States who are engaged in in the United States to his trips to dissension in the radical movement. cans overseas traveling abroad? perfectly legal political activities Europe and Latin America to hold The agent wrote: "'Red Baiting', hav­ Colby: Well, I don't think it's so against the dictatorships that rule discussions with socialists in other ing traditionally come from the Right, much a matter of supplying intelli­ their own countries? countries and to help organize aid to is apparently more common now from gence on Americans, but if we have a "As far as the CIA and the FBI are political prisoners. Left groups, excluding SWP, which request from the FBI or somebody to concerned, any of us who insist on our "But none of these activities are feels it destroys united action.... " look into the activities of some poten­ right to speak out against policies we illegal," Camejo said. "This CIA ha­ Then in a remark that apparently tial subversive, we may ask some disagree with are legitimate targets. rassment is a result of the U.S. escaped the notice of the CIA censors, friendly service to help us on that That's how they have justified every­ government's opposition to my views the agent added, "SWP says that the problem instead of doing it ourselves. thing that has been done, from having and the views of all those who oppose CP sends 'Red Baiting' agents to Left We obviously have to identify who socialists fired from their jobs through its imperialist designs on the rest of gatherings (which they cannot prove), we're talking about. ·· poison-pen letters, to compiling com­ the world.'' but they cannot tell the difference Hart: So the ending of Operation plete reports on my trips abroad.'' between CP and the CIA!" Chaos does not mean the ending of According to the Rockefeller commis­ 'Sheep-dipping' The activities of foreign students that operation? sion report on the CIA, the agency Some of the documents contain attracted close attention from the CIA. Colby: It doesn't mean the ending of stopped keeping files on legal political reports from agents involved in what A report on a 1970 meeting on "The all counterintelligence, because there activities of American citizens when the CIA called "sheep-dipping" or Mideast Crisis" sponsored by the YSA still are hostile intelligence services Operation Chaos was discontinued on "reddening.'' The technique was for at Brown University in Providence, trying to recruit Americans and turn March 15, 1974. However, as late as agents, in the words of the Rockefeller Rhode Island, appears in the files. them against their country. November 22, 1974, the CIA circulated commission report, to "acquire the "The main theme," the agent reports, to at least one unspecified overseas theory and jargon and make acquaint­ "was anti-US and anti-Israel relative 'Same old line' station information about Camejo. ances in the 'New Left."' Later, they to the Middle East conflict, but it was Responding to Colby's statement, In addition, the CIA told Camejo it "would be sent to a foreign country on quite evident that the YSA is intent on Camejo declared: "This is more of the has, but refuses to tum over, a cable a specific intelligence mission." creating a revolution in the US. same old line the CIA and the FBI about him from an overseas station,­ One "sheep" submitted a report Among the participants at the seminar have used to justify their secret-police dated November 20, 1974, that was dated February 15, 1972, on activities were Black Panthers, various Arab operations against my party, and "based on a request of a foreign in Boston. The document is heavily students at Brown, and disenchanted against other political groups, for intelligence service.'' censored, with blotted-out areas con­ members of the US Jewish communi­ years. The CIA admits to having 108 taining the notation: "Activities which ties." "The CIA says it has the right to spy documents on Camejo. But it released would reveal Asset's identity.'' How­ The agent subsequently attended an on 'potential subversives.' But who only 47 heavily censored items. The ever, the report contains a list of "Arab coffee hour at Brown.... The isn't a potential subversive in their others are still being withheld on upcoming meetings and activities of Arab students were polite, respectful view? Is anyone who dares to criticize grounds such as, "These documents the SWP and the YSA. and courteous. Their program was not U.S . .intervention in Angola a 'poten­ contain information which reveals The "sheep" also attended a meeting political in any way." tial subversive'? Is anyone who de­ investigative techniques and proce­ of Boston Female Liberation, a femin­ A 1970 report from Seattle, also in mands an end to U.S. backing for the dures and information which, if dis­ ist group, and noted: "Audience was a the files, contains the notation: "Re­ brutally repressive regimes in Chile, in closed, would constitute clearly unwar­ mixture of radicals, i.e., SWP, YSA, cently, within the past two weeks there Spain, or in South Korea a 'potential ranted invasions of the privacies of SDS, FL; liberals; apoliticals; and even was quite a gathering of foreigners at subversive'? other persons." a couple of Catholics!" Continued on page 30