I Intercontinental Press I Africa Asia Europe Oceania the Americas Vol. 14, No. 20 > 1976 by Intercontinental Press May 24, 1976

Present Israeli Settlements in Occupied Areas

60 0 ^

Mediterranean \ Sea '■ Kadum • ■ o •••■?

Amman o , OJerlcho Jerusai^em.o »^

Rateh yyiT gaza STRIP JORDAN

The New York Times/May 11/1976

Since 1967 Mideast war Israel has set up 68 settlements (shown by dots) in occupied territories. Rabin regime has now given go- ahead for "several dozen" more. See page 834.

Rosie Douglas Deported From Canada Thousands Turn Out in Madrid to Hear Mandei

The Campaign to 'Pacify' Kurdistan Lebanon—Choice of Sarkis Pieases Ford

The Poiice Frame-up at Skuil Creek Japan—Behind Defeat of Spring Labor Offensive

Torture in Chiie—Firsthand Account Nuciear Con Artists at Work in Brazii

Documents Zimbabwe—Growing Pressure for Majority Rule

Let the Chinese Peopie Speak Out! Sam Gordon:

Which Road for Irish Struggle? Healy's Smear Against Trotsky's Coilaborators Arabs. There is no escaping this fact. In most instances, Jewish settlers replaced Arab settlers. At times we bought lands; we acquired a lot more as a result of the 1948 war." Created at the expense of the Palestinian people, Israel can maintain itself only Israeli 'Settlements'—Rabin's New Land Grab through their continued oppression. This fact is becoming clear to the whole world By David Frankel as a result of the ongoing struggle of the Palestinians for their basic human rights. The Israeli regime has reacted by trying Since the 1967 Middle East war, the "By underscoring a misguided determi to suppress news of the opposition it faces Israeli regime has established sixty-eight nation to move ever more Israeli settlers from the Palestinian population. For settlements in occupied Arab territory. into the occupied Arab territories—a con example, Terence Smith reported in a May Israeli officials have now made clear that cession to the militant hardliners—-the 3 dispatch on the banning of a Palestinian they intend to continue the colonization of Rabin Cabinet is only piling up problems protest march against Israeli settlement in the lands seized in 1967. for future policymakers and for the course the West Bank: The plans for the new settlements were of Israel-United States relations." outlined at a May 9 meeting of the Israeli But the fact is that the occupied territo The authorities set up roadblocks to prevent cabinet. New York Times correspondent ries have already been integrated into the bus and truckloads of would-be demonstrators Terence Smith reported in a May 10 Israeli economy. The 1.1 million Palestini from reaching Ramallab and also blocked foreign and Israeli reporters from entering the dispatch from Jerusalem that the settle ans living in these territories serve as a town. . . . ments would "range from small agricultu pool of cheap, superexploited labor for the The detention [of a television cameraman]and ral villages to industrial towns." Israeli capitalists. Palestinian workers roadblocks around Ramallab were the latest in a play a crucial role in the Israeli construc series of steps taken by the West Bank military Smith said that officials he talked to tion industry, in Israeli factories, and as government to inhibit news coverage of the "declined to disclose exactly how many agricultural laborers. disturbances there. Television crewmen have new settlements are contemplated or their Furthermore, in colonizing the territory been roughed up by soldiers, film has been precise locations. One official said 'more seized during the 1967 war, the Zionist confiscated and exposed and reporters have than a dozen' were involved, while others settlers are only continuing the process repeatedly been refused entry to the Nablus casbab and other volatile areas. suggested that the program would eventu through which Israel was established. ally include several dozen." Moshe Dayan pointed this out when he On May 8 Israeli occupation authorities The decision to step up the colonization answered arguments against such coloni made the fantastic claim that reporters of Arab land was not unexpected. Prime zation in 1973. were paying Arabs to stage demonstra Minister Yitzhak Rabin told Israeli colon Dayan, who was then Israel's minister tions. ists in the West Bank April 21, "I see the of defense, told a class of high-school However, such absurd charges cannot need for special efforts in the coming year seniors in Haifa, according to the May 10, change the simple fact that Israel is a to strengthen and extend settlement of the 1973, issue of Ha'aretz: racist, colonial-settler state. The latest Jordan Valley." "The establishment of the State of Israel decision on settlement of the occupied Rabin's statement followed a demonstra was fundamentally at the expense of the territories is one more proof of this. □ tion of 20,000 Zionists demanding that restrictions on Jewish settlement in the West Bank be lifted and that it be annexed to Israel. Although this position is support ed by a section of Rabin's cabinet, the Portugal—Scares Backs Continued Military Rule majority is opposed to formal anr^exation at this time, and insists that the establish By Gerry Foley ment of settlements must be under the direction of the government. In an April 9 editorial, the Jerusalem On May 12, Mario Soares officially as of those who supported democratic Post argued that the establishment of announced the Portuguese SP's support for rights for soldiers. settlements outside the framework of a Army Chief of Staff Gen. Antonio Ramal- In return for SP support, Eanes is government plan would result in "dissi ho Eanes in the June 27 presidential reported to have agreed to back a minority pating our limited human and material elections. Soares said, according to a government by Soares's party. resources on empty show . . . while failing dispatch from Paul Ellman in the Wash Although up to now the CP has been the to buttress the real foundations of our ington Post, that the SP had never strongest booster of rule by the Movimento presence in the territories." considered supporting a civilian candidate. das Forcas Armadas (MFA—Armed For As the Jerusalem Post editorial indicat ces Movement), it has expressed unhappi- ed, the differences between the Rabin "Portugal needed a candidate who could ness in a number of ways about the government and its critics on the right are insure the 'cohesion and unity' of the prospect of having General Eanes as purely tactical. Both sides are determined armed forces, Soares said." The SP head president. to hold the land stolen in the 1967 war. said that soundings among the military On French television May 11, according That was the meaning of the May 9 showed a consensus supporting the army to the Lisbon daily Jornal Novo, CP decision. chief of staff for president. General Secretary Alvara Cunhal said: The determination of the Zionist regime General Eanes won prominence by "Although the CP thinks that it is desir to keep the occupied territories has been an masterminding the military operations able to have a military candidate for embarrassment for the American imperial that crushed the November 25 coup at president, it has not excluded the possibili ists, who have been attempting to improve tempt. He is also noted for purging the ty of a civilian one." their diplomatic standing in the Arab armed forces of elements favoring a Cunhal even said that the CP "would world. The New York Times complained in popular-front government in which the CP look favorably" on a candidacy by Mario a May 11 editorial; would play the predominant role, as well Soares. This is a 180-degree shift from

Intercontinental Press the attitude of the Communist party last

The fact is that the CP fears, and rightly so, that a honapartist military regime will now turn against it. It is worried in particular hy General Eanes's anti- Communist statements. Having a top military officer in the In This Issue Closing News Date: May 17, 1976 presidency does present grave dangers for the Communist party, and not for it alone FEATURES 85- Healy's Smear Against Trotsky's Last but for the entire left. Since the bourgeois Collaborators—by Sam Gordon parties did not achieve the mandate for a SPAIN 831 Thousands Turn Out in Madrid to Hear "return to order" that they expected in the Ernest Mandel—by Harry Farrar April 25 legislative elections, it was certain that the military would begin to move back LEBANON 83' Choice of Sarkis as President Pleases to the front of the political stage. Ford—by David Frankel In fact, the MFA never relinquished its VIETNAM 83! Hanoi Official Gives Account of Victory power. It made certain formal concessions Over Thieu to the principle of popular sovereignty, IRAQ 841 The Campaign to "Pacify" Kurdistan which did represent a retreat hut were not ZIMBABWE 84: Growing Pressure on Smith Regime to decisive. During the electoral period, the Accept Majority Rule—by Ernest Harsch Council of the Revolution, the leadership CANADA 84: Rosie Douglas Deported of the MFA, showed that it still ruled the JAPAN 84. The Crisis of the Trade-Union Movement country. Now the Council of the Revolu —by Hideo Yamamoto tion remains the only government until the PORTUGAL 84 LCI and PRT Announce Candidate for presidential elections. Presidency After the June 27 vote, the president will wield the decisive political power, accord CHILE 84 Firsthand Account of Torture and ing to the constitution written under severe Imprisonment restrictions imposed by the MFA. AUSTRALIA 85 The Police Frame-up at Skull Creek The CP and SP leaderships have now BANGLADESH 85 Peter Custers Imprisoned in Dacca reversed positions. Last summer, the CP NEWS ANALYSIS 83 Israeli "Settlements"—Rabin's New supported a plan hy the military to rule Land Grab—by David Frankel through "grass roots" organizations in Portugal—Scares Backs Continued Military which its cadres could play an influential Rule—by Gerry Foley role. This ran up against the SP, which CAPITALISM relies on parliamentary forms to maintain FOULS THINGS UP Nuclear Con Artists at Work in Brazil and extend its influence. Now the military offers the SP the —by Otto Buchsbaum trappings of parliamentary rule, as long as AROUND THE WORLD the generals continue to hold decisive DOCUMENTS Let the Chinese People Speak Out! power through the presidency. The CP, on Militarism vs. Mass Action—Which Road the other hand, today feels threatened by for Irish Struggle? an MFA that no longer depends on it for IRSP Denounces Brutal "Interrogatipn" by political support. Irish Police There is also a wing of the SP that can FROM OUR READERS be pressed to oppose MFA rule, the one DRAWINGS Elias Sarkis—by Copain that represents those layers the SP mobi lized last summer for workers democracy against the CP-MFA alliance. "The SP worker militants and some unionists such as Kalidas Barreto refuse to swallow this pill [support for Eanes]," Charles Michal- oux wrote from Lisbon in the May 11 issue of Rouge, the newspaper of the French Intercontinental Press, P.O. Box 116, Village Paris Office: Pierre Frank, 10 Impasse Guemenee, section of the Fourth International. Station, New York, N.Y. 10014. 75004, Paris, France. In this situation, the presidential cam Editor: Josepti Hansen. To Subscribe: For one year send $24 to Intercon paign of the Portuguese Trotskyists can Contributing Editors: Pierre Frank, LIvIo Maltan, tinental Press, P.O. Box 116, Village Station, New Ernest Mandel, George Novack. York, N.Y. 10014. Write for rates on first class and play a key role. (See article elsewhere in Editorial Staff: MIctiael Baumann, Gerry Foley, airmail. this issue.) They are running former CP David Frankel, Ernest Harsch, Judy White. For airmail subscriptions In Europe: Write to Business Manager: Steven Warshell. Pathfinder Press, 47 The Gut, London SE1 8LL. In activist Arlete Vieira da Silva, who repres Copy Editor: Mary Roche. Australia: Write to Pathfinder Press, P.O. Box 151, ents the dedicated worker militants who Tecftnicai Staff: Paul Deveze, Larry Ingram, Glebe 2037. In New Zealand: Write to Socialist kept the Communist party alive in the James M. Morgan, Bill Razukas, Earl Williams. Books, P.O. Box 1663, Wellington. Published In New York each Monday except last Special rates available for subscriptions to underground. She left it when it started In December and first In January; not published In colonial and semlcolonia! countries. mobilizing mass acclaim for General August. Subscription correspondence should be ad Intercontinental Press specializes In political dressed to Intercontinental Press, P.O. Box 116, Spfnola. Her campaign centers on support analysis and Interpretation of events of particular Village Station, New York, N.Y. 10014. ing the democratic right of the majority of Interest to the labor, socialist, colonial Indepen Please allow five weeks for change of address. dence, Black, and women's liberation movements. Include your old address as well as your new the Portuguese people to rule the country Signed articles represent the views of the authors, address, and. If possible, an address label from a and on demanding that the workers which may not necessarily coincide with those of recent Issue. parties use their parliamentary majority to Intercontinental Press. Insofar as It reflects editorial Intercontinental Press Is published by the Inter opinion, unsigned material stands on the program continental Press Publishing Association. form a workers government. □ of the Fourth International. Copyright ® 1976 by Intercontinental Press.

May 24, 1976 Students, Workers Eager to Discuss Revolutionary Ideas

Thousands Turn Out in Madrid to Hear Ernest Mandel

By Harry Farrar

MADRID—Three thousand enthusiastic, the disastrous consequences of attempting Mandel answered the veiled charge by cheering students—with a generous to reform the capitalist state and govern pointing out that the Spanish government, sprinkling of radical workers—jammed a ment in an effort to slowly bring about a for reasons of its own, was at the moment lecture hall at the School of Philosophy new socialist society, Mandel made it clear treating visiting members of foreign left and Letters campus to overflowing May 5 that he meant it would be disastrous for organizations differently than members of to hear Ernest Mandel, noted Belgian the Spanish proletariat to place faith in the Spanish illegal organizations them Marxist economist and a leader of the reformist illusions about the existing selves. This was proven, he said, by the Fourth International. Mandel spoke on the capitalist state and fail to take power into fact that even a leader of the French topic, "The Class Nature of the State." its own hands. Communist party had just recently held a This was the second of two meetings He was interrupted by vigorous and public meeting in Spain without interfer organized for Mandel's visit to Madrid. spontaneous applause throughout his ence from the police. The previous evening more than 2,000 speech—but the applause after the latter "But," shouted the CP supporter, "he persons packed a hall at the university's point was especially prolonged and loud. didn't talk about politics." Mandel won the School of Economics campus to hear Mandel exposed and rejected Stalinist audience by countering with, "That's your Mandel present a Marxist analysis of the bureaucratic authoritarianism, citing the fault, not mine!" current worldwide economic slump. need to protect the democratic rights of all The incident had angered some members At both meetings it was impossible to political currents—even bourgeois ones—in of the audience who were beginning to find one square inch of space for those who a workers state. His defense of democracy surround the CP supporter. It looked as if a arrived a few minutes late—many had to against Stalinist methods and his disagreeable incident might ensue. Mandel be turned away at the door. On both insistence on the need to keep state power called for an end to such bickering and for occasions the meeting hall was already in the hands of the workers themselves unity in defense of the democratic rights of full to capacity before the hour set for the through their democratically organized all, and in defense of all political prisoners, lecture. workers councils was also one of the most among whom were not just CP supporters, This in itself testifies to the eagerness to roundly applauded statements of the but many others, including members of the discuss revolutionary political ideas, espec evening. Fourth International. ially since it is taken for granted here that Mandel concluded his remarks with the The crowd responded as one, came to its any university meeting always begins at prediction that a victorious socialist revo feet, and with fists raised high, shouted: least a half hour late. lution in Western Europe would never "U-ni-dad, U-ni-dad, U-ni-dad. . ." Technical difficulties, which some attri permit the kind of Stalinist degeneration At the end of the question period the buted to attempts to sabotage the meeting, that took place in the Soviet Union. He floor was turned over to two leaders of the kept the public-address system inoperative was then given a standing ovation. recent telephone workers' strike. One was for the first thirty minutes of the May 5 The Fourth International leader said he a delegate to the official government- meeting. But the crowd was so eager to would accept the ovation, not for himself, controlled trade-union apparatus who had listen that it maintained an almost perfect but for his organization in Spain which been elected last summer when the govern silence—except for some thunderous could not yet speak for itself, and for the ment permitted the election of some rank- applause—and Mandel was able to make many members of the Fourth Internation and-file representatives. He had broken himself heard by all. al still being held in Spanish prisons. The with the official apparatus to take part in In the course of his speech, Mandel crowd then responded with: "Am-ni-stia, leading the strike, along with leaders explained how the capitalist class, al Am-ni-stia, Am-ni-stia." chosen by the workers at their own mass though a tiny minority of the population, Although it appeared that nearly every meetings. The other was one of those controlled the state apparatus in capitalist person in the audience was in full soli elected at the mass meetings. countries, whether their governments were darity with the main political points made They appealed for support to the tele democratic or dictatorial. by the speaker, a few representatives of phone workers who had been forced back He forcefully defended the logical currents on the left that are antagonistic to to work without winning their demands Marxist conclusion that the government the Trotskyist point of view were present and were now facing severe sanctions and structures themselves, and the entire state at each meeting. Some of them took the the firing of the most active strike leaders, apparatus, from the repressive forces of floor during the question period. despite a government promise that there the police and army to the courts and At the May 5 meeting, for example, one would be no retaliations. parliaments, were so designed and con questioner, taken by all to be a Communist The crowd responded generously to this structed that they could not be reformed to party supporter, tried to make it appear appeal, filling the collection baskets of the faithfully serve the interests of the that there was something strange and telephone workers stationed at the exits. working class and other oppressed layers perhaps sinister or at least questionable A construction worker who proclaimed who form the vast majority. about the fact that Mandel could speak for himself to be a Trotskyist also spoke. The working class, he said, if it is to the Fourth International and Trotskyism When these last speakers would shout, overcome the economic and social disas without being prohibited by the dicta "Viva comisiones obreras [Long live the ters of continued bourgeois rule, will have torship. He said the Spanish Communist workers commissions]," or "Viva trotskis- to overthrow the bourgeois state and party could not hold such public meetings "mo [Long live Trotskyism]," they were met install its own state based on democrati and that members who tried to speak in with a resounding "Viva" from the aud cally formed worker, peasant, and neigh the name of the party were immediately ience. borhood councils or commissions. imprisoned—with some now in prison for A collection was also taken at hoth Referring to some historical examples of that act. meetings to aid the Argentine Partido

Intercontinental Press Socialista de los Trabajadores, a It is another indication of the political crumbling prison walls erected by the revolutionary-socialist organization that is ferment and revolutionary mood that has Franco regime to contain the Spanish suffering from the repression opened by today permeated all social sectors of masses. the military coup in March. Spanish society after more than three Although the police surrounded the Given that there was only one day of decades under the heel of a fascist dicta campus where the May 5 meeting was advance preparation for the first meeting torship. held, with special "antiriot" detachments and no publicity about either in the daily stationed at strategic spots, there was no press, the overwhelming welcome given to It is clear that the seething resistance to police interference with the meeting, nor a representative of the Fourth Internation any form of continuance of the old regime with the crowd as it left the area at its al is significant. is going to soon burst through the conclusion. □

Sixth Fleet Continues to Stand By for Action

Choice of Sarkis as President of Lebanon Pleases Ford

By David Frankel

Elias Sarkis, a man best known as vened in mid-March to support Franjieh the entry of Syrian regulars into Lebanon organizer of the secret police under former against the Muslim-Palestinian-leftist would provoke action by the Israeli army. president Fuad Chehab, was chosen as the coalition that was demanding his ouster. But on April 11, following a meeting of the new president of Lebanon by sixty-six (See Intercontinental Press, April 19, p. Israeli cabinet. Defense Minister Shimon members of parliament May 8. 643.) But Assad had no difficulty in Peres said, "If the Syrian intrusion comes This development was generally greeted switching from the discredited Franjieh to to neutralize the leftists and terrorists in as a hopeful sign in the capitalist press. Sarkis. Lebanon, perhaps it shouldn't bother us." The editors of the Christian Science Many of Sarkis's underlings in the Thus, Washington, Damascus, and Tel Monitor, in a typical commentary, said Deuxieme Bureau—the Chehabist secret Aviv are united in their desire to restore May 10 that "the election must be counted police—found it healthier to go into exile in "stability" in Lebanon through a return to a good step on the difficult path toward Syria than to remain in Lebanon after the system of Christian domination that ending the year-long civil war in Lebanon Franjieh's election in 1970. There have prevailed before the eruption of the civil and returning the country to peace and been reports that these Chehabist police war. But this reactionary effort to protect stability." agents have been returning to Lebanon the political stranglehold of the Christian The Ford administration showed its and operating under Syrian direction. minority faces some obvious obstacles. pleasure over the selection of Sarkis. Kamal Jumblatt, the main leader of the As a representative of the Maronite es President Ford's special envoy, L. Dean Druse sect and the head of the Progressive tablishment, Sarkis has no popular sup Brown, ended his mission in Lebanon Socialist party, charged that Assad's port among the Muslim masses. His "with a statement of praise for President support for Sarkis included bribes and election by parliament, which was itself elect Sarkis and reassuring words to the threats. Washington Post correspondent chosen under rules guaranteeing Chris Lebanese about Syrian intentions here," Douglas Watson said in a May 7 dispatch tians a 6-to-5 majority, did little to win him New York Times correspondent Henry from Beirut that Damascus "has put authority among Muslims. Tanner reported in a May 11 dispatch from extreme pressure on Lebanese deputies to In a May 9 dispatch from Beirut, New Beirut. back Sarkis. . . ." York Times correspondent Ihsan A. Hijazi Tanner said that Brown's remarks at his Sarkis, for his part, has gone out of his referred to Sarkis's role in creating the May 11 farewell news conference "were way to praise "fraternal Syria" and to Deuxieme Bureau under Chehab: "Political interpreted by Lebanese politicians of both stress his support for Assad's moves in sources believe that the bureau, which was the right and left as evidence that the Lebanon. disbanded, will be revived under President United States actively helped Syria bring The Christian rightists of the Phalangist Sarkis as part of an effort to unify the about Mr. Sarkis's election Saturday." party also lined up behind Sarkis's candid army. . . ." The reason for Washington's satisfac acy. As defenders of the privileged posi It is certainly reasonable to suppose that tion over the choice of Sarkis is not tion of the Maronite community, they Sarkis plans to rebuild his secret police difficult to ascertain. Sarkis welcomed the could hardly ask for a candidate more i- apparatus. However, that can have only a occupation of Beirut by American marines dentified with the preservation of Maronite limited impact. The Lebanese army has in 1958, which prevented a leftist victory dominance. disintegrated as a result of the civil war, in the civil war of that time. With the Their joint support of Sarkis further and any police apparatus would have to be marines in place, U.S. envoy Robert D. cemented the alliance between the Maron backed by an army in order to function in Murphy played a crucial role in the ite rightists and the Assad regime. Regular the current situation. selection of army commander Fuad Che units of the Syrian army moved openly This was the conclusion reached by hab as the new president. into Lebanon April 9 to back up Assad's Saiqa leader Zuhair Mohsen, whose guer Sarkis was Chehab's right-hand man demand for a settlement favorable to the rilla organization acts as an arm of the from 1959 to 1964. He remained a key rightist forces. Syrian regime in the Palestinian liberation figure during much of the six-year term of Phalangist leader Pierre Gemayel greet movement. "Lebanon can only be saved by Charles Helou, Chehab's handpicked suc ed this move as a "heroic, decisive action the American 6th Fleet or the Syrian cessor. In 1970, Sarkis failed by one vote to to salvage the peace." Franjieh wired army," Mohsen told Washington Post win the presidency. Suleiman Franjieh, the Assad to express "gratitude for Syria's correspondent Joseph Fitchett in an April successful candidate, held office up to now. action to safeguard Lebanon." 12 interview. "There is no other solution." Syrian President Hafez al-Assad inter Israeli officials had earlier warned that Mohsen may be correct, at least from the

May 24, 1976 point of view of those who identify have been walking through a minefield" in No Syrian blockade has been directed "saving" Lebanon with saving the system Lebanon. He boasted that the Ford against the port of Jounieh, which is held of Maronite privilege bequeathed by administration "has played a major role, if by the Phalangists. In an April 19 dispatch French imperialism. But the problems that not the major role," in negotiations there. from Jounieh, Washington Post corre such an intervention would entail are The possibility of American military spondent Jonathan C. Randal quoted one formidable. Christian who said of the Phalangists at The original entry of Syrian units into Jounieh; "They're determined to fight on Lebanon was followed by general strikes and they've got incredible new shipments in the southern port cities of Saida and of arms—including heavy artillery." Tyre. Demonstrators carried signs reading, Another Christian told Randal in a "Save the Syrian Army for the confronta separate interview, "Never before have the tion with Israel!" according to a report by Phalangists received so many arms." James M. Markham in the April 15 New The rightists have begun to use their York Times. An attempt by the Syrian new weapons in the mountains northeast army to occupy Lebanon would in all of Beirut. Early in May they launched an likelihood provoke massive opposition. offensive around the town of Ain Tura, Such an action would require many using tanks, heavy artillery, and helicop times the number of troops Assad has ters. committed to Lebanon so far, and it would Wafa, the Palestinian press agency, run the risk of giving the Israeli regime a charged that "certain forces" had made it pretext for launching its own invasion. possible for the Christian rightists to shift Another question is what effect such an forces from Beirut to the mountain battle. operation would have in Syria. In the April This was an allusion to the buffer zone 25 issue of the Manchester Guardian between the two sides in Beirut that was Weekly, David Hirst pointed out that established by units of the Palestine Assad's policies have already caused Liberation Army loyal to Damascus. defections among the Syrian-directed for Assad's collusion with the rightists has ces in Lebanon. resulted in a number of clashes between

There have been considerable desertions from forces of the Mu lim-Palestinian-leftist Saiqa, and some PLA [Palestine Liberation \ coalition and those loyal to Damascus. Army] officers have reportedly sworn that they One such battle broke out immediately will never raise their arms against fellow- after the election of Sarkis. Palestinians. According to a May 8 dispatch to the That is partly why Assad has bad to reinforce Washington Post by Douglas Watson, them with regular Syrian forces, but there may SARKIS: Welcomed occupation of Beirut by "Eyewitnesses saw ambulances bringing be a point beyond which even they are not American marines in 1958. prepared to go—a point at which they turn ammunition and taking away casualties against him instead. during the fire-fight between embittered intervention exists; however, it can scarce leftist forces and Saiqa units which were Douglas Watson pointed to Assad's ly be an attractive prospect to Ford during apparently guarding Sarkis." problems at home in a dispatch from an election year. Later that day, Watson reported in a Damascus in the May 8 Washington Post. In 1958, U.S. forces landed without May 9 dispatch, "another fight occurred He said that "Damascus observers gener resistance. Even then, troop strength between Saiqa commandos and Lebanese ally believe that some arrests, perhaps as reached a peak of 14,300. Today the leftist soldiers near a Palestinian refugee many as 40, occurred among the Syrian Lebanese forces battling each other are camp. At least six men were reported military after criticism of the Lebanese bigger and better armed, and the last killed." intervention was detected by Assad's very thirteen months of fighting have claimed The battles have continued. A May 12 efficient secret police." roughly thirty times as many casualties as Associated Press dispatch from Beirut In an April 6 article, Los Angeles Times in 1958. Under these circumstances, U.S. said, "Sharp clashes in Tripoli, 60 miles correspondent Joe Alex Morris, Jr. report troops might meet heavy resistance. north of here, pitted Syrian-directed As ed that fifty-eight persons were arrested in Also, the entry of U.S. troops into Saiqa guerrillas against the Iraqi-backed a Damascus demonstration on March 30. Lebanon could he counted on to provoke Arab Liberation Front, a radical Palestini Although the action was reportedly called massive opposition among the American an guerrilla group that includes young in solidarity with Palestinian protests in people, whose memory of Vietnam remains Lebanese Moslems." Israel, it also reflected the divisions inside fresh. For these reasons, neither Ford nor Speaking in Tel Aviv the same day, the Baath party over Assad's policies in Assad is eager to attempt a full-scale Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin Lebanon and his alliance with King military occupation of Lebanon. pointed out that "forces under Syrian Hussein of Jordan. Instead, their strategy has been to keep command have killed more guerrillas in up steady military and diplomatic pressure the last week than Israel has killed in the Sixth Fleet to the Rescue? on the Muslim-Palestinian-leftist coalition last two years." The other possible "savior" pointed out in order to force a settlement. One source Both Assad and his imperialist backers by Saiqa leader Mohsen—the American of pressure has been the Syrian blockade. hope that those fighting against the Sixth Fleet—is indeed poised off the coast Drew Middleton reported in the April 21 discriminatory system in Lebanon can be of Lebanon. Seven U.S. warships, includ New York Times: held in check until they give way to ing the helicopter carrier Guadalcanal, exhaustion and demoralization. This Western sources credit the Syrian navy with have been cruising off the Lebanese coast would enable a rebuilt Lebanese army and drastically reducing arms supplies to Kamal since March 30. On April 13 a Pentagon police apparatus to take over from Assad's Jumblatt, the Druse chief who leads the left-wing forces the task of restoring "law and official confirmed that the aircraft carrier forces in Lebanon. These sources point out that Saratoga and two additional destroyers the virtual Syrian blockade of Beirut and Tripoli order." had joined the U.S. fleet. would not have been possible had the Israeli Those who favor this reactionary Henry Kissinger, speaking before a navy, superior in numbers and quality, inter scheme have been able to play on the Senate subcommittee April 14, said, "We vened. horror and revulsion aroused by the

Intercontinental Press slaughter in Lebanon. But the fact is that "agreed to tone down" public criticism of in the April 1 issue of Inprecor, a fortnight just as the preservation of the undemocrat Sadat and his Sinai disengagement agree ly magazine published hy the United ic system of religious quotas by the ment with Israel. But Arafat's attempt to Secretariat of the Fourth International, American invasion in 1958 prepared the play power politics may well backfire. that the Muslim-Palestinian-leftist coali ground for the current civil war, another Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti officials ar tion includes significant sections of the "compromise" that leaves the privileged rived in Syria May 9 in an attempt to Lebanese capitalist class. position of the Maronites intact will lead negotiate a reconciliation between Assad Jaber pointed out that "while participat to even more bloodshed in the future. and Sadat. If this mission—or a future one ing in the fighting on the same side as like it—is successful, Arafat and the forces some factions of the bourgeoisie, the RCG Unfortunately, the leadership of the who follow his leadership will be left in a did not in any way extend political support Muslim-Palestinian-leftist coalition has difficult position. to these factions (as the Stalinists did), but proved incapable of waging a consistent Another force on the left is the Lebanese instead constantly explained that in a struggle against the discriminatory gov Communist party. The Lebanese Stalin future that will not be long in coming these ernmental system. This has been a politi ists, following Moscow's line, have hailed same bourgeois factions will stand on the cal, not a military, problem. No one can the "Syrian mediation." The Kremlin has side of the reactionaries, opening fire blame fighters who are forced to agree to a attempted to compensate for its recent against the toiling masses." truce or to retreat because they are falling out with Sadat by tightening its This prediction has already been borne outgunned, but a leadership that agrees to alliance with Assad. Also, it fears that the out by events. A number of key Muslim collaborate with a political setup it claims civil war in Lebanon could lead to a new politicians went along with Assad and to oppose is a different matter. Middle East war. backed the candidacy of Sarkis. However, Kamal Jumhlatt was guilty of precisely The Trotskyists of the Revolutionary it remains to be seen whether the Assad such collaboration when he came out in Communist Group (RCG)in Lebanon have regime, the Maronite rightists, and the support of Raymond Edde for the presiden demanded the election of a constituent Muslim capitalists will be able to suppress cy. Edde's National Bloc party has long assembly on the basis of one person, one the struggle—even in the short run. Hav been a part of the political scene in vote, in opposition to the governmental ing fought so hard and »o long for their Lebanon. As a lead article in the May 8 maneuvers of the capitalist parties and rights, the Muslim masses and their issue of the British weekly Economist their supporters on the left. Palestinian allies are not ready to quietly explained: S. Jaber, a leader of the RCG, explained give up. □ Mr Edde, who describes himself as centre- right, has given no indication that, if elected, he intends to preside over the unwinding of the power-sharing complex that the I.ebanese left, led by Mr Kamal Jumhlatt, is now demanding. Hanoi Official Gives Account of Victory Over Thieu He may change the rules a bit in favour of the Moslems; he is not expected to be the man to Two of Hanoi's official newspapers, Later in the account, however. Dung abandon them altogether. Mr Edde speaks of a Nhan Dan and Quan Doi Nhan Dan, have said, "Our aim was to achieve success to strong presidency rebuilding a strong state with been carrying a serialized account of the pressure them [Saigon] to implement the a strong reunited army as its backbone. He also collapse of the Saigon regime last year, Paris agreement on Vietnam." This agree reminds the Palestinians that he is a strict written hy Gen. Van Tien Dung, the ment, which called for a cease-fire, would disciplinarian who believes that agreements are Vietnamese chief of staff. Dung's articles have left the Thieu regime intact and in made to be kept. have been timed to coincide with the April control of the hulk of South Vietnam's Maneuvers such as Jumblatt's only 30 anniversary of Saigon's surrender. population. serve to obscure the basic issues at stake A summary of the nine installments that It is not clear to what extent Dung's and help in confusing and demoralizing have appeared so far was published in the statement that Hanoi had decided on a the Lebanese masses. April 26 New York Times. It confirms that plan to fight for the complete liberation of The record of Yassir Arafat, the head of Hanoi's leaders were taken by surprise at the South was the result of hindsight. Only the Palestine Liberation Organization, has the rapid collapse of the Saigon forces. a year previously, in February 1974, the been no better. One of the issues at stake According to the Times account. Dung Hanoi leadership had listed the "endea in Lebanon is precisely the right of the was almost incredulous at the panic- vour to fulfull our duty to the heroic Palestinian liberation movement to func stricken flight of the Saigon forces follow South" as a low priority, following setien tion freely in that country. Yet in an ing the fall of Ban Me Thuot. "Why such a political and economic tasks yet to' be agreement announced April 16 Arafat retreat?" he asked. accomplished in the North. ' went on record in favor of "the Syrian The Times summary quoted Dung as initiative" aimed at preserving Maronite giving two mutually contradictory state Dung also describes the discussions in rule. ments on Hanoi's intentions prior to the Hanoi on whether Ford would be able to Arafat and Assad subscribed to a seven- collapse of Thieu's forces. At one point. send U.S. forces back into Vietnam. point program that included a call for "a Dung said; According to Dung, tbe ruling circles in unified stand against any party that Hanoi judged that the internal situation in The Political Bureau was resolved to mobilize resumes military operations"—a threat the United States was a decisive factor the greatest efforts by the entire party and all ruling out such intervention; that was aimed against the Lebanese left. troops and people in both parts of the country While attempting to maintain his links during the 1975-76 period, to step up the military with Damascus, Arafat also tried to limit and political struggle in coordination with the The Watergate scandal had seriously affected Assad's influence by reaching an accom diplomatic struggle with a view to quickly and the entire United States and precipitated the modation with Egyptian President Anwar comprehensively changing the balance of power resignation of an extremely reactionary el-Sadat. According to a May 5 dispatch by in our favor. President—Nixon. The United States faced New York Times correspondent Henry This strategic determination was reflected in economic recession, mounting inflation, serious Tanner, Sadat agreed to send about 1,000 the two-year 1975-76 strategic plan. According to unemployment and an oil crisis. this plan, widespread, large surprise attacks Comrade Le Duan drew an important conclu Palestine Liberation Army troops sta would be launched in 1975, creating conditions sion that became a resolution; having already tioned in Egypt to Lebanon to help offset for the general offensive and uprising in 1976. withdrawn from the South, the United States the power of the PLA forces under Syrian Thus in 1976 we would launch the general could hardly jump back in, and no matter how it command. offensive and uprising to completely liberate the might intervene, it would he unable to save the In return. Tanner said, Arafat has South. Saigon administration from collapse. □

May 24, 1976 A Helping Hand From Moscow and Tehran

The Iraqi Regime's Campaign to 'Pacify' Kurdistan

[The following article was written by a Iran and Iraq to come to an understand probably forever from the Kurdish political Kurdish activist living in France. It ing. Order would then he restored. After scene, which it dominated for so long appeared in the "Tribune Libre" (Open Egypt, Iraq in its turn would be detached because of the lack of other claimants to Forum) section of the April 22-28 issue of from the Soviet orbit (with the agreement leadership. Informations Ouvrieres, the weekly news of the Kremlin chiefs), and the American The Kurdish people, moreover, have paper that reflects the views of the grip on this oil-hearing region would be learned that there is no such thing as aid Organisation Communiste International- complete. with no strings attached, even though the iste (OCI—Internationalist Communist The deal was the following: Iran would conditions may not always be written Organization). The translation is by Inter make every effort to help the Baghdad down or made explicit. Above all, they continental Press.] government liquidate the armed resistance have learned by experience that in our of the Iraqi Kurds. In return, Iraq was to time you need a revolutionary political make major territorial concessions, put leadership to conduct a national liberation In March 1975, Iran and Iraq signed an under wraps its claims to the Arab- struggle. Without a revolutionary leader accord in Algiers, reaching a settlement of inhabited Iranian province of Khuzistan ship, no victorious national or socialist their disputes. As a result, the struggle of (Arabistan), end all aid to the patriots in revolution. the Kurdish people in Iraqi Kurdistan Dhofar as well as to the opponents of the While the defeat of the Kurdish armed became isolated and collapsed. Since then shah's regime, abstain from any criticism movement in Iraq was the defeat primarily a veil of total silence has fallen again over of the Israeli-Egyptian interim accord on of a leadership, it nonetheless affected the the fate of the three million Kurds in Iraq. the Sinai, and so on. fate of an entire people, opening the way What has happened to the thousands of This deal was quite advantageous to the for implacable repression. partisans who for fourteen years held in shah, who thus was able to get the In the tragic days in March 1975, check the armies of the successive dictator maximum benefit from the logistical thousands of Kurdish partisans, bereft of ships in Baghdad, who had suddenly to support he had extended to the Kurds. It political leadership, disoriented, and not abandon their struggle, to withdraw from was disastrous for Iraq. But what wouldn't knowing what to do, fled with their fami the scene, without making a last stand, these petty-bourgeois Arab nationalists do lies into Iran. Others surrendered to the without having been defeated militarily? to bring about a collapse of the Kurdish [Iraqi] authorities, not before shooting What really happened? What is the situa resistance, which they had never been able some of their commanders who gave them tion now? What are the perspectives? to defeat militarily? After a few months the order to stop fighting. These are all questions that can rightfully of hesitations stemming from futile illu In the course of this long and murderous be asked. sions about the possibility of a last-minute war, both Russian and British planes In retrospect, and in light of the informa military victory, Iraq finally accepted the dropped tons of American, French, and tion that has been published in both the deal. Czechoslovak bombs on defenseless Kur English-language and Arabic press, it is The Iraqi-Iranian entente was in fact in dish villages in order to "pacify" them. In quite clear that the Algiers accord between the nature of things, since over the last the last year of the war alone, there were Iraq and Iran was drawn up under the fifty years these states occupying Kurdis 35,000 casualties. (Sunday Times, Febru guidance of Henry Kissinger, with Egypt tan have always combined at the critical ary 15, 1976.) Civilians were executed, and Jordan serving as intermediaries. moment to crush Kurdish rebellions and bombed, or napalmed by the Iraqi army. After all, the police state ruling in revolution. Nonetheless, it was a stab in Thousands of refugees perished in the Baghdad had given irrefutable proof of its the hack for the Kurdish people. mountain snows or avalanches. The world anti-Communism. In 1963 and 1970-72, it However, despite the highly unfavorable kept silent. The virtuous bards and the massacred several thousand cadres of the objective conditions, the collapse of the paladins of struggle for liberty saw no Iraqi Communist party—3,000 according Kurdish national movement in Iraq was thing to rouse their indignation. to the CP's first secretary—and reduced not inevitable. In those tragic moments Whether they stayed in Iraq or fled in the influence of the party to a hare when Iran was threatening to intervene haste and panic to Iran, the survivors of minimum. The Iraqi forces stationed in militarily on the side of Baghdad's troops, the Kurdish holocaust were far from Jordan also played a memorable role in there were thousands of partisans, poor or finding an end to their travail. the massacre of Palestinians there in 1970. ruined peasants, in liberated Kurdistan By early April 1975, 250,000 Kurdish Moreover, during the oil crisis in the fall of who wanted to continue the struggle. They refugees had been shunted into Iranian 1973 Iraq was the only Arab country that had sacrificed everything for the success of camps. Although access to these curious failed to impose an embargo on the export a struggle from which they expected so and special camps was forbidden to of crude oil to the capitalist countries. much; and they did not intend by any journalists and representatives of the These are facts, concrete and unambi means to abandon it without making any humanitarian organizations, they none guous actions. They put in the proper gains. theless remained open for frequent visits perspective the pseudorevolutionary verbi However, a struggle cannot be conducted from Iraqi ministers who came to har age and phrasemongering that may be without a solid political leadership. And angue the crowds of refugees and in indulged in from time to time for propa- the Kurdish leadership was exhausted. particular to threaten them with the loss of gandistic purposes. Moreover, while Iraq The mechanisms of Iranian aid, which their citizenship if they did not return to had signed a friendship treaty with the was supposed to be "without strings," had Iraq. Soviet Union, Kissinger was not unaware generated an internal rot by reinforcing These camps have been placed under that this was designed primarily to cut off the influence of the traditional conserva close surveillance by SAVAK (the Iranian the Kurds from their main political sup tive elements. All the contradictions inher political police). Without special authoriza port. ent in this leadership's feudal-bourgeois tion, you cannot even go for a walk in a All that was necessary then to smother nature came out into the open. At the nearby town. And in Iran, you do not the voice of the Kurdish people was to get decisive moment, it failed, disappearing argue with the police. The Kurdish refu-

Intercontlnental Press gees, used to the climate of freedom that In accordance with this policy, all the prevailed for fourteen years in liberated ^ CanpianJ Kurdish refugees returning from Iran, the Kurdistan (a 35,000 square-kilometer area), Kurdish partisans who have laid down have learned this to their cost, paying V, Sea j their arms, and political activists are now dearly for at most minor infractions. being kept in internment or concentration In early October in the Anzal camp, 150 I Kurdish Areas I camps scattered in the deserts of An kilometers from Kermanshah, some Kur Nasiriya and Diwaniyah. There are up to dish children went off to go swimming 200,000 of them; they are kept under close without asking permission first from surveillance by military personnel and SAVAK. As if they were dangerous crimi "live" in precarious conditions. They are nals, the police immediately set out to being called on to make the Arab desert track them down. They arrested the SAUDI ARABIA "bloom," as if the Iraqis were trying to children and beat them brutally in the make them expiate the sin of having been process. Stunned, the parents protested By Harold Hoover—The Washington Post born Kurds in an Arab state. This cannot peacefully against these outrages. The fail to remind us of another "nationalism," police opened fire, killing nine Kurds and the Nazis'. tion, to break any will to resist. There were wounding twenty-seven. This is only one The Kurdish areas that are rich in oil sixty executions in the Mosul central example among many. (Kirkuk and Khanaqin) or border on Syria, prison, fifty in Abu Graib (a penitentiary Iran, and Turkey are now the focus of the The calvary of these refugees has not twenty kilometers east of Baghdad), twelve Arabization policy. The inhabitants of stopped with repression and internment. in Zertho, eleven in Erbil, about thirty in these regions have been evacuated en Fearing that the fate of their compatriots Sulaimaniya, and so on; that is, about 250 masse to the south and replaced by Arabs from Iraq would arouse the sympathy of persons in all went before firing squads. from Iraq or even from Egypt (see the the Iranian Kurds, who number around six And these are just the cases that are Egyptian paper Al Ahram, December 23, million, the shah is trying to disperse a known to the public. 1975). part of these refugees in the non-Kurdish Even after the first fury passed, these If you recall that almost two million provinces of his empire—in Baluchistan, killings—murders, since there has been no persons participated in this "rebellion," on the Afghanistan frontier, in Arab trial of any sort—have continued. In late that shows us the scope of the Iraqi Khuzistan (Arabistan), in Mazanderan on September, forty-nine Kurds, including program for deporting the Kurdish popula the Caspian shore. twenty-three women and six children, fled tion. But an Arab paper reassures us: The The rest of the refugees, the larger part, to the Turkish border with the Iraqi police oil-field province of Kirkuk, which former are intended to serve as pawns in the on their track. They hoped in this way to ly was 70 percent Kurdish, has not been shah's bargaining with Iraq over the Gulf avoid their tragic destiny. They appealed entirely emptied of its old inhabitants. In Security Treaty (a kind of pact between for asylum. The Turkish authorities, who the markets of the provincial capital, you Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia designed to are on excellent terms with Baghdad, still come across some Kurds, easily confirm the political status quo in the turned them over to the Iraqis at the recognizable because of their national Arab-Persian Gulf region). It must be Khabur border posts, although not before costume. However, this same paper points assumed that the negotiations are well keeping them in prison for two weeks as out that no Kurd can acquire a house or along, since in the period between October punishment for slipping across the border! land. Those who own property find their 1975 and January 1976, the shah forcibly The day after they were handed over, all titles disregarded. returned more than 50,000 Kurds to Iraq. these refugees, including the children, were There can be no doubt that Iraq is in the Recently, when the Iranian premier visited shot for high treason. This crime is well process of pacifying Kurdistan in its own Baghdad, seven Kurds under death sen known; it has been widely reported in the way, building "strategic hamlets," esta tence in Iraq were turned over to the Iraqi Turkish press. But how many others have blishing concentration and forced labor authorities in exchange for ten Iranian been committed in the shadows? camps. Even if we do not know the exact political refugees long resident in Bagh Shooting people down can terrorize the number of persons involved, we can read dad. population for a while, instill fear, contain between the lines of the official statements Kept under surveillance, brutally treat their anger. But this offers no security, not and see that already several tens of ed, threatened with being turned over to even in the relatively short run for the thousands of persons have been affected the Iraqi authorities at any moment, regime in power. There is a merciless by these racist and fascistic measures. without any recognized status (hostages, struggle between two nationalisms. One in fact, of the shah), many Kurds have arises from the Kurdish people who have Some of those affected are in concentra preferred to return to Iraq. With no other been oppressed and persecuted for all too tion camps. Others are dispersed in the alternative, they would rather die bravely long. It has a democratic and therefore Arab villages of the south. Still others are in Iraq than rot, than he roasted over a progressive content. The other is Arab being humiliated in their own country slow fire in the Iranian internment camps. nationalism. It is progressive when direct (where they have lived for 5,000 years) by The result is that no more than 40,000 ed against reactionary imperialist domina Iraqi forces that act as if they were in a "refugees" remain in Iran at this time. It tion. But it becomes aggressive and chau conquered territory. There is no doubt that seems that in a few months barely 3,000 or vinistic when directed against non-Arab these three million Iraqi Kurds are experi 4,000 will be left, those who most fear for peoples. It gives the Arab bourgeoisie an encing the darkest hours in their history their lives. Among these are the former excuse for maintaining itself in power to since that day in 1920 when a certain leadership of the Kurdish movement, who pillage the agricultural, mining, and petro Arnold Wilson came up with the idea of are being held hostage by the shah. He leum resources of Kurdistan. In this annexing southern Kurdistan to the two refuses even to let them appeal for asylum struggle, the Arab bourgeois states know provinces of Arab Iraq in order to form a in European countries. that sooner or later other revolts will break state under British protection. His purpose, The fate of those Kurds unable or out in Kurdistan. It is to forestall such a he said, was to assure that "London can unwilling to leave Iraq, and of those who development, which is inevitable since it is hold the petroleum of Kurdistan and Meso have returned, is still less enviable. impelled by outrageous injustices and potamia." In the two months that followed the fall exactions, that Baghdad has decided to The Kurds are not, unfortunately, the of free Kurdistan, Baghdad's policy was to systematically evacuate the population of only ones in this last quarter of the execute as many Kurdish patriots as Kurdistan, to Arabize it, and to disperse twentieth century who are rotting in possible. It needed to terrorize the popula- the Kurds in the deserts of southern Iraq. concentration camps. Such camps exist

May 24, 1976 everywhere where there is minority rule, However, at the present time, the Kur of this size who are refused the right to a police states, fascist or despotic regimes, dish people, who number at least eighteen national life of their own. Can summary from Chile to Indonesia, running the million and inhabit a territory as large as executions, mass deportations, concentra gamut of Brazil, Uruguay, South Africa, France where they have lived for 5,000 tion camps, and other forms of barbarism Iran, and so on. The Kurds in Turkey, years, that is, since long before the arrival extinguish the flame of dignity and love of Iran, and Syria have scarcely been spared of the Arabs and the Turks in this part of freedom that burns in the heart of every from national oppression. the world, are the only human community Kurd? □

Imperialists Seek to Head Off Mass Upsurge in Zimbabwe

Growing Pressure on Smith Regime to Accept Majority Ruie

By Ernest Harsch

The recent shift in Washington's stance making enough compromises to make such few months ago, proved that the Vorster toward the white supremacist regime of a negotiated settlement possible. regime was prepared to intervene militari Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith has Part of this effort includes the tightening ly in other countries if it saw its interests been hailed by its imperialist partners in of the United Nations sanctions against threatened. Britain, the European power most directly the white supremacist regime. A resolution The imperialists have coupled the in involved in Zimbabwe. has been introduced in the American creased pressure on Smith with overtures Robert B. Semple, Jr. reported in the Senate to repeal the so-called Byrd Amend to the Zimbabwean liberation groups. April 30 New York Times that the British ment, which permits the importation of Before leaving on his tour of Africa, government was "delighted" with Kissin Rhodesian chrome in violation of the sanc Kissinger said that he intended to meet ger's April 27 speech in Zambia. In that tions. In April, London charged nine with the Zimbabwean nationalist leaders. speech Kissinger said that Washington governments'* with breaking the sanc However, the only one who was willing to would not come to Smith's aid and that it tions by allowing a Rhodesian airline to meet with him was Joshua Nkomo, the would employ stepped-up diplomatic and operate in their countries. head of the "internal" faction of the economic pressure for a negotiated settle In response to urging from Kissinger, African National Council (ANC). ment leading to majority rule in Zim the white minority regime in South Africa, Although Kissinger publicly denied that babwe. which has the most direct stake in seeking Washington was considering giving mili Semple summarized the reasoning he- to prevent the conflict in Zimbabwe from tary assistance to any of the Zimbabwean hind the policy shift. He said both Kissin exploding into a mass upsurge, has also liberation groups, he did offer American ger and British Prime Minister James stepped up pressure for Smith to give way. technical and economic "aid" to the future Callaghan agreed that the Zimbabwean On May 13, Secretary for Information Zimbabwean regime. As in the rest of "nationalist impulses may become violent Eschel M. Rhoodie declared, "Military Africa, Washington would attempt to use and revolutionary, rather than peaceful intervention by South Africa to uphold the its financial assistance to buy political and evolutionary, unless the West takes Rhodesian Government is absolutely out of influence and to open the way for a greater two major steps: recognizing and endors the question." penetration of the country by American ing the aspirations of the blacks and New York Times correspondent John F. capital. eliminating the white-dominated Smith Burns reported in the May 14 issue: Government, whose very presence in "Privately, officials here [Pretoria] have So far, the imperialist efforts to find a Rhodesia is inflammatory to black Afri gone even further than Mr. Rhoodie in "peaceful solution" to the Zimbabwean can leaders." recent days, saying that South Africa has conflict have shown no signs of success. In The American and British imperialists informed the Government of Prime Minis fact, within days of Kissinger's speech, the were also concerned that continued overt ter Ian D. Smith that the most it can Smith regime announced an escalation of support for the white regime could damage expect, in an extreme crisis, is a 'rescue its war against the Zimbabwean freedom their political influence in Black-ruled operation' by South African forces to fighters. Africa. After Kissinger's April 27 speech, evacuate white Rhodesians." On May 1, a government communique British Foreign Secretary Anthony Cros- At the same time, however. South Africa declared that a large-scale offensive would land told the House of Commons, "I would has continued to serve as Salisbury's only he launched against the guerrillas. The suggest that if the United Kingdom remaining trade outlet and has refused to call-up of several thousand territorial Government and Dr. Kissinger had not comply with the UN economic sanctions. reservists was announced, a move that taken the line we have taken, we would And while Rhoodie said Pretoria would could triple the number of Rhodesian have undermined every moderate black not intervene to save the Smith regime, he troops in the field. leader in the entire continent of Africa." did not announce an end to Pretoria's Although the number of troops involved Although London and Washington now supply of arms and ammunition to Salis in the call-up is secret, it is estimated that talk of a "rapid" transition to Black bury. Moreover, Pretoria's armed aggres there are 5,000 troops in the regular army majority rule in Zimbabwe, both imperial sion against Angola, which ended only a and 10,000 in the reserves. Including the ist powers continue to make clear their police, police reserves, and air force, the preference for a "peaceful" settlement that Smith regime has more than 50,000 per sons under arms. will replace the colonial-settler regime with *In a note to the United Nations Security a Black neocolonial government willing to Council sanctions committee, London named the Four days later, the length of military protect foreign economic interests. To governments of France, the Netherlands, Bel service was extended from twelve months achieve this aim, they have launched a gium, Luxembourg, Spain, Paraguay, Zaire, the to eighteen months. A military spokesman coordinated effort to force Smith into Ivory Coast, and Gabon. declared that the measure was necessary

Intercontinental Press "to provide sufficient trained manpower to railway had been carried out by "cadres mand does not owe allegiance to any of the deal effectively with the recent upsurge in under the joint command of the former four main nationalist leaders, Joshua terrorist incursions and to insure that ZANU and ZAPU." The Zimbabwe Afri Nkomo, Ndabaningi Sithole, Abel Muzore- these will be not only contained but can National Union (ZANU) and the wa, or James Chikerema. decisively defeated." Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) Although most of the active opposition In late March, Salisbury announced that were the two main nationalist groups in to the Smith regime has so far been a new guard force would be set up for the the country. confined to guerrilla actions in rural areas, dozens of "protected villages," in which The "joint command" was an apparent the tensions in the crowded Black town between 175,000 and 200,000 Blacks have reference to the Central Command of the ships in Salisbury and other cities have been forcibly resettled to cut the guerrillas Zimbabwe Liberation Army (ZLA), also heightened during the past few off from their supporters. This new guard which is composed of guerrillas from both months. Washington Post correspondent force of about 1,000 men will enable the ZANU and ZAPU. According to an inter David B. Ottaway reported from Salisbury regime to make available for active combat view with Tanzanian President Julius March 21, "The mood in the African those troops now on sentry duty. Nyerere in the March 7 London Observer, townships surrounding this white-run To further supplement its forces, Salisbu the ZLA command was formed in late 1975 capital was one of growing militan ry has begun the recruitment of foreign in Mozambique. It is composed of nine cy. . . ." mercenaries. According to a report in the former ZANU leaders and nine former This sentiment was evident to the white May 2 London Observer, former British ZAPU leaders. The chairman is Rex authorities as well. Ottaway reported in troops were being offered £250 (US$450) a Nhongo, ZANU's field commander in the March 29 issue that a "special force of week to join the Rhodesian army, five northeastern Zimbabwe at the height of tough urban police is taking shape to times the salary of a regular British or the guerrilla campaign there in 1974. handle anticipated riots and terrorism in Rhodesian soldier. The May 10 Newsweek According to Nyerere, the ZLA com the cities." □ reported that foreign "volunteers," from Britain, the United States, and West Germany, were arriving in Salisbury daily. Lt. Gen. Peter Walls, the army comman der, said that the Rhodesian forces would conduct "search and destroy" actions Rosie Douglas Deported From Canada against the guerrillas, who are operating along the eastern border with Mozam of being returned to his native Dominica, bique. Washington Post reporter Reg Shay where his life would be in danger because said in a May 1 dispatch from Salisbury, of political repression, Douglas chose exile "The security forces are expected to fan out in Jamaica. along the length of the Mozambique border Douglas was denied the right to appeal and then move inward, burning dry grass to the Immigration Appeal Board against that could shelter guerrillas." a deportation order issued in 1972 by Claiming a "right of hot pursuit," Walls Solicitor-General Warren Allmand and also warned that Rhodesian forces would Immigration Minister Robert Andras. "It strike into Mozambique and any other would be contrary to the national interest" countries providing sanctuary for the for the board to consider Douglas's appeal freedom fighters: "Where our terrorists against deportation, the ministers stated take refuge across the border when we are in a special certificate. The certificate—a closing in on them to destroy them we will, rarely used document—asserted that Doug if necessary, follow them across the bor las was a risk to national security. der." Douglas was never offered an opportuni Smith declared April 27 that his regime ty to challenge the "risk to national would set up special courts to try "crimes security" designation that Ottawa pinned of terrorism." These courts are to be set up on him. in combat areas to administer immediate Last month the federal Court of Appeal "justice" to suspected guerrillas. Under the upheld the right of federal Cabinet minis Law and Order (Maintenance) Act, convic ters to use such special certificates against tion of certain "terrorist" actions brings a persons they wanted deported. Douglas mandatory death sentence. and his lawyers are appealing the decision Labor Challenge Despite the Smith regime's stepped-up to the Supreme Court. counterinsurgency measures, the Zim ROSIE DOUGLAS But Ottawa had no intention of letting babwean freedom fighters have continued Douglas remain in Canada until his to expand guerrilla actions in the country appeal was heard. The order came down to side. get him out of the country. Salisbury admitted May 6 that guerrillas [The following editorial appeared in the Contrast, a Black community weekly in had struck at the Rhodesian rail line that May 10 issue of Labor Challenge, a Toronto, banner headlined the news of runs from Bulawayo through Botswana revolutionary-socialist fortnightly pub Douglas's arrest in its April 30 issue. The into South Africa. The attack on the lished in Toronto.] announcement "that Rosie Douglas has railway was the deepest penetration by the been arrested," the front-page article Mozambique-based guerrillas into Zim reported, "has created a feeling of fear, babwe so far. In April, guerrillas blew up a defeat and concern throughout the Black stretch of track and derailed a train on On April 30 the federal government community." Salisbury's only other operating railway, finally triumphed in its four-year-old The deportation of Douglas is not only from Rutenga to Beitbridge on the South attempt to deport Rosie Douglas, a promi an attack on the rights of Blacks and African border. nent Black leader and fighter against Third World immigrants. It is an assault A statement issued in Lusaka, Zambia, racism in Canada. on the civil liberties of all people in said that the attack on the Rutenga Under arrest and faced with the threat Canada. □

May 24, 1976 Behind the Defeat of the Spring Labor Offensive

The Crisis of the Japanese Trade-Union Movement

By Hideo Yamamoto

TOKYO—Workers throughout Japan Many Japanese cities and smaller munici on various JNR lines, government negotia looked forward to the 1976 shunto^ as a palities have threatened to balance their tors refused to budge from their original chance to regain the purchasing power budgets by means of massive social-service wage raise offer, which averaged only they have lost through inflation. This was cutbacks unless municipal workers accept 6.13%. especially so because the average wage ed austerity measures. To defend against The Spring Labor Offensive Joint settlements in the 1975 shunto had failed these attacks, the relatively weak unions Struggle Committee responded by calling a to keep up with the cost of living. of local government employees hoped for "Transportation General Strike," to begin Surveys conducted by major trade-union joint actions with the more powerful April 20. Most JNR and private rail lines federations^ gave an indication of the nationwide federations during the shunto. were to he shut down for three days, or degree of deterioration of the standard of The most powerful federation in the longer if necessary to break through the living. Polls of workers' wives (who do the public sector is Korokyo,® which includes 10% limit. The railway workers would be shopping in most Japanese households) the workers of Japan National Railways joined during all or part of this period by showed that pay raises of about 30% were (JNR), the backbone of this country's bus drivers, telephone and telegraph work needed just to restore real wages to their modem transportation network. As such, ers, teachers, municipal workers, seamen, 1974 levels. they became the main target of the metalworkers, chemical, and textile work Significantly, the response of workers government's attacks. The ruling-class ers. In all, over sixty unions would partici themselves to the same polls gave average propaganda campaign has focused on the pate. figures barely over 20%. This points out the nearly five trillion yen ($1.6 billion) indebt The pent-up economic aspirations of other side of the ruling-class attack on edness of JNR, blaming Korokyo's de millions of Japanese workers were reflect Japanese workers—on-the-joh employer mands for wage raises and the federation's ed in the preparations for this strike. Daily propaganda, harassment, and the threat of consistent opposition to passenger-fare "Spring Struggle Bulletins" were pub layoffs. Transfers, layoffs, and plant hikes.'' lished in hundreds of local enterprises. In closures have been carried out during the Korokyo was forced out on an eight-day the mornings, rail and subway passengers past year on an unprecedented scale. strike in November 1975. That strike failed were handed union leaflets explaining the As the 1976 shunto approached, the to win its central demand: legal recogni demands and schedule of the strike, employers federation Nikkeiren^ an tion of the right of public-sector employees apologizing for the inconvenience and nounced its opposition to granting any to strike. Subsequently the "illegal" strike appealing for support. In spite of the wage increases greater than 10%. The has been used as a pretext for further capitalist propaganda campaign, opinion LDP"" government, which has always acted government attacks on the union. In the polls published in the bourgeois press as a close partner of the giant corpora first months of 1976 JNR workers carried indicated majority support for wage raises tions, released a report on March 31 that out work-to-rule slowdowns and limited to keep up with inflation. estimated the inflation rate in the preced strikes to protest government moves to The first day of the strike was an ing twelve-month period at 9.9%. This victimize strike activists. impressive demonstration of the power of report was only a small part of the Both the JNR workers and the govern the working class of this highly urbanized massive antilahor propaganda campaign ment looked to the shunto as the show imperialist country. The bourgeois daily orchestrated by the governmenii and the down battle in this struggle. Either united Asahi Shimbun ran the headline, "More employers. labor action would force the government to Than a Third of Population Hit by Workers in government agencies and in hack down, or else the strength of Korokyo Nationwide Rail Walkouts." The article Japan's public sector^ were the central would he broken, opening the way for underneath reported: target of this propaganda campaign. increased attacks on the weaker public- sector unions. The struggle over the JNR An estimated 38 million persons were adverse contract became the central point of the ly affected by the first-day action of the trans 1. The annual Spring Labor Offensive. entire shunto. Even the steelworkers feder port general strike, deprived of their normal ation (the traditional pacesetter in contract means of transport, according to checks by the negotiations) waited for the outcome of the Transport Ministry and the Japan National 2. The basic collective-bargaining unit in Japan JNR struggle. Railways (JNR). is the enterprise union. All the employees of a Under the pressure of repeated slow Not a single train, not even a freight train, was single company belong to one union. Enterprise running in the capital sphere. . . . unions are affiliated to industry-wide federa downs, and half-day and one-day strikes tions, which are in turn affiliated to nationwide The strike spread on the second day, federations, which are connected to the working- April 21, as workers of several small class parties. 6. Kokyo Kigyotai Rodo Kumiai Kyogikai, the private railways joined in. National Council of Public Corporation and But on the third day, Japanese workers National Enterprise Workers Unions. 3. Nippon Keizai Dankei Rengokai, the Japan read in that same bourgeois daily, under Federation of Employers Associations. the headline, "National, Private Unions 7. This is especially hypocritical since it has Call Off Railway Strike": long been government policy to run JNR freight 4. Liberal Democratic party, the only major trains at a loss. This is in effect a taxpayers' The rail unions, which spearheaded labor's bourgeois party in Japan. subsidy to heavy industry in the form of low planned three-day all-out offensive, called off freight rates. In addition, in fiscal 1976, the their strike Thursday morning [April 22], accept 5. This includds postal, broadcasting, telephone, government will hand over 244 billion yen ($810 ing single-digit wage increase awards although railway, and other enterprises under government million) of tax revenue to Japanese banks as they had aimed at double-digit boosts. . . . management. interest payments on the JNR debt. Labor, which had to settle for an average of

Intercontinental Press about 13 percent below a big-business guideline The 2.3 million-member Domei,"' under often lasting one day or less, employers of 15 percent last year, acknowledged complete the leadership of right-wing Social Demo suffered less in lost production. With a defeat. This year's level would warrant the same crats, is based primarily in the private chronic labor shortage and competition description. sector. Many federations of Domei are With the settlement of [the] dispute in the among firms for high-school and college major private railways and the three public notorious for their role as company unions graduates, an employer was not so tempt corporations and five national enterprises, the that act to enforce labor discipline in the ed to set wage scales below the industry 1976 spring labor offensive has passed the peak. plants. In the elections, Domei supports wide average, anyway. Wage awards to be won by unions which are the Democratic Socialist party (DSP). From 1955 to 1974 the shunto tactic thus continuing to fight are not expected to exceed The Churitsuroren" federation has 1.4 became a regular feature of Japanese those granted by a large margin. million members, mainly electrical work society. In the absence of strong employer How did the Japanese capitalists ers. Politically in between Sohyo and resistance, it even got to be somewhat manage to impose their contract terms in Domei, it has sometimes given support to ritualized, a sort of caricature of a massive spite of a massive, highly effective strike? JSP candidates. The Spring Labor Offen class confrontation. The unions would To answer this question, it is necessary sive Joint Struggle Committee is a coordi stage huge demonstrations in which mem first to review the development of the nating body of the leaderships of Sohyo bers marched through the streets carrying present crisis of leadership of the Japanese and Churitsuroren. red flags and singing the "Internationale," working class. Partially overlapping these three federa listened to and applauded fiery speeches tions is the International Metalworkers by reformist bureaucrats, and showed up The Rise of Trade Unions Federation-Japan Committee (IMFJC), to for work the next morning. The bour which are affiliated the steelworkers feder geoisie looked upon the whole thing as The years of extreme poverty following ation of Sohyo, the electrical-appliance rather vulgar, but tolerable. the end of World War II saw a huge federation of Churitsuroren, and the ship upsurge in combative—sometimes desper building and auto federations of Domei. All of this changed, however, with the ate—struggles of the Japanese working The IMFJC bureaucracy is a powerful onset of the international capitalist reces class. Despite repression by the American force, based on unions in the key sectors of sion, which hit Japan abruptly in the form occupation forces, the leadership of impor Japan's heavy industry. of the 1974 "Oil Shock." Unemployment tant sectors of the emerging trade-union went over the one million mark for the first movement went into the hands of the Origin of Spring Labor Offensive time in the memory of most Japanese Japan Communist party (JCP), which workers. This eliminated the need for enjoyed enormous prestige as the only The postwar Japanese economy has companies to compete for graduates, and political force that had not capitulated to been characterized by a division of labor in the spring of 1975 the capitalists for the Japanese imperialism during the war. between huge industrial monopolies and a first time closed ranks in a common front During the Korean War, however, the large number of small, often marginal against the Labor Offensive. JCP was banned and the Americans firms that act as subcontractors, carrying Nikkeiren declared that in view of the intervened to hand over the trade-union out the more labor-intensive operations in recession, all wage raises would have to posts formerly held by Stalinists to a more manufacturing, construction, marketing, remain below a 15% "guideline." The compliant Social Democratic opposition and so forth. The trade unions in heavy steelworkers were held to a 13.4% raise. caucus, the Democratization League (Min- industry are much more powerful than Through threats of cancellation of con do). The end of the Korean War also those in the small enterprises, and the tracts, the monopolies forced their subcon marked the beginning of a long period of workers in the largest industrial firms tractors not to grant anything more than rapid growth for the Japanese capitalist have become the relatively privileged that to their own employees. Thus instead economy, which aided the Mindo leader sector of the Japanese proletariat. of being a base, the steelworkers' settle ship in entrenching itself as the most In the 1950s the unions established the ment was converted into a ceiling for all important component of the trade-union pattern of negotiating all collective- other contracts. bureaucracy. Okochi, Karsh, and Levine® bargaining agreements in April, primarily The labor bureaucracy reacted to this point to 1955 as the turning point between as a means for allowing the unions in like a fat samurai who had succeeded in the period of "revolutionary trade- small-scale enterprises to compensate for bluffing his way out of every fight for the unionism" and the "Japanese trade- their inherent weakness by linking up past twenty years, and had forgotten how unionism" that has characterized the labor their contract struggles with those of the to use his sword. The leaders of Sohyo movement ever since. more powerful industrial federations. In lamely admitted that the 1975 shunto had The major organizations of the present- practice the percentage wage raise in the been a total failure, while promising to do day trade-union movement have evolved IMFJC steelworkers' settlement came to be better next year. The rank-and-file workers directly out of the groupings that emerged the "pacesetter" for all other unions. The were themselves stunned by the unprece by 1955. smaller unions were assured of getting at dented outcome, hut there was a wide The largest nationwide federation is least that percentage, even without carry spread tendency to hope that—like the Oil Sohyo.® It has some four million members, ing on a serious struggle. In this way, even Shock—it would only happen once, and the mainly workers in public-sector enter the most impotent unions could develop decline of real wages could be made up for prises, local government employees, and thriving, prosperous bureaucracies. next year. teachers. Under the leadership of Mindo, it In conditions of a continually expanding supports the Japan Socialist party (JSP). economy, such a procedure was even The Ruling-Class Strategy in 1976 In recent years, because of its base among acceptable to the capitalists. The system of public employees, it has tended to act as equal percentage raises did not tend to But by March 1976 the recession was by the left wing of the labor movement as a close the wage gap between the large- and no means over. The ruling class, embold whole. small-scale sectors. With 90% of all strikes ened by its 1975 victory, was gearing up concentrated in one month of the year, and for a major battle, aiming to speed their economic recovery at the expense of the 8. K. Okochi, B. Karsh, and S.B. Levine, eds., workers—especially those in the public Workers and Employers in Japan (Tokyo: "Toyko 10. Zen Nippon Rodo Sodomei, the Japan-wide sector. This time the guideline was 10%. University Press, 1973). General Federation of Labor. A very important new factor in 1976 was the political crisis of the ruling Liberal 9. Nippon Rodo Kumiai Sohyo Gikai, the Gener 11. Churitsu Rodo Kumiai Renraku Kaigi, the Democratic party. The LDP's popularity al Council of Trade Unions of Japan. Joint Conference of Independent Labor Unions. had been declining for several years,

May 24. 1976 especially as unemployment and inflation Komeito,!' and "progressive" independent disorientation within the bureaucracy worsened. Coming on top of that, the Diet members ("progressive" being a surely goes much deeper than that. Lockheed bribery scandal raised serious generic term for anyone who will form a The mood of rank-and-file unionists is doubts about the ability of the LDP to win bloc with the JCP). In the past year the very different from the mood that pre an absolute majority in the next Diet'^ JCP has been evolving more and more vailed after the 1975 defeat. There is no elections. The question of a coalition openly along the lines of its French longer any question of it being a tempor government began to be discussed con counterpart, and in connection with the ary setback from which they can recover cretely for the first time in years. shunto the JCP's main objective has been next spring. The general feeling is that the The ruling-class strategy in the 1976 to avoid doing or saying things that would two consecutive defeats mark the end of an sbunto was predicated upon the need to offend those potential "progressives." era in Japanese trade unionism. There is split the parliamentary reformist opposi Since the Korean War the Stalinists widespread talk—including by various tion. This process bad begun in the Diet have not controlled any trade-union feder bureaucrats—of needing to fundamentally even before the beginning of the Labor ations, although they have a significant reevaluate the shunto as a tactic of Offensive. The Democratic Socialist party, influence in certain ones, notably Nikkyo- struggle. Such proposals evade the real which while formally part of the opposi so,^'' the teachers federation. The Stalinist lessons to be drawn from the experience of tion is irrevocably opposed to any coalition propaganda dealing with the struggles of the 1976 shunto. with the JCP, blocked with the LDP in these unions has more and more often As this article has pointed out, although Diet votes concerning investigation of the parroted the line of the LDP—sometimes important opportunities for joint strike Lockheed scandal. expressing it in pseudo-Marxist rhetoric, action were passed up, the fundamental While conducting an intense propagan sometimes just repeating it word for word. cause of the defeat was not any combina da campaign against workers in the public For example: In Japanese culture, the tion of tactical or organizational mistakes. sector—primarily the constituency of position of a teacher is one of great It was the political orientation of the trade- Sohyo—the government was much less honor—a sacred calling. No number of yen union leaderships: class collaboration. The harsh with those industries organized by per month could possibly compensate for task that must be accomplished to prevent Domei and IMFJC. The IMFJC electrical- the damage done to that honor when your such defeats in the future is the establish appliance industry federation got a two- pupils see you on a picket line. Or: Local ment of a class-struggle leadership that digit wage increase (this was not an government employees are public servants. will mobilize the enormous potential power nounced until after the JNR strike had You aren't working for a capitalist—you're of the Japanese proletariat in defense of its been called off). Clearly the strategy was serving the people. You mustn't strike own interests, and not in pursuit of any to line up the conservative bureaucrats of against the people, etc., etc. coalition with the capitalists. those federations to support an LDP-DSP The JSP, which is the largest reformist One consequence of the wait-till-next- coalition, if it comes to that. party, is divided into two main factions. year attitude that most unionists took after In the course of the shunto, the Domei The "left" faction favors participation in the 1975 defeat was that no significant and IMFJC bureaucrats behaved more or the JCP's popular-front scheme, while the opposition current arose within the unions. less as the DSP leaders hoped they would. "right" faction prefers to go along with the Within the JSP there are various factions As usual, the first major contract to expire DSP's more openly class-collaborationist and groupings that have opposed the party was the IMFJC steelworkers'. The leader scheme. The JSP Diet members, and the leadership's stand on certain questions, ship of Sohyo proposed a one-day strike by Mindo leadership in Sohyo, tend to vacil but none of these groups opposed Mindo's public-sector unions on the day the steel late between the two factions. conduct of the strike and negotiations. industry made its offer, to be followed by So on April 20-21, as trains came to a The political groups to the left of the JSP joint strikes by public and private sectors halt all over Japan, the Mindo bureau and JCP were the only organized opposi if the offer was within the 10% guideline. crats of the JNR workers federation sat tion to the bureaucrats' policies within the The Domei-affiliated auto and shipyard there in the negotiating sessions. On one unions. In the Tokyo area, the most visible federation bureaucrats opposed this, side of them was the DSP, on the other of these groups were the Trotskyists of the threatening to "reexamine" the joint side was the JCP, and facing them from Japan Revolutionary Communist League IMFJC setup if the steelworkers federation across the table was the LDP government. and the Japan Communist Youth League. conducted joint strikes with other, federa As class collaborationists, they were much They participated in organizing the work tions of Sohyo. F'aced with this, the more impressed by that relationship of of the strike, and during the strike they steelworkers federation announced that it forces than by 38 million stranded commu distributed daily supplements to their was postponing its response to manage ters. They were not thinking about the weekly newspaper, Sekai Kakumei. These ment's offer. This left the JNR contract as effectiveness of "their" strike, they were supplements explained the political man the de facto pacesetter, and furthermore counting seats in the Diet. They called off euvers underlying Mindo's negotiating left the JNR workers facing the govern the strike. strategy, and warned that these could ment's attack with no hope of support from The 1976 shunto failed because the undermine all the work of the strikers and the Domei affiliates in the private sector, workers' struggles were subordinated to their supporters. nor from the powerful steelworkers. the popular-front coalition schemes of the One consequence of the end-of-an-era But even so, the joint strike by Sohyo reformist leaders. attitude many unionists now share is that and Churitsuroren affiliates was massive, the opportunities for building a class- and solid from the first day. Why did the Crisis of Japanese Trade Unionism struggle current within the unions are Sohyo bureaucrats give up in the negotia The outcome of the 1976 shunto has led better now than at any time since 1955. By tions? to a crisis in the leadership of Sohyo whose their participation in the shunto, the full extent is not yet clear. It appears that Japanese Trotskyists made an important The DSP is not the only class- the chairman and general secretary of contribution toward the building of such a collaborationist party in the Japanese Sohyo will be forced to resign. But the current. In major cities throughout Japan, workers movement. The Japanese Stalin tens of thousands of union activists heard ists are also looking forward toward a the Trotskyists' ideas. The effect of those future governmental coalition. What they 13. Clean Government party, a petty-bourgeois ideas, together with the continuing inter have in mind is a bloc of the JSP, JCP, party linked to the Soka Gakkai Buddhist sect. vention of the Trotskyists, will be felt in the impending shake-up within the trade- 14. Nippon Kyoshokuin Kumiai, the Japan union movement. 12. The Japanese national parliament. Teachers Union. April 27, 1976

intercontinental Press 'For a Government Without Capitalists or Generals'

Portuguese LCI and PRT Announce Candidate for Presidency

[The following article was published in election campaigns in 1965, 1969, and and CP, a government to advance the the May 11 issue of Jornal Novo, one of the 1973, and in the Support Committees for struggle and mobilization of the workers. largest Lisbon dailies. The translation is the Aveiro Democratic Congresses in 1969 b. Respecting the will of the workers by Intercontinental Press.] and 1973. She was a contributor to means breaking all commitments to the Republica and Seara Nova. bourgeoisie. "As a member of the Portuguese Com The candidate promises to fight to munist party, she worked in the under assure that the government, as well as the Yesterday the LCI and the PRT' present ground for almost three years and spent left majority in the Assembly of the ed Arlete Vieira da Silva as a candidate for almost four years in prison. She was jailed Republic, can govern and legislate freely, president. Her campaign would "differ five times, in one case for more than three without the restrictions imposed by the politically from that of the bourgeois and years. She was subjected to torture by pact and the special powers of the Council military candidates," it was said. It will be sound and by clubbing, during which her of the Revolution and the presidency. focused on "struggling for the political wrist was broken. Comrade Arlete Vieira c. The candidate will stress the need for independence of the working class and for da Silva always conducted herself like a unity of the workers movement and its a government based on the various expres revolutionist and when she got out of organizations against the common enemy sions of the workers' will, including the prison she always returned to the struggle. of the workers, the bourgeoisie in or out of recent election results." This objective was In the underground, the Portuguese Com uniform. During her campaign, she will summed up as "a government without munist party sent her to the Soviet Union focus on the need for such a workers united capitalists or generals." three times. She spent eight months there, front, including the SP and CP as the Before presenting Vieira da Silva, a and three months in Prague. representatives of a majority of the work woman, a worker, and a revolutionist, the "She worked and carried out assign ing class, in struggles in the assembly and presiding committee, which included Fer- ments in areas usually considered strong the government. reira Fernandes and Cabral Fernandes holds of the Portuguese Communist The candidate supports the following from the LCI and Sa Leal from the PRT, party, such as Marinha Grande, Barreiro, concrete measures: a minimum monthly explained the reasons for her candidacy. and in general in the Lisbon industrial belt wage of 6,000 escudos [approximately Among other things, they attacked the and along the Sintra line. Before April 25, US$200]; a sliding scale of wages to pact between the military and the parties. she played a prominent role in supporting counter inflation; calling a democratic They said that it "had been pregnant for the struggles at Sorefame, Cometna, and congress of all trade unions to discuss and months from promiscuous class collabora- others. democratically draw up a plan of struggle; tionism and now it had gone into labor "After April 25, 1974, she returned to the and encouragement, support, and improve and was about to bring forth a general teaching profession, from which she was ment of workers control. wearing dark glasses." They rejected the ousted when she was jailed in 1965. claim that there is a majority consensus "For the candidates for the role of During the question period, the speakers "supporting General Eanes," saying that bonaparte or 'savior of the fatherland,' the it was based on such unreliable criteria as rejected the candidacy of Otelo Saraiva de presidential campaign is going to be just Carvalho, saying: "The workers cannot a "feeling" on the part of General Pires another episode in their long war against Veloso or "a consensus of civilians who rely on a general. This is all the more true the working class. For Comrade Arlete because Otelo did not uphold the interests aspire to ministerial posts." Vieira da Silva also this campaign is a of the workers. He tied himself to the The speakers proposed instead a road continuation of a struggle she has been they said was "right and possible, a road military hierarchy, to the provisional waging for a long time, for two decades. that can guarantee the workers' indepen governments, and to the Group of the Previously, she conducted her fight within dence and the future of their struggles." Nine.'' Throughout the period since April the limitations of the Stalinist class- The organizers of the press conference 1974, he has vacillated." collaborationist perspective. But she al The representatives of the LCI and the provided the following biographical infor ways sought socialism, freedom, and mation to explain who Arlete Vieira da PRT also said that they could not support workers power." Silva is: "She was born in Lisbon in 1940. a candidacy backed by the right-wing At the age of twenty-two, she graduated The following points were presented as parties, the PPD and the CDS," but that if from the School of Philosophical and preconditions for working-class indepen the SP and CP ran a working-class Historical Sciences. She was an outstand dence and carrying on the fight for class candidate not linked to the bourgeois ing activist in the student strikes at unity. parties, to the state apparatus, or to the Coirnbra in 1961. She joined the Commu a. Arlete Vieira da Silva calls for the military hierarchy, they would withdraw nist party at the age of eighteen, begin formation of a government representing their candidate. □ ning her political work in Humberto the will of the workers as expressed in the Delgado's campaign for the presidency. recent elections for the Assembly of the She also participated in the legislative Republic. 2. The military group led by Melo Antunes that In accordance with this objective, she ousted Vasco Gonfalves from the premiership in promises that if she is elected she will call the August 1975 crisis and ended the special on the general secretary of the SP, Mario alliance of the Armed Forces Movement with the 1. liga Comunista Internacionalista (Interna Soares, or an SP leader chosen by the Communist party.—IP tionalist Communist League), sympathizing organization of the Fourth International; Partido party to form a government representing Revolucionario dos Trahalhadores (Revolution the will of a majority of the workers; that 3. Partido Popular Democratico (Democratic ary Workers party), an organization that has is, a government without capitalists or People's party), the liberal bourgeois party; declared its adherence to the Fourth generals, based on the left majority in Centre Democratico Social (Social Democratic International.—IP parliament and on unity between the SP Center), the right-wing bourgeois party.—IP

May 24, 1976 Dr. Sheila Cassidy's Testimony to UN Human Rights Commission

Firsthand Account of Torture and Imprisonment in Chile

[The following is the testimony of the and other Christian Churches. fore to the house of the Papal Nuncio. This British doctor, Sheila Cassidy, who was I was taken to the house of the American house is very heavily guarded by police arrested and tortured in Chile after giving Sisters of Notre Dame, where I treated with machine-guns. I felt it inadvisable to medical aid to MIR (Movimiento de Izqui- Nelson Gutierrez and where I met his girl reveal my own identity and therefore erda Revolucionaria—Movement of the friend Maria Bachman and Mary-Ann called myself Sister Isobel. This was the Revolutionary Left) leader Nelson Gutier Beausire, who is the girl friend of Andres only occasion on which I had ever called rez. The testimony, given January 19, was Pascal Allende, who is the head of the myself by a false name or said that I was a published as an appendix to a report Movimiento Izquierda Revolucionaria religious and it was done with a very issued February 4 by the United Nations (MIR), the revolutionary leftist movement specific purpose. Commission on Human Rights.] in Chile. When I entered the Nunciatura, the I found Gutierrez to have three bullet house of the Nuncio, I was told that wounds in the leg. One was an exit and another doctor had been called. I did not entrance wound of one bullet and the other see Gutierrez on this occasion and I have On 21 October 1975 I was asked to treat was only an entrance wound, which meant not seen him since. I returned to my home a wounded leftist revolutionary who was that the bullet was still in his leg. I and during the week that followed I in hiding. I saw him on two occasions and explored the wound but was unable to find carried on with my ordinary life and work. operated upon his leg under local the bullet. I operated on his leg and anaesthesia while he was being hidden in On the evening of Saturday, 1 Novem drained a large abscess. It was at this time the house of a group of North American ber, I was in the house of the Columban my impression that his condition would nuns; this was my only connexion with Fathers, which is very close to my home. improve with rest and antibiotics and I him. I took no part in the preparations These missionary priests, many of whom agreed to return 48 hours later. This I did made to get him into asylum in the house are Irish, American or Australian, are my and found his condition greatly worse. He of the Papal Nuncio. friends and I was a frequent visitor in had a high fever and was unable to walk. I On 1 November, while attending a sick their house. I was at that time caring for once more explored the wound to try to nun, I was detained by the Chilean Secret an American nun who had had a nervous find the bullet but this was impossible as Police, the DINA [Direccion de Inteligen- breakdown due to overwork and I was his leg was greatly swollen and the bullet cia Nacional]. I was taken by car to a visiting her on this particular occasion. was very small. It was my considered house of interrogation where I was submit While I was with her in her room at the medical opinion that it would be impossi ted to electrical torture on three separate back of the house on the first floor I heard ble to treat him in this house without occasions. After four days in this house of a loud scream and ran downstairs think proper medical equipment and I thought ing that the maid had had an accident. I detention I was transferred to another that his life was in great danger as he found her lying on the floor, prone, with detention centre, where I was in solitary could very possibly die from a generalized her back towards the french windows confinement for a total of three weeks. I septicaemia and was already showing was then transferred to a detention camp leading on to the street. There was a large signs of this condition. I explained to him of women political prisoners, which is pool of blood at her side and a large bullet that it was impossible for him to go into known officially as Tres Alamos, which wound in her back. I then pulled her by the hiding, that he was putting in risk the hands through towards the back part of means Three Poplars. I was detained for a lives of the people who were helping him further five weeks. I received no further the house because bullets began to enter and that furthermore he was likely to physical torture during this period. from the direction of the street. After a reach a state of delirium in which he would I was released by the Chilean Govern very brief period I got the impression the be a danger to his own friends. He ment on Monday, 29 December, and bullets were coming through the dining- therefore agreed to accept the offers of expelled from the country. room and the kitchen windows, that is, asylum which had been made to him by This is a fully factual account of my from the other side of the house, and I the priests who had been helping him. I experiences. . . . realized that I could do no more for the left the house and went to speak with the On 21 October I was telephoned by a maid and that my own life was in grave priests who were assisting him and they Chilean priest who said he had a request danger. I therefore hid under a table in the then proceeded with the necessary negotia to make of me. He then came to my house kitchen and waited for the gunfire to cease. tions to get him political asylum. and told me that there was a wounded I would estimate that firing continued over leftist revolutionary who had two bullet The following day I was telephoned and some 10 to 15 minutes. The only people in wounds in the leg and who needed medical asked to go to another convent for an the house at this time were Father William treatment. He asked if I was prepared to urgent discussion. This I did and was Hallidan, who is the chief of the Columban assist this man and I agreed. I was fully presented to one of the Bishops of Santia priests in Chile, and Sister Connie Kelly, cognizant of the risk of being detected, go. I explained to him my medical reasons who is a young American religious. All detained, interrogated and expelled from for the urgency and necessity for asylum stories put forward by the Chilean Govern the country. I had no doubts that it was for Nelson Gutierrez and I agreed to come ment that I was accompanied by a friend correct to attend this man, as the torture to the house of the Nuncio the following with a gun are totally without foundation. methods of the Chilean Secret Police are day to make a further attempt to extract When the firing ceased there was a loud such that an important revolutionary the bullet. They told me that it was knocking on the hack door and Father person would be very severely tortured and absolutely out of the question to send Hallidan opened it. A man in ordinary probably killed. Gutierrez to a hospital even under the clothes but armed with a machine-gun This information is well documented in protection of the Papal Nuncio, as this was entered brusquely, followed by some five or Chile by the Committee for Peace, which is far too dangerous and they considered his six similarly armed men. They pushed an entirely non-political organization com life would be gravely in jeopardy. past us both and ran to search the house. posed of a union of the Roman Catholic On Saturday, 25 October, I went there Their first comment was "Who fired upon

Intercontinental Press my men?" and they then asked me my dressed me as I was likewise too weak to name and when I told them that it was dress myself. My eyes were then secured Sheila they said, "She is the one we are with sellotape and I was taken by car looking for." There was then an interval accompanied by armed guards to look for while they searched the house, rang the the house. hospital for an ambulance to take away When we got to the centre of Santiago, to the maid and brought the sick nun down the region of the Central Station, they so that she was confronted with the dying m removed the sellotape from my eyes and maid. Again they asked me what my name told me to look out for the house. After was and again they commented among some distance they pressurized me consid themselves "She is the one we are looking erably to identify the turning and I said I for." They refused all of my requests for thought that we had arrived at it. We identification. I went upstairs and hid in cruised around looking at houses for some the bathroom because it seemed a nice safe 15 minutes while they became progressive place. After a while, however, they began ly angrier; then they stopped the car, had a to call my name and began to search the conference with another of their group and house and when they came to the bath told me, with great excitement, that they room door they began to break it down, so thought they had found the street. I had fearing that they would begin to fire I told them that I thought the street was came out. called, "Bishop something-or-other," "Obi- I was led at gunpoint from the house and spo no se cuanto." They had by some managed to call to Father Hallidan to curious coincidence found a street called inform the British Consul. I was not given "Obispo Subercaseaux." With the finding any kind of warning or told why I was of this street they became convinced that I being detained and at this point I had no was telling the truth; we cruised along and idea what they had detained me for or who again by curious coincidence we found a they were. I was led to a private car and a house which fitted very closely the descrip man with a machine-gun got in beside me. tion that I had given. I had told them that As soon as we drove away he struck me the house was a large white colonial house sharply across the face and then put a with black gates; this in actual fact fits the blindfold upon my eyes. As we drove description of many houses in Santiago, through Santiago (it now being dark), he but it was curious to find one in this street, told me that he knew that I had treated SHEILA CASSIDY because this was an area that I had never Nelson Gutierrez, so I saw no point in before visited. lying. I was driven for about 15 minutes They then took me to a police station through the streets of Santiago. I managed Santiago hung from the wall. There was and handcuffed me and blindfolded me to lift the blindfold over my left eye also a woman present amongst the group with my sweater. When they realized that I without my guard realizing and I recog of some five men. could see through the sweater they nized that we were driving parallel to the They then began to interrogate me. They wrapped a thick velvet curtain around my canal which is in one of the smart immediately gave me a violent electric head. There was then a lot of shouting and residential areas of Santiago. This is in a shock which seemed to be a generalized telephoning and movement of men and I street which is called Tobalaba. We shock. At that time I think the electrodes realized that they were organizing a raid. crossed the canal and went a short had been placed on my wrists but I After a while they took me again by car distance along a street, a dirt road, in an couldn't be sure. They asked me where I and we went and waited in the shadows of area which I believe to be Penaloen. We had treated Gutierrez. When I realized that the street alongside the house. By then I stopped outside a house and I clearly saw they didn't know where I had treated him, had considerable moral qualms as to that this was a dark red colonial building I realized that they must be ignorant of the whether I was doing the right thing but I on the left-hand side of the road as we were involvement of the priests and nuns in the thought that this would be a house with going away from the canal. treatment and subsequent asylum of rich people and that they would he able to Nelson Gutierrez. Not wishing to implicate explain to the police very rapidly that they We entered the house and I was taken the Church and more especially not had no connexions with the MIR. immediately to a room of interrogation. I wishing to endanger the lives of the This manoeuvre of mine was a mixture was interrogated for what I think was only Chilean priests who had helped him, I of desperation and a play for time because a few minutes and then told to remove my invented a long and detailed story of how I I kept hoping that the Consul would be clothes. I declined to do so and my had treated Gutierrez in a private house at able to contact the Secret Police and that I interrogator then began to tear my shirt the request of a Chilean doctor and in a would be freed. off. Not wishing to be further manhandled, distant part of Santiago. It was not We entered the house and I found to my I removed all my clothes. I was then told to particularly difficult to invent this story as great distress that it was not a house of lie on the bed. In the room there was a all their questions were direct and I just rich sophisticated people but that there double metal bunk. They removed the fabricated answers to each of the ques was an elderly couple who were obviously mattress from the bottom floor of the bunk tions. When I realized that they were guarding the house while it was being and I was tied to the frame of the bunk. believing me and that I was diverting remodelled; I immediately said that this My wrists and ankles were secured to the them completely from my friends it be was not the house. They didn't believe me, side of the bunk so that I was spread- came easier still to lie in this way. Every but eventually I persuaded them and they eagled with my legs apart. I was further time I faltered in my story they gave me then became very angry and said that I secured by a wide band across my abdo another electric shock. These were ex was obviously lying and that I should go men and two straps which were passed tremely painful but providing I kept back to what they call "the parilla," which around my upper arms. I was very tightly talking it was possible to bear it. Eventual is Spanish for "barbeque." blindfolded but before they tightened the ly I persuaded them that perhaps I might I was taken by car, once more blind bandage I was able to see that this was a be able to identify the house so they folded, back to the original place of small room in which there was the metal allowed me up. They lifted me from the bed detention. I was led immediately to the bunk, a chair and a large street map of as I was unable to move alone and they original room, ordered to remove my

May 24, 1976 clothes and once more secured to the bed if I enjoyed it. They repeatedly asked clearly to understand that he proposed to frame. This time they inserted an electrode whether or not I was a virgin and I was have sexual relations with me; this was in my vagina and began to stimulate me very fearful that they would try to rape me. obviously just to try and frighten me with a wandering electrode, by which I I was then taken from the bed and taken because I was taken to a dormitory where mean they had an electrode which had into an office for interrogation. I was there were three other young women. He some kind of a pincer and they stimulated interrogated by a group of men, I don't then left us and locked us in. me in various parts of my body, largely know how many, I would say at least I was detained with three young profes over my lower abdomen and thighs and three. I told them that I had attended sional women in this room for the next pubic regions. Whether because of the Gutierrez because he was a sick man and four days. On Sunday, 2 November, I was siting of the electrodes or because of the that it was not in my code of behaviour to interrogated many times during the day increase of current, this pain was greatly refuse attention to somebody who needed but received no further torture. I was, more severe, and I was very distressed. my help. They found this, frankly, too however, struck many times about the Their attitude was very much more ag incredible to believe and were convinced head and face, but not enough to leave any gressive and although they told me that that I was an active member of the MIR. permanent damage apart from a slightly when I was prepared to talk, I should raise They were also becoming progressively split lip. I was taken on one occasion to the my fingers, when I did so they gave me more angry at the fact that Gutierrez had room where I had been tortured and told several more shocks, each time before they escaped them and were obviously very that I would be making a statement. I was removed the gag from my mouth to allow angry at the association of the nuns and told that if I did not make this statement me to talk. After what I would imagine priests, because they felt unable to touch things would go very badly for me and was about 20 minutes of this repeated them. that I would say just what I was told to shock treatment, I disclosed that I had During the third interrogation session say. The statement began, "I, Sheila treated Gutierrez in a Roman Catholic under torture, I told them that I had been Cassidy, in Santiago, without any physi convent. Because they found this idea so told that day, in response to a question as cal or mental duress declare." They then fantastic and because I had previously to the physical state of Nelson Gutierrez, dictated to me questions and answers. The lied, they did not believe me, so they that a priest I knew had tried to find information contained in the statement continued with the interrogation and the asylum for Pascal Allende. This informa was true apart from the fact that it was shocks. tion I gave in considerable desperation, not made under duress. At no time was I After a total of about one hour they because of their repeated insistence and left without armed guards. I had some believed me and I was once more freed and inability to believe that I had no more difficulty in writing clearly but they spoke taken from the bed, dressed and taken by information. harshly to me and told me that I must car to show them the location of the During the interrogation in the office, I make a big effort. convent. This I did and I was brought back was offered to be taken to the British I should mention that I had been told by to the detention site. Embassy if only I would disclose the the other prisoners that it would be very whereabouts of Pascal Allende. I repeated dangerous for me to drink water during the I should mention that during these two that I did not know where he was. first 24 hours after the electric shock journeys to Santiago, my guards said to I should mention at this point that at the treatment, and during the time I was being me on more than one occasion, "It would very beginning of the torture I told them interrogated I was offered a cup of coffee. I really be much easier if we were to kill you that I was a British citizen and that their drank half of this and the man who had here and now." This was said in a casual behaviour could lead to an international given it to me then said, "It's just as well way and I had no cause to disbelieve them. incident, and they replied, "Our image in you didn't drink it all, because you could On one occasion I tried to escape, in that the exterior is so bad that it doesn't have had a serious convulsion." three young men passed by and I grabbed matter." At about midnight on Sunday, that is, a hold of the jacket of one of them and said, I was interrogated, in all, over a period little more than 24 hours after the time of "I am a prisoner of the DINA, please help of 12 hours, and judging by the voices and my detention, the intensity of the interro me." They were very frightened and tried the way of behaviour of the interrogators gation and activity outside of the room to run away and eventually I was forced to at the office, it was by a group of very where I was resting lessened. I was able to let go of the jacket. senior men. It was certainly not one or two sleep. After my second return to this house of junior torturers not obeying commands, On the Monday, Tuesday and Wednes interrogation, I was again returned to the there were a lot of people involved. day I received no further torture but was bed, stripped and tied in a similar manner, During the interrogation sessions, I was obliged to make another long statement electrodes were again placed in my vagina also threatened with whipping, and a man giving the names, descriptions and ad and I was again given electrical shocks who I believe is a senior official told me, dresses of all the nuns and priests involved over various parts of the lower part of my "Doctor, you are a sensible woman, you in the case of Nelson Gutierrez. I was also body. This time because of the known must realize that you have now received questioned about the activities of two association between Nelson Gutierrez and three sessions of electrical treatment and people who had been detained from my Pascal Allende and especially because that this can go on and on up to ten or house during the time I was in England Mary-Ann Beausire had been in the house twelve or thirteen, and that after each last year visiting my father. when I treated Gutierrez they were con session you will be in progressively worse vinced that I knew the whereabouts of physical condition." They asked me many different things, Andres Pascal Allende. I told them repea Eventually, I was returned on two one of them being that I was able to speak tedly that I had never known him, that I further occasions to the torture room where Russian, and for a long time they thought had never met him and that I had no idea I was stripped and tied to the bed, but on I was an active member of the Revolution as to his whereabouts, but they did not each of these last two occasions there was ary Left, but after apparently making believe me and continued with repeated a long lapse of time and a discussion with further investigations they convinced shocks. They shouted at me many times the chief of the interrogators and I was themselves that my involvement was that I was lying. In between the shock released without further electrical current limited to that which I had told them. sessions I was left stripped, tied to the bed, being passed. At about 7 o'clock in the On Wednesday, 5 November, I was taken while my interrogators went away to morning after I had given the address for from the room where I had been held confer amongst themselves. While left in the priest who had tried to get Pascal prisoner, again had my eyes taped with the hands of men who I presume are more Allende into asylum, I was told that I scotch tape and was led through the junior members of the torture team, I was would be taken away to rest. The man who grounds of the building. I was taken by car frequently stroked and fondled and asked led me away spoke kindly, but I was given through Santiago and at this stage I

Intercontinental Press believed that I was being taken to the for the first time before the Fiscal: he is the said to each other that this was the result British Embassy. At no time was I given Government lawyer who had heen put in of a sudden call from the Minister of the any information or told where I was being charge of the investigation of my case and Interior. taken. When we arrived at our destination that of the priests involved. He asked me I was then detained for a further 10 days the tape was removed from my eyes and I whether or not I had been mistreated and in solitary confinement. During this time I found that I was in another military again I told me [sic]"no" because I feared received no information but was not establishment; this I later knew to be the reprisals. interrogated or harmed in any way. I was grounds of Tres Alamos, which is the The following day I was brought for very frightened and the food was extreme political detention centre in Santiago. I further interrogation and I made a state ly bad, but I was not harmed. After 10 was taken, however, to a special part of ment over a period of some four hours. My days I was transferred to Tres Alamos Tres Alamos, which is known in Chile as treatment in this military court, which detention camp, where I was in a complete Cuatro Alamos, or Four Poplars. This is a consisted of the lawyer and his two ly different situation. This is a publicly place of secret detention, the existence of assistants, both of whom were younger known detention camp for women political which, I believe, is denied by the Secret lawyers, was dignified and without any prisoners and I was one of 120 other Police. It is a place of very strict segrega kind of mental or physical duress. I made prisoners all held under the ruling of a tion; there are some 15 rooms and prison a full statement as to my activities and it state of siege and all without charges. ers are either alone or in groups of four or was then for the first time that I realized During this five weeks I received no five and they are never allowed to meet or that suggestions had been made that I had information as to why I was heing held. I see each other. By this I mean that when been involved in killing the maid. I was was not interrogated in any way and I the food was brought to the rooms, my very frightened by these allegations and made no further statements. Mr. Ferny door was opened, I was given my food and strongly denied the presence of a compan hough was given permission to visit me the door was locked before the next room ion, although I admitted that theoretically three times a week and he came regularly, was opened. In fact the same procedure it was possible that an unknown person and latterly Mr. Seconde also visited me. I was observed when we were allowed to go could have been present in the house, as was allowed visits from my friends and to wash or to the lavatory. It was later the house was extremely large and I had suffered only the privation of my liberty explained to me that this is a place where obviously not searched it as I entered. and extremely bad food. people are held while their physical condi I was detained in the women's prison On Friday, 26 December, Mr. Ferny tion improves and while further investiga until the Friday of that week, that is, 14 hough visited me and told me that I would tions are made into their case. November. almost certainly be released on the follow There was frequent medical attention On 14 November I was taken again ing Monday. On Monday, 29 December I and on the first night I was greeted by a before the Fiscal, confirmed that my received no notification but at about 11 man who told me that he was a doctor. He statement was true and was told that I had o'clock in the morning the Commander of tried on two occasions, each lasting about been cleared of the charges against me and the camp came and called us all on parade. an hour, to hypnotise me and I realized that I was at liberty. I was told that the He then told all the women to go to that he was trying to make me forget the only charge against me was of not inform another part of the camp, where we torture. He told me that it would be very ing the police that I had treated a man normally received visitors. As I prepared bad for me to talk about it when I was wounded by a bullet. I was told that I was to go with them he called me back. He then released from prison and I took this to be a free to return to my house and to my work told me that I had three minutes in which warning. but that I should report again before the to pack my bags. I went with the woman On Friday, 7 November, I received my Court in 15 days' time. I was told, however, wardress and changed my clothes and first visit from the British Consul. He was that I had to report back to the prison to packed my bags and then followed him. I allowed to speak to me in the presence of sign my discharge papers. was taken to central block, where the the Commander of the detention camp and When I returned to the prison I was told, offices are in Tres Alamos, where I was of the doctor. We were given strict instruc however, that I could not be released until physically searched, although without any tions that our conversation was to be in they had received confirmation of the undue indignity, and all my luggage and Spanish. Mr. Fernyhough inquired after order from the SENDET [Secretaria Eje- papers were searched. Sketches which I my health and I told him that I was very cutiva Nacional de Detenidos—National had made of various of my fellow prisoners well thank you. It was completely impossi Executive Secretariat of Prisoners]; this is were confiscated, as were drawings of the ble to hold any kind of private conversa a department for political detainees. Dur inside and of the outside of the camp. tion and I was extremely frightened. I tried ing this evening Mr. Fernyhough and my I had heen given to understand by Mr. to communicate to Mr. Fernyhough that I lawyer spent four and a half hours ringing Seconde that he would come to accompany had been tortured during the brief mo various government officials trying to me to the airport but although the Com ments when the Commander went to secure my release. They were forced to give mander told me that I must hurry because answer the telephone but I was only able up at 12:30 a.m. because of the impending the Ambassador would be waiting for me, to say to him "mains" as a code word of curfew. when I was led out to the car of the trying to communicate that I had received The following morning, Saturday 15 International Police, Mr. Seconde was not electrical treatment. He was very dis November, at 9 o'clock I was told that I there. I was met by Mr. Cossak, who was tressed by my obvious fear but there was was to be transferred to Tres Alamos the head in Chile of the Intergovernmental nothing we were able to do apart from his prison. I refused to move until the Consul Committee for European Migration, but as relaying messages of love and support arrived. When he arrived I told him that I I had not met him previously and as I had from my family and from the British was very frightened and thought that the not realized that he would be accompany Government. DINA would try to kill me because it would ing me to the plane I thought that he was Up until this time I had not been able to be dangerous for me to be released after another member of the DINA, and I was change my clothes because I only had the the torture. I was assured that I would be once again extremely frightened. I was clothes in which I had been detained. This in a prison with access to the Consul and driven by the International Police to the state of affairs continued until the middle to visitors and eventually I went with Mr. outskirts of the airport and they told me of the following week. This means that I Fernyhough and my lawyer and prison that they had instructions to wait until spent ten days in the very heavily blood guards to Tres Alamos prison. exactly 3.30 before I was taken to the stained clothes in which I had attended After Mr. Fernyhough and the lawyer plane, which was due to leave at 4 o'clock. the maid. I was also without a tooth brush had gone I was led down a passage and I was taken across the tarmac at 20 or facilities for doing my hair. returned to Cuatro Alamos. As I was minutes to 4 and allowed some three On Monday, 10 November, I was taken handed from one guard to another they minutes' conversation with Mr. Seconde

May 24, 1976 and Mr. Fernyhough. I was then placed on sequelae. I did however have quite severe traveling from Warburton Mission into the plane and left Chile. urinary infection which I assume to be the Laverton on their way to religious cere I would like to make a comment ahout result of the trauma and infection caused monies at Wiluna. None of them were the after-effects of the torture. The electri by the insertion of unclean instruments in drunk. They were never allowed to reach cal treatment appeared to cause some kind my vagina. This was most unpleasant but Laverton and the nearest hotel in the other of prolonged muscle damage in that I had passed after a course of antibiotics. I had direction was 1,600 kms away in Alice quite severe muscle pains in all the no physical sequelae and apart from living Springs. None of them were charged with muscles of my body over a period of 10 to in a fairly constant state of fear during drunkenness at the time their false arrests 14 days. After two weeks, however, I was these two months I believe that I have no were made. able to move without difficulty and had no particular mental trauma. □ It is clear that both Court and O'Connor are introducing "alcoholism" as a red herring. It is true that for some time before the Skull Creek incident relations between 27 Blacks Arrested on False Charges Blacks and the police at Laverton were quite bad. However, the commission found that this was a direct result of the lack of employment opportunities, substandard housing, the remoteness of the education Australia—The Police Frame-up at Skull Creek system, social alienation, and lack of recreation facilities and opportunities for Blacks. [A graphic example of the racist treat Later in January, a new set of briefs Furthermore, the police who took part in ment accorded Australia's aboriginal pop were prepared in Kalgoorlie to cover the the Skull Creek ambush were not those ulation by police and governmental incident. In these briefs the police changed normally stationed in Laverton but were authorities was made public April 28 with the story. This time they alleged that the members of a special squad brought up the release of a royal commission report on Blacks had attacked the police at Skull from Kalgoorlie to deal with the reported what has become known as the "Skull Creek. "invasion" of Laverton by a large group of "armed natives." Creek incident." According to the report, both of these [The following interview with Helen briefs show that there was "a determina The actions of the police at Skull Creek Corbett, secretary of the Aboriginal Legal tion on the part of the police officers to cannot be justified on the circumstances which they faced. Services of Western Australia, outlines the protect fellow officers." Throughout the commission's findings. The interview was commission the police obstructed the obtained by Peter Boyle and appeared in gathering of evidence and tried their best Q. Has any action been taken against the police involved in the Skull Creek the May 6 issue of Direct Action, a to prevent the truth from being revealed. revolutionary-socialist news weekly incident? published in Sydney.] Q. What has been the state govern A. The only action taken so far is that ment's response to the report? Senior Inspector Brown, the officer in A. The premier, Charles Court, is charge of Laverton station at the time, has sticking to the line he took when the first been passed over for promotion. Question. What were the findings of the demands for a Royal Commission were This is ridiculously inadequate as the Royal Commission on the Skull Creek made more than a year ago. In the face of commission reports that several officers incident? the overwhelming evidence that the police were implicated in the cover-up. Minister of Police O'Connor deliberately were at fault and had tried to hide the Answer. On January 5, 1975, a group of facts of the case. Court still insists that the misrepresented the extent of the seventy-six Black men, women, and commission was a waste of money. Last disciplinary action taken against police children were traveling from Warburton year Court also argued against a Royal officers after the Skull Creek incident. Mission to Wiluna to attend religious Commission on the grounds that he was O'Connor told the press: "Action has been ceremonies. "satisfied" with the results of a secret taken against some of the policemen— Just before they reached Laverton they inquiry by Magistrate Syddall. Now he three constables are no longer with us and were intercepted by twenty-two policemen. says that "the whole community" and not others have been passed over for promo The police forced most of the men into the police should take the blame for the tion when they would have normally been police vans and old men, women, and Skull Creek incident. He maintains that promoted." Later O'Connor admitted that children were told to go away. "alcoholism was the root cause of the the three policemen who left the police The Aboriginal Legal Service received force resigned for reasons completely incident." many allegations of police brutality unrelated to the Skull Creek incident. arising from this incident but the commiss The minister for police, Raymond O'Con ion failed to make any definite findings on nor, claims that much of the blame must Q. What has been the response by these claims. lie with the Blacks. He told the Daily Blacks to the report? However, the Royal Commission report News: "But put yourself in their [the states clearly that twenty-seven Blacks police] position—how would any people A. In fact, there has been very little were arrested without cause on false feel if they had to face up to 30 or 40 response. So far a few Black leaders have charges and that police illegally falsified drunken Aborigines who beat you up and made statements but by and large the official documents to justify their illegal take over your vehicle." Laverton report had not really got out to actions. O'Connor's reference to "drunken the people. The commission found that the police Aborigines" is a clear attempt to confuse The trouble with Royal Commissions is men involved later worked out a false story the public and direct criticism away from that they don't get under way until several of the incident so that their charges would his own incompetence in controlling his months after the incident and then they be consistent. At this stage, the police own police force. take almost a year to complete. Even then, claimed that the Blacks were fighting The Blacks falsely arrested at Skull the report is not available to the person in among themselves at Skull Creek. Creek were men, women, and children the street for several weeks. □

Intercontinental Press Nuclear Con Artists at Work in Brazil

By Otto Buchsbaum

[On June 27, 1975, the Brazilian govern quences, want to force nuclear plants on us fully constructed, never went into opera ment signed a $4 billion nuclear pact with in a transaction the West German dailies tion. He responded that in this plant there Bonn. In exchange for supplying Brazil called "the deal of the century." were certain construction errors, but over with nuclear-power-producing equipment, Anyone who tries to reread the interview and above that, this type of nuclear reactor the West German government was with Linus Pauling—twice winner of the has been superseded because of its ineffic promised access to Brazil's uranium ore. Nobel Prize—published in no. 10 of Abertu iency. At present, given the constantly [The following article on the hazards ra Cultural and the various articles we rising price of uranium and the scarcity of posed by the pact appeared in vol. 2, no. 14 published in nos. 11, 12, and 13, on the known deposits, it is only worthwhile to of the Brazilian monthly Abertura Cultu dangers of radioactivity and nuclear huild breeder reactors, which produce more ral. The translation is by Intercontinental plants will be sufficiently informed to plutonium (also used as fuel in nuclear Press.] want to keep Brazil free of this plague, plants), than they use up uranium 235. regardless of the fast talk by the West It turns out that the reactors West German salesmen. (All twenty-eight of the Germany is hoping to build in Brazil are "technicians" are associated with firms also obsolete. A seminar on the licensing of nuclear that are participating in this "deal of the 4. The seminar of West German nuclear installations has been held in Rio de century.") salesmen also minimized the growing Janeiro. Twenty-eight West German and In addition, we want to call further world reaction against the construction of eighty-seven Brazilian technicians at attention to the following: nuclear plants. Ralph Nader in recent tended. 1. From the point of view of health and, statements in Washington predicted that The final results reported by the press above all, the question of genetic inheri within five years at most the construction are disheartening, above all because they tance, there is no safe level of rad of new nuclear plants will be halted are full of misinformation. ioactivity. Even very low levels can cause through legislation, and that the fight will The conclusions published totally ignore mutations. John Francis do Conselho continue to close those in operation before the environmental risks. They make the Escoces de Igrejas had this to say about it: there is a catastrophe that automatically customary false comparison between natu "Mankind's minimal morality is to pre closes all of them. ral radioactivity and radioactive pollution serve the genetic inheritance of humanity 5. Last year alone in the slightly more caused by the plants. They minimize the intact." than fifty nuclear plants functioning in accidents and breakdowns that have 2. To show the effects of "low levels of the United States no more or less than already taken place. And they do not radioactivity," we want to cite a recent 1,400 unusual occurrences were recorded. mention the problems of disposing of the example from Japan. The new Hamaoka This was reported in Time, after the radioactive wastes. nuclear center began experimental func Atomic Energy Commission was forced by One of the technicians participating in tioning for fifty days at a medium-power court order to release information con the meeting, Herbert Jacobs, said in a level. The control apparatus certified that sidered "confidential." The facts revealed press interview that it would be possible to the level of radioactivity was well below are adequate to show that "safety" in build the nuclear plants for one-third the the strict safety standards in effect in nuclear plants is a myth. □ cost if the safety standards were not so Japan. Sadao Ichikawa, a professor of exacting or if a higher level of rad genetics at the University of Kyoto, ioactivity were permitted. Furthermore, he arranged in advance to plant a large Japanese Sue U.S. Air Base said this would be a totally reasonable amount of spiderwort (from the Commeli- to Halt Noise Pollution step. Then he created tremendous confus naceae family of herbs whose Brazilian ion with statistics. He said that a nuclear members are known under the name Forty-one persons who live near the U.S. power plant discharges on the average 0.5 Trapoeraba) around the plant. Yokota Air Base filed suit in Tokyo April millirems of radiation a year and that the Along with his assistant, M. Nagata, he 28, demanding a ban on nighttime flights monazitic sands of Esplrito Santo emit examined a total of 640,000 stamens and and a reduction in daytime noise. They are 10,000 times as much annually. verified that the fifty days of experimental also suing for compensation of 1.5 million Both statements are totally false. The operations caused a high number of muta yen (1 yen=US$.003) for past damage to normal radiation from a small nuclear tions in pigmentation, shape, and so each of the plaintiffs and 23,000 yen a reactor is very much greater, and mo forth. From July 24 to 26, 1975, a seminar month until the daytime noise level is nazitic sands have a radioactivity only 100 of biologists and physicists was held to significantly reduced. to 200 times greater, than the 0.5 millirems study the phenomenon. The facts cited According to an April 30 report by New cited. If it were 10,000 times greater, as he above are part of the published summary Asia News, "Similar court suits are being stated, the Esplrito Santo region would be of its proceedings. planned by another group of local resi flooded with mutants. 3. Hans Matthoefer, minister of technol dents around Yokota base, as well as by In short, all that is salesmen's patter ogy and research of the German Federal residents living near Atsugi U.S. Naval (the nuclear con artists had arrived!) from Republic, was questioned because the Air Station (another major U.S. base) in those who, caring little about the conse Niederaichbach nuclear plant, although Kanagawa Prefecture."

May 24, 1976 Key Target Is the SWP

Healy's Smear Against Trotsky's Last Collaborators

By Sam Gordon

The Gerry Healy circus, masquerading Healy's monolithism has reached the MARK ZBOROWSKI, into the United as the "International Committee of the point where something qualitatively new States from France." Fourth International," has for some time is involved. We are now faced with the As Novack patiently explained,^ in what heen engaging in a completely unhridled question of combatting foul witch-hunts proved to he a vain effort to tap a vestige smear campaign against the Socialist and frame-ups like those featured in of a sense of class solidarity, it was he who Workers party. This campaign has Workers Press. The whole logic of Healy's participated in the broad committee that included a series of articles (over thirty- exercise there, whether he is aware of it or helped bring socialists of all denomina five to date!) in the daily newspaper not, is to discredit the very idea of the tions from Vichy France to the United misnamed Workers Press,' alleging that Fourth International and with it the States. old-time leaders of the party like Joseph historic movement of Trotskyism. So far as I know, Novack never met or Hansen and George Novack, intimates of corresponded with Zborowski. the coleader with Lenin of the Russian It is impossible in a relatively brief The actual affidavits for Zborowski— revolution during his last exile in Mexico article to undertake a thorough analysis and affidavits are required for all from 1937 to 1940, were "accomplices of and refutation of the International immigrants—were signed by Mr. and Mrs. the GPU" and practically responsible for Committee's "exposures." But this effort David Dallin.3 David Dallin was a leading not forestalling the assassination of Leon hopes to make a contribution. Russian Menshevik who had settled in Trotsky ordered by the Kremlin! 1. Should the SWP have investigated America. His wife was a friend and In support of the allegations against and publicized any charge in connection collaborator of the Trotskys. So far as I Joseph Hansen and George Novack (and with the matter brought forward in the know, however, she never had any affilia by implication, posthumously against 1950s? Did it have the resources then, at tion or connection with the SWP. I know I James P. Cannon), Healy's committee the height of McCarthyism—a daily paper certainly never met her, but only knew of offers excerpts from testimony recorded in perhaps? Healy can tell, but he does not. her as the sister of Sara Weber, a party U.S. government documents, the opinions 2. Where was Healy at the time? Did he member at the time. of long-time political enemies of Trotsky make a public protest or even a private one How did "George Novack and Mrs David and Trotskyism, and the assistance of one to the SWP for its supposed dilatoriness? Dallin" manage "re-integrating him [Zbo old-timer, Harold Robins, a politically From personal experience I know that he rowski] into the top levels of the Fourth erratic worker comrade who is apparently was fully aware of Floyd Miller's testi International although he was gravely hacking the American Healyite organiza mony before the HUAC—the House (of suspect . . ."? What post exactly was he tion in his old age. Representatives) Un-American Activities given? Healy keeps a deafening silence. What is the purpose of these tirades that Committee of the U.S. Congress—shortly Healy says that Zborowski "disrupted have been one of the main features of the after it was given. He had read it in the Trotsky's campaign to defend himself Healyite press in both Britain and the columns of the New York Times. What against the Moscow Trials frame-up." United States for an entire year? action, if any, did Healy take at the time? Zborowski may have tried, but he did not Clearly the purpose is first of all to 3. The Healyites charge that Sam Gor succeed. The SWP was instrumental in becloud the issues for Healy's own follow don, "alias" J.B. Stuart, was linked to setting up what became known as the ers in the Workers Revolutionary party Mark Zborowski, alleging that the GPU Dewey Commission which, after ex (formerly the Socialist Labour League). agent was a "close confidante [sic]," no haustive hearings in Mexico, published its The issues, extending from philosophy and less, of mine. As far as I can make out, this unanimous verdict Not Guilty, refuting all politics to organizational methods, have is a totally manufactured lie. of Stalin's frame-up charges. It was heen publicly debated for a number of In international collaboration during the published as a hook under that title soon years. The outcome was to expose Healy's early 1940s, I knew only the French after.'' bankruptcy more and more thoroughly. comrades Jean van Heijenoort and Rigal Healy says: "Within a year [after Sizeable groups arose in opposition within (fleetingly), the Germans Johre (Weber) arriving in the United States—S.G.] Zbo his organization, only to he promptly and Louis (Ludwig), the Czech Jan Fran- rowski was working as a close confidante expelled. Among these were the Bulletin kel, the Spaniard Grandizo Munis, the of Sam Gordon, party name J.B. Stuart, group and the Thornett group (now the Brazilian Lehrun, a Chilean whose name and Jean van Heijanoort [sic], leading Workers Socialist League). They were escapes me at the moment(he attended the members in the international work of the smeared with the epithet "revisionist," and 1940 SWP convention as an observer). Fourth International; SWP meetings were banished before any serious two-sided If the Healyite charge had any corres discussion could begin inside the organi pondence whatever with the truth, Zbo zation. rowski would presumably have spoken for In contrast, the SWP has, as long as I the Russian Left Opposition. I never met 2. See "Healy's Frame-up Against Joseph Hansen" in the December 8, 1975, issue of have known it, heen open to criticism. It is any Russian Bolshevik-Leninist outside of Intercontinental Press, p. 1710. not monolithic. In fact, it welcomes Trotsky and Natalia. Nor did I meet any discussion and debate. Often debate one-time Polish revolutionary socialist 3. See The Mind of an Assassin by Isaac Don continues with internal minority opposi until I met Isaac Deutscher and a handful Levine, p. 30. tions for years. of others long after the war was over. 4. According to Healy, Hansen has 4. The book was reprinted in 1972. It is available 1. Workers Press ceased publication February "suppressed the fact that in 1941 it was the from Pathfinder Press, 410 West Street, New 14, 1976. Its reappearance under a new name has Socialist Workers Party who helped bring York, New York 10014, or Pathfinder Press, 47 been promised. Stalin's No. 1 anti-Trotskyist agent. The Cut, London SEl 8LL.

Intercontinental Press held in his [Zhorowski's] Manhattan apart of the Mexican Police," to write a hook Healy merely lends his support to the ment." Murder in Mexico—The Assassination of desecration of Harte's grave by the Healy lies on all counts once more. Leon Trotsky. It was from that book that enemies of Trotsky and the SWP. Healy knows what the relations between Healy selected his quotation. 8. The "testimony" of FBI agent Tho the SWP and the Fourth International The book was published in 1950. Where mas L. Black, which Healy cites, includes were after the passage of the Voorhis Act was Healy then? Did he at that time back absolutely nothing that can even remotely at that time and since. For what purpose is Gorkin's charge? pertain to the alleged crimes of Hansen he dragging in this red herring? Trotsky's own tribute to Harte is well and Novack. Of course. Black says he was As for identifying Zborowski, I must known. It was reprinted in the November told, when he was working as an agent of acknowledge a certain gratitude to Healy 24, 1975, issue of Intercontinental Press. the GPU, "to go to Coyoacan, and there for publishing the GPU agent's photo 7. Healy seeks to make much of would he other Soviet agents in Trotsky's graph in Workers Press in the issues of Hansen's conversation with McGregor at household. . . ." January 5 and January 10, 1976. I can the American consulate after the assassi But was Black given any names? Did he state categorically that I never laid eyes on nation of Trotsky in 1940. Among add anything new in his testimony? In the man, let alone visited his apartment. Hansen's objectives was to secure evidence any case, what does it all prove? Only that 5. The case of Sylvia Caldwell. Healy as to the real identity of the assassin, an Healy's writers are capable of what is presents as "evidence" against Sylvia the effort in which he succeeded. McGregor called in Fleet Street journalistic padding. assertions of Louis Budenz, who wound up later reported that Hansen mentioned 9. The Orlov letter. This was sent as an FBI informer. Before that, on his having been approached by a GPU agent directly to Trotsky. Trotsky chose a me own testimony he was a real accomplice of named "John" in the United States in thod of testing its authenticity that was the GPU. That was in 1950. 1938. Healy has seized on this as one of his his own. In this instance it did not work In 1960 a federal grand jury included main "proofs" that Hansen is an "ac because General Orlov would not entrust Sylvia's name, along with the names of complice of the GPU." his information to "Martin," whom Beria, Zubilin, Sohlen, Miller, and others, He claims that Hansen never told Trotsky recommended he see in New York. in an indictment for alleged espionage for Trotsky about this. As "proof of this Orlov mentioned a "Mark" in his letter the Soviet Union. charge, Healy says that there is nothing as being in Trotsky's entourage. It is just An indictment by a grand jury about the incident in "Trotsky's writings possible that no one in our movement at (consisting of twenty-four businessmen or or in the published correspondence of the that time knew that the real name of other pillars of capitalist society) is not period." "Etienne" was Mark and that those most equivalent to conviction. Those named are And as further "proof," Healy says that intimately associated with him then subject to trial by jury in which twelve if Trotsky had been informed, "it could thought the letter, because of its ano "peers" decide on the guilt or innocence of have led to the earlier unmasking of Sylvia nymity, was a GPU hoax.' In any case, the defendants. But Sylvia was never Franklin and prevented the sending of the apart from providing from its midst brought to trial. Evidently the political inexperienced and politically suspect Ro someone whom Trotsky told Orlov he purposes of the indictment had been bert Sheldon Harte as a guard." could entrust his information to (probably served and the government prosecution Joe has taken care of the "proof "Martin" was Cannon), the SWP had decided they had no case that would stand relating to McGregor's report faultlessly in nothing to do with this matter. If Healy up in court. puncturing Healy's previous series of has a point that is different, let him state it In any event, the SWP, on Cannon's "exposures."'' But may I add here a clearly—if he can. initiative, carried out a control commission general observation? Why should the 10. Once more on Gordon. Healy says; investigation of Sylvia Caldwell's case and "John" case be mentioned in Trotsky's "[Floyd Cleveland] Miller took over from found all of Budenz's accusations against "published correspondence of the period"? Sam Gordon, alias J.B. Stuart, as editor of her to he groundless. How does Healy know there was not the Seafarers' International Union news No new charges were brought in 1960. So unpublished correspondence or communi paper. When Sam Gordon, became re you have a choice between the federal cation? Healy knows very well that in sponsible for the work of the International grand jury indictment, which was never security cases informality is often the case Secretariat of the Fourth International in tested in court, and the findings of the and the necessity. New York, he worked closely with Mark SWP control commission, which showed And why would publicizing the "John" Zborowski who arrived from occupied Sylvia to be innocent. Healy chooses to meeting necessarily lead Trotsky to the France in 1941." (Note Healy's use of the believe the unproved indictment. Anything "unmasking" of the innocent Sylvia Cald word alias.) goes in Healy's "class struggle." well or have prevented "the sending of the 6. Desecrating the grave of Robert inexperienced and politically suspect Ro Another tissue of prestidigitations. Sheldon Harte. Healy accuses Hansen of bert Sheldon Harte" as one of the guards? Miller did indeed follow me as editor of "covering up" for Harte, the guard at The GPU, like the secret agencies of other that paper, but he did not "take over" from Coyoacan who was killed by the GPU governments, does not bandy about the me. I may have informally recommended gang in the May 24 attack on Trotsky's names of real coconspirators and often him as a fellow party member, but he had home. Of Harte, he claims that "a moun these do not know the names themselves.® to make his application to the elected tain of new evidence has been gathered officials of the union and be accepted by casting the gravest suspicion on him." them as is the case in every trade union. What does the mountain consist of? 5. See "On Healy's 'Investigation'—What the Miller had better professional qualifica Healy presents only a mouse—the opinion Facts Show" by Joseph Hansen in the November of Julian Gorkin, leader of the Spanish 24, 1975, issue of Intercontinental Press, p. 1636. tions for the editorial job than I had then; Workers Party of Marxist Unification Intercontinental Press is on the Index Expur- (POUM)and a sworn enemy of Trotskyism gatorius of Pope Gerry for all the faithful— except the "experts"—as is indeed every publica 'Were there other agents than yourself among from the days of the civil war in Spain, tion supported by the SWP or any left-wing the Trotskyites?' By now he had regained his that "if it were admitted that Sheldon was periodical that criticizes, or replies to, his unholi- composure and answered angrily: 'I don't know, a spy, that would place the question of but you ought to know that an agent is never responsibility in the chief Trotskyists in told about another unless they are supposed to New York, who had sent him to Mexico." work together.'" 6. In her hook Our Own People, Elisabeth K. Gorkin, an adversary of Trotsky and the Poretsky reports her last conversation with 7. Deutscher puts it: "Trotsky wondered whether Fourth International, helped General San Zborowski. Note the following question and reply the denunciation was not a G.P.U. hoax. . . ." chez Salazar, "Ex-Chief of Secret Service on page 274: "Then I asked him point-blank: See The Prophet Outcast, p. 409.

May 24, 1976 he was earning money by writing, mostly extreme danger rather than to infect and 14. Pierre Frank, too, is dragged in. radio scripts. demoralize his followers with distrust and Why? He explained his views on the As for me, I shipped out as a seaman, an scares. And so the agent provocateur went American Trotskyists and Zborowski to occupation I followed to the end of the war on acting as his factotum in Paris until the Georges Vereeken, perennial opponent of in 1945. My "responsibility" for the Inter outbreak of the war.""' Trotsky's politics both inside and outside national Secretariat of the Fourth Inter You may differ with the great bio the Fourth International in Belgium since national had been terminated with the grapher's interpretation of Trotsky's the 1930s or even earlier. Vereeken said in passage of the Voorhis Act. As I men theories, and perhaps incidental facts, but his book La guepeou dans le mouvement tioned before, I had on occasion informal no one has yet challenged him on the key trotskiste that he sent a letter dated March meetings with international cothinkers evidence bearing on Trotsky's assassina 5, 1956, to the International Secretariat thereafter, but Mark Zborowski was not tion. Does Healy? Or is he going to include concerning Zborowski. On the same page, one of them. Not in 1941, before 1941, or Deutscher among the "accomplices" of the he reported that Frank replied in a letter after. SWP? dated March 2, 1956, (sic) that the "Ameri I did meet an Etienne; but he was not 13. Healy quotes from a speech made by can groups (Cannon, Shachtman . . .) Zborowski. The Etienne I met was a leader Cannon on September 28, 1940, at a ought to get together on it and try to make of the French Parti Communiste Interna- plenum-conference held by the SWP in this Etienne speak. Unfortunately we get tionaliste after the war. A Rumanian by Chicago. Cannon was proposing a control the impression that they are not very keen origin, he later emigrated to the United commission to "begin a closer checking up on the whole business. Perhaps it's only an States. There is more than one Etienne in of party responsibility, discipline, and impression. In any case, they are much the world, just as there is more than one loyalty without permitting any panic in more pre-occupied with defending them Steven. the ranks." He made the observation: "If selves against the witch-hunt, and perhaps 11. When Novack said that the we had checked up on such matters a little that explains it." "principal actors were Trotsky and Sedov more carefully we might have prevented Healy raps Frank over the knuckles: "It themselves who trusted Etienne and al some bad things in the days gone by."" explains nothing of the kind. The SWP lowed Jacson entry into the household,"® Healy calls this "an obvious reference to was not facing any witch-hunt; the McCar- he was simply stating an incontrovertible the assassination of Trotsky." He de thyite period had been over for the best fact as to their attitude. mands to know if there was a control part of two years. What was happening to Trotsky, let us recall, took Jacson into commission investigation of Trotsky's Vereeken's campaign for an investigation his study without notifying any of his death and what its findings were. He was more straight-forward—it was being guards. continues: "Since no report was ever suppressed." As for the "Etienne," that is, Zborowski, published, we can only assume that it was Suppressed by whom? Healy is not too not one of the SWF leaders (with the blocked. By whom?" straightforward. But there is more than a possible exception of Albert Goldman, who Cannon did not specify what the "bad hint that Pierre Frank and his associates was in Europe during 1939) had more than things" were. So far as the assassination might be . . . "accomplices of accomplices a nodding acquaintance with him. Possi of Trotsky was concerned, the leadership of the GPU." For Pierre Frank is billed bly Cannon and Shachtman met him at of the SWP was doing its utmost to nail here by Healy as "a co-editor today of the time of the world congress of 1938. down the responsibility. This work cen 'Intercontinental Press' with Joseph Healy turns Novack's statement of fact tered on proving Jacson's connections Hansen." Can others take a hint? into "a lie which Novack has taken with the GPU murder machine and directly from the CPU." Healy then seeking to establish his real identity. Full An interesting point is made here in charges: "This makes Novack the co- publicity was given to this as can easily be "demolishing" Frank's view on the witch conspirator of Hansen." verified by consulting the pages of The hunt. ". . . the McCarthyite period had But Healy could do a similar hat trick Militant and the Fourth International of been over for the best part of two years," with Isaac Deutscher, who takes several that time. says Healy. That is, since some time in the pages in his biography of Trotsky to report As I recall it, setting up a control "best" part of 1954. This is not some the facts referred to by Novack.® commission was visualized by Cannon as youngster newly come to the WRP talking. The question really is. Whose game is only one aspect of proletarianizing the This is Healy. He should remember McCar- Healy playing? party following the defection of the petty- thyism firsthand. 12. Deutscher, after examining the Zbo hourgeois opposition headed by Burnham, In 1957 he personally knew the case of rowski case and particularly the Orlov Shachtman, and Abern. Some of the an American comrade whose passport was letter, drew his conclusions about Trot weaknesses requiring rectification that still "withdrawn" after having been first sky's approach: Cannon had in mind concerned countering taken away by the State Department in "All too many accusations had already agents provocateurs, particularly in the 1953, and whose English wife could not get been bandied about in the small Trotskyist trade unions and other mass organiza a reentry permit to the United States, not circle in Paris anyhow; and if all of these tions. But he also viewed the control even on compassionate grounds. There were to he taken seriously, there would be commission as a body the ranks could must have been others, surely, he knew no end to the chasing of agents provoca count on to come down hard on false about. Withdrawal of passports and reen teurs. He knew all too well what a curse charges. try permits of real or alleged members of stool-pigeons were in any organization; but Is Healy insinuating that Cannon radical organizations was one of the he also knew that constant suspicion and blocked the control commission from hallmarks of McCarthyism. witch-hunting could be even worse. He functioning? Again, an example of the The whole world was made aware of this decided not to lend ear to any accusation baseless innuendos spread by the sleuths aspect of American reaction when it hit unless it was unequivocally presented and of Clapham High Street.^® even the internationally famous, particu substantiated. He preferred to take the larly in the banishment of Charlie gravest risks and to expose himself to 10. Ibid., pp. 409-410. Chaplin. Even fiddling with the span of historic 11. See The Socialist Workers Party in World periods is not to be despised, the author of 8. "Healy's Frame-up Against Joseph Hansen," War II—James P. Cannon Writings and the smear seems to tell us. Intercontinental Press, December 8, 1975, p. Speeches, 1940-43, pp. 80-82. It is possible to go on and disprove 1711. Healy's lies one by one as they come up. 12. The location of the WRP headquarters in And we can be sure that we have not seen 9. See The Prophet Outcast, pp. 495-504. London. the last lot in his obsessive drive to

Intercontinental Press besmirch the SWP and the Trotskyist perjurer Budenz and a stacked grand jury. save the WRP from the shame of having movement as a whole. It is certainly our Hasn't Healy presented us with a carica peddled it. duty to block his foul aim. ture of the method used by Stalin in the "If a lie can serve for a moment it is It is necessary, however, to pause and Moscow Frame-up Trials? inevitably injurious in the long run; the take stock. For, involved is not only Healy The Socialist Workers party and the truth, on the other hand, inevitably serves but many hundreds, perhaps even a Young Socialist Alliance are now engaged in the end even if it may hurt for the thousand, in the WRP who genuinely in a $27 million suit against the U.S. moment."—Diderot.'"' □ regard themselves as Trotskyists. To them government because of illegal actions I would like to address a few words. taken by the FBI over a period of decades. "It is necessary that every member of By coincidence Healy publishes fabricated 14. As quoted by Max Shachtman on the title the Party should study calmly and with charges that the party's leaders were page of Behind the Moscow Trial. the greatest objectivity, first the substance "accomplices" of the GPU. Whom can such of the differences of opinion, and then the charges help? development of the struggles within the Every conscientious member of the WRP Party. Neither the one nor the other can be ought to ponder this and try to think done unless the documents of both sides where Healy's course against the SWP Soviet Trade Deficit Is $3.6 Biiiion are published. He who takes somebody's logically leads—and so, too, ought Gerry word for it is a hopeless idiot, who can be Healy, if he is capable of it. The Soviet Union ran up an overall disposed of with a simple gesture of the Trotsky once said that if Stalin could trade deficit of nearly $3.6 billion, accord hand."—Lenin.''' have foreseen in 1923 that his course ing to preliminary figures released in How many of you have studied the views against the Left Opposition would lead Moscow May 5. Although the USSR had a of both sides and the course of the him one day to defame all living members trade surplus of about $400 million with struggle? The course of the struggle of Lenin's Central Committee as Hitler's the colonial and semicolonial countries, involves method. In the latest exchange, agents, etc., he would never have em and a surplus of about $660 million in its even Healy says, "A clear method barked on it. Stalin did not set out to be a trade with'other workers states, this was emerges." If you have not just taken his Thermidorian, a counterrevolutionist. The absorbed by a huge $4.8 billion trade word about it, you are bound to have your means Stalin chose brought him to ends he deficit with the imperialist powers. doubts at least about what he says of the had not anticipated. Means and ends are Heavy imports of grain and machinery, methods of others. To settle your doubts, intertwined. A thought worth mulling combined with slackened demand for

you ought to check the replies to his over. Soviet raw materials as a result of the charges. The voice in the series of articles against economic downturn, created the deficit. Ask yourselves: Who was it that accused Hansen, Novack, and the SWP, published Grain accounted for more than half of all others who remained alive of Lenin's under the signature "International the $1.8 billion in American goods import 1917 Central Committee of being anti- Committee of the Fourth International," is ed by the USSR in 1975. The Soviet figures Soviet wreckers and fascist dogs in 1936- that of Healy even if the hand that penned showed that the United States rose from 38? And even implicated some of tbem in the words was trained in the Fleet Street seventh to fourth among Moscow's trading plots to assassinate Lenin? And who now school of yellow journalism. All the gloss partners, behind West Germany, Japan, makes accusations against all the living and polish does not lessen the big lie or and Finland. leaders of the SWP who collaborated with Trotsky of being "accomplices of the GPU" in the assassination of Trotsky? The linking method that emerges here is clear, ■ all right, but it emerges not from the Trotskyist movement but from pristine Dutch Journalist Held Without Triai Stalinism. Perhaps we can attribute phrases like "covered up for," "took over from," even "alias," etc., etc., to the influence of too many Hollywood gangster movies. But the Peter Custers Imprisoned In Dacca dragging in of names of other persons, associating them with the alleged crimes [The following article appeared in the worthy and conscientious journalist, well- of the primary targets, cannot be May 6 issue of Red Weekly, the newspaper informed in Bangladesh matters. His dismissed as accidental. A political me reflecting the views of the International sharp analyses of the situation in Bangla thod is involved. The intention is to compel Marxist Group, British section of the desh are highly valued. the cooperation of those named, or at least Fourth International.] In the arrest warrant Peter Custers was their silence. This use, or attempted use, of accused of unspecified "anti-state political blackmail comes straight from activities." The fact that the Dacca au Vishinsky, not from Trotsky. thorities have never publicly admitted his Compare Stalin's use of frame-up me Dutch free lance journalist Peter Cus detention nor put him on trial before one of thods to try to incriminate Trotsky with ters, who is well-known for his reports on the martial law tribunals—now in Healy's efforts to incriminate the close Bangladesh, has been detained in Dacca operation—suggests that they have not yet American associates of Trotsky. Against Central Jail since 8 December. His health decided whether to expel Custers or pro the verdict of the control commission of and safety are in jeopardy. ceed to a formal charge. the SWP, Healy accepts the word of the First news of his arrest was published in The fact that he is imprisoned in Dacca the 11 February edition of De Groene Central Jail is highly alarming. The Amsterdammer, a Dutch weekly of which inmates are in constant peril of their lives, 13. As quoted in The Militant, Vol. 1, No. 1, he is a correspondent. Custers also works November 15, 1928. The quotation is from "The especially because of the existence of Party Crisis," Collected Works, Vol. 32, p. 43. It for the daily De Volkskrant and, outside gangs of criminal convicts protected by the should he noted that the English translation the Netherlands, he writes occasionally for prison authorities; they not only have issued hy Moscow is defective. The Russian Le Monde and periodicals in India, Hong power over fellow-prisoners, but are also original can he found in the fifth edition of Kong and the USA. His colleagues in enlisted for the not very subtle interroga Lenin's Complete Works, Vol. 42, pp. 234-35. Dacca and abroad know him as a trust tion methods of the police. □

May 24, 1976 naot./^/Db «aXo;>--..v„yt^': . ODmK«qy^„ aDmsco DDcMoq ^oAuq w# \w^ Vw

The Death of Ulrike Meinhof Church in the Philippines. alleged plot, and had been treated for On May 9 Ulrike Meinhof, one of the "Although the military would like to mental illness. When the defense tried to central leaders of the West German Red make it appear that cases of torture are call the man's wife, it was announced that Army Faction, was found hanged in her isolated incidents," the document said, she could not appear in court because she prison cell. Government officials claimed "reports coming from all over the country was under house arrest. that she had committed suicide, but show that torture is widespread." Lee's sentence was reduced by the court Meinhofs lawyers expressed doubts about The report detailed thirty-one cases of from eight years to two and a half, and that verdict. torture involving the use of electric shocks Chung and Sung had their sentences The show-trial of Meinhof and others in on the genitals, injections of truth serum, reduced from four years to one and a half. the urban guerrilla group that she helped beatings, and sexual assaults. The torture form has been used from the beginning by is often carried out in "safe houses" or the West German regime as a vehicle for private apartments where the prisoners whipping up a witch-hunt atmosphere are kept for days, weeks, and even months Albanian Officials Purged against the left. The savagery and vindic- without the knowledge of their relatives. A Enver Hoxha, the sixty-six-year-old chief tiveness of the government campaign was number of prisoners have died under of the Albanian Communist party, an demonstrated earlier in the case of Holger torture, according to the report. nounced April 29 that he was dismissing Meins. Although the official number of detain Agriculture Minister Piro Dodbida and Meins, who was also a member of the ees in military camps in the country Education Minister Thoma Deljana from Red Army Faction, died in November 1974 stands at 4,000, it is unofficially estimated their posts. Earlier, Hoxha had fired chief during a hunger strike protesting the cruel that the Marcos regime has jailed more economic planner Abdyl Kellezi. conditions under which the group was than 20,000 persons since martial law was U.S. officials have suggested that the being held. Before his death, he document proclaimed in 1972. purge may be associated with internal ed the force-feeding torture used against dissatisfaction over decreasing aid from him. China and a stagnating economy. Conditions of confinement for the mem CIA Inquiry Irks Rockefeller In his April 29 speech, Hoxha stressed bers of the Red Army Faction included: Vice-president Nelson Rockefeller com "Peking's great international aid," and • Systematic segregation from other plained May 3 that the U.S. Senate's Albania's "indestructible friendship" for prisoners. sanitized report on CIA and FBI activities China. • Special screens fixed outside cell has "exposed American foreign intelli windows to distort any perceptions of the gence operations to the world, to the great outside. profit of potential enemies and the grave • Handcuffing during yard exercises. distress of foreign friends." Herzog's Widow Sues Brazilian Junta • A ban on all visits and mail except Rockefeller pointed to an earlier commis The widow of Brazilian journalist Vladi from relatives, with visits being supervised sion on the Central Intelligence Agency's mir Herzog, who was killed in October by political police. domestic operations that he headed as a 1975 in a military prison in Sao Paulo, has • Censorship and confiscation of books model. The Rockefeller commission, while filed suit against the Geisel regime. Clarice and papers. noting "certain domestic violations," Herzog and her two sons explained that At the time of her death, Meinhof had found the CIA to be "on the whole a vitally they were filing the legal action "because been imprisoned for nearly four years. important and reasonably conducted intel of the arbitrary imprisonment of the ligence operation." journalist, because of the tortures to which he was submitted, because of his death Shah to Buy 1,200 British Tanks and the consequent obligation for indemni The British government plans to sell ty." 1,200 Chieftain tanks to the Iranian Seoul Court Upholds Frame-up Herzog died only a few hours after regime, according to a report by John A Seoul appeals court upheld on May 3 voluntarily presenting himself for ques Lawless in the April 25 London Sunday the conviction of three men for supposedly tioning. The military claims that he Times. London earlier sold 664 Chieftains plotting against the Park Chung Hee committed suicide. Church leaders, law to the shah. The conclusion of the new deal dictatorship, but reduced their sentences. yers associations, journalists, and editors would bring the total British arms sales to Lee Pu Young and Sung Yoo Bo, two say he was murdered. Iran to nearly $2 billion. journalists, both participated in a strike protesting press censorship last year. Lee was a leader of the strike, and the two Church Group Protests charge that their role in it was the reason Strike at ife University in Nigeria Torture in Phiiippines they were put on trial. Workers at Ife University in Nigeria Torture of political prisoners in the Chung Chung Bong, a college lecturer, walked off their jobs in April, seriously Philippines is a common practice, accord was also accused of participating in the curtailing basic services. The strike was ing to a 100-page pamphlet released in supposed plot against the government. called to protest the nonimplementation of Manila by the Association of Major The three were convicted on the evidence the so-called Udoji pay increases, which Religious Superiors. The pamphlet is being of a fourth man, who admitted in court were to have been granted in January distributed through the Roman Catholic that he could remember nothing about the 1975.

Intercontinental Press Let the Chinese People Speak Out!

[The following statement was issued in terrevolutionary political incident." It sent 1. Unconditionally and immediately Hong Kong April 25 by five political tens of thousands civilian, army, police, release all those arrested on April 5 at Tien organizations. The signers are also spon and security guards to suppress the action. An Men Square. soring a rally, to be held in Hong Kong Under the pretext of practicing their own 2. Stop slandering and attacking the May 16, demanding that Chinese authori brand of "proletarian dictatorship," the masses and their action at Tien An Men ties release all demonstrators arrested regime arrested several hundred people. Square. following the April 5 protest in Peking's The Peking government, by attacking 3. Publicize all the facts about the April Tien An Men Square.*] the action of workers, peasants, and 5 incident; let the masses speak out their student youth as "counterrevolutionary" own opinions publicly. and putting demonstrators under arrest, 4. Guarantee the basic democratic rights has completely disregarded the basic of the Chinese people, as outlined in rule Early April, in front of the Monument to democratic rights of the masses of organi No. 28 of the constitution. the People's Heroes in Tien An Men zation, expression, march, demonstration, Square, the masses took the opportunity of and strike. These rights were accepted by The Seventies Front, Combating Bulletin- the commemoration of the Ching Ming the Fourth People's Congress of China, Revolutionary Marxist League, Young Festival [Day for Remembering the Dead] and were stated clearly in the constitution Militant, Young Socialist Group, The to express their views on the current as rights of Chinese citizens. Reawakening (an overseas Chinese group factional struggle in China. Some of them, The masses at Tien An Men Square in Britain). by sending wreaths in honor of ex-Premier should have the right to speak out! Chou En-lai, showed their support for Therefore, despite our possible different Chou's policies. Others presented inscrip That'll Teach Them a Lesson positions and understanding of the current tions such as, "Down with Gandhi!" and situation and factional struggle in China, Misled by "deceptive" advertising, an "Commemorating Yeung Kai-wai [Mao's the undersigned socialist organizations unknown number of Americans may have ex-wife]!" to express their hatred for vehemently protest against the Peking purchased Chrysler compact automobiles Chiang Ching [Mao's present wife]. Others regime's suppression and attack of the under the mistaken belief that they deliv made speeches with verses: "China is no masses at Tien An Men Square on April 5, ered superior gasoline mileage. Appropri longer the China of yore, and the people 1976. We support the action of the masses ate action has been taken by the federal are no longer wrapped in sheer ignorance, at Tien An Men Square and other similar government. gone for good in Chin Shih Huang's feudal mass actions at other cities (e.g., Nanking, According to a May 6 Associated Press society," to indicate their discontent to Chen Chou, and Kunming). Because we dispatch, "The Federal Trade Commission wards the harsh conditions of Chinese think that the masses deserve to have ruled today that Chrysler Corporation society. those rights. misled the public about the fuel economy In simple words, whether the masses Meanwhile, we demand that the Peking of its small cars two years ago and ordered used wreaths, poems, silent mourning, or government: the auto giant not to do it again." heated speeches, and whether they had common feelings and wishes or correct demands, the one hundred thousand peo ple gathered on April 5 at Tien An Men Square clearly pointed out with their mass you move, action that the masses want to express their own opinions on the current events in China. its nice to have your mail The democratic rights of the Chinese people have long been harshly suppressed move with you. by the Peking regime. But the masses at Tien An Men Square still heroically exercised their basic democratic rights of expression, organization, demonstration, New Address: Old Address: and march. This action reflected a new rise of consciousness of the Chinese people. This is their unavoidable action after they began to understand that it is necessary to Address Address defend their right as master of the country. They had learned their own lessons through the past twenty-six years of continual factional struggles among the state leaders. But the Peking regime attacked this Zipcode Zipcode spontaneous mass action as "an orga nized, premeditated and planned coun- Country Country

*For an account of the demonstration, see Intercontinental Press, P.O. Box 116, Village Station, New York, N Y. 10014 Intercontinental Press, April 19, p. 628.

May 24, 1976 Militarism vs. Mass Action—Which Road for Irish Struggle?

[The following article appeared in the determined, they mounted their own pro Where once the majority of the Anti- March issue of Unfree Citizen, the news tests without prompting, they stood up and Unionist population distrusted and even paper of the People's Democracy group in often drove out the RUC [Royal Ulster despised the opportunist politicians of the Northern Ireland. The footnotes have been Constabulary] and the British Army. In SDLP® now they reluctantly support them supplied by Intercontinental Press, which Derry they controlled their own No Co and the SDLP's boasts that they would has also corrected a few obvious typogra area for almost a year. The best example is defeat Sinn Fein in an election are begin phical errors.] the Rent and Rates strike; the people in the ning to ring true. ghettos started it spontaneously before Now only a minority of the minority there were any calls from the politicians. supports the Anti-Imperialist struggle and The enthusiasm and determination of the even their support is a passive rather than After eight years of agitation and people was so great that they forced even an active one. And all the time the enemy struggle the situation is grim for the Anti- the Parliamentary politicians into the are strengthening their position. British Imperialist movement in Ireland. The streets and forced hostile political groups troops move freely round the ghettos, the initiative lies with the British and their to co-operate around common demands. It RUC and UDR [Ulster Defence Regiment, Loyalist and Free State allies. They are was this spectacle of a whole people in the Northern Irish militia] are being confident and aggressive and the Anti- revolt, not just the Provos' military cam expanded and given more arms and a Imperialist movement seems powerless to paign, which brought down StormonU and more active role; the Free State Govern halt the steady and inexorable drift wrung a whole series of concessions from ment collaborates more and more openly towards the restoration of Loyalist rule in the British. with the British. the North. Compare that with the situation today. What can we do about this serious Once we (the Anti-Imperialist movement The Anti-Imperialist movement is deeply situation? Where do we go from here? as a whole) had the initiative. We could divided, the bulk of the minority popula When revolutionaries find the people don't make or break Prime Ministers and Gov tion are apathetic if not hostile. Let any support them anymore they can either ernments and the hammerblows of the organisation, including Sinn Fein,® call a blame the people and attempt to carry on mass resistance in 1971-72 brought down demonstration now around some political without them, substituting themselves for the StormonP regime which had lasted for demands, and how many will turn up? the masses, or they can go back to where fifty years. For a time even the bourgeois Hardly any except their own members and the people are and try to bring them press regarded a united Ireland as inevi a handful of dedicated activists. The recent forward with the revolutionary movement. table and talked only of its timing and protests over Frank Stagg® don't alter that That is the difference between military structure. Now the only argument is over at all. elitism and Marxism. whether a few token Catholics should be Hardly anyone turned out for demon Republicans have always tended tow used as window dressing for a restored strations about Frank Stagg until the very ards elitism. A good example was the Stormont regime. end—if there had been even the support statement ending the 1956-62 campaign® Only the wilfully blind can fail to see there was for the Price sisters' the British which blamed the people for not support that we are in retreat. What has happened, would probably have given in. ing them. It said "foremost among the what has gone wrong? The most important Unfortunately the massive crowd at the factors motivating this course of action factor is that the mass movement has funeral doesn't mean much. The death of a [ending the campaign] has been the disintegrated and popular support for the hunger striker is a very emotive issue and attitude of the general public whose minds struggle here is on the wane. the ghoulish behaviour of the Dublin have been deliberately distracted from the What do we mean when we say the mass Government made it more emotive still. supreme issue facing the Irish people—the movement has disintegrated? In 1968-69 The emotion doesn't necessarily carry over unity and freedom of Ireland." And there and 1971-72 there were real mass move into active political support. have always been those who argued that ments in the North; the Civil Rights previous IRA campaigns failed either movement and the Resistance^ movement. because they hadn't enough arms and There was little need to advertise and 4. The suspension of the Northern Irish parlia ammunition or because they didn't use organise marches and demonstrations in ment came after the mass movement reached its them ruthlessly enough. height, following the shooting of thirteen civil- those days, thousands came of their own Faced with dwindling mass support in accord often travelling long distances. The rights demonstrators in Derry at the end of January 1972. Since the Unionist authorities this campaign, elements on the fringes of whole minority'' population was in fer were the most outspokenly opposed to civil rights the Republican movement have turned to ment. Civil Rights committees and later for Catholics, the suspension of their parliament isolated and sometimes very callous mili Resistance Committees sprang up in every was regarded as a concession by most of the tary actions totally divorced from any area. The people were self-confident and nationalist minority. political work. Let's take three examples; the Birmingham bombing, the Herrema 5. The political wings of both the "Official" and kidnapping [of the manager of a Dutch 1. The Northern Irish parliament, historically Provisional republican organizations are called the instrument of the proimperialist Protestant Sinn Fein. The article is evidently referring to majority in the British-ruled enclave. It was Provisional Sinn Fein, since the "Official" 8. Social Democratic and Labour party. This is suspended in March 1972, to make way for groups in Northern Ireland are called "Republi essentially a revived and refurbished version of formal direct rule from London. can Clubs," in view of the formal ban on Sinn the traditional Nationalist party, whose credibili Fein. ty was shaken by the rise of the mass civil-rights 2. After the introduction of internment in Au movement outside its control. The SDLP also gust 1971, PD believed that the mass movement brought in some of the "modernist" procapitalist 6. A Provisional republican who died on a of the oppressed Catholic population had moved elements in the civil-rights movement and some hunger strike in a British prison in February. He into a new and higher stage, which it designated demagogic Catholic politicians who based them- was demanding to be transferred to a prison in by this name. - selves on the labor movement in the nationalist Ireland.

3. The Protestants originally settled in Northern 7. Two young women from a well-known republi Ireland as a loyal colony and maintain about a can family who were convicted of involvement in 9. The IRA launched an unsuccessful guerrilla 60 percent majority. The higher Catholic birth a bombing in London. They also demanded warfare campaign in 1956, which was called off rate is compensated for by higher emigration. transfer to a prison in Ireland. in 1962.

Intercontinental Press company in Limerick] and the South Armagh killings. In November 1974 faced with the lack of The People's Democracy Group any serious opposition to British policy in Ireland by the British working class and In the March issue of its newspaper, the group's influence. frustrated and bitter at the anti-Irish the People's Democracy group in North During the mass civil-rights move attitudes of British workers, some Republi ern Ireland announced: ment, PD held a sectarian position can element—though not the men who "A serious division has arisen in the toward nationalism; it followed a policy were convicted for it; they were framed— People's Democracy over the past few designed to drive the "Catholic capital blew up two pubs in Birmingham killing months. The division was resolved by ists" out of the movement. After the twenty-one civilians. That was sheer rediscussion and redefinition of our introduction of internment in August military terror. Rather than work hard to policies at a conference of the organisa 1971, the remaining nucleus of PD convince the British working class to tion. As a result a number of members shifted toward all-out support for revo support the Irish struggle, a few men with resigned from the organisation." lutionary nationalism. guns and bombs would terrorise them into The People's Democracy emerged However, this turn was not carried submission. It didn't work of course, it from the Belfast student movement at out in a balanced way; the organization only created in Britain sympathy for the the end of the 1960s. A few of its leaders lacked a consistent critique of Provi Ulster Loyalists. served an apprenticeship in small sional republicanism or any alternative The Herrema kidnapping was a classic groups that claimed to be Trotskyist but policy. In its attempt to become a case of a handful of revolutionaries substi were outside the Fourth International. radical spearhead of the republican tuting for the masses. In the South there is There was also an anarchist tendency. movement, it often carried the weak a great deal of Republican feeling and Internationally, the group tended to nesses of the republicans themselves to sympathy with the Northern minority just form alliances with centrist tendencies an extreme. below the surface and there is massive inclined in one aspect or another of For example, in early 1975 it became discontent with the Government on social their politics to be ultraleft, such as clear that it was experimenting with and economic issues—120,000 unemployed, Lotta Continua in Italy or the Interna forming its own armed wing. Moreover, etc. The discontent remains below the tional Socialists in Britain. the attempts of PD to differentiate itself surface because hardly anyone has done At the start of the mass civil-rights from the Provisionals tended to be the hard political work to mobilise it and movement in 1969, the PD was organ erratic, and did not produce much organise opposition to the growing police ized more or less on the lines of a broad political clarification. state there. The kidnappers were too radical student activist movement, Now, with the decline of the Provi frustrated and impatient to work political similar in a general way to the Ameri sional military campaign, PD has ly through the ICRA [Irish Civil Rights can or West German SDS. It played a evidently decided to make a new reori Association] or some other body to build leading role in the civil-rights move entation. This development is worth up mass resistance. The result was that ment, expanding its influence very noting inasmuch as it may reflect an workers in Limerick actually marched in rapidly during the rise of the mass example of the thinking going on in the support of Herrema, and the Government, movement. Irish left. Although only a small nuc secure in the knowledge that the kidnap In the Northern Ireland and British leus of PD remains, the group is well pers had no support, were able to win parliamentary elections in 1969, it ran a known and has some serious experience easily. large number of candidates and cut in mass work. The Kingsmills killing was sheer mili deeply into the traditional nationalist Although the accompanying article tary terror again. The killers simply vote. Bernadette Devlin, the symbol setting forth PD's new position still adopted the logic of the Loyalists' murder and best-known representative of the suffers from some exaggerations and groups—if you kill enough Catholic civili radical youth in the civil-rights move one-sided statements, it is a serious ans then the Catholic community will ment, ran first as a candidate of effort to appraise what has gone wrong force the IRA to stop. They killed Protes People's Democracy. in the Irish struggle and to work out a tant civilians. It may or may not have Very quickly, however, PD's lack of a consistent Marxist approach. It seems stopped assassinations in South Armagh transitional program, its student radi likely to have a certain impact, and can but it didn't stop them elsewhere—and tit cal organizational forms, and its lack of perhaps make a contribution to the for tat killing of Protestants hasn't political homogeneity led to splits, process of rethinking in the militant stopped them in Belfast. What it did do disorientation, and the loss of most of Irish left. was disillusion and alienate hundreds of Republican supporters in the North who believed that our morals were superior to machine and its hired killers. Our criti from the people was shown by the sense those of the Loyalists, and thousands of cism of elitism and militarism is made less nature of much of the hijacking and sympathisers in the South. from the anti-imperialist side of the barri burning, which only inconvenienced and (The problem of assassinations is an cades. endangered the people of the ghettos. extremely difficult one but probably the However as the situation gets worse That was elitism but there is also an only effective solution is to rebuild enough there is a serious danger that the whole element who out of sheer frustration at active mass support to enable vigilante Republican movement will turn more and their inability to stop the drift to Loyalist groups to patrol all Catholic areas and more in that direction. Marie Drumm rule are arguing for provoking a civil war workplaces and to demand and take the provided another example of elitism at the in the desperate hope that it would force right for all Catholics to carry arms.) Dunville Park rally after Frank Stagg's the Northern minority and the Southern These were some of the clearest exam death when she told the crowd not to "take population to support them. That is really ples of elitist and militarist actions in the anything into their own hands" as Frank the politics of despair—gambling every last eighteen months. We must make clear Stagg's death would be avenged by the thing on a desperate adventure and trying at this point that we do not equate the IRA. In other words the people are only to to blackmail the people into supporting violence of the oppressed with the violence be passive spectators at their own libera you. It is also doomed to failure. of their oppressors; the violence of a people tion. In fact hardly any of the rioting after There is another road, the road of mass in revolt, fighting with the only weapons Stagg's death was spontaneous popular action. Marxists have always believed that they know, with the violence of the state action; it was organised and its isolation only the masses can liberate themselves.

May 24, 1976 no small group of armed men can do it for must be approached where they are, on the began in 1968-69 and in 1970-72 it was them. The imperialists will always have level they are on. To build the Civil Rights many-sided. People who fought for Civil more men, more guns, etc., than the movement took years of slow, patient work Rights or against internment also fought revolutionaries; in a purely military con making the people conscious of their on class issues, against economic and text they will always win. But what the oppression and that they could do some social exploitation and against the bosses. imperialists really fear is a whole people in thing about it. If the people now need to be Class consciousness was strong and Ca revolt like in 1972. They decided to abolish reminded of the facts of discrimination tholic capitalists were just as frightened as Stormont when, after they'd murdered 13 and what it was like to live under the old the Stormont Unionists. That has all people in Derry on Bloody Sunday, there Stormont regime—and the people in the disappeared and to-day there is an almost were ten or twenty times as many march South need to be told about it for the first total divorce between the national question ing in Newry the next Sunday. They time—we must go back and explain it all and social and economic struggles. The couldn't kill them all. As a British Lieute to them. And this time it shouldn't take so link must be forged again. nant Colonel said in a recently leaked long because their level of consciousness The People's Democracy will strive to report arguing the case for more emphasis has already been raised by the eight years rebuild the anti-imperialist mass move on political work: "The military means of of struggle. ment with clear working-class policies and winning this campaign is only one-fifth of Lenin, the leader of the Russian Revolu we also believe in the absolute necessity the whole spectrum." tion, spelt it out very clearly in 1917: for a disciplined revolutionary party as the The mass movement is all important; "Crises cannot be overcome by the vanguard and leadership of the revolution physical force, though certainly necessary, violence of individuals against other ary struggle. is only one of its weapons in the battle and individuals, by partial risings of small we believe that armed struggle which is groups of armed people, by Blanquist not backed by the masses cannot make a attempts to seize power, to arrest the Footnote revolution. So when mass support is Provisional Government etc. dwindling as it is to-day and when the The slogan of the day is: Explain more Lenin often said that Terrorism (elitist mass movement has disintegrated, the carefully, more clearly, more broadly the military action) put the masses to sleep. first priority is to win back that mass proletarian policy. . . ." Because it gave them no role in the support and rebuild the mass movement. We the People's Democracy believe that struggle, it led them to sit back and wait Without it any renewed military campaign absolute priority must be given to rebuild for a few revolutionary heroes to free them. will fail and any further turn to militarism ing the Anti-Imperialist movement. And as Inactivity quickly leads to apathy and can or talk of provoking civil war will only Marxist socialists we also believe that it easily turn into active hostility if the lead to disaster. must be based on a class-conscious ruling classes make the people suffer for To rebuild the movement the people working-class base. When this struggle the actions of the guerrillas. □

IRSP Denounces Brutal Interrogation' by Irish Police

[The following statement was issued by motor cars, a large quantity of clothing, 1. The police refused to notify people of the Ard Chomhairle (National Executive) personal documents and photographs, etc. which specific offence they were allegedly of the Irish Republican Socialist party/ In some cases, the homes concerned were involved in. Pairti Poblachtach Soisialach na h- left in a state of total disorder, with 2. They refused to notify families, Eireann (IRSP) following the arrest and furniture and property thrown about the fi-iends or solicitors that the arrests had beating of a number of members and floor. No receipts were given for any of the taken place. supporters of this organization by Irish property seized and some of it has not yet 3. People were refused visits from their Free State police in early April.] been returned to its rightful owners. families and legal advisors when they Our office at 34 Upper Gardiner Street, eventually discovered the various places of During the period from Monday April 5 Dublin 1, was also raided on Monday, April detention. to Friday April 9 a total of 26 people were 5, by a group of Special Branch men who 4. People were constantly moved from arrested under Section 30 of the Offences had seized the keys of the office from one one detention centre to another in a Against the State Act. Of the 26 people of our members. The raid was carried out deliberate attempt to isolate the detainees arrested, 20 were either members or sup in the absence of any party member and from their legal advisors. porters of the IRSP. One is a member of during the course of it a quantity of 5. They were threatened with repeated Sinn Fein Kevin Street [the Provision- clothing was seized. Documents and party arrests under Section 30 of the Offences als] and a brother of an IRSP member. files were also interfered with and we are Against the State Act if they refused to One is a member of the RMG [Revolution still attempting to compile a list of any "confess" or if they took legal action as a ary Marxist Group, now Movement for a documents which were seized. No search result of the torture inflicted. Socialist Republic, the Irish section of the warrant was ever produced for this raid 6. In some cases they were told that Fourth International] and a sister of an and no receipts were issued for the proper their wives would be also arrested and IRSP member. The other 4 people have no ty taken. The Special Branch remained in their children put into an institution. connections with any party. Twenty ar the office all day and arrested the editor of 7. In one case a girl was told that she rests took place in the Dublin and Wicklow the Starry Plough at the office when he would be detained until her boy friend was area, one in Co. Monaghan and 4 in Co. arrived for work. arrested, and was, in fact, detained in her Limerick. All of the people arrested were subjected flat for about two hours. In most cases the homes of those to very severe psychological pressure in an 8. Prisoners were told that they would be arrested were raided and searched by attempt to obtain admissions of guilt in Committed to Dundrum mental hospital armed groups of Special Branch men [the connection with the recent train robbery in and certified as insane. political police]. Nothing of an illegal or Co. Kildare. Three of the people who were 9. They were also told that members of incriminating nature was found in any of subjected to this pressure are in fact their families had heart attacks as a result the raids, however a large quantity of defence witnesses in the forthcoming trial. of the arrest of family members. IRSP documents and personal effects were The following pressures were applied to 10. One man was told that his grand seized. The property seized included two the arrested: mother had a heart attack as a result of a

Intercontinental Press raid by the British Army on his home in prisoners and make them physically and outline of the background which led to the South Derry and that if he did not confess mentally exhausted. current wave of torture and barbarism. before 5 p.m. his home would he raided 2. Denial of food. Some prisoners were Ever since the formation of the IRSP some again and his grandmother would die as a denied food or water for periods as long as 16 months ago, our members in all parts of result of it. 24 hours. One prisoner had to eventually the country have been subjected to harass 11. Some prisoners were also told that beg for a cup of water. ment from the authorities. The most they would lose their jobs as a result of 3. All 15 prisoners were subjected to common forms of harassment to date have their arrest. physical brutality. They were repeatedly been the raiding and searching of mem 12. Some were also threatened with beaten with batons or rubber truncheons bers' homes and the unlawful seizure of death and one man was taken to a lonely on the head, arms, legs, stomach and back. party documents and copies of the party area near Bray, where a Special Branch Their feet were constantly stamped upon. newspaper, the Starry Plough. The most man named Michael Egan offered him a They were also punched and kicked significant escalation in harassment took pistol. This was a particularly sinister repeatedly. Some of them were handcuffed place last June, when approximately 12 of incident, as other armed Special Branch and put on the ground with their feet our members were arrested in the Dublin men were concealed in the vicinity waiting forced between their arms and beaten and area, allegedly in connection with the to shoot him if he had taken the pistol in kicked in this position. Some people were Sallins murder.' his hand. spreadeagled against walls and constantly When they were found to be totally 13. Some prisoners were told that ru beaten in this position. Their feet were innocent people they were all released. mours would he spread to the effect that kicked from under them and when they fell However, the government, with the active they were informers and that their own to the ground they were again beaten and assistance of the media, managed to "crowd" would shoot them as a result. kicked and hit with chairs. Others were convey the impression that the IRSP had 14. Large sums of money were offered on slammed against items of office furniture some connection with the incident. When it condition that people would become infor such as filing cabinets and tables. Some was subsequently discovered that the mers and one man was told that if he could people were stripped naked during the Miami Showband killers" were also locate the money from the train he could beating process and others were partially responsible for the Sallins murder, the keep a large amount of it for himself and stripped. One man was told that he would media chose to ignore the opportunity for that nobody would ever know as hanks be strapped to a special chair and that his rectifying the damage which they had and post offices "often make mistakes." genitals would be beaten with a rubber caused. Since last June, all of the normal 15. Some of those who signed state hammer until he "confessed." At least one or abnormal forms of harassment have ments were told afterwards that they prisoner was told that he would receive continued despite repeated protests by our would he freed and that no further action electric shock torture and that the police members. The object of the harassment is would he taken if they agreed to act as now had a new law under which they undoubtedly to prevent the IRSP from informers. could detain people for 7 days instead of 48 pursuing its lawful and legitimate function The psychological torture described here hours. One prisoner was spreadeagled on a as a legally registered political party. was in some cases maintained for periods table with his arms forced up behind his Having failed in their attempts to smash as long as 13 hours without a break. The back and his head pulled back. He was the party, Cosgrave and Cooney have now detectives operated in teams of 2 or 4 men severely beaten while in this position. Two resorted to the lowest form of inhuman at each session and the threats were prisoners were beaten with leather belts barbarism in keeping with the traditions usually accompanied by foul language and and another one was repeatedly slashed laid down by their political ancestors of threats of physical torture. The purpose of across the throat and chest with a sharp the Oriel House murder gang in 1922/23." this particular form of interrogation was to object, probably a wire brush or sandpap We call upon all radical and progressive convince the prisoners that they were er. Another man was beaten in his cell by organisations to raise the voice in protest totally isolated, that nobody cared what two men who were identified to him by the at this outrage. The IRSP has established was happening to them and that the police Special Branch as the train driver and a fund for the defence of the innocent had the power to do what they liked and guard. Some people had lumps of hair victims of this torture campaign, and we were not subject to any form of restraint in pulled from their heads during the course are appealing for financial support for the their actions. They constantly made it of their beatings. Some prisoners were also dependents of those imprisoned as a result clear that they were under extreme lifted bodily off the ground by their ears. of the Cosgrave/Cooney criminal conspira pressure from their superiors and that they Attempts were made to choke some prison cy. had "to get someone for this job." They ers and one man was rendered uncon Seamus Costello also tried to convey to the prisoners that scious on two occasions. He was then On behalf of the Ard Chomhairle they and their families were the "lowest revived and the beating continued. Prison Irish Republican Socialist Party form of animal life" and that nobody cared ers were repeatedly beaten on the ears. In what happened to them. It should be some cases the beating was so severe that 1. A railroad employee was killed during an emphasised that all of the people arrested they suffered internal bleeding from the attempt to blow up a train carrying "Official" were subjected to the treatment outlined ears. They also suffered a partial loss of republicans to the annual ceremony at Wolfe and in some cases are currently receiving hearing and a host of internal bruising. Tone's grave. At that time, there were incidents medical attention for nervous disorders The following injuries were inflicted as a of physical violence between the IRSP and the arising from their experiences. result of the torture. "Officials," from whom they split in December Apart from the psychological torture 1. Severe bruising to the backs, legs, 1974.—/P inflicted on all 26 prisoners, 15 were also arms, stomach and head. 2. Ultraright Protestant supporters of union subjected to physical torture of a most 2. Severe damage to the ears. with England murdered members of a Catholic barbaric nature. The physical torture 3. Partial loss of hearing. folk-singing group.—/P consisted of: 4. Eyesight damaged in one case. This 1. Loss of sleep. One prisoner got ap man is still in custody and has been denied 3. The main party in the ruling coalition proximately 5 hours of sleep during his 43 access to an eye specialist which has been descends from the right wing of the indepen hours of detention. When he was not being recommended by his doctor. dence movement, which waged a counterrevolu tionary war against the radical wing in 1922. interrogated he was left without bedclothes 5. At least 6 people are still receiving During this civil war, the counterrevolutionary in his cell and was constantly threatened medical treatment as a result of physical forces, which were supported by the British, by detectives shouting through the cell and nervous disorders caused by the tor committed many atrocities. Some were done by door. This deliberate denial of sleep was ture. uniformed forces of the Free State, others were designed to confuse and disorient the At this stage I would like to give an carried out by parastate gangs.—IP

May 24, 1976 DJ D before the next issue of Intercontinental Press was mailed. Our problem is the post office. The five weeks' notice suggested in the masthead is to allow time for the new address to make its way through the postal system. Some A reader in Tel Aviv, Israel, wrote us: "The stepped-up coverage of Soviet times it works; sometimes it doesn't. When "For me and my friends the IP and dissidents is great—why don't you print it doesn't, our subscribers lose an issue or Militant are a very important source of ads for the Russian editions that Pathfin two. information on the progress of the world der is rumoured to have printed, alongside crisis of imperialism. I find particularly such articles? I bet that would be an Copies of Intercontinental Press aren't interesting the fundamental nature of the excellent way of getting those books the only things lost by the Postal Service. debate between the editors of the IP and known to people especially interested in In response to an inquiry about some your European comrades. current Soviet affairs." books ordered through our distributing "In the 1940s there was a section of the A very good idea; we'll pass it along to agency Pathfinder Press, London, Alan Fourth International in Palestine, which Pathfinder Press. Harris suggested that "maybe we should fought for the unity of the working class In the same note C.P. comments about wait another week or two to see if the against Zionism and against the imperial the photographs and drawings in Intercon parcel turns up. . . . Yesterday we received ist division of the Middle East. Today, tinental Press: one mailbag addressed to Pathfinder, events have shown—in Lebanon, Syria, "Why have the usually fantastic gra London, containing material issued by the the West Bank and most recently inside phics lately been getting a bit gruesome? Canadian government addressed to people Israel's 1967 borders—that the construc Despite their vivid portrayal of the condi in Arizona!!! Our local post office refused tion of revolutionary Trotskyist parties is tions facing political prisoners, and their to take it back because it was in a U.S. an urgent necessity. I believe that the sharp way of illustrating the ogre-ish side mailbag!!!" information in IP and The Militant, if of some political figures (referring to the received regularly, can contribute to this drawings of Copain), I think sometimes an How about currency finding its way effort." overdone graphic can detract from the through the Postal Service? A subscriber sent in an order for some attractiveness of IP. Intercontinental Press is also filling a "Nevertheless, IP has been through a back issues. When his patience became need in Ecuador. A reader in Guayaquil couple of years, and will continue to be, my exhausted by what he considered a long- explains: constant companion, following me from enough wait, he wrote. We checked. No "I came to know of your publication city to city as I move. order received. We asked him to stop payment on his check. He responded: "As thanks to the companeros of the CEDOC "Continuons le combat!" this order was paid in cash (four one dollar (Ecuadorian Confederation of Class The graphics referred to are gruesome! Struggle Trade Unions). . . . The two secret photos of torture sessions in bills), it is impossible to stop payment on a "Your magazine has greatly enthused Uruguay appeared in the April 5 issue of check. I hope someone enjoyed their lunch." us; your analyses are very clear. It is Intercontinental Press. conspicuously true that in Ecuador the Luckily, this story had a happy ending. methods of Trotskyism have never had a Another subscriber also finds the Soviet Because we wanted the subscriber to have great development. In recent years, revolu dissident articles of special interest. S.M., those back issues, we sent the order tionary socialist propaganda has met with Bloomington, Indiana, writes: anyway. But next time the ending could be a good response, but it has always been ". . . I may as well say a few things different. So keep in mind the Postal carried on without a very profound analy about the Intercontinental Press. It seems Service motto that "Currency is sent at your own risk." sis. to be getting better and better. I especially "We are interested .. . in knowing the enjoyed the articles on the Plyushch case, subscription rates for Intercontinental the interviews with him, and the articles How about ashes? Recently the wire services carried a story about the ashes of Press. We think that we can sell several on the French and Portuguese Communist subscriptions in Quito and Guayaquil. We Parties and the nature of Stalinism. I hope a retired navy captain being lost by the are also interested in maintaining a the Inprecor reprint on the Panama canal post office in transit from St. Petersburg, correspondence with you on some of the will be republished in the Militant—it's an Florida, to Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, B.C. more specific Ecuadorian problems (we issue revolutionaries should familiarize have noticed in the magazine that we have themselves with further since it is turning The general manager of the National not seen any articles on the political into a campaign issue of sorts. About the Cremation Society said that his company no longer provides shipping service unless situation in our country)." 'Capitalism Fouls Things Up' column . . . the client signs a waiver "because we've It's a superb idea. had too many problems" with the post The following inquiry came from Puerto ". . . Fred Halstead better start getting Ordaz, Venezuela: on the stick with Out Now!Is he going to office. "The object of this letter is to find out be finished with the serial by the time the One of our subscribers in Portland, how I can obtain a subscription to such an revolution comes about?" Oregon, complained about his loss: "Last important magazine as yours. I have We believe so. Two more installments already read several issues of Interconti were published in April and we hope that week I received an empty envelope. Wheth nental Press and it has served as a great we'll publish another chapter or two er a new form of Postal harassment, or caused by an insufficiently sealed enve help for me in my daily work in the class during May. struggle. . . ." lope, I thought you would want to know." Subscription rates vary from country to "I'm one of your subscribers writing to country. It is necessary, therefore, to write inform you of my imminent change of us for this information. Your inquiry will address. I'm not giving you a lot of time get a quick response. either. I'm moving this weekend. So I hope A subscription to Intercontinental Press you can change this right away." is still a BEST BUY. C.P. of Montreal, Canada, sent this note S.M.'s Williamsburg address was Check rates inside cover. with a change of address: changed to Northampton, Massachusetts,

Intercontinental Press