Battle at Hormel's Minn. plant heats up . 3 TH£ Woodworkers' strike against Weyerhaeuser . 4 LaRouchites: anatomy of fascist outfit . 9 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PlJRLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 50/NO. 30 AUGUST I, 1986 75 CENTS Nicaraguan U.S. gov't aids S. Africa president hits U.S. war on freedom fighters BY FRED FELDMAN war plans "I've known about it for a long time, that we target the African National Congress," the Reagan administration official said. BY CINDY JAQUITH "We've always considered them to be the ESTELl, Nicaragua- In seven years of bad guys." aggression sponsored by the U.S. govern­ A former Reagan aide declared: "Our in­ ment, 31 ,290 Nicaraguans have been terests require helping the South Africans." killed or wounded. Nicaragua is a country The officials, quoted in the July 23 New of only 3 million people. York Times, were commenting on the role Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega re­ of U.S. intelligence agencies in helping the ported these figures to the July 19 rally South African government wage war on the here celebrating the seventh anniversary of ANC, the leading organization in the free­ the Sandinista revolution. Ortega is the co­ dom struggle against apartheid. The ANC, ordinator of the executive commission of outlawed by the white rulers, is recognized the National Directorate of the Sandinista by the United Nations, the Organization of National Liberation Front (FSLN). African Unity, and many governments as Some 14,260 of those killed or wounded the legitimate representative of the South were victims of the U.S.-armed counter­ African people. revolutionaries, or contras. And 16,925 "What is important about the revelations were Nicaraguans who had joined or been in the New York Times," said Neo Mnum­ forced into the contra bands organized by zana, the ANC' s chief representative to the Washington. United Nations, "is that they establish two The chief civilian targets of Washing­ related facts: namely that the Reagan ad­ ton's war- in addition to defenseless chil­ ministration regards the ANC and the dren - have been those Nicaraguans people of South Africa as the enemy and growing food to feed the nation, building apartheid as the friend." roads to link the countryside to the cities, After the Reagan administration took of­ and teaching people to read. Of the more fice in 1981 , current and former officials South African youths protest apartheid. Reagan claims anti-apartheid fighters, not than 4,300 Nicaraguans killed by the coun­ told the Times, U.S. intelligence opera­ government, have committed atrocities. terrevolutionary terrorists, the majority tions against the ANC and its allies steadily were workers and peasants serving in the increased at the request of the apartheid re­ armed forces. But 103 were teachers, 293 gime's Directorate of Military Intelligence. Southern Africa between U.S., British, such tasks as spying on Soviet shipping in were students, 194 were construction A 1977 regulation supposedly barred col­ and South African intelligence agencies. waters off southern Africa and monitoring workers or farm workers, 103 were techni­ laboration with South African intelligence One official who attended such a meeting developments in Angola, where the apart­ cians, and 420 were farmers. Another 879 agencies, but the ban was simply ignored. expressed surprise at how "extensive" col­ heid regime is waging war against an inde­ were children under 12 years of age. The article described "tasking" meetings laboration with the apartheid regime was. pendent government. The president said that with the U.S. that divided the common labor of policing South African intelligence is assigned Continued on Page 5 House of Representatives' approval of $100 million more for the mercenaries, Washington has a five-point strategy for tightening the squeeze on Nicaragua mili­ Aug. 4-7 nat'l antiwar actions set tarily, economically, and politically. First, he said, there will be "a significant escalation of military activity throughout BY LISA AHLBERG are also set for October 25. The National Emergency Civil Liberties Nicaragua, possibly including attacks on Opponents of the U.S.-sponsored At a July 17 meeting, leaders of national Committee placed an ad on the op-ed page the capital." mercenary war against Nicaragua have im­ antiwar and solidarity organizations of the July 20 New York Times, signed by Second, Washington will try to achieve portant opportunities to protest Washing­ formed an ad hoc coalition and issued a call Leonard Boudin, Corliss Lamont, and "more disciplined combat with fewer civil­ ton's aggression. National antiwar actions for the August 4-7 actions. The coalition Edith Tiger, condemning the U.S. govern­ ian victims and human-rights abuses" by its have been called for August 4-7 in Wash­ includes SANE, the Pledge of Resistance, ment's repudiation of the World Court's paid killers, in order to give the war a better ington, D. C. , to protest the U.S. govern­ the Committee in Solidarity with the ruling. "Such military aid would violate the image internationally. ment's attempts to secure $100 million in People of El Salvador (CISPES), Witness Court's order that the Reagan Administra­ Third, the U.S. government is attempt­ aid to the contras. for Peace, and the National Network in tion cease and refrain immediately from Continued on Page 14 Nationally coordinated regional protests Solidarity with Nicaragua. such unlawful action," said the ad. The protests have been called to take August 6 is the 41st anniversary of the place when the U.S. Senate is scheduled to devastating atomic bombing of Hiroshima, decide whether or not to approve $100 mil­ Japan, by the U.S. government. The pro­ 28,000 sign to put socialist lion in aid to the contras. The U.S. House test will focus on the immorality of the of Representatives voted on June 25 to ap­ U.S. war on Nicaragua, bringing together prove the contra aid. religious and disarmament organizations. candidates on New York ballot The organizers of the protest are calling August 7 is the anniversary of the day in the actions the "People's Filibuster," and 1964 when Congress voted to support the BY MICHAEL BAUMANN • And dozens of names of young people see the debate in the Senate as an opportu­ bombing of North Vietnam, an action NEW YORK - More than 60 petition­ who want to know more about the cam­ nity to build an antiwar movement. which followed the Gulf of Tonkin inci­ ers for the Socialist Workers Party ticket paign and the youth group supporting it - "The approval of contra aid is an act of dent, a U.S. government-staged provoca­ celebrated the seventh anniversary of the the Young Socialist Alliance. war," reads a letter sent out by the coali­ tion. Vietnam veterans and unionists are Nicaragu<w revolution by hitting the streets "We got so many more names of inter­ tion. "It is a violation of international law. being especially encouraged to participate of New York City to get out the word on ested people than we expected," says It is a death sentence for thousands of Nic­ on this day. the antiwar, anti-apartheid campaign. Theresa Delgadillo, a 26-year-old garment araguans. Silence is complicity. The op­ Local actions in conjunction with the Another 10 people mobilized to campaign worker who is a leader of the YSA and the position of American people must be August 4 rally are also being encouraged in the state capital of Albany. And what a SWP candidate for governor of New York, heard." for those who can't make it to Washington, response they got! "that we had to begin by calling only those Four days of actions have been planned D. C. For more information on the People's Weary but elated teams reported back who said they wanted to join the YSA." around various themes and will begin each Filibuster call SANE at (202) 546-7100. July 19 from two Nicaraguan solidarity fes­ Mike Shur, a 30-year-old sheet metal day at noon. On August 4 a rally entitled The October 25 regional antiwar actions tivals, a Queens meatpackers' picket line, worker who is the SWP candidate for U.S. "Contra Aid- Act of War" will be held on have been called by a coalition sponsoring Albany, shopping centers on Long Island, Senate, spent the day campaigning in Al­ the Capitol steps. This rally will be the the Actions for Peace, Jobs, and Justice. In and working-class neighborhoods across bany. focus of the four days. April 1985 a similar broad coalition or­ the city. They turned in: "The big event of the day," said Shur, The rally will be followed by an August ganized national antiwar protests mobiliz­ • 6,250 signatures on petitions to place "was a parade celebrating the 300th an­ 5 action designed to draw attention to the ing over 125,000 people. the SWP candidates on the New York bal­ niversary of Albany, But we found a con­ World Court's ruling that the U.S.-or­ The actions coalition comprises many lot; tingent we could march with - a Central ganized contra war violates Nicaragua's organizations, including peace, anti-apart­ • 350 copies sold of the two campaign American solidarity contingent, sand­ national sovereignty. On June 27 the heid, antiwar, labor, student, and religious newspapers, the Militant and the Spanish­ wiched in between National Guard tanks, World Court, an agency of the United Na­ groups. The fall demonstrations will de­ language Perspectiva Mundial; that marched under a banner reading '300 tions, found the U.S. government guilty of mand an end to the U.S.