I can really be free when those around me, both men and women, are also free. The li­ berty of others, far from limit­ ing or negating my own, is, on the contrary, its necessary con­ dition and guarantee. —B a k u n i n PRICE 2d— U.S.A. 5 CENTS. VOLUME 1, NUMBER 13. JUNE 4th, 1937. OPEN LETTER TO FEDERICA MONTSENY lAfclante, juventod; a luchar como titanes 1 By Camillo Berneri (This letter is taken from the Guerra di Classe of April 14th, 1937 (organ of the Italian Syndicalist Union, affiliated with the A IT ) published at Barcelona. It bears the signature of Camillo Bemert the well known militant anarchist, who, for several months, acted as the political delegate with the Errico Malatesta Battalion— and was addressed to Frederica Atont- seny, member of the Peninsular Committee of the F A I and Minister of Hygiene and Public Assistance in the Valencia Government. The text is reproduced almost in its entirety. The introduction only is missing—and that served solely to eliminate any personal animosity from the discussion by affirming the friendship and esteem of the signatory for his correspondent. — Eds.) REVOLUTIONARY SPAIN AND icith his practical realism, etc.” And I wholeheartedly approved of Voline’s THE POLICY OF reply in “Terre Libre” to your COLLABORATION thoroughly inexact statements on the Russian Anarchist Movement. H AVE not been able to accept But these are not the subjects I calmly the identity— which you I wish to take up with you now. On affirm— as between the Anarchism of these and other things, I hope, some Bakunin and the Federalist Republic­ day, to talk personally with you. If anism of Pi y Margall. I write to you publicly, it is in relation I do not forgive you for having to subjects infinitely more serious— written “ that Lenin was not the true and in order to remind you of your Libertarian Youth will continue the struggle tor the Workers’ Revolution! builder of Russia, but rather Stalin, enormous responsibilities which per­ haps, on account of your modesty, you Communist minister of the Gen­ do not fully realise. eralitat, Comorera, recently came In your speech of January 3rd you to Paris it was less to give informa­ said: — “ The Anarchists have entered tion than to receive instructions— the Government to prevent the Rev­ The “ Rising” In Catalonia and, one might even say, orders! olution from being sidetracked and to This man was, in fact, at the root ensure its pursuance after the War — ITTLE by little— the truth is At last— that which was bound of it? Nobody will be found to be­ of the first difficulties in which the and also so that they might resist any L becoming evident about the to happen— did happen— embold­ lieve that! CNT-FAI found themselves last possible attempt at dictatorship, from events which have recently taken ened by the tacit complicity by It would be, however, ridiculous December — in Barcelona, and it whatever source it might corned place in Certagne, Barcelona, and which they profited—the Fascists to throw the whole responsibility was he who provided the many And now, comrade, in April, after various other places in Catalonia. of Bellver—re-doubled the irrita­ for these occurences on the L’Es- manifest actions against the scar­ three months’ experience of collabora­ And the truth is something far tions which necessitated further tat Catala— and even on the Cata­ city of food which he himself had tion, we find ourselves in a situation different from what the newspapers intervention by our comrades. lonian Republican Party. caused. Whilst acting thus in the where grave facts present themselves would have had you believe — It was during the last efforts of To us—it appears absolutely in­ name of his party, and with its end whilst others, even worse, already be­ whether they be of the right or the this sort Antonio Martin was as­ contestable that all the political in mind, Comorera had only one gin to take form. left. By now we have been able to sassinated when he arrived to dis­ parties— who, without exception, aim— to incite the masses of Bar­ In such areas as the Basque Coun­ decide on the responsibilities— the cuss with the peasants of Bellver. have declared themselves for the celona against the CNT and the try, the Levant and Castille, where method and the aims. The respon­ By whom was Martin assassinated ? “democratic” republic — were ac­ FAI, on whom he tried to fasten our movement is not established in sibilities ? They rest entirely on To what party did the assassin be­ complices in this affair. The mom­ the responsibility for the shortage basic forms, that is to say, in vast those who wish to “ liquidate” the long? ent appeared a favourable one to of milk, bread and potatoes, for syndicate frameworks, and in the Social Revolution, and to revive the The criminal is a man named dispose of the CNT and FAI, to which he was himself to blame. strong solidarity of the masses, the democratic and bourgeois republic! Juan Jorda. He belongs to “ L’Es- eliminate them by attempting a The manoeuvre having been un­ Counter Revolution oppresses and The plan ? It consisted of the re­ tat Catala,” which forms the right “coup” of vast proportions! successful—thanks to the vigilance threatens to crash everything. The moval of the central of the frontier wing of the Catalan Republican So the manoeuvre was attempt­ of our comrades— he had to find Government is at Valencia and it is and certain very important public Party, of which the leader is none ed at Puigcerda, to take over con­ some other means to implicate our from there that the Storm Guards services — from the hands of our other than Companys himself. trol of the frontier, was continued comrades — experience had taught set out for the purpose of disarming comrades of the CNT—which they Who are the adherents of “L’Es- at Barcelona by the attack on the him that all similar attempts would the revolutionary centres formed for had handled since the beginning of tat Catala” ? All the speculators, Central telephone building, and meet the same fate. defence. One calls to mind the Casas the revolution. all the profiteers— all the sub rosa would have been continued by oc­ And, in fact, this last time every­ Viejas in thinking about Vilanesa.f Fascists who form Franco’s famous cupation of the local headquarters thing was tried—a frontal attack, It is the Civil Guards and the Storm The aim? It was quite simply to Fifth Column. There are also, of the CNT and all the enterprises an appeal to desert, an appeal to Guards who keep their arms. It is finish both the war and the revolu­ among them, the diplomats, the directed by the latter. We are international intervention, the they, too, who, in the rear, haveto tion by ridding themselves of those ambassadors and the consuls who thus faced by a feat conceived and sending of armed forces to Bar­ control “ the uncontrollables,” in other who would have been irrevocably have never ceased to gamble on directed by the political parties celona and a formidable campaign words, to disarm the revolutionary opposed to such an incredible com­ Franco’s success. which believed that the hour had of lying news at home and, above centres that are provided with a few promise — a compromise imagined Then who ordered the attack on arrived to wring the neck of the all, abroad. rifles and revolvers. And this comes possible by Anglo-French diplo­ the Central Telephone building of Revolution. Nothing was accomplished and about while the “ secret front” is not macy—and which has many sup­ Barcelona ? Rodriguez Salas, assis­ It is possible that certain ele­ the position of the CNT remains quashed. This takes place during a porters in Spanish political circles. tant commissary for Public Order ments of the Valencia Government unmoved and immovable. But it civil war in which all kinds of event­ The situation thus brought into —right hand man of Artemia Ai- have not been at least aware of is proven that workers at war in ualities are possible, and in regions the full light of day— let us take guade, Minister for Public Safety. this plan. the Spanish Peninsula have noth­ where the battle front is close at hand, the full sequence of events as they To what party do these two res­ The manner in which the Gov­ ing to hope from political parties extrcmelv irregular in its line, and not occured. It was in Cerdagne that ponsible gentlemen belong? To L’- ernment immediately put into ac­ — nothing to hope from this union mathematically certain. It takes place things came to a head. La Sed Estat Catala! tion the articles of the Constitu­ with these parties and the middle whilst a political distribution of arms D’Ugel and Puigcerda centres And there, at that precise point tion which the Security Publique classes. All these parties and peo­ makes itself abundantly clear — a which had been largely dominated we must fix the prime responsibili­ in Catalonia conferred on it; the ple will be found, when the posi­ politicd distribution which aims at by the influence of the CNT had ty. The whole world must know conversations that took place bet­ tion is clarified, to bt- against the sending arms only in accordance with never voluntarily accepted the poli­ that it was not our comrades of ween the Government of Barcelona proletariat, though willing to use strict necessity (strict necessity we tical and administrative control of the FAI who unleashed the strug­ and that of Valencia, and the use their forces in their own interests.