Argentina Asks AFL-CIO Convention THE Fair Oil Deal; Kennedy Yelps Seeks to Avert Anger B y George Saunders NOV. 19 — The current con­ MILITANT troversy over Argentine annul­ Of Civil-Rights Forces Published in the Interests of the Working PeopU ment of U.S. oil company con­ tracts is a case study of U.S. fo r­ By Fred Halstead eign policy in the service of the Vol. 27 - No. 42 Monday, November 25, 1963 Price 10c private profits of big business. It NEW YORK — The top brass speaks volumes about the real of the AFL-CIO convention, which policy of the U.S. government opened here Nov. 14, put on a toward Latin America. And it ex­ show of support to the civil rights plains why the “Alliance for Pro­ revolution. U.S.-to-Cuba Peace Walkers gress” is bound to fail in its A t a special session on Nov. 18, avowed aims of raising the living A. Philip Randolph, president of standards of millions of Latin the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Americans. The U.S. is not con­ Porters and the only Negro on the Tortured, Jailed, in Georgia cerned with the poverty of those 29-man AFL-CIO executive coun­ peoples. It is concerned to protect cil, was given the honor of open­ the approximately $9 billion in ing proceedings with a speech. He U.S. private investment spread was followed by UAW President over Latin America. W alter Reuther. This session was When the newly-elected govern­ the only one of the week-long ment of Arturo Illia announced it convention in which time was would cancel some undesirable scheduled for discussion from the foreign oil contracts, U.S.-Argen­ floor. At the session’s close a re­ tine relations suddenly took a turn solution, giving verbal support to for the worse. Newspaper reports the civil-rights struggle and to described the situation as “ grave.” complete integration of the unions This was strange. When the Ar­ themselves, was passed unanim ­ gentine m ilitary took over the gov­ ously. ernment and annulled democratic From the floor, Hank Brown, a election results in 1962, no diplo­ top official of the Texas AFL-CIO, matic crisis occurred. Yet the “Al­ made a blunt speech declaring, liance for Progress” was supposed­ “We’ll take our stand with the A. Philip Randolph ly devoted to democratic govern­ Negro.” Brown said there are half ment — that was the reason Ken­ a million Negroes and a million new procedures for eliminating nedy recently gave for excluding Mexicans in Texas working for “Communist” countries from it. 50 cents an hour or less, that they Jim Crow w ith in „the AFL-CIO or for participation in the general Special Envoy can’t be organized on a basis of But when talk of canceling con­ racial discrimination, and that any civil-rights struggle. tracts of U.S. oil companies came local union that discriminates is Randolph’s speech contained a' up, a special envoy of the U.S. not worthy of membership in the number of concrete proposals iri­ President was immediately rushed AFL-CIO. cluding a joint effort by the down to talk to President Illia. All this was a considerable unions and civil-rights organiza­ This special envoy was no small change from previous top AFL- tions to “stimulate vigorous local potatoes. It was Averell Harri­ CIO meetings where civil rights and national mass-action cam­ man, a big financier in his own was handled in a perfunctory, paigns by labor for a strong civii- right, and a long-time diplomatic even a hostile, manner. rights bill by Christmas.” A mo­ trouble-shooter. For example, he This change in public face by tion from the floor to incorporate' helped arrange the cease-fire in the AFL-CIO tops represents a Randolph’s speech into the civil- Laos and recently represented victory for civil-rights fighters and rights resolution was defeated Kennedy in the test-ban treaty an additional proof that militant, after Meany spoke against it. negotiations. Harriman told Illia independent action — such as has The real motivation of the AFL- that Argentina might cut herself been building up in the Negro CIO tops’ show of support to civil off from any more U.S. aid if the community — can force the labor rights was to take some of the cancellations went through. movement off dead center on this heat off themselves and to at­ At home, senators pushed for an issue. tempt to keep the Negro revolt in amendment to the foreign aid bill No longer does the AFL-CIO line. The central theme of this that would deny aid to any coun­ executive council feel secure year’s AFL-CIO convention was try canceling contracts with U.S. enough in the face of Negro cri­ mobilization of the labor move­ companies. Could anything show ticism to censure Randolph — as ment to hustle votes for Kennedy IN DANGEROUS TERRITORY. CNVA peace walkers in Georgia more clearly how much the U.S. it did two years ago — for his and the Democratic Party in 1964. town shortly before being assaulted by cops. Senate is just a mouthpiece for the fight against Jim Crow in AFL- That fact alone is enough to big companies? CIO affiliates. No more can AFL- undercut and cripple the civil- MACON, Ga. Nov. 19 — Nine­ On Nov. 9, apparently fearing Kennedy technically recognizes CIO President George Meany rights resolution. teen members of the Quebec-Wash­ the walkers were going to enter the “right” of Argentina to con­ storm at Randolph from the con­ In his speech Randolph de­ ington-Guantanamo Peace Walk the Negro district adjacent to the trol matters within her borders. vention podium as he did four clared: were jailed here this morning on park, police attempted to stop the But he insists that there must be years ago: “Who the hell ap­ “ The mass of black Americans charges of violating a local anti- group by arresting Lyttle, The “fair and prompt” compensation pointed you the guardian of all stand today in the same relative leafleting ordinance. The walkers following account is a composite if U.S. properties are taken over. the Negroes in America?” Now economic position they occupied have refused to accept counsel or supplied by members of the walk: This demand for cash on the bar­ Meany refers to Randolph as “one in the depths of the great depres­ post bail and have begun fasting Approaching Lyttle, Spalding rel head — and plenty of it — is of our own.” sion . Two out of three Ne­ in protest against their arrests. If County Sheriff Gilbert shouted: one that no Latin American gov­ The concessions are largely gro fam ilies subsist on less than convicted they face maximum “I’ll get this one first, he’s the ernment can meet. verbal, however, and w ill be given $4,000 a year. More im portant, the penalties of a $1,000 fine, a year leader.” Another policeman ap­ Actually, there was not so much real meaning only through in­ gap between Negro and white in prison and an additional six prehended Jack Shapiro, 20, a De­ to get excited over. The men who creased pressure from militant median incomes has actually months at labor. troit student, and told him he was canceled those contracts are not Negroes. For all its fine words, grown wider in recent years. The (Continued on Page 3) (Continued on Page 2) the civil-rights resolution adds no (Continued on Page 3) GRIFFIN, Ga. — White and Ne­ gro members of the Quebec-Wash- ington-Guantanamo Peace Walk REPORT FROM HAVANA ■were tortured Nov. 9 by police in this community 35 miles south of Atlanta. The 23 walkers, sponsored by the Committee for Nonviolent Ac­ Morale High as Cubans Dig in to Repair Storm Damage tion, include three Negro men, 14 HAVANA — Hurricane Flora Let me mention that contrary where communications had been the 24-hour-a-day work of the white men and six white women, did tremendous damage to the to the rumors spread by the cut off. voluntary Red Battalions of elec­ including 70 year old Pearl Ewald provinces of Camaguey and Orien­ gusanos [Cuban term for counter­ She led the caravan through trical workers. of Washington who is recuperat­ te, almost half the national terri­ revolutionary] not one volunteer completely flooded areas over The workers of the Ministry of ing from a heart attack suffered tory of Cuba. The loss in human coffee picker was lost. Due to the bridges that were in the process Public Health Red Brigades im­ immediately after her release from life amounted to over a thousand, precautions taken by the Revolu­ of crumbling and made it to mediately began a vaccination the Griffin jail. most of them little children. The tion and by the now being formed Oriente without losing one life or campaign against typhoid. Purpose of the walk is to help loss in cattle, pigs, chickens, etc., party, thousands of people, were one package. If there were hero medals, the ease tension between the U.S. and is as yet unknown but extremely saved by evacuation. The majority Fidel also made his way to helicopter brigades should receive Cuba by presenting a nonviolent heavy. Most of the roads in the of lives lost were among the Oriente and immediately began them. They transported relief and alternative to the continuing area and bridges, both old and in campesinos living in areas near organizing the life-saving brigades worked in life-saving under all Cuban crisis.