25* FEBRUARY 1948 New Tasks and realignments in the Struggle for the Jewish State by Alexander Bittelman ־"166 - .ץ MAX GORDON ־56:335,{=> B ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE, C.P.S.U. GEORGI M. MALENKOV ILLUSION AND REALITY By CHRISTOPHER CAUDWELL —a "study in the sources of poetry" with a philosophy of art in terms of both the individual and society. —begins with a study of the origins of art in tribal life; discusses the development of English poetry from Shakespeare to modern times; examines the language of poetry, the differences between art and science. Price: $3-75 AMERICAN TRADE UNIONISM By WILLIAM Z. FOSTER —selected writings by a veteran Communist Party and labor leader on the past 35 years of trade union activity. —selections include: the Great Steel Strike; Trade Union Educa- tional League; the Question of the Unorganized; Trade Union Unity League; Organization of Negro Workers; Industrial Union- ism; Communists and the Trade Unions; New World Federation of Labor; the Trade Unions and Socialism. Price: $2.85 HISTORY of the LAROR MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES By PHILIP S. FONER —a detailed study of the struggles of the working class to win an improved status in American society. —a history of the rise of trade unions and their influence on the development of American capitalism. —an authoritative work based on new and previously unpublished material. Price: $3.75 NEW CENTURY PUBLISHERS .New York 3, N. Y ״ Broadway 832 ^,״׳״^ ^׳^^׳״ POLITICAL AFFAIRS a to the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism EDITORIAL BOARD ־ V. J. JEROME, Editor ABNER W. BERRY, ALEXANDER BITTELMAN, JACK STACHEL, MAX WEISS VOLUME XXVII, NO. 2 CoflteTltS FEBRUARY, 1948 Organized Labor and the Marshall Plan William Z. Foster 99 The Communist Manifesto Lives! Harry Martel 110 Mr. Truman's Glove and the Mailed Fist Max Gordon 119 The Activities of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) Georgi M. Malen\ov 125 New Tasks and Realignments in the Struggle for the ^ Jewish State in Palestine Alexander Bittelman 146 The Economic Theories of John Maynard Keynes /. Mindel 156 FROM THE TREASURY OF MARXISM: The Labor Movement in America Frederick En gels 167 Economic Review of 1947 Labor Research Association 174 - On Changes in the Economy of Capitalism as a Result of the Second World War (A Critique of Eugene Varga's Changes in Capitalist Economy Resulting From the Second World War) I. Glad\ov 181 Re-entered as second class matter January 4, 1945, at the Post Office at New York., N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879. POUTICAL AFFAIRS is published monthly by New Century Pub- Ushers, Inc., at 832 Broadway, New York 3• N. Y., to whom subscriptions, payments and correspondence should be sent. Subscription rate: $2.50 a year; $1.2j for six months; foreign and Canada, $3.00 a year. Single copies 25 cents. PRINTED IN U.S.A. n&y 20* ar(. 6 RECENT PAMPHLETS N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE'S 23 QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COMMUNIST PARTY ANSWERED $ .10 By William Z. Foster JEWISH CULTURE IN AMERICA, WEAPON FOR JEWISH SURVIVAL AND PROGRESS .15 by Nathan Ausubel QUARANTINE THE WARMONGERS .03 by William Z. Foster WHY I AM A COMMUNIST .05 by Benjamin J. Davis HOW TO FIGHT HIGH PRICES .03 by Louise Mitchell THE RED-BAITING RACKET AND HOW IT WORKS .10 By George Morris WALL STREET ON THE WARPATH .05 by Peter V. Cacchione THEORY AND PRACTICE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY (Marxist Study Course No. 1) .15 THE THUNDER OF THE GRASS .50 by Aaron Kramer ON THE THEORY OF MARXISM, Little Lenin Library Vol. 31, by Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin .15 NEW CENTURY PUBLISHERS • 832 Broadway • New York 3. N. Y. a cold-blooded scheme of American ORGANIZED LABOR monopolists to establish their ruth- less domination over harassed world humanity. Cynically exploiting the AND THE American people's generous impulses and the country's great industrial MARSHALL PLAN strength, these parasitic capitalists are trying, through the Marshall Plan, to build up their own wealth By WILLIAM Z. FOSTER and power at the expense of the rest of the world. It is a war plan. IN SUPPORTING the Marshall Plan, The Marshall Plan's birthplace is the top leaders of the A. F. of L., Wall Street, its political father is the C.I.O., and the Railroad Brother- Herbert Hoover, and its driving hoods are backing the program of slogan is the Hitlerian cry for a Wall Street for world domination. "crusade against Communism." It Some of these labor leaders are tak- is the discredited "get-tough-with- ing this course because they are just Russia" policy and the notorious as imperialist-minded as the big Truman Doctrine, implemented with bankers themselves; others do it for the great veconomic and military opportunistic, "band-wagon" rea- might of the United States. The sons; and, still others, out of ignor- Marshall Plan, controlled by the ance of the true situation in the most powerful reactionary force in world. But all these leaders of labor, the world, American finance capital, whatever may be their individual is a menace to the democracy, pros- motivations, are violating the most perity, and peace of all mankind. fundamental interests of the masses. The three phases of the Marshall They are betraying the working Plan—economic, political and mili- class and the American people as a tary—are all equally reactionary. whole into the hands of their worst The economic phase consists in enemies, the Wall Street imperial- squandering tens of billions of ists, profiteers, and warmongers. American dollars in order to bring the economies and governments of THE MARSHALL PLAN Europe under Wall Street's control. The Schuman and de Gasperi Gov- All the current blather to the con- ernments of France and Italy, acting trary notwithstanding, the Marshall directly against the interest and will Plan is not a project of the generous- of their peoples, have become, so far hearted American nation designed as their economic policies are con- to help the war-ravaged peoples of cerned, little better than office boys Europe to get back on their feet. It is for the U.S. State Department. Great 99 100 POLITICAL AFFAIRS Britain finds itself unable to refuse may also be described as a fear that vital economic concessions to Wall the masses in Greece and Turkey, like Street in return for badly needed those in Czechoslovakia and Yugo- American dollars. Thus, the four slavia, will abandon the capitalist way billion dollar loan to Britain was a of life ־definite infringement upon that And further, speaking of Ameri country's national independence. A can capitalism's "anxiety to recori- ׳recent Gallup poll showed that 51 struct Germany on the basis of pri per cent of the people in Great vate enterprise," he says: Britain were in favor of rejecting such American aid as being injuri- For such a Germany means not only a great field of American investment; ous to British national independence. it means that American capitalists, as The following incident, reported Germany becomes reorganized, can in the New Yor\ Times, December dominate France—and in partnership 17, 1947, typically illustrates how with Germany 'seek to keep Russia Great Britain is becoming economic- within limits they regard as safe.* ally subordinated to this country. The United States has poured' out The United States agreed today to 15 billion dollars in grants and loans finance the entire cost of the British- to capitalist nations since the war's American occupation of Western Ger- end. Little "reconstruction" has many, assuming an additional $400,- taken place as a result of this gigan- 000,000 liability heretofore paid by the tic sum. For the most part the British, in return for a controlling money has gone down the drain, or voice in the economic affairs of the rather into the pockets of the greedy area." (Emphasis mine, W.Z.F.) exploiters in the various capitalist countries. The 17 billions demanded Thus does the United States beat by the President to finance the Mar- down Great Britain with its superior shall Plan will go the same futile financial power. way if the American people are un- Harold J. Laski, former chairman wise enough to permit Congress to of the British Labor Party, after vote the funds. For all the gold and complaining about American eco- bayonets of Wall Street cannot make nomic dictation to Great Britain, stricken West-European capitalism exposes as follows the imperialist strong and healthy again. Actually, character of American economic the far more badly war-devastated policy: nations of Central and Eastern Stripped of the rhetoric of diplomacy, Europe, which have had little or no the Greek and Turkish loans were a American "help," are recovering defense of American capitalism against much more rapidly than the greatly the danger of what is called in Wash- * Harold J. Laski, "Is Europe Done For?" ington "Russian expansionism" but The Nation, November 22. 1947. ORGANIZED LABOR AND THE MARSHALL PLAN lor "aided" countries of Western Eu- archist-fascist regime and the reac- ״ rope. This is because the former tionary, clerical clique with which it countries have adopted the economic is surrounded. In Spain they are and political reforms necessary for lending support to the butcher recovery, which the West-European Franco. In the Balkans and middle countries, under reactionary Ameri- Europe they are trying to foment can pressure, have been prevented rebellions against the new democ- from doing. racies (Poland, Hungary, Romania, The political phase of the Mar- Czechoslovakia, etc.). Outside of Eu- shall Plan is no less reactionary than rope, too, the aim of the American its economic phase.