SOCIALIST APPEAL JUNE 15, 1940 iencing in Washington these days. The CIO protest against the scuttling of the Walsh Healey and the Wage and Hour laws in the naval conSOCIALIST APPE AL Vol. IV, No. 24 Saturday, June 16, 1940 Published Weekly by the SOCIALIST APPEAL PUBLISHING ASS at 116 University Place, New York, Telephone: Algonquin 8547 Trotsky Letter Exposes Stalin Role Workers Must struction bild was contemptuously ignored Like In Recent Assassination Attempt Intervene In But How?
War Editorial Board FELIX MORROW ALBERT GOLDMAN General Manager: GEORGE CLARKE Subscriptions: 00 per year 00 for six months.
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Fight with the Socialist Workers Party for: JOB AND DECENT LIVING FOR EVERY WORKER OPEN THE IDLE FACTORIES. OPERATE THEM UNDER WORKERS CONTROL TWENTY. BILLION DOLLAR FEDERAL PUBLIC WORKS AND HOUSING PROGRAM. THIRTY THIRTY. 80. WEEKLY MINIMUM WAGE 30 HOUR WEEKLY MAXIMUM FOR ALL WORKERS ON ALL JOBS. 30 WEEKLY OLD. AGE AND DISABILITY PENSION EXPROPRIATE THE SIXTY FAMILIES. ALL WAR FUNDS TO THE UNEMPLOYED. PEOPLE REFERENDUM ON ANY AND ALL WARS. NO SECRET DIPLOMACY.
10. AN INDEPENDENT LABOR PARTY.
11. WORKERS DEFENSE GUARDS AGAINST VIGILANTE AND FASCIST ATTACKS.
12. FULL SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC EQUALITY FOR THE NEGRO PEOPLE Knudsen Stettinius The auto workers want to see Hitler stopped, but they don think it can be done by putting Knudsen, anti labor head of General Motors, in charge of national defense production.
The steel and railroad workers want Hitler stopped, but when they see their worst bosses, Stettinius and Budd, at the helm of national defense, they smell a rat Why does the Navy insist, and Congress agree, to begin building the new battleships by scuttling the Walsh Healey and the Wage and Hour laws? Why were the Kearny shipyard workers driven back to work on the bosses terms the boss being Stettinius Steel and their strike denounced as treason. Never were bosses voices so powerful as they are today in Washington. At their bidding the House has adopted a series of amendments which would turn the Wagner Labor Act into a weapon against the trade unions.
At the bosses bidding the national defense tax bill puts the burden for the new armament on the backs of the workers. Every unmarried worker earning more than 15. 40 a week will now have to pay an income tax!
At the bosses bidding the aliens the noncitizens, most of them workers and good union men, many of whom cannot become citizens because of one legal provision or another are turned over to the FBI G men, and are hounded and bulldozed by all kinds aws directed against them.
The Department of Justice anti trust union busting campaign extends to one city after another.
The Federal Trade Commission has joined in, hounding the militant Mid west drivers unions from a new angle attacking their union contracts which limit the tricks which bosses use to chisel down the wage scale.
What going on in Washington? Why are the bosses having everything their own way?
The answer is simple. The Roosevelt government today wants the maximum possible cooper ation from the bosses, in order to build in the shortest possible time the gigantic war machine which Congress has already authorized.
The government needs the cooperation of the bosses because they are bosses they are the legal owners, masters of the factories and mines and railroads. Any friction between the bosses and the administration, no matter how slight, means an obstacle to the building of the war machine.
And so the bosses come to Washington with the exultant feeling that they are running the show completely now. And every Congressional committee is loaded to the brim with the bills which these bosses are noisily demanding and which they are getting.
Very different from the reception the bosses are getting is that which labor leaders are experCIO objections to the disemboweling of the Wagner Labor Act. The shipyard workers officials are cooling their heels in government anterooms and getting nowhere. Roosevelt The Mexican press published on June a letter, written in El Machete and afterward shows his teeth and commands that Labor will by Leon Trotsky to the attorney general of Mexico, the chief cuse me, every Sunday, of prenot strike during this period, although he and of the federal police, and the foreign minister. The letter paring a revolution together with everybody else knows perfectly well that, de constituted Trotsky answer to attempts by influential forces real or supposed counter revoluprived of the strike weapon, the unions are im to direct away from the Stalinists the investigation of the tionaries; they pictured me in secret sessions with a certain Dr.
potent.
May 24 attempt to assassinate Trotsky.
Atl; in collaboration with the GerThe AFL and CIO top officials grab at a man fascists in Mexico, etc. etc.
The letter follows in part: straw to solve this dangerous situation. They In recent times Futuro, EI It is first of all necessary to persons. As for the United States, Popular. as well as La Voz de propose that representatives of organized labor affirm that the attempted assas Krivitsky established that the Mexico, systematically repeat sit on the National Defense Council and on all sination could only be instigated sister of Srowder, general secre that am in secret contact with other boards and bodies connected with the de by the Krem borbe Stapu empresa through her brother re Dies and that gave him certain iense program.
During the last few years, Stalin commendation. This example information against Mexico. All Will that solve anything? Not a bit. Sidney has shot hundreds of real or sup proves the rule rather than an ex these accusations, it is easy to posed friends of mine. He actually ception.
see, make no sense, for they Hillman is already sitting in the National Deexterminated my entire family, Agents of the GPU upon com ascribe to me acts which are not fense Council, cheek by jowl with Knudsen, Stetexcept me, my wife and one of ing to a foreign country for a only contrary to my convictions tinius, Budd Co. The result? The destruction my grandchildren. Through his specific task always work and my life work, but also of labor gains, the deafness to labor demands, agents abroad assassinated through the local head of the against my immediate interests, continues just the same. With this difference GPU, Ignace Reiss, who had pub ber of the of the with son to commit disloyal acts one of the old leaders of the GPU, the above mentioned mem since would have to lose all reathat some workers still have delusions that labor licly declared himself a partisan out this they could not orient against the Mexican government representatives like Hillman in the government of mine. This fact has been estab themselves in the local situation which has accorded me such genagencies may still get something for the workers. lished by the French police and and select the indispensable exe erous hospitality need but recall that through Those who have such delusions will be cruelly GPU agents who killed Reise sary from abroad and the local the press have called upon my disappointed in the coming months.
For even if John Lewis and Phil Murray night of November 7, 1986, GPU aides work out the general plan case before an impartial commis: agents broke into the Scientific of their undertaking, study the sion, appointed by the governand William Green and Matthew Woll and Institute of Paris and stole part list of possible collaborators and ment or the (government) Party scores of others sat in the government agencies, of my archives. Two of my secre draw them into the conspiracy of the Mexican Revolution, in oreven if labor officials were an actual majority in taries, Erwin Wolff and Rudolt step by step.
der to publicly examine the acKlement, were assassinated by do not have any information cusations made against me. Tolesuch agencies, the destruction of labor gains the GPU: the first in Spain, the concerning the real role played dano and the chiefs have alwould continue. Because whoever sat in the second in Paris. All the theatrical by sergeant Casas and the five ways been careful enough not to swivel chairs in Washington would still have to Moscow trials during 1936 1937 police under him who were on accept my proposition.
had as their aim to get me into guard outside my house. know cater to the arrogant requirements laid down by the hands of the GPU.
With this do not wish to say only that they are arrested. One that Toledano and the chiefs the masters of industry, the bosses, the capitalist In saying this do not exclude cannot be sure that they were took direct part in preparing the class.
the possibility of the participation not in the conspiracy the GPU attempt against me. The GPU Everything that Labor will retain of its pre Sination attempt. Up to a certain in the world of convincing, coer. Known persons are assigned the of Hitler Gestapo in the assas has means as no other institution has a strict division of labor.
vious gains, every advance that Labor will make point the GPU and the Gestapo cion and bribery. They could have task of propagating the slanders in the coming period, will have to be secured by are connected with each other; it systematically insinuated to the against me. Lesser known but a head on collision with the bosses and with is possible and probable that in police that am an enemy of the more serious agents are assigned Washington. The cry will go up, and it will be special cases the same agents are Mexican people; promised them a the task of assassination.
Neverat the disposal of both. Authori career; and finally they could theless Mr. Toledano is no youngplausible, that the strikes are interfering with the tative representatives the Ger have offered a high price for their ster. He knows perfectly well the defense program. Labor will have to learn how man government have publicly services. But foreign agents could methods of the GPU, particularly to hear that cry and to ignore it if Labor wants indicated that they consider me a pot approach the Mexican police: the systematic persecution to were necessary, which the members of my famidangerous enemy. It is complete local agents to stand its ground.
ly possible that these two police STALINIST AGENTS PRElies, my friends and have been Isn there a way of stopping Hitler and still forces cooperated in the attempt PARED PUBLIC OPINION and are exposed throughout the world. It is no secret to Toledano not giving way the bosses? There certainly is.
The GPU is particularly con that the GPU is out to annihilate HOW THE GPU IS cerned with the problem of pre me physically. am therefore In the first place, the defense program will ORGANIZED ABROAD paring public opinion for a ter within my rights in saying that, not stop what Hitler represents ascism, mili The general scheme of the GPU rorist act, especially when a per in occupying himself systematic tary dictatorship, the destruction of the labor organization abroad is the follow. son well known nationally and in ally with the poisonous campaign movement, anti Semitism. because these evils each section of the Comintern part of the job is always assigned part in the moral preparation of grow out of capitalism today. The rat like des there is placed a responsible di to the Stalinist press, Stalinist the terrorist act. Consequently peration of the American bosses, after eleven rector of the GPU for that coun speakers and the so called Iriends Toledano as a witness should be years of economic crisis, can give rise to fas try. His status is known only to of the Soviet Union. The judicial of immense interest to the in cism just as the rat like desperation of the Ger one or two trustworthy members from this point of view cannot It cannot be doubted in the man and Italian bosses led them to turn to fas The other members of the fail to examine the work of the least that the former and present cism. Whatever capitalist powers are victorious have but a slight inkling of the newspapers. El Popular, La chiefs of the CP. know who is special status of this member.
Voz de Mexico, and some collab. the local director of the GPU.
in the war, fascism may be their last resort at orators of El Nacional. am not permit me also to assume that the end of an exhausting war.
As a member of the the referring to criticism of me, to David Alfaro Siquieros, who took country GPU representative has the political criticism of my con part in the civil war in Spain as There only one way in which Labor can pre the possibility of approaching victions, for such criticism, even an active stalinist, may also vail against fascism, as well as against the boss the party, study their characters, elementary democratic right of and active GPU members, Spa es and their National Defense Council. That is entrust them with commissions, everybody. But La Voz de Mexi nish, Mexican, and of other nafor Labor to become master in the house of and little by little draw them into co and El Popular have never clonalities who are arriving at society!
the work of espionage and terror occupied themselves with such different times in Mexico, especl.
ism, appealing to their sense of criticism.
ally via Paris. The questioning of What do we need the bosses for? American party loyalty as much as to recall that many times they the previous and the present genLabor is not a bunch of ignorant peasants who bribery.
have accused me of connections eral secretary of the and have to be taught how to run machines. Amer This whole mechanism was dis with all the reactionary circles in also of Siquieros, would help very ican Labor, is in reality, running American in covered in France and Switzer. Mexico as well as abroad; in one much to throw light on the instiland in connection with the mur. speech Toledano declared that gators of the asassination attempt dustry right now!
der of Reiss and the later moves am preparing a general strike and together with them discover And it can run the government, too. What is against my dead son and other against the Cardenas government; their accomplices.
the government, anyway? Nothing but the executive committee of the capitalist class as a whole.
When Labor takes over industry, the government it establishes will be the executive committee of the working class as a whole.
That the only way to fight Hitler and Hitlerism, including the American varieties. Continued from Page 1) in his two cents to sell the auto only contempt for the leadership the phony statesmanship of Lew workers down the river to the of the UAW and feel free to ig.
is, Hillman and Murray and their anti labor dictatorship of the war nore the demands of the auto Stalinist Fakery young pupils, Thomas, Reuther, machine!
etc.
Union President or Senator?
Union In Danger The Communist party says it fights for the Every passing day reveals anew President of the UAW and also Reuther, Addes and their cowWhy shouldn GM feel cocky. The present policy of Thomas, rights of the foreign born.
how the CIO top leadership is BUT the Stalinist leaders of the National preparing to capitoleatetouthe war tion of the Democratic Party, is party only tires out the auto Maritime Union are looking the other way while the labor movement to the tender et elected to the Senate on that it is impossible to fight and the House Committee on Merchant Marine is ar mercles of Stettinius and Knud get the Democratic ticket, that he has impossible to move forward.
ranging for passage of a bill barring all non sen.
no time to keep up with the cur This policy is only paving the citizens from ship crews. Substitute for Militancy rent events affecting the lives and way for accepting a sell out Verbal objections in the Daily Worker adThe United Auto Worker, of Welfare of the auto workers he agreement at the next stage of dressed to the world in general don take any of explaining to the auto workers and his henchmen in Congress are disintegrate and eventually deficial paper of the union, instead presumes to represent. Roosevelt the game. This policy will only guts. But it takes plenty of guts to wade into the the critical situation that the un every day passing innumerable stroy the splendid union that the shipowners and their Congressional stooges and lon now faces, instead of mobiliz laws attacking the labor move auto workers have built fight them off, as Sailors Union of the Paci ing the membership for a life and ment, the unions, the unemployed.
Briggs Shows the way fic and the Seafarers International Union are death struggle to preserve the Thomas is too busy to notice it, to union and gains, points with fight it. Besides, it might hurt his The Briggs workers, representdoing.
great pride to the victory chances with the Democratic paring over 20. 000 men in the four achieved when Hillman was apDetroit plants, have shown the Verbal opposition to the defense program in pointed by Roosevelt to sit on the So, instead, he blandly informs way this week, when they repudigeneral is easy. But to stigmatize the shameful seven man Defense Board! the auto workers that President ated the poor agreement negotirole John Lewis and the CIO Executive This proves again, an editor Roosevelt pledge in his fireside ated by their leaders with the Board in endorsing the defense program and cio is always on the job in look be no attacks on labor legislationed their committee, to go back ial in the paper boasts, that the talk of May 26 that there would Briggs Corporation and Instructin endorsing Hillman sitting in the Defense ing after the interests of the has clarified the air somewhat and tell the company they had to Council that takes revolutionary courage, and workers. No matter what the and driven the deliberate provok do better. It is up to the GM 10cals to display that same spirit the Daily Worker and the Stalinist leadership are emergency, no matter how tough ers of hysteria into silence.
neither courageous nor revolutionary. That the assignment, the CIO tackles What Roosevelt DOES is of no of confidence and militancy tell it and comes through with the interest to Thomas. He said some the GM Corporation that they why they look the other way while John Lewis right solution.
nice things in a nice fires de chat, cannot manufacture cars until And this brazen sell out of and as far as Thomas is concern they settle up with the men and leads the CIO into the war machine.
the auto workers is written by a ed, that is good enough!
The Stalinists fight against war? Don make Socialist editor, Ed Levinson, Is it any wonder that the cyn their union, the United Automous laugh.
Norman Thomas pupil, who putsical, tough executives of GM have bile Workers of America.
By ALBERT GOLDMAN The American workers have a sacred obligation to intervene in the imperialist war now rag.
ing in Europe.
Does that sound like Roosevelt and all of his fellow war mongers in and out of the labor movement? There is a difference of course in the use of the word imperialist, a term which Roosevelt and his supporters do not use.
The question is: HOW to intervene.
The idea that the American workers are not at all interested in the imperialist war is absurd.
It is true that they should not be interested in it the same way as those who are responsible for the war. But to say that the American workers or the workers of any other country should not be interested in a war that is destroying millions of human beings and untold wealth created by the working masses is complete nonsense.
To make a serious attempt to stop the war is the duty of the American workers, if for no other reason than that, if they do not stop the war, they will inevitably be dragged into it.
But again the question must be asked: HOW to intervene?
Certainly not the kind of intervention that Roosevelt proposes. He wants to intervene because a victory of Germany threatens the imperialist interests of the American ruling class. He is afraid that a victorious fascist Germany will be a successful competitor of American capitalism on the world market and especially in Latin America.
The American workers must do their utmost to prevent that kind of intervention. For such an intervention can mean nothing except a lower standard of living, destruction of all liberties, untold sacrifice and slaughter all to preserve and protect the interests of the American capitalist class.
The intervention of the American workers must be of an altogether different form and for an altogether different purpose. They must intervene by destroying in this country the social system which brought on the war in Europe and which will sooner or later involve us in the same kind of a war.
How will the destruction of the capitalist system in this country constitute intervention in the war in Europe? The answer is: should the American workers take over power and establish a socialist United States it would be impossible for the imperialists of the European countries to keep their workers in subjection and to keep them slaughtering one another.
The European workers would be electrified by a victory of the America nworkers; they would in short order turn their guns against those who sent them to the slaughter. The capitalist rulers of the European countries, including Hitler and Mussolini could not last very long after the capitalists of the United States would fall from power.
There are many who are crying: keep America out of the war. They consist of demagogues and sincere but blind pacifists who do not see that it is impossible to keep this country out of war so long as it is ruled by the capitalist class.
The advanced workers will also fight to keep America out of the war, that is, to keep imperialist America from intervening in an imperialist war. The longer this country stays out of the war, the more time will the advanced workers have to educate and organize the American masses for the kind of intervention that will really benefit the workers of this country as well as the workers throughout the world.
To fight for and establish a Socialist United States is the only effective and worthwhile intervention on the part of the American people.
Auto Parleys Near Break As Invokes War Issue workers?
ty DIALECTICS CATCHES UP WITH BURNHAM AND SHACHTMAN (The announcement that James Burnham, leader of the petty bourgeois opposition that split from the socialist Workers Party in April, had retired from the movement because he had come to the conclusion that socialism was not the next stage of society, provoked the following comment from Leon Trotsky, which we excerpt from a letter. Burnham doesn recognize dialectics but dialecties does not permit him to escape from its net.
He is caught as a fly in a web. The blow he gave to Shachtman is irreparable. What a lesson on principled and unprincipled blocs! And poor Abern. Four years ago he found the protector for his family clique in the person of Holy Father Muste and altar boy Spector; now he repeated the same experiment with the secularized Catholic, Burnham and his attorney, Shachtman. In the good old times we waited, often for years and decades for a verification of a prognosis. Now the tempo of events is so feverish that the verification comes unexpectedly the next day. Poor Shachtman!