SOCIALIST APPEAL AUGUST 17, 1940 SOCIALIST APPEAL VOL. IV No. 33 Saturday, August 17, 1940 Pub Haned Weekly by the BOCIALIST APPEAL PUBLISHING ASSN.
at 116 University Place, New York, Telephone: Algonquin 1647 here one og det om GPU OWN AGENTS WILL CONFESS Answering by imperialist war only if they first wrest power LINK WITH TROTSKY, HE PREDICTS Query On Our Draft Stand Editorial Board: FELIX MORROW ALBERT GOLDMAN General Manager: RUTH JEFFREY it. This job can be done only by the workers who turn all the wheels, handle all the tools and will handle all the guns.
The old rotten system does not work anymore.
It could not work in peace because out of its own womb it produced war and mass privation. And now we see that its guiding profit motive stymies even its own plans for participation in the war.
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The Army Politics After Burnham Macdonald MEXICO CITY, August Leon believes. Luis Arenal, named by, of a fake assault? Will not David Trotsky warned yesterday, when the police as the man who shot Serrano confess that he has been he received representatives of the Robert Sheldon Harte. Trotsky simply an agent of the Dies Com Mexican and international press, secretary, is somewhere in the mittee for the organization of that the Stalinist leaders identi United States now, having been political assassinations? Isn El fied and arrested by the Mexican seen there two weeks after the Popular (Toledano paper) now police as participants in the at attempted assassination. preparing an article on this tempt to kill Leon Trotsky on Will not the GPU demand that theme? We know in advance its May 24, will shortly confess Siqueiros under threat of death style of patriotic indignation!
that they were agents of Trotsky declare tomorrow that he has The Stalinists have officially all the time.
secretly been a Trotskyist. Will disowned Siqueiros now, but not Having failed to cover up the he not declare that they happened Serrano. If Trotsky prediction role of the GPU by any other to kill Bob Harle in the course is correct, that comes next!
method, Stalin secret police must now resort to the desperate course of having their own principal agents label themselves Trots kylsts. it was predicted By Leon Trotsky by Trotsky Serrano Role He emphasized particularly the role of David Serrano, member of the Political Bureau of the Mexican Communist Party, who The following is from a let the camp of Burnham.
was arrested by the police shortter to a friend by Leon Trotsky. The last four lines of the ary after the attempted assina don know whether you have cle can be nothing but preparation and is still held. Another seen Dwight Macdonald article tion for personal desertion. Only Stalinist under arrest, Mateos in the August 19sue of his PAR if we meet the stormy and ter Martinez, named Serrano as the TISAN REVIEW.
rible years ahead with both scepman who ordered him to arrange This man was a disciple of ticism and devotion. scepticism for some police uniforms (the as Burnham, the intellectual snob. towards all theories, governments sailants wore them in the attack. After Burnham deserted, Dwight and social systems: devotion to Serrano former wife, Julia, is Macdonald was left in Shacht. the revolutionary fight of the also held, having admitted that man party as the lone represen masses only then can we justify she had been employed as a spy tative of Science.
ourselves as Intellectuals.
on the Trotsky household, with On the question of fascism, Mac Revolutionary activity based the special task of becoming in donald serves up a poor compila upon theoretical scepticism is the timate with the police guard station of plagiarism from our arse most awkward of Inner contradic tioned outside.
he represents as his tions. Devotion to the revolu Sorrano. Trotsky said, spent own discoveries and to which he tionary fight of the masses is six years in Moscow, from where opposes some banalities that he impossible without theoretical unhe was sent to Spain (during the characterizes as our ideas. The derstanding of the laws of this civil war) and nobody goes out whole without perspective, with revolutionary fight. Revolution of Russia without the authoriza out proportion and without ele ary devotion is possible only tion of the GPU. Serrano funcmentary intellectual honesty. one gains the assurance that his tioned in Spain as a GPU agent However, this is not the worst devotion is reasonable, adequate; and then came to Mexico as an Burnham orphan proclaims that it corresponds to its alm.
important functionary of that We must examine again with a Such assurance can be created body, which is the reason why he cold and sceptical eye, the most only by theoretical insight into soon entered the Political Buro basic premises of Marxism (Page the class struggle. Scepticism of the Central Committee of the 266. And what must the poor towards all theories is nothing Communist Party. Workers Party do during this but preparation for personal des period of examination! What ertion.
GPU Has Siqueiros must the proletariat do? They Shachtman remains silent; as David Alfaro Siqueiros, sought should wait, of course, for the General Secretary he is too busy by the police as the director of result of Dwight Macdonald stu to defend the most basic premthe actual assault, is hidden in dy. This result will probably be ises of Marxism from petty.
the hands of the GPU, Trotsky Macdonald desertion himself into bourgeols philistines and snobs. Reentered as second class matter December 1989, at the post once at New York, under the The kind of government for the United States Act of March 3, 1879.
which is desired by the Army officers may be surmised from an article in the July 20 Army Fight with the Socialist Workers and Navy Journal on Why France Collapsed. by Col. Bentley Mott.
Party for: With the usual professional solidarity, he has nothing but praise for the French Army officer1. JOB AND DECENT LIVING FOR EVERY staff. He blames it all on French democracy: his WORKER.
diatribe, indeed, reads like a Nazi indictment of OPEN THE IDLE FACTORIES. OPERATE THEM UNDER WORKERS CONTROL.
democracy: For ten years politicians eager for TWENTY. BILLION DOLLAR FEDERAL power and foreign agitators paid to disrupt the PUBLIC WORKS AND HOUSING PROGRAM. country preached war between the classes. None THIRTY THIRTY 30. WEEKLY MINIMUM was more influential than Blum. French boys WAGE 30 HOUR WEEKLY MAXIMUM FOR in public schools were being poisoned with pacifist ALL WORKERS ON ALL JOBS.
doctrines and class hatred by teachers, in great 30 WEEKLY OLD. AGE AND DISABILITY part communists, organized into unions affiliated PENSION.
with subversive groups. During all this time of EXPROPRIATE THE SIXTY FAMILIES.
internal strife and external vacillation the army ALL WAR FUNDS TO THE UNEMPLOYED.
escaped contamination. PEOPLE REFERENDUM ON ANY AND He grows eloquent in praise of the new fascist ALL WARS.
government. Petain and Weygand took power be8. NO SECRET DIPLOMACY.
cause everybody knew that the only hope of sal20. AN INDEPENDENT LABOR PARTY.
vation lay in public servants such as these men 11. WORKERS DEFENSE GUARDS AGAINST who had spent 50 years of sober living under modVIGILANTE AND FASCIST ATTACKS.
est circumstances, in silence, thinking only of serv12. FULL SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC EQUALITY FOR THE NEGRO PEOPLE.
ing France. Had France been under this Petain regime when the war began, the result would have been different.
Nor does Col. Mott spare the obvious conclusion: Foreign affairs in time of crisis cannot be On August the New York Times reported the conducted by newspapers and their readers. They have to be directed by a man.
following: The man on horseback that the kind of govof the money made available by Congress ernment that Col. Mott wants, and it is plain on July to pay for the projected air armada of the army and navy, 45 percent of the army share enough from the publication of his article in such an authoritative military officers journal, that he has been contracted for and 75 percent of the speaks for the dominant section of the officer corps.
navy has been committed in contracts formally The first chance they get during the coming awarded, William Knudsen (head of the Nawar, they will try to foist that kind of government tional Defense Advisory Commission) said in a on us.
radio program tonight (August Next day, August 9, Col. Henry Stimson, its own officer corps.
Capitalist democracy is finished, repudiated by the Secretary of War, appeared at a Congressional Either the revolutionary victory of the proletax hearing and made, according to the Associated tariat and the establishment of a Workers GovPress, the following statement: ernment, or a fascist regime those are the only Congress made available to the army during real alternatives of the coming period of militarthe month of June approximately 400, 000, 000 forism and war.
airplanes, engines and accessories. Yet, today, almost seven weeks later, we have been able to sign nal which Somebody Lying What Will Happen to the Union Drive in Steel?
the 4, 000 and more for which these appropriations Lundeen Party By ALBERT GOLDMAN sympathizert of our party, in a letter which he sent me very recently, takes us to task for our position on conscription. He believes that we should not have raised, at this time, the question of military training under trade union control and should have confined our agitation purely to a struggle against conscription. Most of the young workers. he writes, are opposed to conscription and it is only introducing confusion when you talk to them about the necessity of military training under trade union control. Leave that until after the conscription bill is passed. It may be right then but for the present stick to an anticonscription issue.
By inference our sympathizer indicates that every other group opposing conscription will have nothing to do after the conscription bill is passed. They must feld up and shut up. At best they will be limited to a futile movement to repeal the conscription measure.
Our agitation for military training under tradeunion control, however, will continue. For that slogan is independent of the struggle against a particular capitalist conscription bill. As a matter of fact the thesis of the Fourth International on the Death Agony of Capitalism contains the following demands (among others. Military training and arming of workers and farmers under direct control of workers and farmers committees.
Creation of military schools for the training of commanders among the toilers, chosen by workers organizations. Before the Burke Wadsworth bill was thought of, during the debate, before its enactment, and after its enactment, our basic demand was, is and will be: military training for workers under control of workers organizations.
Because that training is absolutely essential in the present period of war and militarism. Into the consciousness of every advanced worker must penetrate that primary and fundamental idea: military training for the working masses for the defense of their class interests.
It may be true that most of the young workers are opposed to conscription. seriously doubt that proposition but shall grant its correctness for the sake argument.
That would not in the least modify our attitude.
For we are not interested in concealing such a fundamental truth from any worker as the necessity for military training. We are interested in impressing every worker with the idea that a negative attitude to any fundamental question is not sufficient.
The capitalist class wants to take every worker into its military clutches for its purposes our reply is NO! But every worker must have military training and we must demand that his own workers organization furnish him with that training.
We Stand Alone On This Question And right now is the time to raise the question.
We would be committing the greatest error if we failed to raise it at this very moment when every worker is thinking about and discussing the problem of conscription and military training.
Every demagogue (in which category include, of course, the Stalinists. every muddle headed liberal, every well meaning and not so well meaning pacifist, is shouting against conseription, is trying to catch the support of those workers who are more or less naturally opposed to the idea of giving up their jobs and being drafted into the army.
Our party alone distinguishes itself from all of these shouting against conscription by saying clearly and definitely: Yes, oppose conscription by the capitalist government but fight for military training for the workers under their own control.
In the last analysis the difference between our attitude on conscription and the attitude of every other group is the difference between people who are simply dissatisfied with the existing order and we who see the problem of our epoch clearly and are determined to solve that problem in the only way possible.
It is the same difference that exists between those democrats who raise pitiful cries about the adVance of fascism and offer nothing better to fight that advance than mere opposition to the undemocratic methods of the capitalist class and the revolutionary Marxists who see the necessity for the workers to organize and take over power in order to wage a vietorious struggle against fascism at home and abroad.
We Do Not Stop Half Way Our party opposes every step taken by the capi.
talists and their government to limit the democratic rights of the workers in any way. Our party urges the workers to struggle for every immediate demand.
But our party teaches the workers that it is not sufficient to wage a defensive struggle against the capitalists or to try to gain a few advantages here and there. Fascism cannot be destroyed in that way.
It can be destroyed only if the workers, in addition to fighting for their immediate demands, take power into their own hands.
Our attitude on conscription and military training reflects that positive and militant attitude which every advanced worker must be taught to accept.
It is the same attitude which Lenin took to the question of disarmament. Instead of giving in to the sentiments of some left wing workers who favorad disarmament, he fiercely attacked that attitude as incompatible with revolutionary Marxism. Instead of disarmament, demand, advised Lenin. the right of the inhabitants of the country to form voluntary associations for the learning of the military arts, the free selection of instructors, their payment out of government funds, etc.
Instead of joining the pacifists of every type and description to fight conscription in general, our party says to the workers: fight against capitalist conscription; demand the right to bear arms and to have military training under your own control; demand funds from the government for such military training.
Our party will never regret the position that it is now taking on military training.
By FARRELL DOBBS to the cio union. AFL propa them towards the boss made, artiThe cIo has launched a cam ganda is in large part based on fcial war hysteria. They do not paign in the ten mills and ship the claim that it is more patrio as yet understand the real signi yards of the Bethlehem Steel Cor tfe than the CIO. The AFL has ficance of the war preparations poration. The plan of action was nothing real to offer the steel and consequently have not gone laid down at a conference of the workers. Its actions only serve over to active opposition to the CIO lodges involved, which was to further disorient them. program of the government. The held in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania swOC LEADERS DON Fifth Colunm agitation is not on August 11. The Steel Workers FIGHT BACK taken seriously but harasses Organizing Committee and the In.
and disturbs them to a certain exdustrial Union of Marine and The national leadership of the tent. The steel workers are most Ship Building Workers of Amer swoc meantime shows an in concerned about the vital ques.
ica, both CIO afiliates, will parMany creasing tendency to subordinate tion of jobs and wages ticipate jointly in the drive the interests of the steel workers thousands of them are already The Bethlehem mills are oper. defense. Van Bittner, swoc face the threat of reduced earn.
to the interests of the national unemployed. Those who have jobs ating at top capacity with 200 director, Western Region, has ings and wonder who will be million dollars in government been appointed by Hillman to thrown out into the streets next.
contracts already received.
This corporation is one of those serve in one of the national de They want to fight but the de which consistently violate the fielals are very jittery about the fense committees. The top of feat in Little Steel and the timiWagner Labor Act and the Walsh danger of being called unpatrio then has undermined their con dity of their top leaders since Healey Act. It refuses to pay the tic. They have gone so far as 00 a day minimum on work to warn the field organizers that union. The rank and file is anxi fidence in themselves and their on government contracts.
CIO Vice President Philip Murican activities they cannot ex ous to overcome the present ap ray announced before the confer. pect the swoc to defend them. aths and inertir. They need and ence that it would lay the ground heren though they may be wrong.
want a fighting leadership.
work to carry the fight to Washington. The contere ly accused.
self an.
Grievances arising from contract DEMANDS STRUGGLE UNION SALVATION nounced, however, that failure hy the company to bargain collective lion against the union member violation and general discrimina Every factor in the situation enforce their rights by economie ship on the job are permitted to demands that the swOC leaders action.
pile up. The complaints are tard abandon their attitude of subservience to the interests of the naThis campaign. long overdue. fly placed before arbitration comcan serve as the opening gun in mittees or the NLRB and general tional defense and that they a fight to correct conditions in the ly are not militantly pressed, even fight for the interests of the steel through these channels. There workers instead. The battle must entire steel industry. The urgent are very few sallies directly be carried direct to the steel necessity for the union to rise against the bosses.
vigorously to the defense of its These oceur bosses through militant trade vigorous organmembership can no longer be only where pressure from the union action.
denied.
workers is most heavy. ization drive must be launched, Some cases of strike action by on a program of action: SWOC UNDER FIRE OF the steel workers are promptly All union officials off the BOSSES AND GOVT labelled outlaw and a settle National Defense Commit.
The SWOC is under heavy atment is forced at the first oppor tack from both the steel bosses tunity. The national leadership Enforce the union contracts.
and the government. The cor. sometimes follows up the settle porations are creating widespread ment with an attack on the local Settle the workers grievances.
unemployment and forcing down lodge officials. The usual reason Fight for the hour day at the earnings of the employed steel siven is per capita tax delinquenhour pay.
workers through technological cies, a violation of the union laws, change. They are violating the or some similar charge. Militant union contracts, stalling on the lodge leaders are being forced into settlement of grievances, and the background. The most conpracticing general discrimination servative. least class conscious Join us in na against the swoc membership. elements are coming forward.
the WORKERS WANT The bosses are undersible.
GAY BEACH union in every way The government, on its part, is FIGHTING LEADERSHIP PARTY!
fronting for the steel corporations Although the fight for a six in the interests of national de hour day at eight hour pay was SUNDAY fense. Agents of the FBI are sidestepped at the Chicago con AUGUST 18th sent into the plants in an effort vention, some sections of the of to intimidate the workers and try ficialdom are now using this slo ORCHARD BEACH, No. 10 to put down any militancy among They are motivated largely them. An undercover drive is by the need for some means to being conducted against the alien halt the decline in dues payment Swimming, workers. The finger of suspicion which is becoming a serious prob is pointed at militant workers lem. There is little indication Boating, Fishing. who raise their voice in protest that they mean business.
against the policy of the corpora The steel workers have a muc Meet at Pelham Bay tions.
different attitude. They accept Station, IRT, 10:30 The efforts of the AFL to or the fact that they are being push.
ganize the steel workers in op ed into the war but they are not position to the SWOC are more enthusiastic about the idea. There Local SWP of an annoyance than a threat is general indifference among were made.
On August 10 President Roosevelt came away Senator Ernest Lundeen of Minnesota last week from taking a look at the Boston and Portsmouth issued a statement to the press declaring that Navy Yards and the Army Arsenal at Watertown, both parties adhere to an interventionist policy Mass. and in a statement headlined by the Times, and that, therefore, a new national party is nedeclared: Defense Program Hitting Its Stride, cessary. The new party shall be organized by LaPresident Asserts.
bor, the farmer, those who believe in cooperatives. Things are going along awfully well. m very those who believe in neutrality and placing our well pleased with all saw today and it shows national interests before the interests of any other We are really getting into our stride.
country. And all good Americans who believe Compare Stimson with the other two state in absolute neutrality and America first should ments. Somebody lying!
rally in convention at Chicago sometime before. Who is doing the lying? And why are they September 1, in order that red blooded Americans lying?
who are not under European influence shall make The answer is that all these gentlemen are sitt their influence felt in the elections.
ing on the proverbial sharp horns of a dilemma party that would include those who place and have to tell us two violently contradictory our national interests before the interests of any things at the same time.
other country. America first advocates, etc. They ve got to say that everything is going doesn have to be formed; there are two such along swimmingly in order to avoid pointing the parties already, the Democratic and Republican. finger right at the cause of the breakdown in the Lundeen isolationist clap trap, which would Carms drive the unyielding demand of the big make the two parties out to be mere puppets of capitalists for virtually unrestricted profits.
Britain, only serves to hide the fundamental truth At the same time they have to put the fear of that interventionism is being pursued precisely the lord into the Congressional committees now because of our. the capitalist class national being asked to take the lid off all profit restrictions. interests.
But above all they have got to cover up the It is safe to predict that Lundeen won get fact that the big bosses of the country, the steel anywhere with his demagogic proposition. The magnates and shipbuilders and plane manufactur times are hostile to backwoods bunk. Lundeen ers, are holding a gun at the country head Inown party, the Farmer Labor Association of sure us our profits or to hell with your defenses. Minnesota, is falling apart, the remnants of it are Appearing before the same committee as Stim seeking fusion with the Minnesota Democrats. It son a day after his radio appearance, William has been just such a party as Lundeen now proKnudsen complained that he had been unable to poses nationally calling on Labor and the fargive contractors assurance their expansion costs mers for its main support but with no thought of could be amortized (ie. written off out of earnings a class program for the workers and the poor in computing tax returns. Stimson, after making farmers.
his startling revelation about planes, did not go If there was one place where such a loose joined on to denounce the actual saboteurs of the arms party might conceivably have been successful, it program but pleaded that the risk. these manu was in the predominantly agricultural state of facturers have to undertake is one that is entitled Minnesota. But it didn work. Because it was to special consideration.
neither controlled by the trade unions nor did it And while these hands are reaching into the fight on behalf of the trade unions, the workers in public pocket, Roosevelt takes a squint at a few the cities did not look upon it as their party; the government arms shops government, not private same thing happened with the farmers. It was shops and says that things are going fine. neither flesh, fish nor fowl. Apparently Lundeen Everything is hitting its stride. Roosevelt steers has learned nothing from the Minnesota experience.
cautiously clear of saying how things are going in The only kind of party that can arise, in this the private plants which have to produce the great period of sharp conflict of class interests, to chalbulk of the planes, ships, and guns for which these lenge the two capitalist parties, is a Labor Party, billions of public money have been taken. Roose constituted by and controlled by the trade unions.
velt knows when to keep his mouth shut.
No sensible worker will lift a finger to help LunBecause when the bosses come to Washington deen venture. But many millions will be inspired and demand bigger and bigger slices of the rich to begin a new life when the trade unions call upon booty now being handed out, they are speaking them to form a party of the masses. Lundeen sniffs for the real rulers of the country whose overwhelm the coming tidal wave and wants to ride it. But ing interest is not that of the people but is only in a party directly controlled by the organizations the interest in their own profits.
of the workers the Lundeens should have no place.
tees,