-
THE
MILITANTPublished in the Interest of the Working People
V o l. 29 - N o . 22 M o n d a y , M a y 31, 1965 P r ic e
10c
15,000 Cal. Students Protest Vietnam War
• * &
Pentagon Pushes Vietnam Build-Up
B y D a v id H e rm a nM A Y 24 — The U n ited States’
d ire c t in vo lve m e n t in the w a r in V ie tn am continues
to g row at a rap id pace. P resident Johnson prom ised a “ b lan k
check” fo r U.S. m il i ta ry forces in V ie tn am on M ay 18 and
released a m em orandum by Secre tary o f Defense R obert S. M cN
am ara on the p lanned spendin g o f the la test “ em ergency” app
ro p ria tio n o f $700 m illio n fo r the w a r.
W h ile no equ iva len t “ b lank check” lo r troops has y e t
been signed, p lans fo r the vast expansion o f U.S. forces are c e
rta in ly be ing considered, and steps in th a t d ire c tio n are
be ing taken.
Hanson W . B a ld w in , m il ita ry e xp e rt fo r the New Y o
rk T imes, repo rted in the M ay 19 issue of th a t paper th a t
U.S. g round forces m ay be u tiliz e d in an “ in k b lo t” s tra
tegy fo r reconquering te r r ito ry he ld b y the N a tio n a l L
ib e ra tio n F ro n t. The p lan invo lves the U.S. occupation o f
several areas o f South V ie tnam , each centered on a p o rt c ity
fro m w h ic h the troops cou ld be supplied . As troops and
supplies w ere b u i l t up, the occupied areas w o u ld be
expanded. Thus they w o u ld spread ou t “ in k b lo t” fash ion u
n t il they f in a lly coalesced'.' Such a s tra tegy w ou ld re q
u ire years o f f ig h tin g and u l t i m a te ly in v o lv e an
estim ated500,000 U.S. troops, B a ld w in re ports.
P a rt o f th is s tra tegy is a lready be ing im p lem ented .
U.S. com bat troops are a lready assigned to seve ra l coastal
enclaves. P lans are w e ll unde r w a y to send the equ iva len t
o f an a rm y com bat d iv is io n to V ie tn am n e x t m onth ,
according to Jack La ng gu th in the M ay 24 Tim es. T h fs w o u
ld increase U.S. forces to w e ll over 60,000 men.
There are in d ica tion s th a t the governm ent p lans to
increase U.S. m il i ta r y s treng th genera lly . The W a ll S
treet J o u rn a l o f M ay 12 reported:
“ W hen cris is clouds appeared ove r the D om in ican Republic,
abou t 30 la rge A ir Force transpo rts w ere pu lle d o f f the u
rgen t transp ac ific V ie tn am ru n . . . B u t had a m uch h o
tte r D om in ican up r is in g d ra w n in a fa r la rg e r U.S.
force, the s tra in on a i r l i f t capacity, and s e a lift too,
w o u ld have been fe lt h a lf a w o r ld aw ay in Saigon.”
The Jo u rn a l a rtic le goes on to describe a m u lt ib il l
io n -d o lla r a rmada o f fas t a ir and sea transp o rt th a t m
il ita ry o ff ic ia ls p lan to have b u ilt by the e a rly
1970’s.
R o b ert M c N a m a ra
Why Johnson Moved to Crush the WorkersB y B a rry S heppard
M A Y 25 — The arm ed w o rke rs o f Santo D om ingo, w ho have
been b a ttlin g the forces o f the U n ited States and U .S
.-backed m il ita ry ju n ta s fo r over a m onth , have w r it te
n a he ro ic chap te r in the long h is to ry o f L a tin A m
erican resistance to U.S. dom ination .
The reb e llio n w h ich sw ept Santo D om ingo was no t ano the
r p a lace coup ta k in g place ove r the heads o f the masses o f
people. The backbone and s treng th o f the re v o lu tio n w e re
the poor themselves, w ho received arm s fro m the ra n k - a n d
-f ile sold iers in the f ir s t days o f the u p ris in g against
the m i l i ta ry d ic ta to rsh ip . The fa c t th a t the w o rke
rs w ere arm ed opened the po ss ib ility th a t the re vo lu tion
w o u ld no t stop a t sm ashing the hated police and m il i ta ry
apparatus le f t over fro m T ru ji l lo , bu t w o u ld proceed to
ra ise the demands o f those same arm ed w o rke rs fo r a fun dam
e n ta l change in th e ir h o rr ib le economic and soc ia l
conditions.
The p o te n tia l was present fo r
the arm ed w o rke rs to fo llo w the t r a i l blazed by the
Cuban masses in th e ir re vo lu tion . The Cuban re vo lu tio n ,
too, began as a s tru g gle against a hated m il ita ry d ic ta to
rsh ip . Once the rebe l a rm y under F id e l Castro smashed the B
a tis ta d ic ta to rsh ip w ith the aid and supp o rt o f the w o
rkers and peasants, the Cuban re vo lu tio n tu rned to the problem
s o f land re fo rm , unem p loym ent, pove rty , disease; i l l i
te racy — problem s w h ich are un ive rsa l in L a t in A m erica
and in the D om in ican R epub lic in p a rtic u la r. U nde r a
leadership w h ich proved its re v o lu tio n a ry m e ttle in
action, the Cuban w o rk ers and peasants ca rried ou t a series o
f re fo rm s be g inn ing w ith the la nd re fo rm and cu lm in a
tin g in the crea tion o f a w o rke rs ’ state w ith a na tiona
lized and planned economy.
The b ig cap ita lis ts in the U n ited States dom inate, ow n
and con tro l the im p o rta n t sectors o f the econom y in a ll
the L a t in A m erican countries, except Cuba. The land ow n in g
o liga rch ies and na tive cap
ita lis ts are ju n io r pa rtne rs w ith the U.S. cap ita lis
ts in the e x p lo ita tion o f L a t in A m erica .
A n y m ovem ent to change the con d ition o f the L a t in A m
erican masses, w ho s u ffe r unde r th is im p e r ia lis t
system, comes in to c o n flic t w ith bo th the U.S. capita lis ts
and the na tive cap ita lis ts . Land re fo rm , w h ic h is acu te
ly needed th rou gh ou t L a t in A m erica , cannot be w on w ith
o u t a s trugg le against the la n d -o w n in g o liga rchy and
the U.S. f in a n c ia l in terests they are in te r tw in e d w
ith . In the D om in ican R epub lic the im p o rta n t sugar in d
u s try is con tro lled by U.S. in terests, and the land re fo rm m
ust come in to head-on co llis io n w ith U.S. b ig business and
its agents, the la n d -o w n in g o ligarchy.
A n indispensable con d ition fo r the v ic to ry o f the Cuban
re v o lu t io n was the destruction o f the B atis ta a rm y and
po lice , w h ich defended the positions and p ro p e rty o f the
U.S. corpora tions and the Cuban ca p ita lis t class. A s the re v
o lu tio n deepened, the rebe l a rm y
was augm ented b y th e arm ed w o rke rs and peasants, w ho
defended gains o f the re vo lu tio n against bo th the U.S. and
the nativ e cap ita lis ts.
W hen the U.S. ru l in g class saw th a t the w o rke rs in
Santo D om ingo w ere arm ed and had rou ted the m il ita ry reg im
e, the y decided to in te rvene to p re ven t a developm ent s im
ila r to Cuba. The in it ia l v ic to ry o f the arm ed w o rke rs
created a s itu a tio n o f “ d iso rd e r” fo r the U.S. cap ita
lis ts , because there was no arm ed force le f t in the D om in
ican R epub lic pledged beforehand to defend the in terests o f
U.S. cap ita lism .
T he s w if t and b ru ta l U.S. in te r ven tion has made i t c
ry s ta l c lear th a t the re is no “ m id d le road” in L a tin A
m erica between U.S. dom in a tio n on the one hand and free dom th
rou gh the k in d o f re v o lu tio n ca rried ou t in Cuba on the
other. The action b y the U.S. M arines dem onstrates once again
the lesson o f the Cuban re v o lu tio n th a t eve ry m ovem ent
fo r social
(Continued on Page 4)
THE DO M IN ICAN CRISIS
B a ld w in po in ts ou t in the M ay 23 Tim es tha t the V ie
tnam w a r has a lready caused m il ita ry o ffic ia ls to w o rry
about the personne l s itua tion in a ll o f the services except
the A ir Force. H e reports th a t one o f the measures te n ta
tive ly p lanned to meet the N a v y ’s prob lem is the m anda to
ry extension o f N a vy en lis tm ents i f the present ca ll fo r v
o lu n ta ry extensions does no t w o rk . O the r poss ib ilit ie
s be ing considered by the services inc lude : u t iliz a t io n o
f the d ra ft by the N avy ; an increase in the M a rine Corps o f
3,000 to5,000 m en; a sm a ll increase in the A rm y ; and a lim
ite d ca ll-up o f re serves in any o r a l l o f the m il ita ry
branches.
B a ld w in quotes an “ in fo rm ed source” as saying th a t the
recent e x tra ap p ro p ria tio n o f $700 m illio n fo r the w a
r in V ie tn am “ ju s t scratched the surface” o f w h a t is
needed.
The a ir losses over N o rth V ie tnam have been p layed dow n
in the press. “ O ff ic ia l figu res show th a t fo r A i r Force
figh te r-bom ber sorties, no t in c lu d in g f la k suppression m
issions, the loss ra te has been about tw o pe r cent, as com pared
to an average loss ra te o f n ine-tenths o f one pe r cent fo r a
ll figh te r-bom ber sorties f lo w n in W o rld W ar I I , ”
reports B a ld w in .
The pretense o f the U.S. gove rnm en t th a t i t seeks a
negotiated se ttlem ent ra th e r than g reater in vo lvem en t in
the w a r was fu r th e r exposed w hen the Canadian gove rnm en t
denied the reports eman a ting fro m W ash ing ton th a t Canada
was acting as a go-between in con tacting H anoi. These W ash
ington a rtic les appeared d u r in g the “ lu l l ” in the bom
bings o f N o rth V ie tnam , and suggested th a t the W h ite
House made con tact w ith H ano i “ th rou gh the Canadians.” N ow
the Canadian press is w ond e rin g w h e the r any contact was
made d u rin g the “ lu l l . ”
W A N T P E A C E . P a r t o f crow d o f 15,000 th a t g ath
ered in B e rk e ley , C a lif ., to protest against U .S , w a r
in V ie tn am .
B y H a l V erbB E R K E LE Y , M ay 22 — Some
15,000 people fro m a ll over the W est Coast pa rtic ipa ted in
the 34- ho u r m ara thon tea ch -in and p ro test against the V ie
tnam w a r th a t began a t noon, yesterday, at the U n iv e rs ity
o f C a lifo rn ia campus here.
T h roughou t the m eeting three em p ty cha irs w ere p ro m in
e n tly placed on the speaker’s p la tfo rm w ith a huge sign read
ing “ Reserved f o r th e IJtate D e p a rtm e n t."- T he State D
epartm ent o r ig in a lly had agreed to present its case at the B
erke ley V ie tn am Day, and was going to send W ill ia m B undy as
p a rt o f a “ t ru th squad.” B u t W ill ia m B un dy pu lle d
out, ju s t as h is b ro th e r M cGeorge d id a t the W ashington
teach-in .
B e rke ley professor R obert Sca- lap ino , w ho p in c h -h it
fo r M cGeorge B un dy in W ashington, backed o u t o f presen ting
the Joh n son side a t the B e rke le y teach- in . Scalap ino and
another p ro -a d m in is tra tio n professor, Eugene B u rd ic k ,
w ho also backed out, com pla ined th a t the tea ch -in was no t “
ba lanced” b u t was in re a lity a “ pro test.” No one defended
the a d m in is tra tion .
Realist e d ito r P au l K rassner, w ho was one o f the
speakers, com m ented on S calap ino and au thor B u rd ic k : “
There is a new book ou t by Eugene B u rd ic k — I t is ca lled I
Was a Teach-in D ro p ou t . . . I understand the y changed the m
enu in the s tudent ca fe te ria — instead o f vea l scaloppin i,
th e y ’re ha v in g ch icken scalap ino.”
Professor S teven Smale, P ro fessor H irsch a n d J e rry R ub
in , the th ree organizers o f the V ie tnam Day—xcom m ittge,
■■"sMcr, ’ "T h e y (Scalap ino and B u rd ic k ) refuse to take p
a rt because they fea r fo u r aspects o f the m eeting : 1) V ie
tnam D ay is g iv in g a p la tfo rm to in te lle c tua ls w ho are
n o t favored by the State D epa rtm en t as Scala p in o is, b u t
w ho nevertheless have m uch to say about V ie tnam ; 2) the m
eeting goes beyond the n a rro w d e fin it io n o f academic ex
perts and challenges the a u th o r ity o f professors Scalap ino
and B u r d ick ; 3) the m ee ting w i l l spread some dangerous
ideas to masses o f people; 4) the pro test m ovem en t against the
w a r is successfu l and spreading.”
The f irs t speaker, I.F . Stone, set the tone o f the pro test.
A f te r re ce iv ing a s tand ing ova tion fro m
the crow d, Stone attacked U.S. po licy in V ie tn am and the D
o m inican R epublic. P ra is ing the s tu dents w ho are vo ic ing
th e ir p ro test, he stated, “ I t is you w ho are f ig h t in g
to preserve A m erican tra d itio n s and not y o u r de
tractors.”
W hen asked fro m the f lo o r w h y the U.S. was in V ie tnam ,
Stone rep lied , “ W e are there because the U.S. is t ry in g to
seek th e dom ina tio n o f the w o r ld ; . ' . W e don ’t w a n t
a dem ocra tic governm ent in ' South V ie tnam , we w a n t a m i
l i ta ry base.”
O th e r speakers h it ha rd on the same them e o f A m erican
im pos it io n o f its w i l l on sm a ll nations^ w ith both V ie
tn am and the D o m inican R epub lic rece iv ing m ost o f the a
tten tion . The e d ito r o f the h a rd -h it t in g lib e ra l C
a tho lic magazine Ram parts, E dw ard K ea ting , charged th a t
U.S. m o ra lity rests upon pow er. “ N p m an has the r ig h t to
p u ll the rest o f c iv i liz a tio n dow n because o f his s tu p
id ity and ba rba rism ,” he said.
Senator E rnest G ruen in g o f A laska received a s tand ing
ovation on the n ig h t o f the f i r s t day o f the ta lka th o n
w hen he ca lled
(Continued on Page 5)
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Page Two THE M ILITA N T Monday, May 31, 1965
Cowardly Textile Union Heads Anger New England Workers
Labor Bureaucrats Look to Johnson
Will Taft-Hartley Law Be Revised?B y G eorge A u d et
BO STO N — On A p r i l 16, s ix m il ls be long ing to the “ b
ig fo u r ” o f the cotton-rayon in d u s try were s tru c k by
6,000 N ew Eng land te x t i le w orkers . W hen the s tr ik e
began, w o rke rs said the y w o u ld “ ra th e r s ta rve ” than
accept the com pany o ffe r o f a f iv e pe r cent wage increase.
The s tr ike rs w an ted a 15 pe r cent wage h ike , w h ic h w o u
ld have ra ised th e ir wages to a le v e l 50c an h o u r be low
the nat io n a l average fo r in d u s tr ia l w o rk ers. H ow
ever, the s tr ik e lasted less tha n fo u r days, w hen the un ion
leadersh ip gave in on the com pany o ffe r.
Such action is n o t new fo r the leadersh ip o f the T e x tile
W orkers U n io n o f A m erica . F o r a num ber o f years m il
ita n t sen tim en t has been increas ing w ith in the T W U A ,
and the bu rea ucra tic leadership, be ing an y th in g b u t m il
ita n t , has had to use eve ry tr ic k , l ie and pressure possib
le to keep th is sent im e n t in check.'jj One bu rea ucra tic g
im m ic k is to encourage eve ry lo ca l to settle w ith its ow n
com pany even i f o th e r locals desire to s tr ike . The loca ls
th a t decide to s tr ik e m ust go i t alone, w ith o u t suppo rt
fro m the n a tio n a l o ffice (th e m eager s tr ik e bene fits
cannot be collected u n t i l the s ix th w eek o f the s t r ik e
) . T he o n ly com m un ica tion l in k betw een loca ls is the
bureaucracy, w h ic h m akes no a ttem p t to re la y m il i ta n t
sen tim en t fro m one lo ca l to another. Consequently, eve ry lo
ca l fee ls th a t i t faces the bosses alone.
The s tr ik e began w ith three loca ls n o t p a rtic ip a tin
g because th e y had a lready accepted the com pany o ffe r. W ith
the un ion sp lit, the com panies opened a ba rrage o f fu ll-page
ads in the loca l press “ e x p la in in g ” the s tr ik e and a
tta ck in g the un ion . U n io n b u reaucra ts made l i t t le a
ttem p t to p u b lic ly ju s t i fy the s tr ike , b u t in-
M A Y 25 — There are o n ly three weeks le f t in the M il ita n
t Fund Cam paign, and w e s t i l l have 40 per cent o f ou r to ta
l to raise. W h ile Boston, Chicago, and D e tro it have a lready
fu lf i l le d th e ir quotas, and O a k la n d /B e rke le y and D
enver are do ing w e ll, m ost areas are cons id e ra b ly beh ind
w here they should be at th is p o in t in the cam paign.
The dead line fo r ra is in g the funds w h ic h are abso lu te
ly necessary to keep The M il ita n t pu b lis h in g is June 15, w
h ic h means th a t w e should have collected 77 pe r cent o f o u
r $20,300 goal by now . W e are o n ly at 60 per cent, and we are
th a t fa r thanks to Boston, Chicago and D e tro it.’ ’ Each area
w h ich is be low 77 p e r cen t needs to p u t on a bu rs t o f
steam to catch up. Those areas
stead w en t fro m one general un ion m eeting to another, t ry
in g to pe rsuade the s tr ike rs to postpone fu r th e r action
pend ing “ recom m endation s ” o f a specia l un io n adv isory
com m ittee.
A t these m eetings the bu reaucrats had to contend w ith the ra
n k and f ile . T hey w ere jeered, booed and laughed a t as they
tr ie d to defend th e ir pos ition o f a llo w in g o the r locals
to sign contracts in sp ite o f the s trike . In the end, they ou
t-ta lked and w o re ou t the opposition , w h ic h had l i t t le
fa ith in the “ annua l side show ” in the f i r s t place. •
The decision o f the adv iso ry com m ittee to accept the com
pany o ffe r was announced la te S a tu rday; A p r i l 17. W ith
the leadersh ip o f f ic ia lly and p u b lic ly deserting the ra n
k and f ile , the s tr ik e w ith ered.
The de feat o f the s tr ik e d id no t settle accounts. Each
new “ contra c t t im e ” f ind s the ra n k and f i le m ore
vocal, and the bureaucracy m ore unpopu la r.
D u r in g the 1950’s te x t ile w o rkers made wage “
concessions” to keep the “ a ilin g ” in d u s try a live .
Consequently the wage scale in te x tile s is the low est o f the
mass p ro du c tion industries . The new p ro sp e rity has n o t a
ffec ted the wage scale, and no e f fo r t has been made to
compensate the w o rkers fo r past sacrifices. In fac t, w ith in
ven to ries d w in d lin g and orders p o u rin g in , w o rk loads
have been he a v ily increased and au tom ation has been d isp lac
ing w o rke rs a t a h igh rate.
The un ion bureaucracy is in a d i f f ic u lt position . D u r
in g the re cent s trike , the re was m ore rank- and -file anger d
irec ted against the bureacracy than the re was against the
companies. S im ila r moods p re ceded the recent upheavals in the
steel and e lec trica l un ions, and T W U A pres iden t W ill ia m
P o llock m ust be acu te ly aw are o f it .
be low 50 per cent are in rea l tro u b le and w i l l have to
concentra te th e ir energies in the n e x t few weeks (and th a t
’s a ll th a t’s le f t ! ) on ra is in g m oney and sending i t in
to us r ig h t away. E ve ry area has got to m ake its quota, o r
the paper w i l l have to s u ffe r because o f the sca rc ity o f
funds.
O n ly $429 came in d u rin g the past week. W ith a l i t t le
e ffo rt, we should see a b ig increase w hen the scoreboard is p r
in te d again in n e x t w eek ’s issue — and i t ’s tim e fo r M
ilita n t supporters to see th a t th is is so.
E ve ry in d iv id u a l w ho is a M il i ta n t suppo rte r b u
t n o t p a r t o f a supporte r group, is encouraged to send in h
is c o n trib u tio n to The G eneral. Send con tribu tions to The
M il ita n t , 116 U n iv e rs ity Place, N ew Y o rk , N. Y .
B y T om K e rryW hen the un ion-busting T a ft-
H a rtle y m easure was enacted in 1947 i t was s tigm atized by
the la b o r leaders as a “ slave la b o r” la w . They avowed then
th a t no th in g sho rt o f o u tr ig h t repeal w o u ld be
acceptable to the organized la bo r m ovem ent. In the 1948 p res
id e n tia l cam paign, H a rry T rum an set ou t to ga rne r la b
o r support by w r i t in g in to the D em ocratic P a rty p la tfo
rm a p la n k c a llin g fo r repeal o f T a ft-H a rtle y . A f te
r hook ing his fish , H irosh im a H a rry dismissed the p la tfo
rm prom ise as so m uch boob-bait.
In subsequent p res iden tia l campaigns, the la bo r statesmen,
p r id in g themselves on be ing “ p o lit ic a l rea lis ts ,” je
ttisoned the demand fo r o u tr ig h t repea l and begged on ly fo
r am endm ents to e lim in a te some o f the m ore repressive p ro
v isions o f T a ft-H a rtle y . H a lf a loaf, the y reasoned, w o
u ld be be tte r than no th ing . Such a stra teg ic re tre a t was
presum ed to be the last w o rd in p o lit ic a l w isdom .
T he ne t re su lt was an ad d itiona l boot in the backside w
ith enactm en t o f the K ennedy-Landrum - G r if f in la w w h ic
h fu r th e r s tra it- jacke ted the un ions b y tig h te n in g
governm ent con tro l ove r organized labo r.
H a v in g learned a lesson in p ract ic a l po litics , the la
b o r “ s tra teg is ts” abandoned th e ir “ ha lf-a -loa f”
approach in the 1964 p res iden tia l e lection and pleaded o n ly
fo r a fe w crum bs w ith w h ic h to nourish the illu s io n th a
t coa litio n po litics was in the best in te rests o f the w o rk
in g people. W ith m agnanim ous gesture the Dem ocrats w ro te in
to th e ir p la tfo rm the pledge to repea l section 14 (b ) p f T
a f t -H a r t le y unde r whose p ro v is io n 19 states have
enacted the so-called “ r ig h t-to -w o rk ” laws.
Closed ShopU n de r T a ft-H a rtle y a s tr ic t ban
is imposed upon the closed shop. The closed shop p rov ides tha
t o n ly m em bers o f the un ion can be h ire d by em ployers
opera ting u n der a closed shop con tract. W h ile dec la ring the
closed shop ille g a l, T a ft-H a r t le y pe rm itte d un ion
shop contracts.
T he un ion shop provides tha t non-union w o rke rs can be h
ired b u t m ust jo in the un ion a fte r a
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LOS ANGELES THEODORE EDWARDS presents a
M arxist view o f the news in his bi-weekly radio commentary.
Tues., June I, 6:30 p.m. (repeated W ed., June 2, 9 a.m.) KPFK-FM
(90.7 on your d ia l) .
* * *
C O M E H O M E YANKEEI End John- son's Policy of Intervention
and Escalation! Speaker: Hayden Perry, socialist lecturer. F ri„
June 4, 8:30 p.m. 1702 East Fourth St. (4th St. exit Santa Anna
Fwy.) Door donation. Ausp. M ilita n t Labor Forum.
•MINNEAPOLIS
C A N A NATIVE BORN CITIZEN BE DEPORTED? Hear de fendant Joseph
Johnson, Twin C ity SWP organizer, just back from national tour.
Fri., June 4, 8:30 p.m. 704 Hennepin Ave., H all 240. Ausp. Friday
N ig h t Socialist Forum.
* * *This w ill be the fina l forum o f the sea
son. W e will resume our regular forums in Sept. Regular classes
on socialism will be held during the summer.
•NEW YORK
THE CURSE O F AM ERIC AN C U LTURE: W H A T IT DOES TO A M
ERICAN CHARACTER. Speaker: ConstanceWeissman, con tribu to r to The
Militant. Fri., June 4, 8:30 p.m. 116 University PI. C ontrib . $1.
Ausp. M ilita n t Labor Forum.
b r ie f “ t r ia l p e rio d ” in w h ich the com pany determ
ines w h e the r o r n o t the em ploye is to be re ta ined on a pe
rm anent basis. T he un ion shop con trac t u s u a lly contains a
checko ff p ro v is io n un de r w h ich dues are au to m a tica
lly deducted b y the em p loyer and fo rw a rde d to un ion
headquarters.
H ow ever, unde r section 1 4 (b ), T a ft-H a rtle y grants the
states the r ig h t to impose fu r th e r curbs on the un io n
shop. W h ile a fe w state “ r ig h t-to -w o rk ” law s had been
enacted p r io r to 1947, the adoption o f T a ft-H a rtle y led to
a ra p id ex tension o f such state law s. U nder “ r ig h t- to -w
o rk ” statutes, the un ion shop is banned. Even w h ere a un ion
has w on a N a tion a l La bo r Re lations Board representative e
lection and barga ins fo r a l l the employes in the b a rga in ing
u n it, o n ly those em ployes are ob ligated to jo in o r re ta in
m em bersh ip in the un ion w ho do so on a vo lu n ta ry
basis.
Source of VictoryState “ r ig h t- to -w o rk " law s cut
across in d u s try -w id e contracts betw een the la rge
corpora tions and the b igger un ions, and created sources o f fr
ic t io n w h ic h tended to unse ttle na tio n a l union-m an-
agement re la tions. T h a t is w h y b ig business, as a genera l
ru le , has not been too open ly id e n tifie d w ith the N a tion
a l R ig h t to W o rk Com m ittee w h ic h has spearheaded the m
ovem ent. *.
T o get around the problem , m any o f the la rg e r corpora
tions had entered in to “ agency shop” agreements to c ircu m ve n
t “ r ig h t- to -w o rk ” res tr ic tio ns on the un ion shop. U
nde r the agency shop agreem ent, em ployes are n o t obliga ted to
jo in the un ion b u t th e ir dues are “ checked o f f ” and fo r
w arded to the un ion.
T h is m o llif ie d the top la b o r brass b u t in a Suprem e
C ourt r u lin g handed dow n in the sp ring o f 1963 i t was
decided th a t states w ith “ r ig h t-to -w o rk ” law s had the a
u th o r ity to ban agency shop clauses in co llec tive ba rga in
ing agreements. T h is th rea t to the dues incom e o f un ions
opera ting under agency shop clauses in “ righ t-to - w o rk ”
states, a la rm ed the la bo r leaders and led to increased
pressure fo r repeal o f section 14 (b ) o f T a ft-H a rtle y
.
Repeal was g iven top p r io r ity by the un ion heads on the
lis t of le g is la tive demands fo r the present session o f
Congress. H ow ever, in deference to Johnson’s expressed w ish to
postpone “ con tro ve rs ia l” issues, i t was agreed to de lay the
in tro d u c tio n o f the a d m in is tra tio n ’s la bo r
proposals to Congress. They w ere subm itted on M ay 18 in a
message w h ich played the “ recom m enda tion” fo r repea l o f
section 14 (b ) in lo w key. The “ r ig h t- to - w o rk ” cham
pions d id no t seem to be u n d u ly alarm ed.
The M ay 15 issue o f Business W eek quotes cha irm an F rede
rick C. F o w le r o f the N a tion a l R igh t to W o rk C om m
ittee w ho a ffirm s th a t “ we do no t expect the p res ident to
take an active p a r t” in the repea l f ig h t. To bo ls te r his
conten tion , F ow le r asserts th a t Johnson has been “ on record
d e fin ite ly in fa v o r o f r ig h t-to -w o rk in years gone b
y .”
Johnson’s RecordH e then cites the reco rd w h ich
shows th a t Johnson “ backed the 1947 T a ft-H a rtle y la w
con ta in ing 14 (b ), voted to ove rride P resident T ru m a n ’s
veto, voted in 1950 fo r the eq u iva len t o f an anti-un ion-
shop clause in the R a ilw a y L a b o r A c t, and in 1960 ran on
the Texas D em ocra tic p la tfo rm th a t ‘had strong pra ise fo r
re ten tion o f the rig h t-to -w o rk la w ’ in th a t state.”
I f Johnson was lu k e w a rm in his “ recom m endation” fo r
repea l o f 1 4 (b ), he was stone cold to la b o r ’s proposal to
boost the present lo w $1.25 h o u r ly m in im u m wage to $2.00,
and d o w n rig h t f r ig id to the un ion dem and fo r a reduc
tion in the w o rkw e e k fro m 40 to 35 hours. T h is doughty cham
pion o f s the
“ w a r against p o v e rty ” thus bestowed the kiss o f death
on the o n ly tw o m ea n ing fu l item s in his “ la b o r
message” w h ic h held any prom ise o f com ba tting unem p loym en
t and ra is ing the standard o f l iv in g o f the un de rp riv ile
g e d poor.
F u rthe rm o re , as the M ay 22, Business W eek po in ts out:
“ Because o f the p res iden t’s long dela y in advancing his la b
o r p ro gram , i t appeared u n lik e ly th a t wage-hour la w am
endm ents o r the unem p loym ent com pensation proposals w o u ld
get v e ry fa r by ad jo u rn m e n t —• p a r t ic u la r ly in v
ie w o f the opposition they were ce rta in to arouse.”
W h ile the “ r ig h t-to -w o rk ” forces are m o b iliz in g
fo r a b itte r campa ign to ho ld the lin e against re peal o f
section 1 4 (b ), the labo r statesmen are re ly in g p r im a r
ily on th e ir “ fr ie n d s ” in the Johnson a d m in is tra tio n
to w in the f ig h t fo r repeal. B y th e ir co llus ion w ith th
e W h ite House in shu n tin g aside the strugg le fo r a h igh e r
m in im u m wage and sho rte r hours, the la b o r brass has fo rfe
ite d the support o f la rge sections o f the w o rk in g class,
organized and unorganized, w ho are la rg e ly in d if fe re n t to
w h a t they v ie w as a c o n flic t in v o lv in g p r im a r ily
the n a rro w in terests o f the un ion bureaucracy.
miiiiiiHiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiimimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiUHimiiiim
Tha Hottest Record in Americe
MALCOLM X
‘Message to the Grass Roots’
This album, “ Message to the Grass Roots," contains Malcolm X's
last important speech as a Black Muslim. It was delivered in
November, 1963, to a large audience of black militants who had
gathered in Detroit from all over the country to discuss the future
of the freedom struggle. The only disc of M alcolm X now on sale,
it is considered by many to be a classic — the' greatest speech of
a great speaker. Order nowl
Afro-American Broadcasting Co.
Suite 503 - Tobin Bldg.1308 Broadway, Detroit 26, Mich.
12" LP
Please send me ............. records at $4.98
each. Enclosed find M .O __
Name ....................... ................ .
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C ity .......................... S ta te__
.
Fund ScoreboardCity Quota Paid PercentBoston $ 900 $ 900
100Chicago 1,800 1,800 100D etro it 1,400 1,400 100O a k la n d /B
e rke le y 900 650 72D enver 300 204 68T w in C ities 1,400 900 64A
lle n to w n 200 125 63C leveland 800 490 61N ew Y o rk 5,800 3,330
57M ilw a u ke e 400 179 45St. Lou is 200 87 44N e w a rk 200 85
43Los Angeles 4,000 1,419 37San D iego 250 88 31P h ila de lph ia
300 87 29San Francisco 900 220 24Seattle 500 50 10G enera l 250 319
127
T ota ls th ro u g h M ay 24 $20,300 $12,130 60
MILITANT FUND i i iu m iii i iu iim iu i i i i i i i i i iH m ii
i i t i im ii i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i iw i in m ii i i i
i i i i i i i t i i i i i i i i i ig
We’re Not Alarmed, But. . .B y B a rry S heppard
M ilita n t Fund Director
-
Monday, May 31, 1965 THE M IL ITA N T Page Three
2 Critics of Black Nationalism
Did White Press Make Malcolm X?
-T H E G U E R R IL L A M O V E M E N TIN G U A T E M A L A , b
y A d o lfoG illy . M o n th ly R eview , M ay,1965, pp. 9-40, 50
cents.
A d o lfo G il ly has done i t again. In th is a rtic le , w h
ich can be best understood i f one is acquainted w ith h is book,
Ins ide the Cuban R evo lu tion , he gives tes tim ony to the im p
ac t the Cuban R evo lu tion has had on the consciousness o f the m
ost advanced elem ents o f the a n ti- im p e ria lis t strugg le .
G il ly spent several weeks w ith the guerr i l la s in G uatem ala
in Jan ua ry and F e b ru a ry th is year.
The G uatem alan people suffe red a severe setback in 1954 w hen
the m ild ly re fo rm is t governm ent o f Jacobo A rbenz, ha v in
g refused to g ive the people arm s, was overth ro w n b y a
U.S.-sponsored coup. T he s p ir it o f resistance was re awakened
by the Cuban successes and G uatem ala, th rou gh several years o f
tes ting unde r f ire , has produced an in flu e n t ia l g u e rr
illa f ro n t w ith a f irm base among the peasantry.
As g u e rr il la leader A n to n io M a rco Y on Sosa to ld G
illy , the p u rpose o f the g u e rr il la m ovem ent is o rgan
iza tion o f the peasantry fo r mass s trugg le ; arm ed con fro n
ta t io n o f the g u e rr illa s themselves w ith governm ent sold
iers is secondary.
The peasants welcom e the guerr illa s , say ing “ One o f these
days I m ight, p ic k U® m y gun and jo in you in th e m ou n ta
ins .”
T hey b i t te r ly p o in t ou t the lessons the y learned fro
m the A r benz reg im e ’s experience: “ Thel» r td -o v e r
-there;’Wa -peasant to ld G illy , po in ting , “ was d is tr ib u
te d . Then came the ‘lib e ra tio n ’ [th e rea c tion a ry coup]
and i t was taken aw ay. The land ove r the re ,” he po in ted in
another d irec tio n , “ th e y d id n ’t d is tr ib u te . I t ’s
the best land, be longing to r ic h people, so they d id n ’t touch
it . ”
In h is discussions w ith the peasants and w ith the g u e rr il
la leaders, G il ly fou nd th a t the “ peacefu l road” had been
abandoned: “ The e lec to ra l pa th is ba rred in G uatem ala no t
o n ly because the bourgeoisie cannot p rov ide dem oc ra tic
elections and con tinue to rem a in in power. I t is also barred
because the w o rke rs and peasants do n o t be lieve in e
lections; they have no illu s ion s . . .”
The p rogram o f the g u e rr illa m ovem ent — “ a governm ent
o f w o rke rs and peasants, based on a people arm ed and organized
in com m ittees, unions, and com munes — meets w ith im m ense re
sponse because i t defends its e lf w ith arm s . . .’ ’
One o f the m ost revea ling parts o f G il ly ’s a rtic le is
an in te rv ie w g iven h im b y Am ado Granados, a g u e rr il la
leader, in w h ich the soc ia lis t pos ition o f the G uatem alan
re vo lu tiona rie s is contrasted w ith the p ro g ra m o f the M
oscow -orien ted C om m unis t P a rty o f G uatem ala:
“ In the re v o lu tio n a ry strugg le the goal de term ines
the means . . . I f the goal is a governm ent of ‘na tion a l dem
ocracy,’ w h ic h no one has as ye t de fined — a fte r a ll, M a
rx ism recognizes o n ly tw o k inds o f states, in the present
epoch, the bourgeois and the w o rke rs state — then the means w i
l l be ta ilo re d to th is goal. Such a governm ent, i t is said,
w o u ld be made up o f a four-class bloc: w orkers, peasants, p e
tty bourgeoisie, and na tio n a l bourgeoisie. T o begin w ith ,
the re is no n a tion a l bo u rgeoisie in G uatem ala ; fu rthe rm
o re , to specify the fo rm a tio n o f th is b loc as one’s goal
means to exc lude a ll m ethods o f re v o lu tio n a ry s trugg le
app rop ria te to the w o rk in g class . . . I t w o u ld lead to
defeat o r to an impasse . . .
“ In a l l a lliances i t is no t subje c tiv e in te rp re ta
tion s th a t dete rm in e each g roup ’s ro le , i t is the
program . I f the p rog ram is bo u rgeois, then the forces o f the
bourgeoisie w i l l exercise leadership, how ever tenuous i t m ay
be. Le n in tau gh t us th is. I f the p ro le ta r ia t is to
assume leadersh ip in any a lliance, i t m ust do so th rou gh its
ow n p rog ram . . .”. The im p ac t o f the Cuban Rev
o lu tio n and the S ino-Soviet dispu te on the ed ito rs o f M
o n th ly R eview is ev iden t in the in tro d u c t io n th e y
have w r it te n to G il ly ’s piece. So fa r as the co lon ia l w
o r ld is concerned, th e ir pos ition is m ovin g closer to th a t
o f re v o lu tio n a ry socialism . T hey are to be cong ra tu la
ted n o t o n ly fo r p r in t in g G il ly ’s a rtic les b u t
also fo r unde rstand ing th e ir im portance.
— Jay Garnett
Labor Herald Recommends Preis’ Book
La b o r’s G ian t Step — 20 years o f the C IO by A r t Preis,
received a v e ry favo rab le re v ie w by Sandy M u n ro in the La
b o r H era ld , a B a ltim o re w eek ly . The long-tim e la b o r
ed ito r o f The M il ita n t , P reis died last Decem ber s h o
rtly a fte r h is book appeared.
The L a b o r H e ra ld re v ie w quotes ex te ns ive ly fro m
the book to in d icate the na tu re o f I ts contents and
characterizes i t as “ d iffe re n t fro m a ll the o the r books
on la bo r pub lished in recent years . . . I t is w r itte n . . .
fro m a p o in t o f v ie w no t seen fo r m ore than a generation
.”
“ The au tho r is pa rtisan ,” the re v ie w says, “ and is p
roud o f the fa c t.”
“ The younger genera tion ,” i t adds, “ w i l l appreciate th
is book fa r m ore tha n th e ir elders, because here is recorded
the th ings w h ich are ha rd to f in d in the sta id books on la b
o r.”
The re v ie w e r found the book va luab le because i t is “ a
fo r th r ig h t n a rra tiv e o f a period o f A m erican h is to
ry . I t has the facts and figu res w h ich students o f labo r h
is to ry w i l l w a n t fo r re fe rence. W h ile i t is pa rtisan
in scope, i t does con ta in m a te ria l no t found in the p lac
id k in d .”
“ W ith tim e ,” the re v ie w concludes, “ La b o r’s G ia n t
Step w i l l become m ore appreciated b y in q u ir in g m
inds.”
The book, w h ich is 538 pages long, m ay be purchased fo r
$7.50 fro m P ioneer Pub lishers, 5 East T h ird St., New Y o rk ,
N. Y . 10003.
A r t Preis
B y R o b ert V erno n[T h is is the second o f tw o a r
tic les discussing the c r it ic is m o f the la te M a lco lm X
b y B aya rd R ustin and Tom K ah n . T h e ir a rt ic le appeared
in the M arch 24 New A m erica , a S oc ia lis t P a rty pe riod
ica l, unde r the t it le o f “ The M a rk o f Oppression,” and in
the S p ring D issent unde r the t i t le o f “ The A m biguous
Legacy o f M a lco lm X .” ]
Attitudes on Non-ViolenceN o n -v io le n t “ lo ve ” and
opposi
tio n to i t is a c ru c ia l and comp lex top ic, and o u r tw
o libe ra ls present the usual lin e th a t “ the on ly a lte rn a
tiv e [ to n o n -v io le n t lo ve ] is pa ss iv ity .” T h is p
ro v in c ia l a rgum ent is a n a rro w v ie w w ith a c iv i l r
ig h ts pro test focus, n a iv e ly im p ly in g th a t outside th
e pro test m ovem ent p e r se the re is no s trug gle w o rth ta
lk in g about. W h ile non-v io lence ph ilosophy and nonv io le n
t G andh is t tactics have been p ro m in e n t in the S outhern in
te g ra tion strugg le , the re is no e v id ence th a t th is
approach has been essentia l (except in the sense tha t, i f m ore
f le x ib le tactics were b ro ug h t in to p lay , the libe ra ls
m ig h t cu t o f f the m oney and the re b y c rip p le the m ovem
en t).
B u t i t has been possible to b u ild a mass pro test m ovem
ent on a nonvio lence basis (o r despite the r ig id lim ita tio n
s o f th a t approach) in the ru ra l South. T h is is no t tru e
fo r b lack ghettos in the N o rth — or even in the South, as B irm
in g ham proved. In the ghetto s itu a tion , the n o n -v io le n
t approach has l i t t le o r no appeal to b lack m i l i tan ts o
r to the b lack masses, and even meets w ith h o s tility and d is
gust.
Should Probe QuestionInstead o f sneering, condem n
ing, and dism issing proponents of n o n -v io le n t • ph
ilosophy as maso- chists, cowards, etc., o r d ism issing
opposition to n o n -v io le n t ph ilo s ophy as loud ta lk by
passive onlookers, etc., i t w o u ld be use fu l to probe the
question w h y n o n -v io le n t ph ilosophy appeals to m any ac
tiv is ts and w h y i t repels m any o ther ac tiv is ts in
disgust. “ M anhood” o r “ cow ard ice” have n o th in g to do w
ith the m atter.
Jay Jenkins, w ho was shot to death b y cops in the H a rlem “ r
io ts ” o f J u ly 1964, a lleged ly fo r h u r lin g b ricks a t
the cops, was a hero w ho d ied w ith h is boots on, fac ing the
enem y. No less a hero was James Chaney, b ru ta lly m angled and m
urdered a t the hands o f fiend ish M ississipp ians the same sum m
er. W hatever d iffe re n t a ttitud es these tw o fa lle n bro
thers m ay have had on non-v io lence , w h ite a llies, in te g ra
tion , Negro leaders, etc., re fle c t d iffe rences in the h is to
ry and na tu re o f the strugg le and the d iffe re n t prob lem s
b lack people face in H a rle m and in ru ra l M ississipp i.
The flo u r is h in g o f non-v io len t ph ilosophy in the
South is encouraged by attem pts to w in the “ lo ve ” o f Southern
w h ites, o r at least neu tra lize th e ir obsessed o ve rt s ick
racism , by the lim ita -
A Correction On Malcolm X
W e deeply reg re t ha v in g p a n te d the w ro ng date o f M
a lco lm X ’s b ir th , w h ich was M ay 19, 1925.
We also reg re t typog raph ica l e rro rs in las t w eek’s a
rtic le , “ P rev io u s ly U npub lished Rem arks by M a lco lm X
.” In tw o places the om ission o f a subhead made the end o f an
answer to one question ru n in to the s ta rt o f an answer to
another question. The subhead, “ The Seduction o f God,” should
have appeared ju s t be fore the 4th lin e fro m the bo ttom of the
second co lum n o f the a rtic le . The subhead, “ The John B ro w
n School,” should have appeared be fore the 25th lin e fro m the bo
ttom o f the fo u rth colum n. E d it o r .
tio n o f goals to c iv i l r ig h ts and in te g ra tio n , and
b y the need to ho ld the “ fr ie n d s h ip ” o f w h ite libe ra
ls . Cautious tactics are o ften d ic ta ted by the re la tio nsh
ip o f forces and the un restra ined b ru tis h v io lence o f S ou
thern racists.
In b ig -c ity ghettos, on the o ther hand, the re can be no
illu s io n about so lv ing prob lem s o f housing, schools, po
lice b ru ta lity , unem p loym ent, p o ve rty , th rou gh reachin
g the hearts o f w h ites . “ L o ve ” goes wasted, the re is
nobody to get n o n -v io le n t w ith . W h ites in b ig c ities
do n o t p a r t ic u la r ly ha te N egroes, n o r are th e y
obsessed a ll day long w ith keeping each and eve ry in d iv id u a
l Negro in his place: “ W e don’t ha te niggers, w e ’d ju s t ra
th e r n o t have them around,” as the la d y to ld the Newsweek o
p in ion po llste rs.
“L et I t Be O ur Blood . .P ic tu re a H a rle m fa th e r try
in g
to w o rk the n o n -v io le n t lo ve b it on a ra t about to
chew up his baby ’s arm . “ I f any b lood m ust be sp illed , dear
L o rd , le t i t be the blood o f m y b lack baby, and no t the b
lood o f ou r roden t b ro th ers.” T h a t approach w i l l get h
im now here w ith the rats, o r w ith the la nd lo rd , the police,
h is boss, o r any o the r p ro b lem re la ted to the society.
Since the n o n -v io le n t approach f i l ls no em otiona l
need, is o u t of tune w ith the fee lings o f ghetto residents,
and is obv ious ly useless in the so lu tion o f ghetto problem s,
i t is no t on ly re jec ted b u t re jected w ith suspicion and
disgust.
B u t re jec tio n o f M a rt in L u th e r K in g ’s p e cu lia
r vers ion o f G andhism is no t in its e lf a program , fo r N o
rth , South, o r anyw here. I t is o n ly a m in o r p re requ is
ite , and a negative one a t tha t, fo r reachin g the mass o f b
lack people and deve lop ing a m ea n ing fu l and liv e program .
Those ghetto m ilita n ts w ho re ly on b la ta n t s u p e rm
ilitancy, shock tactics, and w ild ta lk (o r w i ld acts) are t ry
in g o ther fu t i le ways o f im pressing w h ites, instead o f ge
tting dow n to the serious business o f o rgan iz ing b lack people
and ra is in g the p o lit ic a l consciousness and pow er pote n
tia l o f the ghetto masses.
M a lco lm X , as soon as he b roke free o f the N a tion o f Is
lam , addressed h im se lf to the d if f ic u lt task o f ge tting
an o rgan iza tion o ff the ground, o f deve lop ing a p ro gram fo
r the im m ed ia te strugg le and a long -range p rogram fo r the
lo ng hau l, o f s o lic itin g and s if t in g th rou gh new ideas
and fresh th in k in g , m ak ing contacts w ith a llies abroad. Y
e t R us tin and K ahn, w ho should kno w be tte r and w ho g ive
the im pression o f be ing in fo rm e d on th ings, a t t r ib u te
to M a lco lm X the in fa n tile postu ring , obsession w ith v io
lence and bom bastic m ilita n c y w h ich w ere a lien to h im
.
British In terv iewB u t w h a t else should w e expect?
In an in te rv ie w pub lished in the B r it is h L a b o rite T
ribu ne la s t Dec. 4, th is is the w a y B aya rd R ustin “
analyzes” the psychology o f ghetto dw e lle rs w h o fo u g h t
back against po lice a ttack in the long, ho t sum m er o f
1964:
“ R a the r l ik e a c h ild w h o feels he’s un loved and so
creates a ta n t ru m b y scream ing and y e llin g ; he is saying,
essentia lly , ‘M o the r, fa the r, I am in need o f love, care
and a ffec tion . I ins is t th a t you hear me, I in s is t th a t
you attend to m e.’ ”
Isn ’t th a t a dam n shame! B aya rd R ustin is so obsessed w
ith the need to appeal to the “ conscience” o f w h ite A m erica ,
w a llo w s so deep in m o rb id dependency and ch ild - pa ren t
re la tio nsh ip to the lib e ra l pow e r s tru c tu re and to B
ig D addy in the W h ite House, th a t he canno t he lp p ro je c
tin g h is ow n o u tlook on l i fe onto a strange people whose w
ays and though ts he is in
capable o f com prehend ing o r pene tra ting .
Am ong the o th e r potshots f ire d b y R u s tin and K ahn ,
the re is. ar a ttem p t to equate M a lco lm X tc B ooker T . W
ashington. “ W ash ington was appo inted the Negro lead e r by w h
ite p h ila n th ro p is ts . .- .* ! M a lco lm ’s p u b lic im
age was large* ly the c rea tion o f the w h ite press.’ O u r tw o
lib e ra ls also fee l a com pu ls ion to lash o u t a t M alco lm
X ’s “ conception o f m anhood and d ig n ity ,” w h ich , the y
fin d , "a t least d u r in g h is career w ith the B la ck M uslim
s — was tho ro u g h ly p e tit bourgeois.”
These attacks are fasc inating. O ver and ove r again w e hear
ex perts and au th o ritie s (on us) te ll i t th a t the M u s lim
id ea l o f m anhood — ho ld in g dow n a steady job , w e a rin g
clean, w e ll-p ressed clothes, s tud y ing and learn ing , keeping
aw ay fro m a lcoho l and o the r vices, p ro te c tin g b lack w
om en, etc. — is petty-bourgeois, th a t is, m iddle-class.
A cco rd ing to these experts, if you are a fa m ily man, i f
you s tay sober instead o f ge tting h igh ' on cheap w ine, and b
r in g the paycheck home instead o f ga m b ling it away, you have
gone stone m idd le - class. Is i t possible to express g reater
con tem pt fo r w orking-class people in fe w e r wOrds?
B u t how d id o u r tw o lib e ra ls ■gfet in to th is argum
ent? R ustin and K ah n are petty-bourgeo is ih social ou tlook, pe
tty-bourgeo is in th e ir po litics and ideology, pe tty -bou
rgeois in th e ir live lih o o d , w r ite a rtic les in
petty-bourgeois pu b lica tions to a petty-bourgeois aud ience —
the re is n o th in g about them th a t is no t petty-bourgeois. So
eager are they to get a t M a lco lm X ’s m anhood th a t the y
stum ble in to a degrad ing a ttack on th e ir ow n selves.
Booker T . W ashington., r sThe same applies to the p a ra lle
l
w ith B ooker T . W ashington. B ro th e r Booker T . tro d the
w e lcome m a t a t the W h ite House in h is day, he was b u i l t
up b y the w h ite com m unica tions m edia as a great and
responsib le N egro statesman, and was backed by w h ite greenery.
T h a t m uch can be said o f Negro c iv i l r ig h ts lib e ra ls
today (w ith the im p o rta n t d iffe re nce th a t today’s
responsible leaders do pa rtic ip a te in mass protests fo r c iv i
l r ig h ts ) . Here again, R us tin im p lic i t ly sneers a t his
ow n se lf in h is eagerness to deprecate M a lcolm X .
In contrast, the savage tre a tm ent o f M a lco lm X b y the w
h ite m edia could h a rd ly be ca lled a “ bu ild -u p ” (except
fo r phys ica l m u rd e r) . The o rgan iza tions fou nd ed by M a
lco lm X subsist on n ic k els and dim es fro m the ghetto poor, no
t on subsidies fro m opu len t w h ite sugar daddies. A n d B ig D
addy no m ore en te rta ined the no tion o f in v it in g M a lco
lm X to see the in te r io r fu rn ish in g s o f the W h ite House
than he w o u ld have tho ugh t o f in v it in g F id e l
Castro.
No f in e r com p lim en t could be pa id to M a lco lm X .
Now Available1964 BOUND VOLUME
T H E M f U T A N T
$8.50
send check or money order to
The Militant 116 University Place
New York, N . Y. 10003
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Page Four THE M IL ITA N T Monday, May 31, 1965
A MILITANT INTERVIEW
Fighter for Dominican Freedom
The fo llo w in g is a le tte r a m em be r o f the Chicago A
rea W omen fo r Peace received fro m a fr ie n d ’s son w h o is
sta tioned in V ie tnam . The bo y ’s fa th e r sends h im the W om
en fo r Peace b u lle tin . The le tte r has been m im eographed
and d is tr ib u te d by the Chicago w om en’s peace group.
* * *
A p r i l 4, 1965Dear -------
I don’t kno w i f you rem em ber me b u t I never fo rg o t you.
I ’m 's o ldest boy. I ’m in V ie tnamand eve ry day I p ra y fo r
on ly tw o th in gs — to be out o f th is h e ll and back hom e o r
to be k il le d before I m ig h t have to k i l l someone.
So fa r e v e ry th in g you w ro te in y o u r b u lle t in is
tru e about V ie tnam , b u t w e w a n t you to w r ite abou t a
fe w th ings none o f the papers are w r it in g .
The go ing here is p re tty rough and a ll the d ir ty f ig h t
in g isn ’t on one side. A week ago ou r p latoon leader b ro ug h
t in th ree prisoners. I was p a rt o f the group th a t b ro u g h
t them in . T hey set up a question ing sta tion and someone fro m
In te llig ence was do ing the question ing. T h is was the f ir s
t t im e I saw an y th in g lik e th is and found ' o u t th a t w
e use d ir ty m e th ods too.
T h is guy_ fro m In te llig ence had a ll th ree lin e d up.
One was a w om an. H e s tripped he r dow n to the w a is t and s
tripped the tw o men a ll the w ay. H e had a l i t t le gadget
B y DougN E W Y O R K — F if ty C o lum b ia
U n iv e rs ity students were censured b y the school’s a d m in
is tra tio n fo r th e ir p a rtic ip a tio n in a dem onstrat io n
on the campus M ay 7 against C o lum b ia ’s N a va l Reserve O
ffice rs T ra in in g Corps.
The a d m in is tra tio n described censure as “ m ore severe
than p roba tion and ju s t sho rt o f suspension.” Thp students w
e re w arned th a t “ any subsequent actions of yours w h ich re s
u lt in in fr in g e m ents upon the tra d it io n a l freedom s o
f any m em bers o f the Colu m b ia com m u n ity w i l l sub ject
you to the p o s s ib ility o f im m ed ia te d ism issal.”
N o c u rta ilm e n t o f the students’ academic o r e x tra c u
rr ic u la r act iv it ie s was made, however, and those w h o are
seniors w i l l be graduated as scheduled on June 1.
T w e lve o f the students tes tifie d before a special board o
f the adm in is tra tio n last week about th e ir a c tiv itie s in
the M ay 7 dem onstrat io n . The o ther 38 students subm itte d
statem ents to the adm in is tra t io n saying th a t they were e q
ua lly responsible fo r the demon- tra tio n .
T he 50 students w ere among n e a rly 200 w ho dem onstrated on
M ay 7 and fo rced the a d m in is tra t io n to cancel its annual
NROTC aw ards cerem ony. The dem ons tra tio n was ca lled by the
Independent C om m ittee to End the W ar in V ie tnam .. A t C o
rne ll U n iv e rs ity in Ithaca,
N . Y ., 64 undergraduates were rep rim anded b y the adm in is
tra -
I though t was a w a lk ie -ta lk ie or som ething. He stuck one
end o f th is w ire to the la d y ’s chest and i t was a k in d o f
e lec tric shock because she got a rea l bad bu m . F rom w h a t
she was scream ing m y buddy and I cou ld f ig u re she d id n ’t
kn o w anyth ing .
Then they took th is same w ire and tr ie d i t on the la d y ’s
husband and b ro th e r b u t on th e ir lo w e r parts. I grabbed
the dam n th in g and stuck i t to the backass o f the guy fro m In
te lligence .
E ver since th a t day I ’ve been sick to m y stomach and haven
’t been ou t on p a tro l o r anyth ing . M y Sgt. te lls me I ’m
su ffe rin g fro m ba ttle fa tig ue and m ig h t get sent
home.
No one fro m o u r group w ants to b r in g any suspects in fo r
questioning. W e don’t kno w w h a t to do. Some o f the V ie ts
are good frien ds to us. Some we know p la y bo th sides b u t we
don’t w a n t anybody to rtu re d and k ille d . One o f the guys
fro m another p la toon said he saw th is happen be fore a few tim
es and once the guy was k il le d by it .
A n y h o w te ll y o u r W om en fo r Peace we are w ith them .
W e w ish we could send you a couple o f those e lec trica l
gadgets to use on the powers th a t sent and keep us here. T h is m
ust end soon o r a lo t o f us w i l l go nuts. W e’l l t r y to do
ou r p a rt to t r y to keep dow n the w a r i f you keep up y o u
r p a rt back home to end it .
Jennesstio n fo r p a rtic ip a tin g in a s im ila r an ti-R O
TC dem onstra tion . The decision w i l l be rev iew ed th is week
by the u n iv e rs ity ’s F a cu lty Com m ittee on S tuden t
Conduct.
The C o rne ll pro test was organized by the A d Hoc C om m
ittee on V ie tn am and had abou t 100 p a rtic ipants.
Lewis Mumford Blasts American Aggression
Lew is M u m fo rd , pres ident of the A m erican Academ y o f A
rts and Le tte rs , took the occasion of the Academ y’s annual
awards cerem ony in N ew Y o rk M ay 19 to denounce U.S. p o lic y
in V ie tnam as a “ m o ra l outrage.”
“ I w ou ld g la d ly rem a in s ilen t,” he said, “ i f one
could do so and m a in ta in one’s self-respect, and keep fa ith w
ith the generations th a t are s t i l l to come . . . W e have a
special d u ty to speak ou t open ly in pro test on eve ry occasion
when hum an beings are threatened by a rb it ra ry pow er: n o t o
n ly as w ith the oppressed Negroes in A labam a and M ississipp i,
b u t the peoples of both N o rth and South V ie tnam w ho m ust
now c o n fro n t our gove rnm en t’s coldb looded b lackm a il and
ca lcu la ted vio lence . . . A ll ou r governm ent’s unctuous p ro
fessions o f reasonableness, peace fu lness and re s tra in t have
been un de rm ined by the in con tinen t actions i t has taken,” M
u m fo rd asserted.
Why Washington Unleashed ImbertO ne of the m a in reasons
the U .S . p e rm itte d th e forces of D o m in ican Gen. Im b
e rt to a ttack the C onstitu tionalists was a desire to re ta in
the repressive a rm y apparatus th a t held th e D o m in ican peop
le dow n so long. T h is is confirm e d by N ew Y o rk T im es
correspondent M a x F ra n k e l w ho reported fro m W ash in g ton
M a y 21 th a t a p rin c ip a l consideration in unleashing Im b e
rt w as “ the ju d g m en t th a t W ash ington could not a ffo rd
to do an yth in g to d estroy w h a t rem ains o f the D o m in
ican a rm y . . .”
— the s in is te r purposes o f the U n ited States.”
C o n tin u in g his in d ic tm e n t o f U.S. po licy , D r.
Moscoso said: “ W hen he was k ille d , o u r re vo lu tio n — w e
were 33 years f ig h tin g h im — was no t a llow ed to w in . A n
d th a t’s the m a in cause o f the present-day troub les. Instead
o f p e rm ittin g the defenders o f democracy, w h ich w e were,
to take over, the U n ited States m an ipu la ted th ings in such a
w ay th a t the T r u j i l lo forces are s t i l l in pow er there
.”
D iscussing Juan Bosch’s b r ie f period as president, D r.
Moscoso p u t h is f in g e r on the key fac t o f Bosch’s d o w n
fa ll. The U.S., he said, “ re ta ined the o ld a rm y o f T r u j
i l lo and the w ho le setup o f the T r u j i l lo governm ent. W
hen Juan Bosch d id n ’t p ro ve as subserv ien t as T ru ji l lo ,
the U n ited States decided i t w o u ld be be tte r to restore a
ltoge ther the T r u j i l lo regim e.
A t T h e ir M e rcy
“ Juan Bosch,” he continued, “ cou ldn ’t do as F id e l Castro
d id in Cuba. Juan Bosch had to govern w ith the same T r u j i l
lo a rm y supported by the U n ited States. So he was at the m ercy
o f the group th a t o ve rth re w h im la te r on.”
He th in k s the ’ present in te rv e n t ion was ordered
because “ the pow er s tru c tu re is p a n icky about the Cuban re
vo lu tio n ex tend ing to the D om in ican R epub lic . O r ra the
r, o f the D om in ican R epub lic go ing the same w ay as Cuba d
id f iv e years ago.”
B u t he also feels tha t, by th e ir v e ry e ffo rts to p re
ven t a new Cuba in the D om in ican R epublic, the U.S. is conv
inc ing m ore and m ore L a t in A m ericans th a t the Cuban road
is th e ir on ly hope.
“ The actions o f the U n ited States,” he said, “ are conv inc
ing m any people in L a t in A m erica , and the D om in ican R
epublic, o f course, th a t the o n ly w a y the y can get r id o f
the A m erican in te lligence and the Pentagon and a ll those o the
r ca lam ities, is b y do ing w h a t the Cubans d id — p ro c la
im in g a socia list state and becom ing a m em ber o f the b loc
th a t is p ro tected by the socia lis t countries.”
“ The re su lt o f the in te rv e n tio n ,” he added, “ w i l l
be to the c o n tra ry o f the w ishes and purposes o f the U n
ited States. Today the num be r o f people w ho be lieve in the
necess ity o f es tab lish ing a socia lis t reg im e is increasing
.”
He believes the C o n s titu tio n a lis t forces o f Col. Caam
ano Den6 d id the r ig h t th in g in a rm in g the people, a
lthough he doesn’t fee l the y can w in against the U.S. pow er. H
e th in k s some o f the Caamano forces w i l l resort to g u e rr
illa w a rfa re and th a t the re m ay be a p ro longed period o f
g u e rr il la w a rfa re in the coun try .
No Illu s ion s
He has no illu s ion s abou t the im m ed ia te prospects fo r h
is country . “ A governm ent w i l l be appo in ted,” he said, “ w
h ic h w i l l be m an ipu la ted by the O AS and the M arines. I t
w i l l con ta in the rem nants o f the o ld T r u j i l lo forces.
The same forces w h ic h represent the old T r u j i l lo reg im e
w i l l contin u e in pow er.”
B u t he rem ains o p tim is tic about how th in gs w i l l tu
rn ou t in the long run . M ore and m ore people, he says, are le a
rn in g fro m such experiences as the D om in ican in te rven tion
. In d ic a tin g the ex te n t o f such th in k in g , he sm iled
and said:
“ I speak here fre q u e n tly w ith d ip lom ats, w ith
presidents and ex presidents o f L a t in A m erican countries, and
m any o f them w ho d id n ’t have the s ligh test in te res t in
ideo log ica l questions be fore are be g inn ing to say, ‘W e ll,
w e notice th a t Cuba, by s id ing w ith the soc ia lis t
countries, is the o n ly free governm ent in the W estern H em
isphere.’ ”
A GI's Letter Describes What It's Like in Vietnam
. Dominican Republic Crisis
B y H a r r y R in gN E W Y O R K — The U.S. occupa
tio n o f the D om in ican R epublic fro m 1916 to 1924, and the
T ru ji l lo d ic ta to rsh ip th a t fo llow e d it, forced m any
Dom in icans to leave th e ir coun try . In the U n ited States
alone the re are an estim ated 80,000 D om in ican exiles. Last
week one of the most p ro m ine n t o f the anti- T r u j i l lo ex
iles granted an in te r v ie w to The M ilita n t. He is D r. O
ctav io E lias Moscoso, a m em ber o f one o f the oldest and m ost
d is tingu ished fa m ilie s in the D om in ican Republic.
S eventy-five years o ld and at the present tim e s u ffe rin g
i l l hea lth , D r. Moscoso gave the in te rv ie w because o f his
intense concern about the present U.S. in te r ven tion in the D om
in ican Republic.
Fam ily BackgroundA descendant o f E lias Rodriguez,
the f ir s t C a tho lic bishop o f the D om in ican R epublic,
D r. Moscoso’s fa the r, Juan E lias Moscoso, was a ju s tice o f
the D om in ican Suprem e C ourt, an ambassador to H a it i, and la
te r secre tary o f state.
The fo rtunes o f po litics have caused D r. Moscoso to liv e m
ost o f h is li fe in the U n ite d States. B u t he re ta ins the
cha rm and w a rm courtesy th a t seems to be a L a tin A m erican
cha racteris tic . Even w h ile e m p ha tica lly condem ning U.S.
aggression against h is country , he rem ained soft-spoken and
gracious.
Educated at the U n iv e rs ity o f Santo D om ingo and C o lum
b ia U n ive rs ity , D r. Moscoso w o rked as a jo u rn a lis t
here, se rv ing as ed itor- in -ch ie f o f a Spanish-language ed
it ion o f Vogue and o ther magazines.
Returned HomeW hen the M arines occupied his
cou n try in 1916, he resigned his position and re tu rn ed hom
e to o ffe r h is services to the D om in ican president, D r. F
rancisco E nriquez y Carvagal. H e co llabora ted w ith E nriquez u
n t il the U.S. forces squeezed h im ou t o f the presidency by ta
k in g con tro l o f the c o u n try ’s fin a n c ia l system and w
ith h o ld in g the funds needed to m eet the gove rnm en t pa y ro
ll.
D r. Moscoso then re tu rn e d to the U.S. w here he became
active in the m ovem ent to w in w ith d ra w a l o f the U.S.
forces fro m his coun try . In th is he w o rked closely w ith the
la te Senator Borah, the Idaho R epublican w ho opposed U.S. in te
rv e n tio n abroad. D u rin g
(Continued from Page 1)re fo rm w i l l m eet w ith the u n hes
ita ting opposition o f the U.S. im peria lis ts . T h is lesson
has been b ro u g h t in to sharp focus fo r the masses in the D om
in ican R epublic and th ro u g h o u t L a t in A m e rica by the
U.S. in te rve n tio n .
T he U.S. so fears the developm ent o f social re v o lu tio n
in L a tin A m erica th a t i t now feels i t canno t to le ra te
fo r a m om ent any genu ine ly po pu la r m ovem ent fo r even the
sing le goal o f dem ocracy, ou t o f fe a r th a t such a m ovem
ent w i l l begin to f ig h t fo r the in te r ests o f the poor
and oppressed. T h is lesson, too, is bound to be d ra w n by the
masses in L a tin A m erica.
Another LessonThere is another lesson o f the
D om in ican re v o lu tio n w h ich the people o f L a tin A m
erica are le a rn ing. The U.S. hoped i t w o u ld be ab le to
break up the u p ris in g and take con tro l o f the is land in a s
w ift , p o w e rfu l m ove o f occupation . B u t the arm ed
people o f one c ity , Santo Dom ingo, w ere enough to ho ld the
U.S. a t bay fo r over a m onth now. T h e ir de te rm ina tion to
f ig h t, th e ir s p ir it and w i l l to res is t made th e ir m
il i ta ry defeat possible o n ly th rou gh a b loodbath. T h is
forced the U.S. in to a
pro longed occupation w h ile i t has tr ie d to d isa rm the
revo lu tiona rie s th rou gh deals w ith the v a c illa tin g
Caamano leadersh ip and th rou gh support to the “ m opping u p ”
operations o f - th a t U.S. c reature, the Im b e rt ju n ta .
I f the arm ed w o rke rs o f a s ingle c ity cou ld m ake the s
itua tion so d i f f ic u lt fo r the U.S. im p e r ia lists, th in
k o f the troub les they w o u ld have i f the re v o lu tio n a ry
leadership ra llie d the support o f the peasants in the coun trys
ide th rou gh a p rogram o f land re fo rm , and arm ed the
peasant, too! T h in k o f the d iff ic u lt ie s "the U.S. w i l l
have in the fu tu re as i t a ttem pts to occupy and suppress re v
o lu tions w h ich are bound to break ou t in the w ho le L a tin A
m erican con tinent.
W hatever the outcom e o f the D om in ican re vo lu tio n a t
th is stage, the strugg le w h ich was p u t up by the w o rke rs o
f Santo D om ingo has m ore c le a rly exposed the true na tu re o
f U.S. im p e ria lism to the masses o f the D om in ican R epublic
and o f L a t in A m erica . T h e ir e x am ple and f ig h tin g s
p ir it have shown w h a t a people f ig h t in g fo r themselves
can do. These tw o lessons are bound to ra ise the leve l o f the s
trugg le th rou gh ou t the w ho le o f L a t in A m erica .
th is same pe riod the D om in ican un ions nom inated D r.
Moscoso to represent them a t the In te rn a tio n a l L a b o r O
rgan iza tion w h ich was then an agency o f the League o f
Nations.
B e fo re the U.S. w ith d re w its forces fro m the D om in
ican R epublic , i t m ade sure i t had a puppet ready to ru le in
its beha lf. T ha t puppet was T ru ji l lo .
“ I opposed T r u j i l lo fro m the outset,” D r. Moscoso said,
“ even though his crim es were no t ye t fu l ly kn o w n to us. I
opposed h im because he had served the A m e r ican
occupation.”
T r u j i l lo was appa ren tly w e ll aw are o f D r. Moscoso’s
a ttitu d e tow a rd h im . D u rin g h is f irs t weeks in o ffice
he tr ie d h im in h is absence and sentenced h im to 30 years in
prison . D r. Moscoso learned abou t th is as he was about to
address an a n t i-T ru ji l lo r a l ly in N ew Y o rk . He to ld
the ra l ly : “ L a te r on, w hen m y ch ild re n ask me, ‘A n d w
h a t w ere you do ing d u r in g the te rr ib le reg im e o f T ru
j i l lo ? ’ I sha ll be able to te ll them w ith p ride , ‘ I was
condemned to 30 years.’ ”
U.S. G uiltyThe g u ilt fo r T ru ji l lo , D r. Mos
coso emphasizes, lies w ith the U n ite d States. “ T hey
created T ru j i l lo , ” he said. “ They appointed h im C om m
ander o f the N a tiona l G ua rd w h ic h was created by the U n
ited States before they le ft there. A n d T r u j i l lo served
them w e ll. To the end he served the purposes o f the State D
epartm ent
Columbia University Censures50 A n ti-W ar D em onstra to rs
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Monday, May 31, 1965 THE M IL ITA N T Page Five
O A A U Harlem Rally Marks 'Malcolm X Memorial Day'
THE SOCIAL CRISIS IN BOLIVIA
Tin Miners Wage Heroic FightB y G eorge Saunders
“ The Yankee governm ent w ants to m ake B o liv ia a second D o
m in ican R e pub lic !” T h is was the theme o f broadcasts fro m
the rad io stations o f the B o liv ia n m iners beg in n in g M ay
16. L ik e the D o m in icans, the B o liv ia n w o rke rs are w ag
ing a hero ic arm ed resistance against a fro n ta l assault by a
U.S.- ins tiga ted m il i ta ry ju n ta , th a t of Gen. Rene B
arrien tos. The a im of th is fu ll-sca le m il ita ry d r ive is
to crack the la b o r un ions and snatch aw ay the econom ic gains
th a t w o rke rs have long he ld, thanks to th e ir re vo lu tio n
o f 1952.
The e ru p tio n o f th is con flic t, w h ich has been s im m
ering since the o v e rth ro w o f Paz Estenssoro la s t Novem ber,
comes a t a tim e
Supreme Court Voids U.S. Mail Interference
N E W Y O R K , M ay 24 — The U.S. Suprem e C o u rt today u n
an im ous ly uphe ld the s u it o f D r. C orliss L a m o n t
against the Postm aster JSeneral o f the U n ited States. T he C o
u rt he ld th a t a fed e ra l law , w h ic h requ ires persons
sent “ C om m unis t p o lit ic a l p ropaganda” fro m abroad to m
ake a special request fo r its de live ry , is un con s titu tion a
l. In th is test case o f the Em ergency C iv il L ib e rtie s Com
m ittee, D r. Lam on t, w ho is cha irm an o f the ECLC, was re p
resented by Leonard B. B oud in , the general counsel o f the C om
m ittee .
D r. C la rk Forem an, the d ire c to r o f the C om m ittee
said:
“ The Em ergency C iv il L ib e rtie s Com m ittee is de ligh
ted to have had a p a rt in the de liverance of the A m erican
people fro m an u n con s titu tion a l invasion o f th e ir p r iv
a te a ffa irs by the Postm aster G eneral . . .‘ N ow , p resum
ably , a ll those w ho have been harassed by requests fo r w r itte
n perm ission to d e liv e r m a il addressed to them w i l l get
the m a il reasonably p ro m p tly .”
Nahuel Moreno in DangerThe P eruv ian governm ent is t r y
in g to ex tra d ite a lead ing A rge n tin e re vo lu tio n is
t to P eru fo r a lleged p a rtic ip a tio n in re v o lu tio n a
ry events in Peru in 1962. The case invo lves H ugo Bressano, w e
ll kn o w n in L a t in A m erican rad ica l c irc les under the
pen name “ N ahue l M oreno” and the cen tra l f ig u re in the m
ovem ent fo rm ed around the Buenos A ire s socia list w e ek ly P
alab ra O b re r a.
Peru charges th a t Bressano transported g u e rr illa f ig h te
rs in the Cuzco reg ion in association w ith peasant leader H ugo
Blanco. I t also charges h im w ith in v o lv e m en t in a bank ho
ldup in a L im a suburb in 1962 organized by a P e ru v ia n g u e
rr il la group.
The odd th in g about both charges is th a t the P eruv ian auth
o ritie s have never b ro ug h t the P e ru v ia n defendants to t
r ia l , b u t have k e p t them ro tt in g in ja i l fo r w e ll
ove r tw o years. Because of the p o lit ic a l p o p u la r ity o
f w h a t the P eruv ian defendants stood fo r, the reg im e dares
n o t t r y them p u b lic ly .
Bressano’s defense has argued th a t the P eruv ian b id fo r e
x tra d it io n invo lves p o lit ic a l offenses. The T re a ty o
f M on tevideo ru les ou t e x tra d it io n in p o lit ic a l crim
es. In the f i r s t round o f the case, the lo w e r c o u rt
judge uphe ld the defense con tention. H ow ever, re cen tly the
federa l appeals court, instead o f u p ho ld ing th is p rinc ip
le , reversed the lo w e r court.
The defense has appealed the decision to the A rg e n tin e
Suprem e C ourt. I f the P eruv ian governm en t is a llow ed to
have its way,
no t so favo rab le fo r W ashing ton; the ba ttle could re su
lt in a m a jo r advance o f the B o liv ia n re vo lu tion , and
thus o f the L a tin A m e r ican revo lu tion .
F o r the s p ir it o f Santo Dom ingo is in the a ir th rou gh
ou t the hem isphere. The s tubborn resistance of the D om in ican
people in armed c o n flic t w ith the “ a ll-p o w e rfu l” Yankee
M arines has in sp ired the masses o f L a t in A m erica and b ro
ug h t to a head social con flic ts ju s t un de r the surface in
several countries.
F o r exam ple, in Ecuador a genera l s tr ik e has de fied the
m il ita ry d ic ta to rsh ip . In Colom bia, day a fte r day, tens
o f thousands o f students ba ttled police, and a state o f siege
was declared. In G uatem ala, a state o f siege has been in fo rce
fo r tw o m onths; fea r o f a re v o lu tio n was he ightened by
the gunn ing dow n o f the num ber-tw o m an in the m il ita ry
regim e.
The B o liv ia n cris is was touched o f f by the e x ilin g o f
Juan Lech in Oquendo, secretary general o f .the 30,000-man m iners
un ion, the c o u n try ’s b iggest and m ost im p o rta n t la b o
r organ iza tion . Lech in was ex iled to the b loody d ic ta to
rship o f Paraguay as p a rt o f a d r ive to crack the unions, b u
t also because the unions, and the w o rk ers’ parties based on
them , rep re sent the ra l ly in g center fo r opposition to the
pro -U .S . p o lic y o f B a rrien tos in the D om in ican
crisis.
F o r reasons o f bo th in te rn a l and fo re ign po licy , the
ju n ta feels com pelled a t th is tim e to t r y to w ipe ou t the
independent pow er o f the w orke rs . The arm ed m iners m il it
ia and the m iners un ion have been a pow er in the tin -m ine
distr ic ts ever since the w o rke rs rose up in 1952. A rm s in
hand, they d rove o u t the t in barons and nationa lized the m
ines. The reg im e o f Paz Estenssoro, w h ic h came to pow er on
th e ir backs, ca rried ou t a p a r tia l la n d re fo rm arid
accepted w o rke rs ’ p a rtic ip a tio n in the ru n n in g o f
the mines.
B o liv ia ’s tin , how ever, is its greatest w e a lth and m
akes up 90 per cent o f its exports. U.S. b ig
a dangerous precedent w o u ld be set fo r the e n tire L a t in
A m erican rad ica l m ovem ent. R evo lu tion is ts cou ld be ex
tra d ite d by any m i l i ta ry d ic ta to rsh ip and he ld in d e
fin ite ly w ith o u t t r ia l in obscure prisons, w ith o u t r
ig h ts o r recourse o f any k ind .
Apartheid Fighters 'Guilty'A n aparthe id cou rt in P o rt
E lizabeth, South A fr ic a , fou nd tw o m o r e p o lit ic a l
opposition ists “ g u ilty ” A p r i l 26. Leo L . S ih la li, fo
rm e r p res iden t o f the U n ity M ovem ent o f South A fr ic a
, was sentenced to tw o and a h a lf years. Lou is L . M tshizana,
fo rm e r ch a irm an o f the East London branch o f the Society o
f Y oung A fr ic a (a ff il ia te d to the U n ity M ovem en t) was
sentenced to fo u r and a h a lf years. They were charged under the
notorious “ Suppression o f C om m unism A c t” and accused o f t
ry in g to leave the nation-size prison w h ic h is South A fr ic a
. T h e ir “ c r im e ” was le av in g th e ir home towns, to w h
ich the y had been “ banned,” o r res tric ted .
'Queen and Country' NoIn the 1930’s the re was a w id e
spread a n tiw a r m ovem ent among B r it is h students, as i t
became appa ren t tha t the cap ita lis t ru le rs o f W estern
Europe and the U n it ed States w ere head ing fo r a w o rld w id
e slaughter. The m ovem ent centered around a m otion passed by the
O x fo rd U n iv e rs ity deba ting c lub th a t i t “ w o u ld no
t f ig h t fo r K in g and cou n try .” Today, as the V ie tn am
cris is signals the readiness o f W estern ru le rs to p lunge the
w o r ld in to disaster once m ore, the O x fo rd U n ion has
business in terests have eyed th is w ea lth g reed ily fo r
years. T hrough the po w e rfu l le ve r o f economic “ a id ,”
U.S. in te rests penetrated and bought over the Paz regim e. Paz
undertook a d riv e to m ake the m ines m ore e ffic ie n t and p
ro fita b le in re tu rn fo r U.S. and W est G erm an investm en t
unde r the so- ca lled T r ia n g u la r P lan . T h is d r ive was
the m ain source o f h is u n p o p u la r ity , o f h is reso rt
to repressions, and e ve n tu a lly o f h is ove rth row .
N ow the B a rrien tos c lique has ordered the a rm y to occupy
the m ines. The m iners are res is ting ; th e ir rad io stations
ca ll on the w o rke rs and peasants o f the count r y to smash the
m il i ta r y d ic ta to rship. The key m ines are a t C a tavi and
S ig lo V e in te ; i t was m iners fro m those m ines, w ith T ro
tsky is ts o f the P a rtid o O brero Revolucio- n a rio [P O R ]
in the vanguard, w ho tu rne d back a co lum n o f Paz’s troops at
Sora-Sora las t Novem ber. T h a t sk irm is h m arked the tu rn in
g p o in t in the fa te o f Paz.
In a M ay D ay message o f excep tiona l in te res t as an an
tic ip a tio n o f these events, the POR declared:
“ . . . N o rth A m erican im p e ria lism demands even m ore
drastic measures to refasten its chains o f oppression. I t has
refused $20 m illio n to finance the th ird phase o f the so-called
T r ia n g u la r P lan u n t i l the m ines are ‘p u t in o rd e
r’ . . .
“ T h is ‘o rd e r’ s ign ifies the use o f force and vio lence
against the w o rke rs and m il ita ry occupation o f in d u s tr
ia l centers and w o rke rs areas . . . the suppression o f trade-
un ion libe rtie s , and the open re pression o f re v o lu tio n a
ry M a rx is t p o lit ic a l tendencies. In short, im pe ria lism
demands the app lica tion o f an u ltra -r ig h tis t po licy , o f
fascist pa tte rn , as is be ing applied in B ra z il . . .”
“ W e cannot stop to lam en t the dangers b ro ug h t to us b y
im pe ria lism and the M il i ta r y Jun ta ; i t is necessary to
overcom e these dangers arm s in hand, opening the socia list so lu
tion to the presen t c ris is .”
b ro ug h t the issue up fo r debate again. A m otion n o t to “
f ig h t fo r Queen and c o u n try ” n a rro w ly m issed passing
M ay 21 in a vote o f 493 to 466.
Mussolini Law Still UsedThe courts in ca p ita lis t I ta ly
s t i l l recognize law s passed under the fascist d ic ta to
rsh ip o f M usso lin i. N ine leaders o f a ra ilw a y w o rkers
un ion have been ind ic ted in F lorence, Ita ly , un de r a M usso
lin i la w p ro v id in g ja i l fo r those w ho keep tra in s fro
m ru n n in g on tim e. The un ion called 90-m inute s low dow n s
trikes las t Novem ber.
Japan Unions Oppose W arA n a tion w id e m ovem ent oppos
in g the w a r in V ie tn am is to be launched s h o rtly by the
G eneral C ounc il o f Japan T rade U nions [S oh yo ], The g ian t
federa tion made the decision a t a council m ee ting M ay 12. The
un ion leaders ho ld th a t the U.S. has v io la ted the Geneva A
greem ent and serio u s ly threatens w o rld peace. Sohyo also
stated th a t th d Jap anese governm ent is suppo rting U.S.
aggression in V ie tnam . The federa tion announced e a r lie r tha
t i t w o u ld send a m ission o f so lid a r ity to the w o rke rs
o f N o rth V ie tnam and begin co llec ting m ate r ia l aid, in c
lu d in g m edica l supplies fo r N o rth V ie tnam .Gas in Santo
Domingo?Agence France Presse reported
th a t U.S. forces unloaded a tru c k load o f poison gas in
Santo D om ingo M ay 14. Asked w h e the r the A m erican
occupation forces in tended to use poison gas, G eneral John J. B
ou ker rep lie d he cou ldn ’ t say. — George Saunders
N EW Y O R K — A “ M em oria l C u ltu ra l T r ib u te ” to M a
lco lm X was he ld M ay 19 a t the Rockland Palace in H a rlem . A
b o u t 250 people attended the m eeting sponsored by the O rgan
iza tion o f A fro - A m erican U n ity .
The day o f M ay 19 was chosen fo r the m eeting because i t was
M a lco lm X ’s b ir th d a y . M rs. E lla C o llins , pres ident
o f the O A A U , declared M ay 19 “ M a lco lm X D ay.”
James Shabazz, p res iden t o f the M u s lim M osque Inc.,
opened the m em o ria l p rogram w ith a eu logy o f M a lco lm X
.
M rs. C o llins, the m a in speaker, announced th a t the O A A
U planned to establish “ The M a lco lm X In te rn a tio n a l M e
m o ria l C en te r” in H a rlem . Its purpose w o u ld be to
establish u n ity between A frican s ,
LO S A N G E LE S , M ay 21 — The S oc ia lis t W orkers P a rty
has urged its supporters to vo te fo r Rev. James E dw ard Jones, w
ho is ru n n in g as an independent candidate fo r the Board o f
Education O ffice No. 2 in the M ay 25 e lection. Rev. Jones is
also supported b y the U n ited C iv il R igh ts Com m ittee, an o
rgan iza tion o f Negro, M exican- A m erican , la b o r and c iv i
l lib e rtie s groups.
I f elected, Rev. Jones w i l l be the o n ly Negro on the Board
o f Education. H is opponent, M a ria n M ille r , is a fo rm e r F
B I undercover agent and fa v o rite o f extrem e rig h t-w in g
groups.
W h ile expressing Socia list W o rk ers P a rty suppo rt fo r
Rev. Jones, SWP organ izer T . Edw ards noted inadequacies in h is
p rogram in re la tio n to the need fo r desegregation , decent fa
c ilit ie s a t a l l levels, up g ra d in g o f teachers
regardless
(Continued from Page 1)upon the audience to “ keep up ou r pro
test . . . these are the k in d o f m eetings and dem onstra tions
we need.”
Isaac Deutscher, b iog rapher o f T ro tsky and an avowed M a rx
is t, pu t th ings in th e ir perspective befo re a hushed and ra p
t audience. T he West, he said, was “ s ick w ith the b ra in w ash
ing o f n e a rly tw o decades o f cold w a r.” Deutscher traced
the h is to ry o f the cold w a r and punc tu red w id e ly he ld m
yths o f the W estern powers. He was g iven a pro longed s tand ing
ovation .
S taughton L yn d , professor fro m Y a le and d ire c to r o f
the M iss is ip - p i Freedom Schools la s t sum m er, spoke on the
second day o f the ta lka thon . H e began by reading the “ D ec la
ra tion o f B erke ley, M ay 21,” th a t called fo r the recogn it
io n o f the governm ent o f Colonel F rancisco Caamano Deno as the
“ tru e and o n ly d u ly constitu ted governm ent o f the D om in
ican Rep u b lic .” (A tab le was set up on
Socialist Vote Reported In Denver Elections
D E N VE R — The soc ia lis t cand idates fo r D enve r’s school
board, B arbara T a p lin and H a ro ld W a llace, got between one
and tw o per cent o f the vote in the M ay 18 election. M rs. T a p
lin rece ived 546 votes fo r the tw o-year te rm , and W allace
received 829 votes fo r the s ix-year te rm .
P rop o rtio na te ly , th e ir vote was h igh e r than th a t
gotten in Denver last N ovem ber by the pres iden tia l and
congressional candidates of the S oc ia lis t W orkers P a rty
.
The election was considered a v ic to ry fo r the conservative,
pro- schoo l-adm in is tra tion forces.
Asians and A fro -A m ericans, she said. She exp la ined th a t
i t w o u ld inc lude a lib ra ry , h a ll o f fam e, a school w
here A fr ic a n languages were taught, and res ide n tia l
quarters fo r A fr ic a n s and Asians.
A num ber o f A fr ic a n s p a rtic ipa ted in the m em oria l.
S id i A li , secre tary o f the P an -A frican S tudents
Association, spoke. The G hanaian delegate to the U N spoke on be
ha lf o f P resident K w am e N k ru m a h and the governm en t o f
Ghana.
A m ong the o th e r speakers w ere: B i l l Epton, v ice p res
iden t o f the Progressive L a b o r P a rty ; LeR o i Jones, poet
and p la y w r ig h t; and M ae M a llo ry , o f the H a rle m U n
em p loym ent Center.
A great v a r ie ty o f en te rta ine rs perfo rm ed, a lte rn a
tin g w ith the speakers.
o f co lo r o r ra c ia l o rig in , un ion ization o f the
teachers and free speech on the campuses. T he cand ida te also has
no b in d in g respons ib il i ty to the m any organ izations th a
t p u t h im fo r th as a candidate.
“ Nevertheless,” E dw ards said, “ a vote fo r Jam es E dw ard
Jones is a vo te fo r the p r in c ip le o f rep resenta tion in
governm ent fo r an oppressed m in o r ity . The e lection o f a
Negro to the B oard o f Educat io n w o u ld be a step tow ards ach
iev ing adequate representa tion fo r a l l m in o ritie s a t a l
l leve ls o f governm ent. T h is is necessary as an e lem enta ry
dem ocra tic r ig h t and p a rt o f the s trugg le fo r c iv i l r
ig h ts fo r a l l. ”
Rev. James was s im ila r ly endorsed by I r v in g K irsch , Y
o u n g S ocia lis t A llia n c e rep resen ta tive w ho received
31,115 votes as cand ida te fo r Board o f E ducation O ffice No. 6
in the A p r i l 6 e lection.
the grounds o f the m ee ting w h e re people cou ld sign up to
g ive blood, to be sent to the revo lu tiona rie s in Santo D om
ingo.)
L y n d c ritic ize d Scalap ino fo r his; stand on the V ie tn
am Day. “ I too be lieve in precise in te lle c tu a l d is course.
B u t a n n ih ila tio n in ai B rooks B ro th e rs s u it is s t i
l l m u rder.” He ca lled fo r a m assive c iv i l- •disobedience
cam paign th a t w o u ld force Johnson, M cN am ara and B un dy to
resign. “ W e cannot w a it u n t i l the ne x t p re s id en tia l
election — w e m ust vote w ith o u r fee t.”
Other SpeakersO ther speakers inc luded Jack
Barnes, na tion a l cha irm an o f the Y oung S oc ia lis t A
llia n ce , P au l P otte r, pres ident o f S tudents fo r a D em
ocra tic Society; N orm an Thom as; L e v i L a u b fro m P
rogressive L a b o r; N o rm an M a ile r ; W ill ie B ro w n ; P
au l Jacobs; D r. B e n ja m in Spock; M a rio Savio; John B u rto
n ; James A ronson fro m the N a tion a l G ua rd ia n ; Bob ( M
oses)- P a rris o f SNCC; M ik e M yerson o f the D uBois C lubs; F
e lix Greene; Dave D e llin g e r; and D ic k G regory. Taped
messages fro m B e rtra n d ’ Russell and Ruben Brache, a represen
ta tive o f the D om in ican re v o lu tionaries , w ere
played.
A key pamphlet
In Defense of the Cuban RevolutionA n Answer to the State
Departm ent
and Theodore DraperB y Joseph Hansen
32 pages 250
PIO N E E R PU B LIS H E R S 5 East Th ird St.
New York, N. Y . 10003
World Events
Los Angeles Socialists Urge Support for Negro Candidate
...15,000 Protest on Vietnam
-
Page Six THE M ILITANT Monday, May 31, 1965
FREEDOM FIGHTERS
Spartacus, Leader of Slave RevoltB y G eo rg e L a v a n
M odern m an ’s he ritage contains names fro m anc ien t h is to
ry w h ich have become sym bo lic . Thus Caesar, the nam e borne b
y the ’ em perors o f ancient Rome, was conve rted in to Czar and K
a ise r by the m onarchs o f Russia arid G erm any to stress th e
ir om nipotence; arid o n ly 25 years ago M usso lin i s tru tte d
th e stage o f Fascist I ta ly p ro c la im in g h im se lf a m
odern Caesar.
Jus t as the nam e Caesar sym bolizes ty ra n n ic a l pow er,
another nam e fro m Rom an h is to ry — Spartacus— sym bolizes reb
e llio n . Spartacus was the slave w ho w o u ld no t subm it, w ho
rebe lled and fo u g h t to the death fo r freedom . F o r a l l t
im e he person ifies the slave w ho refuses to be a slave any
longer.
S ig n ific a n tly , the re has been a re v iv a l o f in te
res t in Spartacus in o u r tim es. H is s to ry lends its e lf to
f ic t io n (th re e novels and a m ov ie ) because o f its d ram a
and th e sparseness o f the facts w h ich have come dow n to us. A
lso, the in fo r m a tio n w e have is fro m a biased soprce — the
Rom an slave-ow ning class. I t -is as i f the re w o u ld be no o
th e r sources o f in fo rm a tio n abou t the present freedom
strugg le in th e S outh tha n w h a t the D ix ie - c ra t o ff ic
ia ls and th e ir approved w r ite rs