WeRe/use to Support the Government BULLETIN jdigital-archives.ccny.cuny.edu/archival-collections/ccny political... · "WeRe/use to Support the Government 0/ the United States in any

"WeRe/use to Support the Government 0/ the United States in any War it may Undertake"

BULLETIN jFRO M

THE YOUTH COMMITTEE FOR THE OXFORD PLEDGE242 EAST 14TH STREET, NEW YORK CITY

GRAMERCY 9-7530

(~his is the first of R series of bulletinson the vor k r f ~~ll(::) Youth Committee, incor-po r a t Lr.g UM r',l ~1P ': or; t ions for supportersand friends [;,-'.~~5_vein their c ommunLt Le a , )

Bulletin ~o. 1 January 20, 1938

DIV ISI('~l I?: "'Tn !-,Nrr I-':-.': R HOV~il"':;. T

TR~GIC dismerrberment of the peeno forces in the United states, a di-v Ls Lc n of nnti-v'sr movements which ar o t ho only bu Lw ar-k a ga l ns t aroretition of the holocaus: of 1914, has b0c~me constantly moreevident dur t ng the pa s t, f'ew mcrrt hs , Forgetting the na t Lona Ld s t andiP1rerinlist basis of var , those v ho hav o aep;r8.vated this divisioncr dor-s o a ccnf Ld ot of ~~e:ood, democr-et Lc , pea ce vLov Lag " naticnsagainst "bad , fascist, \"'Ar-lovinr," na t Lons in the name of collectivesecurity, der-o cr-n cy and pe a ce , A "[-Ive of ha t e e s pr-e add ng pr-o paz -ndohas been Launc hod ar-nirst t ho "b ad " nn t t-vns , a nd the wheels of "1i':"'Jpious, r-et r Ibu t Iv c v·r ..rfpro sot Llrninr;.

Re ce rit events cn the Ln t or nr- t. t r na L 5 co no , po r t i -:::nlBrly inrhina, hnve been used by the advonEtos of collective security tomake evor more voc~forous de~ands for Rn allianco between tho go-ver~monts of the United StRtdS, Grof't Britttin and Franco againstJapan, ~tRly and GormRny. O~pos~tiQn to wer proparations at homohn s been lost in the: mor-e ab s or o i ng t a s k of "c a Ll.Lng the f'a s e Lst s rbluff". TR~it supfort for tho enor~OlS - this yoar over a billiondollars - ~ilit8ry ap~rcpr~Rti~ns Asked by President Roosevolt isa logical outcome of th~ dR~[CrOUs omoti0Dal RpproRch of the forcosof collective s o cur-Lt y , led ir. :~h~s country by the CcmmunLs t Par-byand i-:s y cu t h s o ct Lo n , the Yo lDr;;OlT'.P1uriist League.

~hOS0 s:~ns of Rn ill ~ind b~rr only too closo R nprHllpl to1914-18 w hcn 10 million 'l0ung ;t10rJ lost their livos to nmHko thew cr Ld s a f'c fer demccrncy'. ,),ho people of the Unitod St at os canur-ge the r:ovornrr.ent to join fo:r;ces '~'ith the "democracio~ It of' Europeir; D holy cr~spdo aGainst fasclsm wlth tho almost ccrt~ln knowledgeof dispst0r. Jr they Gan strike out n~1 ngrinst swollen military8p!~r()rriFtions - tho La s t minut .. tuning-uI: of the war mp chlne -nnd 8gn~nst tho foel-hArdy idealism of colloctive socurity Nho er..rrr.'h0~CS soek to lure the Unitod St8tes into R WRr to "stop tho'T"f;; s C' i s t p ~ .r;)~0 s s 0r s " •

8C'11ectivc security cnnnC't "rodm IJ!h,ricr. R forco for poaco"thrc~gh tho economic strrnp;ulr·tior: of '!'hrt it brands "ngr,rossornn~icnsl'. lonost collectivo security sprkesmcn ~illingly admitthRt oconC'Mic S2Dct~ons rc£inst d~sr;rntn frsnist stptos cannotbe c~f()rc(~ ~ithout tho use af ~il~~"ry snnctirns. And rnilitnrysnnc:' 10m, in flnybr,dy f s Inng 1, r:,o, :nof'n '!",.r - mili ':-rry dictr tors hipnt 11amo, cr'lshing the Most olt)mintf'ry democrfl"cic rights, the labormovomont, ovary individunl nnrl Gro~p which dnros to raise itsvoi e fl~fl.inst "pntriC'ticll !!1urder. ColloctivG socurity invites,nnd is nppnrcntly ~illing to risk, ~isRst0r.

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THE ASU ...LATEST SACRIFICE

MOST recent among the sacrifices on the altar of collective se~curity is the American Stuctont Union, until rer,ently a fortressof the student anti-w8r movement and the backer of the dramaticStudent ~trike Against War. By a mechanical majority at the Na-tional Convention of the ASU (Vassar College, Dec. 27-31) theYoung Communists and their allies succeeded in imposing a pro-gram of collective security, leavened only by a ridiculous andcontradict ory IIcompr orm se II wh i ch pledgErlthe ASU to oppose mlli ...tary operations of the United states Government, should theeconomic sanctions 'which they demanded 'against Japan lead tomilitary sanctions. The Oxford Plodge, incorporated in the ASUprogram since the inception of the organization as the crux ofits anti-war policy. was abandonod. A militant anti-war programof two years' standin~ was emnsculated in three days of impas-sioned condemnation of "fascist f.ffiressors".

MOBILIZATION IS IMPERATIVE 1

~OW, more than ever, the mobilization of individuals and groupspledged to unwaverlng opposition to American war preparationsis imperative. Widespread sentiment among the American peopleagainst the huge military budget of the Government and the a-larming drift toward another world war must be given concreteform. Quarters in the Government seeking to establish the nowidealism of coLl.e ct Lv c security through the use of militaryforce must be given dramatic notification of our abhorance ofwar and our positive rofusal to fight in tho next war, whomeverit is directed against.

In the Youth Committee for the Oxford Pledge, young pac~-fists, socialists and liberals hAve united in an anti-war blocwhich cuts across organizational lines to wage a common campaignfor the Oxford Plodgef agaiDRt collective security and its hand-maiden, American militarism. We propose to launch a vig?rousand' comprehensive fight for peace based on the broad sntl-war po-licies embodied in tho Oxford Pledge. lIWerofuse to support thegovernment of the United St~.tes in any war it may undertake. II

(1) Opposition to collectivG security as inViting war andincreased war preparations.

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Opposition to tho war budget of tho United statesGovernmont; to the R.o.T.e.; to the C.M.T.C.; litO.army control of tho C.C.C.; and to the "M-Day plansof the War Department and the Sheppard-Hill Bill.Transference of war funds to socially useful purposos(e.g. the American Youth Act)~An appeal to workers and young people to refuse, i~ thepresent far--Eastern crisis, to ship war materials toJapan or to support Japanese milit8rism in any way.Refusal to support the government of thu United Statesin a war against JApan, and a plea to Japanese youthto refuse to support the military machine of Jap~n.A demand for the freedom of all colonial p.eoples~Empha sLz ea the internationalism of young pe ople of theUnited States with young people in eve~y country in acommon opposition to world imperialism.

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(6) Re-p.ffirrn.f.tionof' our firm br'li(~ft hrf the bAS1e divl-s ions and cl.islocr.tionsof w orLd e coriomy CAn never beremoved without funnnMent~l fnd fer-ronching readjust-ments so thrt tho peoples of tho ~orld hAve free nccessto rrw mr~orinls fnd Arc Able to cnrry on trade, commerceond pr educ t t on freely, in their own interest.

Cn the student an t L-wnr- front vie rcgr.rd the Youth Committeefor the Cxford Pledge ~s p p~rAllel center to tho American StudentUnion, ~h0re students mpy give expression to their opposition tovnr rn1 ~ilitrr1sm ns onbodied in the Oxford Pledge, carrying outwhn t hn s boo n the trr.cUt5.ot1nlpe a cc pr-ogr-am of tho I.SU n nd coop-erating, wherever possiblo, in the general cnmpus work of theStudent Union. Should tho odo pt Lon of t: collectivo secur1tr rrC'-~nlicy by tho Nntional Convention necessitate the formntion ofs-epnrflte rnt i-wr.r clubs on indiv i(:UtalCPr1PUS es , the Youth Commit tocurges t hrt such groups pa ss r-o soLu t Lor-s of support for, and affili-ntien to, the Youth Committee. ~o recoM~ond, however, thnt indi-viduPls who oppose cclloctivo s0curlty ~nd support the OxfordPledge remnin in the ~mcricnn stunont Union nnd work consistentlyto prevent tho tomplete conversion of the ASU from a force forpo~cc into ~ tpcit supportor of milit~ry agcrossion.

!..CT NOW, VHULE yOU C!.N STILL :.CTYOU, who nro interested in furthorinc this cnmpcign cg~inst'mili-

to.rism and impending \'If'.rcan cooperr.te in the following programof iwmodinte Action:

(1) Build a Commf ttoe of Ten Thousr.nct for the 0xford FLodge ,St~unch suppbrtors of porco must mobilize to stem thetide of this wr.V(lof militcrism thrortaning to sweopthe United Str.tos into tho t1i!,7htmnreof nno t hor- worldwar, Sign a pledge cnrd immodlntely ond secure the

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(2) Stop Militorizrtion of i'~ericn through the organizedpressure of 500,000 potitirners.

Stratogic demnnds to be presented to Prosident Roose-velt nt the time of tho i~ericnn Youth Con~ress Pil-grlmrge to Wnshington, Mnrch 10: (0) drnstic ro-duction of military arrroprintions; (b) immodintcromovol of 011 U.S. nr~ed forces from Chinn, as wellns from nll other foreign torritoy; (0) abnndonmentof the Sheppard-Hill industriAl mobilization bill,nnd (d) the pas sago of n gonuine wrr roferendum a-mo ndmcrrt •

(3) .~r'r:nnizo rntl-wnr clubs nffilirted to the Youth Committeeill every communf.ty ,

~herever such orgAnizctions do not exist tho YouthCommitteo urges thnt they be irnmodintoly formed towork w i t h tho Youth Committee for the Oxford Plodgenationnlly. ~:rherepea co or£;rnizntions nr-o nlrocdyin existonce we ~sk i~divicturls to work within thosegroups for tho rro~rp.~ of tho Youth Committee ond toseek tho pr ssogo of r-csoLu t Lons of support for theYouth Oomn i.t toc in those ·)rr;rnizptions.

~ll concornod with tho fight for pop-ce - tr~dcunions, frntorn~l youth Rroups, Y.W.C.~. clubs, youthporce councils, denominr.tionel org~nizp.tions - nroincluded within the broed intor-orgnnizntionnl scopeof the Youth Committeo. Bogin work in your orgetnl-

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zation on a genuine, nationally coordinatedJ

anti-war programQ(4) Send contributions to assist in financing the

work of the Youth Committee to: 242 East 14thstreet, New York City.

A sizeable portion of our budget of $1800 forthe next quarter has still to be raisedoThe effectiveness of the work of the YouthCommittee depends heavily on this workingbudget. Please cooperate1

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