INTERNATIONAL. ==> = [In World Outlook September 27, we provided a translation of the com ~ plete text of an attack on the Fourth International, World Party of the — Socialist Revolution, published by Izvestia, the Moscow daily newspaper. >. The article, signed by one "S. Ivanovitch,” which is equivalent to "S, Doe," was answered by Pierre Frank, a member of the United Secretariat of the Fourth International, His letter of reply to the editor of Izvestia was published in World Outlook October 4.
[This attack against the Fourth International has now been followed by a fresh one, perhaps more significant, since it appears in Communist, theoretical organ of the Central Committee of the Communist party of the Soviet Union. (The September number, which has. just come off the press,). The editors of Communist evidently intend to provide a line for "theoreti«. cians" throughout the world who favor Moscow as against Peking. An inter~. national campaign against "Trotskyism' has thus been launched.. Poe
[The program of Trotskyism; that is, revolutionary socialism, is very much involved in the. Moscow=-Peking conflict, It therefore deserves to be seriously considered on its own merits. However, neither side is prepared to do this inasmuch as both cling to their heritage of Stalinism, Conse~- . quently it is somewhat dangerous, especially for Khrushchev, to raise the. issue. Trotskyism, seriously considered, can prove to be contagious. — . [Khrushchev apparently believes that "Trotskyism" can be used as a stick to beat the Chinese if proper prophylactic measures are taken-to keep it reduced to a mere epithet instead of a program and. movement representing revolutionary socialism. The precaution is to ridicule the Trotskyist move-~ ment, -Hence the rather absurd combination of discussing Trotskyism in the highest theoretical, organ at Knrushchev'!s disposal yet reducing it to the . "Correspondence with Readers” colum in the form of a reply to an alleged inquiry .about the Fourth International, (Must we believe that Communist really:gets inquiries about the Fourth International from its readers!) -Asa further effort at ridicule, the article is humorously signed "S.Ogourtsov" (S. Cucumber), oe
[checking the names of staff members of Communist, we find a number of vegetables listed but no "Cucumber," For this job a different government bureau, more closely linked to the political police, may have provided the cool touch required. The anonymity of the piece, however, does not destroy its authoritativeness among the theoretical pumpkins for whom the utter-— ances of a cucumber are no laughing matter. We can now expect many a column in the world=wide press of the Khrushchev faction featuring articles in which sliced cucumber is a prominent ingredient.
[We publish below the full text of this precious document. -- Editor.]
% o% . |
AN ASSEMBLAGE OF TRAITORS AND RENEGADES
The editors have received a letter from Comradé A.P,Khartchenko, in- ~ structor of the Baumansky area committee of the CPSU of the city of Moscow © in. whic e writes: “In view of the open letter of the CC of the CPSU to the organizations of the Party, to all the Communists of the Soviet Union, m entioning the so-called frotskyist Fourth International which has decided
to support the splitting policy of the Chinese leaders, I ask you to please clarity we whet this organization represents." We have granted the mequest "or “Comrade artchenko, - The soewcalled Fourth International is a sect of conspirators devoid of any social base whatsoever, an assemblage of rank opportunists of leftisttendency conducting undermining activities in the workers! movement,
The older generation well recalls what adventurist slogans Trotsky and his political friends advanced, what anti-Marxist opinions they preached on the fundamental problems of the socialist ‘revolution and the world workers! movement,
Always inherent in Trotskyism have been adventurist policies ‘alien to. the working class, the absence of principles, duplicity, the traits of anarcho=syndicalism and ultrarevolutionary verbiage. Even before the “October Revolution, Trotsky attempted to introduce into Russia the ideology ‘and politics of centrism, of conducting the revolutionary movement onto a false road, of detaching it from the Communist vanguard, After the October victory, the Trotskyists displayed skepticism concerning the forces of. the workers of the USSR, their capacity to defend the great conquests, of suc ceeding in building’ socialism in’ our country. They grossly distorted the teachings of Lenin on the character of the socialist state, denying the guiding role of the Marxist party. — oe
Trotskyism was ignorant of the Leninist law of the unequal development of capitalism in the epoch of imperialism which determines the different moments in different countries in which the conditions ripen for the vic-~ tory of the socialist revolution, -Camouflaged behind sonorous phraseology, the ideologues of Trotskyism advocated giving a “helping hand" to revolution by exporting it to other countries, denying the necessity of an evaluation of the concrete situation, of the existence of a revolutionary situation, © a
Ve I,Lenin stood against the Trotskyist conception of giving revolution a "helping hand" by means of war, writing "that only madmen or provocateurs" having no connection with Marxism could dream of the birth of revolution by command, by means of "exporting" it.
As is known, Trotskyism suffered a cruel defeat, it was beaten hollow. The carriers of these noxious ideas were driven out of the ranks of the Communist parties everywhere. Everywhere the masses turned away from these contemptible renegades, rejecting their insolent pretention to lead the workers! movement,
After their defeat, the Trotskyists remained quiet for a certain time, crouching deep in their’ burrows, then they secretly began to emerge, to gather together their scattered and defeated cadres.
In 1938 the Trotskyists succeeded in organizing tiny splinter groups, - in constructing on these bases a guiding center which they called in pretentious fashion the Fourth International, The founders declared that they took as their principal aim the struggle against Marxist-Leninist paths, proposing to work for a certain revolutionary renewal, shunting. the detach~ ments of the vanguard down the road of Trotskyism. ‘ -
Life has completely upset the calculations of the Trotskyist renegades.
-62 Gas
. i. my Their hoped for international rallying of forces remained as.it began, an° “organization of dwarfs of the splinter variety, Working in secret among the ‘imassés, having lost contact with living beings. Although the’: ‘Fourth Inter= , national has existed for a quarter of a century, it conducts, as its own ~ leaders recognize, only “laboratory experiments," In the band. of Trotsky=ists, quarrels continually occur, groups hostile to one another exist, one acting under the signboard of the "International Secretariat," another under the "International Committee, " and a third under the "Latin-American Bureau,"
Despite the discords and differences, which mainly involve what methods to use in the struggle against the Marxist-Leninist parties ~=- open or clandestine «- the Trotskyist groupings are united just the same in the work of undermining the Communist movement. All the six so-called congres= ses of the Fourth International were held in secret and were devoted al~ most entirely to elaborating measures aimed at widening the struggle against the Communist parties, At these different gatherings various "man ifestoes," "political declarations" and "communiqués" were adopted contain» . ing slanderous elucubrations directed at the Marxist-Leninist parties and calling for the reinforcement of the struggle against them,
The Trotskyist leaders worked out a certain. Utactic of entryisn," ‘that is of infiltrating their agents into the ranks of the ‘Communist parties and workers organizations led by the Communists. . In their theses on this "tactic," it is stated that no matter how much the- Trotskyists are forced to Live in isolation, they must work along secret paths, work in secret to recruit to their organizations, to estab . lish by illegal methods links with “useful" people, to orient themselves: above all toward opportunist, careerist and unstable elements,
In the struggle against the Marxist-Leninist parties, the Trotskyists enjoy the support of particular circles of the bourgeoisie, of anti-Commun-« ist organizations of all kinds, the right wing of the Social Democracy likewise, and opportunists of all stripes discarded from the ranks of the Com munist movement. In the USA and Uruguay, for example, the Trotskyist underworld closes ranks with the remnants of the defunct revisionist. groupings of Gates and Gomez. In Belgium -- with:the dogmatists led by Grippa. In Brazil -- with the antiparty group of Amasonas-Grabos. In Denmark the Trotskyists have established Links with the partisans of the renegade Lara sen.
[This is the first place in the document in which 8. Cucumber descends the high kevel of Stalinist theory to the mundane world of facts, Not a single one of the figures he lists is a Trotskyist or has any connection with Trotskyism, John Gates, the former editor of the American Dail ie er, for instance, led a grouping in the Communist party which split to Tight after the revelations at the Twentieth Congress, If they are to be. found anywhere in politics today it is in the Democratic party where the American Communist. party has concentrated its efforts since 1936, Grippa, a member of the Central Committee of the Belgian Communist party was recently expelled for supporting the Chinese position, Larsen, for two decades. the leader of the Danish Communist party, was a violently anti-Trotskyist | right winger. Expelled from the Danish Communist -party after the Twentieth Congress, he is now the leader of the Popular Socialist party, -- Editor. ]
In. the so-called programmatic documents of the Trotskyist assemblage,
ay
the undermining objectives are. covered up by all kinds of demagogic slogans and lying declarations which the Trotskyists propagate as revolutionary | ideas defending the interests of the working class. In fact, it is from subjective positions completely impregnated with opportunism, that they -hase their appreciation of the current international situation, ignoring ‘the fundamental changes that have occurred in the world due to the creation of the world socialist system, not believing in the inevitability of the . victory of socialism in world economic competition with capitalism,
The Fourth International occupies adventurist positions in its appre~ ciation of the problems of peace and war, and contrary to the conclusions — drawn at tne Twentieth and Twenty~second congresses of the CPSU and the Moscow conferences of the representatives of Communist and workers parties in 1957 and 1960, the leaders of Trotskyism have advanced a thesis according .to which there can be no unity of action in the struggle against the dariger of war, against imperialism, between the peoples of the socialist states and those of the cpitalist countries, and that is why it is impos~ sible to avoid a world war. cos
Contemporary Trotskyism stands against the policy of peaceful coexistence. between. states having a different social character,. “identifying | this policy with class peace between the workers. and exploiters.
The Trotskyists incite armed uprisings everywhere against imperialism by offering a "helping hand" to revolution in all the capitalist countries. -.. The Trotskyist underworld is bitterly campaigning against the deci= siens: of the Twentieth and Twenty~second congresses of the CPSU and ‘the - Moscow conferences of the representatives of Communist and workers parties on the different forms in which countries pass to socialism, They deny the peaceful road of mass struggle for socialism and consider armed uprising as the sole means of liquidating the rule of the bourgeoisie,
The Trotskyists likewise hold an anti~Marxist and anti-Leninist view - in questions relating to the movement for national liberation. They consider the struggle of oppressed nations as "the foundation of revolutionary storms" in the contemporary world, to which must be subordinated all the aims and actions of the world working class, holding the movement of national liberation as the vanguard and ‘the’ principal force ‘of the world revolution.
The Trotskyist elements try with all their force to denigrate the foreign and domestic policies of the CPSU and the Soviet government. In the materials propagated by them, it is brazenly affirmed that the USSR is trying to reach. an understanding with the imperialist powers and that the measures. taken by the Soviet Union with the aim of safeguarding peace in the world are in contradiction with Marxist-Leninist teachings, The liquidation of the crisis in the region of the Caribbean sea, leading to the reinforcement of the position of. the Cuban Republic has been characterized . by. the Trotskyists as a policy. of "appeasement" toward imperialism, . as a retreat in face of the ruling circles: of the USA, © .. (The Trotskyist splitters seek by all means to discredit the leader~ ships of the Marxist-Leninist parties in the capitalist.countries. They . affirm in slanderous fashion that after the second world war the ‘Communist parties "suspended the class struggle." In the last legislative elections in Italy, the Trotskyists acted in concert with the circles of reactionar~
-e 2B
os ies against the CP, In West Germany, the Trotskyist renegades participa=~ ted actively in provocations against the RDA and.the SED and the German CP, In the countries of Latin America, they undertake efforts to undermine the unity of the popular masses who are struggling against imperialism and. dom= estic reaction, advocating the organization of armed uprisings of the work ers everywhere without taking into account the concrete forces of the situation in this or that country, playing the game of the enemies of the revolutionary forces, .
The Fourth International seeks to utilize for its foul aims the situation created in the world Communist movement by the. splitting policy of the Chinese leadership, As was indicated in the open letter of the CC of the CPSU to the organizations of the Party and to all the Communists of the > Soviet Union, the Trotskyists have not failed to echo the attacks of the . Chinese leaders against the CPSU and the other parties, Again in 1960, the. Fourth International addressed a letter to the CC of the CCP in which it — was flatly stated that it "welcomes the discussion begun by the Chinese leaders" and "takes their side." 7
The Trotskyist renegades immediately caught on the fly the dogmatic theses, the anti~Leninist slogans of the Chinese leaders, making clear :that these theses and slogans conform to their own concepts. Once again in the same letter to the CC of the CCP, they appealed to the Chinese leaders not to. stop midway, but "to develop" the discussion begun by them to obtain the convocation “of a big conference of all the workers organizations" with the participation of the Trotskyists, In the declaration published in July of this.year, the Fourth International once again assured the Chinese leader= ship "of support in their attempt to give. the workers movement a revolum. .tionary orientation" and proposed in flattering fashion to unite their efforts in the struggle against the CPSU and the other Marxist-Leninist parties, ro : oo
After the General Staff had begun to intervene by means of complimentary declarations addressed to the Chinese leaders, the local Trotskyist organizations went into action against the workers! movement of the capital-~ ist countries, The organ of the French Trotskyists, the journal "Le CGom-: muniste," supporting the theses of the Chinese dogmatists, opened a campaign on "the necessity" of a fundamental "rejuvenation" of the strategy and tace tics of the revolutionary movement, The journal of the Brazilian renegades "Glasse Operaria"™ launched sharp attacks against the CPSU and the Brazilian CP. The Trotskyist journal "The Militant" edited in the USA declared that the position of the Chinese leaders corresponded completely to the positions of the Trotskyists,
-{S, Cucumber is a crisp one, A Classe Operaria is published by the Communist party of Brazil which favors the Chinese side in the Peking= Moscow dispute. Le Communiste, edited by Michél Mestre, represents a- minor. pro-Chinese tendency in the French Communist party which is strongly opposed to Trotskyism and the Fourth International, Of the publications cited, — only The Militant expresses Trotskyist views, Like other. genuinely Trot» skyist publications it considers that the positions advocated by the Chinese are, taken as a whole, more progressive than those maintained by Khrushchev; but it has strongly criticized Peking's resistance to de-Stalinization and its failure to correctly estimate the catastrophic possible ~ consequences of a third world war. -- Editor. ]
The central mouthpiece of the Trotskyist renegades -- the magazine
,
m2Qu
Fourth International -- recently published an article by one of the Trote skyist leaders, Maiban, in which it is underlined that the Chinese policy ~ has found approbation among the Trotskyists because it bears "an almost striking resemblance to the criticism which the Fourth International has expressed many times in regard to the Soviet leadership." Characterizing the conceptions of the Chinese leaders as "the most progressive" and "the closest to the Trotskyist conceptions," Maitan exclaims with undisguised joy: "We can only confirm this appreciation at the moment when the Chinese are expressing themselves still more clearly on the important current ques~ tions, . oo
The Trotskyists not only approve the splitting activities of the Chin-~ ese leaders, but establish direct contacts with them, The Trotskyist grouping-in Ceylon, led by E. Samarakkody, for example, has been in touch for a long time with the Chinese journal "Renmin Ribao,." The leader of the Trotskyists E, Modlik co-ordinates his activity with the Chinese representatives in Belgium through the intermediary of the antiparty group expelled from the ranks of the CPB, Grippa. The Italian journal "Il Quotidiano,".. -referring to the Trotskyist "party," announced in mid September that the leaders of the latter had sent an invitation to the Chinese CP to send to their. next “cougress" an official delegation or representatives to be seated as observers. ~ oO -
(Edmund Samarakkody, a well-known member of parliament in Ceylon, was recently welcomed in the Soviet capital, not Peking, which of course makes. him doubly devious, E, Modlik, editor of the Trotskyist German~language publication Die Internationale has, unfortunately, never made the acquaintance of the Belgian Communist party leader Grippa, In Italy, S. Cucumber | is correct in putting quotation marks on the word "party" in referring to | the Trotskyists since they are not yet numerous enough to appear as a party. As for the invitation to the Chinese to send a delegation to Italy, this is ov Ratton Cucumber has reached the stage known as completely pickled, ~~ Editor. 7 :
Such are the facts. [1] Such is the Fourth International. Such are the Trotskyists of today, "worthy partners" of the Chinese leaders, -:
~~ S, Ogourtsov [S, Cucumber]:
GP_OF