DEMAND FREE DISCUSSION
[Nearly one hundred prominent intellectuals belonging to the French Communist party addressed a letter to Waldeck Rochet, general secretary of the party, on the situation within the Union des Etudi-~ ants Cemmunistes (Union of Communist Students). In view of the importance of-their demand for a free discussion of the issues in dispute, we have translated the letter in full below. The text is taken from the February 17 issue of l'Humanité, central organ of the French Communist party. i
Dear Comrade,
The situation within the Union des Etudiants Communistes, the differences that have appeared there, the polemic that has now become public cannot leave any Communist indifferent.
Through our occupation, we come into close contact with the student body; it is our responsibility to transmit to them not only technical knowledge but a general culture; through this, as well as through our participation in the ideological activities of the party, we contribute to the diffusion of Marxism among them and to their theoretical and political education. This means that in problems which concern them we feel involved both as Communists and as intellectuals, bearing special responsibility as ’ Communi at intellectuals.
We are not empowered to intervene inthe debate developing within the Union, and between the Union and official party bodies. |. We make no claim at weighing responsibilities or offering a judgment as to what is at the bottom of the issues in dispute. Our initiative is concerned with something else. We consider it our duty and in the interests of the party to let you know our feelings about an essen= tial point.
It is clear that the crisis which has broken out within the Union goes beyond purely student affairs. In its present form, it certainly concerns conditions pertaining to this organization; but it could not have arisen and developed outside a more general-‘context: the difficulties which the international Communist movement has experienced, the persistent discussions since the Twentieth Congress, the way in which these problems have been made public and presented in various fashions in the various Communist parties. In .this sense, the crisis in the Union appears to us to be the expression, among the students, of the malaise which the French Communist intellectuals as a whole have felt for several years and to which some of us have already called the attention of the party leadership in asking it to take the initiative and open a wide discussion on the problem of relations between the party and the intellectuals: what is the proper role, the specific share of the Communist intel-~ lectuals in the deepening of Marxist theory, what’is their place in
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the necessary work of inquiry, of research, of collective thinking, whether it concerns the various aspects of the ideological battle or the political struggle; what are their duties and their responsibilities with regard to the working class and the party; what does the party have a right to demand from them, what. do they have -a right -to expect from the party so that their participation in the general combat of the working class can be most efficacious and so that, correlatively, the action of the party among the intellectuals, the artists, scientists, cadres, technicians can be conducted under conditions enabling them to be won, in their great majority, to the cause of Comunism.,. If this discussion had been started, by the party and in the party, some of the current difficulties would doubtlessly have been avoided,
The problems that have been posed are real; they concern, certainly, party work among the students and intellectuals in the first place; but they also involve, in analyzing French society, the place of intellectuals and the role. they play, our political perspectives, both immediate and long range, some of the theoretical bases of the present. strategy of the workers movement. No administrative measure. can replace a discusaton, the necessity of which appears to us more urgent than ever. oy. . Po avoid.a confrontation,. to: label ‘the intellectuals as good or bad according to- their, position in the discussion instead of .. according: to--their: devotion tothe cause of Communism, would have grave consequences: not.only among the students where such an attitude would risk bringing about a noticeable decline in our influence and forces, but also among the intellectuals where it would provoke confusion, disorder, bitterness in our ranks, distrust and disillusionment. among our sympathizers, and great joy to our adversaries,
Generally, in our relations with other formations and with the masses, it would make more difficult the united action of our party and its policy of rallying the people against the personal power [de Gaulle] and for genuine democracy, for socialism.
The situation thus appears serious to us. To obviate the — dangers it implies, it seems to us necessary to organize study sessions of Communist intellectuals where the questions we have raised could be discussed,
With fraternal greetings,
[Signatures not listed by 1'Humanité.]
Directeur-Gérant: Pierre FRANK. | l'éditeur).