magazine La Sinistra [The Left] has aroused wide interest in left-wing circles in Italy. With a national circulation of possibly 13,000 copies to begin with, the first issue [October] became an. immediate topic of conversa-— ion.
The table of contents includes:
-- "Verso una nuova unita sindacale?" [Toward Another. Trade Union Unification?] by Antonio Lettieri, a union leader and. member of the Central Committee of the Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity.
-- "Sulla Cina". Con Chinal, an editorial on _ the internal situation in China and the threat of imperialist aggression.
-- "La socialdemocrazia unita: partito di ricambio della borghesia" [The United Social Democracy -- Alternative Party of the Bourgeoisie] by Augusto Illuminati, a former secretary of the Communist Youth in Rome and until. recently a full-scale official of the Communist party, who was: expelled in a very bureaucratic way.
-- "Antonio Gramsci e la rivoluzione in Italia" [Antonio Gramsci. and the Italian Revolution] by Lucio Colletti, the editor of La Sinistra and a former member of the Communist party.
-- Greetings to La Sinistra from Bertrand Russell. together with a toansiata ox of
his appeal to the American conscience and explanation of the purpose of the International War Crimes Tribunal initiated by hin.
-~ "Stalin -e l'aggressione nazista all'Unione Sovietica" [Stalin and the Nazi Aggression Against the Soviet Union], the minutes of a discussion between Soviet historians and representatives of the General Staff of the Soviet Army. (See World Outlook November .11 for an English translation. 1. a
-- "Programmazione e Capitalismo" [Programming and Capitalism], an unsigned article dealing with capitalist efforts to stabilize the economy, particularly in Ttalys and the attitude in left circles towards capitalist programming. .
v<- “La Rivoluzione Timorata" [The Pious Revolution] by Antonio.Moscata. This is an article by a member of the Communist party on a recent congress . held by an organization -of: Catholic: ‘workers. :
-- “Zo sviluppo- scientifico-tecnico ela societa. sovietica" [Soviet ‘Society and Developments: in Science. and Technology] by Massimo Aloisi, a well-known scientist.
There are, in ‘addition, several short items, including one by Iuigi Nono,; “a nember of the Communist party celebrated for his work in music. His article is entitled "Il musicista nella fabbrica" [A Musician in the Factories]. . ‘The views of Ta. Sinistra- were ‘indicated ina prospectus sent out: ‘before the first issue appeared. Among other things, the prospectus declared:
"The escalation of American imperialist aggression against Vietnam; the fact that there has been no spontaneous evolution, in a progressive sense, of the underdeveloped countries, many of which, on the. contrary, have recently.undergone violent and terroristic forms of reaction; the deep crisis which has invested the socialist countries as a whole, the Sino-Soviet conflict being but its more open and consequential expression -- these are ‘all elements inviting drastic reexamination of the: analyses and strategies proposed for the past ten years, with ‘special. reference to the concept of 'peaceful coexistence t:and all its. multiforn: Amplications.'
The prospectus stressed the need for research work dealing with ‘some of the "Dig political theoretical themes, such as the nature and the role of the state, the crisis and Limitations. of parliamentary -institutions, :the dynamics of the class struggle, the “development of -tendencies and iuternsé contradictions in the capitalist system of taday in America and Europe.">. = a . : oy
*. The prospectus stated: the need for a new revolutionary party and concluded as follows: "Not a party of the typical left, consisting of a regroupment. of 48% of .'democratic public opinion,' but a homogeneous elass force, living and fighting, capable. of
constructing a socialist anternative, free from strings leading to foreign states but strongly internationalist. This organized force can and must emerge by combining existing energies, mainly in the various parties of the left, on the basis of a new strategy and a regime of genuine internal democracy. La Sinistra aims to serve as a point of connection and as an intellectual and political spur in that direction."
A one-year subscription is 1,500 lire [US$2.40]. The address is La Sinistra, Casella Postale 6163, Rome, Italy.