The Daily Worker

DISCUSSION OF
Toward Revolutionary Mass Work
THE 14TH PLENUM
Some Errors in a Chicago District Outline

IN an outline of the Chicago District on the struggle against war, we have a few serious errors.

1. The outline states "The Communist Party must clearly understand and be able to clarify to the workers the antagonisms and rivalries existing between the imperialist powers and utilize this for furthering the interests of the working class."

It is by no means sufficient merely to say this. The entire section which deals with the question of war does not speak of the main danger of war today, namely war against the Soviet Union. We must remember that the main contradiction today is the "antagonism between the capitalist and Socialist systems—this growing contrast between the two systems which is the kernel of contemporary international relations effects the further development of the contradictions within the imperialist world, which have become particularly intensified as a result of the crisis." (11th Plenum Resolution of the C. I.)

The special war resolution of the 11th Plenum of the C. I also points out that "the danger of armed conflict between the imperialist powers is growing. But the growing antagonism of interest between the imperialists does not diminish, but on the contrary increases the danger of war of intervention against the U.S.S.R."

The resolution of the 14th plenum of our central committee, in line with the above analysis of the C. I., points out the sharpening of the contradictions and growing war preparations between the leading imperialist powers and "especially between Japan and the United States, who are at present more and more involved in the sharpest conflict for their share in the exploitation and division of China and are concentrating their war forces (navy, air forces, war industry) for an immediate armed struggle in the Pacific." The 14th Plenum does not merely speak of the conflicts between the imperialists. The resolution especially emphasizes that at the same time the feverish efforts of Japan, United States, England and France to come together, arising on the basis of their common hatred of the Soviet Union, their preparations for intervention against the Soviet Union, the movement of the Japanese troops to Northern Manchuria, the feverish activities of the White Guards sharply raise in this situation before the international proletariat, above all, the greatest danger of common intervention of the imperialist powers against the U.S.S.R., the world proletarian fatherland.

It is clear then that while we must see the growing conflicts between the imperialist powers, particularly between Japan and the United States, in connection with the present imperialist war in China, not for a single moment must we forget however the main danger of war, namely that of an attack against the Soviet Union.

The section of the outline which deals with the forms of anti-war activity does not adequately answer the question that imperialist war will not bring back prosperity. We cannot merely answer it in a general manner as it is done in the outline, namely "it (war) is no solution of unemployment which is an outgrowth of the capitalist system and can only be abolished together with the system that breeds unemployment." One of the reasons that merely such a general answer is given is because the outline itself allows the idea to penetrate no doubt many workers will be placed in the war industries.

To state it in such an unqualified manner, objectively, also tends to create the idea that war will essentially liquidate unemployment. What we must particularly point out is that while there may be bread for one, there will be bullets for thousands, and in such a concrete manner, to also raise of course the question of the revolutionary way out of the crisis and war.

The Daily Worker carried a number of Workers Correspondences, showing how in the large munitions plants, rationalization schemes are being introduced which result in mass layoffs, with heavy wage cuts. It is very essential in our concrete exposure of the bourgeois propaganda about war bringing back prosperity, to utilize such concrete cases. The Daily Worker of May 21, carried an article by the Labor Research Association exposing the myth of high employment, high wages and high standard of living during the war days in the United States.

We also refer the comrades to the two articles by comrade Sparks on "Will War Bring Back Prosperity?" which appeared in the Daily Worker of May 14 and 15.

The outline of the Chicago District on the 14th Plenum correctly points out the need of linking up our struggle for immediate demands with the anti-war campaign. Here again our struggle against war is presented a bit one-sided. While it is correct to put a great deal of emphasis on the question of our struggle for immediate demands in relation to our struggle against imperialist war, we must also at the same time emphasize the need of direct struggles against every manifestation of imperialist mobilization for war. One of the reasons for the slowness with which the Party responds to the anti-war campaign and to the defense of the Soviet Union are weaknesses in developing direct struggles against imperialist war mobilization.

The same outline also suffers from the fact that it does not present the struggle against the imperialist war which has already begun in China, as the struggle against the Chinese people (it merely speaks of the defense of the Chinese masses and not the defense of Chinese people) that is an imperialist struggle against an oppressed colonial people.

We urge the comrades to read the articles which appeared in the recent issues of the C.I. magazine, which should be of real help in clarifying our Party members on the war situation. Also the July issue of The Communist, which will be a special war issue.