First Published: People’s Tribune, Vol. 3, No. 23, November 1, 1976.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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The Communist Labor Party has approached the class struggle in the socialist sector of the world from the point of view of our fundamental documents. Specifically this approach calls for unconditional support for revolutions and conditional support for states. This approach has allowed us to comment upon and to give all possible assistance to the Chinese revolution while not imposing upon us the responsibility of criticizing or even commenting upon the internal affairs of their state apparatus.
The recent events in Peking and Shanghai present such a threat, not only to the Chinese revolution, but the entire world revolutionary movement, that all serious parties, including ours, are going to have to take a position on these events.
The arrests of the four Party leaders and the subsequent whipping up of a lynch mob atmosphere in Shanghai and Peking are serious events. The leaders of the counter-revolutionary trend have seized the moment of national grief and confusion to launch an offensive, to broaden a trend into a current.
The Chinese people are being presented with the accomplished fact of the arrests of the top level constitutional leaders of the Party. Now the conspirators who moved with such haste, are faced with the problem of justifying the illegal action. The lynch mob hysteria cannot answer the question. One error is shored up by another. Chiang Chlng, member of the Central Committee, member of the Political Bureau of the CC, internationally known artist and wife of Mao, has been accused of attempting to murder Mao while he was dying. Why should some one in that position of strength attempt to murder a dying man? Is it not true that Mao, until his dying moment, used his gigantic mass influence to protect the very people accused of attempted murder? Is it not true that the death of Mao unleashed the hand that now is not only illegally arresting leading Party personnel, but has shot and shoots soldiers and comrades who resist? The charge of attempting to murder Mao is an old one, and has been used by the right-wing forces in three major instances to cover their Illegal attempts at consolidation of power.
The charge against Wang Hung-wen of conspiring to organize a coup cannot stand examination. As Vice Chairman of the Central Committee, member of the Political Bureau, member of the Standing Committee, Wang had no need to conspire. As Vice Chairman of the Party his position was constitutionally secure.
Chang Chun-chiao, General Secretary of the Presidium of the 10th Party Congress, member of the Central Committee and Political Bureau, and Vice Premier of the nation, had no reason to conspire. His position was constitutionally secure.
The situation is the same with Yao Wen-yuan. Leader of the Shanghai district, member of the Central Committee, member of the Political Bureau and one of the best known personalities in the Party had no need to conspire. Yes there has been conspiracy and there is a coup taking place. The victims are being portrayed as the criminals. The coup taking place today is the only way to silence the arrested leaders and broaden the scope of the rightist offensive.
It is significant that the grouping around Hua, not satisfied with cuddling up to such fascists as Schlesinger (former head of the CIA, Defense Dept. and member of the Atomic Energy Commission), “Comrade” Pinochet and Mobuto, have already indicated that the overthrow of Teng was the result of Chiang’s tampering with Mao’s directives. Even more dangerous are the recent statements from the USSR asking that the hatchet be buried and China come back into the fold.
Our Party has stated before and states again, that one of the worst things that can happen to the world revolutionary movement is the unity of international revisionism. The recent statements from the USSR and China indicate that this motion is underway.
The international policies of the three major states cannot easily be changed, based as they are on the struggle between China and the Soviets. However, it is well to remember that during the Kruschev period USNA policy was based on joint US-USSR hostility to China. During the past years it has been joint Sino-USNA hostility to the USSR. No permanent friends only permanent interests, remains the policy of the USNA imperialists.
The Chinese revolution, one of the most complicated from the beginning, will weather this period. A Party that developed such brilliant Marxism-Leninism during the first period of the Cultural Revolution cannot be turned around. The point is that now is the hour for revolutionaries to come to the international support of the revolution. The Kruschev gang gained invaluable time to consolidate because the international movement bewildered and leaderless, threw-up their hands and cried, “The revolution is lost.” We must not make that error. This period is an aspect of the rhythm of the revolution. The effectiveness of this right-wing offensive is determined by the resistance to it. Chinese socialism is not lost, and the Party is not destroyed. As we have in the past, we must today defend the Chinese revolution with disregard for whatever personalities are for or against it.
Our Party recognizes that our major weakness in dealing with the situation in China is our lack of concreteness–our lack of facts. To as rapidly as possible rectify this situation, we are calling on all the Party members and friends to concentrate on mastering the situation in China and thereby assisting the Party in preparations for the difficult period that lies ahead.