Comrades, within the last month and a half, developments have moved very rapidly on the National Continuations Committee, with hundreds of Marxist-Leninists joining the Committee either as individuals or members of organizations. This motion is clear testimony to the fact that the time is right for building a Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of the working class in the USNA.
Objectively, the USNA imperialists, faced with a war between the other imperialist nations over the shrinking world markets, realize that if they are to engage in another war, they must impose fascism on the USNA working class. The Vietnam war proved that the working class will in no way fight another imperialist war willingly. So, day by day, we see the fascist offensive advancing, with the first attacks coming against the national minority workers of the USNA. In order that the class can effectively defend itself against the attacks on their democratic rights by the USNA monopoly capitalists, the working class must form a United Front Against Fascism under the leadership of a conscious, proletarian Marxist-Leninist Party. Already we see the spontaneous awakening of the working class struggle, but without the leadership of a class conscious Party.
Subjectively, the motion of the “left” is clear testimony also to the correctness of the Marxist-Leninist line, which a number of organizations and collectives on the Continuations Committee have held for a number of years, that the primary task of revolutionaries is the building of a Marxist-Leninist Communist Party to unite and lead the working class to victory. Under the conditions of developing fascism, the vacillating line of the liberal, bourgeois “left” organizations can no longer hold up. So everywhere the “left” is disintegrating and forming new alliances. There are only two directions that the “left” can go – toward the proletariat and the science of Marxism-Leninism, with the goal of forming a Party of a New Type to lead the working class against the developing fascist offensive; or toward the bourgeoisie through the CPUSA which has one principle goal, the division and disorientation of the working class, delivering the working class up to the slaughter of the fascists. Those moving toward the proletariat and the science of Marxism-Leninism for the most part have been joining the Continuations Committee.
However, as dialecticians, we realize that while the present motion toward the Continuations Committee offers the advantage of forming a Party that really represents the Marxist-Leninists of the USNA, we must also realize that it presents certain disadvantages, the principle one being, the tendency to reduce the quality of Marxism-Leninism with the rapid and extensive increase in quantity. To offset this negative aspect, each local committee must pay particular attention to the study of theory as applied to the main questions facing the proletariat so that once the Party is formed we will not make errors in program and policy. Theoretical study should include not only those issues raised in the resolutions, but also questions of imperialism, the united front, democratic centralism, dialectics, political economy, etc.
The local committees should also pay attention to the question of the nature of the Party and how the Party will be built. A Marxist-Leninist Communist Party is not an organization of lefts but rather is “the highest form of class organization of the Proletariat,’ ”the organized detachment of the working class,” ”the vanguard of the working class,” that unites the science of Marxism-Leninism with the working class struggle, wins the vanguard of the proletariat to the cause of communism, recruits to the party the “best elements of the working class, trains and educates these working class cadre in the laws of motion and revolution and in the discipline of a Bolshevik Party. So once the Party is formed, we will have the responsibility of going deep into the working class with the correct political program and line, imbuing the working class with the ideals of communism, and winning the vanguard of the proletariat to the cause of communism. To accomplish this the Party will have to be where the vanguard is at – in the large factories which are basic to the imperialists. As Lenin points out in his “Letter to a Comrade On Our Organizational Tasks,” “Now about the factory circles. These are particularly important to us: the main strength of the movement lies in the organization of the workers at the large factories, for the large factories (and mills) contain not only the predominant part of the working class, as regards numbers, but even more as regards influence, development and fighting capacity. Every factory must be our fortress.” Our task will be to organize factory nucleii to direct the struggle of the workers in the factories, and street nucleii to support the factory struggles. Only by doing so can we win the most advanced of the vanguard to the Party. To begin this process now as part of the preparation for the Party Congress, we encourage those individuals represented on the Continuations Committee who are not already working in factories to get factory jobs, concentrating on the large basic industries.
As the comrades move into the factories and working class organizations, the Party will come into head on confrontation with the CPUSA, which is everywhere gaining in influence in the working class. In order to be prepared to put forth correctly and consistently the line of Marxism-Leninism as applied to the concrete struggle of the class, thus winning the workers away from the CPUSA, the Party cadre must also know the revisionist line and practice. To being doing this now, we suggest that all members of the Continuations Committee study the revisionist press.
If members of the Continuations Committee implement these political tasks we will not only overcome our shortcomings, but be well on our way to the building of a Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of the working class.
WAGE A DETERMINED FIGHT FOR THE BUILDING OF A MULTI-NATIONAL, MARXIST-LENINIST COMMUNIST PARTY!
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It has come to the attention of the National Continuations Committee that the Newsletter is being used to organize other Marxist-Leninists to join the committee. MARXIST-LENINISTS UNITE! is the weapon to be used in organizing others on to the committee, while the Newsletter should be only for internal communication and polemics among individuals and members of organizations who are represented on the committee. Each Marxist-Leninist in the member organizations on the committee should receive a copy of the Newsletter and study it; but those who have not yet studied and united with the Conference Resolutions should not receive the Newsletter. As we get closer to the Congress, laxity on this question may cause serious security problems, since some of the organizational aspects for the Congress will be dealt with in the Newsletter.
Since most local continuations committees are already studying the draft resolutions, we encourage each committee to set up study groups as the means by which any additional organizations and individuals can study the resolutions along with supplementary theoretical readings, before joining the committee. Such study groups will enable the local committee to know the sincerity of those who express interest in joining the committee, as well as their understanding of political line and theory.
In order that there is sufficient time for all comrades to study the Congress documents before the Congress, any organization or individual that intends to submit a draft party program and explanation, as well as all support statements on particular questions such as the national question, women, youth, trade unions, etc. should send them in to the National Continuations Committee by July 15 so that they can be printed and out to all the local committees a month before the Congress.
Each local committee should assume responsibility for raising money to defray expenses for the Congress. Expenses include costs of printing and mailing documents, meeting places, transportation (emphasis should be placed on covering costs for travel of workers who have a hard time just meeting daily family expenses let alone expenses to a Congress.), housing, food, etc. A goal should be set by each committee, stating the amount each committee will raise – this should be based on the number of Marxist-Leninists the local committee represents and on the potential for raising money through political and social event and from people who may well be friends of the Party.
The chairman of each local committee should submit regular political reports to the National Continuations Committee so we have some idea of the motion at the local level. This is vital to plan work correctly.
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The organizational effort for the Congress is steadily and continually growing. At this time the National Continuations Committee proudly announces the formation of a local continuations committee in Chicago. As part of the effort to build the Congress, the Chicago Continuations Committee submits its study program which is the most important factor in uniting us in our work. As one can see, the basis of the study is around the resolutions (which is the basis of unity), the constitution, draft program and explanation, the United Front Against Fascism, presentation of international reports at the end of each month along with a study of Imperialism by Lenin.
The following is the study guide for the local Chicago committee:
May 20-24 ” Resolution – “Party of a New Type.” Suggested readings:
“The Party,” FOUNDATIONS OF LENINISM, Stalin.
Chapters 2 and 3, WHAT IS TO BE DONE?, Lenin.
Build a Class Party. PEOPLE‘S TRIBUNE, Vol. 3 No. 3.
”Letter to a Comrade on Our Organizational Tasks,” Lenin.
May 27-31 – Resolution – Trade Unions, Suggested readings:
Chapter 3, WHAT IS TO BE DONE?, Lenin.
“On Strikes,” ON TRADE UNIONS, Lenin.
“On British Unions,” by Engels,
Section on Trade Unions, LEFT WING COMMUNISM, Lenin.
June 3-7– Theoretical study of the National question
THESES ON THE NATIONAL AND COLONIAL QUESTION, Lenin and Stalin.
“National Question,” FOUNDATIONS OF LENINISM, Stalin.
Passages from the Calcutta edition, the NATIONAL AND COLONIAL QUESTION.
June 10-14– Resolutions – “Negro Resolution,” and “Racism.”
Comintern documents
Negro National Colonial Question, Communist League.
June 17-21 – Resolution – Puerto Rico.
June 24-28 – Resolution – Philippines.
July 1-5 – question of Regional Autonomy.
“Regional Autonomy,” PEOPLE’S TRIBUNE, Vol. 5, No. 2.
July 8-12 – Southwest and Native American Resolutions.
July 15-19 – Youth Resolution.
ON YOUTH, Lenin.
RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND YOUTH, Hoxja.
July 22-26 – Women Question Resolution.
Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin on The Women Question.
Woman Question, Lenin to Clara Zetkin.
Rights of Women and Youth, Hoxja.
July 29-Aug. 2 – Draft Programs, Explanation, Constitution.
Aug 5-9 – Fascism
UNITED FRONT AGAINST FASCISM, Dimitrov.
FASCISM AND SOCIAL REVOLUTION, Dutt.
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Comrades,
The Detroit local Continuations Committee sends comradely greetings to all those who are participating in the process of applying Marxism-Leninism to the objective process within the USNA, i.e., the struggle to have a congress and the building of a Marxist-Leninist Multinational Communist Party of the USNA.
The Detroit Committee has been in the process of this struggle since it was reconstituted in September, 1973, and has implemented the Four Points of Unity for the basis of the Committees’ growth and development. The following is a brief description of the struggles and development of the committee over the past seven months.
Recently, a split developed in the Detroit Local Continuations Committee over the Resolution from the May Conference being the Fourth Point of Unity for the building of the Congress and the Party. The struggle was long, and errors were made by the Local and National Continuations Committees; these errors being the basis for the struggle and the split. These errors have been recognized by the Local and National committees through a self-criticism and a rectification of our style of work.
In September 1973, the Committee consisted of C.L. cadre and Capital Collective cadre. The organizing work of the Committee began, and soon one collective and five individuals were recruited on the Committee. The Committee studied What is to be Done? as its theoretical preparation for the Congress. Polemics ensued around What is to be Done?, always around the basis of unity-struggle-unity. This unity was dissolved when the questions of organizing for the Congress around the resolutions was discussed in the Committee. The two lines that emerged in the Committee were 1) (Opposition) “We consider the interrelation, between the organizations and groups that held the Conference last May to be connected with us by the Three General Principles. Therefore, we hold independence at this time on all practical and theoretical works, organizational as well as individual. We are, not bound to the Resolutions that were developed out of the Conference, except to study them, add, subtract, “endorse, or criticize them.” (Principal notions for Minimal Unity – Opposition paper); 2) Capital Collective and C.L. line, “These draft resolutions that were published in the newspaper Marxist-Leninist Unite! are historical documents, which are being presented to stimulate discussion, for Party Program at the upcoming Congress.” (C.L. Criticism of the above paper “Principal Motions for Minimal Unity”.) At this point it should be noted, 1) neither group viewed the Resolutions as a Fourth Point of unity to be on the Committee; 2) there were two different views as to the practical implementation of Marxist-Leninist Unite!
The Oppositions’ views of how the Committee should use Marxist-Leninist United was “We regard the Resolutions as historical documents, that should be studied and passed out to persons or organizations who join the Committee.” (What do we have – “Democracy or Centralism”?) The view of the C.L. and the Capital Collective was that the Resolutions should go out to all honest, revolutionaries and Marxist-Leninists. When the two lines finally emerged and were clear, the Opposition took the position that all further organizing work should stop until the Committee could get clarity and unity around the Resolutions. The Committee adopted this motion, but was in error in doing so.
Soon after the first “Newsletter” was published with the Resolutions being a Fourth Point of Unity, the Opposition requested a meeting with the National Committee in which it criticized the National Continuations Committee, for its style of work and for publishing the Resolutions as a Fourth Point of Unity. The National Committee accepted the criticism of it being inconsistent and referred those who were criticizing back to the “Newsletter”. On the point of the Resolutions, the National Continuations Committee made an incorrect analysis of the Resolutions and the role of the Committee, and put out the line that the Committee operated under a broad democratic form, and that the Committee would have to decide in what way the Resolutions should be used. This lead the Local Committee to take a vote on the Resolutions being a Fourth Point of Unity, with the Opposition being a numerical majority on the Committee.
After a few meetings, the next “Newsletter” appeared, which clarified the point on the Resolutions. Another meeting was requested by the Opposition with the National, in which the Resolutions were again voted down. At this point, the National Committee declared the Detroit Local Committee to be in opposition to the National, and that the Local Committee was creating a faction within the Continuations Committees.
The Capital Collective and the C.L. continuously upheld the position that the Resolutions are the practical application of Marxism-Leninism in the USNA, i.e., of the Three Points of Unity. The Resolutions were that step taken in the application of Marxism-Leninism in the USNA, that dictates to all revolutionaries, “...That when a certain process has already progressed and changed from one stage of development to another, they, (revolutionaries) must also be good at making themselves and their fellow revolutionaries progress and change in their subjective knowledge along with it, i.e., they must ensure that the proposed new revolutionary tasks and new working programmes correspond to the new changes in the situation.” (Mao Tsetung, Selected Readings, p. 79). The Committee criticizes itself for not being successfully aiding in the further development of those who were purged. The Committee also recognizes that “It often happens, however, that thinking lags behind reality; this is because man’s cognition is limited by numerous social conditions. We are opposed to die-hards in the revolutionary ranks whose thinking fails to advance with changing objective circumstances and has manifested itself historically as “Right” Opportunism. These people fail to see that the struggle of opposites has already pushed the objective process forward while their knowledge has stopped at the old stage. This is characteristic of the thinking of all die-hards. Their thinking is divorced from social practice, and they cannot march ahead to guide the chariot of society; they simply trail behind, grumbling that it goes too fast and trying to drag it back or turn it in the opposite direction.” (Ibid. p. 79-80)
Since the time of the “purge”, new organizations have been recruited on the Committee around the Four Points of Unity. The organizations participating on the Committee will be studying the Resolutions, in conjunction with the process of formulating a Party Program, while the Committee proper will hold a Forum on Party Building to draw lines of demarcation on the Building of a Party.
Oppose Diehards!
Comradely,
Detroit Local Continuations Committee