The Presidium of the Central
Committee of the Communist
Party of Czechoslovakia held a
special meeting on April 1 to
assess the events arising in that
country out of the world hockey
tourney.

Following are excerpts from
the statement issued by the
Presidium:

“The Presidium denounced
most resolutely the fact that
vandalism occurred during these
events which grossly violated
public order and Czechoslovak
laws. A particularly serious fact
is that acts of vandalism were
directed against premises used
by Soviet bodies and institu-
tions, that crude and unworthy
insults were directed against
citizens and representatives of
the Soviet Union and that even

ced.
“Such acts seriously damage
the good name, international au-

thority and sovereign interests
of the Czechoslovak state and
are at variance with the social-
ist aims of our Party and peo-
ple,” they said.

“It must be said that these
acts did not occur by chance,
that they took place in an at-
mosphere of artificially evoked
emotions which were stirred up
by part of the mass means of
communication and _ intensive
bourgeois propaganda from
sources abroad, that they were
prompted by direct activities of
anti-socialist forces which have
behaved in a similar manner
several times since August.

“The Central Committee of
the Party has stressed repeated-
ly that if our society is to have
the urgently needed certainty
and prospects to concentrate its
strength on the practical settle-
ment of pressing problems, par-
ticularly in the economic sphere,
then we must primarily:

@ normalize relations with the

Soviet Union and the socialist
countries,

e thwart attempts of the anti-
socialist and right-wing oppor-
tunist forces to evoke conflicts
and disrupt the line of the Party.

@ create a_ political atmo-
sphere of responsibility and dis-
cipline, essential for calm and
creative work, and to work in
unity in the Party, and in the
whole society under the leader-
ship of the Party, on the basis
of consistent adherence to the
principles of democratic central-
ism.”

“These requirements have
found, the statement continues,
full support in the Party and
among the general public, but it
has not been possible to put
them consistently into operation.

“Again and again opposition
forces and tendencies are at
work which are drawing society
into conflicts, and instead of
directing it towards positive
tasks are stirring up national

How Soviet Union assists
national liberation struggles

A key development of our era
is the disintegration of the col-

Political independence is only
first step to genuine inde-

Economic and technical co-
operation between the socialist
and developing countries is in-
creasing from year to year, with
Soviet Union leading the way.
There is nothing philanthropic
about this policy. Both sides
benefit. The stable nature of
such trade helps the economic
growth of the young states and
at the same time meets the in-
terests of the planned economy
of socialist countries.

In its early stages trade often
takes the form of a division of
labor—the exchange of finished
goods for raw materials. But so-
cialist countries regard this as a
temporary condition and are do-
ing everything possible to pro-
mote the industrialization of the
newly-free nations. For example,
70 percent of all Soviet commit-
ments to assist developing coun-
tries are designated for indus-

try.
It is axiomatic that steel is

essential if a country is to deve- -

lop its industrial potential. Im-
perialist powers have always
opposed the establishment of a
steel industry in small countries.
The Soviet Union and other ad-
vanced socialist states follow
a different policy. Witness the
Bhilai and Bokaro steel plants
in India and the steel plant in
Iran, the rolling mill for the Hel-
wan plant in the United Arab
Republic, the new steel plant in
Annabe, Algeria—all built with

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 18, 1969—Page 8

Soviet assistance.

Or take power. When the
United States reneged on its
commitment to help the UAR
build the Aswan Dam, the
U.S.S.R. stepped in and gave
economic and technical assist-
ance in construction of this
“eighth wonder of the world.”
The Soviet Union is also help-
ing to build electric power sta-
tions in India and Nepal.

The Western press complains
about the “Russian oil offen-
sive.” Imperialist oil monopolies
hope to continue their control
over the supply and distribution
of oil in the importing countries
and seek to sabotage prospecting
for oil and gas in these coun-
tries. Soviet specialists have
helped to find in India 10 oil-
fields and have discovered large
reserves of oil in the United
Arab Republic and Syria, and
deposits of natural gas in Afgha-

nistan—thus helping these coun-
tries to free themselves from the
grip of western oil monopolies.

The developing nations also re-
ceive valuable aid from the
Soviet Union and other socialist
countries in building engineer-
ing and machine-tools plants.
Soviet experts pass on their
know-how to workers in these
countries, and many students
from Africa, Asia and Latin
America attend the Patrice
Lumumba Friendship University
in Moscow,

In 1916 Lenin defined the duty
of a socialist Russia toward
backward countries striving for
political and economic independ-
ence in these words: “We will
help them advance to the use of
machinery, to the lightening of
labor, to democracy, to social-
ism.”

Today the Soviet Union is
carrying out this task.

Emergency meet on Vietnam

An Emergency Action Confer-
ence on Vietnam, is being called
for Stockholm on May 16-18,
1969. This Conference, spon-
sored by the International Lia-
son Committee, is a follow up
to the “International Mobiliza-
tion—Vietnam ’69” Consultative
Meeting held in Stockholm in
December 1968.

The call to the conference sets
forth the following objectives:

e@ to broaden the basis for in-
ternational action in favor of
the aspirations of the Vietnam-
ese people, in the first hand to
support the D.R.V. and the NLF
delegations at the Paris confer-
ence,

e@ to impress upon the US.
delegation the necessity to start
direct talks with the NLF dele-
gation for any progress at the
Paris talks.

e to issue a manifesto to end
the war in Vietnam,

@ to appeal to the people of
Saigon to unite for overthrow-
ing the puppet administration
there and forming a government
of peace, able to discuss with
the NLF the restoration of peace

and independence of South Viet-
nam,

e to discuss outlines of an
international program for recon-
struction aid and measures for
closer cooperation between the
Vietnamese people and the outer
world. A delegation from the
Stockholm Conference will, as
soon as possible after the meet-
ing, leave for Hanoi to study
conditions there and discuss de-
tails of a reconstruction program
with the D.R.V. and NLF au-
thorities. Other specific actions
may be decided upon.

Conference organizers claim
top level Vietnamese represen-
tatives will be present. Leader of
the D.R.V. delegation will be
Mr. Xuan Thuy, head of the
D.R.V. Paris delegation and NLF
leader Madame Nguyen Thi Binh.
They are also expecting repre-
sentatives from The Alliance of
National Democratic and Peace
Forces working mainly in the
areas under Saigon administra-
tion and also from Laos and
Combodia.

From Sweden will come Pro-

_ fessor Guunar Myrdal as well as

several members of parliament
and leading trade-unionists.

Czechoslovak Communists assess events

feelings, evoking an atmosphere
of helplessness and defiance.
These forces have not met. with
enough opposition.

“Anti-socialist forces are espe-
cially inciting anti-Sovietism,
with the help of which they
wish to separate the leadership
of the Party and state from the
working people.

“The Presidium of the CPCz
CC declares in all gravity that
every expression of anti-Soviet-
ism is directed against the unity
of the socialist countries, op-
poses the vital interests of our
people and, in fact, merges with
anti-communism, with an anti-
socialist attitude.

“We shall take resolute meas-
ure$ against everything which
disrupts our close relations with
the Soviet Union which we for-
mulated in the Action Program
as the strategic line of our
policy.”

Turning to the question of the
Party, the Presidium said: ‘Again
and again attacks are being
made also on the Marxist con-
cept of the leading role of the
Party and the principle of de-
mocratic centralism in the Party
and the society.

“This weakens the effective
administration of the whole so-
ciety, and instead of consistent-
ly fulfilling the November reso-
lution, fresh political crises are
arising and the dangerous situa-
tion ‘on the brink of catastrophe’
is being prolonged.

“The Communist Party will
consolidate its leading role,
which is historically essential
and which does not rest only in
ideological political leadership,
but in a purposeful re-shaping of
the society in the interest of the
working class and the working
people. This requires consistent,
organizational, personnel and
educational work at all levels of
management of the socialist
state and the other institutions
of the socialist society.”

In particular, the Presidium
stressed, “the need to use all
legal means against any acts of
provocation by reactionary, anti-
socialist and anti-Soviet forces.

The Presidium statement very
critically assessed the political
and moral responsibility of the
activity of the mass means of
communication for the creation
of situations of crisis and the
continued political tension in
the country.

“It notes that the influence of
these means played a great part
in creating moods which in
some places grew into anti-
Soviet hysteria.

“It also notes that certain
magazines, for instance, Listy,
Reporter and Zitrek, are deviat-

ing gravely from the line of the
Party and the Action Program
adopted by the National Front,
It took note of the fact that the
government will take measures
that these and other journals can
function only on condition that
there will be guarantees that
their activity will be completely
in harmony with the socialist
aims of our society.

“The Presidium further re..
solved to call to responsibility
those communist journalists who
are expressing themselves in the
press, on the radio and teleyj.
sion in contradiction to the
Party.”

The Presidium of the Centra]
Committee paid particular atten.
tion to the activity of the Party
press, especially Rude Pravo. It
stated that Rude Pravo is ful
filling its role as the organ of
the Central Committee of the
Party in an unsatisfactory man.
ner. It does not by far always
advocate unambiguous, commu.
nist, principled ‘political atti.
tudes. It insufficiently supports
Party resolutions and does not
combat views alien to socialism,

“Because of serious political
errors, the Presidium has decid.
ed to suspend temporarily pub-
lication of the journal Politika, —

“The action unity of the Party
is considered by the Presidium
to be the main condition of over
all political consolidation and
this it will enforce uncompromis-
ingly.

“The Presidium criticized the
conduct of certain members of
the Central Committee and the
central active who are incorrect.
ly interpreting and in practice
violating the conclusions of the
November resolution. Namely,
comrade Smrkovsky was critic:
ized for some of his speeches
which were at variance with the
November resolution. The Pre
sidium at the same time en
all other Party bodies to dra
conclusions from violations of
the principles of democratic cen-
tralism and disruption of the
uniform procedure of the Party,

“We are appealing primarily
to communists, to all citizens
dedicated to the ideals of social
ism, to recognize the extreme
gravity of the situation and t0
consistently close their ranks in
support of the November resolu:
tion, and to take a_ resolute
stand against all who are j
dizing the future of the post
January policy and the fate of
our country. The directive
our activity remains the Nov
ber resolution and other
tions of the Central Committee.
We shall resolutely see that they
are adhered to. :

—

Endicott

to ‘Peg |
a

Dr. James G. Endicott will be
in Winnipeg for several days—
April 25-28th during which time
he will speak at a Public Meeting,
Sunday, April 27, 2.15 p.m., at
the Balmoral Hotel (Balmoral
and Notre Dame).

Recently returned from a visit
to Cairo and Berlin, Dr. Endi-
cott will speak about the events
in the Middle East and in Eu-
rope which threaten mankind.

- NATO and VIETNAM will be

included in his address as will
the question of Canada extend-
ing diplomatic recognition to the
People’s Republic of China.

The meeting on April 27 at the
Balmoral Hotel is open to
public. His address will be for
lowed by a question and discus
sion period.

On April 26, at 8:30 pm.
the new Sholem Aleichem “i”
tural Institute, 366 Church >}
(at Salter) a Gala Birthday Party
for Dr. Endicott, not only ©
celebrate his 70th but also ©
toast the 20 years of the Wom
Peace Movement, Canadial
Peace Congress and Manitov®
Peace Council will be held.

Admission is only $1. A lune
will be served and refreshmem
will be available. ;