“HE Communist parties re-
gard the struggle for peace
as their foremost task. They
will do all in their power to
prevent : the repr
sentativ the Communis
Socialist states
declaration written in
Moscow November 14-16.
Then representatives,
together with those from Com-

war, sala

i, Sarg

these

munist parties in 52 other
States, issued a special peace
manifesto appealing to

people to support efforts to
end the arms race, and to win
an unconditional
lear weapons, and

of military blocs and bases on

ban on

the endins

foreign soil.

(The Communist party of
the United States was not)
among those present. Although
every other democratic coun-

restrictions on

try places

passports, U.S. is an ex-
ception to rule.)
In addition, Nikita Khru

chev, the Union Com-
munist party’:
again offered the United States

and the capitalist world a new

irst secretary,

“We do have the ICBM (In-

tercontinental B: Mis-
Sile), bu you in the
name of and of the

Communist party, we will nev-
er use it against the United
States unless the United States

starts things first, or if a
United attacks

man Hearst press’ team
ed by editor-in-chief
Randolph Hearst.

“We

dex
——excuse me

expres

production
and
kind of

televisions

vacuum Cc

cle Ss. such a
war. We over the

n
States,” Khrushchev

United
continued
“The
States
the fielc
tion. We

o the United

the IBCM, but in

oi peace.ime proauc-

1
relent] 1 this
reientl In this

and it wi orove superi-
ority of system. We
want.to win over the United
States not in arms but in the

production of commodities. We,

Want to win in housing, con-
struction, food,
improvements
ed to the people.

ods, more

, services render-

“You have a higher stand-
ard of living in the United
States. After all, you started
years earlier than us. But we

will win. We will outstrip the
United States. And it will be
this that will convince the peo-
ple that we are right.”
Khrushchev’s remarks fol-
lowed the 12-party declaration
and the 64-party peace appeal
which were drawn up by the
Communist who had
come to Moscow to join in
celebrating 40:h anniver-
sary of the founding of the

leaders

the

call for last

Nikita Khrushchev with

state.

Soviet
S ate-

the three

ments gave the world the first

Together,

rounded-out picture since the
20th Congress of the Soviet
Communist party in February
of 1956 of today’s world as it
appears to the leaders of Com-
ist parties in countries dif-
widely in economic and
developmen‘, and in
back-

ical

poli
cultura!

grounds.

and historic

But the statements, although
emphasizing the realization of
peaceful coexistence as_ the
number one goal and task of
every Communist party,
ceived a negative response
from the official quarters of
some capi'alist countries, es-
pecially the United States.

Vice-president Richard M.
Nixon, speaking to the Nation-
al Council of Catholic Youth
in Philadelphia, charged the
64-party peace appeal shows
that the Soviet Union is
launching a “massive non-mil-
itary offensive aimed at the
over'hrow of all free govern-
ments.”

Nixon reflected U.S. official
disappointment that the meet-
ing of Communist laeders had

re-

By JOHN PITTMAN

resulted in agreement, instead
of the dissension and _ strife
predicted as an afterma‘h of
the 20th Congress and the al-
leged disclosures by Khrush-
chev of the mistakes and the
crimes against socialism of
Joseph Stalin. (The Yugoslav
representatives declined to

sign the 12-party declaration
because of disagreement, ac-

cording to the Yugoslav am-
basador to the U.S., but
Yugoslavia joined the other 63
parties in. the peace appeal.)
Vice-president Nixon inter-
preted the agreement among
the Communist leaders not as
logical conciusions growing out
of a common application of
Marxism to the specific con-
ditions in their own countries,
but as proof that “ru h’ess
control and domination of the
Communist governments and
Communist parties everywhere
by the men in the Kremlin will
again be the order of the day.”
“The dictators of Moscow
will sharply step up their eco-

nomic, psychological and sub-
versive activities all over the

world,” Nixon declared.
But while attacking the 64-
party peace appeal, the Re-

Czechoslovakian workers.

Communist parties

ng peace

publican presidential hopeful
based his arguments on the 12-
party declaration, which had
specified that “the fraternal
parties not present at this
meeting wiil assess and them-
selves decide what action they
should take on the considera-
tions expressed in the declara-
iion.”

The 12-party representa-
tives had agreed on both an
analysis of the current interna-
tional situation and a line of
action. -

“With regard to the greater
part of mankind,” the 12-party
declaration ‘said, “imperialisin
has lost its one-time domina-
tion. In the imperialist coun-
tries society is rent by deep-
going class contradictions and
by antagonisms between those
countries, while the working
class is putting up increasing
resistance to the policy of im-
perialism and the monopolies,
fighting for better conditions,
democratic rights, for peace
and socialism.

“In our epoch world devel-
opment is determined by the
course and results of the com-
petition between two diamet-
rically opposed social systems.

In the past 40 years socialism
has demonstrated that it is a
‘nuch higher social system
than capitalism. It has ensured
development of the productive
forces at a rate unprecedented
and impossible for capitalism,
and the raising of the material

and cultural levels of the
working people

“However, in the greater
part of the capitalist world,
particularly in the colonial

and dependent countries, mil-
lions of working people still
live in poverty.”

From this: analysis they had
developed the conclusion that?
“The question of war or peace-
ful coexistence is now the cru-
cial question of world policy.
All the nations must display
the utmost vigilance in regard
to the war danger created by
imperialism.”

Then followed the action
statement: “The meeting con-
siders that in the present situ-

ation the strengthening of
the unity and fraternal co-
operation of the Socialist coun-
tries, the Communist and

Workers’ parties, and the sol-
idarity of the international
working class and national lib-
eration movements ~ acquire
special significance.”

Nixon’s interpretation of this
statement folowed the tradi-
tional view among the govern-
ments of capitalist countries.
“They will emphasize again,”
he said, “the popular front tac-
ics which fooled so many
well-intentioned people in the
past.”

Reportedly, the French gov-
ernment reacted in a similar
negative fashion. A Paris dis-
patch said the Communist
leaders’ statements wad been
dismissed as “old hat.”

But not everyone in official
positions in the capitalist coun-

tries was disposed ta pooh-
pooh the statements. The
Hearst papers published re-
ports alongside the Khrush-

chev interview attributing to
“Western diplomats” the view
that the interview had helped —
“elear up the troubled air be-
tween East and West.”

However, official policy in
the U.S. and in the leading
capitalist countries, especially
those affiliated to the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization
and its system of military al-
liances, seemed bent on -in-
tensifying the arms race in an
effort to achieve parity with
the Soviet Union in the missile
field.

The Communist parties’
peace appeal and Khruschev’s
offer seemed to represent long-
term policy, however, nourish-
ing the hope and strengthening —
the effort in all countries for
veaceful coexistence.

® Full text of the Communist
parties’ appeal has been
published by the CANA-
DIAN TRIBUNE as a sup-
plement, and will be
available here shortly.

December 13, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 10 —