BOOKS Work on Peaceful Coexistence could not have been more timely UBLICATION of Andrew Roth- stein’s new Penguin Special, Peaceful Co-existence (obtainable here at the People’s ‘Cooperative Bookstore, 337 W. Pender Street, price 50c) could not have been more timely. This analysis, his- tory and explanation of peaceful co-existence and the entire inter- wnational situation will be invalu- able to all who read it. It is one of the most effective weapons in the fight for peace ever produced. Rothstein tears to pieces the arguments of those who oppose, or cast doubt on the idea of peaceful co-existence. He is able to do this because of his great knowledge and grasp of the origins of the idea, and es- pecially of the policy of the So- viet government from its earliest days. This is brilliantly explained in the early part of the book. From the Decree on Peace adopted by the Second Congress of Soviets on the day after the Revolution, Rothstein takes us through the main events of the years since 1917 and shows how consistent Soviet policy has been. Particularly interesting is the program put forward by the So- viet Union at the Genoa Confer- ence in 1922 — a full program ' for peaceful co-existence and co- operation with capitalist coun- tries only five years after the Re- volution. xt os m He goes on to deal in masterly fashion with the various distor- tions and misconceptions of So- viet policy which are current to-' day. Soviet science fiction, says I. Yefremov, author of Stellar Ships, has as its purpose “the development of the imaginative and creative faculties... .” ae Soviet science - fiction ‘realities to come’ T=. author of a book of Soviet science stories which has just been published in Britain by the Russia Today Book Club, began life as a seaman, became a geo- logical explorer, and was a scien- tist for many years before he became a story writer. No wonder his book, Stories by I. Yefremov, unites a scientific knowledge stretching from arch- aeology to astronomy, a poetic imagination and a love of life. Yefremov’s experience is re- flected in the setting of the stories, which range from the un- explored mountain regions of Siberia to the depths of the ocean. Perhaps the most fascinating of these stories is “Stellar Ships” which starts with the discovery of skeletons pierced by a weapon ebviously wielded by a rational creature long before man existed. The tale. moves to a climax when the discovery is made that men from another planet reach- ed the earth millions of years ago, creatures in whose eyes “burned the boundless courage of reason, unabashed by the aware- ness of the ruthless laws of the universe, revelling in the agonies and joys of knowledge.” Equally effective in a very dif- ferent way is the story “White Horn” which lights the heroism of the past and present in the thrilling account of a desperate mountain ascent. The first story “Shadow of the Past® grips the imagination with the apparently miraculous image of the dinosaur which appears to an astounded group of scientific explorers. Yefremov defines the task of Science: fiction “to lift the cur- tain of mystery ... to speak of scientific achievements yet to come as realities . . . the devel- opment of the imaginative and creative faculties of our people.” I have just read an American science fiction story. It is about a robot atom bomb which blows up the world. The | contrast speaks for itself. STELLA CLAYDON Are the Russians out to conquer the world? Rothstein, merely by quoting the different Western figures given at different times, exposes the lies about alleged huge Russian armaments. Is there such a thing as “Rus- sian imperialism’? Rothstein shows this allegation to be non- sense by giving the facts of ‘So- viet help to the countries of East- ern Europe and to China. In his final section Rothstein deals with the prospects for peaceful co-existence, setting forth his conviction that peace ean be won. The principles of co-existence, and the further steps toward full cooperation, Rothstein outlines in his closing pages, can be made a reality. Peaceful co-existence is not something which will come with- out struggle. It has to be fought for by the people. This book will. greatly help the people’s fight. GEORGE MATTHEWS Workers must fight to ensure Canadian character of merge! gee radio and press have been giving a big play to the CCL executive €ouncil’s endorsation of the TLC-CCL merger terms, par- ticularly those sections of it which perpetuate divisions with- in the trade union movement. The endorsation follows the unan- imous approval given the merger by the recently held TLC conven- tion in Windsor. Now that the leading CCL body has underwritten it, there is every reason to believe the mer- ger will be given full support by the CCL convention, which takes place in Toronto on October 10. Of course it is not precluded. that questions will be raised “about some aspects of the mer- ger which strike at its democratic character. In fact I was rather surprised that the CCL execu- tive council did not speak up against the proposal to have bhi- annual instead of annual conven- tions and about the basis of rep- resentation to conventions of the Canada Labor Congress. I am particularly surprised that unions like auto have not yet raised their voice on this issue, ‘because the big industrial unions will be affected by the proposal to restrict delegates to conven- tions. All the major industrial unions should look into this mat- ier much more thoroughly than their representatives at the exec- utive council apparently did. ey RP ip ES What also needs looking into, is the continued restrictive policy heing pursued by the TLC and CCL top leadership., I understand that the CCL executive council turned thumbs down on a proposed merger be- tween the Vancouver Civic Work- ers and the CCL civic workers organization. Apparently the CCL civic work- ers’ organization and the Van- couver . Outside Workers had come to an agreement which in effect would merge the Vancou- ver organization into the larger which , OPEN FORUM ‘Staunch Canadianism A. R. MUNDAY, Valle de Bravo, Mexico; ‘The Pacific Tribune de- serves praise for this Canada Day issue. No need to mention spe- cial articles—all are high class. Better still, their staunch Cana- dianism is all. the more. wel- come because in so much one reads the Canadian spirit seems swamped under the American way of life. , As one sees the American pic- ture from this little Mexican mountain town, one thing is threateningly plain: What the US. plans is a North and Central America unified under U.S. con- trol (camouflaged possession), stretching from the Panama Can< al to the Arctic Islands. This is the minimum goal of the US. “empire builders,” its militarised American equivalent of Hitler’s “Fortress Europe.” The opposition to this plan seems stronger in these southern parts of the envisioned empire than it is yet in Canada, but surely no Canadian will deny that for Canada to be absorbed into the American military ma- chine ‘would be disastrous. In fostering the spirit of patriotic Canadianism, the Pacific Tribune pody, with due regard to its autonomy and the democratic rights of the membership. This appeared to be too big a pill for the CCL executive council to- swallow and they insisted that the merger agreement be torn up. Following the example of how the A‘malgamated Meat Cutters and Butchers have likewise torn up their agreement with the Fur and Leather Workers and \ em- parked upon a policy of ousting democratically elected officers, one can only draw the obvious conclusion that the AFL and CIO leadership are determined to con- tinue the cold war within the trade union movement, no mat- ter how injurious it may be to the best interests of the working glass. + tt boa Unfortunately ‘the TLC, and CCL leaders pay much more at- tention to the dictates of the AFL than they do to the desires and real interests of the @ana- cian membership. As was reminded of it again during the discussion on the mer- ger at the TLC convention in Windsor, where I had it on good’ ~McCarthy|- like is doing the greatest of all ie vices, It is helping to 804 sae Canada a continued existen® : ‘as Canada. And it places its bet im be right, place when it makes Fey appeal to the Canadian wor! What, no system? LEWIS AGASSIZ, | B.c.: As regards this system, leave us not be thine pal. Let’s ‘consider this \ oy. Do. the capitalists have 2 sys The, answer is ee a no. It depends on take it or eae it, as it = The capitalist system Bo fhe tem in the same sensé ace numbers racket. or load ded marked cards. i) and We got to be honest, a que. give credit where credi patd The capitalist does it PY jot way. There is no SYS" atone a bunch of rules, made up one é the way, and every las casi them framed to give hee ist the edge. But nothi like common justice, cency or even common That's what makes it 8°” —on us! They do it the hard wa : on us! ey! authority that the AFL iss it the TLC executive not 1 mere any discussion on © one terms on the floor Of 00am fi: tion. All they wanted was @ 7% iscussion; what, they. all ae a serious examination ® pects of the agreement From this poit of eR ot TLC-CCL Unity Commies have been speaking be hat fi j cheek when it stated Wie cot merger “would have teh pletely Canadian in © ai ‘true enough, that stat a reflect the rising nation or sciousness of the Can@ pow ing class. Equally trues we ever, is the fact that te Od CCL leadership Tene oii 58 inate to ithe AFL-CIO an neti to oppose ‘those undem? pole emanate from the ‘ There is an ee: of clusion from all this. , pave ae ers of this country sti ie 3” fight to ensure the pp character of the mer ser gm harder they fight 1° re. tp the more assurance 15 sf unity will do all the ne chee ANADA‘S award - winning theatre company will par- ticipate in the Fifth World Festival of Youth and Students for Peace and Friendship af Warsaw, opening on July 31. Theatre du Nouveau Monde, currently appearing in the Festival of Dramatic, Art in Paris, will proceed to Poland to produce three of Moliere’s Slavs go to festive’ workers expect it t tee announced at press conference in nae thé This will be only OF gredl_ many. highlights af Hee international gathe! acent world youth, where repre até atives of over 80 ¢ ‘ expected to take Four hundred | grams will be pre groups from-40 countrie> py 90 international progr’ rice participants from 60 © plays at the Youth Festival. cana | Malcolm Nixon, head of the More than expe” program section of the Inter- youth delegates are : national Preparatory Commit- to be present. p ‘6 oe 4