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THE NATION

: By MARK FRANK

Ottawa opposed U.S. policy

_ which split Korea in 1948

. S fees Canadian government is on record as opposing

U.S. policy to partition Korea as being “unwise and
unconstitutional.”

A move now by the St. Laurent government in line
With its previously-stated policy could be a big contri-
bution towards settling the Korean war.

But abject surrender to U.S. policy has sent three
Canadian destroyers steaming across the Pacific to fire

their guns on Korean people at the orders of a U.S.
Seneral,

The story of Canadian Opposition to a U.S. policy
Which led in 1948 to the hoisting of the illegal Syngman
Rhee regime into power, has been carefully suppressed
by the government, radio and press, : 3

Supression of “these startling facts is now ended by
a letter from Tim Buck, national leader of the Labor-
Progressive party, to Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent,
Liberal leader. (For full text last week’s Pacific Tribune)

Canada’s position attracted world-wide attention
when Canadian delegate Dr. George S. Patterson walked
out of the United Nations Temporary Commission on

\

~Korea meeting in Seoul on March 9, 1948, protesting the

‘S. move for separate elections in South Koreo,
‘He said the carrying through of separate elections

was a violation of a Nov. 14, 1947 UN General Assembly -

decision to conduct unified all-Korean national elections,
South and north of the 38th parallel.

In a public statement Dr, Patterson said it would
to “partition” of Korea and result in “a new and
Serious situation.”

Armed support now being offered by. Canada to the
Rhee regime brought to power in that illegal election
flies in the face of official government policy on Korea
in 1948 as announced by the then minister for external
affairs, Louis St. Laurent.

Rhee came to power in South Korean elections that

' Were ultimately ordered by Lt.Gen. Hodges, with the

Overwhelming majority of the electorate boycotting the
elections, Ordering of the vote touched off a heated
debate in the UN Korean Commission which was asked
to observe and prepare the elections.

A BUP despatch of March 9, 1948 records that Dr.
Patterson “walked out and said he would attend no more

a

meetings” of the UN Korean Commission.

Reporting to Commons March 10, 1948, on Canada’s
repudiation of the vote ,Mr. St. Laurent read. into the
record a speech of the Canadian delegate attending ses_
sions of the so-called Little Assembly, meeting in Lake
Success, Feb., 1948,

The delegate warned the meeting that if it approved d

a U.S. motion for separate South Korean elections “a
new and serious situation would be created which would
have to be taken into consideration by the governments
who are members on the commission, and who fee] the

advice from this committee is unwise and unconstitu-
tional,” ,- R

Speaking on the powers of the Korean Commission
the delegate said: “Our position is that the commission
is not authorized under those resolutions (UN General
Assembly, Nov., 1947) to act in or for South Korea alone
- .. if the resolution (the U.S. resolution) is voted upon,
my delegation will have to vote against it...”

St, Laurent’s own comments on March 10, 1948, were:
“The Canadian delegate to the interim committee opposed
this United States resolution on the ground that the
holding of elections in South Korea only could not be
brought within the terms of refererice of the commission
as laid down by the General Assembly. It would amount
in fact to partition of Korea .. .”

Discussing the role played by Dr. George Patterson
in sessions of the Korean Commission, St. Laurent said:

Dr. Patterson was further instructed that if the
Commission did not support the Canadian view on this

matter he was to state that he could not further partici- .

pate in its activities .. .” Eee :
A March 12, 1948 AP despatch records: “Over strong
Canadian opposition the UN Korean Commission vote
4 to 2 today to hold an election in South Korea May 9
to choose a national assembly form of government. . .
Canada’s position hinged on observing an election con-

_ fined to one zone.” Australia joined Canada in opposing

the U.S.-inspired motion,

Thus Canada opposed the illegal partitioning of
Korea and the holding of the elections ordered by U.S.
Gen. Hodges.

LPP COLUMN

UR Comrades in Saskatchewan deserve hearty

congratulations from the whole party. Showering
Peace leaflets down from a plane on a Liberal party
rally assembled to hear Prime Minister St. Laurent is
the kind of action that gets itself talked about eae
one end of the country to the other. By @ paniats a <a
of leaflets (on the ground that time) at a pene
Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan LPP had first n
St. Laurent into debate on the issue of roy cae
“airlift” operation the following day at ae eae
really had the prime minister foaming at the m

Speaking up for peace and the real interests of ot
country” is . Sahel infuriating experience for a war
Monger whose soul is mortgaged to
Washington. But it is a most |
heartening experience for the mas-
S€s of progressive people who ar-
dently want peace, not atomic mass
murder, :
Naturally, not every demonstra-
tive action will break through the
- dollar curtain of big business radio
and press, What is important,
though, is the direction of thinking
hat seeks out new ways, different
, Of putting across the great
message of the Party: of struggle
peace — the LPP.
Imagination is a political asset that we need to
Cultivate much more in all our work. Bae
_ When our comrades in Quebec denounced tk ~
lantic Pact by putting up colorful posters on the em
of the parliament building in Quebec City, it oe Ls
Stir that no “routine” job could have evoked. “
the unemployed made the rafters of the oere es
Commons ring with their protest, the whole cou
Card then <q 7 ;

: sed
' The very limitations on free Sedan eps OE

‘© hear the voice of true, democratic Canadianism, —

The —

for peace, and for their country’s independence.

On using the imagination

“who should get to read it?

By STANLEY RYERSON

do this—!”: no break with routine, no searching out
of the new.

Lenin spoke of the necessity of mastering the art
4nd science of politics. The laws of science can be
learned in studying theory; but the art of applying
the knowledge, we gain only in the doing. And the
art includes, perforce, imagination. :

Of course, fantasy can run wild, and trip. up rea-
son. But in most of our work, it’s not there that
the main danger lies, : :

What is it that causes a party committee, after
discussion of the present war-crisis, to adopt a new,
bold course of work that marks a break with the way
of doing things pursued hitherto?

It’s the image in the mind’s eye of the possible
— of the response that can be anticipated to a strong,
bold appeal to the deep, warm feeling of the workers

What is it that inspires comrades like Mary Claire
and other record-setting Peace Petition campaigners
to go out for signatures, not by the dozens, but by the
hundreds?

| Surely, it’s the vision of what the petition can do,
as a force to change the world, to banish the night-
mare threat of atomic war over Toronto, Sudbury,
Vancouver, Montreal... :
e. eer .

Comrade Tim Buck has addressed an Open Letter
to Prime Minister St. Laurent that should be read
by tens of thousands of Canadians.

‘What can you do to help see that that happens?

‘Who are the CCF supporters that you know of,

What church people, union members, neighbors,
shopmates, can you get it to—via the reprint from
last week’s Pacific Tribune, or in the form of the
tract that is to appear in mass quantities?

Where might:+you paste it up as a poster?” :
Let each of us tackle this job with the thought:
Just use your imagination! -

(P.S.—Interesting results will be publicized with —
pleasure!) pitas

\

~~

similar resolutions to the

sion be seized to rally the people

LABOR FOCUS By J. B. SALSBERG

Unions must act
to save Canada

a? SHOULD be clear to all. Canadian workingmen

. &and women that it is the most elementary and, at the
same time, the highest duty of the Canadian trade unions
to pursue a vigorous policy in defense of Korean inde-
pendence, against the involvement of Canadian forées
in Korea and for action by Ottawa to save Canada and
the world from a third world war.

_ The suggestion that the trade unions must adopt
such a policy does not imply that this policy is narrow
or that it meets the needs of labor only. Quite the con-
trary is the case. ‘The proposed union policy for peace

action is in full harmony with the needs of the Canadian
people as a whole,

It is the most elementary duty of organized workers
to follow a working class policy when confronted with
Such a colossal issue as that of Korea
and the alarming danger of a third
world war, And the whole history
of the working class will show that
such working class policies coincide
with the interests of the nation. But
the’ dominant section of the trade
union leadership in this country, and
to a much greater extent in the US.,
has not given such independent work-
ing class leadership in the present
world crisis.

It’s really a thousand times worse
than just not giving any independent
working class leadership. The top
circles of the trade union bureaucracy (especially in the
U.S.) shout for war and more war. Philip Murray, who
not long ago transformed the CIO into a cold war instru-
ment of the Truman administration, issued an unreserved
blanket endorsation of Truman’s declaration of war on
the Korean people. In Canada the Millards, who publicly |
boast that their raiding of unions is an essential part
of the cold war are totally unable to do anything else than
applaud the beating up of the cold war.

* What every worker must, therefore, realize is that
with our government slavishly following the war leader-
ship of the U.S., and with our daily press gone stark
mad, it is up to the working class to bang its fists on the
table and cry halt.to this madness which drives this
country and the world towards mass annihilation, It is
the working class which must sound a clear cal] for
sanity, for peace and for the independence of peoples.
Such action would give courage and hope to the over-
whelming majority of Canadians who disapproved the
actions of the Wall Street war incendiaries, who distrust
the misleading headlines, who want Canada to stay out
of it ,and who wish that the government of this country _
stop tailing Washington and act independently for peace
in Korea and peace in the world. :

e ; * :

Tim Buck's appeal for peace which is contained in
his letter to Premier St. Laurent can _and should be
duplicated by every union in the country. Tim Buck’s
appeal is no more partisan than would be the peace action
program that we suggest for the trade unions. Buck’s
appeal expresses the feeling and wishes of the Canadian
people and so would the fight of the trade union move- -
ment for peace in this critical hour. ; ‘ 4

Is not such a policy in accord with the most elemen- es
tary duties of the trade union movement? The union’s —
fight for peace would in essence be a fight for democracy,
for union rights and for social progress. It would be a
fight for international brotherhood and freedom. It
would be a fight for these goals which inspired the foun— :
ders and the martyrs of the trade union movement every-—
where in the world, By that token it is also the h:

duty which confronts the trade union movement, for _

everyhing that genuine trade unionism stands for depends _
on the victory of the peace forces here and everywhere
else in the world. ; Bes

Let no labor agent of the ruling class tell you that _
this is in conflict with the national interests of our coun- 2
try or that it is “subversive”. The trade unions will.
defend the national interest by leading the people’s strug- _
gle against Canada's involvement in the U.S. war against.
the Korean people and for independent Canadian action
for world peace. ‘ OF ; gee

We shall return to this question again and will reveal
some of the facts about Korea which are hidden from
the trade union membership. But for the present we _
want to urge the rank and file to undertake this patriotic
task with matchless vigor and devotion.  __ ce e

_Get your local union to act for peace. Get resolu-
tions adopted calling on the government to keep Canada :
out of the war against the Korean people and demand -
that it act for the admission of the Chinese republic to
the UN and for the attainment of lasting peace. Send

forthcoming trade union con-

ventions, ‘ BO Br

Gather signatures for the petition against the use of
atomic weapons and for the designating of the govern-
ment that first uses such weapons as war criminals. _
Let every delegate to the trade union conventions ¢
with him the signatures of all his members. Let every
union paper become a fighter for peace, Let every

to preserve peace

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 21, 1950—PAGE 9