Mexican artist
Siqueiros free

MEXICO CITY—In an action that earned world-wide
praise on the eve of completing his term of office, Mexican
President Lopez Mateos freed David Alfaro Siqueiros,

Siqueiros, last survivor of the three master mural
Painters (Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco) who emerged
from the Mexican Revolution, had been in Lecumberri
Prison since 1960 together with some Left and labor leaders,
They were convicted of “social dissolution,” a crime on the
books but never defined, Siqueiros is amember of the Com-
Munist Party’s executive committee, As a result of the
campaign waged by his wife Angelica, pleas for his release
Poured in from around the world,

Workers, gathered outside the jail withSiqueiros’ family
July 13, thrust flowers into his hands and bore him off on
‘their shoulders, After one day’s rest, he drove with his
wife at 10 a.m, up to Chapultepec Palace, where he was
working on his greatest mural when he was arrested four
years ago, An epic dramatization of the revolution from
Porfirio Diaz until now, the mural covers the walls of a
large room to the left of the palace entrance,

Photo shows Sequeiros after his release. With him are Mexican painters
nd Arnold Belkin. Belkin, who has emerged as one of the
st Mexican muralist, is from Vancouver and started his painting career

Qvier Icaza a

ere.

Outside, young art students surrounded Angelica while
Siquerios shut himself in with his unfinished work, For half
an hour the stocky, robust figure strode up and down, his
€yes darting from the sections hehadno more than sketched
Out to those with only final touches still to be made,

He looked the acme of physical fitness (he played base-
ball and volleyball in prison), The students pressed about
him when he came out to greet them, They surged inside
with him in their midst, and ranged themselves on the floor,
Hands thrust in pockets, Siqueiros stood framed by the three
almost-completed walls of his work: Diaz, his top-hatted
friends and their concubines faced by angry peasants; behind,
Mexican and U,S, gunmen advancing to drown in blood the
Cananea copper-miners’ strike of 58 years ago—the herald
of the revolution,

Siquerios explained that the mural was undertaken for,
and financed by, the Mexican government; he had asked and
received permission to finish it, the pardon granted on that

basis, His views were the same as before; the pardon im-

Plied no commitment to change or suppress them,

While in Lecumberri he had been able to work on easel
Painting: prison scenes, flowers, landscapes, three tenderly
Sardonic Christs, From this he had made far more money
than a muralist could ever earn, (Most of these earnings
Were given to needy fellow prisoners,) Discussing the
Mexican muralists’ revolution against “art for art’s sake,”
he said:

“We wanted to do something for our country—so we
Went to the walls and dealt with our people’s problems,
Elsewhere art became more and more abstract, and yet our
Work drew attention and respect around the world, Now I
am back here to muralize—to monumentalize—again, to
Paint figures that move as the spectator moves, to paint
Sermons if you like,”

Siqueiros urged the Students not to be “more interested
in recognition in other countries, in painting for some senor
to buy and hang in his house, You have a duty not to forget
your history and your people, Defend our movement, do not
lose our experience, New ways of social painting, yes—but
the disappearance. of the mural would be a disgrace, Insist
that the government support our movement and carry it
forward,”

The students—many of them Seeing the maestro for the
first time—listened in hushed Silence, then responded with
Prolonged applause and a volley of questions, It was as if
4 Michelangelo who belonged to these young Mexicans had
Stepped out of the grave to sit down and chat about their
Problems, There was no doubt about it: at 69 after 47 months
behind bars, this was the same mental and physical dynamo
4s the Siqueiros of yore, ‘

The Soviet Union this week
called on the U.S. to halt her
actions against North Vietnam or
“bear the heavy responsibility
for the consequences of such
acts. 3

Mrs. Morozov, Soviet Delegate
to the United Nations, said that
the U.S. was guilty of “acts of
aggression on bombing North
Vietnam.” U.S, plans to expand
the war inVietnam were, he said
“fraught with grave danger to the
peace of all South East Asia.”

Premier Khrushchoy called
American attacks on Communist
North Vietnam “arbitrary and
piratical.” In a speech at Ordz-
honokidze, Khrushchovy said: “We
would like to warn all the ‘wild’
and ‘half-wild’ men, all the nor-
mal and abnormal people, who do
not wish to live in peace and re-
spect the independence of the
peoples,

“They must, at long last, rea-
lize that one cannot act like a
pirate in our days,

“The Soviet Union does not
want war and is doing everything
to prevent it, But ifthe imperial-
-ists impose war upon the socialist

STOP THIS
WAR!

Statement of the National
Executive Committee of the
Communist Party

The war in South-East Asia
must be stopped before it spreads
to engulf the whole world. This
conclusion must be drawn from
the escalation of hostilities into
direct conflict between the United
States and North Vietnam. The
United Nations Security Council
must insist on an immediate
ceasefire to end this conflict.

But this will not be enough
unless peace is restored to the
.whole area by ending U.S. in-
tervention in South Vietnam, the
withdrawal of its forces from
that country and the immediate
reconvening of the 14-nation Ge-
neva Conference,

Only through sucha conference
can the people of this wartorn
area be guaranteed their basic
right to run their own affairs
as they think best.

Canada, as a member of the
International Control Commis-
sion, has a direct responsibility
to act at once for these objec-
tives. Peace- loving Canadians
must make this clear to Prime
Minister Pearson without delay,
while there is still time to Save
peace in Asia and the world.

CIA fake

Cont'd from pg. 1

Some believe that the U.S,
Central Intelligence Agency man-
ufactured the whole incident,
Many believe the fierce US;-atq
tack is corinected with the coming
Presidential elections, with
President Johnson trying to show
that he can be just as tough as
Senator Goldwater,

Whatever the cause of the US,
actions, there is no justification
for it. The U.S, stands condemned
as an aggressor, The fear every-
where is that this is not yet
the end, Having “successfully”
carried through its first big of-
fensive, will the U,s, strike
again? If it does how long can
such attacks continue before all
of Asia and the whole world are
involved?

countries, the peoples of the
Soviet Union will discharge their
sacred duty, they will be able to
defend their homeland, and other
socialist countries,”
Meanwhile throughout the
world, as the initial shock at
the U.S. action wore off, a wave
of criticism begun to build up.
Demonstrations before U.S. em-
bassies and public protest meet-
ings around the world were fol-
lowed by stories in many news-
papers throwing doubt on Ameri-
can accounts of the events which
led up to U.S. attacks on North
Vietnam. Even official sources in
the U.S. admitted gross inaccura-
cies in their original accounts.

The British Communist Party
issued a statement under the
signature of John Gollanaccusing
the American Government and
President Johnson of an “out-
rageous act of war against the
small Democratic Republic of
North Vietnam.” Johnson’s ex-
cuse, said the statement “will
convince no one. The American
warships, aircraft and troops
have no right in South East Asia.”

The U.S. Daily worker in a
statement by its editor James
E. Jackson said: “The armed
might of the United States has

Khrushchov warns

been committed to a murderous
mission of predatory aggression
against the Republic of North
Vietnam.

“This war the government is
waging in North Vietnam is an
unjust war. The deadly assaults
which our naval and air forces
are committing against the ship-
Ping and ports of North Vietnam-
ese people in the Gulf of Tonkin
are naked acts of military ag-
gression which violate our na-
tion’s honor in the eyes of justice
loving people the world over.”

The North Vietnam govern-
ment flatly denied thatits vessels
had. attacked the U.S, destroyers
Maddox and Turner Joy on Tues-
day, August 4, as charged by
the U.S.

They labled the American
charges as “sheer fabrication
aimed at covering up their ille-
gal attacks which flagrantly vio-
late the security of North Viet-
nam and further agerevate the
Situation in South-East Asia.”
Further they said that the encoun-
ter between American and North
Vietnam warships on Sunday,
August 8, took place in North
Vietnamese territorial waters,
not on the high seas as the Am-
ericans claimed.

Parades, Meetings
Leaflets in B.C.

In B.C. protests against the
‘U.S. action in Vietnam: continue
to mount.

A small band of picketers par-
aded outside the American Con-
sulate in downtown Vancouver on
Wednesday night, Aug, 5, de-
manding a halt to the war.

The following Saturday a down-
town parade and protest meeting
took place in Vancouver sSpons-
ored by the B.C. Peace Council,
Dr. Endicott, chairman of the
Canadian Peace Congress
addressed the demonstrators in
Victory Square, The marchers
distributed leaflets calling for the
restoration of “independence,
trality and peace to Vietnam.”

The B.C. Communist Party
distributed thousands of leaflets
headed: “Stop Vietnam War.” It
accused the U.S. government of
an “illegal act of undeclared

war” in Vietnam. “The South
East Asian situation,” said the
leaflet, “closely parallels the
events that led to the Korean
war.” It demanded the withdraw-
al of U.S. forces from Vietnam
and the convening of the 14 na-
tion Geneva conference,

Young peace supporters armed
with paint brushes, chalk and
spray bombs plastered the city
with slogans reading “Halt war
threats,” and “Stop the War in
Vietnam,” On Sunday night a
protest meeting and film showing
was staged in the Pender Audi-
torium, Vancouver, in support
of the Republic of North Vietnam.

In Nanaimo forty local resi-
dents signed atelegram address-
ed to the Prime Minister urging
the government to declare oppo-
sition to the U.S, actions and
withdrawal of their forces from
Vietnam,

Nigel Morgan, provincial leader of the Communist Party, addressing a picnic
gathering in Bear Creek Park, Surrey, last Sunday.

“The U.S. has acted unilaterally in Vietnam,” he charged, ‘‘in clear viola-

tion of the United Nations Charter and of its own constitution, which requires

a declaration of war before hostilities are engaged in. It stands condemned

before the world as an aggressor. Its hands are stained with the blood of the

Vietnamese people.

“The U.S. attack on Vietnam and the Turkish. bombings of Cyprus are

closely linked, and both are connected wi

led by Senator Barry Goldwater.

“Our government should be takin

negotiations, rather than supporting trig
hour. It will only take such a stand if e

th the rise of the ultra right in the U.S.

g an independent stand for peace and
ger happy U.S. brass hats at this critical
nough of us speak out loudly.”

August 14, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 3

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