“1 believe you General Pinochet, and I'm going to say so in my next syndicated column. | have not seen even one political prisoner.” 25 years ago... TAFT-HARTLEY Despite the smear tactics of the capitalist * press and the fingering by congress-hired stoolpigeons employed by vari- ous U.S. government commit- tees, the Taft-Hartley Act has failed to accomplish its major ob- jective, destroy progressive unions. Workers continue to elect trusted leaders despite the fact they have been jailed, indicted and smeared as a result of the testimony of stoolpigeons hired by the Smith-McCarran_pro- secutors. The failure of the Taft-Hartley to smash the pro- gressive unions, and_ subse- quently jeopardize all unions has resulted in U.S. Secretary of Labor Maurice Tobin demand- ing that Congress outlaw “Communist dominated” unions as bargaining agents for workers in any plant, office or shop. The Tribune, March 31, 1952 ‘FLASHBACKS FROM _ HE COMMUNIST PRESS 50 years ago... READY TO STRIKE FOR CHINESE WORKERS SYDNEY, Australia — Labor, socialist and communist political organizations as well as the trade unions have announced a “Hands off China” policy. At a huge meeting in Sydney, held in the town hall and pres- ided over by the labor mayor, a resolution was adopted calling upon the British government to withdraw all armed forces from China and cease interfering with the Chinese people. The Seamen’s Union of Au- stralia decided that the seamen will refuse to man the boats should any attempt be made to ,send troops, munitions or food to the British Army in China. The Railway Workers Union took a similar position. The Worker, April 2, 1927 Dp acdc tic died es ‘Hang On! Wait ‘Til It Drops!” PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 8, 1977—Page 4 eIDITORULATL GOMIMUENT Issue is arms reduction It was cause for rejoicing when it ap- peared that U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance had gone to Moscow to negotiate seriously on arms reduction. It now ap- pears the trip was an extension of Presi- dent Carter’s foray into instructing the Soviet Union on its internal affairs. There has been ample time to study ‘Soviet proposals for barring nuclear, biological and newly incubating weapons. of mass destruction, for troop reduction, ~ and the scaling down of military blocs. These can be confirmed as serious pro- posals based on Soviet policies of détente - and peaceful development. The U.S. campaign of slander can only dam- age détente and security, and cheer the armaments profiteers. Claim CBC for the people The Canadian Broadcasting Corpora- - tion is being investigated. Obstensibly the investigating commis- sion of the Canadian Radio-Television and Communications Commission (CRTC) will see whether the CBC is ful- filling its mandate under the Broadcast- ing Act to “be a balanced service of in- formation, enlightenment and enter- tainment” and to “contribute to the de- velopment of national unity and provide for a continuing expression of Canadian identity.” The commission, headed by CRTC chairman Harry Boyle, was demanded by Prime Minister Trudeau after out- cries by several Cabinet Ministers about separatists infiltrated into the French language Radig-Canada. The commission has: invited Cana- dians to send their opinions. But the fact remains, the terms of reference are — wrong from beginning to end — the sole purpose, on the pretext of having sighted some separtists under the bed, is to give monopoly and its government arm a more secure stranglehold on the public communications system. The aim is to make the CBC — Radio-Canada irreclaimably the voice of the establishment, and not the voice of the Canadian people. It is calculated to prevent a democratic debate in a real way on the crisis of confederation, separatism, the future of Canada, a fac- ing up to the fact of a two-nation state. The task of: Canadians, and particu- larly the working class, is to ensure that the CBC — Radio-Canada truly reflects the aspirations of the working-class majority and does not become the help- less prisoner of the monopoly system. If, for instance, the CBC news de- partment has been consistently anti- labor, anti-progressive, anti-socialist, the job is to demand its accessibility for work- ing people,— not its complete servitude to the big business empire. Why should not the CBC express the views of the labor movement, for in- stance? The working people produce all the wealth of the country; they out- number the owners of corporations by miles. The views of this paper are well known. We oppose separatism. We stand for a united Canada based on a new con- stitution worked out by representatives of the two nations — the French Cana- dian and the English-speaking Canadian nations. The witch hunt in the radio and televi- sion system is not what it is made out to be; it is a pretext to give monopoly capitalism a firmer grip on communica- tions, to choke off working-class and democratic expression. The workers in their trade unions, their democratic organizations and their political parties can ill afford to let this go by without powerful resolutions de- manding people’s access to the CBC — Radio-Canada, free of screening by the federal Cabinet. No ‘interference’ with junta The record of imprisonment, torture and murder by the fascist regime in Chile is well known to the world. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has had before it incontrovertible evidence. The junta refused entry to a Canadian parliamentary group repre- senting three parties because it could not stand the light of truth shining into its dungeons. But the Canadian Government con- siders it “undue interference” for it to make representations concerning the victims of Pinochet’s butchers! This same government brazenly, as part of a shoddy propaganda campaign, got par- liament to unanimously censure the Soviet Union in “deep concern” over so- called political prisoners. Mitchell Sharp who, as external affairs minister stabbed the Vietnamese in the back while minc- ing about as a “peace-maker” and doing the dirty work of the USA, had the nerve to introduce such a censure motion. But the Latin American Division of the same department cannot question the ‘Chilean butchers unless able to “de- - monstrate that the individuals for whom we intervene have a direct and substan- tial connection with Canada ...” What “direct and substantial connec- tion with Canada’ did the Soviet crimi- nals, Ginzburg, Rudenko, Tikhy or Or- _lov ever have? Their connection is they all work to ensure the grip of im- périalism on the peoples of the world — along with the Liberals’ Sharp, the To- ries’ Fairweather, who seconded the in- famous censure motion; and where does that leave Broadbent of the NDP? The vote in parliament was unanimous! If this is what we look to to lead Canada then we can expect to see it led back to the dark ages where Pinochet _and his mob belong. If the Liberals and their “allies” have to give such lame ex- cuses for coming down on the side of fascism where the anti-Sovieteers find their spiritual leadership, they merit the utmost revulsion.