91 7-1971—the Soviet people’s unceasing struggle

By JOHN WEIR

ul November 7, 1917, the workers of
sia Overthrew the Kerensky regime,
Was trying to continue the im-
St slaughter of World War One
rpetuate the rule of the native
reign capitalists and landown-

the Victorious workers, led by the
stevik (Communist) party, trans-
sd political power to the All-Rus-
Congress of Soviets, which opened
,. Ovember 8 with elected delegates
Wesenting the workers and peasants
Mall parts of Russia, and the revo-
Ho mty soldiers and sailors.
ae first act of the new government,
il > bY the Congress of Soviets with
7 ty peenin at the head, was the Decree
la, €ace, which called for an imme-
thy, Ceasefire on all fronts and the
bee ntion of a conference of all bel-
Ithet States to agree on a just peace
ut indemnities or annexation of
‘tories,
ha Many millions of lives would
" been saved, how much suffering
4 ostruction avoided, if that call
been heeded, if! the proposals for
and disarmament made by the
* Union during the more than
“century since had been adopted!

* * *

are today marking the 54th an-
3 Roty of the Great October Socialist
y.ction in Russia under the power-
a Mpression of Soviet Premier A. N.
H,@N's recent visit to Canada and
@ the World-wide drive, spearheaded
q Race. Soviet Union; to ensure lasting
d Th °n our earth.
Wy ,; Canada-USSR General Exchang-
my eeement signed on October 20
Neg” Canadian-Soviet Communique
litgy ot October 26 are documents of
Hig,, < MPortance. The first opens the
y (i to the broadest cultural, scien-
I fed Other exchanges between our
@tona’s that we have yet known. The
I Proclaims the unanimity of
Migjcr Urgent international problems,
are to the restoration of peace in
ty 4 areas, relaxation of tensions
ge Motion of disarmament.
Mente Intentions, voiced in those doc-
is ° are progréssively carried into
the’ fan hopefully look to the end
tin S@Strous cold war and the vin-
N of the Grand Alliance, in

C

b pptda accorded formal recognition
ly Government of the USSR in
Mj, "agreement for the establish-
\ ed Of diplomatic relations was
Rion In 1942 in London, and a dele-
Oyj €stablished in Moscow the fol-
Hin. year. Early in 1944, the lega-
My, Moscow and Ottawa were
‘wig @ to the status of embassies. A
Ned ‘Consulate General was estab-
PCa Montreal in 1967. :
Mtv 42’s trade with the USSR is

Ky ANG, by a trade agreement which

sieg Pially signed in 1956 and re-

cure 1960, 1963, 1966, and 1969.

wy "rent agreement expires in April

bh tp, Nada’s exports to the USSR in
M this “led $101 million ($86 million
ing Was in wheat). During the same
Hi Uggcanada imported goods from
i, SR valued at $9 million. In June
Nn arrangements were completed

Mey’, Sale of 130 million bushels of

An {0 the USSR.

Beg +! Transport Agreement was
Ofloe 1966, and Air Canada and
cave since been running regu-

“"eduled flights between Mon-

OScow. I

egg

which Canada and the Soviet Union
became partners 30 years ago, which
defeated fascism and established the
United Nations.

This is in the real and vital interest
of the Canadian people and of Canada
as a country. It is part of the new
relations of peaceful coexistence that
are being established in the world with
the growing defeat of imperialist ag-
gressions and cold war politics.

The 1917 Revolution in Russia, which
resulted in the formation of the Soviet
Union in 1922 and the building of a
socialist society on its territory, and
which ushered in the area of the world
transformation from capitalism to so-
cialism — one-third of the human race
is already living in socialist countries
— has been and remains the main fac-
tor in contemporary history.

In Canada, from the very first day
of the revolution we have had continu-
al struggle between the forces that have
pressed for anti-Soviet policies and
those that sought friendship and ac-
cord with the USSR.

Which served Canada’s interests? —

It was the dominance of the anti-
Sovieteers in Canada and other coun-
tries that resulted in World War Two
with its terrible toll of human life and

ngements have been made for
Mantes of many kinds between the
two countries. Currently the most
important intergovernmental exchange
agreement is the Canada/USSR Agree-
ment.on Cooperation in the Industrial
Application of Science and Technolo-
gy, signed in January 1971. This ere:
ment has led to the establishment. (0)
six Working Groups dealing with ex-
changes in the following areas: archi-
tecture, building materials and con-
struction, forest-based industries, non-
ferrous metals industry, — electrical
power industry, and the oil and eas
industry. At the governmental level,
there are also agreements between
(a) ‘the National Research Council and
the Soviet Academy of Sciences, (b)
the Department of Energy, Mines an
Resources and the State Committee
for Science and Technology, and (c)
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited _
the Soviet State Committee for me
Utilization of Atomic Energy. i AB
dition, at the non-governmental ee
there are exchanges between oe
Canadian universities and parallel in

0 1043 /gtitutions in the) USSR: RUS

ee ow Ae

‘To banish the Scou

ro

limb, including Canadian, and the apal-
ling destruction of wealth.

It was joint effort with the USSR
that brought us victory in that war.

It was the anti-Soviet cold war poli-
cies that have enabled imperialist ag-
gressors during the post-war period to
light the fires of war and bring death
and devastation to Vietnam and other
sections of the earth.

It is the gathering unity that gives
promise not only to put out the fires
still burning but to make it impossible
for the terrible scourge of war ever
again to threaten mankind.

The Canadian-Soviet agreement on
exchanges and broad statement of mu-
tual aims in” international affairs did
not involve any surrender on anyone’s
part regarding ideology or political
and economic systems. Ideological dif-
ferences belong in the realm of debate
and letting experience prove which
views stand up. The question of the
economic and political set-up is for the
people in each country to decide for
themselves. But peace, normal interna-
tional relations, trade, cultural and
scientific exchanges, friendly visits —
these are the business of all humanity!

° * % *

In 1917, instead of heeding the ap-
peal for peace made by the newly born
Soviet Republic, the imperialist states
sent their armed forces to crush the
workers’ state. Both sides, while yet
at each other’s throat on the western
front, tore into the bleeding body of
the Soviet country. A Canadian ex-
peditionary force of 5,000 was among
the armies of 14 countries that took
part in the onslaught. Only the valiant
resistance of the Soviet people, helped
by the great “Hands off Soviet Russia!”
solidarity movement in Canada as
France, Britain and other lands, and
the revolution that swept into central
Europe, made the imperialists give up
their military intervention.

Failing to crush the workers’ state
by arms, its enemies turned to econo-
mic blockade, cutting off medicines
and food supplies from the people in
a land embraced by famine and di-
sease. Here again the workers of other
lands came with fraternal assistance,
collecting and sending supplies in the
“Aid to Soviet Russia” campaign.
Willson Macdonald then wrote moving
poetry to aid the famine victims, and
a Canadian Quaker doctor died minis-
tering to the starving people on the
Volga as later the Canadian Commun-
ist Dr. Norman Bethune did in minister-
ing to the embattled fighters of Spain
and China. ;

%* * *

The Soviet Union was not recogniz-
ed, discriminated against, kept out of
the League of Nations as long as the
imperialists could do it. Then, in the

> 1930’s, the USSR could no longer be
~. oi 5 SETS SSEEES Ss 4 PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1971—PAGE 7

cae eae

rge of war!

ostracized. And the Soviet government
and delegation to the League of Na-
tions proposed:

®@ sanctions against aggressors;

® collective security pacts;

® universal disarmament.

The imperialists, Canada’s rulers
among them, turned down such “un-
realistic” proposals while plotting to
renew aggression against the Soviet
country, using Hitler-ruled Germany
for the frontal attack.

World War Two,.with its fifty million
dead and untold destruction was the
price paid for anti-Sovietism.

In the process of the Second World
War the great alliance was forged that
brought complete victory.

Then came the cold war and the
quarter-century of attempts to turn
back the clock of history. The flames
of hate and distrust were fanned by
fantastic “spy” scares and continuous
propaganda. Behind this smokescreen,
wars in various parts of the globe from
Korea and Vietnam to the Near East
and the Congo were launched, reaction-
ary and openly fascist regimes were
foisted- on countries, the threat of a
nuclear world holocaust was — and
still is, as shown in the Amchitka test
—lifted over the heads of humanity.

It is as warrant of an end to this
senseless and «suicidal policy that Cana-
dians welcome Prime Minister Tru-
deau’s visit to the USSR and the Cana-
dian-Soviet Protocol last May and
Premier Kosygin’s visit to Canada and
the agreeemnts reached here last
month.

The fury of the anti-Sovieteers
knows no bounds. They have brought
us disaster for 54 years, but today they
are losing their grip and are frantically
trying to preserve it.

The 1970’s have opened as a period
of the growing economic crisis, over-
riding opposition to the war policies of
U.S. imperialism — yes, and the shed-
ding of many illusions.

This can be the decade when the
United Nations, now with People’s
China in its rightful seat and the forces
of socialism and anti-imperialism in
dominant positions, can live up to the
promises made at its foundation when
victory over the fascist Axis was
achieved.

The leaders of the Soviet Union
have been travelling to various coun-
tries and also having talks with lead-
ers of many states in Moscow to push
forward the “peace offensive’. The
Canadian people — and the stated
policy of our government — is in
favor of the measures proposed.

The six-points of the peace policy
proclaimed by Soviet Communist Party
general secretary Leonid Brezhnev at
the 24th Congress of the CPSU, the
proposals made by Soviet Foreign
Minister Andrei Gromyko in the UN
Assembly express the hopes and
wishes of humanity, of the Canadian
people. They include:

End the cold war! End the wars in
Indochina, the Near East! Prevent a
clash on the India-Pakistani border!
End all nuclear tests, start arms and
troops reductions, go forward to com-
plete disarmament! Hold the Euro-
pean collective security conference!

* * *

When we in Canada will be greeting
the peoples of the Soviet Union with
the 54th anniversary of the Great Oc-
tober Revolution and celebrating this
greatest event in our century that
opened the transition of human society
for capitalism to socialism, from ex-
ploitation to cooperation, from oppres-
sion to freedom, from hunger to
plenty, we will especially stress the
transition from war and threats of war
to peaceful coexistence.

The anti-Sovieteers will no longer
be able to hold back the realization of
this pledge that has been sealed with
the blood of millions.