ty
3 SEL

Se ot

By JOSEPH NORTH
~ e revolutionary coun-
ae oe by Prime Min-
ae del Castro, continu-
$ Probings to root out

rror in the nati
at -
omen ional devel

ee in an important
ently delivered here rec-
= highlighted some of
ha mistakes that were
fey peemitted in the poli-
Tganization of the land.
tion aeeit of the examina-
hee € indicated, would be
a # country, more united
buildin er, will continue
Hor g Socialism all the
tae, Chfectively.
€re are no errors that
t be overcome,” he said,
ria ah this certainty,
Hy = No force in the world
ialist ee ever defeat our soc-
Evolution.”
© hational committee of
ees Revolutionary
nie ations has just com-
Yearg an analysis of three
of triumphs and short-

Comi :
1959, Since January 1,

It
Drim, found grave mistakes

fee of a “sectarian na-
sue at jeopardized the
ul functioning and
t sae of the ORI — as
ntegrated Revolutionary
Nizations is known.

© Mistakes have ”stub-

born}
dicateg, Persisted” Castro in-

Canno
“

Tga

ES
TALANTE AT FAULT
leq examination of them

Anibar he conclusion that
Secreta Scalante, acting as
ari] Ty of ORI, was prim-

timo Pomsible, He was un-
Post Sly removed from his
I oa @ member of the
. ng body.

the Piva of the response was
€adline in the newspaper
ing e following day, quot-
the prime minister’s
» Which said: “There is
among a but greater unity
is, oc S all. The revolution
tees Will continue to be
‘Xist- eninist.’?
Sbeech was delivered
and radio. Leading
= ORI and the gov-

i _ vere present.
Castine tially what happened,
Natio, Std, was this: The
nthusi ad responded with
the eae to his speech on
Sion ne of last April’s inva-
lution ‘ch said that the revo-
lalist ph ee entered the soc-

Mem

enn

e
Majonip, OPle in their adult
lions e — “some three mil-.
of Sogj braced the ideas
Manis Lalism’s philosophy,
“dant “€ninism. They ab-
Ness» Showed their eager-

lings Work along these:
One

: 0

Was the af the consequences

°rmation of the ORI.

Ay

<t 5 Hos) Pe ee eo

This united into one body
members of the July 26th
movement, the former Par-
tido Socialista Popular (the
Communist Party here), and
the March 13 Directorate.

This is the prelude to the
forthcoming formation of a
Marxist-Leninist party — the
United Party of the Socialist
Revolution. :

Anibal Escalante, a long-
time leading member of the
former PSP, “with an honor-
abl record’’, Castro said, be-
came secretary of ORI or ap-
pointed himself secretary.
HARMFUL METHODS

His methods of work were,
on examination, revealed to
be “wrong and harmful’. He

lacked “confidence” in the
greatly augmented  revolu-
tionary majority of the coun-
try.

His methods of work may
have had validity in the days
when his party was under-
ground during the bloody
Batista dictatorship.

FIDEL CASTRO

Escalante’s methods were
resulting in a “shell, a strait-
jacket” instead of a healthy,
creative organism which
could draw, at maximum,
‘upon the unleashed abilities
of the widest masses of the
people.

Castro gave a number of
instances where, for instance,
seven members would consti-
tute a nucleus of the organi-
zation with 400 members.

The atmosphere engender-
ed a hostility to the members
of the nuclei, even though
there were many trusted and
worthy individuals within
them.

The nuclei and their lead-
ers were in the main “hand-
picked’, not chosen by their
co-workers. Some, Castro in-
dicated, were of a dubious
nature.

One man had been a city
councilman under Batista
until December 31, 1959 —
the eve of victory. And now
he had somehow gotten him-

iG

Nar pes Wnt

@ Columbian engraving

‘Must root out errors to
build socialism’ - Castro

self into a leading post in the
government sports setup.

Others did not behave in
comradely fashion. The maj-
ority of workers selected
monthly for prizes because
of their records in produc-
tion did not belong to the
nuclei.

Still others displayed con-
descending attitudes towards
veterans of the Sierra Maes-
tra, depriving them of mili-.
tary leadership because of
supposed inferiority of politi-
cal grasp and development.

Youngsters, “high schoo 1

graduates”, who could quote
“narrot-like” from Marxist
classics, were placed above
such veterans — in certain
instances.

RECRUITS BYPASSED

Under these circumstances,
Castro said, even the mar-
tyred comandante Camilio
Cienfuegos, one of the na-
tion’s most revered heroes,
would today have been re-
moved from his rightful place
won by his selfless bravery.

Escalante chose from vet-
eran members of the PSP,
bypassing the vast majority
of new recruits to socialism,
to the philosophy of Marxism-
Leninism.

Castro paid tribute to “old
Communists”, the veterans of
many sacrificing efforts, and
cited the many instances of
heroic, selfless labors that
they undertook and were
undertaking.

But he emphasized the im-
perative need to draw upon
the new people, the new
forces, to place them in lead-
ing and responsible positions
for their present merit in
achievement.

This trust must be shown
by all in leading capacities in
the nation’s productive mach-
inery of factory and farm.

The newspaper Hoy wrote
editorially the day following
the speech that Castro exhi-
bited the profound thinking
of Lenin, who said the ser-
iousness
party. is found, fundamen-
tally, in its attitude toward
its own errors.

ORI displayed its serious-
ness by openly placing before
the people the errors com-
mitted and those who made
them, analyzing them fully
and proposing corrections.

It was a “difficult and com-
plicated” task, but Castro did
it masterfully. He said what-
ever had to be said “about
the errors of sectarianism and
mechanical work”; about the
ugly and negative tendencies
of individuals who had _ be-
come “swellheaded, jealous of

. power, lacking the true revo-

lutionary fibre and genuine
Marxist spirit’; about those
who were opportunists.

of a revolutionary

By JERRY SHACK

The Canadian Labor Con-
gress is at the crossroads.
This fact stood out as the
CLC concluded its 4th Con-
vention in this city on April

The policy of trade union
cannibalism which the labor
movement has been following
as of late has created some
very serious difficulties in the
CLC, which culminated in the
walkout of the Carpenters
and Joiners delegates, repre-
senting 65,000 workers —and
it is possible that more defec-
tions will follow.

Despite some frantic be-.

hind-the-scenes manipula-
tions, the top brass were un-
able to avoid the open split;
once having pledged itself to
the worship of raiding as a
policy, the Congress found it
self unable to draw the line
as to where the _ raiding
should end. For weeks pre-
ceding the convention the
more militant sections of the
labor movement and the en-
tire progressive movement
had warned that unless the
CLC changed its stand on
raiding and red-baiting, the
workers of this country
would suffer. The convention
bore out the painful accuracy
of these warnings, and today
the CLC is more split and
divided than it was before
the convention opened.

Even with all the internal
problems, the convention still
managed to record some posi-
tive accomplishments. Plans
were laid to launch a serious
campaign to organize the vast
army of white collar workers
and the New Democratic
Party was wholeheartedly
endorsed.

FOREIGN POLICY STAND

In a very carefully worded
Foreign Policy resolution
which tried to place the CLC
in the middle of the road on
key questions, it was decided
to advocate that Canada join
the Organization of American
States (OAS), to welcome
Canada-Cuba trade and to op-

pose the acquisition by Can-
ada of nuclear arms. The re-
solutions committee by-passed
the many locals who had de-
manded that Canada quit

NATO and NORAD by eall-.

ing for a “review” of this
question, indicating that pres-
sure from below has built up
to the point where the top
leadership dares not try to
tie the labor movement to the
NATO kite, but has not yet
reached the point where they
are prepared to denounce
these aggressive alliances and
speak out for a policy of Can
adian neutrality.

Two Vancouver labor lead-
ers were elected to regional
vice-presidencies. They are
Edward Sims (Brewery Work-
ers), president of the VLC,
and William Black, business
agent of the Hospital Employ-
ees Union.

There were a number of
signs that a portiom of the
rank and file is beginning to
move away from the right
wing in a search for some
real leadership. Much of the
convention discussion was of
a wholesome, down-to-earth
type. In the voting for vice-
presidential posts on the ex-
ecutive, Orville Braaten of
the Vancouver Pulp and Sul-
phite workers received 225
votes while William Mahoney,
head of the Steelworkers was
being elected with 678 votes.

To give the delegates an
opportunity to express their
dissatisfaction with the lead-
ership of Claude Jodoin, Gor-
don Lambert of eastern Can-
ada ran for the presidency
and polled over 150 votes.

These and other signs indi-
cate that in some quarters the
feeling is growing that a
change is needed in the fun-
damental outlook of the CLC.

The main issue facing the
labor movement in the next
period of time remains the
same as it was prior to the
convention — all-in trade un-
ion unity or a continued dis-
integration of the CLC. There
can be no straddling of the
fence on’ this issue.

The editorial continued to _

say that the first secretary of
ORI—Dr. Castro — exposed
the case of Escalante.

The latter was not only the
principle individual respon-
sible and the fountainhead of
the mistake caused by sectar-
ianism ‘‘but he also fell into
intrigue,
tion to strengthen himself,”
his personal political power,
through the apparatus of the
revolution, imposing ‘his per-
sonal viewpoints, and deform-
ing the ORI and its functions
at various levels.”

Hoy said Escalante, driven
by desire for power, began to

issue orders — and interfere
in the responsibilities of the
government ministries and

other state functions at the
same time that he concentrat-
ed in his own hands all the
controls of the municipal and
provincial committees, the
nuclei and the entire organi-
zation of ORI. :

“The party should orient,
at all levels, but not govern,”
Castro had said.

The newspaper said Escal-
ante’s actions “had roots in
the past.” For years before,
despite whatever he did posi-
tive in his work, he displayed
rough and brutal methods in
his behavior toward his com
rades, a compulsion towards

into calculated ac->

power, giving orders and ac-
quiring personal power.

The editorial quoted Castro
as saying that naturally ene-
mies — imperialist and coun-
ter-revolutionary — would
seek to “take advantage of
these open criticisms” to step
up their ‘counter-revolution,
anti-Communist; and anti-
Marxist propaganda.”

“Opportunists” would try
to move in on the picture.

But Fidel, the paper said,
“put the nation on guard
against that.”

‘TIRELESS STRUGGLE’

The struggle will not re-
treat “a single inch” from a
Marxist-Leninist position. On
the contrary, “we shall ad-
vance on the correct road in
building a Marxist - Leninist
vanguard party of the revo-
lution, that the Fatherland
and the people need to realize
their high ideals, their beau-
tiful dreams of a new society
without exploitation, misery,
injustice or privilege.”

Now, thanks to the critic-
ism of these errors, “we are
more united, more intimately
linked than ever, all the revo:
lutionaries, new and old, of
the Sierra and of the plain,
of the factory and of the
farm,” the paper concludes.

April 19, 1962—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 7