| The great discussion | |

Abolition of death penalty soug

We agree with the observa-for the fulfilment of this.

The

LONDON

itical committee of the British Communist

pol
party said that in the absence of a denial or an official

text, the U.S. version of Khrushchev’s report on Stalin

must be taken as more or less authentic.

British Communists -protested to the Soviet Com-
munist party nearly three months ago at the failure to
publish the report. The evil practices disclosed in the re-
port violated Socialist conceptions of democracy, said
the political committee’s statement.

It held that the time had come for all countries to
abolish the death penalty in time of peace. The revised

7a
eqition

British Road to

>

to personal and civil liberty.

of the British Communist party's program The
Socialism would pay special attention

Following is the text of the statement:

The political committee of

the British Communist party
has had under consideration

the unofficial published ver-
sion of Khrushchev’s report to

rivate session of the 20th
congress of the CPSU, togeth-
er with the discussion in our
party.

At.the private session of the
24th national congress of our
party, on April 1, a resolution
was passed, and conveyed to
the Communist party of the
Soviet Union, regretting that
a public statement on this
question had not been made
by the central committee of the
Communist party of the Soviet
Union, which could have en-

abled members-of all Com-
munist parties and staunch
friends of the Soviet Union

to have understood fully the
seriousness of the issues, and
helped them to a better under-
standing of everything that is
involved. Our party has not
received any official version
of the report of Khrushchev.

The continued absence of an
official report has led to the
publication of unofficial ver-
Sions through gradual leak-
ages and by sources hostile to
socialism. This has made many
Communists outside the Soviet

U.S. withdrawal
from Iceland seen

REYKJAVIK
e believe that
the recent elec-
2ad to withdrawal of
r in a short time.
Parties supporting this demand
won 33 out of the 52 seats.

Final results show that the
People’s Front of the Socialist
Unity party and the Left-Wing
Social Der rats are now the
country’s ond largest party,
with 15,860 votes (19.3 percent
of the total) — a 20 percent in-
crease on the Socialist Unity
party vote in the elections of
1953.

The Icelandi
this week fo

ussions aimed
at forming a new coalition
government The People’s
Front will hold a key position.

Union dependent on _ such
enemy sources for information
on these vital matters, and thus
added unnecessary difficulties
to the estimation and discus-
sion of the facts.

In the light of the unofficial
text now published, which, in
the absence of official denial
may be regarded as more or
less authentic, we reaffirm the
general lines of the resolution
of our executive committee of
May 13.

We consider that the 20th
congress of the CPSU was cor-
rect in condemning the cult of
the individual and in endors-
ing the return to Leninist prin-
ciples of collective leadership
ana Inner party democracy.

We consider that the 20th
congress was correct in frank-
ly exposing all the evils which
followed from the departure
from Leninist principles, in
order to put an end to these
evils.

All Communists, in common
with all democratic and pro-
gressivé people, are deeply
shocked by the injustices and
crimes which, during the peri-
od under review, violated the
essential principles of socialist
democracy and legality and
dishonored the noble Cause of
Communism. We repeat that
such evil practices are totally
alien to socialism and Com-
munism.

At the same time, we re-
cognize that these evils arose
not as 4 necessary accompani-
ment of working-class rule and
Soviet democracy, as the ene-
mies of socialism pretend, but
as a result of the violation of
Socialist Principles and dur-
ing a specific period of abnor-
mai strain between 1934 and
1953. This was the period of
the rise of fascism abroad, the
preparation of war, the Second
World War and the cold war.

The Soviet leaders have ex-
posed the evils and abuses of
this period in order to correct
them and make a decisive turn
to the fulfillment of the prin-
ciples of Leninism, collective
leadership, socialist democra-
cy end creative Marxist work
in all the fields of science,
literature and art.

We recognise that, in spite
of the grave harm caused by
these abuses, the Soviet people
achieved very, great and histor-
ic successes. In face of terrible
difficulties they established
socialism, withstood and de-
feated the Nazi onslaught, and
reconstructed their
after the unparalleled devas-
tation of the war.

This achievement deserves
the admiration of all and shows
the superiority of the social-
ist system over capitalism, and
the creative - possibilities it
opens up for the people.

The 20th congress of the
CPSU itself recorded the his-
toric fact that socialism had
now become a world system.
It made major contributions
to Marxist theory, and helped
the working-class movement
in all countries by its declar-
ations on the possibility of
preventing world war, the
peaceful transition to social-
ism, and the new opportun-
ities for developing working
class unity.

The discussion arising from
the 20th congress and from the
revelations regarding the 1934-
1955 period of the Soviet
Union is stimulating fresh
and fruitful thought and en-
deavor in every field of Com-
munist work and practice.

It is clear that further re-
view and discussion is needed
of the questions opened up by
the report to the private ses-
sion of the 20th congress of
the CPSU.

country >

tions of Togliatti and the
French Communist party. that
it will be necessary to make
a profound Marxist analysis of
the causes of the degeneration
in the functioning of Soviet
democracy and party demo-
cracy; that it is not enough
to attribute these develop-
ments solely to the character
of one individual; and that a
more adequate estimate of the
role of Stalin, both in its posi-
tive and negative aspects, will
be necessary.

It is clear that the steps
taken for strengthening the
Operation of socialist legality
and safeguarding the rights of
citizens will lead to further
examination of all the prob-
lems of the functioning of so-
Cialist democracy and legality.

Those responsible for past
violations of socialist democ-
racy and crimes against the
people are being punished, and
this is just and necessary. At
the same time it is understand-
able that concern has been
expressed at the application
of the death penalty in a re-
cent trial in the Soviet Union.

We express the view that in
the light of the present world
situation and the strengthen-
ed position of the socialist
camp it should now be possi-
ble to bring about the aboli-
tion of the death penalty in
peacetime in all countries, and
we recognise that we have a
Special responsibility to work

Egyptian sailors mount guart at Port Said as the Egyptian
flag flies from the Navy Buildings, one of the last in-
stallations to be handed over by the British before they evacuated
the last of their forces from Suez Canal bases they had ‘held

since 1882,

in Britain and the
countries under Briti
* :

Within our own pa
shall need to carry
and encourage the wid
most thorough discuss!
already begun, of our?
cal and organisational mé
the functioning of party
ocracy and the tackli
problems before us, 04
lations with other secu
the labor movement
aims of unity, as indi
the executive committé
lution.

We shall also tarry #
the work on a new ed
The British Road to
ism, in which, amo
many questions whic
come up for review, W
need to expand that
which shows how the™
cratic liberties won B
people can be maintai
extended, and how Ss
legality will be guaral

The enemies of our€
hope that this discussi0
weaken the party and op
way for attempts to si
anti-Marxist, anti-com!
bourgeois conceptions iD
party, striking at the 10
Communist principles
ganisation.

On the contrary, oul
members and _ organ
will know how to cond
discussion so as to str
every aspect of our P
work and activity.

The democracy of ow
is the widest democracy
party in Britain. The f
of discussion and dent
functioning which is
in our party, and whi
leaders of other parte
to permit in theirs, is P?
because of the essential
of our party’s Marxis!
look and our determinal
reach, in the light of M
unity on the policy wi
in the best interest
British working class.

Let us never forget, t
out this discussion, th
cause of Communism,
tional independence, f®)
ano peace, is advancing,
giant strides throughoU
world. ;

All the conditions afr
sent here in Britain for
advence of the labor "%
ment. Given the correct}
ana leadership, the :
people will defeat tory!
move forward to: socia

It is the mission 0
Communist party to
achieve these aims, an
in this spirit that, whwé
cussing the urgent an
portant issues raised Py,
20th congress of the %&
we work to develop the
est united movement
people for the policy Puy
ward by our 24th mn
congress.

ob

July 6, 1956 —PACIFIC TRIBUNE ~ PAG