EST OD BRE SR SONOS ERNE OE

LESLIE MORRIS

eee —

a a

CCF rank - file pressure

forces debate

HE debate on NATO which

has burst into the public press
through the statements of the
CCF National ‘Council and the
radio speech of External Af-
fairs Minister ‘Lester B. ‘Pearson,
is the public expression of a
debate which has been going on
in the labor movement and
among peace-minded ‘Canadians
for a long time.

Ever since President Truman
announced. in 1947 his ‘“doc-
trine” that the U.S. would go to
ewar to “protect” Greece and
Turkey from “Soviet aggres-
sion” the NATO conspiracy has
been slowly and_ steadily
hatched.

on NATO

The essence of NATO strip-
ped of all its hypocritical verbi-
age, is that whenever the U.S.
gives the word, 14 countries, in-
cluding Canada, will go to war.
It is a complete réjection of
the principle of the UN. NATO
has given the conditions under
which such a war would be
started. Whenever the NATO
chieftains decide €xat a ‘country
has been the victim of “aggres-
sion,” from without or within,
the armed powers of NATO will
‘be invoked.

It is a falsity to claim, as the

CCF defenders of NATO da.

that it is a preventive alliance

for “collective security.” Its
.

at

arms program, about which the
present debate is raging, is ex-
plained as being necessary to
convince the Soviet. Union that

joint session of the Soviet

of the Union and the
Soviet of Nationalities here
on ‘March 6 adopted the new
state budget for 1952 calling
‘for an increase in revenue of
8.7 percent and an increase
in expenditures of 8.1 per-
cent. Total income is esti-
mated at 508,800 million

estimated at 476,900 million
rubles. (The ruble is valued
at 25 cents in terms of US.
dollars. )

In a leading editorial on
March 7, Pravda commented:

USSR bears yivid testimony
to the growing might and
strength of Soviet power. Ex-
pressed in the figures of the
budget is the systematic
strengthening of the Soviet
Union's economic might
achieved by ‘the peaceful

men and women.

“Tt is Known ‘that avian
suecessfully fulfilled the tar-
gets of the first post-war
Stalin Five Year Plah, the
Soviet peoples have in ‘the

economic and cultural pro-
gress. The country’s national
economy is expanding at a
rapid rate. In 1951, Soviet
industry overfulfilled — its
gross output plan. Indus-
trial production increased 16
percent over 1950 and more

rubles while expenditures are.

“The state budget of ‘the -

- ereative labor of millions of

-past year made new great’

percent last year).

becurd Soviet budget for 1952

stresses peaceful achievements

than twice surpassed the 1940
level’. .

“With the mighty advance
of socialist economy the na-
tional income in the, USSR is
constantly growing and the
well-being of the working
people is improving. National
income increased in 1951 by
12 percent in -comparable
‘prices over 1950...

“Still greater thas become
the purchasing power of,the
Soviet ruble, real wages and
salaries and incomes of peas-
ants have again risen and the
sale of goods to the popula-
tion has further expanded.

“The economic develop-
ment plan approved ‘by the
government for 1952 provides

. for further increase in in-

dustrial and agricultural out-
put, a large building program
and higher living standards

_ for the working people..

“In his interview to the
Pravda correspandent in Feb-
ruary 1951, J. V. Stalin point-
ed out ‘that: ‘No state not ex-
cluding the Soviet, state, can
develop its civilian industry
to ‘the full, undertake huge
construction works like the
hydro-electric stations ‘on the
Volga, the Dnieper and the
Amu-Darya, which require
tens of billions in budgetary
outlays, continue a policy of
systematically reducing the
prices of articles of mass
consumption which likewise -

These picture charts shuw some of the indust..:..
progress made in the U.S.S.R. last year. Left, rolled
metal output increased 15 percent. Above, iron output
went up 14 percent. Overall, industrial production in-
creased 16 percent in 1951 over the previous year. New
budget adopted March 6 sets aside only 23.9 percent of
budget for national defense. (Canadian lie was 52

requires tens of ‘billions in
budgetary outlays and invest -
hundreds ‘of billions in the re-
habilitation of the national
economy shattered by the
German invaders, and at the
same time simultaneously |
with this, enlarge its armed
forces and expand its war in-
dustry.’

“The overwhelming bulk of
the state budgetary funds are
this year, like in preceding
postwar years, directed to
financing the national econ- ©
omy and culture. Allocations
for the country’s defense
constitute 23.9 percent of
state budgetary  disburse- '
ments. It is likewise particu-
Jarly essential to note that
the bulk of revenues under
the Soviet budget, comes
from socialist enterprises and

_ organizations. Taxes from
the population contribute but
9.3 percent of the 1952 budget

revenues... :

(Note: The Canadian ‘bud-
get for 1951 appropriated 52
percent of the total for war
‘preparations. The U.S. figure
is over 70 percent).

“Under ‘the leadership of
the Party ‘of Lenin and Stalin,
the Soviet people are steadily
marching forward along the
road of the further mighty
advance of the socialist econ-
omy and culture and are
scoring new successes in the
building of communism.”

it must not go to war. Actually,
the NATO arms program is de-
signed to ‘build up armaments
for the purpose of actually go-
ing to war under ‘conditions

which are set forward in the~

NATO agreement.

‘What are those conditions, in
essence? They are described as
“internal aggression,” that is to
say, the efforts of any people in
any one of the NATO fbloc coun-
tries to change their social sys-
tem, or even their form of gov-
ernment.

On March 17 the daily press
announced that the US. Ambas-
sador to Greece, John E. Peuri-
foy, had publicly instructed ‘the
‘government of Greece (a NATO

member) not to adopt #e pro- ~
portional representation system.

of elections. The reason is ob-
vious. In fascist Greece a pro-

‘portional representation system

of election could provide a
means of electing democrats and
anti-fascists. Hence, as part of
the NATO technique, the U.S.
openly intervenes to prevent
“internal aggression,” even if
that “aggression”’ takes at the
moment the form of electoral
reform.

The “theory” behind this
thinking is that any social re-
form which leads to overdue
changes in forms of government
and social systems—in other
words, any declaration of na-
tional independence by the peo-

_ ple of any country—is the result

‘of “interference ‘by the Soviet
Union.” No iprogress must be
made except that which is dic-
tated, or in the service of U.S.
imperialism. But that is ho kind
of progress at all.

The aim of NATO is to pre-
serve the failing powers of im-
perialist rule, and to bring the
new edition of the “Anti-Com-
intern Axis” up to high armed
strength.

The consequences of this for
Canada are plain.

First of all, NATO robs this
country of its economic, mili-

tary and diplomatic freedom of
action.

Second, it takes out of the
hands of parliament the deci-
sion as to the declaration of
war, and instead provides for
an automatic commitment to
war; thus the supremacy of
parliament iis sAbverted by the
Canadian government.

Third, it commits this country
to an arms race which can only
lead to war if it is not checked.

Fourth, it violates the national
security of Canada ‘by giving to
a foreign power, the US., con-
trol of this country’s military
policies.

Fifth, it authorizes direct U.S.
intervention in Canada should
Canada decide to vote into pow-
er a people’s government. :

M. J. Coldwell and the CCF.
National Council, in condemn-
ing the new Lisbon NATO
agreement as “irresponsible,”
were voicing the feelings of the
vast majority of the members
and supporters of the CCF. It
is a statement to be welcomed.

But unless ‘the "CCF leaders g°
a step farther and break w ith
the whole concept of NATO,
they will in effect be acting as

a “lightning conductor” for the

: government, and not as part of

the growing opposition to the
subordination 'of Canada to the
U.S.

The impi@tance of the CCF
statement has been emphasized
by Tim Buck. It cannot be
underestimated. The reply of
Lester B. Pearson was so ul
eonvincing and contradictory
that *eyen the Conservative
press, notably the Toronto Globe
and Mail, had to lambaste him
and ask for a secret session of
the House of Commons so that
all the facts about Lisbon could
be given by Pearson. ;

Underneath all this discussio?
by political leaders, of. course;

is the growing realization DY a7

Canadians that NATO js an ec
onomic burden and military
menace which strikes at the

very heart of interests of the

Canadian people.

SOE)BY) 10) SME S22 ST aye we eene

Roosevelt was suspicious
of Winston Churchill's aims

Suspicious of Winston Churchill's plans to fight a political
war with an eye on post-war power, President Roosevelt pro
posed a meeting alone with Stalin in 1943. Z

This is revealed in the third and last volume of the Presi-
dent’s letters, The Roosevelt Letters.

Early in 1943 Roosevelt became increasingly disturbed by

Churchill’s reluctance to open a second front in

Europe.

Western

On May 5 he wrote to Stalin and sent Ambassador Davies
to Moscow in order to deliver the letter to the Soviet leader in

person.

The President sae for “an informal and completely —
simple visit for a few days between you and me.”
_ Discussing a suitabl spot for the meeting, he suggested
the Behring Straits, which separate America and the Soviet

Union in the north.

(mmm AEE A wi

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 28, 1952 — PAGE 4