They prepare

for the war |

Hitler wanted

UST like Hitler before them,
Site imperialists hate the Soviet

Union above all else.

They hate her because there
the ‘superiority of the socialist
system over the capitalist system
shines for all to see, and because
they feel themselves beaten in
advance in any peaceful compe-
tition between the two systems.

In France, where ruling cir-
cles are making propaganda of
positively: indecent proportions to
popularize the Marshall plan as
a result of the policy of freezing
wages, the life of the workers
becomes more and more miserable.

In Britain, as in France, the
workers have fought -for wage
increases,

And when the Labor govern-—

ment sent troops to unload ships -

during the London dock strike
last summer, it was behaving ex-
actly like the former French min-
ister of the interior, the ‘‘Socia-
list”” Jules Moch.. ‘

It is no accident that the

right-wing Socialist leaders, trying
everywhere to play the role of

loyal guardians of capitalism, do

not hesitate to use » repression
against the working-class move-
-ment,

Such ° procedures are part of
the preparations for war against
the Soviet Union, against the
People’ s Democracies, and. also
against the international labor and
democratic movement.

Churchill, and many other in-
dividuals like him, would have
liked to see the Soviet Union
emerge from the war hopelessly
weakened and forced to bend to
the will of the imperialists.

But it didn’t happen, and the ©

Soviet Union, despite her terrible
losses, is reviving under the lea-
dership of the Bolshevik _party.
and Stalin with
speed. ‘

They dente’ fear slumps or un-

employment’ — those shameful
diseases of capitalism. Over

there, atomic energy is used for.

peaceful purposes.
In contrast to that, President
Truman in the United States has
filled. the world for months on
end with frenzied atomic black-
mail..

At the present time. we dave
a stern struggle in France for

the banning of the. atom bomb.
That campaign, organised by

the French section of, the World

Peace Movement, gathers together
in one fight —’ professors, teach-
ers, artists, peasants, shopkeepers
and naturally the workers, who
ate hescling: this magnificent fight

extraordinary

By:
JACQUES DUCLOS

TRUMAN

for life.

Also in France we have to
struggle not only against the dan-

‘ger of aggressive war on the

Soviet Union, but against the
Vietnam (Indochina) war.

French dockers, railwaymen

-. and seamen are waging a coura-

geous fight against this war by
refusing to load or handle war
material destined for Vietnam and
by demanding the recall of the

expeditionary force.
“We do not want our country ‘

to fight an unjust war — a war
which in any event is lost in ad-
vance.

For it is all very well for the
Emperor Bao Dai to be recog-
nised by certain governments in-
cluding the Britsh Labor govern-
ment, but he will be defeated by
the Vietnam people all the same.

The workers who object to
handling war’ equipment for Viet-
nam have also decided not to®un-
load or move the American arms
arriving in France.

The people of France tie
to provide the infantry of the
Westen Bloc for the greater
profit of the American billion-
aires and their associates in other
capitalist countries.

The people of France are with
the French Communist party and
its general secretary, Maurice
Thorez, in declaring good and
loud that they will not, that they

will never make war on the Soviet
Union.

The rulers of France who
“coldly anticipate fighting an ally
such as the Soviet Union»are not

GUIDE TO GOOD READING

Angry war novel

ED Calmer has written a

gripping novel of the last
war. The target of his The
Strange Land, which is the May
selection of the Book Union,
are such men as Major-General
Mallon who, out of lust for
power and callous disregard for
his men’s lives, drives them in-
to an offensive for which they
are under-manned and unpre-
pared; John C. Wexel, Hearst-
ian foreign correspondent who
plays Mallon’s game and who
tours the front only for copy
wherewith to discredit an anti-
fascist war, and Lt. Phelan;
brutal officer who was a labor
spy before the war and who
weighs joining the FBI or go-
ing in for strikebreaking after-
ward.

He takes us through six eon-
secutive days of an Allied of-
fensive against the Seigfried
Line in the autumn of 1944, We
see the
thoughts and words of 12 dif-
ferent Americans at all levels
of the war machine.

Amidst the mud and rain, in
the direct language of the GI
and his immediate superiors
the stark realism of war ok
portrayed.

We feel directly the suffer-
ings and anguish of the front-
line soldier.

Calmer shows us the enor-
mous separation which exists

war through the -

between the “brass-hats” living
safely in Paris and the ordi-
nary soldiers at the front. Out
of The Strange Land there
emerges an unmistakable pic-
ture of corruption and decad-
ence in high places, fighting a
war against fascism which it
so closely resembled.

Calmer has shown us this
strange land which is war. In
many respects it is reminiscent
of All Quiet on the Western
Front. In Calmer’s novel a hew
element is added. It is the
desire of the ordinary soldier
to live a better life than he
did before the war. Becausé
in the extreme inequalities of
sacrifice he has begun to see
the real meaning of American
“democracy.” He has begun to
realize that the class relation-
ships on the battlefield are only
a microcosm of his former life
at home.

We know today that war is
not inevitable. Such a book as
this strengthens our determin-
ation to win the battle for
peace. Canadian boys who
fought so courageously in the
last war know full well the ~
consequences for themselves
and for Canada, if we are
thrown into a third world war
by the “Mallon type” generals,
who can’t wait for ba to happen”
again.

— JANE MATHEWS.

particular when it comes to a

_ choice of methods.

They did not worry themselves
aboutthe dignity of France when
they agreed to place the General
Headquarters of the Brussels,
Treaty Powers at ateapeicnn
under foreign command.

And the leader \of that head- —
quarters whom I will not name.
but whom you know well enough,

The comics-they'll kill you

By PATRICK GOLDING
LONDON

SI newsprint and paper supplies

improve in Britain, huge Amer-
ican syndicates are laying plans
for a full-scale invasion which will
make Britain safe for American
illiteracy. .* ‘

If they have their way, every
British newspaper will devote a

‘large. proportion of its space to

American comic _ strips, and

American-style “comic books” will
dominate every newsstand.

Strips which are now no more
than a ‘passing diversion will be-
come, by force of numbers, a

"dangerous, habit-forming drug.

This has already happened in the
United States. :

When the comic strip crossed
the Atlantic from Germany 50
years ago it was no more than a
harmless novelty with a streak of
cruelty. Parents welcomed an ef-

fective means of keeping ae chil-

dren quiet.

Since then, strips have Secome
a multi-million dollar business.

In the U.S. they appear in daily
papers with a total circulation of
1,500 million a week.

To fill the leisure hours of Sun-
day, the readers of America’s Sun-
day press scan 2,500 million strips.

Every month 18 million comic
- books are sold. In fact, of course,
‘the majority are no longer meant

to be funny, but romantically ex-_

citing. :
When a character in “Terry and

the Pirates” ‘talks about “Iron |

Curtain country, with labor camps
crammed with people from the

_ overwhelmed cities of Europe” the

purpose is quite clear and serious.

Indeed, the Gospels themselves
‘have long ago been passed through
the dope machine to emerge as
adventure stories in the Sunday
supplements, And millions of
American children know the great
masterpieces of English literature
only as strip-stories that were
not as exciting as Little Orphan
Annie.

Twin appeals of the American
comic strip are wish fulfilment
and escapism.

In place of the opium-addict’s
dream the strips offer the eter-—
nally repeated success story of the
“super” man with whom that
frustrated adolescent, Mr. Aver-
age American, can identify him-
self.

Pseudo-scientific fantasies, in-
volving space ships and non-ex-
istent - planets, provide soothing
escape from the unpleasant reali-

ties.

There is a continual harping on
the “super” theme, Superman,
Super Woman and Super Rabbit
compete for popularity with ever |

more prodigious feats of strength’

They are always successful. They
can do anything in the world—
except think.

In the US., of course, even the
supermen of the new mythology
are not entirely disinterested. .

Volto, the man from Mars with
magnetic hands, for instance, is”
careful to confess at the end of
each amazing exploit that what
makes him a little more. capable
than the next man is Grape Nuts
—apparently a popular Martian

preakfast food. ,

Each “comic” book 2 ae in-
cludes an advertisement in which
some muscle-bound giant offers
the reader a Body Like His in
five easy lessons costing only One
Dollar.

‘And a sidelight on the average

age of American comic , readers —

is provided by an advertisement
in a publication called Kid Komies
offering a patent medicine making

* for a “Slimmer, Lovelier You in

Just 30 Days.” All the “satisfied
users” quoted are married women.

Birth of a comic strip charac-
ter takes place at a conference of
big business executives,

A “Code of the Comics” is ap-

' plied to ensure that no powerful

section of opinion is offended. A
psychologist is on hand to advise

‘ just what effect the new strip

will have on the public mind.

And the new “super” character
evolved by a handful of unknown
men may exert more influence on
the American mind than id a
dozen universities.

For some years America’s comic ©

strip syndicates have been work-
ing hard to conquer new worlds
for the American substitute for
culture. At give-away prices edi-
tors have found it hard to resist
temptation, and American strips,
in 30 languages, appear in more
than 1,000 newspapers pulae the
United States.

But so far they have not com-
pletely conquered the British peo-
ple, and we most recognize this
dope invasion for the menace it
is—and fight it off.

~ x

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 26, 1950—PAGE 5 _

defined his war aims when he _
(The reference is to Field c

said:
Marshal Montgomery).

“The enemy is Communism,
which is a religion and is anti-
Christian.

““As a Christian soldier I de-
clare myself an enemy of Com
munism and all it stands for. It
is my view that the nations of

the West are today at war with
Communism, It is often called

the cold mar, bet is none the

less war...

Well, we do not want to ret- :

um either to the Crusades or to
the days of the religious wars.
And when the U.S. Congress-

man Clarence Cannon dares to .

say:
“In the next war we must
equip the soldiers of other na-

tions and let them send their boys

into the holocaust so we won't

have to send our boys,”

. we reply to him, and to

BEVIN :
dine thos bak Wks ‘hens

refusé to be your mercenariés.

France will not fight your war. —

We must prevent war at any
We in France know that.

price.

our country would be destroyed _

if such a catastrophe were to

occur,

be spared.

That is why I call on you to 26

unite to defend’ peace.

@ From a speech to British wore :
els, made by Jacques Duclos,

secr:tary of the French Com-
munist parity. ;

Acnd ix aa Wael onetpelaiy to: ae
add that Britain too would not —