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COMMUNISTS URGE PEARSON:

TORIAL

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On razor’s edge

merican escalation of the war in Vietnam has brought

the world dangerously close to the razor’s edge be-
tween peace and war. The seriousness of the present situa-
tion should cause all peace-loving citizens to act NOW
to stop President Johnson’s war of aggression against the
Vietnamese people,

Last week marked the 12th anniversary of the Geneva
Agreements on Vietnam, which were adopted on July 20,
1954. These agreements provided for recognition of the
independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of
Vietnam. The agreements called for elections in both zones
in 1956 with a view to peaceful reunification of the country.

The agreements strictly prohibited any foreign interference
in the country’a affairs; the disembarkation of foreign troops
or military personnel; the landing of arms and ammunition:
the setting up of any foreign military bases. The U.S. at
the time undertook to ‘‘abstain from use of threats or force’’
to undermine the agreements.

The U.S. government has repeated over and over again
that it must “live up to its commitments.’’ Well, here is
one commitment President Johnson has violated with the
same arrogance as Adolph Hitler used to do, The present
position of the U.S. in Vietnam shows how far they have
gone in violating the terms of the Geneva agreements,
which still remain the most favorable terms for peace.

The latest actions in President Johnson’s war against
the people of Vietnam show that the President is now the
leader of the hawks in Washington. He has left no doubt
that his intention is to continue to escalate the war until
Vietnam surrenders to U.S, military might or is destroyed
—even if this engulfs the whole world in the flames of ther-
monuclear war. His hand must be stayed.

Here are some things you can and should do:

e Write or wire Prime Minister Pearson demanding
that he dissociate Canada from the U.S. aggression in Viet-
nam and halt the shipment of all materials used by the U.S.
in the war against Vietnam,

e Urge the Federal government to increase and extend
medical and humanitarian aid to all parts of Vietnam, instead
of limiting its aid as at present only to the Saigon regime.

e Send a donation at once to the Canadian Aid for Viet-
nam Civilians, P.O, Box 2543 — Vancouver 3 for more
drugs, medicines, bandages, etc., which are now more ur-
gently needed than ever before.

e Support the giant ‘‘Hands-Across-the-Border’’ rally at
the Peace Arch, Saturday, August 6 to demonstrate for an
end to the war in Vietnam. Make this the biggest peace rally
in B.C.’s history,

*tindignation*’,

he Pentagon warhawks are
putting on a fine show of
They are ‘‘pro-
deacons,

which a world court at Nurem-
berg hanged as war criminals,
look like pious Sunday school

testing’* Hanoi’s alleged parad-
ing of captured U.S. airforce
banditti through -the streets of
that ancient city, and the pos-
sibility (fully justified) of putting
these maurading killers on trial
as war criminals.

U.S. spokesman W, Averell
Harriman is quoted as saying
that ‘‘so far there has been no
bitterness on the part of the
American government against
North Vietnam ... ’* but if
these parades and trials of cap-
tured U.S. forces as war crimi-
nals continue, then North Viet-
nam had better look out,

In addition to these Pentagon
threats from Harriman, Rusk,
McNamara and company, they
charge Hanoi with ‘breaking’’
international covenants on the
treatment of war prisoners, Such
brazen arrogance is almost be-
yond the capacity of decent people
to stomach and makes the Nazi
Goering-Himmler-Goebbels gang

. Vietnam,

Some hard facts to keep in
mind: Harriman says Washing-
ton bears ‘‘no bitterness”’ against
North Vietnam and its people’’
yet daily in the greatest con-
centration of aerial bombing, sur-
passing that of World War Il,
tens of thousands of tons of
death-dealing bombs, chemicals,
napalm, etc., are showered upon
the lands, industries, hospitals,
schools and people of North Viet-
nam, Last Thursday, accord-
ing to an AP report, the U.S.
airforce ‘‘flew a record 114
multi-plane missions’’ into North
That’s a lot of death
and destruction for one day—
and there have been many such,
illustrating Washington’s way of
demonstrating ‘‘no bitterness’’,

Then there is the Prisoner of
War Convention on the treatment
of captured war personnel, U.S,
imperialism didn’t sign that con-

- vention, just as it didn’t sign

‘Make U.S. firmscomply _
with laws of Canada’

A demand that the Canadian
government act at once to make
all foreign corporations and com-
mercial enterprises subject to
Canadian laws was made last
week by the Central Executive
of the Communist Party.

The letter, which was sent to
Prime Minister Pearson and
other government leaders, said
that ‘‘any corporation or enter-
prise which fails to conform to
such Canadian laws has forfeited-
its citizenship rights, and should
be subject to expropriation” -and
should be operated as Crown
property under Canadian owner-
ship and control,

The letter said that “with each
new revelation of abuse, Canadi-
ans are becoming increasingly
alarmed at the extent to which
U.S. corporate interests and ad-
ministrative agencies lay. claim
to, and ipso facto assert extra-

wane”
err ee OTOL EET, (Za

the Hague Convention on the use
of poison gas and chemical war-
fare (which even Hitler respected)
and just as it didn’t sign the 1954
Geneva Agreement guaranteeing
peace to Vietnam, Washington
of course ‘‘pledged’’ to ‘‘respect’’

all such conventions, but only

so long as they didn’t interfere
with its ‘‘Welt Anshaung’’ (World
Outlook) or get in the way of
its aims of world domination.

When they did, Washington, fell
back on the Al Capone policy
of ‘‘rubbing out*’ those who stood
in the way: the only difference
being that while Capone operated
on a city precinct scale, the
Pentagon gangsters operate on
a world scale,

The. -U:S= As --not>-**at-war’*
with Vietnam, North or South.
No ‘‘declaration of war’’ against
Vietnam has ever been made by
the U.S, Congress. Its actions
therefore and that of its‘‘allies’’
are the actions of an international
banditry against a people with
whom they have no quarrel—
and the only ‘‘excuse’’ for its
bandidtry is the same as that
used by Hitler—‘‘Communism’’,

Defending themselves against

this U.S. banditry the people of.

Vietnam North or South, are
under no obligation to treat any
captured despoilers of their
country and people as other than

territorial rights in Canada.”
The letter adds:

E vt

“This issue goes much deeper
and is the result of a deliberate
policy inaugurated by the govern-
ment of Canada with the Abbott
Plan of 1947; a plan which con-
sciously made Canadian econom-
ic development subservient to U.S
corporate power in this country,

“Our party welcomes the patri-
otic awakening. We greet the de-
mand by the Canadian Labor
Congress for a probe into specific
areas of Canada-U,S, economic
relations, This is of crucial im-
portance to the working classand
to the trade unions, as it affects
every sphere of labor-manage-
ment relations,

**To the extent that such a
probe as the CLC proposes will
- contribute to,a fuller apprecia-
tion of U.S, economic domina-

PPP ade

armed bandits, The latter have
no claims on ‘‘prisoner-of-war’’
status, and much less on ‘‘thu-
mane’’ grounds, since their own
inhumanities against the people
of Vietnam area ready known—
and abhorred on a world scale,

Yet while we in Canada may
stand aghast at U.S, barbarities
in Vietnam and the brazen arro-
gance and brain-washing that
pours daily from the U.S. war-
hawks propaganda machine, we
cannot afford to be virtuously
smug in face of this monstrous
crime against another people.
Canada’s hands are also stained
with the blood of a _ tortured
Vietnam,

Last week the U.S. boasted |

seven big Canadian industries
making big profits servicing U.S,
bombers in Vietnam. The Abex

tion and its detrimental effect
upon the economic, social, and
political life of this country, we
heartily support it,

**At the same time, repeated
revelations including the imposi-
tion on Canadian corporations
of U.S, economic guidelines, and
attempts to dictate Canadian
trade and commercial agree-
ments, proves conclusively that,
while probes may be useful, this
is the time when action is called
for, in fact, overdue.*’

Last week the issue of U,S.
subsidiaries operating in Can-.
ada and abiding by the U,S, laws
came up in Parliament when it
was disclosed that three giant
flour milling companies refused
to sell flour to Canadian custom-
ers with whom trade is banned
under. the U.S, Trading with the
Enemy Act, The three companies
are Robin Hood, Quaker Oats and
Pillsbury.

Industries, Canadair, Dominion
Rubber, Hawker-Siddley, Haley
Industries, and Robert Mitchell
Company. There are probably
many more we haven't heard
about,

Canadian workers in these and
other plants engaged in similar
production have a responsibility
—which goes far beyond the “pay
envelope’? issue. A moral re-
sponsibility to Humanity!

Then we have the Pearsons,
Martins, Diefenbakers, Thomp-
sons, et al, government and par-
tisan apologists for U.S, aggres-
sion, slippery, smug and hypo-
critical, who find ready excuses
to ‘‘justify’? U.S. banditry in
Vietnam and elsewhere, There’s
more profits that way—and ‘‘no
bitterness”... . . Just murder,
_and ‘‘good neighbor’’ profits!

Pacific Tribune

Editor — TOM McEWEN
Associate Editor — MAURICE RUSH
Circulation Manager — JERRY SHACK
Published weekly at :
Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St.
Vancouver 4, B.C.
Phone 685-5288
Subscription Rates:

Canada, $5.00 one year; $2.75 for six months. North and South America
and Commonwealth countries, $6.00 one year. All other countries, $7.00
one year. Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department,
Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash.

= July 22, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 2