ty:

The 1.8 million member Can- dian Labor Congress on Oct. 3 described Canada’s recognition of Chile’s military junta as a ‘hard blow against the growth of democratic institutions in

tin America” and urged that Credit and aid be withheld until a return of democracy in Chile.

The CLC would have hoped that this recognition could have been withheld at least till the

lunta made a firm commitment '

to a prompt return to civilian @Nd democratic rule,” CLC Ex- _ &tutive Vice-President Joseph Morris commented in a letter Addressed to Mitchell Sharp, ‘Secretary of state for external affairs,

While it understands that the Tecognition does not imply any Particular attitude to the new Tegime and that its sole purpose

1S to assure the safety and in- terest of Canadians and “many _ Other persons affected,” the CLC

- BULLETS

BALLOTS

- Halt Chile credit: CLC

said it hopes the Canadian gov- ernment will make similar haste to “assure the safety of the 13,000 refugees who had made Chile a haven. from militarism in other Latin American coun- tries.”

The CLC also urged the Can- adian government to take a “strong, effective and visible role” in urging the continuation of the international credit freeze that had helped make the coup possible. “If the freely-elected Allende government was judged to lack ‘credit worthiness’ how much more harshly should the judgment (of international finan- cial institutions) be on the ‘trustworthiness’ of this gov- ernment imposed on the people of Chile,” the CLC said.

“Credit and aid to Chile should only be restored when the military return to their bar- racks and civilian. democratic rule is restored,” the CLC urged.

REPLACE IN CHILE

On September 11th damor racy was dealt a deadly blow in Chile when the rmultary junta ousted the democratically elected government of

peeador Allende, The nght wing within Chile, suoported by foreign concerns such as ITT. Anaconda and Kennecott. could not tolerate the waded the Allende government to bring about a better distribution of the nch resources of the country for its people, to free the country the predatory grip of those and other multi-national corporations, to extend hberties and human rights

The junta has launched a reign ct terror, It has systematically stripped the Chilean people of all democratic. legal, human and trade union

rights with mass arrests, summary executions, denial of sate conduct

Newspapers, abrogation of the Constitution.

to politycal refugees, illegalization of political partes, suporession ot

Canadians through their organizations and as indiduals have written, wired and phoned the Federal Government to make clear ther ODEEition to Fecognition of this illegal junta, and their conviction that Canada should open its doors to all those who are endangered by its

ee Canadian Gouncil of Churches, as well as the Catholic, Anglican and United Church leaders. the Canadian Labor Congress (CLC). the ingasderation of National Trade Unions (CNTUD. the Quebec Federation of Labor (QFL), the Quebec Teachers Federation (CEQ). have all cated their opposition to recognition and have urged the opening of our borders to retugees from Chile.”

We urge alt democratic organizations and individuals to join in asking the Canadian government:

= to withhold recognition trom the illegally constituted junta *

* toimmediately offer tull asylum, sate conduct and assistance to all persons seeking refuge trom Chile, whether Chilean nationals or

relugees trom foreign countries residing in Chile

™ toappea! to the United Nations to take appropriate action to guarantee human nights to all persons in Chile, especially political prisoners:

20d foreign exiies

(this ad was before Canadian recognition, and is co

by the as a protest)

We ask you to join this plea by matling the message below to the Prime Minvster.

House: of Toronto: L. T. Gardner, Univere Inwversity:

ee than 450 Canadians pro- Suan in the labor movement, Universities and: progressive 3i democratic ‘organizations 8Ned their name to the follow- 3 half-page ad, sponsored by Sot nedian Committee for Chil idarity with Democratic €, which appeared in the Globe issue of the Toronto Was & Mail. Also attached : @ petition inviting readers peceas their support for the noe of Chile by mailing it to me Minister Trudeau.

Under the headi eading “BULLETS REPLACE BALLOTS IN CHI- + the text went as follows:

ae September 11th demo-

Chile was dealt a death blow in oust een the military junta ed. eee democratically elect- lende €tnnient of Salvador Al- Chile’ pihe right-wing within Cems Upported by foreign con- and K Such as ITT, Anaconda ate fhe ccott, could not toler- 80Vern, efforts of the Allende better Ment to bring about a Tesour distribution of the rich pe Bk, of the country for its at the re free the country from

Other atory grip of those and tions, multinational corpora-

to extend li Uman minha. id liberties and

Reign of Terror

reign’ Junta has launched a tically terror. It has systema- Dle gp sipped the Chilean peo- ra all democratic, legal, With ard trade union rights execu arrests, summary es ns, denial of safe con- Political refugees, ille-

galization of political parties, suppression of newspapers, ab- rogation of the Constitution . . =

Describing the actions of Canadians and their organiza- tions in protesting the coup, the ad urged the Canadian gov- ernment:

—to withhold recognition from the illegally constituted junta —

—to immediately offer full asylum, safe conduct and assist- ance to all persons seeking re- fuge from Chile, whether Chi- lean nationals or refugees from foreign countries residing in Chile

—to appeal to the United Na- tions to: take appropriate action to gurantee human rights to all persons in Chile, especially poli- tical prisoners and foreign exiles.

Widely Representative

Among the names appearing were David Archer, OFL presi- dent; John Evans, President of the University of Toronto; George Hutchens, president, Canadian’ Division, IUE; Dennis McDermott, vice-president and Canadian Director, UAW; C. Ss. Jackson, president, UE; Toronto Alderpersons Kilbourn, Heap, Chisholm, Goldrick, Thomas and Sewell; Harry Arthurs, Dean, Osgood Hall; Father Gregory Baum; Floyd Honey, Canadian Council of Churches; Northrop Frye; composer Harry Freed- man; singer Mary Morrison, William Kashtan, Communist Party of Canada..and many, many more.

“Today’s prisons will be tomorrow’s vic- tory!”

These words, this spirit and this faith of Pablo’ Neruda are lending heart to the be- trayed and bleeding people of Chile. Men and women can look their executioners firmly in the eye, accuse the judges of the military junta from the dock, keep fighting while terror rages around them, because they know that the hour of the triumph of the “infernal predators . . . incited by the wolves of New York” is short, that the day of final victory will not be long delayed.

The first poet of the Americas was in hospital when the military chiefs betrayed their pledge of loyalty and attacked the President’s palace. The dread killer cancer was destroying his body. Even as his friend the Socialist President Allende courageous- ly faced his assassins, so the.Communist

Senator Neruda penned lines that live and .

battle as so many regiments in the cause of democracy and socialism. The Yankee bosses this time did not send in their marines, only their dollars and weapons, to rape Chile. Neruda once wrote a warning and it applies fully to the lackeys of the U.S. billionaires today:

But if you arm your hosts, North America, to destroy this pure border and send the Chicago slaughterer .. to govern the music and order which we love, we will emerge from stones and air to bite you, we will emerge from the last window to fire upon you, we will emerge from the deepest waves to stab you with thorns,

we will emerge from the furrows so

that the seed can smash like a Colombian fist, we will emerge to deny you bread and water, j we will emerge to burn you in hell.

Born 69 years ago in a railroader’s fam- ily in Southern Chile, he began writing poetry in his teens, adopting as his pen- name the surname of the patriotic Czech writer Jan Neruda, whose works he ad- mired. Appointed Chilean consul in Ran- goon, he remained in the Far East from 1927 to 1932. Assigned to a diplomatic post in Spain in 1934, when the fascists attacked the Republican government he en- listed as a civilian soldier to defend Span- ish democracy, wrote a series of poems later published under the title, Spain in the Heart. ;

After a stint as Chilean consul in Mexico in the 1940’s, he returned to Chile, was elected senator by the saltpeter mine work- ers and joined the Communist Party, later elected to its Central Committee. When the People’s Front government in 1948 was

i | Poems of life and battle 4

betrayed by Gonzales Videla, who outlaw- ed the Communist Party, Neruda stood up in the senate and declared in ringing tones: “I greet all the Communists of Chile, women and men, persecuted, downtrodden, and I greet them and tell them: Our Party is immortal. It was born in answer to the sufferings of the people and this hounding only exalts it and makes it stronger.”

Years of underground activity to topple the reactionary regime followed, years of involuntary éxile from his beloved native land of which he wrote:

In my country they jail miners

and soldiers give orders to judges.

But I love even the roots

in my small country,

if I had to die a thousand times over

it is there I would die,

if I had to be born a thousand times over it is there I would be born...

Well, the people of Chile in 1970 were victorious over the traitors and their over- seas bosses. But their victory has once again been drenched in blood. Pablo Neru- da, laureate of the Lenin Prize and Nobel Prize winner, was nominated by the Com- munist Party of Chile for the presidency in 1970, but his candidature was withdrawn to unite behind the Socialist nominee, Sal- vador Allende. They won and the Popular Unity Front government was formed. Now we have a new betrayal and a new blood- bath.

Pablo Neruda is dead. He died fighting, and his name, like the name of Allende, his fiery words are fighting on. The people of Chile will win again and this time the vic- tory will be secure.

The vile military, who probably killed him even as they murdered Allende, de- stroyed the poet’s effects, including his un- published poems. But they can’t destroy what he lived and what he wrote over all the years. The Chilean people are immortal. The Communist Party is immortal. And within that context Pablo Neruda is im- mortal.

J.W.

ee

7

I Demand Punishment

An excerpt from the poem, The Dead In the Square, writ- ten by Neruda in 1946 when an- other junta took power. It has been described as “probably the most powerful poem of denun- ciation ever composed in Span- ish.” ;

In the name of these our dead

I demand punishment.

For those who spattered our fatherland with blood

I demand punishment.

For him by whose command | this crime was done

I demand punishment.

For the traitor who clambered to power over, those, bodies

I demand punishment.

I do not want to shake hands all around and forget;

I do not want to touch their blood-stained hands;

I want punishment.

I do not want them sent off somewhere as ambassadors

nor covered up here at home until it blows over.

I want to see them judged, here, in the open air, in this very spot.

I want to see them punished.

Mother of Free Men

An excerpt from Neruda’s poem, Let the Rail Splitter Awake.

Soviet Union, if we could gather

up

,

all the blood spilled in your struggles,

all you have as a mother to the world

so that freedom, dying, might live,

we would have a new ocean

larger than any other

deeper than any other

vibrant as all rivers

active as the fire of Araucanian volcanoes.

Sing your hand into this sea,

man of every nation,

then withdraw and drown in it

_ all that has forgotten, outraged,

lied and stained,

all that joined the hundred small cars

of the Western dump-heap

and insulted your blood,