Coiirs house picketed as Communist trial opens

Hundreds of New Yorkers staged this signless demonstration as the trial of 12 U.S. Communist

leaders opened at the federal court house.

Four hundred policemen—the

largest police detail ir

American court history—were assigned to the trial, an action that was strongly protested by defense counsel as creating an atmosphere of intimidation. Both the Civil Rights Congress and the American Civil Liberties Union have warned that the trial of the Communist leaders for alleged conspiracy K to advocate Marxist views is a dangerous threat to traditional American freedom of thought and

Speech,

Thousands of protests have come from almost every country.

Right-wing U.S., British labor heads carty ‘cola war’ policies into WFIU

By ISRAEL EPSTEIN

—NEW YORK

James B. Carey of the CIO and Arthur Deakin of the British Trades Union ‘Congress have an- nounced that they are taking their organizations out of the World. Federation of Trade Unions, thus severing 16 million American and British organized workers from over 60 million others represented in

the organization. _

The WFTU was founded in Oc- tober 1945 tosunite labor through- Cut the world. Among the aims Stated in its unanimously approved constitution and founding resolu- tion were the following:

@ To combat war and the. causes of war and work for a stable and enduring peace; to organize the struggle of unions in all countries against all en- croachments on the economic and social rights of the workers and democratic liberties (and) for se- curity and full employment.

® To imbue the working people with the spirit of international solidarity and labor unity in the struggle for the speediest and most complete eradication of the

- remnants of fascism; to strength-

en trade union unity and reso- lutely to combat all those who might attempt to disrupt this unity and to weaken or divide the forces of the working people.

At its first.conference Carey said the WEFTU was “the consumma- ‘tion of the dearest wishes” of CIO president Philip Murray. “Our participation in international af- fairs will not be on a 50 percent basis,” Carey promised. “We intend to assume full responsibility to our Own members and the workers of the world.”

In the years that followed, the WFTU carried out protests and demonstrations against oppression of labor in fascist Spain, Greece and Portugal in Europe; China, In- dia, Iran, Malaya, Burma, Indon- €sia and Ceylon in Asia; Brazil, Chile and Argentina iin Latin Am- erica, and Egypt and the Sudan in Africa.

It also mobilized world unions in protests against the Taft-Hartley law in the U.S.

While the WETU acted jointly on these matters of common in- terest, it has not infringed on the autonomy of member organ- izations, which had full inde- pendence in home politics. The srowing split in the WFTU was a@ result of external issues intro- duced into the movement by the policies of the “cold war.”

The rift in the world body be- gan in early 1948, when British and American delegates tried to swing it behind the Marshall plan. This Was opposed not only by Soviet

and Chinese delegates, but also by the French and Italians.

Soviet trade union president Vas- sili Kuznetzov then told Carey in compromise discussions: “Soviet un- ions do not object to economic as- sistance by one country to an- other, including of course U. S. help. They do oppose any condi- tions leading to the economie and political subjugation of countries receiving help. Unions cannot be forbidden to vote either for 6r against the Marshall plan with- out undermining trade union unity.”

At a meeting of the WFTU exe- cutive in Rome in May 1948, a compromise was reached, reaffirm- ing the autonomy of?all members. The organization was saved large- ly through the appeals of union leaders both within and outside its ranks. Typically, president Kazuy- oshi Dobashi of the 400,000-strong Japanese Communications Work- ers’ Union urged CIO president Philip Murray to “take every pos- sible measure to prevent tragic dis- ruption of world labor unity repre- sented by the WFTU, produced by labor’s realization for international labor solidarity after World War Two, which caused workers innum- erable sacrifices.”

The final crisis was precipitated by the demand of the CIO and TUC that the WFTU “suspend its activi- ties” for one year because of the strained state of international pol- itics, meaning preparation for World War Three. The demand was rejected by the majority of WFTU delegates, who remained loyal to the constitutional provi- sions that required the world body to do everything to fight war trends.

The CIO and TUC, heavily in- volved in “selling” the Marshall plan and Truman doctrine, now wish to form a new ‘world’ labor group committed to these policies,

The only other WFTU group sup- porting the, CIO-TUC move is the right-wing Dutch trade union fed- eration, which has refused to pro- test Dutch aggression in Indonesia. The company is poor. No other is available for such a manoeuver, In the meantime, the majority of the WFTU unions has decided to carry on, trying as always to bring U.S. and British workers back into the world fraternity.

Make a profit-- in war or peace

NEW YORK

One of the leading U.S. stock market services has issued a two- part confidential report adwising: its subscribers how to make money out of war or peace.

For two dollars, the subscribers can obtain a special supplement issued by Spear: and Staff, of Bab- son Park, Massachusetts.

The first part advises the client how to play the market in the

event of war, the second lists 24 stocks due for a “sizzling, big pro- fit rally” if it turns out to be peace.

Marshall policies cut standards of British workers

The British press has latterly to Britain’s economic difficulties.

Sir Stafford Cripps held out alluring prospects provided .

—LONDON

been devoting considerable attention In a recent speech in Manchester,

labor

productivity increased and exports were expanded.

Britain’s economic problems, however, are more complicated than the apologists of British policy make it appear. Although three years have passed since the war ended, Britain has not emerged from a state

of grave eccnomic crisis.

This is not the usual economic crisis that

occurs regularly every eight or ten years in capitalist countries, it js

a crisis of the very system of British capitalism.

For decades, the vast income de- rived from exploitation of the col- onies and other countries, from shipping, and from commercial and banking operations, enabled Brit- ain to buy on the world market

much more that she sold. After the |’

war ended this income dropped to such an extent that for the first time in many years Britain was faced with the need to balance her imports and exports to avoid total economic disaster.

But how is this equilibrium to be achieved? By cutting down im- ports and increasing exports so that the gap between the two will be at least reduced if not altot gether eliminated, British ruling circles maintain.

To this end, they declare, it is necessary to consume less and pro- duce more. “We must tighten our belts and export our products’— this motto is now widely current in Britain. :

The situation in Britain is ag- gravated further by the technical backwardness of her industry. Between the two world wars un- employment figures in Britain were very high and industry did not work to capacity. Yet instead of modernizing their plants, big business cut workers’ wages in order to preserve its profits.

The war added stiil more to the technical backwardness of British industry and laid an additional strain on its equipment. In order to modernize industry large sums must be invested in the purchase of equipment in the U.S. Unless this is done the reorganization process

will be dragged out over a long period.

It was for this purpose that Bri- tain obtained a loan of $3,750 mil- lion from the U.S. in 1946. The money was to be spent primarily on the purchase in_ industrial equipment over a period of five years, by the end of which time the reorganization of industry was to have been completed. :

Lindbergh back: in Berlin

Firster,” still has a Nazi medal

Goering.

Charles A. Lindbergh (left) is greeted in Neubiberg, Germany, by Col, Clarence Edwinson, U.S. air force base commander. Lind. bergh was sent to inspect the Berlin airlift and serve ad a special adviser on technical affairs. The last “expert advice” he handed out was back in 1941 when he said the Russians couldn’t last six weeks against the Germans. Lindbergh, a notorious “America given him by the late Herman

PACIFIC TRIBUNE —

*

However, the loan was virtually used up in one year to cover the heavy costs of the labor govern- ment’s foreign policy. Britain herself with a huge dollar debt, which is growing steadily.

British ruling circles are realiz- ing more and more that the Mar- shall plan is not giving them the breathing spell they require and that the U.S. has no intention of helping to modernize British in- dustry, which it regards as a com- petitor.

Instead of improving the situ- ation, the policy pursued by the right wing leaders of the labor government is leading the coun- try even further into an impasse. While practically no progress has been made in the past three years in the problem of modernizing British industry, the govern- ment’s foreign policy is steadily rising and recent war measures, increasing the numerical strength of the army, doubling the air force —are laying an added burden on the country.

British industrial output in 1947 was 7 percent lower than in 1937, and only 4 percent higher than that of 1913. Inasmuch as the popula- tion of Britain has increased by approximately 15 percent between 1913 and 1947, output per capita in 1947 was considerably below that of 1913. :

Britain was able to prepare for the second’ world war by drawing on her huge income from exploit- ing the colonies and other coun- tries, Although her financial posi- tion had already been seriously undermined, she could still manage to make ends meet. The new mili- tarization of the country is taking place at a time when Britain’s finances are’ seriously undermined, her assets abroad sharply demin- ished and debts mounted.

Where will she be able to ob- tain the funds needed to cover her huge military expenditures?

The only possible source, since production is not growing, is to reduce consumption, intensify the exploitation of labor and make further inroads into the liv- ing standard of the working peo- ple. This is the source from which the British ruling circles intend to derive the funds needed to continue the armament race.

It is not by chance that Labor leaders are talking so much about the need to boost labor productiv- ity, which merely means further exploitation of. the workers. It is the working people of Britain prim- arily, as well as the workers who will have to cover the huge mili- tary expenditures. #

Labor ministers are pinning their hopes on boosting exports. In every public speech they make a point of stressing Britain’s export achievements.

The facts, however, show that Britain’s .export opportunities in the Marshall plan countries are narrowing steadily.

. Under the pressure of American Teactionary circles, the Labor gov-

ernment is hampering the develop- ment of Britain’s trade with the people’s democracies, a policy which will merely aggravate the country’s economis straits,

Yet the fact remains that only by a radical change ‘in govern-

.mental policy based on the devel-

opment of trade with the new de- mocracies can Britain’s economic position be improved.

JANUARY 28, 1949 — PAGE 3