Political Committee, SWP: Two Statements (May 1945) (original) (raw)

Fourth International, May 1945

Two Statements of the Political Committee of the Socialist Workers Party

From Fourth International, vol.6 No.5, May 1945, pp.138-139.
Transcribed, marked up & formatted by Ted Crawford & David Walters in 2008 for ETOL.

1. On the Internal Situation

All members of the Political Committee, representing both the majority and minority point of view as developed at the Eleventh Party Convention, have jointly discussed the party situation and have unanimously agreed upon the following statement to the party membership.

  1. There are no clearly defined differences at the present time on programmatic questions.
  2. There is no disagreement on the analysis of the situation in the United States and the problems and tasks of the party as outlined in the convention resolution.
  3. The differences on the convention resolution dealing with The European Revolution and the Tasks of the Revolutionary Party are not fundamental in character. The differences, insofar as they have found definite expression thus far, are rather secondary in character and relate primarily to questions of interpretation and emphasis. It remains to be seen whether, in the course of events and further discussion, the present differences will be reconciled in agreement or developed into principled divergences.
  4. There are no concrete organizational questions in dispute at the present time.
  5. There appear to be differences, or tendencies towards differences, on the organization question in general; on the conception of the party, its attitude toward other parties, its methods of functioning and the methods of building it. It remains yet to be seen, however, whether these differences can be reconciled in the course of common work and free discussion, or will be deepened, become more definitive, and require explicit elucidation in conflicting resolutions on the question.
  6. In view of the large area of general agreement, and the limited, and as yet rather undeveloped nature of the disagreements, the PC members of both tendencies – majority and minority – are unanimously of the opinion:
    (a) It is possible and obligatory to collaborate harmoniously and constructively on the basis of the convention decisions to carry on the work of the party and build up the party.
    (b) There is no basis for sharp factional struggle or for the existence of factional formations in the party ranks.
  7. An educational discussion of the existing differences is to be continued and regulated by the NC, as authorized by the convention.

2. On the Convention Vote

  1. The December and January issues of the Fourth International reported the vote at the November 1944 conven-tion, on the European resolution, to have been a vote to adopt the resolution “by 51 to 5.”
  2. Comrades of the minority took exception to this, claiming that the minority delegates voted for the resolution. It has therefore been agreed between majority and minority to present the facts as verified by the convention minutes, which are as follows:

a) The vote at the convention occurred not on the resolution, but on motions, one presented by the National Committee majority and two by the minority.

b) The majority motion is as follows:

“Motion of National Committee majority: That the conven-tion endorses the general line of the European resolution as amended by the Political Committee; the convention rejects Morrow’s criticisms of the Plenum resolution and his amendments, as well as Logan’s criticisms and amendments, as contrary to the general line of this resolution.

Motion carried (51 voting for).”

c) The minority motion is the following:

“Motions of National Committee minority:

(1) To accept the line in the Logan amendments.

(2) To accept the line of the National Committee resolution. Motion lost (5 voting for).”

  1. On the basis of this vote the majority claims that the vote on the resolution was 51 to 5 and the minority claims that the resolution was adopted unanimously even though the amendments were rejected.

Political Committee SWP

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