Are You for Democracy in Indo-China, Liston Oak? (27 January 1947) (original) (raw)
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Irving Howe
An Invitation (With Suggested Slogans)
(27 January 1947)
From Labor Action, Vol. 11 No. 4, 27 January 1947, p. 3.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
January 17, 1948
Mr. Liston Oak
Managing Editor, New Leader
7 East 15th Street
New York City
Dear Mr. Oak:
You have by now received, I am sure, a copy of the January 13 issue of Labor Action in which I commented on your use of a picture of your comrade, Leon Blum, leader of the French Social Democracy, under which there was printed, in your column Trends, a caption stating that Blum “reaffirms Indo-Chinese independence.” You will recall, too, that I suggested that the use of this caption, in light of the recent behavior of the Blum cabinet, was to commit a falsehood. And, further, that the official silence of the The New Leader, as well as the caption under Blum’s picture in your column and William Henry Chamberlain’s shame-faced defense of French imperialism, cast a certain doubt on the “democratic values” on which you pride yourself and which you so sharply contrasted to “Bolshevik amorality” in your debate with Max Shachtman.
Perhaps I have been wrong. I therefore want to tell you about a project which we of the Workers Party and Labor Action are planning. On Saturday, January 25, between 12 and 1 p.m., we are going to run a picket line around the French consulate protesting French oppression of the Indo-Chinese national independence movement. We are going to urge the French to withdraw their troops from Indo-China and grant that country immediate and unconditional independence. Surely you, as a defender of democratic values, must agree with that!
I am therefore proposing that you, as a defender of democratic values, join with us on the picket line protesting the sending of General LeClerc by the Blum cabinet to Indo-China, as well as the statements of Minister Moutet in which he insisted on a “military decision” as a preliminary to negotiations with Viet Nam.
Since you might feel a little uncomfortable marching on a picket line under the banner of “amoral Bolsheviks” who believe that Socialists should not send royalist generals to shoot colonial peoples, I am prepared to persuade the Workers Party to let you march in the picket line under your own banner and with your own slogans. You will not think it impertinent if I suggest a few slogans for your contingent:
“Dear Comrade Blum: Stop shooting Indo-Chinese fighters for national independence.”
“Dear Comrade Blum: It is unsocialist to send a known reactionary and imperialist like LeClerc to suppress the Indo-Chinese.”
“Dear Comrade Moutet: As a member of the French Social-Democracy, you shouldn’t talk and act like Winston Churchill or Charles de Gaulle.”
Will we see you around next Saturday?
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