August 10, 1953
Dear Comrades,
We have just received documents coming from leaders of your tendency, indicating, among other things, that you believe that the IS or members of the IS have fomented or encouraged the struggle of tendencies in your party, and that they are capable of making it start up again.
We have been extremely surprised and shocked by such an accusation which has no basis whatsoever.
We are all the more shocked that on the basis of such vague and unproved suspicions, and without any previous communication to the IS or any demand for explanations, you appear to have wanted to make contacts for the constitution of an international tendency in the absence of any formulated political divergence with the leadership of the International.
Conscious of our duties toward the International and resolved to serve its supreme interests above all else, we believe that we should not take any further step in this matter, although we record the *extreme gravity* of this projected action.
We again appeal to your sense of responsibility — that we saluted and emphasized in our letter to your leadership after your May 1953 Penum — not only toward your own organization but toward the entire International which is not witnessing any struggle at the present time, which is working in a positive way and everywhere registering progress.
Do not spoil its opportunities which are better than ever by introducing into the political discussion opened for the Fourth World Congress of the International, which has capital importance for its future, factional struggles whose political content cannot at all be seen and accusations without any basis.
This would risk provoking the gravest crisis ever recorded in our international movement.
In case comrades have proof of their accusations and for one reason or another have withdrawn their confidence in the IS or in certain members of the IS, they ought to proceed according to the rules of our movement by taking every question before the leadership of the International, the IEC.
Once again, despite everything that has already been done that is serious, unexpected and very painful for us, we are resolved to undertake nothing on this matter, hoping that there will be no new initiative on your part which will oblige us to reply before the entire International.
On the contrary, we would like to believe that it will be possible to reestablish relations of confidence and cooperation between you and us, relations which since 1945 have been at the basis of the reconstruction and reinforcement of the international Trotskyist movement.
With our Communist Internationalist greeting
The IS Bureau
E. Frank, E. Germain, M. Pablo