[p. 176]
France
Feb. 22, 1954
Dear Comrades,
We have received the minutes of your leadership of Jan. 17, 27 and 30th. They unfortunately confirm its division in two groups, one of which with Comrade Kane approving the split action of the Cannonites and the ideas they defend at present.
We have only to regret very much this change of Comrade Kane, as well as the so strange arguments he puts forward in his statement to justify it. Before all the documents of the International answering the slanders and lies of the Cannonites are made known to you and discussed in the organization for a full preparation and discussion of the Fourth World Congress, Comrade Kane taking position for the splitters accuses the unanimous decisions of the 14th plenum of the IEC of prohibiting "the true development of the discussion not only in the Canada party but in the entire International"! In the same statement Comrade Kane considers that the Cannonites are an "international fraction." That is true, but they are not acting as a fraction in the International. They have built a fraction which has broken publicly and in an unqualified manner the elementary discipline of the International, whilst we were in full preparation and discussion of the Fourth International. They openly state that they do not recognize any rule of the International. Their aim is to destroy it as a centralized world party and they are trying to build instead a loose federation of national groups in an "International Committee" actually satellites around the SWP.
The majority of the SWP never started a political discussion within the movement, it started by an open split. The only argument given by Cannon to justify this attitude is that the political positions which we, the IS, defend are revisionist. But many of the political positions condemned today by the SWP majority had been adopted by the whole movement, and approved by the SWP majority, during the last three years. The SWP majority had also approved the expulsion of the Bleibtreu group for indiscipline. Of course everyone is entitled to think that he had made mistakes and to correct them. The normal procedure was for the SWP majority to ask the International during the discussion for the Fourth World Congress, which had already been open, to reconsider the positions taken by the Third World Congress and the measures taken since then by the IEC. The world movement would have discussed and at the end of the discussion adopted or rejected proposals made by the SWP majority or have found some solution. And it would have been everyone's duty to abide by the decisions adopted by a majority of the movement, whatever they are.
But the majority of the SWP ignored the movement, proclaimed revisionist even positions they had previously defended, made an open split and called every section and every Trotskyist to ignore the International as it was. Now Cannon even says that the split is "forever," and their International Committee, though knowing the answers of the overwhelming majority of the sections, speaks of some preparations of some World Congress in opposition to the one regularly prepared by the elected bodies of the International.
Your leadership was shocked by the publishing of the Open Letter in *The Militant* without any previous attempt of a discussion.
The actions made by the SWP majority are not directed against this or other comrade, they are blows against the whole movement as a centralized world party. The measures taken unanimously by the 14th Plenum are flowing normally from the importance of the *actions* — not the opinions — of the splitters against the structure of the International.
What else could we do? Let things go? What organization could actually claim to be an organization, remain as such if, faced with so revolting action of the Cannnnites, it did not react and let them do their destructive work?
The sanctions taken by the IEC testify that this international leadership has shown its high sense of responsibility. First of all, it is not true that, by these sanctions the Cannonite supporters are forbidden to participate in the international discussion and the World Congress. The IEC as well as the IS have always said that they are ready to discuss any proposals from them on the best way to carry the discussion and the preparation of the World Congress but in the organizational framework of the International. The sanctions do not prevent them even now to participate in the discussion and at the World Congress.
On the other hand, the sanctions do not prevent comrades, like Comrade Kane or any other leading comrade, to fight for political positions or a political line different from those contained in the documents presented by the IS. Let us remind you that we published at the opening of the international discussion the counter-document presented by J. Monnier for the Swiss section. Nobody at that time spoke of a split or of sanctions. The discussion was launched normally. Today Comrade Kane or any comrade in the movement is perfectly entitled to share the political criticisms and grievances formulated at present by the Cannonites. *The sanctions decided by the 14th Plenum are intended only for those who would try to bring a section to split with the International and to rally the dissident committee.* That is the only thing which is in question about the sanctions.
Comrade Kane is an old member of the International. He knows what is a political opposition inside the International and the difference with a group trying to split the world movement when it had started a large discussion for the World Congress. No one has ever forbidden Comrade Kane to express opinions different of those of other members of the IEC. As all other members of the IEC we have sent him last summer the documents prepared for discussion by the IS and asked his opinion. He has still time to do it before the Congress.
Comrades: The Cannonites are trying to destroy the greatest asset of our international movement, the International as a centralized world party. Read Cannon's speech to his fraction on "Internationalism and the SWP" in May 1953, even before he thought of any political divergences with the IS, of any alleged "Pablism." There is no doubt that on this very question of the structure of the international movement he is doing the most important revision of Trotskyism. On the other hand, we are sure that it will not take a too long time before everyone will see clearly that their criticisms of the International rely on horrible lies and reflect actually their own confusion, pessimism and revision of the dual and contradictory nature of Stalinism.
[p. 177]
To leave the International and join an unprincipled alliance (as we prove it in our documents) would be the biggest mistake you could commit, the biggest crime against your own organization and an efficient work among the masses of your country. A split with the International would — as it is doing now for the Cannonites — make you very weak against hostile social pressures.
TAKE THE TIME TO KNOW AND DISCUSS ALL THE DOCUMENTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ON THE CRISIS AND THE PREPARATION OF THE WORLD CONGRESS. Thus you will be able to judge the scope of the confusion and lies of the Cannonites.
PARTICIPATE IN THE WORLD CONGRESS! SEND TO IT YOUR DELEGATES! YOU WILL SEE THERE THE LIVING PROOF OF THE REALITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL BY A DIRECT CONTACT WITH ITS OVERWHELMING MAJORITY PRESENT AT THIS CONGRESS. ADJOURN YOUR FINAL DECISION AFTER HAVING HEARD THE REPORTS OF YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TO THE WORLD CONGRESS.
We are asking all members of the section to discuss our present letter.
With our fraternal greetings,
The IS