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Struggle in the Fourth International — International Secretariat Documents 1951-1954, Volume 1 of 4 volumes

Towards a History of the Fourth International, Part 4, vol. 1 · March 1974 · edited by Fred Feldman

From Towards a History of the Fourth International, Part 4, vol. 1: Struggle in the Fourth International — International Secretariat Documents 1951-1954, Volume 1 of 4 volumes (Education for Socialists, Socialist Workers Party, New York, March 1974). Reproduced with the permission of Pathfinder Press. Scan: Encyclopedia of Trotskyism On-Line.

Introductory note

In 1953, sharp differences over Stalinism and organizational matters divided the Fourth International into two public factions, the International Committee of the Fourth International and the International Secretariat of the Fourth International. This division lasted until the Re-unification Congress of the Fourth International held in 1963.

The articles, documents, correspondence, and circulars published in these Education for Socialists bulletins are presented as an aid in tracing the evolution of this dispute. The material is divided into two parts. The first (Part Three of Towards a History of the Fourth International) is composed of four bulletins and contains materials from the International Committee. The second (Part Four of Towards a History of the Fourth International) consists of four bulletins containing material from the International Secretariat faction.

Both sets of bulletins begin with the discussion prior to the Third World Congress of the Fourth International held in 1951. They are divided into sections dealing with key stages in the development of the dispute. Each section opens with a brief introductory note. To the extent that these notes include historical interpretations or conclusions, the views expressed are my own.

The documents, correspondence, articles, and circulars have been subjected to minimal editing. In general the style, grammar, etc., have been retained as in the originals. Additions to the text for explanatory purposes appear in brackets.

The term "section" appears frequently in these documents. This word was used in two different senses within the world Trotskyist movement. On the one hand, it refers to those groups which are affiliated to the Fourth International. Secondly, it is used in reference to organizations that are barred from membership in the Fourth International by reactionary legislation, such as the SWP, but are in full political solidarity with the world Trotskyist movement and represent the continuity of Trotskyism in their countries.

The faction struggle in the world Trotskyist movement occurred when the McCarthyite witch-hunt was at its height in the United States. Similar manifestations of political repression appeared in other capitalist countries, as the ruling class sought to whip up anticommunist hysteria. In view of these sharp attacks on democratic rights, many radicals found it necessary to use pseudonyms or pen-names in carrying out their political activity. This was true of the Trotskyist movement as well. In line with a policy of printing this material as it originally appeared, these have generally not been changed. Instead, a glossary of these pen-names is included in each volume. Note that some individuals used more than one pen-name on occasion.

The 1953-54 dispute was worldwide in its scope and repercussions. Many parts of the Trotskyist movement that participated in the struggle are not represented in this collection. An instance of this is the lack of documentation from Latin America. Material from the dispute in the Latin American Trotskyist organizations is now being translated and will appear in a future volume.

This selection is based on the documents and correspondence presently available to the National Education Department of the Socialist Workers Party. Because of the speed with which the dispute developed, once the differences had become apparent to both sides, many aspects of the struggle are not fully dealt with in official documents. Therefore, it was necessary to include a considerable amount of correspondence to allow maximum clarity for the reader.

Hopefully, the publication of these bulletins will inspire others who were involved in the dispute to make available the relevant materials in their possession. Special thanks are owed to James P. Cannon, National Chairman Emeritus of the Socialist Workers Party, and Tom Kerry and Karolyn Kerry for making their personal archives available for this project.

Fred Feldman

February 1974

Contents

Section I: Before the Third World Congress

[In the discussion preceding the Third World Congress, Michel Pablo, the secretary of the Fourth International, deepened a number of ideas that he had first raised in the discussion of the class character of the Yugoslav state. Pablo predicted that deformed workers states would be the norm of revolutionary development for a period that would probably last for centuries. Pablo also expressed some new views on the nature and role of Stalinism, which he believed was changing under the conditions of an inevitable Third World War. The outcome of this war, in his opinion, was foreordained: a victory for the revolutionary forces, at least in Europe and Asia. Pablo's views were expressed in "Where Are We Going?" which is reprinted here from SWP *International Information Bulletin*, March 1951. He further defended them in "On the Duration and Nature of the Transition from Capitalism to Socialism," reprinted from SWP *International Information Bulletin*, July 1951. Although Pablo kept his most extreme formulations out of the main resolutions submitted by the International Secretariat for a vote by the congress, his positions aroused concern. Ernest Germain, for instance, responded by presenting a restatement of some of the basic Trotskyist positions on Stalinism, although he solidarized himself with the resolutions supported by Pablo. His "What Should Be Modified and What Should Be Maintained in the Theses of the Second World Congress of the Fourth International on the Question of Stalinism?" is reprinted from SWP *International Information Bulletin*, April 1951. In addition, members of the SWP Political Committee collaborated on a document (reprinted in Part 3 of *Towards A History of the Fourth International*) that noted ommissions and ambiguous formulations in the resolution, while supporting its general line. The most extensive criticisms were offered by the leadership of the Parti Communiste Internationaliste, the French section of the Fourth International. (Their main contribution, "Where is Comrade Pablo Going?," appears in Part 3 of this series.) They opposed the main resolution on the grounds that the views expressed by Pablo in "Where Are We Going?" were being smuggled into the line through ambiguous and incorrect formulations. At the congress, a number of amendments were passed to the main resolution. To most of the delegates, this appeared to place the resolution in the Trotskyist tradition. Germain sharply rejected the attempt of the French comrades to counterpose his document to Pablo's line. The main resolution passed by the Third World Congress, held in August-September 1951, was entitled "Orientation and Perspectives." It is reprinted here as it appeared in the November-December 1951 issue of *Fourth International*, the predecessor of the *International Socialist Review*. The sentences that were added to the text before the resolution was approved are marked with boxes in this edition.]

1. 1. Where Are We Going?Michel Pablo [Michel Raptis] · January, 1951 · pp. 4-12
2. 2. On the Duration and the Nature of the Period of Transition from Capitalism to SocialismMichel Pablo [Michel Raptis] · June, 1951 · pp. 12-16
3. 3. What Should Be Modified and What Should Be Maintained in the Theses of the Second World Congress of the Fourth International on the Question of Stalinism? (Ten Theses)Ernest Germain [Ernest Mandel] · January 15, 1951 · pp. 16-24
4. 4. Theses on Orientation and Perspectives (Resolution Adopted by the Third World Congress of the Fourth International)FI documentThird World Congress of the Fourth International · pp. 25-30

Section II: Entryism "Of a Special Type"

[Shortly after the Third World Congress, the International Secretariat, under Pablo's leadership, ordered the French section to carry out a tactic of "deep entry" into the French Communist Party. All party work was to be oriented toward supporting this entry tactic. At the Tenth Plenum of the International Executive Committee in February 1952, Pablo presented this tactic as a universal one applicable to all Trotskyist parties except those in countries where there were no strong Stalinist or Social-Democratic formations. "The Building of the Revolutionary Party," the published excerpts from Pablo's report to the Tenth Plenum of the IEC, is reprinted from SWP *International Information Bulletin*, June 1952.]

1. The Building of the Revolutionary PartyMichel Pablo [Michel Raptis] · February 1952 · pp. 30-40

Glossary of pseudonyms

Harry Braverman:

Harry Frankel

James P. Cannon:

Walter, Martin

George Clarke:

Campbell, Livingstone, Livingston

Colvin R. DaSilva:

Roy

Farrell Dobbs:

Smith, Barr

Ross Dowson:

Kane

Leslie Goonewardene:

Tilak

Sam Gordon:

Tom, Harry, Burton, Joe

Joseph Hansen:

Herrick

Gerry Healy:

Burns, Mason, Jerry

John Lawrence:

Collins

Ernest Mandel:

Ernest Germain, Albert, Jeb

Sherry Mangan:

Patrice, Terrence Phelan, Patrick O'Daniel

George Novack:

Manuel, William F. Warde

Michel Raptis:

Michel Pablo, Gabe

David Weiss:

Stevens

Milton Zaslow:

Mike Bartell

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