[p. 10]
1. The death of Trotsky produced severe problems of ideological leadership within the Fourth International. In the following years the world cadres began to make important progress toward a solution of these problems. Then a new crisis of world leadership was precipitated by the revisionist-liquidationist policies of the Pabloite tendency, which caused the world split of 1952-53.
2. The test of events since 1953 has confirmed the basic positions of the orthodox Trotskyists, who rallied around the International Committee to defend the basic principles of the Fourth International and to maintain its existence as the world party of socialist revolution.
3. Realistic prospects are now open to reorganize the world party along principled lines, and to begin steps towards a solution of the crisis of leadership. If the effort is to succeed, the real situation within the movement must be frankly faced and the cadres must be guaranteed fully democratic means whereby they may arrive at a principled solution.
4. The Conference rejects all centrist conceptions of international organization. A world party worthy of the name cannot be constructed along the lines of a loose federation of autonomous national parties. It must base its structure and its methods of functioning on the Leninist concepts of democratic centralism. The question is how to arrive at this solution?
5. The conference rejects the vulgarized concepts of a centralized world party advanced in the theory and practice of Pabloites. Rigid centralism at the expense of internal democracy leads to dictatorial bureaucratic practices. Excessive intervention in the life of the national parties stultifies the growth of major decisions and leads to serious political mistakes by the leadership.
6. In applying the concepts of democratic centralism, the leadership must act in conformity with the present stage of development of the Fourth International. The leadership's role must be primarily to give ideological guidance to the movement rather than to be excessively preoccupied with organizational interventions. Before launching any new political orientation, or initiating any major political action, the leadership must consult the cadres.
7. Functions of the international centre can be realistically enlarged only as the growth and experience of the movement permits the rise of representative executive bodies with earned authority. These international bodies must arise from among the leading elements in the national parties. They must be composed of leaders tested in struggle, known and trusted by the membership. The selection must take place in normal, natural and voluntary fashion.
[p. 11]
8. As a concrete step to advance the efforts in this general direction, the Conference directs the International Committee to organize, implement, and expedite a democratic political discussion within the world movement and, after the necessary period of discussion, to initiate propos als for another world conference to reorganize the Fourth International.