The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 2, 1932, Page 8

~y --— —- eee Hy vee a THE PEACE POLICY OF THE SOVIET UNION (Excerpt from a Speech deliver- ed at the Geneva World Disarm- ament Conference. This whole speech has just been published in pamphlet form to sell for 1 cent). 2 EL By M. LITVINOV. ie Soviet Government is not tak- * ing part in this conference on account of formal obligations, and not under any stimulus from out- side. From the very first days of its instrument of national policy, by deeds as well as by words, it de- elared against all indemnities and territorial annexations and the op- ression of any nation by any other, and proclaimed the principal of na- tional self-determination. Ever since it has in its own policy pur- sued with strict consistency the lins of the peaceful and loyal co-oper- ation with other states. Once war is excluded as an instrument of na- tional policy the Soviet Government sees no need for maintaing armies and other armed forces and, on its first appearance at an international conference—at Geneva ten years ago —it proposed total general disar- mament as the only way of putting an end to war. It renewed this proposal as soon as it was invited to take part in the work of the Pre- paratory Commission for Disarma- ment. In making this proposal my government took into consderation the demands and claims of the peoples throughout the world as well as the spirit of its own people. Who is so optimistic as to assure us confidently that the events in the Far East are not the beginning of a new war, which in extent, scope and—thanks to the latest technical inventions—horror, may eclipse the sinister fame of the last war? Con- tinents are no longer economically and politically isolated. There are countries belonging to more than one continent. There are not many neighbors in Europe without serious territorial accounts to settle. The extent of disputed frontiers is great- er now than it was before the war. Can we be sure that these differ- ences will not be thrown into the melting pot, if a single one of the European states should be dragged into war? Granted that all this may not happen, that the fire in the Far East may be kept within local bounds, even then can we be sure that similar fires will not break out in other parts of the world? What is to prevent this? International organizations and pacts? But we have seen that they are incapable of either preventing or ending milit. ary activities in the Far East, with all the consequences of these act- ivities, istence it condemned war as an} Public opinion? It is still more impotent. And after all what is pub- lic opinion? Has it ever been una- nimous anywhere or served a single purpose? Public opinion as express- ed in the press or through public bodies, serves various interests, the multiple interests of various coun- tries and of capitalist*groups, of pri- vate enterprises and even of individ- tempts to interfere in its internal affairs and that its peaceful econo- mic construction will be tempered with from without. It will only feel this assurance if other states also agree to give up their armed forces. Now, when the whole world is going through an _ unprecedented economic crisis, which is shaking the edifice of the capitalist system IN THE LAND THE BOSSES FEAR LEFT: A steel plant in the Soviet steel plant in Europe. RIGHT: A Soviet poster depicting Union, which has built the largest capitalism sending forth its lackeys te war on the Workers Republic, uals in these countries. Have not the acts of violence going on under our very eyes in the Far East, their ad- yocates and instigators in the press, even the press of countries not im- mediately concerned? Have we not read quite lately articles in both European and American papers, urging the necessity and efficacy of the extension of the war in the Far East and actually suggesting that war would be a way out of the crisis, of that very crisis the acute- ness of which must be ascribed to the late war and its consequences? Sole Aim of U. S, S. R. the Build- ing of Socialism Within Its Territory. The Soviet delegation will move a resolution to this effect, convinced as it is, that there would be no ex- ternal obstacle to the carrying out of general disarmament if the gov- ernments here represented show their readiness for it. The sole aim of the Soviet Gov- ernment is the building up of So- cialism on the territory of the Soviet Union, requires neither the increase of territory, nor interference in the affairs of other nations, to achieve its aim, and could therefore do with- out an army, navy, military avia- tion, and all other forms of armed forces. It does, however, require the assurance that there will be no at- Literature in the Struggle Against War THE workers feel the menace of war coming closer and closer and they want to fight against it. They not only are ready to struggle against it but also want to under- stand what it is all about. As part of our anti-war cam- paign, both on April 6 itself, and during the period of mobilization for April 6, our great supply of | anti-war literature must reach these workers. The Party has for distribution thirteen different pam- phiets dealing with war and imper- jialism alone, and besides that, has 35 different pamphlets, both agita- tional and propaganda pamphlets, on the Soviet Union. Besides that, there are our unemployment pam- phlets and Scottsboro and other de- fense and terror pamphlets, all of which can be used in the mobiliza- tion against the imperialist war But this literature does not reach the broad masses of workers who want to know why the imperialist war is upon us, and what they can do against it. This is because the Party has not yet learned efficient methods of literature distribution, so, that there is no free flow even of our most popular and easily read pamphlets from the Party to the broad masses of workers. Our literature must get first of all into the hands of shop workers. Not only must our unit members get the habit of carrying our liter- ature into the shops and selling it to shop-mates, not only must we mobilize our sympathizers to do the same, but literature must be sold systematically and stubbornly at the factory gates. In every campaign the whole ter- ritory of each section should be sys- tematically canvassed, house to house, in mobilization and in sale of the campaign literature. The neglect of literature by speakers at mass meetings must be overcome, but this also requires that the literature which the speaker refers to is actually on Land, Demonstrations and open air meetings must see arintensive sale of our literature. Unemploymen does not stop literature sales. The workers are suffering and want to know why, and they are willing to invest pennies that should go for food, in order to find out what is wrong and how to set it right. Get our literature to the work- ers! Uhe this literature not only to educate the workers, but also to mobilize them for struggle. Get the workers to read. te its foundations, the masses of the people suffering from unem- ployment to an extent hitherto un- known, from universal wage reduc- tion, threatened by still further economic upheavals, the full burden of which the ruling classes readily shift on to the shoulders, must be relieved as far as possible from the catastrophe of war, which the course of the economic crisis is making more and more imminent. Security against war must be created. This security can never be achieved by roundaboat ways, but only by the direct way of total general disarma. ment, Triumph of Socialism Only Real Guarantee Against War. This is no Communist slogan. The Soviet Delegation knows that the triumph of Socialist principles, re- moving the causes giving rise to armed conflicts, is the only absolute guarantee for peace. So long, how- ever, as these principals prevail only in one-sixth of the world, there is only one means of organizing sec- urity against war, and that is, total and general disarmament. One proof of its practicability is the fact that it is proposed by a state with @ population of over 160 million. This idea is by no means utopian in itself; but it can be made utopian by its rejection by the other states represented here. We hope the* the responsible re< COMRADE LITVINOV presentatives of states here present will treat the idea expressed by the Soviet Delegation with the serious- ness which the problem of assuring to all nations real security against war, real peace, deserves. War Veteran Exposes Amer. Legion After participating and being wounded five times in a total of five offensive and seven defensive engagements during which I was subjected to many degrading duties such as shining officer’s boots, act- ing as chambermaid and valet, I finally found myself free, that is I thought I was free, to do as I pleas- ed. After a few months at home, I missed something and finally fig- ured it out that is was the com- panionship of my buddies of the world war, pals of the first army corps and of others that I had met. And proceeded to join the American Legion, but it was not long before I noticed that a change has taken place in the old bunch I found that which I had des- pised—the system of bootlicking was being carried on, not under the threat of court-martials but of pre- tended comradeship, which the former officers had actually suce ceeded in putting over. But now I have found the true outfit, where we are not exploited for political purposes, but an outfit of real buddies, who rule their own meetings from the floor and are real comrades.. ? I am writing this letter to the Daily Worker, which is endorsed by these buddies and myself as a friend of the rank and file who are the working class of people, to which all of us buck privates actually be- long. I expect to meet many of my {old buddies of the old Indian Head outfit in the Workers Ex-Service- mene Support the Chinese People Against the Robber Imperialists By CYRIL BRIGGS IX CHINA, the people are engaged in a heroic and desperate strug- gle against the imperialists who are seeking the partition of China among themselves as they partition. ed Africa. In their attacks on the Chinese masses, in their attempts to crush revolutionary China, the bosses of the United States, Japan, England and France are able to sec- ure the support of the Chinese bank ers, landlords and militarists, just as in the United States the southern lynch bosses are able to secure the support of the Negro reformists in their oppression of the Negro masses and for the hideous attempt to burn 9 innocent Negro children in Ala- bama in the electric chair. Japanese in Ferocious Attacks The Chinese masses are turning on their imperialist oppressors and their native tools in the treacherous Kuomintang Party (of the land- owners, bankers and militarists). In an attempt to drown in blood the revolutionary struggles of the Chin. ese masses, the imperialists are now engaged in a direct armed interven- tion against the Chinese people. Societ World Menaces Robber Rule of Bosses Japanese imperialism lead the way with a ferocious slaughter of tens of thousands of Chinese men, wom- en and children in the South China city of Shanghai and in Manchuria ‘in the North. Japanese imperialism |has seized Manchuria. Japanese gunboats and troops are at Hankow, Central China, threatening the re- volutionary workers of that city and menacing the nearby Chinese Sov- iet districts in which the workers and peasants have overthrown the bloody rule of the Kuomintang and the imperialists. In China, the new Soviet wo.id of social and national emancipation is existing side by side with the old by- ing feudal capitalist system, whose existence it is further threatenin and at whose expense it grov The various Soviet districts alre: comprise together a territory la than France. The population these districts is over 90,000,000. The revolutionary workers and peasants in the Soviet districts have created powerful worker-peasant Red Army to defend their gains against the armed attacks of the counter- revolutionary Kuomintang and its imperialist masters. Over 300,000 men are in the worker-peasant Red Army. They capture their arms | SOCIALIST CONSTRUCTION RISES IN THE U. S. S. R. from the enemy. Thousands of Kuomintang troops are constantly deserting to join the Red Army. The Kuomintang has three times carried out major attacks on the Chinese Soviet districts. The im- perialists gunboats have co-operated with these armies whereever pose sible. All three attacks were deci- sively beaten back by the Chinese Red Army, supported by the entire worker-peasant population of the Soviet districts. Women and chil- dren took up arms in defense of their Soviet districts. Kuomintang in New Attack The Kuomintang is now launching @ fourth attack against the Soviet districts—again at the orders of the United States, British, Japanese and French imperialists. The Kuomin- tang and the imperialists will again find themselves opposed by the en- tire worker-peasant population of the Soviet districts. In the Soviet districts the living condtions of the toiling masses have been tremendously improved. The masses in the rest of China, groan. ing under the frightful conditions imposed by the Kuomintang and imperialist bandits, are looking te the Soviet districts, and are looking across the Manchurian border to the inspiring example of the masses of H | the Soviet Union who are success- | fully building “socialism, and are showing the toiling masses the new non-capitalist road of development the revolutionary road out of the misery of the world crisis of dying capitalism. Plot Armed Intervention Against Soviet Union The imperialists are trying to crush the Chinese Soviets. The ifiperi- alists are plotting for armed in- tervention against the successful! building of Socialism in the Soviet Union. Already Japanese troops are concentrated in huge numbers near tht Siberian frontier of the Soviet Union, carrying on a mon- istrous provocation against the Soviet ‘Union and threatening to invade the werkers Fatherland at any moment, : |Capitatism Stands for Hunger and War-- eae pee. 2 SHE ne ad ou rte The Soviet Uni: n Stands for Socialism und Peace| oe ee a |