The schemes of the bourgeois elements within CL and indeed within the whole of the liberal and revolutionary left have a purpose. The most obvious purpose has already been explained: to halt the development of the revolutionary movement by interfering in the education and development of cadres of an organization. BUT, in the USA, in this period of rising fascism and social-fascism, they have a more insidious and ruthless function.
IT IS THE AIM OF THE BOURGEOIS ELEMENTS IN THE REVOLUTIONARY LEFT AND THEIR HIRED THUGS TO RAISE THE LEVEL OF DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THF PRE-PARTY FROMATIONS TO THE LEVEL OF OPEN VIOLENCE! And on that basis to provide the state with an excuse not only to ruthlessly suppress the left under the guise of “maintaining societal order”, but to portray Marxist-Leninist to the working class as “antisocial malcontents”. Such a purpose reveals the interest any fascist movement has in providing itself with an excuse for declaring martial law in a state of emergency.
Let us turn to the CL “Reply to RU Threats”, Vol 4, no. 11, so that we may be perfectly clear as to the methods and intentions of the bourgeois elements within the CL:
We have always seriously considered that it would be the gangs, operating under the cover of ’polities’, rather than the police that would drive the League underground.
We very well understand that the ’Left’ is the nestling place for the FBI and every stripe of provocateurs. It would be a simple matter for the provocateurs to trigger a situation where the entire ’left’ would be drawn into violent confrontation within the ’Left’. The Revolutionary Union alone bears responsibility for the development of this situation.
No, let us repeat, – NO Marxist-Leninist, or sincere member of the left wants to see this happen. For that reason NO true Marxist-Leninists would ever throw responsibility for such a dreadful event upon a group it has already criticized as having erroneous theory and practice. Were their reply principled, the CL would be willing to point out in concrete terms how RU should rectify their mistaken thinking, or they would clearly and resoundingly expose RU for what they are and thus show themselves to be less eager to create a violent atmosphere. To even raise this issue in this way is to provoke such an incident. In the CL there are provocateurs and liquidators.
We can only conclude that elements in CL seriously desire such a violent occurrence and would use it for a justification to go underground. We also presume that the agents in other organizations, such as RU, would be perfectly happy to trigger off this violence. We must oppose such violence clearly and wholeheartedly, yet we must be prepared for it if it arises. Having gone underground when it is not necessary the agents would then most likely carry on clandestine activities which would be blamed upon the entire Left movement in this country, and would serve as the excuse for the suppression of that movement by the government.
Cadres and followers of the Communist League, indeed all cadres of the revolutionary Left are the victims of the present-day revisionists counter-revolutionary and fascists schemes. These present-day revisionists are ruthlessly exploiting the undeveloped cadres sincere interests in and willingness to work for the international and national revolutionary movement. Rather than educating these cadres they are mis-educating them and are blocking their development.
Further, if not stopped, the counter-revolutionary elements in the revolutionary Left will succeed in their two-sided attack:
1. Attacking the revolutionary Left in order to prevent its development and give the government an excuse to suppress it;
2. Attacking the working class by separating it from Marxism-Leninism and the worldwide revolutionary movement by preventing the development of a Communist Party, and by creating the necessary conditions for the rise of fascism.
The Peoples Tribune is a fascist, counter-revolutionary tool of the bourgeoisie. The Peoples Tribune represents an attack upon all the oppressed peoples of the USA and the worldwide revolutionary movement.
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At the present time the imperialist bourgeoisie is being defeated throughout the world. In the US inflation, unemployment, and a loss of confidence in the government are further and further isolating the bourgeoisie and their state apparatus from the working class and its allies. The petty-bourgeois are being squeezed as a result of the disintegration of their material base and are flocking willy nilly into the camp of the revolutionaries and on the other hand into the camp of the reactionaries.
In the era of its decline, at its death bed, the bourgeoisie strikes out.
Gripped by its intensifying internal contradictions, its is like a monster thrashing about trying to gobble up as many people as it can, but so twisted internally that it can only do so with increasing difficulties. Internationally, imperialism of the U.S. and Soviet type are maneuvering with growing ferocity for hegemony over the world and world’s people. In the U.S., the irreconcilable and heightening class contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie is everywhere bringing the struggle right out in the open. And the bourgeoisie is desperately doing everything at its disposal, even going so far as to expose the sharp struggle amongst themselves and many of their methods of intrigue and conspiracy, while intrepidly thinking it only need send in its agents, spies and provocateurs to carry out its undermining work of the peoples’ revolutionary struggle and movement. All told, its formulas and schemes for counter-revolution, its red-scare tactics and “democratic socialism” statements, even when said and done in conjunction with actions of its “floated ’revolutionary’ terrorist groups”, can amount to little, but does reveal much of the nature of the depth the proletarian class struggle reaches, and the degree or ability (desperation) of the bourgeoisie in general.
Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought is not a doctrine, it is not a great treasury of quotes. It is a guide to action; it is the dialectical and historical materialist worldview of the proletariat, and as such, one learns Marxism-Leninism Mao Tsetung Thought in order to change the world, in order to wage the relentless proletarian revolutionary battle against the bourgeoisie.
We must develop our revolutionary side and rid ourselves of our bourgeois side. We must learn to get rid of the dross in order to get to the essential.
We can only conclude that the Communist League’s Peoples Tribune can only effect the revolutionary left and the advanced elements of the working class in general in a detrimental, counter-revolutionary and destructive way. We can only conclude that it is bourgeois elements, aided by the opportunism of the petty-bourgeois elements, aided by the opportunism of the petty bourgeois and abetted by their working class victims which had created this situation. We can only conclude that it is only in the interests of the bourgeoisie and its allies that such a situation continue. We therefore urge all conscious proletarian elements in the Communist League, and all progressive petty-bourgeois elements to isolate and destroy the bourgeois lines and influences within your organization.
May 1973
Editors of EL FUEGO