The Still well Incident
UTLEY, FREDA
The Still well Incident By Freda Utley IT if iee> soon to say wstucr uc recall m umni Stillwell marks a last minutt reversal or modification of the United States attitude toward the existing...
...What is abundantly clear is that for many months past Russia and her Communist Afth columns abroad have been using all their influence to undermine the Government of Chiang Kai-shek and to discredit China...
...Dear Comrades: I understand that the Italian...
...And finally in estimating the merits and demerits of the Chinese Government we should ask ourselves what other government or country would have fought and survived so long against such great odds, and with to little help at the Chinese under Chiang Kai-shek...
...From this formulation it is evident that Nenni realizes the Bolshevik menace and is aware of the real character of the Italian Communist Party...
...A world congress of labor could accept this basic attitude only if it accepted the general conception of Communism aa embodied in the present regime of Soviet Russia...
...Even if it ia true that he preserves some of his best troops and his scanty supplies of arms for possible future action against the Communists, how can he be told that there is no Justification for such an attitude...
...The fact that the aecutatwns b*ing hurled agamtt China in the American press so frequently echo thoee made by the Communitle is highly eignifUant...
...That there is something rotten in the state of China no one can deny...
...Hardly...
...The point is not whether they are, or are net, better than the Knomintang, bnt that they are under the ordera of Moteow...
...You have visited our provinces, you have spoken with our comrades, you leave, with the vision in your eyes of the material destruction which we have suffered, of the miseries tormenting us, and of our political difficulties...
...The proposal of our party is, therefore, for the time being, much more limited and more specific...
...September 22, 1944...
...Would even the Russians have been able to fight for seven years against Germany without Lend-lease and with ut supplying their enemies with wsr materials for the first four years, as we supplied Japan ? The Problem of si "United Front" Two Letters From Pietro Nenni and an Editorial Reply Rome, September 22, 1944...
...The avowed policy of the Soviet government pursues as its supreme orientation, the goal of making the Soviet Union as a state strong at possible without regard for the self-determination of the smaller nations and without consideration for the principles of Democracy and of the Atlantic Charter, Nenni's own position in the Polish-Soviet dispute wss based on the same idea, that "the interest of the Revolution," 1. e. of Soviet Russia, must prevail over the interests of Democracy...
...In other words, was Stillwell recalled'as a face-saving measure to please Chiang, or because wc no longer plan to bring effective aid to China to enable her to fight with us against Japan...
...But Nenni speaks of a world convention of organized labor, of Socialist parties constructing a new world of Socialism, Democracy and Freedom...
...Bnt to argue that the ills from which China is suffering are mainly due to the wickedness, or shortcomings, or ''fascist" features of her government, is absurd...
...Or does he believe that the Communists would agree to include in the agenda of the proletarian World Peace Congres the problem of the Soviet regime...
...Actually if China were fascist she would be far more successful at waging war...
...They are due to the long war, to the blockade, to our concentration on defeating Hitler first, and to the fact that China had not yet had a chance to modernize herself and establish a democratic government before the war began in 1937...
...But he is convinced that a temporary cooperation with the Communists is possible and desirable at a "letter evil" and he seems to be sure, or at least to hope, that given the independence and autonomy of the Socialist Party, the menace of "red terror" can be avoided...
...A common peace program of ideological groupt, especially of labor parties or labor unions, can be based only on a certain community of principles, goals and methods...
...It will strenuously maintain its position and its autonomy...
...One would certainly underestimate the Intelligence of a man like Nenni by assuming that he does not understand this difference...
...Would the Poles feel that he is not warranted in his fears and suspicions...
...The Still well Incident By Freda Utley IT if iee> soon to say wstucr uc recall m umni Stillwell marks a last minutt reversal or modification of the United States attitude toward the existing Government of Free China, or a change of policy and strategy which would mean the virtual abandonment of the Chinese as our fighting allies...
...We have had quite a number of analogous political combinations in (this war...
...While the war is fast approaching ita end, I consider of the greatest nrgency the resumption of international activity on the part of the Socialists...
...In the personal letter to Luigi Antonini explaining the attitude of the Italian Socialists toward the united front with the Communists, Nenni justifies the close collaboration with Togliati by the simple reason that a rift between Socialists and Communists in Italy would endanger the whole position of the Bonomi government and would inevitably bring either a "black terror" or a "red terror...
...J Even a superficial analysis of the existing situation, as created in the labor movement of the world by the policy of the Soviet government should have persuaded Nenni of the Utopian character of his plan...
...The basic fact which seems to be forgotten by nearly everyone writing about China now is that Rueeia and Japan are not at war, and that their relationship is similar to that which existed between Germany and Russia before Hitler broke with Stalin and attacked Russia...
...I wish also to thank you very much for the generous contribution you have given to our propaganda work...
...In this we can hardly agree with Nenni...
...Wt only hope that the arrival in Rome of the old and respected leader of Italian Socialism, Giuseppe Modig-lianl, and of course the active help of American labor may ease this difficult situation and help our Italian comrades to find a way out of their terrible difficulties...
...whose primary allegiance is to Moscow...
...A general learned debate on the basic principles of Communism and democratic Socialism...
...For should his recall mean that the United States Government has decided to withdraw effective support from the existing government of China and to defeat Japan without the cooperation of that government of China, it would be tragedy...
...And does Nenni believe that the Communist Party of tht Soviet Union will accept the verdict of a World Congress if its decision would be against the views of the Soviet government...
...Apparently* Us outspokenness, and possibly also the fact that seme of his warmest admirers have hearkened to the siren song of the Communists, rendered him antipathetic to the Generalissimo...
...Obviously there it none except the Communist...
...The two letters by Pietro Nenni, the editor of the "Avanti" and the spokesman of the Italian Socialist Party, deserve close attention...
...The coming peace will bring ut face to face with new problems, which we mutt examine with great urgency in order to prevent and resist any imperialistic or nationalistic turn of events...
...We have got to ask enrselves whether there it at present any alternative to the Chiang regime...
...An understanding, in form of a compromise, on a practical peace program...
...Socialist Party's appeal for the early convocation of an international Socialist Conference in order to discuss the problems of peace from the labor and socialist point of view has aroused great interest in America...
...How can Chiang Kai-shek and his government be expected to trust the Chinese Communist...
...My Dear Antonini: I regret very much the fact that I shall be away from Rome during the last days of your stay among us...
...How can such an understanding be achieved without a certain community of basic principles and practical goals...
...Until now, the trench, the underground conspiracy, or the jail, have been the natural placet of our activities...
...Nobody will object to governments conferring and convening for the purpose of concluding pacts and compromises on the basis of quid pro quo...
...But the second letter of Nenni shows'that cooperation with World Communism is for him not only a matter of expediency and of temporary political value...
...Impossible...
...And so on and so forth...
...Te press for reforms in China is one thing...
...If we exclude this possibility we will have at tht world congress Social Democrat* and Communists, Bolsheviks snd Menahevika...
...If it is actually true, aa reported by the AP correspondent in New Delhi, that Major General Hurley and Donald Nelson intimated in Chungking that American support would be withdrawn unless Chiang Would not only agree to place an American general in command of the Chinese forces fighting Japan, but also remove some members of his government and come to aa agreemeni wan us uommunitu, Kussia ha* indeed wan'a great diplomatic victory—a victory which would mean that Stalin could dream of dominating postwar China...
...Here I am more specific, j J am in favor of the calling of a conference which will include all the labor forces, from the British Labor Party to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, from the labor organizations of America to those of China...
...It appears, however, that there has been much discussion concerning the scope and limits of our proposal as it was outlined in the open letter to the British''Labor Party published in "Avanti" of August 13...
...Compromise solutions of this kind are feasible and traditional between states and governments...
...We ask for the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Labor and Socialist International, as it was constituted in 1939, in order to discuss ways and means for the urgent convocation of a World Labor Conference for peace...
...General Stillwell is, no doubt, a pawn in the vast and intricate game of power politics now being played out to China...
...A party of the workers, it advocates the union of all the workers, on side of which there will be in Italy no other alternative but the black terror or the red terror...
...But how can that be expected and—what's more—advocated by a democratic Socialist who speaks of "red terror...
...1 beg you to convey our greetings to the comrades you have represented here in Italy, and give them our assurances that our only ambition is to be worthy at nil moments of the esteem and confidence of the American workers and of the workers of the world...
...What will be the result of such a congress...
...Socialist greetings from your comrade, PIETRO NENNI...
...He himself is net a politician, and no one who lam met him can doubt his real friendship for the people of China, his anti-imperialist sentiments, and his wholehearted desire to help China defeat Japan...
...It it to be hoped that his recall ia in fact, as President Roosevelt hat taid, due to personalities...
...Poland ? Or between the German Socialists who, in the interest of the German Revolution, cannot accept the dismemberment of Germany and the Soviet government which wants this dismemberment in the interest of its settlement with the nationalistic elements of Poland to whom the annexation of German territories in the west may appear as a compensation for the Russian annexation of the, eastern provinces of Poland...
...The Socialist Party it the center of the struggle for the democratization of Italy...
...Nobody will deny that under certain circumstances a Socialist and Democratic Party can be compelled to cooperate for a certain period of time with political parties which are neither democratic nor socialistic...
...Fraternally yours, PIETRO NENNI...
...to say that reform consists in embracing the Communists ia a different matter...
...However, I know that he who wants too much, ultimately gets nothing, and that we are not yet ready for a conference of this kind...
...So we must assume that the inner contradiction in the attitude of Nenni rests with tht very difficult situation of the Italian Socialist Party...
...How can a compromise be reached between the CPU-chiefs who want to shoot as many Erlichs and Alter* aa they can, and the numerous Erlichs and Alters who will be Socialist delegates at the congress ? What kind of an ideological understanding could be agreed upon between the Soviet Communists and the Polish Socialists, when the former are concerned only with expanding as widely aa possible the "strategic" borders of Russia, and the latter with the problem of establishing a genuinely democratic and socialistic...
...I know that we can count on you to help us in any way you can...
...The very same people who castigate the Chinese Government for its undemocratic acts and methods have little but praise for the Stalin dictatorship and for the Chinese Communists...
...For no one can deny the military qualities of the German and Japanese States...
...The war would become merely an imperialist struggle for the domination of the Far East...
Vol. 27 • November 1944 • No. 45
