Leon
Trotsky: Proposal for an Open Letter
August
6, 1930
[Writing
of Leon Trotsky, Vol. 2, 1930, New York 1975, p. 352]
On
the CP's turn: For several months now, I haven't followed French
politics or even received I'Humanité.
But the question you discuss is very important. If both the French
party and the French Opposition or the circles that sympathize with
the Opposition are going through a similar disorientation, we are the
ones who will lose by it, because we are the weaker ones and we can
make gains in each situation only through clarity and preciseness. It
is very possible that this is the proper time for a tactical maneuver
toward the CP membership. For example, an open letter to the
Communists enumerating the new assertions made by the CP which
coincide with our earlier criticisms, criticisms characterized a few
months ago as "Menshevik," etc., by the same leaders. The
open letter should lead to the conclusion that once again new
experience has demonstrated that the communist workers of the CP can
only gain from working in the same ranks with the communists of the
Communist League.
Of
course, the letter should summarize the differences that remain and
are going to come up again. But the object of the letter should not
be to present the differences but rather to show that there are
important points of agreement that negate the arguments for excluding
the International Opposition.
Given
that the CP's new line has not yet been concretized, that is, has not
yet revealed its Achilles' heel, it is of the greatest interest to us
to carry our fight with the apparatus onto the terrain of the party
regime. This proposal is a bit vague because, I repeat, I am not
abreast of what is happening.
Talk
about this with other comrades.
L.T.
|