Leon
Trotsky: Letter to the National Committee, Communist League of
America
May
27, 1932
[Writing
of Leon Trotsky, Vol. 13. Supplement (1929-1933), New York 1979, p.
115 f., title: “Our
Attitude to Weisbord”]
To
the National Committee,
Communist
League of America
Dear
Comrades:
I
have already sent you my statement on the labor party. Enclosed I am
sending you the letter which I wrote to Comrade Weisbord as a result
of our discussions. I hope that the letter will give you complete
satisfaction and that you will be able to make the necessary use of
my letter if the Weisbord group continues to fight against us in the
way it has done hitherto.
But
I must say that my letter, although it does not make any concessions
at all, is nevertheless written in a spirit which
leaves the door open for a possibility of rapprochement and later of
unification.
Personally Weisbord displays a sincere willingness to incorporate his
group in our ranks. In all the disputed questions of principled
significance he has recognized the correctness of the basic views of
the Left Opposition. In this sense he has declared himself in
solidarity with my letter as a whole. He has the intention of acting
accordingly upon his return to the U.S. and of issuing a number of
his periodical in this spirit. So far as I know, he has already
counseled his friends in America in this sense. The latest number of
The
Militant
brings very sharp echoes of the disputes, which is in itself quite
understandable. But I hope that in case the Weisbord group undertakes
genuine steps toward adherence to the Left Opposition and thereby to
the American League, The
Militant
will not impede the rapprochement but rather facilitate it.
In
the meantime Weisbord is going to Germany and to Prance, of course on
his own initiative, to look up our friends there. I have sent both of
my documents on the labor party as well as my letter to W. to all the
sections so that the comrades will be familiar with the matter, and I
hope therefore that we do not need to fear any misunderstandings.
I
hope that you have received in the meantime my circular with regard
to the international conference. Some of the Spanish comrades seem to
have the desire to transform the international conference into a sort
of a field day for “also” and “nevertheless” Left groups.
This sentiment is being nurtured by Naville and by the open and
concealed Navillists. I am certain that you will have nothing to do
with such a conference and that you will give an unequivocal
expression to your opinion regarding it. Due to the importance of the
question it would perhaps be appropriate to take a vote with regard
to this by roll call in your committee and to inform the
International Secretariat of the results. It is high time to teach
some of the comrades that there are things with which one must not
jest. At any rate, we can figure with certainty that the Russian,
German, French, Greek, and Belgian sections will take an unequivocal
and decisive position. Aside from the Spanish section there are
vacillations on this question perhaps only on the part of the
Czechoslovak section, which is quite new in our midst and has not yet
liberated itself entirely of its Zinovievist past and is not quite
firm precisely on the international questions. The Czechoslovak
section proposes that its leader, Comrade [Otto] Friedmann, be
admitted into the International Secretariat. Comrade Friedmann is
very warmly recommended by them because of his theoretical talents.
It is quite possible that they are correct. Unfortunately, Comrade
Friedmann is very little known among us, as is the case with their
group as a whole. Therefore, it would perhaps be careless to add the
as yet too little tested Comrade Friedmann to the International
Secretariat at the present time.
It
is unfortunate that you have no reliable comrade in Europe to
represent your organization in the Secretariat. At any rate, it is
absolutely necessary that your committee as a whole follow the
international questions precisely at the present time with the most
complete attentiveness. On my part, I am always prepared to give you
the necessary information upon request.
Please
inform me how the matter stands with the sale of the Yiddish edition
of the second volume of the History.
Comrade Shachtman informed me some time ago that a sum of from five
to six hundred dollars was due from this transaction. This money is
to go to the International Secretariat and especially for the German
and Spanish sections — after you deduct ten percent for The
Militant.
I beg you to settle this matter as quickly as possible.
With
best communist greetings,
L.
Trotsky