First Published: NCP Report, No. 4, November 18, 1946
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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In the course of NCP work, a number of friends have – by letter, phone call, and personal conversation – raised a number of questions. These are important questions, and for this reason, we present the Questions and our answers in systematic form, so as to make clear the position of NCP in regard to these matters.
Q: What is your purpose?
To do what we can to help bring about socialism in the whole world, and hence, a) to support socialism in that country where it is already established (Russia), and b) to work to bring about socialism in the U.S., as the only way out of continued and worsened misery for the overwhelming majority of the people of the world and of the U.S.
Q: So what are you doing about this?
NCP is beginning to develop propaganda for the organization of a political party that will, by the use of Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalinism, be able to advise the working-class as to its need of socialism and as to the way to get socialism.
Q: Are you starting a new party in the U.S.?
No. The main reason is that we cannot. A new party must be started by a lot more people and, especially, by a lot more workers, than are as yet involved in NCP.
Q: Wouldn’t it be better to build the present U.S. Communist Party and fight for the correct line within the Party?
No. It would be one thing if the present line of CPUSA were nothing worse than “weak” – although that would be bad enough. The point is that the present line of CPUSA is not only “weak” but wrong.
As to fighting inside the party, we are in favor of it, except that we must call attention to the fact that as soon as CPUSA members begin to fight they become ex-CPUSA members. The CPUSA members who do no more than chatter over the coffee-cups are not in fact conducting any kind of fight whatsoever.
Q: Is it true, as the CPUSA National Committee has said, that you are semi-Trotskyite?
No. For two reasons. First, there is and can be no such thing as a “semi-Trotskyite.” The Trotskyite organization is at the top an espionage movement, an organization of political spies. The Trotskyite ideology is only one special variety of what is classically known as social-democracy – and, as such, is the prevailing ideology (in both its right and “left” aspects) of CPUSA itself.
Q: Do you think there are spies in the leadership of CPUSA?
Yes, of course. But this is not the major problem right now. If the line of CPUSA were in the right direction, then the “spies” in the leadership would soon be eliminated. On the other hand, a wrong line is poisonous, regardless of the “honesty” of those who carry it out. As Marx has pointed out, the question of “honesty” does not even arise unless wrong things are being done. The exposure of these spies will come later. Our problem right now is to gather together those workers (and there are many) who already understand that line is what is important.
Q: Will you not undermine confidence in the leadership of CPUSA and shake the unity of CPUSA?
Yes – that is exactly what we want to do. We wish to undermine confidence in the leadership of CPUSA because this leadership is politically rotten. We wish to “shake” the “unity” of CPUSA, because facts have already fully demonstrated – for all who wish to see – that this “unity” is based on support of capitalism and refusal to fight capitalism.
Q: So what do you think I ought to do?
1) Organize both yourself and the people nearest you (especially in the same shop, office, factory, farm) to dedicate themselves to the basic aim: the establishment of socialism in the U.S. 2) Withdraw any support, however, trivial, that you are now giving to the line of CPUSA. 3) Support and circulate NCP Report which (so far) is the only publication that discusses these matters.