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[Submitted by the Fourth Internationalist Caucus in the National Committee to the August 9-11, 1982, plenum]
1) The May 1982 meeting of the International Executive Committee of the Fourth International adopted a resolution calling for the Twelfth World Congress (sixth since reunification) and opening the International Internal Discussion Bulletin to all members: “The International Executive Committee (IEC) opens the written pre-World Congress discussion period preparatory to the Twelfth World Congress....” (IIDB, Vol. XVIII, No. 3, June 1982, p. 2). The call makes clear that the discussion bulletin is open for contributions by leaderships of sections or sympathizing organizations, by members of the IEC, or by international tendencies (which can make them directly to the United Secretariat); and by rank-and-file comrades, who can make them through the leaderships of their national section or sympathizing group.
2) At a meeting of the membership of the New York-Northern New Jersey District of the party on June 27, Doug Jenness gave a report on the IEC meeting which represented the views of the Political Bureau. In this report he made note of the opening of the pre-World Congress discussion, and explained the correct procedure for comrades to follow if they wanted to submit articles to it. He also commented on the fact that the article by Les Evans entitled “Lenin and the Theory of ’Democratic Dictatorship,’ a reply to Doug Jenness” had been submitted to the IIDB and a recommendation would be made on its publication at a Political Bureau meeting the following week.
3) On June 29, eighteen members of the party, believing as a result of these facts that the international discussion bulletin was open for rank-and-file contributions, and believing that this meant that they could, as in any other discussion, collaborate in the drafting of articles, sent a letter to the National Committee, Political Committee, and Political Bureau announcing their intention to so collaborate as an organized tendency.
4) On July 13, however, the Political Bureau met, and ruled that these eighteen members had no right to act as they had; that the discussion was not opened for the membership of the SWP by the IEC meeting; and that only the leading bodies of the SWP could do this.
5) Without passing judgment on whether the actions of the Political Bureau in this case were correct or incorrect, the August 9-11,1982, plenum of the SWP National Committee hereby opens the pre-World Congress discussion for the membership of the SWP. This means that all party members may contribute articles to the IIDB in accordance with the World Congress call adopted by the IEC; and that they may act collectively—collaborate and consult—for the purposes of drafting, editing, or otherwise preparing such articles.
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