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From Labor Action, Vol. 12 No. 32, 9 August 1948, p. 2.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.
NEW YORK, July 23 – The Workers Party announced today that Albert Goldman had offered his resignation from the party and that the resignation had been accepted by the Political Committee.
In a brief letter, Goldman gave as his formal reason “the position which the majority of the National Committee took, at its recent meeting, on the question of the coming presidential elections.” The statement on the elections, to which Goldman refers, was published in Labor Action two weeks ago. It proposed the casting of a socialist protest vote, for any one of the three socialist candidates on the ballot, but stated that it was politically impossible for the Workers Party to give sole support to any one of the three as against the others.
Specifically, Goldman’s objection was the refusal of the party to single out for sole support the candidacy of Norman Thomas and the Socialist Party. His letter added: “I want to support the Socialist Party. I want to do everything in my power to help that party in the campaign.” The position of the National Committee he calls “utterly absurd.” The position of the party in opposition to the Marshall Plan, as the expression of American imperialism’s world drive today, is also cited by Goldman as “another indication that between me and the majority of the party there is a wide gulf in approach to many important problems confronting a socialist party ... I anticipate the argument that I should remain and try to change the party line by saying that I haven’t the time nor am I in a physical condition to start a factional fight.”
Accepting the resignation, the Political Committee of the party stated that it “regrets the withdrawal from the party of a comrade of Goldman’s ability and long standing in the revolutionary movement,” but pointed out that the move was not unexpected in view of his almost complete withdrawal from participation during the past year, so much so that he “did not even find it necessary to attend the plenum at which this question [of the elections] was discussed and decided.”
It adds that, while the political differences mentioned by Goldman certainly exist, no one could possibly believe that the differences cited are sufficient in themselves to cause an experienced political to abandon the revolutionary Marxist movement. “Goldman’s growing indifference and declining activity were due primarily and above all to his loss of any perspective and loss of any confidence in the struggle for a socialist future,” the statement said, and added Goldman’s name to the number of those tired radicals who have fallen by the wayside, especially in difficult times such as the revolutionary movement faces today.
By declaring (in effect) his closer political affinity with the pinkly socialistic Norman Thomas party than with the party of revolutionary Marxism, “Goldman has chosen this particular time and this particular way to retire from our party. Neither does him honor ... The party as a whole, this time and at all times, will choose the road of building and consolidating the revolutionary movement with all the tenacity, resourcefulness and self-confidence which are the distinguishing characteristics of militant socialism.”
While Goldman’s brief resignation has been adequately summarized above, the text of both his letter and the PC statement will be available in the Workers Party Bulletin which will soon be ready.
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