Documents and Discussions: supplement to 'International Information'. Vol. XIII, No.10: Communist United Front proposals

              DOCUMENTS  AND DISCUSSIONS
SUPPLEMENT FOR RECORD PURPOSES TO "INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION"
published by the Secretariat of the Labour and Socialist International
Vol.XIII. No.10. -51-       (I.I. - 420 -)        October 28th, 1936
Communist United Front Proposals.
(D.D.)     The Paris "Humanité" of October 27th, 1936 gave a welcome in large headlines at the head of the paper to the decision taken in Paris the day before by the joint meeting of the International Federation of Trade Unions and the Labour and Socialist International. It published this decision under the heading : "For safeguarding Spanish Democracy and Peace! The I.F.T.U. and the L.S.I. against the blockade".
This demonstration by the "Humanité" confirms the correctness of the declaration made by de Brouckère, the President of the L.S.I. at the conversation which he and Adler had with Cachin and Thorez in Paris on October 14th.
Replying to the proposals made by Cachin and Thorez de Brouckére pointed out "that there was no difference of opinion between the Communists and the Socialists on the matter itself, that all the proposed actions are already being carried out, and that the work undertaken by the International Federation of Trade Unions and the Labour and Socialist International, both politically and in the sphere of practical help, had been appreciated by the Spanish Labour movement and also the Communists.
This natural unity of the workers of the world in their sympathies with Spain and their willingness to help, is used by the Communists in order to continue the disputes within the Labour Movement by continually making the same proposals, though they know that they are politically incapable of realisation.  These attempts unfortunately continue the Zinoviev period which we hoped had been brought to an end.  We should have passed them over in silence because we do not regard this discussion as being in the least in the interests of establishing the conditions for the real unity of the working class, if the statements in the "Humanité" regarding the exchange of letters between the French Communists and de Brouckère did not oblige us to publish these letters in full.
On his arrival in Paris on October 26th de Brouckère received a letter addressed to the "Bureaux of the L.S.I. and the I.F.T.U.", and signed by Marcel Cachin and M. Thorez,  in which the two signatories asked to be received at the joint meeting on the same day.  This letter appeared in the "Humanité" of October 26th (Letter No 1 appended).
This letter was enclosed with another letter from Vaillant-Couturier to de Brouckère, which began with the following words "We are enclosing a letter from the French Communist Party for the Bureau of the L.S.I. and of the I.F.T.U." (Letter No.2.).
De Brouckère replied on the same day in a letter which began with the words :"I received this morning the letter which you sent me on behalf of the French Communist Party and which was published this same morning in the 'Humanité."  (Letter No.3.)
Editeur : L. Coenen, 130, chaussée de Waterloo, Bruxelles
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