Page 51 - Report on the National Lawyers Guild, legal bulwark of the Communist Party

THE NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD 45
COMMUNIST PARTY, U. S. A. national lawyers guild
Platform of the Communist Party, and Martin Popper, Secretary of the 1940 (p. 3)). guild (Daily Worker, September 4, 1940,
p. 3).
As events have shown, the joint The fourth annual convention of the
"national unity" drive of the war- guild, held May 29, 30, and June 1, 1940, mongering social reformists and the denounced alleged attempts to use the bourgeoisie has not been crowned with European war as a "shield to cover too much success. * * * The anti- repression and as an excuse for reaction" imperialist stand of the American {Daily Worker, June 2, 1940).
Youth Congress, the National Negro In line with the guild's pohcy of pro-
Congress, and the nation-wide Emer- tecting those engaged in retarding the gency Peace Mobilization at Chicago, national defense effort were the resolu-
etc., bear eloquent testimony to this tions adopted at the meeting of its * * * This explains, in part, the national executive board on February
discrepancy between the mass opposi- 22, 24, 1941, against the Model Sabotage tion which has developed against the Prevention Act, compulsory arbitration interventionist moves and unneutral in labor disputes, cooling-off periods acts of the government and Congress in before resorting to the strike, and anti- foreign affairs, and, above all, to the strike legislation (Lawyers Guild Re- military conscription bill, and the view, March 1941, pp. 26 to 29).
limited opposition registered against the The position 1 have taken excludes, of colossal armaments program and the course, the notion that labor disputes dictatorial "national emergency" powers shall be settled by compulsory arbitra- granted to and exercised by the Presi- tion or that they shall be restrained by dent (Eugene Dennis in The Com- " Work or Fight Orders." These meth- munist, September 1940, pp. 822, 823). ods are unnecessary as they are un-
Keep America Out of the Imperialist desirable (Harry Sacher in the Lawyers War! Oppose all war loans and credits Guild Quarterly, December 1940, p. 28). to the imperialist warmakers and their
lackeys. Repudiate the militarization
and armaments program (Resolution of the National Committee of the Com- munist Party, USA, from The Com- munist, March 1940, p. 215).
Following the Stalin-Hitler pact, the
Communist Party denounced the war
as "imperialist"; urged a policy of isola- tion; opposed the national defense program, conscription, and aid to the AUied Nations. It played the leading role in building up the American Peace Mobilization which picketed the White House and in strikes in defense in- dustries such as Allis-Chalmers, Inter- national Harvester, North American Aviation, and Vultee Aircraft.
15. SEcd^fD Front
(Explanatory Note.—Immediately after Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union, Communist forces throughout the world demanded the immediate opening of a Second Front, although these forces had opposed the war as imperialistic prior to that time.)
COMMUNIST party, U. S. A. NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD
While Hitler flings everything into "Robert W. Kenny, President of the the Eastern Front, labor should urge Guild, sent a letter to President Roose- Washington and London to smash velt recently declaring that the Na- Hitler in the West {Daily Worker, tional Executive Board of the Guild by October 9, 1941, p. 1). an overwhelming majority had adopted