MB3PII-01
Marxist Bulletin No. 3 – Part II
Wohlforth Against the RT
Letter to the Revolutionary Tendency by Tim Wohlforth for the Reorganized Minority Tendency
New York. N.Y.
May 9, 1963
Dear Comrades,
Some six months or so have passed since the split in the minority tendency. The pre-convention period has now opened requiring that all in the party take a political stand on the fundamental questions posed before our party and the world movement.
This situation necessarily raises the question of the relations between the former constituents of the minority tendency during the pre-convention period. It is our firm opinion that such relations must be objectively based on political agreement or disagreement. There can be no other basis for relations among principled political people. Whatever level of collaboration between minority groups may be possible can only be determined by first determining the level of political agreement.
We therefore propose that all those comrades who formerly made up the minority tendency engage in an exchange of political views. Our basic political views can be found in two documents ‘The Decline of American Imperialism and the Tasks of the SWP’ and ‘The Rebuilding of the Fourth International.’ We assume these two documents are now available to all comrades. We specifically request the opinion of the comrades on these two documents.
We would appreciate receiving in turn any material you may be preparing individually or collectively for the pre-convention discussion. We will be very happy to give you our views on such material. In addition if there are any questions not covered in our two major documents upon which you wish our views we will be happy to provide these to the best of our ability.
Even if you do not wish our opinions and do not feel, on your part, that you can envision any form of collaboration with us, we would still like to know your opinion of our material. On the basis of this we will then be able to work out our own attitude towards relations with you.
We feel it is extremely important to proceed in an objective, non-factional, political manner. It is best that we put aside all organizational charges and countercharges and discuss only the basic political questions before the movement. If there is anything we can do to facilitate the lessening of factional tensions between minority comrades please let us know and we will do what we can to facilitate this.
It is the political responsibility of all comrades to keep the channels of political communication between minority comrades open at all times.
Please let us know your answer to this letter as soon as possible as the convention is coming closer and closer.
Comradely
Tim Wohlforth for the
Reorganised Minority Tendency.
Copies to: Jim R, Shane M, Geoff W, Bertha M