a 1496 Fresh from replying to “certain comrades" Thoregz and Togliatti of the French and Italian CP s,., the Chineso via the editorial colurms of the Peking "People's Daily", have turned on the Communist Farty of the United States (CFUS), Their reply to CFUS criticism was contained in the March 8th editorial,
It is a reply to the allegation that the Chinese "advocated a policy leading to thermonuclear war", and that “this pseudo-left dogmatic and sectar— ian line of our Chinese comrades dovetails with that of the most adventurous US imperialists.e..e." The Chinese reply is largely 2 criticism of Khrushchey's policy at the time of Cuba'sorisis, "We neither advocated a policy of sending the missiles to Cuba nor obstructed the withdrawal....Ws opposed adventurism and we opposed capitulationiom,...+eeWhat was there about this that dovetails with US imperialism 7" ‘The reply contimes ;: "What do you consider to be the gemiine loft 7" and goes on to criticise Russian CP policy and K without mentioning him directly or attritting it to him. "Can it be that those who use tho sovereignity of another country (i,o. Cuba -od. ) as a counter for political bargaining with US imperialia: are to be consid= ered as the genuine left ? To act in that way is indeed to be through—and— through pseudo-left, or rather, geminely right."
Quotations from CPUS leaders appear with extracts from the US ".Jorkerl! to illustrate what the Chinese describe as the “prettifying" of Kennedy and imperialism, and the CPUS habit of giving cool praise to aspects of Kennedy's policy together with their belief that many of his actions are the result of pressure from the extremo right. The following quote of a quote is revealing : "They (i.e. the CPUS) said that they would 'any day and every day’ take <n oath not to advocate using violence to owv.erthrow the US Government. When someone asked 'if the Soviet Union attacked the USA, wham. would you support 7' the answer was; 'if I thought it was Being attacked I would defend my country', The Chinese article goes on to refute the charge that they are opposed to negotiation with the West. “Actaally these people are not unaware that thea Chinese CP has consistently approved of negotiat— ions between socialist and imperialist countries." One aspect of China's international policy is that, according to her critics, she operates a “double standard", This applies, the critics say, to Formasa and Macao, where China prefers to coexist, and is supposed to compare unfavourably with India's assimilation of Goa, Whe Chinesa denounce this fresh criticism as an attempt to portray the Chineso as cowards and go on to attack the CPUS support of India with regard to the border dispute. :
Generally, the article refutes the cries of “dogtatist" with cries of “revisionist™ and it is only on specific issues — such as Cuba — where anything factually constructice emerges, Finally, a revealing remark 1 "ind there are not a small number of gemime communists inside and outside the Communist Party of the United States who firmly adhere to Marxian— Leninism and oppose revisionism and dogmatian." This remark to observers of the American scone is an indication of the fact that the Chinese do not consider the CPUS to be the exclusive repository of Marxism in the USA, They do in fact give cognisance on aceasions to the magazine "Progressive Labour" (through the columns of the New China News Agency) founded by two members of the CFUS who were expelled on charges of being "pro—Albanian".