On January 26 Prime Minister Wilson leaves for a cap in hand session with the chief war criminal in Washington, President Nixon. As leading British apologist for U.S. imperialism, Wilson will no doubt reassure Nixon of his support for U.S. aggression in Vietnam.
In response to Wilson's Washington visit, a December 30th meeting initiated by the Vietnam Solidarity Committee (VSC) decided to organise a demonstration against Wilson's visit on January 25th, the eve of his trip. Representatives of VSC, International Socialism, International Marxist Group, Tricontinental Committee, Independent Labour Party branches, the BLACK DWARF and other anti-imperialist organisations attended the meeting.
The action will take place starting at 6pm with a march from Charing X embankment to 10 Downing St.
The importance of the demonstration is crystal clear. The heroic Vietnamese continue to struggle to force the U.S. to withdraw while the determination of the U.S. ruling class to crush the Vietnamese revolution remains [illegible].
[illegible] opposition to the war has [illegible] mass proportions. [illegible] demonstrated against the war in Washington and San Francisco on November 15. [illegible] Day U.S. soldiers and civilians demonstrated [illegible].
The Song May massacre disclosures have underlined the criminal complicity of the Wilson Government in Vietnam. Wilson's hypocritical calls for "peace" have been exposed by George Brown's call for the U.S. "to get on with the job", expressing the real policy of Wilson, his Cabinet and the Tories. Here concretely, Sir Robert Thompson, Britain's anti-guerrilla expert who served British imperialism in Malaya, has brought back a report from Vietnam for Nixon explaining how the U.S. can best prosecute the struggle against the Vietnamese people. Wilson's trip to Washington is part of this complicity and must be opposed by the united action of all those who have raised their voices against U.S. aggression in Vietnam.
On January 11th there will also be a demonstration against Wilson's Washington visit. The demonstration is called by the KEEP LEFT Young Socialists and is supported by the Socialist Labour League and the WORKERS PRESS. Support for the six-year old anti-Vietnam war movement is a recent thing for the KLYS, [illegible] and WORKERS PRESS.
No one could deny that this 180-degree turn is not welcome. But there are some unfortunate aspects to it all. Up to now the SLL has made no serious attempt to collaborate with any other organisation in the building of the January 11th demonstration.
The rich history of the international anti-Vietnam war movement is a powerful example of the tremendous power of united front action against U.S. imperialism. The perspective of building a mass movement against the Nixon-Wilson war has proven to be hollow if the concept of united action around a principled position of all forces opposed to the war is ignored. This is the meaning of the 100,000-strong October 27 1968 London demonstration (boycotted by the SLL).
The August 12th NEWSLETTER, forerunner of the WORKERS PRESS, stated that anti-war campaigns built around "ad-hoc" or united front committees "were formed as substitutes for Marxism". It is possible that in changing its position on the anti-Vietnam war movement the WORKERS PRESS will follow through and change its opposition to united action against U.S. imperialism's intervention in Vietnam by recognising the necessity of united action (a legitimate Leninist tactic).
The January 25th demonstration presents the SLL, the KLYS, the WORKERS PRESS and all those who have previously participated in the anti-Vietnam war movement with this opportunity in building mass opposition to the war. The working committee for the January 25th action is hoping for participation of a [illegible] and take care of the organisational work. Interested individuals and sponsoring organisations are invited to attend. The meetings will take place at 2 pm at the VSC office. Further information, posters and leaflets can be obtained through VSC, Room 1, 13 Whites Row, London E.1, Telephone 247 9845.