*----------------------------------------------------------* | | | x x x x x x x xx xxx xxx xxx | | xx xx x xx xx xx x x x x x x Issue #15 | | x x x x x x x x xx x x x xx xxx | | x x x x x x x x x x x x 09/11/85 | | x x x x x x x xx x xxx xxx | | | |----------------------------------------------------------| | Newspaper of the Maoist Internationalist Movement | *----------------------------------------------------------* REAGAN'S PHONY SANCTIONS FRANCE MURDERS GREENPEACE SHIP PHOTOGRAPHER Desperate to prevent a flotilla of ships from protesting French nuclear testing in the Pacific, so-called socialist France secretly blew up and sank a Greenpeace ship that was to lead the protest. A photographer on board was killed. Greenpeace is an ecology movement organization. The ship sank at Auckland in New Zealand. Despite international uproar over the terrorist attack on the anti-nuclear movement, so-called socialist President Mitterand ordered French armed forces to use force if necessary to prevent protest in French territorial waters. (New York Times, 8/19/85, 1) The leaders of France's government espouse "democratic socialism." The Socialist Party of France is fraternally tied to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). BIG BROTHER CORPORATION Struggles within the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) have brought to light the fact that the British Secret Service (M.I.5) secretly controls hiring and firing of the BBC staff. The practice of screening out leftist journalists has been going on since 1937. (New York Times, 8/22/85, a3) Weeks earlier the BBC Board of Governors banned a program on Northern Ireland at the request of the British Government. A strike of radio and tv journalists for one day resulted. (Ibid.) It is as if the curtain were pulled on the Wizard of Oz. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR FIRES LESBIAN REPORTER The Massachusetts Supreme Court backed the Christian Science Monitor's firing of lesbian Christine Madsen. Madsen had refused to "heal" herself and return to the Church's moral law against homosexuality. (New York Times, 8/22/85, a16) What is immoral about homosexuality? God said so. So even the most "enlightened" Christians tell us. Why does God's law hold so well where domination and heirarchy already exist? PROTO-FASCIST MORAL MAJORITY LEADER REVEALS COLORS Rev. Jerry Falwell came out in firm support of South African President P.W. Botha. He called on Americans to buy South African gold coins called Kruggerands and to increase their investment in South Africa. In addition, he asked for divestment from companies that have pulled out of South Africa. Richard A. Viguerie, a New Right fundraiser and Herbert B. Berkowitz, a spokesman for the Heritage Foundation, in turn backed up Jerry Falwell. (New York Times, 8/21/85, a3) Falwell has promised to use his prime-time television show to turn American public opinion around on South Africa. He claims that a videotape he made shows that Blacks and whites in South Africa oppose economic sanctions against the apartheid regime. A South African who calls for economic sanctions is subject to prison and possibly death by South African law. In addition, with the State of Emergency and martial law in South Africa, police have unlimited powers. It seems unlikely that any South African in South Africa would go on television and provide the evidence necessary for his execution by the state. Even so, recent polls show record levels of support for economic sanctions amongst Blacks in South Africa. Even a conservative poll that once showed Black opposition to Western sanctions against S. Africa has switched over to reporting three quarters support for economic sanctions. (New York Times, 9/10/85, 4) For his part, Richard Viguerie is "'moving heaven and earth to get the Senate shored up to sustain a Presidential veto'" (Ibid.) of economic sanctions legislation. Meanwhile, Reagan himself appears to be vacillating slightly. He may be influenced by the argument that "'Yes, South Africa is important to us strategically, but the danger of losing her strategically is greater if we support a Government that is intransigent to change, which is almost inevitable in that society.'" (Ibid.) South Africa's umpteenth vague promise for major social change was ballyhooed in all the bourgeois media including Newsweek and Time. Now, after a speech in August by Botha, the major media has taken to questioning what exactly those changes are going to be. Reagan himself signalled the media's change in approach when his advisors expressed disappointment in Botha's speech. Reagan spoke of a "crisis of confidence" caused by the lack of substance in South Africa's supposed reforms. For opportunist reasons, Reagan has had to appear to take action. He is moving to ban the import of South African Kruggerands--gold coins--into the U.S.. Other actions include a ban on computer sales to the apartheid government and a partial ban on bank loans to S. Africa. Also, companies with more than 25 employees will not receive U.S. export assistance unless they uphold the Sullivan Principles. Reagan's sanctions are mere lip-service to public opinion which has turned against the USA's alliance with apartheid. The Kruggerand ban matters little because "the gold that South Africa cannot sell to the United States could find its way here anyway through world market channels." (New York Times, 9/10/85) (What, did we think capitalism would stop the law of buy and sell just because Reagan said so?) The computer ban only makes official what companies had already done; that is not sell to the apartheid regime directly. The bank loans ban has a loophole for money "needed" for economic circumstances, health and education "beneficial" to all races. In other words a U.S. bank can loan a S. African bank money for economic reasons and the S. African bank can turn around and loan the money to the apartheid police and military. As for the Sullivan Principles, see the MIM literature list for a detailed explanation of their fig-leaf role. Finally, the nuclear ban Reagan imposed was already in place and even this has exceptions for "humanitarian purposes." (New York Times, 9/10/85) Reagan tries to appear to the public to be criticizing the South African regime while he does nothing of substance himself to effect change in South Africa. This allows Botha and his supporters like Falwell the chance to rally and wait for the current storm to pass. For example, Richard A. Viguerie beats the anti-communist- save-the-Free-World drum rather loudly. In the process, he of course presumes that only white rule is possible in South Africa. Naturally, with that assumption, he finds it impossible to criticize Botha. "'The question is not whether they will have a white ruler or a black ruler in South Africa.'" "'They'll have white rule for the foreseeable future. The question is whether that white ruler will be South African or Soviet. The alternative to the current Government is a Communist regime. If South Africa falls, freedom is not likely to prevail in the rest of the world for much longer.'" (New York Times, 8/21/85, a3) Viguerie's statement is quite revealing of the ruling class. It shows that the American imperialists are desperate to hold onto South Africa for fear of losing a world war to the Soviets. In that desperation, it is not surprising that people like Falwell and Viguerie come to the fore. CONGRESS APPROVES ALL WAR BUDGET REQUESTS A House-Senate conference agreed on a $302.5 billion budget that includes $2.75 billion for Star Wars. Every major weapons system asked for by the Defense Department gained approval. (New York Times, 7/27/85, p. 8) The defense contractors (i.e. capitalists) make tremendous profits as they prepare materially and psychologically for further war for empire. Since the taxpayers and not the capitalists pay for the war, the capitalists hope to make profits on new resources captured and controlled through war throughout the world--e.g. Central America, the Philippines, the Middle East and Europe. MOVE MURDER DETAILS LEAKING OUT As we have said in a previous issue of MIM NOTES, the Philadelphia police bombing of a radical group called MOVE had much manipulation of public opinion behind it. Police and firefighters tried to claim that the MOVE group doused itself with gasoline and started the fire. At the same time, they claimed to have washed away the flammable fluids with water cannons before dropping a bomb on the house. No one explained why the water cannons were turned off after the bombing that started the fire that killed eleven people and destroyed 61 homes in a Black neighborhood. All the lies by the blood-thirsty officials of Philadelphia contributed to a sensationalist media portrayal of MOVE. Rather than allow their criminal actions come to broad public view, the officials blamed the fire and eleven deaths on the victims themselves. Happy to slander and villify a radical political group, the capitalist-owned and produced media tried to make MOVE seem to be engaged in suicidal armed struggle with police. Unfortunately, now that the issue has died down, the truth appears in the back pages of newspapers if at all. A small story ("Philadelphia's Fire Marshal Says Police Bomb Ignited May 13 Blaze," New York Times, a9) reports the conclusion of a so-called investigation. As usual for the methods of state officials trying to manipulate public opinion, the results of this investigation appear too late to influence public opinion. In fact, the bombing was premeditated. The police planned a year ago to bomb the roof of the MOVE house. (New York Times, 8/21/85, a18)What caused police to shoot 10,000 shots at a house; firebomb 61 houses and try to blame the victims who it now turns out did not fire any shots while the fire spread despite firefighter claims? There was never any reason to open fire on the MOVE group. Since when do tenants who live in unsanitary conditions deserve eviction and death? How many slumlords get away with far worse in owning dozens of rat-infested firetraps? Where is there a police force that would firebomb a landlord for endangering hundreds of tenants? Although MIM NOTES focuses on the international situation and the U.S. war and imperialism abroad, it is important to remember, that the more desperate the atmosphere in the U.S. government the less it can afford dissidents at home. The Philadelphia city government used the national media to disseminate disinformation and justify the murder of a non- mainstream poor, Black dissident group. CHINA'S STATE CAPITALISTS DO SOMOZA ONE BETTER Continuing to admit record levels of economic crime in China since the capitalist reorganization of the economy, Mainland China's officials disclosed that some Chinese officials with contacts with foreigners on Hainan island embezzled $1.5 billion. The New York Times reported that "such incidents have a disproportionate impact in Peking." (New York Times, 8/4/85, 16) In other words, if a country is to have the marvelous capitalist system it has to put up with such "incidents." The New York Times also tagged Peking for overreacting to the smuggling of opium and pornography videotapes from the West. While it is the standard position of Western newspapers and observors to tell China to enact capitalism with spine, Deng Xiaoping has encountered difficulties in explaining away the seamy side of capitalism. Earlier this year, Deng came forth with the statement that communism is still China's ultimate goal. Lately, he has had to admit that his economic free zones which do business with the West on the West's terms, may be failures. Maoists call today's China "revisionist" precisely because Deng finds it necessary to uphold a facade of Marxism while instituting a capitalist counterrevolution. He speaks in the words of communism and pretends to abhor the obvious excesses of capitalism in order to cover up capitalism in a country with a high political awareness and experience with more open forms of class exploitation. UN/ETHIOPIAN REPORT UNDERESTIMATES ERITREA DROUGHT A fact-finding study by the UN, U.S. and Ethiopia reports that food is reaching the Tigre and Eritrea, which border Ethiopia. However, the investigators did not tour in guerrilla controlled regions, which include 80% of Eritrea. Relief groups actually in the Tigre report that 3.8 out of 5 million people there need aid and that the situation is worsening. (New York Times, 8/4/85, 13) STEAM BUILDING FOR DIVESTITURE New Jersey will withdraw $2 billion in pension funds from U.S. companies that do business in South Africa. (New York Times, 8/21/85, 1) In Baltimore, the City Council unanimously recommended that its pension funds be pulled out of South Africa. $174 million are at stake. It is expected that the pension fund trustees will follow through. (New York Times, 8/21/85, a4) OTHER SANCTIONS Australia is boycotting South African gold and ended export assistance to companies trading with South Africa. DIVESTMENT PRESSURE CITED IN CORPORATE PULLOUT Phibro-Solomon, a financial conglomerate, is withdrawing from South Africa. The 12th largest corporation in the USA, Phibro-Solomon is one of 17 American companies that have withdrawn from South Africa in 1985. (New York Times, 8/22/85, d1, d15) The Smithsonian Institution had recently sold its stock in Phibro-Solomon. One financial analyst said that since the South Africa share of Phibro-Solomon's business is less than 1%, it was important for the company to "broaden the appeal of its shares for all institutional investors." (Ibid., d15) IRAN-IRAQ WAR INTENSIFIES Iraq is bombing Iran's only oil terminal, which is at Kharg Island. Iraq says that it will put an end to Iranian oil exports, so that Iran will have no money to conduct its war against Iraq. One estimate put Iran's export loss at 25% from the single bombing attack. Vowing to prevent anyone from exporting oil from the Persian Gulf, Iran is bombing oil tankers in the Gulf. (New York Times, 8/19/85, a4) The Iranian regime has been stretched thin in the war. Tens of thousands of soldiers at the front and political prisoners at home have been killed for the benefit of Khomeini's Islamic theocracy. Economic conditions are already strained and a real end to Iranian oil exports may provide a revolutionary opportunity should Khomeini try to run the war on religion alone. SOUTH AFRICA South Africa has by now detained 1,243 more activists under martial law. They are not allowed access to lawyers and their names are not available to the public. (New York Times, 7/31/85, a4) "'More than 620 people, only 2 of them white, have died in the violence that has spread across South Africa in the last 10 months.'" (New York Times, 8/19/85, a6) 120 of those deaths have been in the last month since Botha implemented martial law. ROTTING FOOD AID--reprinted from Adulis "According to reliable sources in Addis Abeba, food aid for starving Ethiopians is piling up and rotting in the Eritrean ports of Asseb and Massawa as well as in the port of Djibouti for want of transport to the famine victims. This is because the Dergue has allocated most of its transport fleet to its military campaigns in Eritrean and northern Ethiopia as well as its forcible resettlement program in the south. "As a result, UN officials in Ethiopia have advised international aid donors not to send new shipments of food to Ethiopia until more of the supplies now piled up in the ports and warehouses have been moved to relief centres. Aid officials say that 60% of the food aid that has arrived in Ethiopia since December has yet to be delivered. "After a meeting with the Dergue's strongman on 15 June 1985, Mr Kurt Jansson, the UN assistant secretary-general for emergency operations in Ethiopia and Mr Maurice F Strong, executive coordinator of the UN Office for Emergency Operations in Africa, have stated that there were enough food supplies in the country to meet the immediate needs of most of the famine victims. During the meeting, Colonel Mengistu has reportedly promised to divert 400 trucks from military used while the UN officials pledged to press for the donation of 800 more trucks to Ethiopia to solve the 'shortage of transport'." (Adulis, Vol 2, No 11, July 1985) DERGUE RECEIVED 80 MILLLION BULLETS IN FALASHA DEAL-- reprinted from Adulis "High-level diplomatic sources have disclosed that the Ethiopian military regime of Lt Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam received 80 million 'parabelum' bullets from Israel about two years ago in exchange for its collaboration in the exodus of the Falashas from Ethiopia directly to Israel. These diplomatic sources have, according to the Italian daily, Corrierre della Sera (22 Apr 1985) and the English weekly, The Observer (21 Apr 1985), revealed that Col Mengistu entered into the secret deal with Israel to exchange Falashas for military supplies because he was anxious to launch an offensive against the Eritrean and Tigrean rebels at the time. "According to these reports, it was the successful precedent of Col Mengistu's secret deal that later prompted Nimeiri to make a similar secret deal with Israel to allow the airlift of Falashas from the Sudan in return for $56m paid to him and several of his top officials. A large slice reportedly went to the then First Vice-President and head of the State Security apparatus, General Omer El-Tayeb. These authoritative diplomatic sources attach an intriguing significance to the fact that it was General Faith Erwa, ex- military attache in the Sudanese Embassy in Addis Abeba and Nimeri's close collaborator, who was sent to New York to collact the last instalment on the price just days before the coup d'etat took place on April 6. "This new revelation corroborates, if only in more detail, earlier reports that the Dergue, despite its belated protestations to neutralize publicity following the leak, was engaged in a secret deal with the zionist state involving the exchange of Falashas for arms. Yet in an unabashed display of cynicism and hypocrisy, the Addis Abeba regime issued a statement (Ethiopian Herald, 24 Feb 1985) alleging a 'Sudanese-Israeli conspiracy' and calling on 'the international community to prevail on Israel to respond favourably to Ethiopia's demand for the orderly and immediate repatriation of the abducted citizens'. All this while using the Falashas as a bargaining chip for obtaining arms and spare parts--a deal that conjures up the revival of the old slave trade. "For in reality, as Moshe Dayan revealed in 1978, the Ethio-Israeli accord for the direct 'repatriation' of the Falashas was first reached, and its implementation began, in 1977. It was renewed in 1982 through the mediation of the Jewish Agency and the Mossad, the Israeli secret service. As a result, Israel has been supplying the Ethiopian regime with substantial military equipment and spare parts. The value of Israeli military sales to Ethiopia in 1983 was about $20m (Africa Confidential, 12 Dec 1984). In October alone, Israel shipped to Ethiopia $6m worth of arms and spares. "Diplomatic sources in Addis Abeba report of continuing Israeli sales of large quantities of military supplies to the Ethiopian regime. Much of these arms sales consist of Soviet- made or Soviet-designed equipment captured during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. These weapons are repainted, refurbished if necessary, and then dispatched through various Israeli front companies, including Koor, a company registered and based in Amsterdam, and Amiran, a 'reception' company in Ethiopia. Israel also provides sophisticated parts for the Soviet-supplied Mig-23s and the U.S.-supplied F-5Es of the Ethiopian Airforce." (Adulis, Vol 1, No 11, May 1985) Thanks to: Africa Network Resources, Information, Action PO Box 59364 Chicago, IL 60659