Letter to the IEC of the Fourth International, February 1, 1940

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Factionalism and the IEC

Dear Comrades:

We received two days ago an article of Comrade Lebrun,“The Defense of the USSR in the Present War.” On the first page of the article we read: “Following the example of the American party, the International Executive Committee has decided to open the discussion in the International. This decision is in harmony with the wishes of our national sections and groups.”

We the undersigned members of the International Executive Committee never before heard about this decision of the International Executive Committee: if the assertion' of Comrade Lebrun is exact, it follows then that we were not only not asked about the matter, but that we never received the text of the mentioned decision.

What “national sections and groups” asked for the opening of the international discussion? We would be very glad to have copies of the respective decisions or letters and also of the mentioned decision of the International Executive Committee.

We are not at all opposed to an international discussion. But if the IEC actually made a decision to open such a discussion, we would like to know in what forms and by what proceedings this discussion is “opened.”

Every section has, of course, the full right to discuss every question it finds necessary. To open an international discussion can have only one meaning, namely, to create a special international bulletin for the discussion articles. We don’t see any other thinkable proceeding under the given conditions. However we have heard nothing about the creation of such a bulletin. The article of Comrade Lebrun gave us no indication as to who published it. Was it the IEC? Was it Comrade Lebrun himself?

We ask you comrades to inform us about the following matters:

First, who are the members of the IEC?

Second, who is the secretary?

Third, why did you not address us on the matter of an international discussion?

Fourth, did you receive other documents for the discussion?

Fifth, who published the article of Comrade Lebrun which has the subtitle, “Document for discussion in the International”?

The sense of our questions is, we sure sure, completely clear to you: if an international discussion is officially opened, it should be conducted not in a free-lance manner, but under the direction of the leading body of the Fourth International.

With fraternal greetings,