The war in Vietnam has been completely overshadowed by events in Czechoslovakia. As we go to press, reports are coming through that the N.L.F. has launched a new offensive. The North Vietnam Government has exposed the absolute hypocrisy of Johnson's claim to have relaxed the bombing of the North.
Thus - despite our concern for the struggle of the Czechoslovak people against stalinism - we must have it clearly in our minds that the key fight against world reaction is still taking place in Vietnam. It remains as true as ever that the outcome of this struggle will be decisive in determining whether the revolutionary forces go forward or retreat for a whole period.
This is the global context in which we must see the preparations for the Autumn mobilisation for solidarity with the Vietnamese people.
DANGER OF DIVERSION
The grave danger in the immediate period is that events in Czechoslovakia will break the united front which has been built through the VSC and the ad hoc committees. There is no need for this if we have our political priorities firmly based.
Another danger to the unity of the solidarity movement needs chronicling despite its much less importance. There have been reports in the press about a serious "split in the ad hoc committee". This is not so, the trouble has come from a tiny sectarian group of pro-Chinese political complexion which makes up for its lack of any kind of important support by wrecking tactics at meetings. This group is now no longer in the ad hoc committee and has established its own organisation,
COMPLETELY FACTIONAL APPROACH
It loudly proclaims itself as being the only true pro-Vietnamese political formation in this country and then goes on to disprove this by completely subordinating the struggle to its own factional interests.
It is far more concerned to [illegible] "expose" other people as "revisionists" or "trotskyists" than [illegible] for a large movement. Its slogans are deliberately divisive; among those it wanted to insist upon for October was "Long Live Ho Chi Minh".
Having said all this [illegible] in this country should be in the ad hoc committee and that every effort should be made to prevent the activities of this one group from stopping that.
MUST BE BIGGEST YET
Supporters of INTERNATIONAL have given valiant support to the Vietnam solidarity movement in the past. We ask them to go all out in support of the Autumn mobilisation. Time is short, [illegible] to a low level of activity in August we have effectively only some 6 to 7 weeks to get things moving. However, reports indicate that as things stand now, we can have the biggest mobilisation ever seen in this country on a foreign issue.
If you have not already done so you should write immediately to: Autumn Mobilisation Ad Hoc Committee, 120, Commercial Road, London E.1. Telephone 01 480 6789.
Helpers are urgently required in the London area, there is a mass of work to do of all kinds. In other parts of the country the urgent task is to get local ad hoc committees formed and functioning immediately. Please do not delay.