Marxist Bulletin No. 4
Expulsion from the Socialist Workers Party
Document 28
Resolution on Robertson Group by the United Secretariat (plus
cover letter by Pierre Frank)
April l7, 1964
Dear Comrade Robertson,
At its last meeting, the United Secretariat took up your letter
soliciting our opinion about your group and its relations with the Socialist
Workers party. The material which you sent us, plus additional evidence which
was brought to our attention, was considered.
As a result, a resolution was adopted stating our views on this
question. A copy of this resolution is attached for your information.
Comradely, Pierre Frank for the United Secretariat
Air Enc. cc: Farrell Dobbs
Resolution on Robertson Group
The Robertson group is marked by (1) an ultraleft sectarian
political line, especially evident in relation to the colonial revolution as a
whole and the Cuban Revolution in particular; (2) bitter opposition to the
reunification of the world Trotskyist movement, in which it views the role of
the Socialist Workers Party as one of betrayal because it supported
unity; (3) judgment of the Socialist Workers Party as a centrist
formation in which the discipline of the Robertson faction takes precedence
over party discipline in line with the perspective of eventual split when
conditions become most favorable.
The Robertson group considers the sectarian political positions
and course of the Socialist Labour League, above all its opposition to
reunification of the world Trotskyist movement, to be generally correct. While
the exact relations of this group with the leadership of the Socialist Labour
League remain obscure, two differences do appear to exist. On the one hand, the
leaders of the Robertson group seem to hold that it was an error on the part of
Healy not to participate in the reunification of the world Trotskyist
movement--he should have entered in order to blow up the
reunification from within. On the other hand, the leadership of the Socialist
Labour League seem to have correctly judged, or been informed about, the split
orientation of the Robertson group in relation to the Socialist Workers Party
and to have taken the initiative to break with the group for that reason.
The letter addressed by the leaders of the Robertson group to the
United Secretariat, asking for a moral opinion on the expulsions of
its leaders from the Socialist Workers Party is not a serious step in the
context of an appeal but is a move aimed at striking a blow against the
reunification. Otherwise they would not have first taken their case to the
general public, as they have, featuring their tendentious version of the
expulsions in a newly launched public faction organ. Similarly they would not
have taken their minority political views to the public in this same faction
organ. Both moves are in flagrant violation of the principles and practices of
democratic centralism which require a minority in a revolutionary socialist
party to abide by majority decision. The correct procedure--as is well known by
the leaders of the Robertson group--would have been to appeal any measures
considered incorrect or unjust to the next convention, while meanwhile doing
their utmost to demonstrate their basic loyalty--if they have any--to the
Socialist Workers Party.
In view of these considerations, the United Secretariat (1) holds
that the so-called appeal by leaders of the Robertson group is a
mere publicity move that seeks to advance hostile factional aims; (2) condemns
the course taken by the Robertson group, particularly its unrestrained public
attacks against the Socialist Workers Party, as injurious to the interests of
the world Trotskyist movement.
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