Leon Trotsky: Letter to B. J. Field

March 18, 1934

[Writing of Leon Trotsky, Vol. 14, New York 1979, p. 462 f., title: “Field’s Expulsion”]

[Trotsky can in no way declare himself in agreement with Field’s point of view. Furthermore he is not in a position to form an independent opinion.]

… The [Communist] League is, however, the nucleus of the new party and thereby of the new International. To me it seems completely unforgivable to break with one’s own organization at the first practical test. Your explanations for this are unfortunately full of contradictions. In discussing the NC’s reorganization of the [League’s hotel union] fraction, you say there are no political reasons for the artificial differences of opinion. But then you maintain that the League is sectarian, sterile, incapable of mass action, and even dead. If in your opinion the League is dead, the break with the corpse is understandable. This means however that you are breaking with our movement. But since the League does not regard itself as dead — and I believe rightly so — it cannot allow its members to freelance. Rather it wishes to exercise control over its members. If it had not desired this, it would not be worthy of existence.

In the Social Democratic parties, it was and still is the rule that when gifted members of the party with the party’s help win important posts in the municipality, the parliament, or the ministry, they immediately become tired of party discipline and declare that the official leadership of the party is incompetent in order to carry out their own political line — always in order to “save” the party, of course.

I don’t know whether the League entered into practical agreements with the Lovestoneites and the Stalinists. In principle I find this quite acceptable. In mass actions practical agreements between different political groupings are often demanded by the situation… .

[Trotsky writes about Comrade Kaldis, who has made a bad impression on him. Kaldis wants to send his letters to Trotsky through a certain Witte since he believes that letters to Trotsky are being suppressed.]

From your letter, I do not see what your further plans are. If our American section is “dead,” in the name of what organization will you remain at the head of the Amalgamated Union? Are you becoming a pure and simple trade unionist? It seems to me, dear friend, that you have worked your way into a blind alley with your thoroughly individualistic method of functioning… .