THE MAIL

To the Editor of the Harvard Crimson:

The letter by Messrs. Willcox, Morse and Stein in last Friday's Crimson contains a serious misstatement when it says, "neither the Democratic, Republican nor Socialist parties offer an opportunity to register a vote for peace." As far as the Socialist Party is concerned this misstatement is so ludicrous that were it not so oft repeated by supporters of the Communist candidates, apparently acting on the theory that reiteration carries conviction irrespective of the truth, we would not burden Crimson readers with a statement of the position of Norman Thomas, Maynard Krueger and the party they represent. We would suppose that it is a matter of general knowledge that the Socialist Party has opposed any steps toward American involvement in foreign war. This position has been held to consistently since the formation of the 'Party. The Socialist Party has stood against the dangerous "collective security" system (which in its present day garb of aid to the 'British defenders of democracy' threatens to plunge us into war) since its inception, not as in the case of the Communist Party only since Russia abandoned the system fourteen months ago.

Since the statement quoted above is supposed to be based on "our examination of the records and platforms of the various political parties" it is in order to quote from the 1940 Socialist Platform. Under the heading 'War and Totalitarianism' it says in part, "the search for war profits and armament economics leads straight to war . . . To the whole world let America say: 'We will not share in the collective suicide of your wars.'" Also in its resolution on war adopted' at its National Convention, April 7, 1940 and printed with its platform it says:" The first demand of the American people must now be: Keep America Out of War! That means a refusal to take any of those 'steps short of war'--which by very definition are steps in the direction of war. The alternatives are few. Economic participation, by every test of past experience, must lead to military participation. However hard the decision, the American people must resolutely determine to avoid all roads to war and pursue only the paths of peace."

We believe that Thomas, Krueger and the Socialist Party have taken a more unequivocal stand against war and American involvement in war than any other political party. The record of Thomas, Krueger and the Socialist Party in the defence of civil liberties and democracy is equally beyond question. (Signed)

Arthur G. Billings 3G., Albert Sprague Coolidge '15, Burt Johnson 2G.B., Eric W. Johnson 1G., M. Rhoads Murphey III '41, Caleb A. Smith 3G., O. R. Stone 2L.