The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1948-11-04
Green Rebuffs Lewis Plea For
Support of French Mines Strike

buffed United Mine Workers Presi-
z dent John l.. Lewis plea that he
Intervene with President Truman to
halt Marshall plan aid to France
because of the French government
Iuse of troops against striking Com
Imunist-led miners.
| Green said that he is sympathetic
to the French miners demands for
higher wages and better conditions
but, he emphasized, the AFL will
not aid Communist-directed polite
al strikes against the French re-
public government.
Earlier in the week Lewis asked
Green to urge President Truman,
whom he said Green is support
ing" to "stop the shooting of
French coal miners who are
hungry" He said that the "totter-
ing French government subsists"
on Marshall plan aid which "Tru
man controls"
In his reply to the UNIV chief,
Green enclosed letter from Econ
omic Cooperation Administrator
Paul Hoffman which states that
Marshall plan aid is not, and can
not be used "to equip police or mill
tary forces"
"The measures which the French
government have taken in the cur
rent coal strike are purely an inter-
nal French matter on which we
have neither been consulted nor
sought to give advice" Hoffman
Eassured the AF'L.
After denying that President
Truman or the US government is
| in any way involved in the current
French industrial crisis, Green in
/ his letter to Lewis expressed sur
prise that "you who like myself
have always been uncompromising-
lily opposed to Communism" could
have made such an attack upon the
ECA.
Green quoted Boris Shiskin, AFL
economist now on assignment with
iECA in Paris, and the anti-Com-
munist French labor federation, the
lCGT-FO, to prove that the mine
strike there is being run by the
Communists for political ends.
"The mine strike and those pre-
pared in other key industries arc
imposed by the CGT (the Commun-
Eist-led union federation) to serve
the internal and foreign aims of
the Communist party. These strikes
reflect. the evidence desire to dis
organize the national economy by
reducing productions" the CGT-FO
declared. nls
| 81 As for the AFL, Green said, I'VE
cannot and will not extend either
sympathy or support to the Com
munist labor movement of France
or to the Communist party which is
capitalizing upon the misery, suf-
fering and hunger of working peo-
pie to promote it's political objec-
tives and to establish a Communist
dictatorship in the Republic of
France"
Green pointed out that in its own
strikes the UNIV has always per-
mitted maintenance crews to stay
in the pits to prevent their being
seriously damaged. Troops were
sent into the French mine fields
after the CGT called out these
crews.
The AFL leader refused to answ-
err questions about Lewis motives.
He said that he hoped that Lewis
statement simply indicated that the
miners head had been inadequately
informed of the facts of the situa-
tion.
An answer has been received
from the State Dep', Green told
reporters, to the AFL's request
that the Forthcoming conference of
the United Nations Educational,
Scientific & Cultural Organization
be scheduled some place other than
Beirut, Lebanon. The AFL object
ed to holding the meeting in state
which has defied the UN's attempt
to halt the invasion of Palestine by
Arab troops.
The State Dept replied that it is
impossible to change UNESCO's
meeting place as it was determined
by international agreement. Green
said that he regretted the govern
ment's inability to act on the AfL's
request, but having done all 1t
could in the situation the AFL Will
be represented at the conference.