Evening star., 1953-12-08
Moral Re-urmument

-SlClLlGQ moral fCe-arU1dnuGuG WlILl-
stands Red Attack" number
Of inaccuracies or false implications.
First of all, the very headline on the
column implies that criticism Of MIRA
from CIO and AFL sources is somehow
CommuniSt-inspired. This is scarcely
the truth. There are officials Of CIO
unions who support MIRA principles;
there are others equally anti-Commu-
mist who are vehement critics of MIRA.
Mr.. Lincoln was quite in error in
stating that the report by the Interna-
tional Confederation of Free Trade
Unions-with which both CIO and AFL
are affiliated which criticized the
MIRA, was move by Communists and
their friends"
The ICFTU is a staunchly anti
Communist body, as are its staff men,
berS. Whether their report, prepared
by the ICFTU staff and accepted by
the ICFTU executive board was ac-
curate or not, there was no justification
for describing it in any shape or form
as Communist or pro-Communist in
spired move. Some MIRA people appar-
emily have taken the position that any
to be anti Communist must come from
Communist sources. This is false logic,
the equivalent of saying that American
democrats must be pro-Hitler because
Hitler was anti-Communist.
Mr.. Lincoln said: "JuSt how the re-
port came to be compiled by the ICFTU
Secretariat has not been disclosed"
However, the ICFTU has in its files
letter from the Hind Mazdoor Sabha,
an Indian trade union group, Specifi-
cally requesting such q study, on No
vember TO- 1852. The letter, according
to the ICFTU, was submitted to the
ICFTU executive board in December
1852, which approved the projected
study. The report, critical of many
aspects of MIRA, was presented to the
ICFTU executive board in June, 1858,
at Stockholm.
The delegates to the congress of the
ICFTU. which met in Stockholm few
days later, were apprised of the report;
any delegate who might have wished to
speak on it, could have done so in the
discussion of the ICFTU's activities
during that meeting of the ICFTU con-
greSs. No such speech was made nor was
there a request for time to make such
a speech.
1t seems that in fairness to all the
parties, these errors in fact and inter-
pretation should be set forth in the
record.
Trade UniOnist.
May I commend the column by Gould
Lincoln entitled Moral Re-Armament
Withstands Red Attack? Mr.. Lincoln's
statement is an accurate presentation
of the facts as I found them at first
hand in Europe this summer. 1t will do
much to clarity confusion which
seems to exist in some labor circles.
Members of the executive board of
the International Confederation of Free
Trade Unions who were present in
Stockholm last July stated that no
policy was laid down on MIRA despite
reports which have since been issued
by the Secretariat. AS matter of fact,
it is worth noting that at the Stock
holm meeting it was decided by vote
of 100000 to 100000 that the con-
gress and not the executive was the
policy making body of the ICFTU. The
subject of MIRA never came before the
congress at all. Most of the delegates
at Stockholm never knew of the sec
retariat's report" on MIRA.
I saw for myself the tremendous
global force of Moral Re-Armament at
the World Assembly at Caux attended
this summer by 5000 delegates from 70
countries, including 1,160 officials and
workers from 222 unions. heard James
Haworth, president of the railway
clerks union of Britain, say. MIRA is not
IN competition with unions. 1t solves
the factors that interfere in the smooth
achievement of the aims of world
labor
This experience at CauX opened my
eyes to the reason why MIRA has drawn
the fire of Moscow on world scale.
would say it is because MIRA is doing
three things in the world today. Firstly,
1t is upsetting the Communist timetable
IN Asia. Secondly, it is enabling world
labor to find uniting theology. And
thirdly, it is confronting communism
for the first time with world force and
a world strategy.
Some men who are not Communists
are prejudiced against MIRA because
they do not have the facts. Others are
opposed because a moral force always
draws moral battleline. But it is in
teresting to note that some OF the at
tacks in the ICFTU secretariat's report,
which I have studied, are the same as
made by Moscow Radio year ago and
by Communist papers in America and
Europe 10 years ago.
Any trade unionist-or any one else
who genuinely wants to know about
MIRA can find out the truth.
MIRA fights for the principle that the
only basis for the future of free labor
and free democracy is to establish
absolute moral standards for labor and
for all mankind. That is the real issue
confronting the labor movement and
each union man today.
Clyde S. Mckinney,
Editor, Richmond Labor Herald,
Member of Trade Union.