national and one of its secretaries, Fimmen, come to the conclusion of the necessity of having the United Front with the Russian Communists and the followers of the Profintern when it was prohibited by the Amsterdam International?
The roots of it are found in the Ruhr occupation. There are moments when a rap over the head with a club brings about clear thinking. And the Ruhr occupation was such a rap over the head, which made a breach in the minds of the wide laboring masses and later on found a reflection in the heads of their leaders.
On the agenda of the Conference we inserted a few questions: The struggle against Fascism, the creation of the United Front in the trade union movement, and the fight against war. We agreed upon a manifesto, resolutions, etc. The belief that there was no other way out, in the minds of the representatives of the International Federation of Transport Workers, aided in bringing about this agreement.
We adopted very elementary decisions: The fight against war by creating control committees in all seaports, in important railway centers, etc. But all that was adopted by the Conference of the International Transport Workers met a sharp and decided opposition from the Amsterdam International which is built upon the principles of representation by national organizations and is politically supported by vertical units (transport workers, metal workers, etc.). Now imagine, we were pulling one of these supports from under it, and this support of the transport workers plays a special role, as we can fight against war only when the transport workers will join the fight.
When this immense scandal in the "respectable family" of Amsterdam occurred, when a part of the International made a bloc with the Communists without approval of the other parts, it seemed that they had now to come out in the open and state: "We do not recognize the United Front." It seemed that they could do nothing else. However the conditions of the Amsterdam International after the occupation of the Ruhr were far from its condition before occupation. They met, discussed at length the question, and finally adopted a resolution in which it was stated that the Amsterdam International is not bound by the decisions of the Transport Workers Conference.
But we never considered binding them. Why, then, did they come out with a statement that they "are not bound by it," instead of coming out with a protest? It was because they were afraid to come out as opponents of the United Front, which would be to lose their influence over their own ranks. For this reason they did not come out against the United Front with a frontal attack, but began a strategic detour, stating that they are for a United Front, but they are not bound by decisions adopted by someone else.
