Teamsier Leaders in Nixon Scandal

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The Workers Socialist League is a Trotskyist organisation fighting to build a revolutionary teadership in the working class to lead the mounting opposition to the betrayals of both 'left' and right wing Labour and trade union leaders and the Communist Party, as they attempt to enforce wage control, sackings, speed-up and public service As workers take up the struggle against these policies they are forced by the sheer weight of forces opposing them to confront political questions. Only with an understanding of the role of the labour bureaucracy and a programme to unite the broadest sections of The Workers Socialist League is the only movement that sets out to do this, fighting consistently in the working class for transitional demands, which go beyond simply trade union militancy to raise the political questions to workers and prepare the forms of organisation and the knowledge necessary for the struggle for socialism.

As a result we have been at the forefront of struggles agairist the cuts, against wage control, for unionisation, and against redundancy. We have done more than any other tendency to fight the introduction of 'workers' participation' in industry. And we have strongly supported the Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement, which has set out to show the link between the reactionary policies of the Social Contract and bureaucratic dictatorship in both the unions and But our practical struggle for the continuity of the principles and method of Trotsky's Transitional Programme is in no way a task confined to Britain. It requires an attention and involvement in the struggles of the working class internationally, and the fight to reconSo there has been a consistent drive within the WSL to deepen and enrich the movement's understanding of the history and the present crisis of the Fourth International as an essential part of our We urge all readers who agree on the need for revolutionary lead. ership and the demands we put forward to find out more ahrint the "What I mean is you could get a million dollars . . .and you could get it in cash. I know it could be gotten ... we could get the money. There is no problem in that."

The speaker-Richard Nixon; the time-March 21, 1973; the context -a conversation with White House Counsel John Dean about the Watergate burglars' demands for hush-money.

Since the transcript of that tape recorded conversation was made public in 1974, noone has figured out precisely what money Nixon was referring to.

But details of a secret FBI report, published in the August 8 edition of Time magazine, reveal that Nixon was referring _to a secret cash fund which had been raised for him by racketeers connected with America's largest union, the Teamsters.

•THANK YOU The fund was not directly connected with Watergate. It was intended instead as a "thank-you" payment from Teamster boss Frank Fitzsimmons-a long-standing Nixonite-for White House co-operation in preventing ex-union leader Jimmy Hoffa regaining control.

Hoffa had been top dog in the Teamsters until 1967. Then, after a long investigation led by Robert Kennedy he was given a 13 year jail sentence for jury-tampering and mail fraud.

Nixon commuted the sentence in December 1971, but added a proviso that Hoffa should have nothing to do with the union until March 1980, when his sentence would have expired.

Like all gangsters Hoffa scorned such legal niceties and persisted in his efforts to oust Fitzsimmons and restore himself to the presidency. But with considerable help from the Nixon administration, FitzsimFitzsimmons threatened to sing about the burglary and the cover-up unless he was paid for his silence. The Fitzsimmons cash was obviously much needed.

No-one yet knows what became of the $1,000,000 syphoned off from Teamster members.

The FBI have established that a Provenzano courier was in Las Vegas on January 6; that Charles Colson was absent from the White House on the 6th and 7th, and that he spoke to Fitzsimmons on the 8th.

But so far-according to their version-they have been unable to unearth the cash. Colson, who was interviewed by FBI agents last February, has denied all knowledge of the Teamster money.

The FBI have yet to speak to Nixon-but in any case he immune from any punishment for federal crimes committed during his years of office becuase of the pardon granted by Gerald Ford.

TIP OF ICEBERG

These revelations are obviously only the tip of the iceberg. The FBI-notorious throughout the world for its anti-working class, anti-union activities-have no intention of pursuing this inquiry through to the end; who knows what slimy objects would be dragged into the light of day by such an investigation?

But even if the FBI were to pursue their inquiries, this would be of no benefit to America's working cuts.

workers in struggle can a way forward be found.

the Labour Party.

struct the Trotskyist Fourth International.

initiative towards its reconstruction. class. A cie: c**• bolster the my 1 2 9272 state enquir s impartial, politics SEE FI In the case o: - St myth has been badly tarnishes = result of Vietnam and Waterga By turning few notoriou corrupt individuals into scapego: the FBI obviously hope to rest: confidence in the US state machi Moreover, the subject of inquiry in this instance is Frank Fitzsimmons OI Tc Provenzano; it is in reality, Teamsters' Union, whichmatter how reactionary the bure cracy at its head-remains workers' organisation, and which must be unconditiona protected against any form capitalist aggression.

The FBI's investigation can oi be used against the union as whole.

Socialists in America must the fore demand the immediate endi of the FBI inquiry. But t demand must be linked to a call 1 a workers' investigation of Teamsters' financial transactions.

Rank and file teamsters ne this information not for plator purposes, but as a lever to oust t rotten pro-capitalist, mafia-ty bureaucracy which weighs down ‹ them.

Such an inquiry could serve show American workers the need break all ties with the Democrat and Republican parties and t need to construct their oW union-based, workers' party.

Forc dURKERS