Vol. 76/No. 35 October 1, 2012
October 2, 1987
The September 21 sneak attack by a U.S. military helicopter on an Iranian ship, resulting in the killing of several Iranians and the seizure of 26 others, deserves sharp condemnation by all working people.Washington’s determination to continue escalating military attacks on Iran was signaled the next day when a U.S. warship fired on an Iranian aircraft.
With the help of European allies, the Pentagon has built up a massive naval and air armada in the Persian Gulf—the largest such mobilization since the Korean War in the early 1950s. A central goal of the operation has been to provoke situations in which U.S. warships and planes could strike at Iranian ships, planes, or territory.
The attack on the Iranian ship was planned well in advance and completely unprovoked. “We trailed the Iranian ship for days until just the right moment,” boasted a Pentagon official.
October 1, 1962
President Kennedy is still flirting with war in the Cuban situation. His program of deliberate and calculated measures against Cuba has prevailed against those who are hysterically ranting for immediate blockade or invasion.Nonetheless, the Kennedy administration is clearly making preparations for a Cuban invasion at some future time. It is right now carrying out dangerous provocations, which risk war, and planning even more dangerous ones. At the same time it is tightening the economic screws on Cuba by increasing pressure on European countries to embargo the island, which had the audacity to abolish capitalism only 90 miles from the U.S.
A resolution authorizing employment of U.S. military forces against Cuba was adopted in the Senate Sept. 20 by a vote of 86 to 1. The lone dissenter, Sen. Winston Prouty (R-Vt), declared the resolution wasn’t strong enough.
October 2, 1937
The reports of the United Auto Workers Union convention in the capitalist press gave no hint of the spirit, the boldness, the courage and the resourcefulness displayed by the delegates. Their organization in one year had grown from 30,000 members to almost 375,000.In the brief period of the year since the South Bend convention, the auto workers, by a series of swift, bold and dramatic sit-down strikes had broken down the fear of the auto workers, paralyzed the resistance of the employers, established unions and signed agreements with all of the major automobile and auto parts manufacturers, with the single exception of Ford.
On the first day of the convention, the 1,100 delegates paid tribute to this glorious achievement in a wild uncontrollable demonstration which continued unabated hour after hour.
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