Tendency joins Solidarity "The FIT's dissolution into Solidarity is

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st a fusion, with all former FIT member:

welcome in the new organization.

Only those who supported the unity Proposal were to be immediately Information, Education; Discussion Bral letin The eighth and final national conference of the Fourth Internationalist Tendency (FIT) met in Pittsburgh, Pa., Sept. 19-20. By a vote of 18 to 11 1/2, its delegates approved "the unity of the Fourth Internationalist Tendency and Solidarity."

Like Socialist Action, the FIT resulted from the degeneration of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). In late 1983, a number of those who had been undemocratically expelled from the SWP for defending the party's historic program—or who were in the process of being driven out of the party-gathered to form Socialist Action. A minority disagreed with the proposal to build the nucleus of a new revolutionary party—with a newspaper, a functioning national office, and viable local branches.

The majority felt that such a party, demonstrating the validity of our ideas in practice, was the best way to win the ranks of the SWP. But the minority argued that decisions. In early 1984, the minority split from Socialist Action and formed a separate organization, the FIT.

The FIT changed their approach once the SWP ended its fraternal association with the Fourth International. Two years ago, they declared their intention to work for unification of all U.S. supporters of the Fourth International into a single sympathizing section.

What is Solidarity?

Solidarity was formed in 1986 by the merger of three small socialist groups— International Socialists, Workers Power, and Socialist Unity. The latter group bad split from Socialist Action when they were unable to win a majority to their perspective of broad left regroupment. Believing that it was impossible to construct a party with a clear program, Solidarity aimed to regroup leftists on a minimal programmatic basis.

Approximately one-fourth of Solidarity's members belong to its Fourth Internationalist Caucus, a group that, while conducting no public activities in its own name, maintains fraternal ties with the Fourth International. Members of this caucus subscribe to International Viewpoint, a magazine published under the auspices of the Fourth International, and receive sporadic informational mailings.

They do not participate-as Socialist Action does-as a fraternal group in the in 1993 and beyond.

December 5-6, 1992 Royce Hotel For more information:

In Detroit contact:

Russ Leone UAW Local 600 10550 Dix Dearborn, MI (313) 842-5701 debates. (U.S. legislation prohibits formal membership in international socialist bodies.) Their only meetings, approximately once every two years, are at Solidarity national conventions. These meetings, which are open to all Solidarity members, are limited to informational reports.

Solidarity as a whole has no ties with the Fourth International. Many of its members are longstanding opponents of the political views of the Fourth International. The Fourth Internationalist Caucus does not campaign for Solidarity as a whole to establish any link to the Fourth International.

Similarly, Solidarity members hold in contempt the concept of a Leninist vanguard party with a clear program and accepted into Solidarity."

important questions as Nicaragua, where they falsely maintained the dictatorship of the proletariat was in power, or the former Soviet Union, where they falsely concluded that Gorbachev was opposed to capitalist restoration. Some FIT members who opposed entry into Solidarity correctly pointed to the FIT's lack of any cohesive program.

The FIT's unclarity on class independence has led to support and active participation in the Ron Daniels presidential campaign and the 2ist Century Party. This coincides with Solidarity's support for such non-working class formations.

Like Solidarity, the FIT became convinced that it is impossible-or sectarian-to construct a revolutionary mittees of Correspondence, was invited to provide representatives for this editorial board. The leaders of this group who attended the conference expressed a desire to take part, although they indicated that they had to discuss their nominees further.

Supporters of the magazine, ie., subscribers who pay an additional $20 per year, will be polled by mail—not more than four times per year—on disputed questions.

Supporters must also express agreement with the editorial statement of principles, which includes the following position on regroupments: "Supporters of this magazine are committed to comradely discussion and debate as well as practical political cooperation which can facilitate eventual organizational unity of all Fourth Internationalists in the United States. At the same time, we want to help promote a broad and, within this, a revolutionary socialist regroupment in which perspectives of revolutionary Marxism, the Fourth International, and American Trotskyism will play a vital role."

Solidarity has expressed concern that the Bulletin in Defense of Marxism neither compete with its regroupment journal, Against the Current, nor publish articles critical of groups it works with, e.g. Mobilization for Survival and Committees in Support of the People of El Salvador. Conference delegates agreed that "the network of the magazine's supporters will not be organized to carry out any distinctive political activities in any social movement or organization."

Most members of the former FIT, regardless of their position on unity with Solidarity, signed on as magazine support-

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this would cut across needed "programmatic clarification," and rejected the conference

Fourth International's pre-World Congress After the Elections-

Detroit Metro Airport Romulus, Mich