In late November, 1977, the First Congress of the Marxist-Leninist Organizing Committee was convened in the industrial heartland region of the United States. Delegates and observers of many nationalities were elected from as distant places as Chicago, Honolulu and Atlanta. The First Congress was organized as the culmination of almost one year of intensive ideological, political and organizational efforts to consolidate the Marxist-Leninist Organizing Committee, and prepare for the formation of the new Marxist-Leninist communist party.
In the proceedings of the First Congress, the following reports were enthusiastically received, discussed and adopted:
Political Report from the Central Committee
Organizational Report from the Central Committee
Report from the Agit/Prop Department of the Central Committee
New Constitution and Rules of the Marxist-Leninist Organizing Committee
The focus of the First Congress was the proposal, discussion, and unanimous adoption of a Draft Party Program, to be published in March, 1978. Firmly based on the principles of Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism, broadly applied to the concrete conditions of the class struggle in the United States, and boldly developing the basic demands of the proletariat and its allies, the Draft Party Program represents an historic moment in the history of the class struggle in the United States. The publication, circulation, discussion and adoption of this Draft Program by the founding Party Congress will represent a qualitative development of the subjective factors for revolution in the U.S., and make an important contribution to the world revolution.
The Draft Party Program represents resolutely, and with great boldness, a powerful exposure and victory over modern revisionism and opportunism of every sort, which have prevented the reconstitution of a genuine vanguard communist party for over three decades.
Laying the basis for the future formation of the Marxist-Leninist communist party, the First Congress proceeded to unanimously recommend to the proletariat that the new Party be named the Communist Party U.S.A. (Marxist-Leninist).
The adoption of the Draft Party Program and the proposed name for the new Marxist-Leninist communist party, were extremely moving and memorable moments of the Congress.
An important part of the work of the First Congress was an illuminating session on work in the trade unions. This session heard firsthand reports from comrades presently working in a strike, building nuclei in steel, and from comrades in a “right to work” state in the Black Nation who are working to build a union under brutal fascist conditions. A special motion of commendation was passed by the First Congress on the work of comrades in one District in the Black Nation, for their dedication, courage and Marxist-Leninist insight in the development of their trade union work.
Based upon the Reports submitted, the work of the Congress and a principled process of criticism and self-criticism, the second Central Committee of the Marxist-Leninist Organizing Committee was elected. Directly following the Congress, the Central Committee met and elected its Chairperson, Barry Weisberg, and its Vice Chairperson, Leoduris Rose, its Political Bureau and other appropriate bodies.
Before adjournment, numerous messages of proletarian internationalism were adopted by the Congress to send to various Marxist Leninist Parties, to Organizations and individual class fighters.
The shining red thread of the entire Congress was its complete dedication to the defense and development of Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism; its determination to ceaselessly struggle against the entire world system of imperialism, the two superpowers, and the complete defeat of the U.S. imperialist bourgeoisie. Particular attention was directed towards the present day importance of combating the anti-Leninist theory of the “three worlds”, as well as “detente”, Eurocommunism and other varieties of opportunism and modern revisionism.
The Draft Party Program, the Political Report, the Resolutions and other documents of the First Congress of the Marxist-Leninist Organizing Committee served to help weld together a granite core of cadre that will become the center of organizing efforts for the new Marxist-Leninist communist patty that is being built. The historic significance of the First Congress was to provide a principled and conscious basis for the formation of a new Party centered around the struggle for the adoption of the Draft Party Program.
The task ushered in by the First Congress is to make the line of the Draft Party Program, the Political Report, the Resolutions and other messages, the line of the masses, to hold them high as banners to lead the great class battles ahead for the formation of the Party and the overthrow of U.S. imperialism.
For more than three decades the bourgeoisie and its social props–the reformists, revisionists and Trotskyists–have shackled the efforts of the proletariat in forming the new Marxist-Leninist communist party. The First Congress of the Marxist-Leninist Organizing Committee removed many of the obstacles to the formation of the Party, and took powerful steps towards that goal. By continuing on the road of class struggle, the road of complete opposition to modern revisionism and opportunism, the proletariat will certainly achieve its aims–the formation of the vanguard Marxist-Leninist communist party, the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat, socialism and communism.
Nothing in this world can stop the march of the proletariat in the days ahead. Revolution will surely triumph!