First Published: Unity, Vol. 1, No. 2, October 1978.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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I have lived and worked in Los Angeles Chinatown for several years, and participate actively in China friendship activities. This year marked the 7th year of mass Chinatown community celebrations of October 1 – the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.
The July issue of Getting Together was very helpful in exposing the Revolutionary Communist Party’s (RCP) destructive role in the U.S.-China People’s Friendship Association, like the bourgeois press, they are putting out slanders and distortions about Chairman Hua and have supported the “gang of four.” They are trying to wreck and confuse the friendly sentiments towards China among the people of the U.S. I am writing to share my experiences with another group which is also adding its share to the slanders and attacks on China’s present government.
This year, the individuals and organizations involved in the annual October 1 celebration agreed to do education on the “gang of four” during the events. At a recent general membership meeting of the National Association of Chinese Americans (NACA), Southern California chapter, discussion was initiated around the coming celebration.
A representative from the group Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) spoke out. She said AAFE does not have an official position on the “gang of four,” but “some members feel that the Hua Kuo-feng government is repressing educational opportunities for the Chinese workers and peasants.” She then asserted that AAFE wanted to support U.S.-China friendship and normalization of diplomatic relations, but couldn’t support a principle related to the “gang of four.” Essentially, AAFE couldn’t support the present government of China.
Immediately, members of NACA responded, “I don’t see how anyone could say that the downfall of the ’gang of four’ was anything but a great victory! We met many members of the Performing Arts Company who gave example after example of the repression of cultural activities by the ’gang of four’.” The members of NACA voted to support and adopt the principles of the Committee to Celebrate the 29th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China: 1) Demand the normalization of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the PRC; 2) Learn about socialist China, especially the Chinese people’s victory over the “gang of four”; 3) Promote and strengthen friendship between the people of the U.S. and the PRC.
The China friendship forces here have a long history of struggle with AAFE and some of its individual members over the past two years. In 1976, individuals now associated with AAFE as well as a representative of the Workers Viewpoint Organization (WVO) refused to work cooperatively on the various programs and speeches. They complained a lot and attacked the work of the committee.
In 1977, these same people returned to plan an October 1 program to announce the formation of a Los Angeles chapter of AAFE. The date, time and place of their program conflicted with the annual October 1 Committee’s planned event. When meetings were held to discuss the conflict, AAFE members would not join forces and support the October 1 Committee unless AAFE could give its own speech. They refused to work on a joint committee speech based on the three principles of the celebration. Finally, they held their own program on the same date, at the same time as the October 1 program, causing a lot of confusion in the community. Because of these experiences with AAFE members, I have many questions and doubts as to whether they are sincere about contributing to the October 1 activities. They have not done any on-going work in support of U.S.-China people’s friendship in Los Angeles during the past year. It’s not surprising that AAFE has no position on the “gang of four” and that “some members” actually support the “gang of four.” Their rhetoric and tactics are precisely like the “gang of four!”