Screed 6: WAR COUNCIL ALLIANCE
The purpose of the sixth document is to delineate a system by which "war" activities of the SLA can be usefully supported by other radical groups. The writing embodies a dogmatic, declarative, absolute style, uncertain grammar, and many bureaucratic and military terms. Some of its materials are probably drawn from manifestos of other revolutionary groups. Though it bears marks of committee thinking, it was surely written under direction of one presiding mind. My transcript of the SLA typescript preserves all errors except for obvious typos.
The document seems to anticipate the assassination of Marcus Foster, and was probably pulled together during the tense period when the leadership of the Symbionese passed from the "federation" to the "army". Both as a working plan to create alliances and as a guide to conducting them once established, it demonstrates experience and intelligence. It ably introduces a situation in which the SLA accepts equality of effort and honor among all violent organizations even while maintaining its supremacy over them.
There is a shadowy intimation that fellow-travelling organizations will be headed by Blacks The statement in Clause 9 that organizations may not join the War Council until they have had a "combat action" is believed by many people to have a relationship to unexplained ritual killings in the Bay area, and in particular to the coordinated killing of four whites on San Francisco streets on the night of January 30, 1974. The parable of the hand and fingers is drawn from a celebrated speech of Booker T Wathington in 1897 one of the staples of Black Studies programs for many years. In that speech, Booker T. Washington used the "hand" to represent all races together and the "fingers" each race.
The stipulation that all delegations to the "War Council" be of "two persons, one female and one male (if possible)" is drawn from a major preoccupation of the Americans today. In several places, including Clause 12, one learns the penalty for activities adjudged in conflict with the aims of the "War Council". It is significant that people who dropped away from the Symbionese movement when the Federation yielded preeminence to the Army have refused to help the authorities or inform the press.
There is little evidence to show that the "War Council" in its strictly warlike function received important support from other groups. The brilliant success of the SLA in the Foster killing and Hearst kidnapping produced a somewhat different constellation. Collectively named "the coalition", a dozen small organizations, all political and militant, all either Black or Black-dominated, permitted themselves to be lined up as supporters and monitors of the Hearst food giveaway program. Many of these groups are identified in Screed 15 and Screed 17, below. As noted in the headnote to Screed 4, the identity of the "enemy" is never clearly established. For this reason, the concept of "combat action against the enemy" as the prerequiste for alliance with the SLA is of fluid definition.
THE UNITED SYMBIONESE WAR COUNCIL TERMS OF MILITARY/POLITICAL ALLIANCE
Our commitment to the revolutionary struggle for self-determination for all oppressed people and races and the international proletarian revolution is total and fully uncompromisable. Therefore, any relationship the Symbionese War Council has with any group or organization is based on their active military/political commitment to the goal of gaining freedom for all oppressed people and races.
1.
Our alliance with any group or organization is based upon their firm decision to fight as well as talk in behalf of the people's interest, and once this commitment is clear then we can come together in order to:
1)collectively develop a common strategy
2)work together to develop tactical co-ordination
3)Assist each other in developing the abilities and talents of all the members of of the Symbionese War Council and to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the leadership in order to constantly better all aspects of the ability and actions of the War Council, and its individual leadership from other organizations.
2.Command positions of The War Council are subject to the approval of all members of the council, based upon the military/political thinking and ability of the presented officer to work with others in the interest of freedom for all people and races.
3.Command positions in The War Council are not appointed by [whom] one knows, one's sex, one's color or the group or organization one belongs to, but only by one's Courage, Determination, intelligence, Aggressive Initiative and Capability as a Leader, and one's Military/Political thinking.
4.All members of The War Council are expected and fully are responsible for the military political leadership of The S.L.A., they must fight and speak for the people and this must be understood clearly by all members.
5.No member of The War Council can elect or select himself or herself to a position such as the head of a government or people's council; the War Council is totally an alliance OF WAR AGAINST THE COMMON ENEMY. The people themselves shall have and hold the ONLY RIGHT to select and elect their governments and government heads of state.
6.It is NOT the policy of The War Council to rip off [ie, steal] leadership or membership from other organizations, but rather it is the policy of The War Council to aid and support the development and education of leadership to fullfill truly its responsibility to the people, and to allow the collective intelligence, leadership and resourcefullness of the leadership from different organizations and groups to flourish together and grow together; thereby forming an area where the collective interests and needs as well as weaknesses and strengths of each
can benefit each IN THE COMMON STRUGGLE TO LIQUIDATE THE COMMON ENEMY.
7.A successful military force is a necessity for actualizing political goals and must therefore be held as a priority; therefore, the true assistance in the supplying of military equipment, materials, finances, personal [ie, personnel] is of the utmost importance, once these forces have fully committed themselves to open and total warfare against the common enemy and members of The War Council must understand this clearly.
8,Leadership of any group or organization who is truly committed and in agreement with the goals of the S.L.A. and the terms of military/political alliance may be presented to The War Council; however, the presented officer's membership is not confirmed until it is verified that prior to presentation for membership a combat action has been taken part in by that group, or organization within the last 12 months.
9.Once The War Council collectively agrees to an action or plan of strategy then that action shall be understood as an action of the S.L.A., and not of any single group or organization. Just as the fingers cannot call themselves a fist, and the fist cannot call itself the fingers. From time to time the membership on the War Council may disagree upon a particular action or strategy. When in disagreement, that particular membership need not participate in The S.L.A. action, but membership on The War Council is maintained only as long as all commitments made to the collective Symbionese War Council are continued to be fully adhered to.[sic] It is the disagreeing group or organization's responsibility to, on its own, prove out their ideas in order to change or modify its own or the collective War Council's direction.
10.It is the policy of The War Council not to involve itself in the internal political affairs or disagreements that may result within different organizations or groups. However, The War Council recognizes and accepts membership to the Council of any military/political unit, cell or organization that qualifies and shall recognize them as true representatives of that particular organization or group. It is the collective policy of The War Council that the failure of the elected leadership to take her or his revolutionary responsibility as far as the War Council is concerned shall be totally the responsibility of the elected leader and not that of The War Council.
11.Organizations or groups that wish to serve in combat units must select two persons, one female and one male (if possible), who have full responsibility and authority to act and represent their group or organization and who will hold a command position in the unified command of The United Symbionese War Council.
12.All members of The Symbionese War Council must clearly understand that our commitment is total and our goal is the total freedom of the people and children and the destroying totally of the common enemy. Therefore, it is held that any restraining of supplies or other war materials etc. for political reasons or reactionary reasons or political chess games with the enemy, by any officer or other persons in the War Council, that by its actions endangers the lives of the women and men of The Symbionese Liberation Army shall be held as a full and total violation of this alliance pact and compromising with the enemy and the freedom and life of the people and children and therefore is punishable by death.
TO THOSE WHO WOULD BEAR THE HOPES AND FUTURE
OF THE PEOPLE, LET THE VOICE OF THEIR GUNS
EXPRESS THE WORDS OF FREEDOM.
