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==Maoist influence at the June 1969 SDS National Convention==

==Maoist influence at the June 1969 SDS National Convention==

The following year all factions present at the SDS National Convention held in Chicago on June 18-22, 1969 adhered to the general over-all line of the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP) and the Chinese world view that attributed the source of global conflict from tension between the colonial and former colonial peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America on the one hand, and the forces of imperialism led by United States imperialism on the other. The unfolding of the conflict between the [[national liberation movement]] of the [[Viet Cong]] and "forces of United States imperialism" and its "puppet regime in [[Saigon]]" would provide an example for peoples of the Third World to unite in the defeat of US imperialism and the establishment of a "world socialist order."

The following year all factions present at the SDS National Convention held in Chicago on June 18-22, 1969 adhered to the general over-all line of the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP) and the Chinese world view that attributed the source of global conflict from tension between the colonial and former colonial peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America on the one hand, and the forces of imperialism led by the United States on the other. The unfolding of the conflict between the [[national liberation movement]] of the [[Viet Cong]] and "forces of United States imperialism" and its "puppet regime in [[Saigon]]" would provide an example for peoples of the Third World to unite in the defeat of US imperialism and the establishment of a "world socialist order."

This contrasted sharply with the traditional orthodox view of [[Moscow]] which relied heavily on a dialectical "force of history" that would inevitably bring about the "objective conditions" necessary for a proletarian revolution to succeed. Traditional Soviet theoreticians regarded any concept that skipped stages of historic development as dangerous and "counter revolutionary."<ref>Foreign Influence - Weather Underground Organization (WUO). FBI Chicago Field Office Report, August 20, 1976. Section I. Ideology D. ''Influence of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought'', Pages 56-57 in original (pp. 19-20 pdf).</ref>

This contrasted sharply with the traditional orthodox view of [[Moscow]] which relied heavily on a dialectical "force of history" that would inevitably bring about the "objective conditions" necessary for a proletarian revolution to succeed. Traditional Soviet theoreticians regarded any concept that skipped stages of historic development as dangerous and "counter revolutionary."<ref>Foreign Influence - Weather Underground Organization (WUO). FBI Chicago Field Office Report, August 20, 1976. Section I. Ideology D. ''Influence of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought'', Pages 56-57 in original (pp. 19-20 pdf).</ref>

The main point of contention centered on the role of black Americans in the revolutionary processes in the United States. Many held the view that a Vietnam style war within the United States between the black "colony" and the white imperialist super-structure was inevitable.  Many were fond of quoting Chairman Mao who wrote, "In the final analysis a national struggle is a class struggle."  There was a great deal of competition among the warring factions to portray themselves as the main purveyors of [[Mao Zedong]] Thought in the United States revolutionary movement.

The main point of contention centered on the role of the [[Black Panther Party]] (BPP) in the revolutionary process in the United States. Many held the view that a Vietnam style war with the Black Panthers assuming the role similiar to the [[Viet Cong]] as the vanguard Marxist armed national liberation movement within the United States against "the white imperialist super-structure." Many were fond of quoting Chairman Mao who wrote, "In the final analysis a national struggle is a class struggle."  There was a great deal of competition among the warring factions to portray themselves as the main purveyors of [[Mao Zedong]] Thought in the United States revolutionary movement.

Bernardine Dohrn noted that the National Office of the SDS was responsible for development of a correct Marxist-Leninist line and called for the future exclusion of [[deviationist]] forces such as the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) and the [[CPUSA]] from the SDS. The debate within SDS leadership between the Klonsky and Dohrn factions was far from over. Both factions were committed to a socialist revolution through armed struggle, their differences centered on strategy and tactics.

The PLP was pushing as a strategy the Worker Student Alliance (WSA) which postulated that students should unite with the traditional Marxist revolutionary power in the U.S., 'the workers,' to make revolution.  The Ayers/Dohrn faction and RYM II, according to Mark Rudd, considered the fixation on 'the workers' as "[[racist]] in that the the PLP didn't want to see non-white people as the revolutionary agents." The Black Panthers demanded that SDS expel the PLP "for its racism in not supporting national liberation."<ref>[http://www.markrudd.com/?sds-and-weather/the-death-of-sds.html ''The Death of SDS,''] Mark Rudd. Retieved from markrudd.com, March 6, 2010.</ref>

The Dohrn/Ayers group called for a program of confrontation and action by white students in the style of [[Castro]]ite guerillas in a supportive role to black revolution without regard to the white working class. Ayers and Dohrn felt armed struggle of blacks for self-determination would result in the victory of socialism in the United States without any reliance on white workers. They saw their role as supportive of the black liberation struggle and one which involved direct confrontation with the authority of the capitalist state.

The Dohrn/Ayers group called for a program of confrontation and action by white students in the style of [[Castro]]ite guerillas in a supportive role to black revolution without regard to the white working class. Ayers and Dohrn felt armed struggle of blacks for self-determination would result in the victory of socialism in the United States without any reliance on white workers. They saw their role as supportive of the black liberation struggle and one which involved direct confrontation with the authority of the capitalist state.

Klonsky's faction held the view that black self-determination, the establishment of a black nation-state in the South, would constitute the first stage followed by a white working class alliance which together would complete the second stage of the socialist revolution.<ref>Foreign Influence - Weather Underground Organization (WUO). FBI Chicago Field Office Report, August 20, 1976, ''Mao Tse-tung Influence on SDS Factions at the June 1969 National Convention'', Page 58-62 in original (pp. 21-25 pdf).</ref>  

Klonsky's faction held the view that black self-determination, the establishment of a black nation-state in the South, would constitute the first stage followed by a white working class alliance which together would complete the second stage of the socialist revolution.<ref>Foreign Influence - Weather Underground Organization (WUO). FBI Chicago Field Office Report, August 20, 1976, ''Mao Tse-tung Influence on SDS Factions at the June 1969 National Convention'', Page 58-62 in original (pp. 21-25 pdf).</ref>  

The newly elected leaders of SDS, [[Mark Rudd]], [[Jeff Jones]] and [[Bill Ayers]], sent the following letter to [[Anna Louise Strong]] in China immediately after the Convention:

The newly elected leaders of SDS, [[Mark Rudd]], [[Jeff Jones]] and [[Bill Ayers]], sent the following letter to [[Anna Louise Strong]] in China immediately after the Convention: