Letter from M.P.T. Acharya to Hem Day (15 June 1951)

PENSEE & ACTION
Hem day
Boîte Postale 4, Bruxelles 29

My dear Com. Hem Day,

I received your pamphlets sent last year and today I received No. 4415 of Pensée et Action [1], for all of which many thanks. I have been ill for the last 3 years and postponed writing a large number of friends abroad. Recently my wife and bread-winner also died and I feel like a baby without anyone to take care of me. I am now 65 years old.

This is not the first time I knew of you and I wanted to write you. More than 15 years ago when I was living in Berlin I wanted to write you. But somehow I failed to get acquainted with you.

I knew your name from the En Dehors [2] of Armand. He knows me since more than 20 years.

I wanted also to write to the Cahiers Mensuelles [3]. But owing to my troubles, I could not do so till now.

You might have read some of my articles in the En Dehors, L'Unique and Freedom. I also wrote one article in the organ of the Confédération Générale Pacifiste on the Pacifistes' Conference in India.

Since Gandhi was killed, pacifisme is dead in India. Although J. Nehru, Indian Premier, tries to be neutral, he cannot be as a man of state. As India is situated strategically and economically, he will have to help the Anglo-American block or resign leaving others to carry on a military dictatorship. The Indian military men are all old friends of the Western Powers. India is in the same position as Western Europe. The governments of the world can only exist as satellites of Russia or U.S.A. - even England with all her Empire.

The President of the "Indian Republic" has been the vice president of the W.R.I.. But as a man of state, he has to carry on war internally and externally. There is no Gandhi in Gandhians. He praises the Indian army, navy and air-force although they are too poor and weak for any external war, and can only be camp followers of Anglo-American armies or their front-line fighters. Recently the Indian Commander-in-Chief wanted 5 million soldiers. But there is no chance of conscripting even these because the Government has no money. Now they spend 60% of the revenue on maintaining 200,000 men under arms. But they are trying to raise auxiliary armies. All the army is only good to keep Indians down. But many in the army are not satisfied with the conditions because they think they must get more than under British rule and the Government thinks they must receive less as "National" army of "independent India".

People are more worried about food than of war. They will get less and less to eat. In case of war, most Indians will die of starvation, because army will require all material resources. It is terrible to think of the future.

I am of opinion - rather conviction - that even without war the governments will collapse - and with war, they will surely collapse. Even Russian Bolsheviks cannot supply food to all - hence they make all work as prisoners. Of course, the Stalinists think after private capitalism collapses, Stalin will reorganise the world. It is a vain dream because even now Stalin cannot swallow what he has acquired and he has many liabilities like China on his hand, whom he has to help at the expense of Russian Bolsheviks.

There is only one possibility of solution: abolition of production on the wage system and distribution without price. But that will necessitate abolition of parasitism by the State, not state ownership and parasitism. I think in case of war, the civilian population even in Europe will be abandoned to die of starvation - as in India.

The unfortunate mentality is that even the most radical workers want someone to employ them and give wages so that they can buy from the employers paying a price which will be beyond their means. They want to be slaves to masters — some to private masters and others to state masters. They may not get either but only chaos in which bandits only can eat. But banditism will prevent production because those who produce will be robbed of their product.

It is not the high ideals of anarchism which require the abolition of the State but the necessity to live, for States means parasitism of workers. Don't doubt about it, they will have not only a final war but also chaos with or without a war.

It is very difficult to tell wage-slaves that they are slaves. The labour leaders see to it that they remain slaves by telling them that they can and will give better wages and conditions through the state after taking over all things as monopoly and running production and distribution on the wage system. After giving a few wages, they will demand their own prices.

That[4] cannot be done within economies[5], cannot be done at all, owing to wage-price and therefore state economics[5] (incl. Marxian). All technique and science will cease to function.

That is all I can write you at present. You may write me in French, as I understand it well.

I had a friend called J. Kousmin (a Russian seaman) at 42 Brouwersvliet, Antwerpen. I don't have any news of him can you find out where he is ?

Hoping to hear from you by aerogram,

yours fraternally
M.P.T. Acharya

[1] Translation: 'Thought and Action'

[2] Translation: 'The Outside(r)'

[3] Translation: 'Mensual Notes'

[4] Illegible in picture. Could be 'That' or 'What'

[5] Illegible in picture. Could be 'economics' or 'economies'

[5] Illegible in picture. Could be 'economics' or 'economies'