In our second issue we published an article entitled 'Facing War' by CORNELIUS CASTORIADIS, in which he set out an analysis of the Soviet Union as a society now dominated and directed by the needs of its military machine. This article, and others which he has written, led to much criticism of him as a 'Cold Warrior'. In the following letter, adressed to the editor of the german magazine 'Sozialwissenschaftlich Litteratur Wissenschaft', but wich he has asked us to reprint, he replies to this criticism.

Dear PROFESSOR OTTO,

The Sozialwissenschaftliche Literatur Wissenschaft (Issue 12, 1986) published a review by Hauke Brunkhorst of my books so far avaible in German (Die Zukunft des Revolutionare Projekts, pages 40-45). It is not, of course, my intention to comment upon the review itself, but there is in it a sentence which, irrespective of the undoubted good faith of the author, contains a malevolent and in my eyes slanderous misrepresentation of my views ( as Dr. Brunkhorst himself readily admitted in personal conversation).

The sentence in question states: "When Castoriadis today, like all Parisian intellectuals, condemns the policies of detente and welcomes the new missiles of the American President, he may be wrong, but at least he knows what he is talking about. He has never entertained illusions concerning stalinist 'real socialism'"

In fact, I have never condemned the policies of detente, neither could I have done so, for this would have meant that I would have entered the discussion about better policies for the present Western governments and regimes, something I have consistently refused to do during more than forty years of political writing. I have only explained that 'detente' policies have never prevented the Russians from pursuing their expansionist enterprises- and commented in advance that "to say that the Dillinger gang, in this or that circumstance, is stronger than the Al Capone gang, does not mean either than one admires the former or pities the latter" (Facing War, Fayard, Paris 1981, page 10).

The notion that I could have "welcomed" the American missiles in Europe is plainly ridiculos. In dozens of talks, interviews, articles, etc. I have always stressed that "to these Western governments and states one can grant neither the slightest confidence on the level of realism, nor the slightest solidarity at the level of principle" ('Wich Europe?Which Threat? Which Defence?', Le Monde, 26 February 1983, page 2., reprinted now in Domaines de l'homme, le Seuil Paris, 1986, pages 86-90). More recently, I stated in a interview (22 Februaru 1985) with the Bayerische Rundfunk (reproduced now in F. Rotzer, Franzosische Philosophen in Gesprach, Boer, Munchen, 1986, pages 46-65): "In any case, I refuse this dilemma (between nuclear war and enslavement). There is the activity of human beings, who can struggle against both governments" (page 65)

The origin of this slander is not difficult to trace. It is to be found amongst those elements in the 'peace' movement who for many years have professionally specialised in explaining how weak and innocent Russia is, and who, instead of refuting my analysis of the Russian regime, its bombs-before-butter policies and its external expansion, find it of course much more convenient and expedient to distort the views of an opponent so that nobody would look at them seriously and without prejudice.

We all know where, when and by whom these methods were invented. Their resurgence within the so-calles 'peace' movement, especially in Germany and Britain, is ominous and disturbing. As this is not a answer to a criticism, but the rectification of misinformation which I consider damaging to myself and the ideas I have come to represent, I would be grateful to see this letter printed in the next issue of SLWR

Yours sincerely

CORNELIUS CASTORIADIS

P.S. I did not enter the Communist Youth "under the leadership", but "under the dictatorship" of Metaxas (1936-1941)

Solidarity A Journal of Libertarian Socialism. Issue 14 Summer 1987 page 14-15