Science in capitalism serves imperialists’ war and profits. Science in communism will be used to end inequality created by the capitalists and to protect life in harmony with nature. Oppenheimer, the popular film directed by Christopher Nolan, is dedicated to the scientist Robert Oppenheimer who from 1941 to 1945 coordinated the Manhattan Project for the manufacture of the first nuclear bombs that were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing the death of more than 200,000 people, mostly civilians, and reducing both cities to rubble.

Although the director has declared that his film does not carry any explicit or hidden message, the reality is that, due to its ambiguity and lack of objectivity, this film is being used by the ruling capitalist class to prepare millions in the U.S. and around the world, for the need to use atomic bombs as they did in Japan - only now they are much more destructive. The film makes the same false, criminal argument that bombs save lives, just as President Truman states in a climactic passage of the film.

The film Oppenheimer describes a successful physicist with a brilliant and charismatic mind. It depicts his affinity for social activities that bring him into close contact with a group of communists - an association from which he distances himself when his patriotic dilemma forces him to embark on a military project to build the bomb before the Nazis. With the goal of stopping the Nazis, Oppenheimer assembles and leads an entire scientific community that consciously or unconsciously submits to the military interests of the ruling capitalist class.

The Soviet Red Army defeated the Nazis, not the A-Bomb
One crucial fact that the film omits is that the Red Army, without atomic bombs, was able to crush the Nazi army, driving the Nazis from their territory and liberating Europe. The Nazi defeat and their surrender in May 1945 made the bomb project less meaningful, as stated by some of the scientists involved. However, the military in charge of the project, President Truman and the ruling capitalist class, pushed the project until they achieved their true purpose: their military hegemony in the world. The scientist Isidor Isaac Rabi warned Oppenheimer that "the military only uses scientists for their warlike purposes."

The construction of the nuclear bomb was another episode in the submission of science to capitalist interests. Three months later, in August 1945, the bombs were used under the crude pretext of "forcing Japan to surrender" though militarily they were already defeated. The film does not deny or contradict this vile capitalist manipulation, nor does it unmask the true purpose of dropping the bombs - to intimidate the world, particularly the Soviets, and make clear the military power achieved by the American capitalist class. As we can see now, it ultimately served to unleash the arms race between the two imperialist blocs that continue to drag the world into more wars, wreaking massive levels of destruction.

As the true purposes of the arms race became apparent, many scientists refused to participate in the construction of the much more destructive H-bomb. Oppenheimer was one of them, which is why they discredited him, reviving his association with the communists, to invent an allegation of treason against him.

The film does not unmask all this manipulation, rather, it tries to disprove the attacks on Oppenheimer as personal quarrels with Lewis Strauss, his former collaborator in the manufacture of the first bomb. The film shows how other renowned scientists such as Ernest Lawrence and Edward Teller , willing to collaborate in the arms race, betray Oppenheimer by testifying against him, while dozens of other scientists signed a public letter in their support.

Turn imperialist world war into communist revolution
In the context of the decline of North American and European imperialism, the imperialist alliance between Russia and China, and the growing division of the world into two imperialist blocs vying for control of the world, the dilemma presented in the film is as current as ever. The imperialists today threaten each other with the use of atomic bombs in Ukraine, Taiwan and any other disputed area.

Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. are about to approve a new military budget, the largest in history. The imperialists in Europe, Russia and China are also increasing their military budgets. The endgame of all the imperialists is war to control the world's wealth. The capitalists have shown that they build bombs to use them against people. Let's not doubt that they will use them again to maintain their control and their profits.

Capitalism means death and destruction. We need to put an end to all the capitalists and their bombs, and we can only do that with communist revolution. Communism means workers run society. Communism will not only end all wars, it will also restore the environment that capitalist irrationality and its thirst for profit has pushed to the brink of collapse. Communism will end poverty, inequality, racism, sexism and all the evils that affect the vast majority of the world's working population. Progressive Labor Party is in the fight for communism. JOIN US.

CHICAGO, August 11—Over 200 multiracial workers ended their strike with Loretto Hospital today, capping off 11 bold days of militant defiance towards the capitalist bosses’ rotten, racist healthcare system. By withholding their labor through striking, the workers were able to gain wage increases, steps towards safer staffing, and the recognition of Juneteenth as a paid holiday.

Comrades from the international communist Progressive Labor Party (PLP) were proud to support and learn from our fellow workers as we visited the picket line almost daily. We brought hundreds of CHALLENGE to distribute, dozens of tamales, as well as a letter of support with signatures from another nearby hospital. Most importantly, we shared the powerful ideas of communist revolution and multiracial unity as the best means to challenge this profit system.

By organizing on the job and joining unions, we can certainly force the bosses to give up some concessions they wouldn’t otherwise give up. But as long as healthcare or any other industry remains in the hands of the capitalist bosses, they will have the upper hand to make their profits primary over our needs. We invite all workers worldwide to join and help build PLP as the force that will destroy racist, sexist capitalism and replace it with a worker-run communist society!

Capitalism kills — heat up the class struggle
The dangerous racist conditions inside Loretto Hospital were brewing for some time before they boiled over in the form of this strike. As a safety-net hospital that serves mainly Black residents on the city’s west side, the workers at Loretto serve as a crucial resource to those going through mental health crises or struggling with substance abuse. The fact that the hospital bosses would cry broke and allow conditions to worsen so bad inside is a plain racist attack on both the workers and the patients.

Like many other capitalist institutions, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 greatly sped up the decline inside Loretto. In 2021, the hospital bosses found themselves under federal investigation after it was discovered that top executives were funneling scarce vaccines away from workers to wealthy residents downtown (Block Club Chicago, 11/2/21).

Recently, there has been a staff turnover rate of around 60 percent, which leads to chronic understaffing of departments, overwork, and injuries (WGN9, 7/31). Earlier this year, a patient in the Emergency Room overdosed in the bathroom and afterwards died because there were not enough staff to work the department (WBEZ, 8/2). One thing is clear: capitalism kills!

These attacks and countless others from the bosses helped stir an above average level of urgency and militancy among these strikers. Even though the strike lasted eleven days, they kept up their energy and resolve. Beyond just chanting and marching, they pushed the limits by being openly confrontational with the hospital bosses.

In one instance, workers pasted printouts of safety violations all over a hospital vehicle. As security attempted to tear down the notices, even more workers came forward to replace the ones taken down! On another day, strikers banded together to block deliveries from entering the hospital in order to apply more pressure.

The length and boldness of the strike definitely got to the bosses. On one of the last days, an off-duty kkkop/security guard got openly confrontational with strikers on the picket line, threatening “I’ve got two [ammunition] clips for every one of you” and even putting his hands on the neck of one of the workers! All the other workers immediately rushed to the defense of their fellow striker.

It was a scary and despicable act, but it no doubt exposed the clear connection between the bosses and their attack dogs in the cops and the military to enforce their class rule. As capitalism slides deeper into global crisis and more open fascism, we need to be prepared as workers to confront the bosses’ physical attacks through the organized force of a Party.

Reform and revolution
The outcome of the Loretto strike shows both the potential and the limits of fighting for change under capitalism. On the one hand, workers were able to band together and gain a glimpse of our power and our essential role to make the system run. On the other hand, the hospital was allowed to stay open the entire length of the strike with many non-union workers still crossing the picket line without the union leadership making any real effort to win them over to the side of the strikers. Even with a new contract, many of the working conditions are still at the whim of the bosses who will violate them in no time.

PLP fights openly for a communist society where we don’t share any power with the bosses. It would be working people – like those of us on the Loretto picket line – who would be in charge of making decisions and running society collectively based on our needs as a class, without any money, wages or profit. Although under communism we would still have plenty of difficulties, it truly represents the interests of the international working class and a future free from racism, sexism, and exploitation.

A communist salute
We raise a salute to the workers of Loretto for sharpening the class struggle against the racist bosses! We are excited to follow up with new friends that we’ve made on the picket and are ready to advance with you on the long but rewarding path to a communist world!

SANTA MONICA, CA, August 12—The summer of 2023 continues to see workers’ struggles all over the Los Angeles area coming to a head. From striking writers and actors to education workers at the Los Angeles Unified School District and the University of California systems, hotel workers of Unite Here Local 11 have joined the fight back, beginning a series of multi-day, rolling pickets on July 2nd. While the rolling pickets make it difficult to sustain regular support as the locations are constantly changing, Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members and friends have joined the various picket lines around the city learning about their struggle, distributing Party leaflets and CHALLENGE to reinforce the fact that their struggle remains interconnected with the struggle of all workers. The vast majority of workers we spoke to welcomed our support and took our literature.

Bosses attack!
On Saturday, August 5, PLP members and friends joined the picket lines of hotel workers of the Viceroy and Fairmont Miramar hotels in downtown Santa Monica. Not long after we showed up to the picket line at the Viceroy, the union led a 1-mile march down Ocean Drive, a busy street full of tourists, to the Fairmont Miramar. Shortly after the march arrived, the hotel bosses had their security attack the workers which was quickly followed by the Santa Monica KKKops, who arrived to protect hotel property and try to intimidate the workers. They effectively split the march in two and kettled (surround protestors for a time and not allow them to leave) them with a barrier and wall of cops and cop cars.

After being released without any arrests, the workers continued with their rally. The hotel bosses tried to drown it out by cranking up the volume of their music but the union leaders continued with their speeches, and demonstrators stood their ground. However, as expected, these misleaders made no connection between the role of police as protectors of private property nor of the politicians (their keynote speaker was a former mayor of Santa Monica) in maintaining capitalism and all its horrors. Two members of the Flores family also joined us and spoke to workers which helped reinforce our point about the role of the cops. One base member, a Black healthcare worker who was trapped with the workers in front of the hotel, also found being in solidarity with the workers powerful. Another young base member thought the Party’s presence helped workers begin to acknowledge the link between their struggle and the capitalist system. He also participated in the 2022 University of California student worker strike in Davis. He noted that the Party’s presence there could have had the same effect on the consciousness of those workers too.

Pacifism is not the answer
Hotel workers were not only attacked by security and KKKops at the Fairmont Miramar, picketers at hotels in Long Beach and Dana Point were also viciously attacked by security, management, guests, and a “celebrity” chef. In response, the union organized three peaceful protests at these hotels over the weekend. PL’ers and friends joined 200 workers and community supporters at the Fairmont Miramar rally. As expected the union misleaders pushed pacifism and non-violence as a response to the violent attacks. Going so far as to say workers should not defend themselves if attacked. They even pointed out the scum security guard who led the attack to say that they are on the same side as the hotel workers even though they obviously made a choice to be in solidarity with hotel management. Most of the speakers were union reps and clergy. The only worker who spoke repeated the call for non-violence and praised the union leadership. Despite this we were able to distribute 20 CHALLENGEs and leaflets and make good connections with workers.

Record profits = record exploitation
Hotel workers in Los Angeles (LA) County make a dismal $19.73 per hour and can’t even afford to live in the areas where they service hotels that charge rates that reach over $400-600 per night! It’s disgusting!

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a single mother would need to make over $40 an hour to afford a 2-bedroom apartment in LA County, still well above the proposed $30 an hour minimum in Santa Monica that the union is pushing for. In a survey by the union, 53 percent of workers said that they either have moved in the past five years or will move in the near future because of soaring housing costs (www.businesswire.com, 7/18). Meanwhile, the hotel industry in Santa Monica is booming, with revenue exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

Many workers already live more than two hours away due to the exorbitant cost of living in LA County. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of hotel workers are Latin women, illustrating the gross sexism and racism built into capitalism’s profit system. A political and economic system that can’t meet the basic needs of the working class does not deserve to exist and needs to be smashed. That is why PLP calls for communist revolution, to smash these lousy conditions and put the working class in command.

Our leaflet emphasized how these workers’ fight remains especially interconnected with many recent struggles of workers who have struck or are currently striking. Strike fever here is spreading- LA City workers also conducted a one day walkout on August 8th. The leaflet also highlighted the limited power of strikes led by reformist union leaders who are loyal to a capitalist system which requires exploitation in order that profits be maximized. Even if union demands result in temporary gains, in a few years hotel bosses along with their allies in the bosses’ government will again resist providing even minimally decent conditions for the workers.

Moreover, the leaflet exposed the importance of racism and sexism in justifying the super exploitation of marginalized workers. As the strikes continue, Party members and friends in LA will remain committed to supporting hotel workers, writers, and actors throughout the summer.

PAKISTAN, July 23—Thirty-three families participated in a Progressive Labor Party (PLP) Summer Cadre School in Pakistan for one week in July. Some of the topics that were discussed included: How establishing a classless society is the only way the working class can get rid of poverty and exploitation.  How communism is the only way to make this world a prosperous and peaceful place to live without prejudices and slavery. How the bosses are making the working class emotionally enslaved by injecting religious and racial prejudices. How the bosses are spreading fundamentalism, nationalism, racism and sectarianism to keep the working class divided and fighting with each other. How to build the fight against ethnic and racial divisions that the bosses spread in the working class. How to build a communist party and movement for a workers led revolution. The school was held at a hilly station at the border of India and Pakistan.

It was very nice to see the people on the other side of the border waving their hands and exchanging good words with us. People from India and Pakistan were separated by a 25-30 meters wide river. We showed them the small banner displaying the PLP monogram with “Fight for Communism” and “One flag, one fight…Workers of the world unite.” We also threw some CHALLENGEs in English and Urdu by wrapping stones with them and it was very fascinating when some people kissed them to show their love for us and communism.

Discussing plans for fightback
We chalked out a plan of activities for the remaining months; we analyzed the tactics we used to meet new people and evaluated our struggle while participating/organizing reform activities. Young and senior comrades were excited to explore new ways to strengthen our struggle at the workplaces, campuses, shops and farms.

We also discussed the political situation in Pakistan and reached the point that the political chaos, devastating economic situation, terrorism and surveillance is a result of inter-imperialist rivalry as well as the enmity among the pro-China and pro-U.S. groups in the bureaucracy, establishment and ruling class.

We, the working class, know that bosses are also using misleaders from the trade unions to protect the interests of the capitalist class. These misleaders are being supported by every means to spread illusion and fear among the workers. They never talk against the contractual workforce being employed by the bosses to earn more profit without fear of strikes, they never struggle for unionizing the workers and they never help the harassed, tortured or injured workers.

Most of the discussion was led by young comrades. They took interest in the history of the Party and how our Party matured our line from nationalism to communism. Participants were enthusiastic while discussing base building and participating/organizing reform struggles. Young students and senior workers shared the experiences they got while participating in strikes and sit-ins.  Comrades were keen to  share their experiences and learn lessons from international comrades.

We concluded our summer camp by endorsing, appreciating and congratulating the new leadership collective at the 2023 PLP convention. After singing The Internationale and chanting slogans like “Long live communism, down with imperialism”, “One flag one fight, workers of world unite” and “Long live PLP” our summer camp was over.