EURO-COMMUNISM
39
internally of the Communist party in France makes very little
difference in the scheme of things.
William Phillips:
Yes, but it seems to me that the question does not
exist unless you assume the possibility of these Communis t parties
having some share of power.
If
you assume they wi ll never have any
share of governmental power, then it seems to me that this is really
an academic distinction. Then there is no point in discussing the
question.
Jane Kramer:
No, I assume that they wi ll share power. I am simply
suggesting that some of the terrors raised tonight are more appropri–
ate for a situation like Portugal than for Italy or France. Or even
Spain, where the Communists represent a proportion of the vote that
is not involved right now from its own practical point of view in
questions of taking power and probably will not be in the foreseeable
future.
William Phillips:
Wasily, did you want to say something?
Wasily Leontief:
Different speakers made certain statements about the
general state of the system in Europe. And I think this is very
important in appraising the future of communism. Now I happen to
believe that it will go statist. Anybody who is slightly against statism
does not offer any alternative. Except, possibly, I don't know, "Small
is beautiful," which doesn't mean anything.
Statism does not mean that all the elbow room is killed. It means
strategy of economic development and location will, I think, be
decided in a more organized way. I think even the Russians will have
to
relax a lillIe. Look at Hungary, it is a better example. This is of
course state socialism.
William Phillips:
Now, I think if you wou ld bear with the speakers...
the speakers would like to respond and summarize for a few minutes.
Do you want to talk? Who goes first?
Walter Laqueur:
I certainly cannot summarize, because it was a very
interesting discussion, and there are no answers to many of these
questions. Certainly I do not have answers to all of them. And I on ly
want to make a very few points in response
to
some of the questions
of fact. Now, in some cases, they did not seem
to
me terribly relevant.
Including even the issue of whether the Italian Party gets money
from Russia. After all, even Lenin got money from the Germans, but
that did not necessarily make him a German agent. Nor does it seem
to me terribly relevant whether these countries are dependent on the
Soviet Union, or would act as Soviet agents. I don't think this is true
at all. Because the last thing the Italian or the French Communists
want is Soviet bases on Italian or French soil. No, I think it is more
