To: Members of the International Council, Readers and Subscribers, Friends, Fellow Travelers… and Those Who Wish To Be…

As we begin preparations for the Second World Congress of our International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People for the month of September of this year, we seek your advice and thoughts concerning the event. Regrettably we must inform you that our efforts to locate the event in Europe have thus far have been unsuccessful. As a result, the only possible location for the 2^nd World Congress is Toronto, Canada, under circumstances similar to the 2001 Congress, which might include even greater difficulties in obtaining visas.

We believe it is unnecessary to dwell here on the terrible wars, invasions and highly political reasons and events that have come into force since the First World Congress. You will recall our initial 1st Congress took place within days of the unprecedented destruction of the World Trade Centre and loss of more than 3,000 lives in New York city. That terrible event has been widely and shamelessly used and has become the all-embracing US smokescreen and excuse for ferocious and aggressive actions by Imperialist monopoly.

In particular, we point out the Bush administration in the USA and the Blair government of Great Britain. It is obviously true that rather than a deterioration of Imperial military action that could lead to the furtherance of Friendship, Solidarity and Peace, exactly the contrary confronts us all. Falsely proclaimed by the Imperialists as a "Clash of Civilizations" between the "Muslims and Christians", the world now has expanded aggressive wars for oil and gas resources. You are aware that it has remained our contention that the growing war and violent situation against the countries of Central and Southern Asia and the Middle East is a further encroachment and assault on these people by the Western Imperialist powers, in particular, we accuse the above mentioned states of the USA and Great Britain. Together with other developed monopoly capitalist economies and systems and based on their insatiable consumption of energy, oil an gas resources, the military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and the continuing refusal of the rights of the Palestinian people, coupled with US outright rejection of the historic role of the United Nations Organization, threatens not only regional wars and conflicts, but in reality raises escalating threats of possible world war. The presence of US, British and other military forces within the boundaries of country after country, underlines the global threat, firstly for the occupied countries. Particularly notable in this regard are the oil rich and pipeline hosts of former Soviet Republics, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenia, Kirghizia and others.

This is only a partial recitation of issues that will properly belong before our proposed Second World Congress. They arise and are integral to our ongoing program of Friendship, Solidarity and Peace that we have advanced during the almost twelve years of NSC publication, which is the organ of the International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People. Let us be absolutely clear: in no way, and under no circumstances does our organization support "terrorism", whether it be practiced by the US-British Imperialist "terror bombing" and military and economic theft and subjugation of whole countries and peoples; or develops from anti-Imperialist retaliatory action such as destroyed the central symbol of US imperialism, the World Trade Center, causing the loss of thousands of innocent lives.

But, when we compile the numbers of "terror" killings of innocents by the Imperialist military and bombing actions and compare it with the numbers of colonial and neo-colonial victims in the Imperialist subjugated "colonial" lands of the earth, monopoly Imperialist war and aggression, unacknowledged, "terrorist guilt" stands as a mountain besides a tiny molehill in any historic sense.

As for our World Congress at this juncture of time, in all frankness, and truth, questions have been raised, particularly from some leading Soviet "friends", as well as by others, to the real effectiveness of another Toronto, Canada based Congress, together with important issues, as to how greater and more effective assistance can be developed for our Soviet friends and the restoration of Socialist future for all of the dismantled Soviet Republics.

Throughout our activities, during the past many years, we have stated correctly and in all honesty, that we are not a "political party. We have repeatedly called for the restoration of Soviet Socialism in whatever forms the Soviet people should decide, and we repeat that proposal with deep sincerity of purpose and desire in this Open Letter. During the passing years, we have waited patiently and with highest hopes to hear of the emergence and rebuilding of a genuine Marxist-Leninist political party of the working class, in all of the now separate and now isolated Republics, formerly constituting the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. But now, we are forced to believe that the Soviet Union cannot and will not be reconstituted without the real development of such a revolutionary proletarian led political force, welded to a massive movement of the people for that end.

It has been disheartening and frustrating to witness the division of the left political forces in the dismembered USSR and failure to achieve these essential political formations to this date. We have witnessed what has appeared to us to have been a heroic effort in that direction, but to date, emergence of multiple "Communist" forces has mean failure in that direction. In all humility we have come to the conclusion that the rejection of the Marxist-Leninist revolutionary understanding and practice that defended and built the former Soviet Socialist Union or that might restore it now, is the direct result of the failure to comprehend the essential Marxist-Leninist truth, that while the working class and people under certain conditions can and will carry through revolutionary action, they are the only force that can create revolution. Alienation of the proletariat creates a disaster. Communist Parties that fail to understand this simple Marxist-Leninist theoretical role are doomed to failure because of bureaucracy, and as a result, are alienated from the working class and people.

It is not for us to point fingers or make recriminations to the Soviet people on this score, but history dating back to the internal struggle within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the emergence of bureaucratic treachery as shown in the Khrushchev-to-Gorbachev-Yeltsin mis-leadership seems to indicate this with crystal clarity.

We have concluded (even at this distance) that this abandonment of Leninist leadership had alienated the working class of the Soviet Union and brought installation and growth of bureaucratic, self-serving forces. We suggest that this is what lies at the heart of the current debacle in all of the former Soviet Republics. Again, it is not our place to state definitive and final answers as to why such a desperate situation continues in the former Soviet Republics. We state clearly, that such definitive answers must come primarily from the Communist Parties.

But on a wider scale, who can ignore the fact that from the time of the advent of the Khrushchev leadership, and the "demonization" of the Leninist policies of Stalin in the former USSR, practically every Communist Party world-wide, likewise suffered divisions and splits with loss of basic relations with their native working classes and people. In case after case, parliamentary and reformist revisions replaced adherence to and promotion of the revolutionary role of the working class. Seeking the "respectability" of Social Democratic avenues became all too common.

We raise these questions with our readers, Executive members and supporters, because at this juncture, while we begin preparations for our World Congress and with the establishment of the Russian Society for Friendship with Foreign Countries, we believe that without an open, critical and self-critical discussion of the issues and problems suggested above, we will achieve few meaningful conclusions.

We have been made aware that despite the efforts of our many friends and supporters in the former Soviet Republics, we have little assurance that we can expect a representative delegation from there, due to the economic and political situation there. We believe that points to and suggests that our 2^nd World Congress, necessarily held in Toronto, Canada, might not achieve the success we would expect. In turn, that raises the question: does the expenditures and frustrations we might encounter with finances and obtainment of visas at that time, merit the consideration of a possible postponement?

We believe that without greater assurances pointing to our success and honest tackling of the manifold and complex problems, we must begin our preparations for the 2^nd World Congress with great care and in a struggle for clarity. Bluntly, we believe, if as a result of our Congress a clear focus fails to emerge as to the road ahead, we would not succeed. We need assurances of wider, more thoroughly involved delegates from the corners of the word, and firstly, from former USSR, in order to achieve a meaningful success in establishing a world-wide movement for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People as a broad front movement.

It is for these reasons we are taking this measure to openly address you. Your opinion, and that of your organization is of vital and great importance. We appeal to you to discuss and address your conclusions to us as soon as it is possible. No final decision on the 2^nd World Congress can be made and we earnestly solicit your views.

In this we would welcome any and all proposals critical and otherwise as to the work of Northstar Compass and of the International Council, past and future. For our part, we propose a continuation of our long established non-party basis as an international journal, carrying the "rays of light in the deepening gloom of Imperialist power", we proclaimed in our first issue twelve years ago.

The programs, historic in every respect of "Friendship, Solidarity (Internationally) and Peace", are indispensable. While we do not suggest they contain revolutionary political powers, among the working people these are of top rank and for all who stand steadfast against the wars and depredations on all continents.

With open frankness, honesty and clarity, they must be maintained and in this monopoly, Imperialist dominated era, emphasized and given new life. This is an important part of the "road to the future!"

Sincerely we address you…