Jean Barrot

[HENSI1@xxxxxxx]

Some information on some individuals who's name has been quoted in the
"revisionism" discussions
Some of these eminent individuals were involved around may 68 in a loose
group, the head quarter of which was the then leftist bookshop "La Vieille
Taupe " in the Quartier Latin in Paris (opened in 1965).
The most prominent figure in this group and partly owner of the bookshop was
Pierre Guillaume ( P.G. in this text) Originally, in the early 60's, P.G. was
a member of the group " Socialisme ou Barbarie" , amongst number of students
involved in the struggle against the Algerian war ( the name of P.G. must not
be confused with Philippe Guillaume, another member of "Socialisme ou
Barbarie" who was one of the founder of the group in 1947 and no longer
member of this group when it disappeared in 1966)
P.G. followed the group "Pouvoir Ouvrier" which split from "Socialisme ou
Barbarie " in 1963. The group name came from the workers' paper having the
same title: an agreement divided the publications, sharing, on one hand the
review which staid in the hands of members following Castoriadis line
rejecting the Marxist method, and on the other hand the workers paper
"Pouvoir Ouvrier" with members still following the Marxist line. P.G. was
member of this last group "Pouvoir Ouvrier" and was "directeur of the
publication" from December 1963 up to October 1965 ( this title did not imply
any responsibility, it was only a legal obligation for every publication).
P.G. was informally more or less expelled from this group in October 1965
following some underground manoeuvres. He then managed to build around the
already existing bookshop "La Vieille taupe " what could appear as the core
of a political activity - theoretical with some influence of the "bordiguism"
and practical with some "actions". The character of the actions of this core
before and after may 68 could be often characterised as  "primary anti -
Stalinism ": some of them could have been as well performed by fascist
organisations because not at all referring to a clear class line.
In may 68, P.G. was deeply involved in the "Comite d'Action Travailleurs
Etudiants " settled in the Censier University. People interested can refer to
a rather laudative book "Mai retrouve " ( editions Laffont, 1978), written by
J. Baynac who was part of the core around this then "ultra left bookshop" .
G. Dauve ( alias Jean Barrot) was a "member" of this core from 1967 up to
1972 when the bookshop "La Vieille taupe" was closed for the first time. It
will  be reopened  later in 1978 (and is closed again now) on a completely
different political line, a "revisionism" one now. So exit P.G.moving slowly
out of the ultra left circle; even so some of this former followers around
the previous bookshop kept contact with him, even when he started to be
involved in the "revisionism", deserting him and the new bookshop as long as
the evidence appeared of P.G. connection with the ultra right.
G. Dauve ( J. Barrot) was not part of this new P.G activity though he kept
contact with P.G. until 1980 . He then broke with P.G. in April 1980 when
P.G. published a revisionist book " Verite historique ou verite politique ".
In 1972, G.Dauve had published under the name of Jean Barrot a book "Le
Mouvement Communiste" which was more or less the "programme " of a new group
with a bulletin "Le mouvement communiste". This bulletin had six issues from
1972 to 1974 . The no 5 contains the reprint of a text published in 1960 by
the bordiguist review Programme Communiste . This text attacked now as being
part of the "revisionist " current was practically ignored in 1960. Today the
present situation provoked a new reprint of this text
and a strong protest from the bordiguidt current (Le Proletaire - Programme
Comuniste , aout 96) and part of a defence restatement in a book written
jointly by G.Dauve and S. Quadruppani " Libertaires et ultra gauche contre le
negationnisme (editions Reflex , 1996)
In 1983, G.Dauve was a member along with S.Quadruppani of the group
publishing "La Banquise" ( Dauve being director of the publication for two
issues- only a legal obligation as we have mentioned above). Then, for a time
, the situation became even more confusing in this ultra left milieu; reading
these texts now it is difficult to sort who support what. There was another
group publishing a bulletin "La Guerre Sociale"  more involved in the
"revisionist "stance. With another anarchist group "Le Frondeur ",and some
others in the anarchist or Marxist milieu, there was contacts,
correspondence, articles and a revisionist leaflet " Notre royaume est une
prison " widely distributed and criticised. La Banquise and the following
review "Le Brise Glace " and some others then moved quickly out of the
revisionist game as "la Guerre Sociale " staid more or less involved in it.
The recent renewal of these more than 15 years old polemics , as a recurrent
disease, seems more connected to some literary and individual conflicts of
interest in the  French antifascist milieu. If you are not repelled by this
amount of recent confused literature on the subject (difficult to find in it
a clear basic explanation of these misleading mishmash) and by this often
intricate use of the French language, you can read:
- articles in the current newspapers: the daily Le Monde, Liberation and
l'Humanite , some reviews including a left catholic one Golias
- G.Dauve - Mise au point
- Le Monde Libertaire , 13/19 juin 96, L. Janover
- La secte negationiste a encore frappe (A Contre Courant no 74, juin 96)
-Du passe, ne faisons pas table rase- A. Bihr ( A Contre Courant no 76, aout
96)
- Auschwitz ou le grand alibi ( Le Proletaire-programme Communiste - pamphlet
and leaflet)
- Les mythes fondateurs du negationisme en France (Alternative Libertaire no
45 , septembre 96)
- Libertaires et ultragauche contre le negationnisme , G. Dauve et S.
Quadruppani ( editions Reflex 96)
- Nuit et Brouillard du revisionnisme , L. Janover ( Paris Mediterranee 1996)





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