With respect to the publications on the French crisis [of May-June 1968], all of them are bad, except perhaps for Philippe Labro’s Ce n’est qu’un debut,[1] but only as a [historical] document; Lewino[2] as a collection of images; and especially (Gabriel and Danny) Cohn-Bendit, Le Gauchism,[3] which is the only slightly revolutionary book on the subject to be published so far. Our book[4] will be better. It will be published in two weeks. We will send copies to you.
We take good notice of the conclusions [of the discussions] between Tony and the RAC.[5]
We have returned to Paris, at least for a little while. [Rene] Vienet was also with us in Brussels.[6] If he didn’t sign this letter, it is by accident that he was absent when we sent out certain letters.
With respect to the central problem that you have raised, these are our opinions.
1) We are certainly partisans of an “international of situationists”: it even exists already. It is the SI.
2) We are also partisans of autonomous groups everywhere (obviously without renouncing the possibility of organizationally extending ourselves, on the basis of the total SI, with the American comrades who one day would like and are able to take part in the SI).
3) Considering your own preferences, we too judge it preferable to collaborate with your Council[7] as an autonomous group.
4) Thus, in this perspective, it is up to Tony to formally choose to which group he would like to belong (the Council or the SI).[8] Naturally without double membership, any intention to infiltrate.
Best wishes,[1] Translator: This is only a beginning: the Barricades of May (Editions Jean-Claude Lattes).
[2] Walter Lewino, L’imagination au pouvoir. [Translator: Half of the author’s rights to this title were given to the SI.]
[3] Leftism, Remedy to the Senility of Communism.
[4] Enrages and Situationists in the Occupations Movement (Gallimard).
[5] Revolutionary Autonomous Council.
[6] Where Enrages and Situationists in the Occupations Movement was collectively written and attributed to Vienet.
[7] Translator: the Council for the Liberation of Everyday Life, founded in the fall of 1967 by Robert Chasse.
[8] Translator: Verlaan became a member of the SI in January 1968, but was never involved with its emerging American section, which was centered around Chasse, who was admitted on 4 November 1968, and to a lesser extent Bruce Elwell.
(Published in Guy Debord Correspondance, Vol "0": Septembre 1951 - Juillet 1957: Complete des "lettres retrouvees" et d l'index general des noms cites by Librairie Artheme Fayard, October 2010. Translated from the French by NOT BORED! February 2011. Footnotes by the publisher, except where noted.)