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In both cases, angry Socialist comrades demanded that the International issue an immediate "clarification." The revised documents explicitly condemned the "brutal repression of civil rights" in Poland, and softened Brandt's position on El Salvador by leaving open the possibility for "free and honest elections." His authoritarian approach brought him into conflict with Swedish General Secretary Bernt Carlsson, 44. Early this year in Bonn, Carlsson pointedly reminded Brandt that "this is a Socialist International not a German International." In retaliation, Brandt forced Carlsson to step down last week.
Brandt's supporters argue that he has broadened the Socialist International's appeal. Says Austrian Prime Minister Bruno Kreisky: "It is a question of whether it is better to be pure or to have greater numbers." Perhaps, but by drawing more strident leftists into the fold, Brandt may ultimately weaken the movement's influence. As French President François Mitterrand's failure to send a high-powered delegation to Portugal showed, Socialist parties in power tend to have little time for the empty rhetoric of those that are not.