BUCKLEY v. VALEO Per Curiam gous context, this Court in Thomas v.Collins, 323 U. S. 516 (1945), observed: "[W]hether words intended and designed to fall short of invitation would miss that mark is a question both of intent and of effect. No speaker, in such circumstances, safely could assume that anything he might say upon the general subject would not be understood by some as an invitation. In short, the supposedly clear-cut distinction between discussion, laudation, general advocacy, and solicitation puts the speaker in these circumstances wholly at the mercy of the varied understanding of his hearers and consequently of whatever inference may be drawn as to his intent and meaning. "Such a distinction offers no security for free discussion. In these conditions it blankets with uncertainty whatever may be said. It compels the speaker to hedge and trim." Id., at 535. See also United States v. Auto. Workers, 352 U. S. 567, 595-596 (1957) (Douglas, J., dissenting); Gitlow v. New York, 268 U. S. 652, 673 (1925) (Holmes, J., dissenting). The constitutional deficiencies described in Thomas v. Collins can be avoided only by reading § 608 (e) (1) as limited to communications that include explicit words of advocacy of election or defeat of a candidate, much as the definition of "clearly identified" in § 608 (e) (2) requires that an explicit and unambiguous reference to the candidate appear as part of the communication. 1 This 51 Section 608 (e) (2) defines "clearly identified" to require that the candidate's name, photograph or drawing, or other unambiguous reference to his identity appear as part of the communication. Such other unambiguous reference would include use of the candidate's initials (e. g.,FDR), the candidate's nickname (e. g., Ike), his office (e. g., the President or the Governor of Iowa), or his status as a