Re: [Marxism] Robert Des Verney and Peter Camejo (my last post, revised and cleaned up some0

[David Walters <davidw@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Fred, the issue is so long lived, over so many decades, with so many 
facets, that it is hard to understand what everyone is necessarily 
saying and *tyring* to say.

Let's try to clarify, because it has historical importance as much for 
the Black movement as for the two left groups in question, the SWP and CP.

I also have no historical stake in trying to defend or attack one 
position vs. another...

First, I do not defend the Kirk-Kaye grouping *at all*. I oppose their 
POV and would of voted against it. I support, and still defend, the 
later position of the SWP as it responded to the development of the 
civil rights and Black Liberation Movement.

But there is a reality: the CP did more, better and consistent 
anti-racist work that than the SWP, one that actually had an impact for 
generations. There are, shall we say, real material reason for this that 
are worth examining.

The most important, without a doubt, is the failure of the Left 
Opposition to win any Blacks to it's cause from the relatively small 
cadre of Black CPers during the 'dog days' of US Trotskyism, during the 
so-called "Third Period". Many of these Black cadre in the CP came over 
from the African Brotherhood which effectively dissolved into the CP in 
the 1920s. Brian Palmer discusses this some in his book on the history 
of the American Revolutionary Left.

Secondly, by coincidence, historical fate, whatever, the three main 
organizing centers that the early Communist League/Workers Party of the 
US got involved in were in the almost all-White centers of Minneapolis, 
Toledo and the various maritime centers on the West Coast: San Francisco 
and Seattle. This meant a large recruitment of white proletarians into 
the Trotskyist movement. The CP, on the other hand, organized often in 
all-black sections of industry such as meat packing, foundries (the 
step-children of Basic Steel) and...Longshore in San Francisco. Even in 
auto, such as Ford's gian River Rouge plant, the CP went out of it's way 
to get into the areas that were designated "Colored" by Fords defacto 
segregation. But where ever the CP dominated, basically, the Left 
Oppositionist *physically* couldn't organize unless they were very, very 
strong. One such union was the Sailors Union of the Pacific, the 
all-white, extremely militant union of workers who had originally 
organized on clipper ships and steam schooners of the 19th Century. 
There the Trotskyists out-organized the Stalinists. Tom Kerry was the 
key organizer in this field. The Trotskyist base in the SUP was in San 
Francisco and Seattle (where Frank Lovell later played an important role).

But Blacks were constitutionally, and physically, excluded from the SUP. 
During the period when both the CP and Trotskyists battled in the SUP 
(where talking MAJOR battles in the streets involving hundreds of 
seaman, not just political battles) at no time did the Trotskyists 
challenge the racist leadership of the SUP who they were in alliance 
with. I've never seen any evidence for this. I've actually looked at the 
SUP archives for this and, local SWP documents. The CP did, albeit for 
obvious sectarian reasons. The other major maritime orientation was the 
multi-racial, CP organized National Maritime Union on the East Coast 
which couldn't exclude Trotskyists for a variety of reasons from membership.

What I didn't mention yesterday is that the SUP situation was a major 
cause of concern for Fraser and wanted it addressed as the SWP by that 
time (1946) had a major fraction in this all-white union. They did NOT 
address it. A year later, Harry Lundberg purged all SWPers from the SUP. 
This was, generally, an exception for the SWP who stood for integration 
at that time. But it's what got Fraser moving on the question.

Fred mentions, correctly, the fascinating books published by Pathfinder 
called "Fighting Racism in WWII". There are some real interesting 
aspects to this work. For example, when Blacks were first hired into the 
auto plants during the ramp up for rearmament leading to WWII, in 1940, 
white workers would walk out. Only the left and most class conscious 
unionists would remain. So everyone got to see who was who and lead to 
some humorous moments. The SWP was an anti-racist organization. There is 
no question about it. And the party did try to relate to the March on 
Washington (which the CP tried to sabotage). And they did other 
anti-racist actions with the notable exception of the SUP work.

Contrary to what Fred implies, I'm not challenging the SWP's 
anti-racism. I'm challenging the seriousness with which the SWP tried to 
develop a theory of Black Liberation (that it had or not a theory on 
self-determination is secondary and doesn't tell anyone anything as 
there was no *movement* for self-determination, it would remain a 
theoretical abstract until the 1960s anyway). I don't have the book 
mentioned above in my archive, unfortunately. I would like to know from 
Fred, who does have it, *how* the SWP tried to apply their view of 
organizing or support for organizing a Black lead movement to fight 
against racism?

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