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Letter to Theodore Draper in New York from Cyril Briggs in Los Angeles, March 17, 1958 [Long Extract]

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Letter to Theodore Draper in New York from Cyril Briggs in Los Angeles, March 17, 1958 [Long Extract] Briggs in Los Angeles to Draper in New York [March 17, 1958] 1 Letter to Theodore Draper in New York from Cyril Briggs in Los Angeles, March 17, 1958 [long extract] Document in the Theodore Draper Papers, Hoover Institution Archives, Box 31. March 17, 1958. birthed by the October Revolution. I was at the time more interested, as you will gather, in the Mr. Theodore Draper national liberation revolution than in the social The Fund for the Republic, Inc. revolution. I joined the Communist Party after 360 Riverside Drive several visits to my office by Rose Pastor Stokes New York 25, NY [CPA] and Bob Minor [UCP], each representing what they claimed to be the official CP. I chose Dear Mr. Draper: Rose’s group. You will, I am sure, know the fac- tion she represented at the time, so there’s no ne- I am only too happy to aid in your efforts to cessity for me to look it up. dispel the myths and confusions that have risen * * * around the history of the African Blood Brother- I resigned from The Amsterdam News in 1918 hood and the question of self-determination as in protest against the publisher’s attempt to cen- applied to the American Negro.... sor my editorials, following their intimidation by Now to clear up some of the myths, let’s be- government agencies. In those editorials, and in ing with myself. All assertions to the contrary, I other writings — letters to the daily press, etc. — was never a member of the Socialist Party, although I opposed the war as an imperialist war and as- I had a number of close friends who were mem- sailed as a sham and fraud Wilson’s slogan of “mak- bers, like Dick Moore and the late Hubert Harri- ing the world safe for democracy,” and played up son. I did not consider that the SP had anything in my news columns cases of lynchings during to offer the Negro, or any interest in the anti-im- the war, treatment of Negro soldiers in France, perialist struggles of the colonial peoples. Nor was etc. One of the first issues of The Crusader maga- I, or Dick Moore to my knowledge, ever associ- zine carried, incidentally, a documentary exposé ated with [Philip] Randolph and Owens of The of the Jim Crow treatment and persecution of our Messenger, or with the Messenger group, except in Negro soldiers in France, including attempts to the sense that they were all representative of the dissuade the French from having any social rela- radical New Negro Movement of that period. tions with them. This was followed by efforts to My interest in Communism was inspired by intimidate me. I was also honored by a Southern the national policy of the Russian Bolsheviks and Senator, who proposed on the floor of Congress the anti-imperialist orientation of the Soviet state that the editors of the Chicago Defender, The Cri- 1 2 Briggs in Los Angeles to Draper in New York [March 17, 1958] sis, and The Crusader be shot for treason. I think by agents sent into the field was small in com- the gentleman was from Florida. parison to those recruited by readers of the maga- As soon as my resignation from The Amster- zine who sought authority to organize Posts in dam News was announced, several Harlem citi- their communities. Among those was a Mr. White zens who approved my position came forward with of West Virginia, who hitchhiked to New York offers of financial aid and the suggestion that I with his teenage daughter to propose he be ap- start a publication of my own. Chief among these pointed organizer for his state. Too, quite a few was the late Anthony Crawford, a Negro ship bro- out of town people were recruited during their ker with offices at 80 Wall Street. This group also attendance at conventions in New York. Among helped in raising money through affairs, etc. these were members of the Garvey movement, of Publication of the magazine definitely pre- which thousands of native-born Negroes were ceded organization of the Brotherhood. The idea members. Neither Garvey’s UNIA nor the ABB of the ABB [African Blood Brotherhood], includ- was composed wholly of West Indians. ing its name, was mine. If I would not choose You may be interested in the fact that the that name today, it is also true that there was no Brotherhood’s Post in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was ac- racist implication of any sort in its selection. Its cused of instigating the race riot in that city selection was inspired by the blood brotherhood [1919], one of the series of post-war race riots in ceremony performed by many tribes in Black Af- which Negroes not only fought back but carried rica. According to early European explorers, black the fight into the white sections. The New York and white men, as well as members of different Times quoted columns to this canard. It also car- tribes, often swore blood brotherhood by min- ried a long interview with me as head of the Broth- gling drops of their blood. The ABB then, was erhood. I think the charge was based mainly on not conceived as an exclusively Negro organiza- the military connotation of the word “Posts,” and tion, although that is what it turned out to be. At the fact that most of the members of the Tulsa leas, I know of no instance of a white person join- Post were ex-soldiers, returned from the war to ing it. Nor did we make any attempt to recruit “make the world safe for democracy.” whites. I would say that the Brotherhood was more The Brotherhood never attained the propor- of a regional than a truly national organization tions of a real mass organization. Its initial mem- since, with the exception of one small Post in San bership was less than a score, and all in Harlem. Francisco, we made no inroads on the West Coast. At its peak it had less than 3,000 members. It had That is, west of the Rockies, I should have said. It Posts, however, in many sections of the country, must be borne in mind that there was little Negro and in several West Indian islands. It was not com- concentration west of the Rockies in those days. prised solely or mainly of West Indian Negroes On the other hand, the Garvey movement did living in the US. West Indians, however, did con- succeed in organizing several branches in that ter- stitute the bulk of its New York membership and ritory. And the magazine had quite a few readers played a role in its Supreme Council out of pro- in California and other states west of the Rockies, portion to their total membership vis-a-vis native while the news service served most of the Negro born members. papers in those states. But then Garvey had the Most of its members were recruited through advantage of being able to put a number of paid the magazine, which had a peak circulation of organizers in the field and of making attractive 36,000 and reached many Negro communities financial offers to leading elements in Negro com- throughout the country. The number recruited munities. Not to mention its highly emotional and Briggs in Los Angeles to Draper in New York [March 17, 1958] 3 dramatic appeal, compounded of feudal titles and The CNS, or CNA as it was later called to avoid pageantry, building Negro business (a theme dear confusion with the new Capital News Service sent to the hearts of the Negro bourgeoisie), and a tri- out from Washington, was the first Negro national umphant return to Africa to create a mighty black news service to be organized in this country. It empire, to mention just a few of its components. preceded by several months the Associate Negro I would say, too, that Garvey successfully capital- Press (ANP); probably inspired organization of the ized on the seeds of militancy sown by the New latter. Negro Movement, including our agitation for Af- * * * rican freedom. I am unable to state the exact date that or- The Brotherhood, as later the Crusader ganization of the Brotherhood was begun. I am News Service, was organized with the objectives positive, however, that it was a few months after of combatting several aspects of the Garvey move- the publication of the first issue of The Crusader ment and in particular its “Back to Africa” phi- magazine. Thus in early 1919, if, as I believe, the losophy; promoting a militant fighting unity first issue of the magazine appeared in November among the Negro people; emphasizing the iden- 1918. tity of interests between the Negro and colonial You are quite correct in assuming that the peoples; and enlisting support for the anti-impe- Communist Party had no part in initiating the rialist struggles of the latter; combatting the illu- organization of the Brotherhood. Nor did the sion so assiduously and successfully spread by the Brotherhood owe its inspiration to the Commu- Negro bourgeoisie in that period — with the aid nist movement. It was certainly already in exist- of the anti-Negro policies and practices of the trade ence when I had my first contact with the Com- unions — that the “best white people” were our munists, through the visits of Rose and Bob to friends, the white working man our enemies; pro- my office at 2299 Seventh Avenue [New York moting unity of Negro and white workers and City]. Nor did the Communists inspire the ABB agitating for abolition of Jim Crow practices in program you have seen.
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