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U DJH Papers of Jock Haston 1913 - 1964 Inc Records of the Revolutionary Communist Party and Other Trotskyist Groups

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U DJH Papers of Jock Haston 1913 - 1964 Inc Records of the Revolutionary Communist Party and Other Trotskyist Groups Hull History Centre: Jock Haston inc Revolutionary Communist Party U DJH Papers of Jock Haston 1913 - 1964 inc Records of the Revolutionary Communist Party and other Trotskyist Groups Biographical Background: James Ritchie (always known as 'Jock') Haston was born in Edinburgh in 1913 and went to sea at the age of 15. He became a Communist, but his disillusionment with Russia grew when, as a merchant seaman, he saw Soviet ships breaking the public trade boycott of Nazi Germany. He left the Communist Party and became a Trotskyist. He was involved with various groups over the next few years, including the Revolutionary Socialist League and particularly the Workers' International League. When the WIL and the RSL merged in March 1944 to become the Revolutionary Communist Party, official organ of the Fourth International in Britain, Haston became its General Secretary. In April 1945 he was the first Trotskyist to contest a British parliamentary election, polling a respectable 1781 votes at Neath. Over the next few years however, the RCP failed to make progress. The prediction - central to Trotskyist thinking - of a major post-war slump, followed by violent international proletarian revolution led by themselves, remotely to materialise. A bitter and long dispute between those, like Haston, who favoured an open party and the vocal minority, led by Gerry Healy, who preferred 'entryism' into the Labour Party, eventually led to the demise of the RCP in 1949. Haston himself abandoned Trotskyism and joined the Labour Party, which he continued to support for the rest of his life. However he never ceased to be anti-Stalinist. He became a lecturer for the National Council of Labour Colleges and between 1964 and 1973 was head of the Electrical Trade Union's Training College at Esher. Finally between 1973 and 1976 he was national education officer of the General Municipal and Boilermakers Union. His wife Millie was one of the famous group of South African Trotskyists who came to Britain in 1938- 39. He died in August 1986. Custodial history: Received from Jock Haston, London, through Prof. John Saville, University of Hull, July 1967. The archives were accompanied by several thousand leftwing and trade union pamphlets and periodicals which were subsequently added to the bookstock of the Brynmor Jones Library. Further batches of material continued to be added to the collection during the 1970s. Description: The Haston archive represents a major source for scholars of the modern British Left. It effectively catalogues the numerous fraticidal ideological and tactical disputes which were so characteristic of the movement during Haston's lifetime. Whilst the collection contains material from the 1920s to the 1960s, it is most important for the period from about 1935 to 1950, particularly with respect to the Workers' International League and the Revolutionary Communist Party. The material present includes: minutes, internal party bulletins circulated to members, conference documents, broadsheets, memoranda and correspondence. There is an important file containing accounts, minutes and correspondence of the Trotsky Defence Committee between 1936 and 1938. This includes letters from Bertrand Russell and HG Wells. page 1 of 94 Hull History Centre: Jock Haston inc Revolutionary Communist Party The fusion discussions between the Revolutionary Socialist League and the WIL of 1943-44 and the fusion conference of March 1944 are well documented. Another RCP file concerns proposals made between December 1945 and June 1946 that allegations made at the Moscow show trials of 1936-37 (about Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev and other 'Old Bolsheviks') should be tested at the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals. Correspondents on this subject include Clement Attlee, Arthur Koestler, George Orwell and Natalia Sedora- Trotsky, Trotsky's widow. Other British groups represented in the collection include: the Militant Group, the Militant Labour League, the Revolutionary Workers' League and the Marxist League. There are files on many overseas countries, including France, Germany, Greece, India and Ireland. Much of the overseas material concerns the United States of America - specifically the Minneapolis Sedition Trial of 1944. Apart from Haston, leading figures represented in the collection include: Ted Grant, Gerry Healy, Albert Goldman, Felix Morrow and Max Schachtman. Perhaps one of the most interesting documents in the whole collection is the original typescript of the only play ever written by the distinguished West Indian writer CLR James. James was born in Trinidad in 1901 and moved to England in 1932. He became a leading member of the Trotskyist movement. The inspiration for his play 'Toussaint L'Ouverture' was the revolt in 1800 led by the black slaves of French San Domingo (now Haiti). They were led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, who later died in a French prison. The play was first produced by the Stage Society in 1936 with James' friend Paul Robeson taking the lead. The Haston collection contains what appears to be the earliest typewritten draft of the play, comprising 109 leaves, with annotations Arrangement: U DJH/1 Communist League: British Section- International Left Opposition (Bolshevik- Leninists), 1933 - 1934 U DJH/2 Bolshevik-Leninists (mainly Militant Group) U DJH/3 Militant Labour League U DJH/4 Marxist League U DJH/5 Marxist Group U DJH/6 Revolutionary Workers League U DJH/7 Socialist Workers Group U DJH/8 Revolutionary Socialist Party, Edinburgh U DJH/9 Revolutionary Socialist Party, Dublin U DJH/10 Militant Workers Federation, Glasgow U DJH/11 Building Workers Campaign Committee U DJH/12 Colonial Marxist League (Trotskyist) U DJH/13 Revolutionary Socialist League U DJH/14 Workers International league U DJH/15 Revolutionary Communist Party U DJH/16 Movements in the United States of America U DJH/17 The Fourth International: general and international U DJH/18 The Trotsky Defence Committee, 1936 - 1938 U DJH/19 The Anti - Labour Laws Victims Defence Committee, 1944 U DJH/20 Education and the National Council of Labour Colleges U DJH/21 Toussaint l'Ouverture [CLR James] U DJH/22 Anti - Fascism U DJH/23 Independent Labour Party page 2 of 94 Hull History Centre: Jock Haston inc Revolutionary Communist Party U DJH/24 Labour Party U DJH/25 Communist Party of Great Britain U DJH/26 Industry U DJH/27 Africa / Racial discrimination U DJH/28 Automation U DJH/29 Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians 10th Weekend School, 1963 U DJH/30 Miscellaneous parties and groups U DJH/31 Miscellaneous Extent: 2 linear metres Related material: Photocopied papers of Denzil Dean Harber [U DDH] Photocopied issues of 'Militant', 1944-47 [U DX/211] Other repositories: Papers of Denzil Dean Harber [MSS.151], Warwick University: Modern Records Centre Papers of Al Richardson and Jim Higgins [MS1117], Senate House Library, University of London Access conditions: Access will be granted to any accredited reader. U DJH/1 Communist League (British Section - International 1933 - 1934 Left Opposition Bolshevik - Leninists) U DJH/1/1 'For Discussion': Internal Bulletin - British Section. 24 May - 22 International Left Opposition (Bolshevik - Leninists), Jun 1933 No. 5 (24 May 1933), No. 6 (incomplete and date illegible), No. 7 (22 June 1933) 1 item U DJH/1/2 'The International Left Opposition, its Tasks and circa 1933 Methods': For the International Conference. Pre - Conference Document by Leon Trotsky 1 item U DJH/1/3 'For Discussion': Internal Bulletin: Communist League 24 Oct 1933 (British Section. International Left Opposition, Bolshevik - Leninists). Double no. 15 - 16 1 item UDJH/1/4 'WhithertheILP:totheCominternoranew [Nov 1933] International ?' by Leon Trotsky [etc.]. 1 item page 3 of 94 Hull History Centre: Jock Haston inc Revolutionary Communist Party U DJH/1/5 'Whither the ILP: to the Comintern or a new circa 1933 International ?' by Leon Trotsky [etc.]. Typewritten copy of U DJH/1/4. With: 'To our comrades of the Independent Labour Party': printed and published for the British Section of the International Left Opposition by H. Dewar. Duplicated broadsheet. And: 'Leon Trotsky: A Letter to an I.L.P. member'. Published by J. P. Pawsey 3 items U DJH/1/6 'Germany! To all Communists and Militant Workers'. circa 1933 Broadsheet issued by the Balham Group, British Section, International Left Opposition 1 item U DJH/1/7 'Five Communist Reasons For Voting Labour'. [Apr 1934] Broadsheet published by the National Committee of the Communist League 1 item U DJH/2 Bolshevik - Leninists (mainly Militant Group) 1937 - 1939 U DJH/2/A Minutes and internal bulletins 1937 - 1938 U DJH/2/A/1 'Internal Discussion Bulletin', no.1 [of the Militant Jun 1937 Group?], signed 'E.L. D.' 1 item U DJH/2/A/2 'Minutes [of the] B.L. [Bolshevik Leninists] Group 13 Feb 1937 Secretariat' 1 item U DJH/2/A/3 'Report [by Militant Group] to Provincial Branch on Joint 14 Feb 1937 Meeting' [of the Marxist League, Marxist Group, and Militant Group] and 'Statement to Joint meeting' by Militant Group 1 item U DJH/2/A/4 'Minutes of London Executive Committee [of Militant 20 Feb 1937 Group]' 1 item U DJH/2/A/5 'Minutes of Secretariat and of GMM [General Sep 1937 Membership Meeting]', 12 September 1937, and of 'Executive Committee, London' (Militant Group) 19 September 1937 With: 'Statement of position relating to municipal candidates in Norwich' 1 bundle page 4 of 94 Hull History Centre: Jock Haston inc Revolutionary Communist Party U DJH/2/A/6 'Minutes of the Executive Committee, London' (Militant Oct - Nov 1937 Group), 9 October 1937 and 'General Membership Meeting', 10 October 1937 With: 'Resolution of the Liverpool Group (adopted 18 September 1937)', etc. 1 bundle U DJH/2/A/7 'Minutes of Special Executive Committee Meeting, Nov 1937 London' (Militant Group), 13 November 1937 and 'General Membership Meeting, London' 14 November 1937 [concerning Ralph Lee]. With: 'Annexe to Minutes of 14 November 1937'; 'Minutes of Executive Committee, 20 November 1937 and 'Annexe to Executive Committee Minutes', 20 November 1937; and 'Statement by E.
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