LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA/BIBLIOTHÈQUE ET ARCHIVES CANADA Canadian Archives Direction des archives Branch canadiennes Finding Aid No. 2360 / Instrument de recherche no 2360 Prepared in 2004 by John Bell of the Préparé en 2004 par John Bell de la Political Archives Section Section des archives politique. II TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction............................................................................................................................iv Series 1: Internal bulletins, 1935-1975 ....................................................................................1 Series 2: Socialist Workers Party internal information bulletins, 1935-1975 .......................14 Series 3: Socialist Workers Party discussion bulletins, 1934-1990.......................................19 Series 4: International bulletins and documents, 1934-1994 ................................................28 Series 5: Socialist League / Forward Group, 1973-1993 ......................................................36 Series 6: Forward files, 1974-2002........................................................................................46 Series 7: Young Socialist / Ligue des jeunes socialistes, 1960-1975 ....................................46 Series 8: Ross Dowson speech and other notes, 1940-1989..................................................52 Series 9: NDP Socialist Caucus and Left Caucus, 1960-1995...............................................56 Series 10: Gord Doctorow files, 1965-1986 ..........................................................................64 Series 11: Socialist Rights Defence Fund and Harry Kopyto Defence, 1989-1997 ..............66 Series 12: Kopyto and Codina defence campaigns, 1989-1997 ............................................71 Series 13: Waffle, 1969-1989 ................................................................................................71 Series 14: Ross Dowson (large files), 1918-1989..................................................................73 Series 15: Art Grey archives / Socialist League, 1947-1990.................................................75 Series 16: Ross Dowson personal files, 1930-2000...............................................................77 Series 17: Ross Dowson confidential files, 1929-2002 .........................................................84 Series 18: Ross Dowson international files, 1931-1988 ........................................................93 Series 19: Ross Dowson correspondence, 1950-1988 ...........................................................96 Series 20: Subject Files, 1925-1990.......................................................................................99 Series 21: League for Socialist Action (LSA/LSO), 1949-1988 ........................................ 101 Series 22: Saskatchewan LSA/YS - Richard Thompson archives, 1965-1975 .................. 106 III Series 23: Vancouver LSA - Jerry and Ruth Houle archives, 1958-1991 .......................... 107 Series 24: Canadian movement, 1905-1988 ....................................................................... 108 Series 25: John Darling archives, 1961-2002 ..................................................................... 115 Series 26: Fair Play for Cuba Committee, 1961-1999........................................................ 116 Series 27: International Trotskyist and left publications, 1936-1964................................. 122 Series 28: Subject files (second block), 1932-1995............................................................ 122 Series 29: Canadian and US Trotskyist journals, 1922-1996 ............................................. 123 Series 30: Miscellaneous subject files, 1944-1991............................................................. 123 Series 31: Hugh Dowson / Autoworkers (DeHavilland) local 1967, 1955-1975 ............... 124 Series 32: Arnie Mintz archives, 1970-1994 ...................................................................... 125 IV INTRODUCTION In 1989, Canada’s leading Trotskyist, Ross Dowson, suffered a debilitating stroke, which brought an end to more than fifty years of political activism. Following Dowson’s incapacitation, members of the Trotskyist organization the Forward Group embarked on an archival project devoted to the arrangement and description of Dowson’s archives, which included not only Dowson’s personal papers, but records of the Canadian Trotskyist movement and the Canadian Fair Play for Cuba Committee, as well as papers obtained by Dowson -- or later by the Dowson archives project -- relating to Art Grey, Richard Thompson, Arnie Mintz, John Darling, Gord Doctorow, Dowson’s brother Hugh Dowson, Jerry and Ruth Houle, and other Canadian Trotskyist activists. The Dowson archives project was located in the home of Dowson’s sister, Lois Bedard. The archival work was undertaken primarily by Dowson’s associate John Darling. The Ross Dowson fonds, which was acquired by the National Archives in 2003 in conjunction with the acquisition of Dowson’s collection of left-wing literature by the National Library, consists of correspondence, memoranda, grey literature, and other records relating primarily to Dowson’s activities as a leading Trotskyist activist during the 1935-1989 period. The fonds is arranged in the series that were identified by John Darling of the Forward Group’s Dowson archives project. Within series, files are generally in chronological order. John Darling’s file titles have been retained. They typically consist of two parts: an alpha-numeric code (which comprises a location indicator and a chronological reference) and a descriptive element (which can be quite long). The file tabs only feature the first part of the title (the alpha-numeric code), which in some instances is shared by several different files. For this reason, it is important to utilize the National Archives file numbers (i.e., 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, etc.), when locating a specific file. It should also be noted that John Darling sometimes utilized an asterisk after the alpha-numeric code to denote files that contain notes by Dowson. In total, the fonds comprises 36 series. The textual-records portion of the fonds comprises the first 32 series, which are described to the file level in the following finding aid. Ross Dowson fonds R10995 Container File Subject Date INTERNAL BULLETINS SERIES [Asterix denotes a file containing documents with annotations by Ross Dowson.] 1 1 A1-1935 1935 Spartacus Youth League of Canada: L. Trotsky, "War and the 4th International" 1 2 A1-1938 c. 1938 (Educational doc.) Bulletin #5: "The Financial Class"; “A National Program for the C.C.F.” 3 40 A1- (Large) Folder # 1 - Part 1 1946-1950 Binder - Internal Bulletins of Revolutionary Workers Party and Socialist Educational League, 1946-1957 [1946 - Mar., Vol.1, No. 1: "Perspectives for the Canadian Section" (PC of Cdn. Section); 1946 - July ,Vol.1, No. 2: "The Necessity for a Revolutionary Party"; "Our Role in the CCF"; "Our Tasks," "Perspectives of the Left Wing," Contributions by Paul Kane, by Montreal Branch, by George Martell; 1946 - Sept., Vol.1 No. : Constitution of the Revolutionary Workers Party of Canada & Report of the Founding Convention; 1947-Aug. Vol.1 No. 4: "On the Irish Question," "Palestine & the Jews", "On Toronto Election Experiences (RD) & Articles by Leon Trotsky; on the Labor Challenge Sub Campaign; 1947 - Sept., Vol.1, No.4 (5): "The RWP and Political Action, the BC Federation and PA," "Political Action and the CCF"(RD); article by Leon Trotsky, "Comments on Organizational Programs" (RD); 1949 - June, Vol.1, No. 6:"On Critical Support, War and the CCF," "The Toronto Branch Election Campaign," "The Tactic of Entry," "Organizational Problems Confronting the RWP" (RD); 1950 Discussion Document: "Should we support the UE?" (Rose & Andrews-McAlpine); "An explanation" (RD); 1950 - Mar., Vol. II, No. 1: "A reply to Rose's Letter on the UE-IUE Dispute", "Reply to the Windsor Comrades," "An Open Letter to the Party Membership," "The Case of Comrade Rose," "The CCF in BC" (continued)] 2 ROSS DOWSON FONDS R10995 Container File Subject Date 3 41 A1- (Large) Folder # 1 - Part 2 1950–1957 Binder - Internal Bulletins of Revolutionary Workers Party and Socialist Educational League, 1946-1957 [1950 - Apr.,Vol. II, No. 2: "Marxism & Petty-bourgeois Confusionism", "A note on Discussion"(J. Rose); "A Further Note" (RD); Letter from the International Secretariat," "Convention Call"; 1950 - Sept., Vol. II, No. 3: Convention Resolutions by Rose, Joyce, Burke & Davids; "Trade Union Policy -- the CCF and Our Perspectives" (Rose); 1951 - Apr.,Vol. II, No. 4: National Secretary's Statement on CC Report; Control Commission Report on Toronto Situation; "Not just Aberrations" (Fitzgerald); "Addendum to 'Not just Aberrations'" (P.Kane); (Vol. II, No. 5 does not appear); 1951 - June, Vol. II, No. 6: "For a Proletarian Orientation" (Toronto Minority-1); "Counter-Resolution to the NC Resolution" (Toronto Minority-2); "An Answer to the Report of Control Commission"; Organizational and Constitutional Documents; Resolution - "Perspectives before the Party in Quebec" (McAlpine); "Open Letter to the Party" (Rosslund); "Better to Rule in Hell" (Brent); 1951 - July, Vol. III, No. 1: "The CCF and Our Tasks & Perspectives" (RD); 1951 - Sept. Vol. III, No. 2: Minutes of the 2nd National Convention of the RWP; Memorandum on the Criteria for a Workers' State and the Class Nature of China (Kelly & Rose); 1951(?) (Re-Drafted) Political Resolution of the PC; 1951 - March: