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1948
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Clayton
Van Lydegraf, a long-time political
activist in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere, was an important figure in the development of the New Left in the
1960s, first in Seattle and eventually on a national level. He was one of very
few veteran activists of the Old Left who early-on understood the importance
and vitality of the new generation of activists coming up in the mid-1960s,
young people who were influenced and inspired by the Civil Rights movement and
who were motivated by opposition to the Vietnam War. He developed friendships
and working relationships with young activists in Seattle at least as early as
1966, perhaps earlier, informally teaching Marxism-Leninism, strategic
thinking, and lessons from his decades of activism dating to the 1930s. His
ideas were later important in influencing the development of the politics of
Weatherman and the Weather Underground Organization. Meanwhile, many other Old
Left activists failed to grasp the significance of the young activists and
held to their 1930s-based political concepts.
Van Lydegraf had been a leader in the
Communist Party through the 1950s, but he left by the early '60s over
political differences. He later joined the Progressive Labor Party, but quit
as it descended into dogmatism and sectarianism. He was unaffiliated when he
came into the circle of New Left activists, but he joined numerous
groups, including Draft Resistance–Seattle and
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
Two of his articles listed
below, "The Movement and the Workers" and "The Object is to Win" were
particularly significant in their influence upon New Left activists.
For other
biographical information
click here.
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Selected writings:
Excerpt from appearance
before House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearing, December
13, 1956, Seattle, WA.
U.S. Imperialism and the Fascist Danger
1967. Second edition, 1969. Not as useful as the other papers listed
here.
The Object is to Win
1967. Third edition, 1971. This paper was especially noteworthy in its
influence upon the new movements of the late 1960s. While some of the material
is obviously dated, the article is of historical value in understanding the development
of the ideas of the Weather Underground. Also, it is masterful in defining and
describing concepts of revolutionary strategy.
The Movement and the Workers
1969. Second edition, 1972. A helpful treatise on the role of the U.S.
working class and the relationship of revolutionaries to it. This article had
an impact on some segments of the New Left.
Our Constitutional Rights
A written statement submitted to the San Francisco Grand Jury, January - February 1973.
This statement is particularly valuable in tracing the centuries of struggle
that preceded the adoption of the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Two articles on the
Progressive Labor Party, PLP (The articles were distributed by Van
Lydegraf and surely written by him at least in part. He had been a member of
the Central Committee of the national party. They were printed in the Old
Mole, Boston, July 4-17, 1969)
Brief History of PLP
Excerpts from a statement by the Washington State PLP to the National
Committee of PLP on July 1, 1967. (PDF)
Letter from the
Washington State PLP to the National Committee (excerpts), July 1,
1967 (PDF)
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