Introduction to Labor Action 

During the years 1949 through 1957 Labor Action published an annual (subject) index in its last issue of the year. These are reproduced in the following pages. The index for 1958 (up to suspension) was made specially for this publication. No index exists for 1940-1948.


HISTORY:
 This newspaper was the weekly published by the Workers Party/Independent Socialist League from 1940 to 1958. The New International was its companion publication. 

The Workers Party was formed in 1940 as the result of a split in the Trotskyist group, the Socialist Workers Party, over support of Russia in the war. The minority which formed the Workers Party rejected support of any camp in World War II, including Moscow's. This organization changed its name to Independent Socialist League in April 1949. It dissolved in 1958.

It should not be confused with two previous publications which also bore the name Labor Action. The first was published by the Conference for Progressive Labor Action, later the American Workers Party, led by A.J. Muste. This Labor Action was merged into The New International at the beginning of 1935, when the A.W.P. and the (Trotskyist) Communist League of America merged to form the Workers Party of the U.S. In 1936 this organization dissolved to join the Socialist Party, and there was no overtly Trotskyist organ during the period of "entry," i.e. till the beginning of 1938. But in the Socialist Party the Trotskyist left wing dominated in California; during this period a Labor Action was published from San Francisco, with James P. Cannon as editor, as the organ of the Socialist Party of California, later the organ of the Western States Federation of - the Socialist Party.

When the new Workers Party established Labor Action in May 1940, the name was borrowed from the California paper.


BEGINNING: 
 The first issue was a two-page "Preview Number," also labeled "Special May Day Edition," bearing no date, issued for May 1, 1940. It announced: "Out Next week!  First regular issue of LABOR ACTION," but in fact the "first regular issue" was published with the date May 20,1940.

This first issue bore the designation "Vol. 4, No., 6," an anomaly which is explained by the fact that, in establishing the paper, the editors took over the second-class mailing rights of the Challenge of Youth, the organ of the young socialist section which had split from the S.W.P. along with the minority. Legally, therefore, Labor Action continued the volume/number series of The Challenge of Youth.

This legal fiction also explains why the editorial box stated "Published by the National Council of the Young People' s Socialist League (Fourth International)," in addition to the subtitle "Official Organ of WorkerS Party (Section of the 4th International)." This legalistic reference to the youth group remained in the editorial box through the issue of Sept. 30, 1940 (v.4, no.25). In the next issue (Oct. 7, no.26) the box read: "Published by the Labor Action Publishing Company"--which formula remained to the end.


SUBTITLES: 
 The subtitle "Official Organ..." etc. remained, but, with the issue of Nov. 11, 1940 (no.31), the phrase "Section of the 4th International" was dropped--the reason being legal considerations, not political. For the same reason, the "Official Organ" subtitle was dropped with the issue of Dec. 22, 1941 5, no.51), and replaced with "A Paper in the Interests of Labor." Much later, this subtitle changed to "A Paper in the Interests [later Interest] of Socialism," with the issue of Sept. 22, 1947 (v.11, no.38). When the format was changed to tabloid
(Feb. 27,1950), the subtitle became "Independent Socialist Weekly."


FORMAT:
 The first format was "blanket-size" [broadsheet size] (the usual newspaper size), with four pages, an eight-pager being issued as an infrequent exception. The size became eight pages regularly with the issue of Aug. 5, 1946 (v.10, no.31), the inside four pages being called "Labor Action Magazine Section." The size reverted to
four pages with the issue of June 23, 1947 (v.11, no.25).

There was a complete change in format and appearance as well as size when Labor Action was transformed into
a tabloid of eight pages beginning with the issue of Feb. 27, 1950 (v.14, n.9).


FREQUENCY:
 The paper remained a weekly, without missing an issue, until near the end, through the issue of July 15, 1957. The first biweekly number was July 29.(v.21, no.29), with a new editor. 



LIST OF EDITORS:
 The volume/number designations are given in condensed form after the dates: 

May 20,1940-Oct. 20,1941 (4:6-5:42) Ed.: Joseph Carter. Managing Ed.: Emanuel Garrett.
 
Oct.27,1941-Nov.24,1941 (5:43-5:47) Ed.: Emanuel Garrett. (From Dec.1, 1941, Managing Ed.: Irving Howe.)

Dec.22,1941-June 29,1942 (5:51-6:26) Managing Ed.: Irving Howe.

July 6,1942-June 14,1943 (6:27-7:24) Editor: Emanuel Garrett.

June 21,1943-Jan.28,1946 (7:25-10:4) Albert Gates, Ed.

Feb.4,1946-July 29,1946 (10:5-30) Emanuel Garrett, Acting Ed. Albert Gates, Ed.

Aug.5,1946-Apr.4,1949 (10:31-13:13) Emanuel Garrett, Ed. 
  [From July 12, 1948, listed as Emanuel Garrett Geltman.]

Apr.11,1949-July 15,1957 (13:14-21:28) Editor: Hal Draper.

July 29,1957 to end, Sept.22,1958 (21:29-22-19) Ed.: Gordon Haskell.



TABLE OF ISSUES:
Following is a summary per year; the volume/number designations are given in condensed form after the dates:

1940 May 27-Dec.30 ( 4:7-38)
1941 Jan. 6-Dec.29 ( 5:1-52)
1942 Jan. 5-Dec.28 ( 6:1-52)
1943 Jan. 4-Dec.27 ( 7:1-52)
1944 Jan. 3-Dec.25 ( 8:1-52)
1945 Jan. l-Dec.31 ( 9:1-53)
1946 Jan. 7-Dec.30 (10:1-52)
1947 Jan. 6-Dec.29 (11:1-52)
1948 Jan. 5-Dec.27 (12:1-52)
1949 Jan. 3-Dec.26 (13:1-52)
1950 Jan. 2-Dec.25 (14:1-52)
1951 Jan. 1-Dec.31 (15:1-53)
1952 Jan. 7-Dec.29 (16:1-52)
1953 Jan. 5-Dec.28 (17:1-52)
1954 Jan. 4-Dec.27 (18:1-52)
1955 Jan. 3-Dec.26 (19:1-52)
1956 Jan. 2-Dec.31 (20:1-53)
1957 Jan. 7-Dec.30 (21:1-40)
1958 Jan.13-Sep.22 (22:1-19)

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