◆ SpookStack

foun te APPENDIX INDEPENDENT SOCIALIST LEAGUE . 7 Formerly Workers Party <a -— — The May 4, 1942, issue of "Labor Action,” then an official publication of the Workers Party WP), carried an article which reflected that the WP was formed in April, 1940, as a result of a split within the leadership of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). The article stated that when the Hitler- Stalin Pact was signed and Poland invaded, the minority group within the SWP, in proclaiming the formation of the WP, condemned the pact as being imperialistic in nature and stated it would not support either imperialist camp. The’ Aoril 25, 1949, issue of "Labor Action" contain ned The Aprii <o, 1949, is Io“Laber Action™ containe an account of the Fifth National Convention of the WP, held March 24-27, 1949, in New York City, which reflected the change of name of the organization from the WP to the Independent Socialist League (ISL) in order to emphasize the character of the group as a propaganda group for the spreading of socialist ideas and not as a full-fledged political party. The July 14, 1958, issue of "Labor Action," an official publication of the ISL, contained an article captioned "The ISL Program in Brief." The article indicated: !'The ISL stands for socialist democracy and against the two systems of exploitation which now divide the world: ‘capitalism and _ Btalinism. The ISL, as a Marist movement, looks to the working class and its ever-present struggie as the basic progressive force in society. The ISL is organized to spread ¢he ideas of socialism in the labor movement and among all othr sections of the sesple There can be no lasting and cenu ise democracy the people. There can be no lasting and genuine democracy without socialism and there can be n.o socialism without democracy." ‘ The September 22, 1958, issue of “Labor Action” contained a undated statement signed by the Political Committee of the I5u which-indicated that the ISL had been dissolved. The statement urged former ISL members to join the Socialist Party-Social Democratic Federation (SP-SDF). A source advised on October 10, 2953, that the Chicago Branch of the ISL, which was an affiliate of the national organization, was dissolved in September, 1958, and all active members joined the SP-SDF on October 9, 1953.