Preface¶
Core Argument¶
This preface introduces the first volume of a planned complete collection of Ted Grant’s writings, framing the project as a contribution to the political education of a new generation of Marxist cadres. The core argument is that Grant’s theoretical and organisational work is inseparable from the history of the Workers’ International League (WIL), particularly after Ralph Lee’s departure in 1940, when Grant became the organisation’s foremost theoretician. The editors assert that Grant drafted the majority of the WIL’s key political documents from that point onward, and that his distinctive style allows for confident attribution even where minutes do not survive. However, they are careful to note that these texts, while drafted by Grant, were the product of collective leadership and reflected the views of the WIL’s leading body.
The preface provides a clear rationale for the volume’s editorial decisions. It includes all traceable main political documents of the WIL, along with materials from the crucial February-March 1941 internal debate on proletarian military policy. This debate is singled out as instrumental in forging principled unity within the WIL leadership and orientating the organisation’s activity during the war. The editors identify the opposing sides: the Majority Executive Committee position defended by Ted Grant, Gerry Healy, and Andrew Scott, against the Minority view put forward by Jock Haston, Sam Levy, and Millie Kahn. This is the only explicit polemical reference in the preface, highlighting a factional dispute that was resolved through democratic internal debate.
The preface also explains what has been excluded from this volume. Unsigned lead articles from Youth For Socialism, Socialist Appeal, and Workers’ International News, which Grant likely drafted as official WIL statements, are omitted for separate publication. Grant’s complete correspondence is also deferred due to the extensive research required. The editorial method is stated: texts are reproduced in their original form, with only evident typing errors corrected and formatting standardised. Editorial clarifications are placed in square brackets, and original footnotes are distinguished from new ones added for this volume. The preface thus establishes the volume as a selective but rigorous documentary record, prioritising the collective political documents of the WIL over Grant’s unsigned journalism or personal correspondence, and foregrounding the 1941 military policy debate as a defining moment in the organisation’s wartime development.