BY NAOMI CRAINE
As we go to press, socialist workers and youth around the world are about to kick off an eight-week campaign to win new readers to the socialist press. Between March 14 and May 10, supporters of the Militant will be hitting the streets to sell 1,400 introductory subscriptions to the socialist weekly, 450 subscriptions to its Spanish-language magazine Perspectiva Mundial, and 600 copies of the Marxist magazine New International in English, French, Spanish, and Swedish. In addition to goals in different cities, socialists in the trade unions have taken goals for sales to their co-workers.

This subscription drive will build on the momentum of stepped-up single sales of the two periodicals, the issue of New International containing the article "Opening Guns of World War III: Washington's Assault on Iraq" and the recently published booklet Celebrating the Homecoming of Ernesto Che Guevara's Reinforcement Brigade to Cuba. This campaign runs through March 15.

The first week of the subscription campaign will be a target week, with supporters in various cities taking steps to get out extra sales to plant gates, working-class neighborhoods, political events, campuses, and elsewhere. The Militant will run a weekly chart showing where the drive stands beginning in the issue printed March 26. Totals will be based on subscriptions and money received at the Militant office by noon each Tuesday.

Supporters of the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial in Miami are organizing a special sales and reporting team to Puerto Rico March 27-31. Among other things, they will report on the convention of the Federation of Pro-Independence University Students (FUPI). Those who would like to join the team can contact Rollande Girard in Miami at (305) 756-1020.

Below we are printing some notes sent in from supporters on recent sales. The Militant encourages its readers to jot down a few lines about sales - including special outings to win new readers in your region - and send them in. Please send pictures too!

Cappy Kidd

While workers wanted to discuss U.S. aggression against Iraq, quite a number thought that the visit by United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan signified that there would be no war. A number of workers who bought the Militant or New International during the month did so after a lot of discussion over a period of days or weeks.

Ruth Robinett, referring to sales of the Militant throughout the month explained, "Almost all my conversations began with workers saying, `I think something has to be done about Hussein.' But as the discussion continued many workers expressed deep questions about the prospects of war and wanted to read what the Militant had to say. Some were already convinced that the coming war is `about oil' and opposed it on this basis. A few objected outright to the U.S. government's arrogance in placing demands on Iraq, but most workers who bought the paper hadn't made up their mind and wanted to read a newspaper opposed to Washington's invasion plans."

A mechanic who bought the New International from socialist railworker Anna Schell referred to the U.S. government's syphilis experiments on Black men at Tuskegee as proof that Washington didn't really care about workers anywhere in the world.

One result of campaigning consistently against imperialism and war on the job is that a co-worker decided that he wanted to participate in taking this campaign to the streets and campuses. He has joined one or two sales teams a week during the last month.

Ellie Garcia

Tony Prince  
 
 
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