That is just what happened, with the important assistance of Young Socialists and Communist League members and friends from Canada, over the course of nine days at the end of November and December in Seattle.

Fifty volunteers joined the effort, many for several days or more. They intervened vigorously in the city-wide discussion generated by the week's events—from the fractious WTO negotiations, to the protests which drew many workers and young people looking for a way to fight injustice, to the violence unleashed by the Seattle police. The volunteers successfully promoted and sold Capitalism's World Disorder to workers, farmers, and youth. They also made important initial steps in placing this and other Pathfinder books in area bookstores.

Eighty-nine copies of Capitalism's World Disorder were placed in stores or sold as the sales teams put forward an internationalist, working-class position. They argued against the protectionist, America-First politics around which the anti-WTO protests were organized. Where an open microphone was available, socialists also presented their views to a bigger audience. Often people responded with interest.

Volunteers also sold or placed 59 copies of Making History, Pathfinder's newest title. The book prints interviews with four generals in Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces. It was especially well received at a public meeting addressed by the Cuban delegation to the WTO and at the weekend "Cuba 2000" conference Seattle.

Sales teams found Making History very useful in their discussions with young protesters who admired the disruptive actions of the anarchists. Their methods provided a ready-made pretext for the police crackdown. The socialists pointed to the very different leadership example brought to life in the book. The four generals speak as veteran leaders of actions by workers and peasants on a scale which allowed them to "make history."  
 

Intervening in political discussions

Meeting early every morning, the volunteers discussed what they had done the previous day, and the political questions that had come up. They then organized themselves to intervene in political discussions, protests, and meetings occurring throughout the city.

Six sales teams were dispatched from the campaign office early on the morning of the large-scale November 30 protest. The total of 30-plus copies of Capitalism's World Disorder sold during that all-day effort gave everybody a huge boost. That night the volunteers heard the results of a sales team in France that had taken the same literature to an anti-WTO protest in Paris. The action's demands resembled those of the Seattle actions, except that the nationalism they expressed was that of the French capitalist rulers.

"About 5,000 people participated in the demo," wrote Jean-Louis Salfati in a note sent to the Militant. "A lot of nationalist placards supporting José Bové." This farmer made his name leading protests that vandalized McDonald's outlets in France. Bove participated in the Seattle protests.

Marchers' placards also opposed "the invisible government ruling the world (the WTO) against the will of democratically elected governments," continued Salfati. "We had a statement entitled, 'Our enemies are in Paris' and a table with one big placard at the front saying the same thing. This had a real impact, negative or positive. A lot of people came to the table to discuss politics. We sold one copy of Capitalism's World Disorder in English and took three orders for the French edition, scheduled to be published early next year. We also sold five other Pathfinder books, three copies of [the Marxist magazine] New International, and four Militants," concluded Salfati.

After Seattle mayor Paul Schell, declared a "state of civil emergency" November 30 in an effort to curb democratic rights and to intimidate youth, workers, and others involved in protesting against the WTO and police violence, the socialist volunteers still found ways to get these important political tools out broadly. Tables were set up at area college campuses, at protests and meetings held outside the cops' 50-block "no-protest" zone, and at workplaces.  
 

Debates outside jail

On December 1, a team set up a sales table on the pavement outside the King County jail. A crowd of around 200 had gathered there in one of a series of protests demanding the release of hundreds who had been arrested on that day and the day before. In the course of the six-hour stint, participants at the action bought two copies of Capitalism's World Disorder, along with three copies of Making History and a number of other books, and more than 10 copies of the Militant.

At one point, a young man dressed in a trench coat worked his way through the crowd, declaring himself a supporter of ultrarightist politician Patrick Buchanan. He handed out a leaflet headed "Global Economy or Global Plantation?" It demanded "Defend American sovereignty and stop their New World Order from sending your job to Mexico or China!" Near the sales table a woman responded to his appeal for support saying, "Over my dead body!" Some others in the crowd reacted differently, however, stating that if Buchanan's followers agreed with the demands of the protests, then the more the merrier.

The team sold a lot of literature. Many workers and young people wanted to read the books and newspapers, even though few agreed totally with our views at first hearing. In total, volunteers sold more than 800 Militant newspapers, 12 introductory subscriptions to the socialist newsweekly, and 15 copies of Perspectiva Mundial. A total of more than $3,000 in Pathfinder literature was sold—some 230 books and pamphlets. While Capitalism's World Disorder and Making History at 76 and 55 sold respectively were the top-selling titles, 12 people bought the Communist Manifesto, 10 bought Farmers Face the Crisis of the 1990's, and seven picked up copies of An Action Program to Confront the Coming Economic Crisis, to round out the top five titles. All told, 45 different Pathfinder titles were bought from sales teams and the Pathfinder Bookstore, which was kept open throughout each day.

Volunteers organized 15 visits to area bookstores during the week. Six stores took a total of 15 copies of Capitalism's World Disorder; 4 copies of New International no. 11, which features the article "U.S. Imperialism Has Lost the Cold War"; and 4 copies of Making History.

One shop took eight copies of Capitalism's World Disorder, and a newsstand near the University of Washington took four copies each of the same title and New International no. 11. Another bookstore buyer in downtown Seattle exclaimed, "I wish you had visited me a couple of weeks earlier!" She planned to send in a special, rush order the next day. Several other bookstores said they would place an order for Pathfinder books through their own distributors.

The week-long experience of selling these revolutionary books in Seattle has given socialist workers, Young Socialists, and supporters of Pathfinder confidence that Capitalism's World Disorder, Making History, and other Pathfinder titles can get an even wider hearing among youth, farmers, and workers as the crisis of world capitalism continues to deepen, the fissures between the imperialist countries widen, and working people reach out for an effective way to struggle and solidarize with each other.  
 
 
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