Editors' Preface


  We were introduced to these Conversations shortly after
having read the book Revolution and Evolution in the Twentieth Century
by James and Grace Lee Boggs. That book for both of us had repre-
sented a leap forward. Suddenly a lot of old questions, like how to
apply Marx, Lenin and Mao to America, came into perspective.
Many new questions surfaced: What was the American revolu-
tion to be about! Who was the class or group that would make that
revolution! What were we and other Americans missing in our
lives! What was needed to transform ourselves and our country!
  The Conversations helped us to deepen our understanding of
the complex process we would have to go through in developing a
theory of revolution for America. When the opportunity arose to
have the Conversations made into a book, we agreed to edit it.
 Neither of us are "editors." Rather we are activists--veterans
of the anti-war and women's movements.
  In editing we have tried to retain the flavor of the Converss-
tions. Although the actual dialogue between participants has been
eliminated, the differences in style of speech are evident. We did
not try to tone down the statements made during these conversa-
tions. We feel that the boldness of the generalizations, drawn
from over 40 years spent in struggle as well as in thought, compel
US all to rethink our assumptions about revolutionary social
Change and our own lives.

         xix


 XX         Editor's Preface

   The Conversations began during a summer vacation in 1968.
 The first taped discussion in 1970 was only partially recorded and
 transcribed, and this made for a somewhat compressed section.
 The discussions in years following (except for 1973) were more
 fully recorded and transcribed. The book ends with the 1974
 conversations, although the conversations have been and still are
 in process.
  We had a hard time deciding how to handle the references
 made to "man" and "mankind" which are so central to the Conver-
 sations. It was obvious that the participants' awareness of sexism
 in language developed over the four years. We wanted the book to
 reflect that development. The language was therefore left as
 spoken until the latter part of the book; after their discussion of
 language and sexism in 1972, we edited to eliminate any
 remaining sexist references.
  Throughout the Conversations particular books, music,
 artists, and writers are mentioned. -The variety of sources used by
 the participants is a lesson in and of itself. They have not bypassed
 thinkers and observers because they are not socialists or revolu-
 tionaries. A list of the books referred to can be found at the end of
 this volume.
  Transforming the dittoed copies of the Conversations into
 this book took energy and hard work. We would like to thank the
 following people for their assistance: Andi Barchas, Ruth
 Gladstone, David Maki, Betty Thomas Mayen, Laura Siller, Pat
 Walker, John Willems, and Susan Zero.
  The Conversations in Maine are not a finished product; they
are not a blueprint for what we must do. For us they were a
beginning; they stimulated us to reflect and re-examine the
philosophy and positions we had developed. We hope they will
stimulate new thinking in everyone about the future of America
and the meaning of revolution, that they will be the impetus for
thousands of other conversations throughout the country,
conversations that will help us all do what we can to make our
country a more human place to live.

                  Marilyn Becker
                    Fred Miller
Detroit, Michigan
December, 1977