At issue is a federal law requiring the disclosure of names, addresses, occupations, and contributions of those making donations above $200 to party campaigns, and of recipients of payments from the campaign committees. These records are available to government agencies and open to the public, making them a convenient "enemies list" for right- wing groups, private spy agencies, employers, and local, state, and federal government agencies.

Since this law was adopted in 1971, the SWP has refused to turn over any names to the government, and has waged a political battle on the federal and state level to prevent the government from using this law to intrude on the privacy and rights of party supporters.

Socialists argued that disclosure of the names would lead to victimization of contributors and was a violation of the constitutionally protected right to freedom of association and privacy. In a federal suit in the mid-1970s, the party submitted substantial documentation on government harassment and spying on the party and of threats and acts of violence by right-wing groups. Based on this record and a public political campaign, the SWP scored a victory for democratic rights, winning exemption from the reporting requirements.

The SWP won an extension of the exemption in 1990 from the Federal Elections Commission, in part, based on the findings of a historic federal court ruling in 1986. This court decision found the FBI violated the constitutional rights of the SWP and Young Socialist Alliance by carrying out a decades-long campaign to disrupt, spy on, and harass the socialists.

A request to extend the exemption, which expired at the end of 1996, was filed with the FEC in late October and documented 23 incidents of police, right-wing, and government harassment, attacks, or threats against socialists candidates, campaign offices, or campaign supporters. Despite this evidence, the initial response from FEC lawyers was to request more documentation of continued harassment since 1990. The party organized to document another 49 incidents and submitted them to the FEC in January, providing overwhelming proof of the need for a continued reporting exemption.

Defending the earlier victories by the SWP is crucial today. The Clinton administration is leading an assault on democratic rights and supporting greater intrusion by police into the activities of opponents of government policy, including the labor movement. Over the past several months the Militant has reported numerous such cases, from government agents questioning opponents of the U.S. embargo of Cuba, to FBI interrogation of unionists at the airports after the TWA Flight 800 explosion, to expanded powers for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and other federal cops to intrude in areas they have no business.

Washington hopes these actions will have a chilling effect on workers and youth organizing to oppose government and company attacks, and from fighting to advance the interests of working people. The fight by the SWP has a double importance. One is to continue to establish in government rulings that a workers organization needs protection against proven patterns of government and private animosity. Second is the political space such a fight helps keep open by campaigning to explain the issues to as many people as possible.  
 
 
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