ILD

Abbreviation of  International Labor Defense, the name of a mass legal defense organization headed by the Communist Party of the USA (CPUSA) from 1930 to 1946. From 1925 to 1930 the ILD was headed by the CPUSA’s predecessor, the Workers Party of America (WPA).

A membership organization, the ILD issued its own dues cards and held regular local meetings. By the end of 1926, it claimed a membership of 20,000 individuals in 156 branches. It also claimed to have another 75,000 members through its affiliation with other organizations. Although started by a Communist organization, the ILD included among its governing National Committee a number of prominent figures from the Socialist Party and a number of  libertarian radicals not affiliated with any party. The ILD published a monthly magazine called Labor Defender.

In 1946 the ILD merged with the National Federation for Constitutional Liberties to form the Civil Rights Congress. ¹