Issues of 'THE WEEK'

A left wing newsletter critical of the government, especially its appeasement policy. Very much like Private Eye, it gives strong opinions on world and home affairs. It gives a different view of current affairs than mainstream papers, giving a strong critique of government actions. Although the editor was from a socialist background there is not a concentration on the USSR rather on the Home Affairs, the Spanish Civil War and Nazi Germany. An interesting take on journalism in a country with a free press and with headings such as 'Financing Fascism', 'Terror Politics' and 'A Dream of Mad Dogs' certainly worth a read.

A weekly cyclostyled newssheet inspired by the French paper Le Canard Ehchaine, edited by Claude Cockburn a socialist journalist born in Peking, China 1904 the son of a diplomat. Cockburn studied at Oxford University and then went into journalism, working for 'The Times' as a foreign correspondent in America, Spain and Germany. He wrote 'The Week' alone getting information from journalists such as Negley Farson and Paul Scheffer. 'The Week' was published from 1933-1944 with a gap when it was banned by the British Government during World War Two until the British became allies with the USSR, it was obtainable only through subscription. Cockburn passed away in 1981 after remaining in journalism.

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Donated by Ann Maitland MacEwan, Minehead, 30 Sep 1981