In his November 2000 interview with Matt Levin, John Coatsworth discusses his activities with leftist organizations while a graduate student in the department of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the late 1960s. He shares how he became involved in socialist organizations, the kinds of activities he and others were involved in, and opposition and support to the movement. This interview was conducted as part of Matt Levin?s doctoral research and has been submitted for inclusion into the UW-Madison Oral History Program.