APPEARANCE BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIIGN AFFAIRS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTER-AMERICAN AFFAIRS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP60-00321R000400110032-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 15, 2013
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: June 18, 1958
• Content Type: MISC

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APPEARANCE BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Subcommittee on Inter-American Affairs
18 June 1958
The letter from the Acting Chairman of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, in requesting my appearance before this Subcommittee, stated
that you desired to secure:
1. Information on the nature and extent of Communist infiltration
of the countries of Latin America, including data on the number
of Communist Party members in the various countries, as
well as the activities and influence of the Communists in the
area;
2. Information with regard to the anti-American demonstrations
during the recent visit of the Vice President and as to whether
these developments were anticipated and whether U.S. officials
were informed of the likelihood of their occurrence.
I shall endeavor to avoid repeating information given to you
by Mr. Rubottom, whose statement of June 3, 1958, I have read, or in
the presentation made by Mr. Robert Murphy before the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, and therefore has been available to you.
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The general pattern of Communist activities beginning with
Lenin, largely directed from Moscow with substations in Peiping and
the capitals of the satellite states, particularly Prague, - has been to
destroy the countries of the free world.
Over the years it has used as its weapons in this effort;
(1) organizations such as the Cominform and Comintern, (2) the Communist
Parties, in countries outside of the Iron Curtain which have great strength
in France, Italy, Indonesia, and other countries of the Middle East;
Asia and Latin America, (3) hard-core Communist cells existing in
most of the countries of the world, including those countries where
Communism was formerly banned as a political party, (4) Communist
infiltrated trade unions, (5) press and information media, and the like.
International Communism also works through a variety of front
organizations in addition to the Party, such as the World Federation of
Trade Unions; Youth and Women's organizations, Veterans' organizations,
so-called "peace" fronts and the like.
During the days of Stalin it also undertook military and paramilitary
types of actions as in Greece, Berlin, Korea, Northern Viet Nam, etc.
Following the advent of Khrushchev as the Kremlin dictator, the
Communist Party has used more subtle methods; - the penetrating of
domestic institutions, alliances with other leftist parties, building popular
fronts, etc.
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At the 20th Party Congress in February 1956, Mikoyan openly boasted
that the Czechoslovak pattern was the one.
Illustrative of these tactics in Latin America is a manifesto of
the Communist Party of Venezuela of 1 January 1956:
"Venezuelans - It is possible to overthrow the present pro-
American dictatorship! For this we must immediately establish a
broad anti-dictatorship front which would include everyone, civil or
military, who is not in agreement with the present terrorist and anti-
national policy of the Perez Jimenez clique.
The Communist Party extends a fraternal hand to all other
national patriotic forces and proposes that a movement be organized
as soon as possible with a view to overthrowing the dictatorship --."
Last November at the 40th Anniversary of the Communist takeover
in Russia, leaders of Communist Parties throughout the world met in
Moscow. Over 60 Communist Parties were represented. A special
meeting of Latin American Communist Party leaders was held at that
time under the supervision of a Soviet Communist Party official who
stressed the need for
action program and for stimulation of anti-
American sentiment. plementation of this action program became
quickly evident in the calling of a clandestine regional meeting of
Communist Party leaders of Latin America in Cuernavaca, Mexico. At
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this meeting emphasis was given to increased regional coordination of
Communist Party activities, broadening of the "peace" movement in
order to weaken the U.S. economy and strengthening of relations with
the Soviet Bloc.
Between 28 April and 4 May, a group of Soviet journalists
arrived in Argentina. This group included several individuals identified
as members of the Soviet intelligence service. Present in Argentina
at the same time was a Peruvian journalist with close Spadet connections,
WINom on whom we have had several reports refic,cting h leadership
of the demonstrations against the Vice President in Peru.
MAJOR BLOC OBJECTIVES
The Soviet Bloc's major objective in Latin America is to weaken
the traditional political, economic, and cultural influence of the United
States and thus create an aura of potential vulnerability in the American
4-
"strategic rear." Communism feeds on hgman misery and economic
stagnation, and has a vital stake in-aallikitam4Agspeculeatibilft. their perpetuation.
One of many notorious examples in Latin America is strident and
strenuous Communist exploitation of the fffetwe theory that development
of Brazilian or Argentine oil by foreign private capital would be a
?rr
sacrifice of sovereignty L in all probability these countries have large oil
er? 711.4*
deposits* aettecParitrwierggetrteriosuan.e Communist campaign strongly contributes
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to keeping two-thirds of South America in serious economic difficulty
and in turn to strengthening the two largest Communist Parties in the
area.
C-O
COPIDINATION OF LOC AND LOCA ITY
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DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITY
Present Soviet Bloc representation in Latin America includes
18 diplomatic or consular missions accredited to six different countries.
a. Argentina has the largest Bloc representation, with
diplomatic missions from the Soviet Union and five Eastern
European states. Argentina is the only country in the Western
Hemisphere that has diplomatic relations with Bulgaria.
b. Brazil. Poland and Czechoslovakia are represented in
Brazil -- Poland by a legation in Rio and a Consul General
in Sao Paulo and Curitiba. Czechoslovakia has a legation in
Rio and a branch office of the commercial section of the
legation in Sao Paulo. There is also a Hungarian Trade Mission
in Rio although diplomatic relations with Hungary do not exist.
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c. Uruguay. There is a Soviet Legation, a Czech Legation
and a Rumanian Legation.
d. Mexico. In Mexico there is a Soviet Embassy, a Czech
Legation and a Polish Legation.
e. Bolivia. There is a Czech Legation in La Paz.
f. Colombia. Czech Consulate General in Bogota and the East
Germans have a trade mission in Colombia.
Peru and Ecuador expelled Czech diplomatic missions in 1957 on the
grounds of interference in their internal affairs.
CULTURAL AND PROPAGANDA ACTIVITY
Latin American travel to Soviet Bloc countries, voimish totaled
670 persons in 1955)ent1 dropped slightly in 1956, increased sharply in
1957 when over 1, 400 Latin Americans visited the Bloc. The visitors
included professional Communist Party workers who underwent clandestine
training in the Bloc. Many of the travellers attended "cultural" events,
such as the Moscow Youth Festival (1957), which attracted 940 Latin
Americans. The Latin American countries sending the largest number of
visitors to Bloc countries during 1957 were Brazil with some 450; Chile
with over 200; Mexico with 170; Argentina with some 160; and Uruguay
with almost 100 visitors.
The Bloc currently supports friendship and cultural societies
and centers largely concentrated in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Mexico,
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having approximately 45 active parent bodies and branches, including
seven established or reactivated during 1957. In addition, there are
approximately 15 Communist oriented cultural organizations working
primarily among Latin Americans of Eastern European origin.
Soviet Bloc radio broadcasts directed at Latin American
audiences at present total about 100 hours of programs per week in
Spanish, Portuguese, and Eastern European languages.
The estimated numerical strength of the Communist Parties
in the various Latin American countries are as follows:
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