THE ALL AFRICA PEOPLES CONFERENCE IN 1961

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 20
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 17, 1998
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: November 1, 1961
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
The All African Peoples Conference in 1961
?. November 1961
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For''Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
The All African Peoples Conference in 1961
I. Summary and Conclusions
1. This paper describes the activities and developments of the All
African Peoples Conference during 1961. From those activities and
developments it is possible to draw the following conclusions.
a. The AAPC is at the present time directed by a group that
controls the AAPC Secretariat and Steering Committee and that
represents the entire gamut of Communist thought (i.e.,,militant
Chinese, orthodox Soviet, and Yugoslav nationali'st).
b., The work of the AAPC is expanding and is now aimed not only
at influencing political parties and trade unions, as originally planned,
but also at subverting mass organizations of youth and women.
c. The AAPC activities and propaganda policies are being
coordinated with those of the Communist-controlled Afro-Asian Peoples
Solidarity Organization through individuals holding official positions
in both organizations and through consultations between the two perma-
nent organizations. These regular consultations provide a channel
for exerting Sino-Soviet bloc influence within the AAPC, from which
organization the Sino-Soviet bloc is necessarily excluded.
d. The effectiveness of the AAPC has been considerably
strengthened by the establishment of a Freedom Fund liberally fed
from bloc sources.
II. Introduction and Background
2. The All African Peoples Conference was organized to create
a mechanism through which the independent countries of Africa
could assist the dependent territories to gain their independence.
The Accra conference of 1958, although dominated by the moderate
representatives of both free and colonial areas (e. g., Kenya, Tunisia,
Liberia), contained a strong radical minority led by the Guinean and
UAR delegates. This minority, in which Ghana has now gained,
influence at the expense of the UAR has, since the appointment of
Abdoulaye Diallo as secretary general in mid-1959, taken over con-
trol of the organization and is guiding the AAPC in a violent anti-
western, anti-United States, anti-neocolonialist policy that supports
the current Sino-Soviet line in Africa.
1
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
3. The All African Peoples Conference, convoked by Kwame
Nkrumah of Ghana, met for the first time in Accra in December 1958.
There, some 200 delegates from political parties in both sovereign
and dependent areas discussed ways and means to aid the liberation
movements of the dependent countries of Africa. The conference was
dominated by its conservative elements, e. g. , Tom Mboya of Kenya
and. Taieb Slim of Tunisia. Ghana's Nkrumah, who at that time was
supporting the moderate position of non-violence, also aligned him-
self with the moderates. There was, however, a nucleus of radicals
under the leadership of delegates from Guinea and the UAR which
was strong enough to force a compromise on the important question
of whether the use of violence was justified in the struggle for
independence. The final resolution. on this subject, which approved
the use of peaceful methods in areas where "democratic means are
available" but pledged full support to those in other areas "compelled
to employ violence in order to meet the violent means by which they
are subjected and exploited,;" embodied. the fundamental justification
for violence that has long characterized Marxist-Leninist doctrine.
4. A group of Communist sympathizers was elected to the Steering
Committee of the permanent organization set up by the conference.
The conference could not agree, however, on the election of a sec-
retary general. The pro-Communist group nominated Abdoulaye
Diallo of Guinea, former vice president of the World Federation
of Trade Unions. As he was unacceptable to the moderates and
as his supporters were adamant, the position was left open to be
filled at a later date.
5. The AAPC Steering Committee met three times between the
close of the 1958 Accra meeting and the opening of the Second All
African Peoples Conference in Tunis in January 1960. During this
time the pro-Communist clique on the committee, by a series of
adroit organizational maneuvers, finally installed Abdoulaye Diallo
as secretary general, thus greatly weakening the position of the
moderate group. Furthermore, Nkrumah changed his position and
by the opening of the Tunis conference was giving full support to
Diallo. The Tunis conference underlined the changes which had
taken place. Most delegates at Tunis accepted without question
the use of violence as a legitimate method to be used in the winning
of independence. Neo-colonialism was introduced as a major
enemy and the United States was singled out for adverse criticism.
2
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
6. The Tunis conference also amended the constitution to increase
greatly the authority of the Steering Committee and the secretary general.
The Steering Committee received "full authority to act in the name of the
organization in accordance with the purposes and objectives of the con-
ference." The secretary general was made ex-officio member of the
Steering Committee and although responsible to the committee he was
empowered to "take any action which he deems to be in the interest
of the purposes and objectives of the conference. 4'
III. Communist Bloc Influence
7. Bloc countries have sent observers to all AAPC meetings. Bloc
observers to the Accra Conference in 1958 included an eight-member
Soviet delegation headed by Dr. Azimov and Professor Potekhin (Dr.
Azimov is a member of the Soviet Peace Committee and the Soviet
Committee for Afro-Asian Solidarity; Professor Potekhin is the head
of the African Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences); a repre-
sentative from WIDF ( the international Communist women's front);
the Soviet and. Chinese representatives on the Permanent Secretariat
of the Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Organization; and newspaper
reporters from Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Communist China, East
Germany, and the Soviet Union.
8. At Tunis in 1960 the bloc observer list was even larger.
Observers came from the USSR, Communist China, Poland, the AAPSO,
the WIDF, the WFDY, and the WFTU. Although bloc observers were
not allowed to take an active part in the proceedings of the conferences
they were busy behind the scenes making contacts. Abdoulaye Diallo,
for example, was known to have spent considerable time at the hotel
suite of the Soviet delegation both before and during the Tunis con-
ference. Bloc observers also issued invitations to African delegates
to visit or study in bloc countries with all expenses to be paid by
the Communists.
9. The AAPC, reciprocating bloc attendance at its meetings, is
regularly represented at meetings of the World Peace Conference
and other international Communist fronts.
10. The most frequently used channel of Sino-Soviet influence on
the AAPC, however, is the Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Organization.
At the present time five persons hold office in both organizations,
t3mG"IFNZ
3
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
including Ismail Toure of Guinea and Fouad Galal of Egypt, who art
acknowledged leaders in both groups. AAPSO representatives attend
meetings not only of the full AAPC but also of the Steering Committee,
and regular conferences take place between officials of the two perma-
nent organizations. . Further emphasis was placed on these conferences
at the Third All African Peoples Conference in March 1961, which
directed. its permanent secretariat to "hold constant consultations with
the organs of the Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Organization for real-
ization of our common objectives."
11. The AAPSO-AAPC channel has also been used by the Sino-
Soviet bloc to finance the African liberation movements. For example,
at the third AAPC meeting in March 1961, Fouad Galal, president of
the conference and member of the AAPSO Executive Committee,
announced that the AAPSO had contributed 500, 000 pounds sterling to
the AAPC Freedom Fund. In view of the known poor financial condition
of the AAPSO treasury it is probable that this gift originated in a bloc
country.
12.. In addition to what the chart below shows, the Cairo conference
of March 1961 charged the Steering Committee with the establishment
of a permanent Cairo office with branches in Conakry, Casablanca,
and Tunis. The duties of this office are not clear.
25X1X6
25X1X6
25X1X6
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release :
CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
THE STEERING COMMITTEE (MEETS AT LEAST SEMI ANNUALLY)
^
COMPOSED OF: SECRETARY GENERAL
22 MEMBERS ELECTED ANNUALLY BY THE CONFERENCE
(7 ADDITIONAL MEMBERS MAY BE COOPTED BY REGULAR MEMBERS)
COMPOSED OF: POLITICAL PARTIES
LABOR FEDERATIONS
3 MEMBERS ELECTED BY THE STEERING COMMITTEE
FROM REPRESENTATIVES OF DEPENDENT COUNTRIES
3 MEMBERS ELECTED BY THE STEERING COMMITTEE
FROM REPRESENTATIVES OF INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES
COMPOSED OF: SECRETARY GENERAL (ELECTED BY THE CONFERENCE FOR A
THREE YEAR TERM)
8 SECRETARIES (NATIONALITIES DESIGNATED BY THE CONFERENCE
NATIONAL AAPC AFFILIATES THEN DESIGNATE INDIVIDUAL.
Sanitized - Approved For Release :
CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
13. The Steering Committee elected at the Cairo Conference in March
1961 follows. The names marked with an asterisk denote those whose
past records show that they have generally supported Communist regional
projects and objectives in Africa. Those persons identified with a double
asterisk have been most consistent in their adherence to the Communist
line.
Secretary General
Algeria
Angola
Basutoland
Cameroun
Congo (Leopoldville)
Ghana
Guinea
Kenya
Liberia
Mali
Morocco
Niger
Nigeria
Nyasaland
Somalia
South Africa
Southern Rhodesia
Tanganyika
Tunisia
Uganda
UAR
Abdoulaye Diallo **
Ahmed Boumendjel
Mario de Andrade **
Ntsu Mokhele
Kingue Abel **
Antoine Kiwewa
Kojo Botsio
Ismail Toure *x
Tom Mboya
T. O. Dosomu: Johnson
Modibo Diallo
Mahjoub Ben Seddik
Djibo Bakari
Tunji Otegbeye
Kanyama Chiume
Ali Abdullahi
Tennyson Makiwane
Joshua Nkomo
B. Munanka
Abdel Magid Shaker
John Kakonge
14. Under the terms of the constitution the duties of the annual con-
ference are to review the activities of the AAPC during the previous
years, proposals for activities during the year to follow, and proposals
for amendment to the constitution. The annual conference also elects
the members of the Steering Committee annually and the secretary
general every three years.
15. The Steering Committee is authorized to act on behalf of the
conference, and to prepare a draft agenda for each annual conference.
Its decisions are subject to ratification by the next conference. The
Steering Committee also elects members of the Freedom Fund Com-
mittee and prepares the organization'-s budget.
16. The secretary general is responsible to the Steering Committee
for the general administration of the AAPC. He is responsible for
6
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
maintaining contacts with affiliated organizations, for collecting
materials for subjects which are to be discussed by the conference,
and for issuing publications. The secretary general prepares the
agenda for the Steering Committee and is empowered to call emer-
gency meetings of the Steering Committee at any time he deems
necessary. He is also charged with making arrangements for con-
ference meetings including the setting up of a preparatory committee
in conjunction with the host country. The secretary general is
assisted by the Secretariat, which, under the terms of the consti~
tution, is located in Accra, Ghana.
17. The secretary general, through the extensive powers
assigned him by the constitution and through his three positions as
head of the Secretariat, presiding officer of the Freedom Fund, and
voting member of the Steering Committee, is clearly the most power-
ful single official in the organization. Perhaps his most significant
way of influencing the policy of the organization, however, is his
role in the affairs of the Steering Committee. Although the Steering
Committee formally contains twenty-two designated members,
only ten are required for a quorum. The secretary general, using
his prerogative of calling an emergency Steering Committee meeting
at any time, would need the support of only five other members to
coopt additional supporters up to seven. This tactic of packing
the Steering Committee with coopted members was in fact used in
Conakry in 1959 and resulted in the installation of Diallo as sec-
retary general in spite of the substantial opposition to his appoint-
ment which had earlier been manifest. Abdoulaye Diallo's term
as secretary general runs until 1963.
VI. Major Events of 1961
A. Third All African Peoples Conference
18. The third meeting of the All African Peoples Conference
convened in Cairo on 25 March 1961. Internal organizational problems,
e. g. , the writing and ratifying of a constitution and the selection of a
secretary general, which were major occupations of the first two
conferences (Accra 1958 and Tunis 1960), had been resolved.. Further-
more, control of both the Steering Committee and the Secretariat was
firmly held by pro-Communist members, who consequently were
able to fix the agenda, appoint the committees, and compose the
resolutions. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Cairo conference
was appreciably different from its predecessors and devoted itself
to measures in support of the current themes and objectives of the
Sino-Soviet bloc.
7
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
19. The speeches that took up the first three days of the conference
echoed Moscow's propaganda diatribes against the neo-colonialism of
the United States and against U. S. domination of the United Nations.
The following excerpts from delegates' speeches illustrate the tone of
the conference.
a. Antoine Kiwewa, delegate from the Congo: "Supported by
100 million dollars contributed by the U. S. , and thanks to the astute
combined efforts of American Ambassador Timberlake:; Ralph Bunche,
representing Dag Hammarskjoeld; Croquez, Kasavubu's French
lawyer; and the Belgian government emissary, Van Bilsen, Kasavubu
betrayed the nation and became the slave of the imperialist cartel.
b. Hag Mohamed Nov, Popular Movement Party of the Somali
Coast: "We fight against the universal. imperialism in its various
forms, represented in NATO headed by the American imperialism,
which is in fact the most dangerous enemy threatening mankind in our
present era."
c. Ronald Ngala, Kenya (KADU'): "A new form of colonization
by other white imperialists, other than the British, is coming to
Kenya. Today we see the United States of America. and other European
countries sabotage our independence. The U.S.A. which is still
oppressing 25 million negroes is imposing their African stooges on
us as our leaders through the use of dollars.... We have seen the
U.S.A. in Congo, Angola, and Algeria. The Portuguese have no
money but the U.S.A. gave them dollars. The same thing is now
happening in Kenya. "
20. The resolutions passed by the conference were similar in tone
to the speeches. They were violently anti-imperialist, violently
anti-West, and violently against the United Nations. In some instances
they called for direct action on the part of the independent African
states. Other resolutions called for the establishment of organi-
zations under the aegis of the All African Peoples Conference to lead
the struggle against the neo-colonialists. The following excerpts
from specific resolutions illustrate the mood of the delegates.
a. The resolution on the United Nations. "The UN's actions
in the Congo has Esi clearly proved the ineffectiveness of its present
setup... and its subjection to imperialist powers.... The UN has
therefore become an instrument of neo-colonialism under whose cloak
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
tI
colonial powers re-enter independent countries.... [The conferencE7
calls for the reorganization of the general secretariat and the revision
of the United Nations Charter. "
b. The resolution on Portuguese Guinea and the Cape Verde
Islands "denounces the conspiracies of the Portuguese colonialism.
in these countries in collaboration with some African traitors and
the support of American imperialists and West Germans."
c. The resolution on South West Africa "calls on the African
states to press for and impose sanctions on South Africa--economic,
diplomatic, and otherwise."
d. The resolution on Nyasaland-y and Rhodesia "calls upon
the All African Peoples Conference and the independent African
states to redouble their aid and support to the Africans of Central
Africa against British imperialism; calls upon all African independent
states to see that:
(1) "No independent African state should import anything
to or from this federation 5ic
7.
(L) "Airlines Lf the Central African. Federations should
not be allowed to use African independent states' territorial air
space nor be accorded landing facilities.
(3) "Afro-Asian states should raise the issue of Central
African.. Federation at the forthcoming general assembly. "
21.. Opposition to the resolutions was weak and ineffectual. Only
Liberia and Sierra Leone actually voted against some of the texts.
Such moderates as Tunisia and Ethiopia did no more than abstain.
There was no acknowledgement by the conference of any opposition;
in fact, the resolutions were publicly announced as unanimous. It
is also notable that, although there was some revision of the
extreme texts by the full conference, the effect of these moderating
efforts was promptly negated when the committee drafts were
distributed to the press as final texts without provoking any protest.
22. The resolutions were drafted by the five committees listed
below.
a. Committee on Liberation of Dependent Territories,
chairman, Ahmed Boumendjel. (Algeria).
5JnGwi"T
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
W
b. Committee on Neo-Colonialism and the UN, chairman Mehdi
Ben Barka (Morocco),
c. Committee on Reorganization of Structure and Liquidation
of the Remnants of Imperialism, chairman, Leon Maka (Guinea).
d. Committee on Democratic, :Economic and Social Develop-
ment, chairman James Gichuru (Kenya). Although Gichuru was
nominally the chairman, he apparently did not take an active part
in the committee's work, and the extremist resolution drafted by the
committee reflected the views of Osende Afana (Cameroun), who
acted as secretary.
e. Committee on Unity and Solidarity, chairman, John Tette-
gah (Ghana).
23. The conference also took steps to enable the AAPC to give
material support to the national movements struggling against imperi-
alism. The resolution on the liberation of dependent countries said:
"The All African Peoples Conference welcomes the creation of an
African Freedom Fund, and the willingness of independent African
states to contribute to this fund." To implement the establishment
of the Freedom Fund the resolution recommended the creation of
"an effective machinery... to consolidate and administer this fund,
namely an All Africa Freedom Fund Committee consisting of three
members elected by the Steering Committee from among the
representatives of the independent African states and three from
among the representatives of the dependent African countries with
the secretary general as executive officer. " A further recommen-
dation suggested that the committee meet at least once every three
months to study the financial needs of all the African territories
struggling for freedom.
24. In view of the Communist sympathy of the AAPC Steering
Committee and the secretary general, this fund committee will
probably become a major channel for Communist funding in Africa.
An offer made in May 1961 by the World Federation of Democratic
Youth to fund the Jeunesse Ouvriere Marocaine's African Youth
Seminar (Casablanca June 1961) through the AAPC is the first
reported use of this channel for Communist funding of African
organizations.
25. In order to expand the scope of its activities, the All African
Peoples Conference called upon African trade unions, and youth,
dkb@dww
10
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
W
women, and farmers groups to organize pan-African. movements in
their fields. It also directed the AAPC Steering Committee to take
measures towards the creation of an African press agency and an
African information center. In the six months following the Cairo
conference and in response to the directives of the conference,
concrete moves were made to establish all African organizations
for trade unions and for youth and women's groups.
26. The most important of these organizational efforts is obviously
that in the trade unions since trade unions are envisioned as providing
at least half of the member organizations in the AAPC. It is also
clear that this effort is intended to insure that the AAPC will always
retain a progressive, proletarian character and thus serve as an
obstacle to the growth of non-socialist, African nationalist political
influence. This approach has been made most expli?it in the key
documents of the UGTAN, * which not only provide the tactical for-
mula with which the three divergent trade union forces in Africa
are to be mobilized in support of revolutionary Marxist-Leninist
political trade unionism but also clearly endorse the application
of the formula of trade union unity on ah all Africa basis.
Z* See Sekou Toure, Report to the General Congress of UGTAN
15-18 January 1959, Presence Africaine,Paris, 1959, pp. 54-58. )
B. All African Trade Union Meeting
27. A constituent assembly of the All African Trade Union
Federation was held in Casablanca from 25 to 30 May 1961. .This
meeting, which ratified an AATUF constitution and elected permanent
officials, was the culmination of three years of effort on the part
of the AAPC leaders, particularly AAPC secretary general Abdoulaye
Diallo and John Tettegah of the Ghana Trade Union Congress.
28. The All African Peoples Conference in Accra in 1958 recom-
mended officially for the first time the organizing, as an adjunct of
the AAPC, of an All African Trade Union Federation. Plans for the
projected AATUF were furthered at the AAPC Steering Committee
meeting of October 1959 in Accra. This meeting authorized Abdou-?
laye Diallo as the AAPC secretary general "to take the necessary
initiative for convening as early as practicable a conference of all
bona fide African trade union representative organizations for the
formation of an All African Trade Union Federation. " Acting under
this authority Diallo organized a preparatory conference in Accra ,
1.1
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
in November 1959 to disc-Liss the establishment of an AATUF. This
meeting set up a preparatory committee consisting of nineteen persons
representing the following trade union organizations: Ghana Trade
Union Congress, Nigerian Trade Union Congress, Gambia Workers
Union, South African Congress of Trade Unions, Council of Labor
of Sierra Leone, Uganda Trade Union Congress, Egyptian Confeder-
ation of Labor, Union Generale des Travailleurs Algeriens, Union
Morocaine du Travail, and Union Generale des Travailleurs d?Afrique
Noire.
29. A central office of the preparatory committee was set up at
Accra and the following were elected as an, executive secretariat:
president: Mahjoub Ben Seddik (Morocco); secretaries: Joe-Fio
Meyer (Ghana), Molid Assad Rageh (Egypt), Abdoulaye Gueye (Senegal),
W. O. Goodluck (Nigeria), Abdelkader Maachou (Algeria), and Seydov
Diallo' (Guinea).
30. The Accra conference also called for the. convening of an
AATUF constituent congress in Morocco in May 1960.
31. What has proved to be the main controversial question
involved in the formation of the AATUF- -that of the international
affiliation.,-was brought up at Accra. The delegates were unable
to reach an agreement on this subject and no stand was taken. It
is also notable that Tom Mboya, leader of the Kenya Trade Union
Federation, who violently opposes the Ghana-Guinea leadership
of the AATUF, did not appear at Accra but chose rather to attend
a meeting of the ICFTU going on at the same time in Lagos.
32. The January 1960 All African Peoples Conference ratified the
decisions of the Accra AATUF meeting, but was still unable to
resolve the differences among the delegates on the issue of inter-
national affiliation. The battle over this issue continued despite
efforts by John Tettegah, Sekou Toure, and Gogo Chu Nzeribe to
win over a majority of the delegates to a policy of non-affiliation.
The constituent conference, therefore, which had been scheduled
for May 1960 was postponed. On 2 December 1960 a second meeting
of the AATUF preparatory committee was held in Accra. This
meeting resulted in general agreement on other organizational
points but none on affiliation. The press release, however, con-
firmed the May 1961 date for the constituent conference.
33. The Casablanca AATUF Constituent Conference (25-30-May
1961) was dominated by the radical group that controlled the pre-
paratory committee, i. e. , Ghana, Guinea, Mali, UAR, Morocco,
and Algeria. Where the preparatory committee was confronted
Sanitized - Approved For RelA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
12
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
with two or more trade union bodies in a particular country, the invi-
tations were addressed to the organization most likely to support the
policies of the sponsors. Numerous complaints were made concerning
the invitation list. For example, when the conference opened, three
representatives of Liberia's Congress of Industrial Workers carried
cards reading "Liberia Is in Africa" 1n protest against having been
invited as observers instead of as voting delegates. The Union Generale
des Travailleurs du Maroc (UGTM)"prote sted because it had not been
invited at all by the Union Morocaine du Travail (UMT), which was
one of the sponsors. In other cases, e. g. , Mr. John Reich of the
Uganda Federation of Labor, voting delegates represented organi-
zations which existed in name only.
34. Other such devices were employed during the course of the
conference- A steering Committee was appointed by the sponsors
before the convening of the conference; there was no credentials
committee; and.. no systematic procedure for voting was set up.
35. The effectiveness of these :man.euvers was evident in the
results of the conference. The constitution was adopted by acclama-
tion--but only after the departure of the important unions. the Union
Generale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT), the Kenya Federation of
Labor (KFL), and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.
36. The only apparent concession given in the constitution con-
cerned the highly controversial disaffiliation clause. The principle
of disaffiliation was in fact adopted, but members were allowed
ten months within which to disaffiliate from their existing inter-
national ties. It was also agreed that the AATUF should have
permanent headquarters at Casablanca and regional working
secretariats in Accra, Cairo, Nairobi, Bamako,. and Conakry.
Finally, the following permanent secretariat of eight members
was elected, seven of whom had. served on the preparatory com-
mittee:
President: Mahjoub Ben Seddik (Morocco)
Secretaries: John Tettegah (Ghana)
Mamady Kaba (Guinea)
Assad Rajeh (UAR)
Abdelkader Awab (Morocco)
Tom Mboya (Kenya)
Abdelkader Maachou (Algeria)
Lazare Coulibaly (Mali)
w
13
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
37. The inclusion on the permanent secretariat of members known
to be out of sympathy with the dominant pro-Communist group, e. g. ,
Tom Mboya, is further evidence of the desire on the part of the majority
to present a facade of unity for the trade union movement in Africa.
38. The peculiar concept and character of pan-African trade unior,-il
ism which now dominate the AATUF have not only been supported from
the start by the pro-Communist African trade unions (i. e. , UGTAN in
Guinea and the GTUC in Ghana) but also have been clearly desired by
the WFTU. Although the AATUF constitution is consistent with that of
the AAPC in its dedication to a unitary revolutionary democratic struggle
for completing the winning of full African independence, it goes beyond
the AAPC constitution in providing a bridge for future Communist actions
when. it dedicates itself to the creation of a democratic and socialist
Africa. In the event that the extension of Communist influence encounters
organized and effective opposition, the AATUF can emphasize the strug-
gle for democracy even as Communist trade unions do elsewhere in the
world. On the other hand, should the Communist strategy for Africa
succeed in creating a favorable basis for "skipping the stage of capital-
ist developixieht" the AATUF can extol and defend the application of
"socialist democracy," a phenomenon which has already made itself
apparent in Africa in the political evolution of Guinea and Ghana since
1958. This already is occurring elsewhere, In Cuba the applitation
of socialist democracy is clear, and Communist trade union forces
throughout Latin America are engaged in popularizing Cuban successes
and mobilizing for the defense of Cuba.
39. The policy of nonaffiliation with international organizations is
in fact only likely to affect African trade union links with the pro-Western
ICFTU. In spite of the policy of non affiliation the constitution of the
AATUF and the actions of its leaders clearly show that cooperation with
the WFTU and its affiliates is to be expected. Joint projects between
African trade unions and the WFTU are consistent with the AATUF
charter and have been undertaken, as in the case of the International
Trade Union, Committee for Solidarity with the Workers and People of
South Africa. There is also evidence, in one case, of the active partic-
3tpation of an African trade union group in WFTU affairs (the acceptance
by the Confederation Nationale des Travailleurs de Guinee of an invi-
tation to the 5th WFTU Congress in Moscow.
40, The following statement from the Draft Program of Trade
Union Action submitted to the Fifth World Trade Union Congress to
mw
14
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
be held in Moscow from 4-16 December 1961 exemplifies the WFTU
position on the AATUF.
"The World Federation of Trade Unions considers the
creation of the All-African Trade Union. Federation to
be a great success of the forces fighting for the unity
of the Trade Union Movement in Africa. The fight of
the African Trade Unions for unity on the basis of anti-
colonialism, against the new forms of colonial oppres-
sion, against imperialism, feudalism, and reaction,
inflicts heavy blows on the disruptive forces repre-
sented by Imperialism and the ICFTU.... The All-
African Trade Union Federation and the African
workers have... a sincere friend--The World Feder-
ation of Trade Unions." ("On the First All-African
Trade Union Congress," by B. Pela, African Com-
munist, No. 7, September 1961. )
C. Youth Meeting
41. The organization of an All African Youth Conference with similar
Communist objectives is also well under way. A preparatory committee
met in Accra from 13-l4 October 1961. The meeting was attended by
delegates from fourteen African countries and by observers including
a representative of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, The
chairman was Z. B. Shardow, national organizer of the Ghana Young
Pioneers and a secret member of the WFDY executive bureau. The
preparatory meeting agreed on the convening in Conakry in early 1962
of an anti-colonialist, anti-imperialist youth conference "dedicated
to uphold. the African personality and to the attainment of total. inde.-
pern.den.ce and immediate unity of the continent of Africa."
42. The preparatory committee also drew up a draft constitution
for the. All African Youth Conference, the most important points of
which follow.
a. The Pan African Youth Conference is the organ for coor-
dinating African youth activities.
b. Membership in the PAYC is open to all African youth
organizations which support the conference and its aims.
4imeftep
15
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release.: CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
c. The PAYC consists of a conference, an executive committee,
and a permanent secretariat. The conference is to meet biennially and
will determine the policy of the organization. At the conference each
country will be restricted to six voting delegates. The executive corn
mi.ttee will be composed of twelve members elected for a two-year
term, The permanent secretariat. will consist of a secretary general
and two assistant secretaries.
43. The preparatory committee further agreed to ask all independ-
ent African countries, trade unions, and private foundations all over
the world to help finance the PAYC. The committee also decided to
ask UNESCO to accept the Pan African Youth Congress and help
finance it. It decided, however, to reject financial help from either
WAY or WFDY. This stipulation clearly resembles the disaffiliation
clause in the AATUF charter and is further evidence of the Com-
munist desire to cut the ties between African mass organizations and
their western counterparts while leaving the door open for informal
ties with Communist groups.
44. Finally, a working committee was established. At first it
was to consist of one member each from the AAPC secretariat,
the Ghana Young Pioneers, and the Guinea National Youth Union.
At the suggestion, however, of Dr. M.A. Allam, the UAR dele-
gate, a decision was reached to allow a member from any country
"able to maintain a delegate in Accra" to work on the committee.
D. Women's :Meeting
45. The Steering Committee of the AAPC announced on. 5 October
1961 that an All African Women's Conference would be held in Dar
es Salaam in July 1962. No other preparations have been made for
t:he organization of this conference.
E. AAPC Steering Committee Meeting
46. The Steering Committee of the AAPC met in Conakry in early
October 1961. The following persons attended the meeting.
Ismail Toure (Guinea) Fouad Galal (Egypt)
John Tettegah (Ghana) Ali Abdullahi (Somalia)
Djibo Bakari (Niger) Joshua Nkomo (Southern Rhodesia)
F. A. McEwen (Nigeria) Tennyson. Makiwane (South Africa)
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
ddb@kvmq
47. There were also unidentified delegates from Nyasaland, Ethiopia,
Mali, Liberia, and Cameroun. The Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity
Organization sent as observers to the conference the Cameroun mem-
ber of the AAPSO permanent secretariat, Osende Afana, and a Soviet
AAPSO official, presumably Valid Bey Atamali, who has frequently
been associated with AAPSO programs in aid of African Nationalist
movements .
48. The meeting confirmed the decision to hold the fourth. All
African Peoples Conference in Bamako in February 1962 and elected
a committee to make preparations for the conference. Representa''-'
tines of Guinea, Niger, South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Angola, and
Nigeria were chosen to serve on the preparatory committee.
49. It is worth noting also that a discussion of the new unions of
states, i. e. , the Monrovia and Casablanca groups, was included for
the first time on the agenda of an AAPC meeting. General agree-
ment was apparently reached that the Monrovia group should not be
designated a force in opposition to African interests. Ismail Toure,
however, objected to any mention of either the Casablanca or Mon-
rovia group on the grounds that recognition of them would be tanta-
mount to an admission that there was a divergence among African
states the existence of which would be injurious to the African
solidarity promoted by the AAPC.
50. Finally, more than 10, 000 pounds sterling was contributed to
the AAPC by Guinea, Ghana, and the UAR.
51 The Fourth All African Peoples Conference will take place
in Bamako in February 1962. This meeting, in view of the character
of the AAPC leaders and in view of the environment of the pro-Com-
munist host country, can be expected to hew closely to the present
Communist line, i. e, , it will attempt to mobilize forces throughout
Africa in an attack on the neo-colonialists and their African stooges
who, guided by the United States, are trying to put the African
countries into a new form of colonial bondage.
17
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
 Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP78-00915RO01300320006-6
mmTM
Sanitized - Approved For Relea ClA-RDP78-00915R001300320006-6