POLITICAL - PROPAGANDA

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80-00809A000700210255-1
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
R
Document Page Count: 
3
Document Creation Date: 
December 14, 2016
Document Release Date: 
January 10, 2002
Sequence Number: 
255
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
March 21, 1953
Content Type: 
REPORT
File: 
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PDF icon CIA-RDP80-00809A000700210255-1.pdf153.69 KB
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Approved For Release 2002/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700210255-1 CLASSIFICATION RESTRICTED OUNTRY SUBJECT HOW PUBLISHED WHERE PUBLISHED DATE PUBLISHED LANGUAGE 25X1A f CENTRAL Ifv LLIGE m9p INFORMATION FROM FO REPORT NO] REIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO, Egypt; USSR Political - Propaganda DATE OF INFORMATION 1953 Weekly periodical Cairo DATE DIST, NO. OF PAGES L/ Mar 1953 3 14 Jan 1953 In if OOCUMIOT CO,T4Ira 151010?i10. ?1150TISS teL F?TION?L O1115$, 01 Trl UNI r[O fl?11f. ?I THIr TrL YS?NIrA Or TITIC II. SECTION. 1S3 AND )N. Or 105 lira. 0001, ?S ?a TNO50. ITS 71.05)1$1105 OS ?001. L?TION Or ITS CONIES?) TO 011 11(0(111 OT ?0 UF?UTOOC10(0 1(1IOM If SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT NO. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION A CHALLENGE TO COMMUNISM IN EGYPT ,Lcomment: One of Egypt's leading newspaper men and political an- alysts, Muhammad at-TabiIi, wrote a lengthy denunciation of Communism in the 14 January 1953 issue of the Cairo weekly periodical Akhir Sa'ah. At-Tabi'i, who declares himself to be a foe of Communism in the article, proposes that a group of neutral Egyptians be sent to Moscow to "find the truth about Communism." Such a denunciation of Communism by a man of at-Tabi'i's reputation could help to discredit the USSR in Egypt at this crucial time. The following are the highlights of.at-Tabi'i's ar- ticiej It was heartening to read the report of Mme Zaynab'al-Ghazali al-Jubayli, chairman of the Moslem women's group that attended the Partisans of Peace Con- ference in Vienna during December 1952. Mme al-Jubayli concluded her revealing report with the following: 'IIt is a wonder that we should allow these Partisans of Peace to live among us while they continue to spread corruption and disharmony among our citizens and ignite the fires of discontent and revolt among :ur youth. The Egyptian Communists claim, and all their claims are lies, that they were the first tc take steps for safeguarding our nation and all it stands for. We, on the other hand, must not rest until we have exterminated these corrupt atheistic Segments in our country; nor must we allow the Partisans of Peace to establish branches throughout the country for the dis3emination of atheism and confusion in the name of peace. We must pursue and exterminate them wherever we find them, for they are not worthy of conveying the sacred message of peace. I believe that it is in the interests of the Communists to wipe out Chr?stianity and Islam, and it has therefore become imperative upon these two re_giona to frustrate this Communist conspiracy, which is aimed at all religions." Mme al-Jubayli's report reminded me of the time in 1943 when the Allier were fighting side by side with the USSR against Nazi tyranny, and I had written an article in Akhir Sa'ah praising Stalin and his valiant people, who had with- stood the German onslaught magnificently. Shortly after I had published the ILLEGIB Approved For Release 2002/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700210255-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700210255-1 RESTRICTED 25X1A article, I received a blistering letter denouncing me as a Conmruni::t atheist from one who seemed to be a Hitler enthusiast at the time. I now wonder if that critic of 1943, who was so enthusiastic about German successes, might not he an ardent Partisan of Peace today; since it so happened that most Egyptians who liked Hitler and Mussolini in their heyday have developed the same liking for ::talin and his Communism in recent years. To this segment of the Egyptian population, Fascism or Communism is not an end in itself but a means to an end, namely, a quick as- cendency to power. By 1945, my enthusiasm for the struggle of the USSR in World 'war II had reached its height, and I decided to visit that country before the war was over, for tvo reasons: (1:) I wanted to take part in the Red Army's victory march into Berlin; And (2) I wanted to find oui for myself, by watching the Soviets at close range, as to the factors behind the Communist triumph over Naziism. I was very sincere in my intentions, and I asked the USSR Legation in Cairo for permission to enter the Soviet Union. All my efforts to secure a visa from Soviet officials in Cairo ended in failure, and I finally decided to go to Istanbul in the hope of. persuading Soviet officials there to grant me permission to enter the USSR. I again failed in my endeavors. But, while in Istanbul, my illusions about Soviet greatness and glory quickly vanished as I uncovered tales of horror ^onceruing the behavior of the liberating Red Army in the small countries of the Balkans. I was appalled at the stories I heard from the refugees that came from Rumania, Bulgaria, and Hungary regarding the Communist reign of terror in the occupied territories. 'Back in Egypt, I wrote of what I had seen and heard about the U:,S'R in Akhbar al-Yawn, and I immediately drew the fire of Egyptian Communists, who called me an Anglo-US agent, a favorite phrase applied by the Communists every- where to anybody who does not sing the praises of the USSR. While the above might all be a thing of the past, one cannot honestly say that our grappling with Communism in the future is going to be any easier. The fact remains that there are thousands of Egyptians today, among them the educated youth and leading intellectuals, who are completely in the dark as to the real aspects of Communism, both in theory and practice. More often than not, however, I have found that those intelligent Egyptians, and especially my colleagues in the newspaper business who seem sold on Communism, have either never been exposed to Soviet Communist tactics or have become the victims of the &tupendous Communist propaganda machine. Therefore, no matter how one looks at the problem, one comes up with one conclusion, namely, that a great deal of the truth about Ccuinunlsm has been withheld from the Egyptian people. One fact has become crystal clear: the Egyptian people must know the truth about Communism and about life under Communiot regimes not only in the USSR but also in the other Communist countries There is only one way to find the truth about Communism, and that is to see it in action. I therefore recincmn-:rd that an Egyptian mission be sent to Moscov for that purpose. The miacion :h-uld be co..m. posed of neutral Egyptians who have been kno?.rn for their honesty; good judgment, and discretion. The group ;,houl.d be composed of Egyptian new? pap.;r;r:en, educators, and men of business and industry, who On their return t, -,gypt, weld publish the truth about Communism. Naturally, I would exclude from such a mission men like myself, who for sev- eral years have been fighting Communism and everything it stands for. I wou1i recommend, however, that the following newspaperpien be included in the mission: Fikri Abacah of the al-Iiilal publishers, Husayn Abu Fat.;'h or th:hem:cad hhalid of al-Misri, Ahrad as -Sawi Muhammad of al-Ahram, Muhammad Abd-ai-w>uir Hamzah of al-Balagh, and Zaki abd-al-;,adir of the Akhbar al-Yawm publishers. Nc?c?e of the&e gentlemen has ever come out for or agninut Communism and car be counted on to relay to un a true picture of what thoy ?_., hoar. ILLEGIB Approved For Release 2002/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700210255-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700210255-1 25X1A R.ESTRICPLD Only this way could we -possibly know the truth about Communism, and the Egyptian people deserve to know the truth in order to make up. their own minds on the Communist issue.. Of course, there remains only one question mark in this whole plan: Will the USSR grant such a mission unqualified permission to per- form its tasks, or will- it close its doors in the mission's face, dust as it did to me iii 1945T ILLEGIB Approved For Release 2002/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700210255-1