CONTROL OF MASS ORGANIZATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A005200030004-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Sequence Number: 4
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/09/04: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005200030004-0
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This material contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States within the mean-
ing of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C. Seca. 793
and 794, the transmission or revelation of which In
any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law.
SECRET - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
COUNTRY Yugoslavia
SUBJECT Control of Mass Organizations
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 19 Oct. 1954
NO. OF PAGES 3
25X1
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. Realizing that social activities and recreation are basic human needs, the
Federation of Communists of Yugoslavia (FCY) has been finding ways to channel
such activities so as to exercise political influence indirectly among the
masses. The FCY refuses to allow humanitarian and educational organizations
to develop according to their own initiative and needs, but rather, by being
as elastic as possible, uses all these forms to carry out its own program.
2. Based on the viewpoint that there is no such thing as an "apolitical" organ-
ization, the FCY directs its members to become active in one or more organ-
izations and by hard work to serve as a good example to its members. It is
expected that FCY members will be elected to the management of these organ-
izations and control their activities fully. When it happens that Commu-
nists are not elected to the management by reason of their activities, they
are forced in by the FCY authorities against the will of the people, voting
being usually public, except in the case of the Socialist Alliance of the
Working People of Yugoslavia (SAWPY).
3. A main task of FCY members is to prevent their enemies, either Cominformists
or "reactionaries", from gaining prestige or control in these organizations.
It it appears that this is about to happen, FCY members intervene immediately,
mainly during discussions, when unwelcome viewpoints are being expounded. If
the "enemy" is a group of influential and serious people, the FCY members in
the organization refer the matter to their basic Party organization where
discussions are held to decide how to proceed. If it is noted that "the enemy"
has already acquired great influence, the Party basic organization concludes
that their members have not been sufficiently vigilant at the start, in allow-
ing"the enemy" to start his activities. In such a case, a higher FCY forum
helps plan tactics to be adopted. At the same time, UDB may investigate the
"enemy" leader, imprison him on the smallest pretext, or warn him against
engaging in politics. It should be stressed, however, that this procedure
is applied only in extreme cases, where the person involved is a prominent
SECRET - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
STATEEV X ARMY X NAVY X AIR X FBI 77AEC
(NOTE: Washington distribution Indicated by "X"s Field distribution by "#".)
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figure and an uncompromising fighter against Communism.
4. Another difficulty faced by the FCY is that many Party menb ers hold conflicting
opinions as to what the Marxist viewpoint is in the intellectual sphere. Many
of the post-war members introduced into the Party "foreign and bourgeois con-
cepts", and in spite of the best of intentions they cannot but "deviate" and
be "apolitical" in the field in which they are active. There is also a certain
amount of sabotage among FCY members who basically do not agree with the
Marxist ideology and feel it alien to their basic impulses and tastes. In
addition, many members of the medium and lower level FCY management cadres are
immature and mediocre, although they must function as "prie'sts for the masses"'
while among the masses are found mature people who know more than they do.
5. The greatest difficulty is found in the actual condition of the country,
which makes the most attractive propaganda activities difficult. It often
happens, for instance, that in the middle of a discussion on foreign policy,
local politics or art, an ordilistener interrupts the speaker to ask
him "Tell me, what shall we do this winter now that the price of coal has
gone up?" or "When will our community put sewers in the streets; our child-
ren are suffocating from dust in the summer time and we suffer from mud in
the winter time," or "Will there be,a salary increase, as has been rumored?"
Despite all these difficulties, however, the activity of the FCY has not
been fruitless in the field of mass organizations.
6. The basic FCY organization controls all mass organizations in its territory.
The district organization controls mass organizations on its level and the
city or town organization does likewise. This is true of almost all of the
mass organizations.
70
The following is a partial list of Yugoslav mass organizations:
a. Socialist Alliance of the Working People of Yugoslavia: A political
organization, formerly the People?s Front. The mass membership is
composed almost exclusively of non-Communists while the leadership
if composed almost exclusively of Communists;., This is true of the
higher management but it is natural that also among them there are
a few non-Party people who serve as figureheads. This organization
has several million members.
b. Federation of Veterans of the War of Liberation: The purposes of this
organization are: (1) taking care of the children of those who were
killed during the war and of the children of those veterans who were
not able to recover from the war during the postwar period; (2) the
organization of various Brigade celebrations all over the country;
proposing the names of killed Partisan fighters for decorations and
other awards; (3) assistance to families whossfather was killed as a
Partisan; (4) the erection of monuments in all places where important-
battles for the liberation of the country had taken place; etc.
This organization has about two million members.
c. Society of Friends of Children: This is a new organiaetion and its aims
are the following: (lto find ways how to improve the upbringing of
children; (2) to assist and take care of homeless children; (3) to'
organize kindergartens, playgrounds, and other recreational facilities
for children; (4) to control and to denounce to the authorities those
parents who abandon or mistreat their children; (5) to organize
vacation centers for children, etc. This organization counts a few
thousand members in Belgrade.
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d. Union of Retired E=1 es: This is a half-professional and half-political
organization. Until recently the membership in it included the right to
paid annual vacations and social security. These are no longer the
exclusive privilege of the members.
e. Women and Youth Organizations: They are political and do not have many
members.
f. Federation of Riflemen (Rifle and Gun Club)
Organization for Premilitary Service of Youth
h. People's Technical Organization: A mass organization covering many fields
and including technical courses for interested persons, offering courses
in radio, telegraph, mechanics, motors, as well as sports aviation.,'
and motorcycle racing, etc. It is very well financed and its pur-
pose is the training of future engineering graduates.
i. Yugoslav Red Cross
~. Various sports organizations, e.g., "Partizan", similar to the pre-war
"Sokol".
SECRET - UISV:1 FICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2007/09/04: CIA-RDP80-00810A005200030004-0