SPANISH IMMIGRANTS IN VENEZUELA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002200520003-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 29, 1999
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: December 1, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

25X oved For R& -4 919=U I vCE:W, 82-0045MOO ZO
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J-1--W 116-
COUNTRY Venezuela
SUBJECT Spanish Im .igranta in Venesue
PLACE 25X1 A6a
ACQUIRED
DATE DISTR. 21 Zen 1949
O OF PAGES
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
DATE OF INF SUPPLEMENT TO
25X1 X6 REPORT NO.
25X1A6a
G ;enntt. The following report covering the activities of Spanish
pu icans in Venezuela from October 1947 through t:ovember 1948 was prepared
for the Provisional President of Venezuela, Carlos Delgado Chalbaud. After
rea-in- the document, Delgado Chalbaud stated that it verified previous
information he had received.)
1. On 2 October 1947, the U. S. Army Transport G 117RAL STURGIS, which had been
chartered by the IRO, clocked. in Puerto Cabello. It carried 820 immigrants to
Venezuela fro"i the U. S. and British zones of Austria and a group of 170
Spanisb?refugees, most of whoa w/re a badge (printed in English) of the
"Friends of Venezuela Society". They hold a nolitical meeting on board ship
nrior to landing, during which there were frequent shouts of "Viva la Republica
Espanola", "Viva Venezuela", and "Viva is Acoion Democratica". At that tine
it was noted that many of the Snaniarde spoke very or Spanish, although they
had Spanish names and carried Spanish Republican papers. During the voyage,
the commander of the transport had received numerous reports from the other
passengers to the affect that there were many subversive agents in the Spanish
group.
2. After landing, the Spaniards moved to El Trompillo. Subsequent reports stated
that there were many Poles, Russians, Yugoslavs, Czechs, and others in the
group and that their conversations indicated that the men had been members of
:he Gomr~n ist International Brigade during the Spanish Civil gar. After the
group had been at the camp about a week, there was trouble between then, the
other ir!:igrants, and the camp administration. This caused them to be noved to
San Mateo, from where the ITIC dispersed them throughout Venezuela by
finding jobs for them. The apparent leader of the Spanish group was ienrique
Pratz, aged 35, from Barcelona.
3. Similar groups arrived on the GE RIL STEW- 11T and the G ??ERtL BLACK on 12!
Dece"'ber 1947 and 17 February 191,8, respectively. The corr-anders of the ships
reported on arrival that they had been informed of the presence of many sub-
versive agents among the Spaniards, but that none was identified. Sono of the
subversive a ents were reported to have received special training in Yugoslavia
and the USSR Zone of Austria. The agents supposedly infiltrated the British
-nd American Zones of Austria and secured passage from there to Venezuela.
BRA
OT1CE: THIS DISTRIBUTION LISTING hMT BE
Fsf
Lactiment Is hernbv regraded to
Class. CHAPdCF, TS
DDA Memo, 4
CIA-RDP82-Ob437R
I V By: O a'
 Approved For Release I 999/ 1 RDP82-00457R002200520003- 5X1A2g
4. ;'out of the Sianish fe',ub?.ican ir. nirrRnts to Venezuela oriL7inatect in France,
Portugal, French 'Torth if'rica, and Rely. The Venezuelan official responsible
for wanting visas to the i*r-irr?3nts is Jose Pzdron Irazabal, the Chief of the
lene n'ielan i'i^sion in Frinee. fTe works closely Frith :lnrr,w Cort?ovz, Chief of
the LLatin :-r!orioan Section of the IRO in Geneva, who arrati ,-~s for the noverents.
the nunber of Snertiah it?rtigrarzts schedh.al.ed to leave France in December 194.8
roachart the figure of 1600. ParYron was celectinr them sand provi?inr, then with
visas, while Corrlov- arrant'. to secure two ships. The plans -rare temporarily
suspended in :ovsrtber because the ranid influx of iinirrants in pact months had
moved to be irmossi bie for the country to absorb. The col?.?apco of the
Covernn Dnt's Zany? colonization nroprer: was s. con tributinr? f^.ctor.
5. The PORTUGAL,, the L'JCL110, the CBOT, the {.LTCO:Bi, the CLIRO, and the X0I"'f10S
ar^ sh fps ?:-hioh arrive in 1enezuela ^very ionth fro^c _,lronea-n ports. 3ach one
has cirriod fron 50 to 100 Shan{ sh tepli.?blic^.n refngees who were 1oglly authorized
to, enter the country. The CAIRO ar+r7 the X0M1;Ii;OS, flying the Pan^nanian flag,
are on^rnteci by the Zarat1 Stosa.'?!shir ,orspeny, and were oarrytng illegal Jewish
irrlirrants to Pal, satin un?'er the name of Orient'il Trancnorts Company until
r-: iently. It is somewhat strikinr that these sah ipa have been divert:.d from the
Palostine to the 7enezi ola- run. .Lsir'e fron ? erl irmirrantG, all the ships-
carricd certain nus'bxr, of stowaways, most of irhon were Spaniards.
6. sloven S vanish stowaways were known to have arrived on the :C3`i 'Ii?0.3 in 0ctobar
194. Other i^nir?rants on the ship renortoe- th?,t it stonpelt at night off
the
Venezuelan oast to unload contraband and possibly Men into sral' boats which
ca? a alonr*siri . - three stowl:aays are 'mown to have enteroc lenezue? ?' illy ~liy
from the CUM in i.'ovenber. Those three, who have not been ir?entifiod, were
renort-~ to hive been nroninont terrorists who hal failed to obtain visas in
France, -',tit had :?anaged to board the ship with the assistance of other Spanish
irr'irrants aboard.
7. It would, apnsar that the Spanish Renubi scan movement to Von-izuel a is well
organized in the fort of 'a secret organization of an international char?ieter with
considerable financial b^c'.ing. Societies like the "Frie~r's of 1Jenezuelz"
are
organized. in thy; ;.Fir: way as, the "Frien's o.!' i3na?t n", which, op r-'.to l in `1..irone
d?nrinr? an-' a ."ter the Sr .nich Civil Jar. The organization is believed to be of
Connunist origin.
8. :Although the IRO office in Caracas is visited daily by dozens _~ry ;ts of
various natinnalities seekinr assistance, advice, and tt>>,,~~~:tent, there has not
been one case on record for over a year of a Spanish r~,fntgee renter sttnr aid.
9. 'Tntil mute recently., nroninent Spanish Republicans like Senor tTiloa, Chief of
Colonization, and Senor Casals, Chief of Invesstigation, hold k y positions within
the Ln :i~rration Institute. 0t_tZ? ~r irrnirrants have reported that both thes^ men
had r^cor-1o in Spain indieatinv- thit they were prominent Coiwitaniots.
Approved For Release 1999/09/0 : CIA-RDP82-00457R002200520003-1