RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE FACTIONS OF THE CNT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002200740005-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 29, 1999
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: January 18, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

FORM NO. 51-4A
SEPT.1948
CLASSIFICATION SFF ET/ICORTROL - y
2
Sanitized - AT R IN L~L~GIN ? AGEA DP82-D REPORT N
O.
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Spain/France
SUBJECT Relative Importence,of the Factions of
the CNT oryl of^n
CHA
In Cla RD
DECLASS
tss. CHANGED
DDA Memo,
25X1X6
25X1X6
25X1X6
determine the r-elative strength of the two factions
of the Confederation National del Trabajo - the MONTSENY, or apolitical,
faction, and the faction which advocates collaboration with political 25X1X6
groups seeking the overthrow of General FRANCO. Observation of the
activities of the two groups around Toulouse led - to the conclusion
that the MONTSENY faction has the greater number of followers there.
Functions sponsored by that group are customarily attended by about three
times as many persons as attend rallies of the political CNT. However,
at a Congress of the MO~TTSENY group held in Toulouse in October 1948, the
hall was not filled and Federica MONTSENY, in spite 25X1X6
of her efforts to whip up enthusiasm, was not applauded at the end of
her speech declaring the policy of the CNT to be "War to the death against
FRANCO and Franquism, and against the authors of all compromises and
compacts."
C-3 2. The strength in France of both organizations reportedly has diminished
greatly during 1948. Socialist informants said about mid-October 1948 25X1A6a
that the MONTSENY faction had some 12,000 affiliates in France and the
collaborationist faction some 1,500. On the other hand, the MONTSENY
faction in 1947, according to the same informants, had some 30,000
affiliates in addition to some 8,000 youths belonging to the Federacion
Iberica de Juventudes Libertarias (Iberian Federation of Libertarian
Youth - FIJL). I Comment. As late as mid August 1948, a member
of the MON TSE Y faction claimed 20,000 members for that organization
in France.) The collaborationist CNT, according to the Socialists, had
in 1947 8,000 affiliates and 4,000 youths in its FIJL. The declines in
membership are explained in part by the fact that a large number of
Cenetistas have emigrated to Latin America. A substantial number,
particularly of the older members, have been repatriated. Moreover,
the MONTSENY faction sent a number of action groups to Spain clandestinely.
C-2 3. Inside Spain, indications are that the collaborationist CNT is the stronger,
especially in the Central, Catalan and Asturian regions. The MONTSENY CUT
reportedly is fairly active in Aragon and Levante, and in French North
Africa. A MONTSENY CRnetista in -Paris said in mid-August that his group
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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was opposed to setting up a broad organization in Spain because the Police
penetration of CNT nublei was so thorough that arrest merely-awaited the
pleasure of the Police. Instead, isolated action by independent cells 25X1X6
was favored,
25X1X6
C-3 4. The C netistas are unlikely to come under Communist influence,
because they have profound doctrinal differences and have been
irreconcilable enemies since the era of political battles preceding the
Spanish Civil War. During the war, also, there occurred a groat many
incidents which deepened their' differences. Another point of controversy,
dating from the time of the liberation of France, is the dispute involving
the now defunct Communist-dominated Union Nacional Espaalola. The killing
of a number of Cenetistas opposed to the Union Zlacional is laid at the
Communist door. Moreover, the Cenetistas and the Communists now accuse
each other of denouncing each.other's followers to the Spanish police and
of revealing arms and ammunition deposits in France to the French police.
The question of the situation of Spaniards in Russia, which recently
received wide emigre press publicity as the Karaganda affair, gave rise
to several violent incidents between Cenetistas and Communists, but the
LEIVA, who represented the CNT as a minister in the GIRAL Exile Republican
Government and vsh o is prominent in the collaborationist faction. According
to LEIVA, the differences between the two: CNT factions have become somewhat
less sharp, but it is unlikely that an accord will be reached between them
outside Spain, in spite of the fact that the great majority of the rank and
file favor unification. The differences begin at the directing levl.and
are due mainly to personal grudges. LEIVA accused the M.ZONTSENY faction
of attempting to impose a "hereditary monarchy" (based on the prominence
of the MONTSENY family in the organization).
C-3 6. LEIVA described the MONTSENY faction members as "chemically pure"
anarchists. This faction, he claimed, has virtually no strength inside
Spain, where the tendency is toward political action.. lie admitted,
however, that in France it was the larger of the two factions, and said
that the fact that it had no substantial groups to support in Spain
enabled it to maintain its press in a more solvent condition than that of
the collaborationist CNT's EspaAa Libre. The collaborationist faction,
on the other hand, sends most of _the money it manages to collect to
Spain for the aid of prisoners and of the clandestine groups. Funds
sent from America reportedly have been frozen in Switzerland, having
been intercepted by the foreign exchange control.
C-3 7. LEIVA predicted that the MONTSENY faction would entirely cease to exist
in Spain because there exists a tendency toward a practical solution
of the Spanish question as opposed to "pure anarchy."
SECETICONTROL - U
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