CON-CONI ACTIVITIES PRIOR TO CON LABOR CONGRESS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002700610001-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 23, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 24, 1949
• Content Type: IR

CLASSIFICATION C.._i (7t `1L
Approved For Release 1999/09/09 CIA RDP82-00457R002700610001-8
CENTRAL WE .L1CaElYI'r1 WIENC REPORT NO.
I N F O R M I U M O T CD NO.
COUNTRY Cuba
SUBJECT OD (DNI Activities Prior to C )N Labor Congress
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF 6I
C14 LIBRARY
25X1A6a
25X1A2g
DATE DISTR. 18. MAY 1949
NO. OF PAGES 2 25~1A2g
NO. OF ENCQ_S.
(LISTED BELOW?
SUPPLEMriNT TO
REPORT NO.
Francisco Aguirre, Comision Obrera Nacional leader and slte-enate Secretary
General of the Confederacion de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC)., convened the CTC
tional Council on 12 March 1949, at which time it war rei'olved that the
Sixth (biennial) Congress of the CTC would convoke on,27-21i April.* The
following develolnents brought to a climax marW months of negotiation
among the various labor groupa,undertaken at the request vi t
, ie government in
order to bring about a united non-Communist labor front at Lie Sixth Congress
of the CTC. According to source, the Comite Obrero Naeional Independiente (CONI )
has no chance to regain any real labor strength. The CON congress should
solidify anti-Communist labor groups and if it receives the support of the
federations over which GONI still claims ccoitrol, may actually achieve almost
complete anti-Corruni.st labor unity.
Comits Obrero Nacional Ind ependiente (CONI
C=2 1, Tiering the last days of March and the beginning of A.pril the influence of
Angel Cofinoos CONI fell rapidly. COPI lost control over several of the
federations which it had claimed and found its control weakened in its main
source of strength, the telephone and electrical federations.
2. Until mid-April, CO1I persisted in its efforts to create- a separate CTC. It
sent out form letters to workers' organizations attacking the forthcoming
Aguirre congress in the name of the A.sociacion :(:ibertaria de Cuba, and its
plans received press attention,
3. On 6 April 1949, Cofino asked Union Insurrecciofaal Fevolucionaaria (UI1=R) officialc,
to join C.'ONI in the creation of a new CTC0 UIF. officials answered that they
could not put their syndicates in such a dangerous position nor did they care
to abandon their present position merely because.of a whim of Cofino. As a
result of a meeting with Aguirre a few hours laver, UIR officials recommended
to all its syndicates that they participate in the Aguirre congress.
NA` Y NSRB
AIR FBI
ciocurnent is hereby regraded to
LC-.r TIAL in accordance
-...
,..... _ with the
f
Doctor of Centre - - "ill we
Archivist of the United sacs to the
Next Rev, D
aw
Xar8,t%Cr - Release 9
One of the five federations claimed by CONI is the Foderacion Nacional do
Trabajadores de Transporte Aereo, In order to combat CONI in this field,
CON organized a Sindicato Nacional do Trabajadores de Transporte Aero.o which
CONI claimed was a "paternal syndicate". The ' istaer of Labor, however,
kill"
Tt !FfA
I.
C ra
~t A l cuss. C
/ IL AJDf ~ai?I1 O f ~_r6:
T
T
} ~}{? Ruth : DD Ek : ?_ r
CUN IVLI\ II AL Date: ..
 Approved For Release 1999/09/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R002700610001-8
COBF
25X1A2g
-2-
recognized CON's new group and admitted it to the CTCO
5, The transport congresses which convened in December and February, the latter
a CONI victory, were declared void by the Minister of Labor.** is a result'.
CON has emerged the victor through its gains in the transport federation
since the February congress.
6. The Federacion de Mataderos and the Federacion de Genadores, two of the five
over which CONI claimed control, have decided to attend the CTC Congress
convoked by CON.
7. On the eve of the CON-sponsored congress, Cofino's CXII retained only nominal
control of two federations, electrical and telephone. The rank and file of
these two groups decided to attend the April congress if possible.
Comision GbreraNecional (CON)
C-3 S. The congress has not received such publicity in certain sections of the press
because of the resentment of the Cuban press organization against Aguirre over
his actions when he was Minister of Labor. Many newspapers not only look upon
Aguirre as a former enemy, but have treated the congress lightly since Cofinoes
brother-in-law,, Orlando Puente, is Secretary, to the Presidency.
9, CON has increased in power with great rapidity and 2500 delegates were expected
to attend the April congress. In view of CONI4s rapidly decreasing power, CON
has made no comments as to what it is willing to concede CONI in the event of
a mergero CON previously scoffed at CONIes aspirations for equal representation
on the CTC Executive Committee s i n c e COIN is. bound to lose out and will
accept any condition, It cannot be assumed that CONI will be given a position
of any importance on the new CTC Executive Committee.
10, Principal aspirants to the CTC Secretary Generalship were Francisco Aguirre
representing the Federacion Gastronomica, 1milio Suri Castillo of the super
federation, Pablo Balbuena of Federacion de Cinemategraficos, and Marco
.Nirigoyen, 1&RG, representing the transport workers.
:11, Senator Eusebio Majal of CON has succeeded in collecting about $100,000 by
direct assessment of members and companies. CON is still faced with further
financial trouble since it must defray the expenses of the May Day parade
which will bring the total expense to more than ?200,000.
25X1A2g
iA.
Approved For Release 1999/09/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R002700610001-8