COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES AT 17 OCTOBER MASS LABOR MEETING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R006200610001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 9, 1999
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 30, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

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Approved For Relgig6VXMAi41-16EMPARD1882-0045711009211QA1 LO
INFO EilATION REPORT CD NO, ay(
UNTRY Chi3.e
cosviDESTIN-
SJEJECT Conmunist Activities at 17 October
Mass Labor Meeting
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SUPPLEMENT TO
Chilean Communists were responsible for the fact that
no public address systems were functioning at the mass meeting held on
17 October 1950 under the auspices of the Movimiento Unitario Nacional de
Trabajadores (fltJIIT), the Comite Relacionador de Unidad Sindical (CRUS) and
the junta Nacional de Empleados de Chile (JUMCh).* The speeches made at
the demonstration could scarcely be heard by any of the people assembled at
the Plaza Artesanes in Santiago. The Communist Party, in view of the fact
that they did not control the meeting, decided to deprive the speakers of
public address facilities. The Communists reportedly realized that the
speakers, representing Anarchists, Tretskyites and Socialists, as well as
Communists, might create considerable disagreements among those taking part
in the demonstration and the resulting trouble would harm the Communist cause.
The Communists therefore decided to make it impossible for any of the speakers
to be heard eventhough the speech of the Communist representative would
necessarily be inaudible, too. Allegedly the Communist Party and its front
organizations, such as the ProePeace Committee and the Solidarity Committee
are the only represented groups which have loud speaking facilities and
technicians at their disposal, and it was therefore not difficult for the
Communists to deprive the rally of public address equipment.
Realizing that speakers at meetings of this nature generally speak spontaneously
and rarely have their speeches prepared in written form, the Communists decided
prior to the demonstration that this situation could also be used to serve the
Party's interests. The only Communist speaker at the rally, Ildefonso Aleman,
was instructed to write out his speech in advance. This speech, although
delivered without benefit of loudspeaker facilities, was printed in its entirety
in the 11 October edition of Democraeiso the Communist publication. As had been
anticipated by the Communists, the Socialist, Anarchist and Trotskyite speakers
did not have their speeches prepared in writing. The press representatives were
unable to hear the speeches and gave them little press coverage. It is reported
that the inside page ofRgrammala, which carried Aleman's address, is always
prepared 24 hours ahead of publication, so it is believed that the text of his
17 October speech was handed to the paper prior to the tine it was delivered
Although press coverage of the mass meeting indicated that the rally had occurred
without disturbances of any kind, and notwithstanding the Communists' instructions
to their militants to disregard acts of provocation, it was reported that the
more aegressive Communists actively opposed Socialist d Trotzkyite efforts to
This document is hereby regraded to
CONFIDENTIAL lu acsoi-danco with the
letter cf 13 Cctober 1970 from the
Director c Ce'...tral Intelligence to the
Archivist of the United States.
'Next Review Date: 2008
: TS S C
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distribute
distrioute their propaganda. The Communists attempted to prevent the dis-
tribution of election literature favoring the senatorial candidacy of Popular
Socialist Tomas Chadwick who has been opposed by the Political Commission of
the Communist Party, Party militants also attempted to destroy copies of
Fronta_gimara, a newspaper issued by the Trotzkyite Partido Obrero Revolu-
cionario cud which was offered for sale at the demonstration."
mme t.
Pre s9 reports on 11 October 1950 indicated that the lack of
public address facir.ties at the rally the evening before had been due to the
telephone company's refusal to provide the necessary equipment.
Conriezi. This issue of Frente Obrua contained an article on a meeting
of IT-T? CRUS and J-72,Ch leaders on 10 October who discussed the preparations
for the 17 October -2111- and their common struzle against the government's
so-called anti-inMtionist projects. This article attacked the Communists,
Socialists and JUI:Dfh leaders vigorously, and the workers were advised to dis-
card these leaders and to initiate a direct course of action which night even
include calling a pneral strike.
Approved For Release 2000/04t i CIA-RDP82-00457R006200610001-9
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