Fifth Congress of the Communist Party of Fifth Congress of the Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE) held at Ambato

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CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1
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October 7, 1952
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REPORT
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IliTELLOFAX 21 PUIIPI IPIU . FEB 1952 " Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R0141002900fLD .CLASSIFICATION COUNTRY Ecuador ? SUBJECT DATE OF INFO. CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION INFORMATION REPORT REPORT NO. CE CNO. g DO NOT CIRCULATE Fifth Congress of the Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE) held at Ambat0,9 24-29 July 1952 PLACE MI uPrr 25X1 75X1 25X1 DATE DISTR. 7 October 1952 QF PAGES 12 NO. OF ENCLS. (Lisno BELOW) SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT NO. THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE; OF THE UNITED STATES, WITH IN THE MEANING OF TITLE 18, SECT IONS 793: AND 794, OF THE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVE- LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHOR I ZED PERSON IS PROH I 0 I TED NY LAW. tg: REPRODUCTION oF, PSIS FORM IS SOURCE 25X1 1. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION The Fifth Congress of the Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE) was held in the city of Ambato from 24 through 29 July 1952. 2. Pre I arator Session: The first formal meeting of delegates to the Congress too place ariTZ-Treparatory Session, held in the auditorlum of the Liceo Juan Montalvo beginning at 3:00 p.m. on 24 July. In attendance at this session were approximately 150-160 Communists, including 105 delegates.' The Preparatory Session was presided over by Pedro Antonio Seed, Secretary General of the PCE? who, in the name of the delegates present, warmly thanked the Conservative mayor of Ambato for placing the auditorium fatilities of the Iiceo Juan Montalvo at the disposal of the PCE delegates. Those present at this session then proceeded immediately to elect the Presidium of the Congress, which was constituted as follows: a) b) c) d) C) f) g) Pedro Antonio Saadn Presiding member, Secretary General of the PCE. Enrique Gil Gilbert, Secretary General of the PCE in Guayas. Pernan Acebedo, POE leader from Ioja. Jaime (aka Enrique) Galarza? Secretary General of the PCE in Azuay. Dr. Aquiles Valencia, Provincial Council and PCE member from Manabi. Manuel Oswald() Albornoz Peralta, Secretary General of the PCE in Pichincha Jose Maria Davalos (aka Jose Antonio), Secretary General of the PCE in Tungarahu* 0 A nation:was. made from the floor to augment the number of members of, the Presidi- um to include delegates from Caner, Imbabura, and Esmeraldas, where, according to delegates present, the Pa has achieved outstanding successes in combating American Imperialism. Thie motion map not approved. RETURN TO RECORDS CENTER IMMEDIATELY, AFTER USE n654-31/. BOX 620 023 w CLASS I Fl CATION SECRET STATE#EV ARMY Ev X NAVY AIR NSRB X FBI DISTRIBUTION 'ApprovecrFitir Re1eaSe-2002108709 : diA-I46158-2:604iiR-014160290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 MOM -2- 25X1 4. After the election of the Presidium, several commissions were constituted, among them the followinga Credentials Cormrission '%litical Commission Discipline Commission Organization Commission Statutes Commission nance Commission .Press Commission A Presidium of Honor was then elected, headed. by Stalinn and including such :leaders as Mao Tse Tung, Lin Pao, Chou En Lai, Maurice Therez, Palmiro Togliatti, Pablo Neruda, and Luiz Carlos Prestes. 6. A commission composed of Tirso Gomez., Patricio Cueva, Jaramillo? and Corsino Duran was named to greet the juventud Comanista torch-bearing relay runners due at the Inaugural Session of the Congress that evening. 7. The remaining period of the Preparatory Session was devoted to the following topics: al A general discussion of methods 'to amplify the "defense of the worker," b) A.general discUssion of the "Comite Juvenil oPaz Mundial)lp and a. decision, to support it financially A general discussion, led?by Allredb Vera Vera, of the problem Of IT,a? in the world of today. Vera bitterly blamed the United States for causing the as yet, Undeclared World War III. He further bleated the American banana companies for ruthlessly exploiting Ecuadoran labor n especially in the Province of Esmeraldas, d) A listing by Pedro Saad of different points to be coveted in the inaugural Session. Saad asked the delege*s present if they. felt more points should be put to the inaugural Session for discussion but received an emphatic negative answer from the delegates, who stated they did not wish to stay up until 4:00 a.m. at the first night session., ' e) A general discussion and criticism of anti-Communist propaganda appearing on the walls throughout Ambato which was blamed on Accion lievoluCionaria Nacional Ecuatorlana (ARNE), Pedro Saad recommended that all Communists 'show their culture" by paying absolutely no attention to the anti-Communist propaganda. 8. The PreparatOry Session broke up at approximately 5:30-6g00 9, LEALLoral Session: At 9:00 p.m. on 24 July, the Inaugural Session of the Con- gress got 117riaer 'way in the Teatro Inca, owned by one Cosme Romano, who has been reported a Communist Party member. The theater maF,' completely full, and attendance at this session has been estimated at from 700 to 1000. The munici- pal band was on hand at the beginning of the session, 10,, The stage of the Teatro Inca was arranged as follows: in the center, at the tear of the stage, was a large portrait of Stalin., flanked on the right by the Ecuadoran flag and on the left by the Soviet flag. Seated at this table were Pedro Saad, Enrique Gil Gilbert-, Manuel Oswaldo Albornoz Peralta, 11r. Aquile6 Valencia, Jorge Almeida Hidalgo, and Jaime Galarza. Also reported present on the stage were Rafael Echeverria, Ricardo Paredes, Olga Munoz, Dr. Jorge ' Sanchez, Jorge Meneses, Cesar Enrique; Endara Gonzalez, Pedro Ortiz Aldas? Tirso Gemez? Jose Maria Davalos (aka Jose Antonio Davalcis).? Ligia de Caicedo? Ghandi Burbano, Marcia Barahona Gonzalez, Ruben Calderon (delegate from the Communist Party of Cuba), and Jaime Barrios (delegate from and Secretar-Y Organization of the. Communist Party of Colombia). SECRET Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 SECRET -3- 25X1 11. The session began with a declaration by Enrique Gil Gilbert to the effect that the Fifth Congress of the PCE was officially inaugurated. Olga Munoz, in the name of the Juventud. Comunista Femenina, next took the floor and., after praising the work of the young wean) of the Party, presented a Commu- nist flag to Pedro Seed. Jove Maria Davalos then took the speakers stand and officially greeted the delegates present at the Congress. This greeting was answered by Dr. Ricardo Paredee? founder of the PCE. Paredes bitterly attacked the United States and singled out the Military Pact signed by the ? United States and Ecuador as his principal target. He mouthed standard ? Communist phrases about world peace and Yankee imperialiem. 12. At this point the session vas interrupted by the arrival of a group of 11 youths, members of the Juventud Comunista, who escorted to the stage a relay runner holding a burningd"tereh of peace" which had been brought from Quito. In addition to this symboll they carried a large Cemmunist flag, and two youths, one dressed as a laborer, the other as a farmer, crossed a hammer and a sickle on the stage, receiving prolonged applause from the audience. 13. The session was resumed? and Ruben Calderon (also reported as Rigid? Calderon), the fraternal delegate from CUbai, addressed the assembly. He spoke for only a short period, discussing the problems facing Cuba under Batista, and the necessity for Latin America to unite to stop Yankee Imperialism. He mentioned that several countries, among them. Argentina, Guatemala, and Mexico, have not signed military pacts with the United States, not becauee of the governments of those countries but rather becauee of the immenele pressure exercised on their governments by the common people, who oppose the "ravenous Yankee", Calderon exhorted the Ecuadorans presert to do everything in .their power to prevent the ratification of the military pact. The alternative was portrayed as a complete loss of national sovereignty. His manner of speaking was highly effective and roundly applauded by the audience, 14, The chorus of the Juventud Comunistan composed of some 25 persons and directed by Corsino Duran, then sang the Ecuadoran national anthem, followed by the Internationale. and other revolutionary songs. Ligia de Caicedo then recited a revolutionary poem, and a young girl sang folk songs. 15. Several resolutions were then read to the Assembly, covering the following pointSg ? a) The PCE opposes the intervention of the United States and its warlike policy in the affairs of other nations, ? b) The PCE supports the Confederacion de Trabajadoree del Ecuador (CTE). c) The PCE opposes the plan to have the United States firm MorrisonKnudsen build the Quevedo-Manta highway. ? d) The PCE salutes all the Communist parties of the world, 16, Rafael Echevarria? in the name of the Juventud Comunieta del Ecuador, then took the speakerss stand, stating that the 'JC had faith in the Congress but that the Congress must work out solutions to the problems besetting the Party without fear, vacillation, or regardtopersonal eacrifice. He stated that Communism has failed in its mission in lecuador because of a lack of decision, discipline, and valor in the fight for the interests of the Party. He did not show himself to be a good speaker. 17. Pedro Saad next took the floor and spoke for almost two hours about the - following subjectea a) The danger of a new war, b) The Korean situation. c) The war economy of the United States and other imperialist nations. SECRET Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 25X1 SECRET -4- d)- The support given by the United States to reactionary'cOups and governments in Cuba, Venezuela Colombia, Pera? Chile, and Brazil,. e) The necessity of nationalizing foreign business interests in Ecuador. , The special necessity of beginning a campaign for the nationalize:- tion. of Eeuadoros petroleum industry. g) World Peace - the scheduling for December 1952 of the Third Congress for Peace in Peiping, China. hl The influence of the United States in closing the Communist Labor ,31pion Center in Paris and causing the arrest of Jacqaes Duclos. i) The loWorld Conference of Capitalists who do not want War l which met in Moscow. j) Agrarian reform and the necessity of turning over the land to those wh work it and not to those who hold the deeds, since these deeds have no real validity in the world of today. k) The plot of the United States to uee Brazil against Argentina in order to sow the seed of Latin American strife. The servility of the Plaza regime and, its puppet, Dr. -Antonio JO Quevedo? mho, as representative tothe United Nations o has voted in. the Service of Yankee ambitions. ' The converkon of Ecuador into a lackey of the United States by means of the military pact, ? n) The necessity of blocking the ratification of the military pact. c) The banana-economy problem and unmerciful exploitation by the United States a resulting in lower earnings for Ecuador. p) The failure of right--wing Socialists!) who have put themselves at the service of Plaza, the Socialist failure in recent elections. The necessity of opposing thA regime of Jose Maria Velasco Marra? , as well as ABMs, Concentraclon de Fuerzas Populares (CFP), and. Juan Domingo Peron, of Argentina. 18. Thi'Je Seed was. delivering this violently anti-United States speech? the lights suddenly went off throughout the theater, and for some time he spoke in the ' light of numerous flashliehts held by members of the audience. This sabotage ? vas blamed on ARVE and CFP? and vociferous shouts of' ?Abajo ARNEno ?Abajo CFP"? filled the theater. Outside the theater a group of some 50 individuals shouted anti-Communist epithets and threw stones at the theater. A station wagon belonging to Franklin Perez Caotroemas damaged by stones., and two of its tires were slashed. The Ambato police finally succeeded ir.quelling the disturbance. It was generally believed by the Communists that ARNE members had led the demonstration. 194 The Inaugural Session ended at approximately midnight with a mandolin solo by Nelson Segura and several sengs and recitations by other members of the JC. 20. neemy: Sessions: The Firat Plenary Session of the Congress opened at the Liceo Yontalve olt 25 June; it, and all further sessional were restricted solely to authorized deleeates to the Cenaress. At this fleet session delegations from various cell s and regions read their report 6p an(1. the Credentials Commis- sion named the 105 delegates privileged to remain in thc; audfiLorium. ? Others present *ere escorted outside. !'tules vicre drama up regarding the maximum time to be spent Pr discussion of varioei point et and an elaborate system for holding direuesions was developed., which in effect out an a:heel:ate time limit . ? ? ? ? he- hae,SECTET Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 SECRET 25X1 of 40 minutes on each point brought up. (This was not strictly observed,) The remainder of the Congress Wan devoted prinarily to plenary sessions, usually-three each day e The principal Characteristic of the remaining Sessions of the Congress we bitter personal strife among the leaders and the delegates present. 210 ClnegEps aeainst Ricardo Paredess The most heatedly discussed aceusations ii.e7i5-rgose aimergirfra:FartSedes? founder of the PCE. Segundo Ramos Navarete placed the name of Paredes in nomination for membership in the Political Commission, stating that Paredes was by right the Secretary General. Of the PCE, whereas Pedro Seed had ueurned the post. Saad defended his position, stating that the EXecUtiVe Committee of the PCE had elected him to fill the post after Paredes had asked for an indefinite leave from his Post as Secretary General in order to erve to Manta and reside in that city. At this point numerous charges were hurled at Pare des. among them the followdngs a) Violation of democratic centralism through his attempt to pub- lish a Party newspaper in Manta without advising the Executive Committee. b) Entering Into direct contact with foreign Communist leaders without the knowledge of the Executdve CereelJtee or other organisms of the Party, Paredes Was charged by Rafaai Echeverria with having written directly to Mao Tee Tung asking the latter to furnish scholare ship to two comrades in Manta of Chineoe eetraetion? the brothers of ChUng Jurado. This letter was answered in a very vague form by Mao a4d, Cent to Moscow., where it was translated, When Paredes wee last in Moscoie he washanded the letter and turned it over to Rafael Echeverria in Warsaw, Poland, for? transmittal to Ecuador, Echaverria never returned the letter to 'Paredes, but, rather!, gave it to Pedro Saad. The letter eupposedly read substantially as follow Comrade Ricardo Paredes, Secretary General of the PCE? I answer yoer kind letter in which you ask me to facilitate the further study of ;he Chung Jurado beothers in Peking. I send you my beet wishes and inform yeu that they may come when they con- . sider it convenient., Mao Tpe Tung." No indicative of date or of possible payment of passage or other aid appeared in the letter* it was apparent that the fact that Paredea had written this letter caused extreme concern to the Congress. c) Furnishing, withalit the liaewledge of the Eeecutive Cemmittee? a Colombian Communist named (Pee) Cuaree with a signed, notarised letter to the effect that he, the Colombian was an enti-Communist Conservative. This letter appeared in the Colombian press, and Jaime Larrios, the Colombian delegate to. the Congrees, brought a photostatie copy of the letter with hime Suarez reportedly 'attended the Warsaw Naze Congress and was unable to re-enter Colombia until Parades made his written statement, which received considered publicity in Coloneie. Paredee? ir his defense before the Congress, denied the whole metter* d) Collecting money for his trip to the USSR from Indians belonging to the Federaeion de Indies. 'Paredes was aceesed of collecting money from Indians in the CaeaMbe region. Medeeto Rivet, Cemmunist boas of the Federacion de Indies, further aceueed Peeedee ef collecting more money (sone 5/8000) from the Indians after ITS return from Europe, e) Making false accusations against Nela Nartinez, prominent Communist female leader, because she, formerly Paeedee mistreee and mother of a child by him, married a French Communist, Raymond lesrieuetn and would have nothing further to do eith Paredes. 22. Paredes took the floor and spoke for three hours against his accusers, priw- cipally Pedro Saad$ Rafael Echeverria, and Modeeto Rivera. His speech report- edly had no coherence, and he wae eeveral times earned by the Presidium to get SECRET Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Sun -6- 25X1 back to the point. Paredes dwelled on his long years of service to the Party and recounted in detail his revolutionary activities over the years. It has been reported that the general consensus was that he made a complete fool of himself and did not effectively refute any of the charges made against him. The whole Paredes matter profoundly affected the delegates, sinces Paredes is considered the "old war horse" of the Party. Many of those present stated their belief that Paredes has degenerated completely as a revolutionary, but that he should be "put out to pasture" by a Party which must recognize his valuable services in the past. 23. Char es agells.I. Alfredo Vera 'Vera: .Alfredo Vera Vera was severely criticized i?ieleVerg.r-Se-s-ai=so-rthe Congress, accused of orightist deviations" stemming from the time he held the national: Ministry of Education under the former , Velasco government. He was accused of opportunistic policies in his dealingsse With the Guevara faction of the Guayaquil Municipal Councils where he has failed' to act with proper nrevolutionary vigor". Prominent in voicing anti-Vera Vera adensatiens were Primitivo Barreto? Quito Communist reportedly sent by the Executive Committee to solve PCE problems in :.Guayaquil and Bolivar Sandovale young Communist from the province of ,Los Nos. Vera was defended by Ana Moreno, Segundo RaMos, Cesario Valverde?eand Ricardo Paredes. Nela Martinez alee defended Vera, stating that the aecusatiOns formulated against him were merely an attempt to male him the scapegoat, for all the errors of the PCE. , Paredes eicpressed his opinion that Vera is the most intelligent and loyal of all the members of the PCE. 24a Char ea ...a.gadeene/ Manuel Medina Castro:: Manuel Medina Castro was t1ao harshly orit &tied at several sessions for "rightist deviations". He was recommended for hie effective fight against the Grate line in the dispute regarding the port of Guayaquila but was accused of acting on his own without advising higher, Party authorities of his plans. Ana Moreno, Segundo Ramos, and cesario Valverde accused him of acting nas.a simple citizenn, as though he had no ties with the POE, and reported that he, Medinaa had made statements to the effect that he was fed up with Party discipline. He was further accused of having advised certain comrades to leave the Party if' they perceived that Party membership would bring them no personal gain. He was accused of betraying the Party by insisting that Communista in the Guayaquil area support J. Federico intriago in the recent elections. (Vera was also accused by others of a similar nbetraya10.) The accusations against Medina were of unusual bitternesa and almost resulted in a fist fight between Medina and. Vera on the floor of the Congress. 25, Charges a ainstAiela Martinez: Nela Martinez' first appearance before the Con- gress resu ,e irrii7gariTerein she stressed the need for criticism and self- criticism if the Congress were to achieve 'any positive results. She thereafter be:ea:Me the target of violent tirades of criticism. She read a political report which -she had prepared and was immediately set upon by large numbers of dele- gates, who charged that her document suffered from serious political and "personalist!' errors. She wasaalso blamed for the failure of the Javentud Comunista Femenina which, acedrding to her accusers, was sabotaged by Nela Martinez' practice of urging young female Communists to join the POE directly, withOut going through the JO stage. Prominent among her accusers was Patricio Cueva Jaramillote a young Communist with only some eight months of militancy in the Pas Her report to the Congress covered the following points: a) The Executive Committee of the PCE, not Alfredo Vera Vera, was responsible for the Communist support given J. Fedemino Intriago. This resulted in violent criticism from the detractors of Vera. b) The matter of Ricardo Paredes having signed ,a document appearing in. the Colombian press should be investigated, and, if judged guilty, Paredes should be punished accordingly. This resulted in Criticiam by the 'friends of Paredes. c) The PCE is not supporting the Juventud Comunista. A SC member should be appointed to the PCE Executive Committee to act as .a direct liaison. A JC newspaper should be created and. supported by the PCE. SECTET Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 SECRET -7- 25X1 This resulted in-criticiaa from the floor of Nela Martinzo role in the je Femenina. d) Comrades are not raising their children in accord with the political line of the PCE. Dr. Alfonso Quijano Cobos was accused of having his daughters in, a convent. e) The PCE should fnrnish financial aid to Comrade Ernesto Rossi Delgado 60' .1";h4tIle migh travel abroad for &t cal treatment. ' 26. Char es p,..glinst Pedro Sea& Segundo Ralt0,5, led the attack against Pedro Saads 'EIiing hIjEter for77..g failure of the Communist labor movement in the coastal areas' Rmross who ra5 originally slated for the post of Functional Senator for Labors accused Saad and hie allies on the POE Executive Committee of "dirty dealing" and fraud in cheating him s Ramoss ge of this post. He went on to describe his history as a true member of the laboring class and chided the Executive Committee for backing Saads rhos he stated, has never worked a single day in his lifetime. This accusation caused considerable reaction in the Congresas and violent partisans of Raws and Seth joined in the battle of invective. Ramos was colpported from the floor by the few dele- gates belonging te the laboring classs while Sad aa defended by the "intel- lectual" majority. The supporters of Ssad countered by declaring Ramos a degenerate drunkard and pointing out that only Saad has the necessary Party background and political acumen to hold such an important post in the National Assembly. Some of Sand's supporter an th,., floor adrirUted that his being chosen instead of Remo 6 was somerh&., irregular but that it was in the true interests of the Party. It was further stated that the Executive Committee -would fully explain this matter to the entire membership of the Party in the coastal area.3 in his charges against Beads Ramos also hurled insults at Jaime Barrios and Ruben Calderons provoking considerable adverse criticism from the audience. Saad thex, apologized to these twc vistting delegates for the rude behavior of Ramos and asked the assemblr,d delegates to give a vote, of oonfidence on their behalf. This acid= was folliawef y'A;b prolonged applause from the floor. Rams lot r begradgingly ret-ated his statements against Barrios and Oalderun Barrios was vi,,Tibly angrel., by Ramos ? statements and asked the Congress to form a committee to inver,igatz-,; him and Calderon ir order to assure all presen that they- re:ie a.-_,1nredited representatives of their respective parties* It was lesrned later that Caldeion had sat in an and actually participated in Exeuti',.?e Comaltee mest,ing whel it TIca.5 decided to support Saad rather than Ra-W05 for the post of Functional Senator for Labor. Calderon stated that he tsd voted for the "wore valuable" of the two 27. cliL,212.11 against Franklin Perez Castro: Alfredo Vera Vera opened the attack eTs'Irarllin Perez Castro, accusing the latter of "leftist deviationes leading to the virtual destruction of the PCE in Guayaquil. Perez was accused of making no effort to follow thg, Pet:ty lines thaby spsiling the Pre-Paz movements wri'th resultant coneusion from the cell. level to the provincial cam,- mittee. He was further accused of attacking Enrique Gil Gilbert with his fists and of later abandoning his Party du'iies to move to Salinass "where he lives like any other bourgeois". Juaa Plc lq:;;CTae.:4 defended Perez, calling him the most faithfuls hardworking POE member in the coastal area. Narvaez explained that Perez had poured all his personal funds into Party work. He accused Vera and other '..ivayaquil leaders of sabotaging the Pro-Paz anvemehts in order to discredit Perez. Other delegates rarnily defended Pe:L'ez, pointing especially to his goad work in organizing the Communist Party in Tungurahua. 28. Statements of Jose Maria Roura. revallos Jose Maria Room Cevalloss delegate 71767MITIncha, stated that "rfg1TaT-aeviatione had, all but destroyed 'the effectiveness of the POE in the Province of Pichincha. He singled out Ricardo Paredes., Maria Luisa Gomez de la Torres Nely Martine zs and Raymond Meriguet as those.. responsible for having converted the Party into a scheming group of gossips and rumor-mongers, asking the assembly to castigate these deviationists. He stated that the accu5ed have considerable prestige as old-timers and that they must therefore change their ways or be expelled before they corrupt the yeunger up-and-coming Comyonists in the area. He then presented a plan for SECRET Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007 1 SECRSSe -8- 25X1 the intensification of propaganda among the laboring elassess aimed principally at the nationalization or foreign business interests in Scuadora He stressed his view that this is the only practical 'way to rid Scuador of foreiga imperi- alists* 29* Statemeets of Jaime Baseios: The fraternal delegate from Colombia addressed , the Congress for some three hour meet or welch was spent in tracing the development of the PCC. He told of the tortures being inflicted on Communists in Colombia,. including saeh outrages as the castration ef volandeds hospitalized comrades. He went OA to say that all the represeive measures of Colombian Conservatieen backed by Yankee Imperiallsms have served only to strengthen the PCC s caeeiag more pereons to join the ceeee. He stated that, his country wae coloseallzeetuped to anew the American Military Mieeion to train young Colombians and then, march them oft to die in Koreas that American ageete swarm over Colombia dressed in uniforms aed muftis and that all he 6o-called tech- nical missions are mere Is cif the imperialists. According to Barrioss the Colombian liberalgmrfilos axe retail UOICATIE116t5 but have universally recognized the superiority of the dynamic: Commueist leaderenip and are aetively aiding the Conamnist cause. Be steongly critieized the conduct of the Congress!, stating that apparently the only reason the majority of the delegates present came to Ambato vas to hurl insuLte at one another. He seated that such complete discord in a country having suee propitious circumstances for the triumph of Communism was another example of colossal stupidity, One point on which Barrios dwelt at length was the necessity for all Communiste to live Communist lives and teach all their relatives to be Communiets, He stated "If ee aren't capable of con- vincing our familiess we shall convinee no one." Barrioe further discussed unemployment in Colombia (Medellins banta Mertes C 3Tt gia 1 alle del Cauca, Bogota), blaming it all on the Ameriean Imperialists. Barrios closed his address by recommending "eternal revoluatorraeey vigilance" on the part of all Members and more aiaeere work in Parey organIzational matters. In another short 'address he mentioned the coming Peiping Peace Conference and the fact that Scuador would be allowed to seed 1? delegates. Be stated that this Conference would be of eatreee importance and that, the PCS enoldei do ite best to send' a , delegation constituted primarilyof capable inteilectuals, 30. Statements of Ruben Calderon2 Ruben Calderons fraternal delegate from Cuba, ITERIgg-idaieesed tEribongeese on several occasienes his speeches being mere repetitions of the usual Party line. Calderon has reportedly been active in PCE affairs since Mereh 1952 and has apparently been in Ecuador on. earlier occasions as an advisor to the PCE. He is believed to be a eelative of the Cuban Communist leaders Blae Rocas and reportedly uses the name Oaiderio when traveling* At the Congress he advisee the PCS' to uadertuke a purge of its ranks ho weed out the weak and vacillating, as veil as the infiltrated 'agents of the "imperialist pewere", He further adveeed the establishment of Party cadre schools to train new leaders. Referring to the CP of Gabes he stated his belief that General Fulgenoio Batista will probably declare the Party illegal, but indicated that the earty-was thoroughly prepared t) go under- ground at any moment, 31. Javentud Comunistae Mueh mention was made throughout the Congress of the TifgElua Comunistas which!, in the eapreesed opinione of most delegates, has been sadly-neglected. Efrain Alvarez Fiallos delegate of the JO of Guayas, was particularly active on the floor of Congress in deuaading that the Party pay more attention to the JC and immediately set, about eStablishing JC groups in each province where there are none at present. Pedro bead indicated that the political line to be formalated as a result of the debates of the Congress would put more emphasie on the necessity for developing the JC than was done in the past, Patricio Cueva asked the Congress to eapel Jorge Maldonado Reuella from the National Council of the JO for ineptitude. Maldonado has, according to his accusers, been devoting most of his time to sales of the Cominform newspapers Por una Paz puraderas while neglecting has more important JC duties* 32* Communist influence amods, Indians s It was noted that no delegates of 'Malan- cells were present at the Congress, nor was any mention made of the existence of such cells, -Modesto Rivera stated that the Federacion de iadiee will soon SECRET Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 SEMI: -9- 25X1 be run entirely by indiane? members of the PtE, He further stated that cone saderable progress has been mode in eetabliehaeg inJneatioas and that about eight new unions had been. formed in Otovaio? three in Riobamtea and One in bangolqui? in addition to those already .in existenee fer some time at Cotacachi and Cayambe ivere stated that Maria, Lille& Gomez de la Torre hie abandoned her work with the Indiane and has retired .oe a position of bourgeois luxury at her comfortable home in Quito. 33. The closing session of the Ceagreeee were devoted primerily to reports by the various commissions. 34. Etat of the Organization Cemmiselon: The reading of the Organization Commis- sion report &irked thic7t.,emporary end ofthe bitter pereenal accusations which had heretofore been the principal activity of the ocnvention delegates. Pramitivo Barret?, the outstanding member ?i both the Organization and Disci- pline Commissions, read thin renort ? wbich purported to outline the new , political line of the Party. The report was fully approved by the Congress and it was announced that a eompletely new document on Party organization mould be published shortly after the Congrees for distribution to the entire membership of the Party. Among the new feature reaciamended la the thle report were the following: Datroduc;tiou of a 6y6lt:evo. of Party idlin,titirattorA cards,, to be issued to all PCE members. b) Creation of cadre training schools for development of new leadership. c) Printing of a'etemp to be used es a dueo reeeipt (euggestaon of Ruben Calderon. d) Devotion of epeciel attention to development of industry cellos made up of members of the working eTaee. e) Development of ao isereitment technique and process. 'Special attention to Commueezation of the familiee of PCE membere. f) Intensifieation of the fight for peaee and againet the military pact - deltetien of all Party resources to this eed. g) Inteneification of the effort of Communiet intellectuals to unmask and expel. the "decadent literature of the imperialistO flooding the country (a proposal of Jorge Enrique Adoema Communist poet and member of the Casa de la Cultura in Guayaquil). h) Inauguration of a pion to raise Sal00?000 for payment of Party func- tionaries throughout the country, ea weli ae for propaganda use. 1) Formation of cells of farmers throughout the country and establishment of-a schedule of visits to be made to these eelle by PCE leaders. Formation of a Confederacion de Campeeivee. j) 'Development of a Moviziento Femeeliva end a Confederacion de Mujeres del Ecuador,' 35.292,1:2.2 of the Discip/ine Cemmiseiong The report of the Diecepline Commission was read by AqUirersVairtn? iniiireaplained the charges against several Party members. The foilowing individuals were expelled from the Parlay Alfredo Vera Vera and Manuel and cautioned never again to electoral candidates without Committee. SECRET Pedro Barba Hector Paamino Ecuador Jaya .(aka Manuel Jaya) Manuel Arenas Coello Medina Caetro we:ye accused of "rightist deviation" take the initiative in pledging PGE support to first securing permission from the Executive Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 25X1 SECRET -10- 36./lust of the Finance Commission? The ehort eeport of the Finance Commission involved ig-faigiiiineTi6FairsIs a) Establishment of dues stamps. b) Education of Party members in financial responsibility. 0) Establishment of provincial control commissions to handle Party finan- ces. d) Development of new eources of finance, each as the Party press, private social functions for Party benefit, book stores, collection from friends and sympathizers of the Party. e) Initiation of a country-wide fund-raising campaign. The report indicated that the present status of PCE finance is "disastrous" primarily because of the failure of dues collection throughout the Party. The two principal sources of finances at present are interest payments derived from investments of S/17?500 with the Federacion de Indios and 8/12?000 with the *Ruminahuin press in Quito. 37. 2!2p2s1 of the Preen Commissions Pedro Ortiz Addas? administrator of the PCE newspapers ii Pujsid? reed this report, in which it was explained that PCE members throuiga7-Ehe country owe some S/89600 in payments for copies of El Pueblo received and presumably sold, of which the Province of Guayas awes approximately half.. It is decided that all these debts must be paid within One month of the closing date of the Congress or sanctions will be employed. It was recommended that all PCE entities receiving copies of El Pueblo remit immediately to Quito the value of these papers and then retain the money obtained from their sale. It Itua also recommended that all Party members selling El Pueblot accompany the sale with a political eales-talk to insure future purchases, Ortiz indicated that El Pueblo will be forced to suspend publication if some solution to the paymeot prAdem is not worked out in the near future, 38. Election of the Secretara Generals A list of candidates to compose the new auguive body of the PCB was 6iwn up and presented to the Congress by the Presidium, This list was the subject of a new wave of angry debates, since it ?vas composed of many persone who, in the expressed opinions of numerous dele- gates present, have proven in the past that they lack the necessary attributes of revolutionary vigor. First, it was necessary to elect a Secretary General, and Franklin Perez Castro addressed the Congress asking that Pedro Seed be unanimously elected, Juan Pio Narvaez seconded the motion, but Ana Moreno endorsed Rafael Echeverria for this keyposition? stating that though he is still young, he is the most outstanding, loyal; and capable member of the PCE? Ricardo Paredes called upon the Congress to support Saad but injected a sour note when he stated that it must be recognized that Bead has committed serious errors in the past. He then explained that his support of Seed was ? only in the interests of "harmony within the Communist family*. Segundo Ramos? then proposed that Primitivo Barreto be elected but later, and apparently with considerable reluctance, voted for Seed. Saad was elected Secretary General of the PCB by all but one vote, that of Ana Moreno, 39, When it cane time for the election of the Central Committee, Alfredo Vera, whose name appeared on the list of nominees drawn up by the Presidium, asked that his name be withdrawn. He stated that this was being done solely in the interests of Party solidarity and asked permission to say a few words. When this permission was granted he unleashed a series of against PCE members in Guayaquil, putting special emphasis on Franklin Perez Castro and Manuel Medina Castro, He accused Perez of being an irresponsible drunkard and said Perez was courted by PCE solely because of his relatively good finan- cial position, resulting in contributions to the Party, but portrayed himself as a poor, loyal, hard-working Communist, This last blast at his enemies was the subject of much unfavorable comnent from the floor and apparently enhanced the prestige of Perez. The Cubvi delegate then discussed the personality of SECRET Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 SECRET 25X1 Vera arriving at, the cone2.11;7fidon that he is co.c the. type dascrfbed by Lenin as a "Populisttl. The vot:thg fbr tne membves al Uie etra1 CcamIttes then took place. The.foItc,wing erei.,aoted Raraei tQu.ty3s, uali;nimoui) Piyirnitive Barrto (-41.11 t unandmot ) Bucique, Gil Gilbert (Guayaq i9 Tutazimcnio Oswaldo AabarnozQittoJ Modesto Riv,,Jra Marco Tull? Uram*,-, (Guayaquil) Aquiles Valencia (kanabi) jose Marla Roura Quc Nela Martinez she asked. that her e.:lek:tion be unanimousp ? since th,-5, Central Ccmmittee desperately needed her 2ervices) Hernau Ar,J?bedo (Lojan native of Manabl) jose Maria Davaos (Ambato) Jesus Gualavisi (Ambat) Segundo Ramos (Guayaquiln native of Babahoyo) Neptali Pachec,:i (-Lona de Milagro) Pascual. Palomino (Naranlal) Franklin B.--u'ez Castro (Guayaquil) 11 404 The follcming indAviauaa mere elect-,,ed az1 al.berilate member of the Central Committee2, Guillerm Canarte Ouayaquil Eduardo Ge;hza..Le',z Jose Viiiat;recea, VAllacres) Nej_scn Segura Tirso Gomez -(quiti)) 410 Many persons considered hAghly valivataii by the delegates were kept from the ? list by. a Party ruliug tha al member oi the Centra, Ourtatittee muat have ? at leazt four yearii. of fluainterrupted militancy". Two promialng young Communists who Were rtx:ommended for :1,f1ive but impeded by this ruling were Jaime Galarzan of Arzual and Juan Ariasn Of' Imbabura. Dissenzion within the PCE 4 Lbates in. the CongTess revealed ela,easive and bitter 5;yizal JnIgi-iiing numerous leade. of the Partr.am differentiated from,amall-seale argmenta on the flco. Among the mom outstanding of the many such cases reported. are the follang Pedro aa6; Rafael Echevetria ? vs? hica.J.io Paredes? supported by Modesto Rivera Alfredo Vtira Nela May.tinez , ? Primitive Barretv3 Bolivar Sandoval, Ana. Moreno - Segundo Ramos Cesario Valverde- Al'fredo Verep tupported by Ana Moreno vs. 6eguhdr) Ramo,.F. ' Cesario Valverde R12ardc Paredes h5aa. W.sart,Lhe5,1, Maptlifia Medilza Castrc Patricio Guava JaramAilk,), V5. Neia Nartine2 Segundo Ramos 78.0 Pedro baaii SECRET Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1 25X1 SECRET -12- Alfredo Vera Manuel Medina Castro,: and vs, Franklin 'Perez Castro, the latter supported by Juan Pio Narvaez Ricardo Paredes Jose Maria Roura vallos vs. Maria Luisa Gomez de la Torre Nela Martinez Raymond Meriguet Modesto Rivera vs. Maria Luisa Gomez de la Torre Ana Moreno vs. Pedro Snarl 43, The Fifth Congress of the PCE formally closed at 5:00 a.m.a GM 29 July 19520 after an allp.night session. 25X1 1, 25X1 2, 25X1 3. IComMent. One source reported 88 cell delegates, tWO foreign' fraterriaMegates, and 15 alternates. Another source reported 82 cell delegates, two foreign fraternal delegates arid 21 alternates. In each case the total is 105. Comnent. Seed is Functional Senator for Labor, representing coas Emis7; in the Ecuadoran National Assembly. .:?,6202e1121. Previous reports have indicated considerable anti-Saad,. pro-Ramos sentiment on the part of coastal labor groups. SECRET Approved For Release 2002/08/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014100290007-1