Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume V

800.5043 FTUI/5–2449

Memorandum by the Director of the Office of International Trade Policy ( Brown ) to the Under Secretary of State ( Webb )¹

confidential

[ Washington ,] May 24, 1949.

Problem:

To encourage formation of a Free Trade Union International.

Recommendations:

We should:

1. Mobilize our information media to exploit fully each successive step in the development of the new international in order to sustain the hopes of democratic trade unionists who expect the new organization to be of assistance in meeting their domestic trade union problems.

2. Support the claim which the new organization will undoubtedly make for “Category A” consultative status in the UN and its specialized agencies, which will give it the right now accorded to the Communist-dominated World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) and the AFL to submit agenda items before ECOSOC and its subordinate bodies. We should wait to see how events develop before deciding whether and how to support anticipated demands to deprive the WFTU of such status.

3. Encourage American labor organizations to maintain and extend their efforts in behalf of international organization of free trade unions, giving special attention to Asia, Africa, and colonial areas where it is anticipated the WFTU will now intensify its pro-Communist activities.

4. Extend and regularize the present system of Departmental consultation with American labor organizations in order to give them a greater sense of participation in the formulation of foreign policy and thus sustain and intensify their interest in foreign activities; and keep them informed on developments abroad of interest to them as well as international labor problems on which their advice and efforts could be helpful to us.

5. Take whatever occasion offers to appoint representative American trade unionsts to important posts abroad, thus giving further visible signs of the identification of American labor with American foreign policy.

Discussion:

Steps are now being taken by democratic trade unionists here and abroad to form a free trade union international which will replace the Communist-led World Federation of Trade Unions as the authentic spokesman for world labor. This development is valuable from the viewpoint of American interests and foreign policy. The new international will be headed by responsible elements whose political views run from moderate left to center and who in general can be assumed to support the present objectives of the Western Governments. On the whole they favor international cooperation for collective security and the attainment of economic and social objectives and international organization for peace. They are resolutely opposed to Communism. Although many of the older trade union movements in Europe believe in the ultimate goal of Socialism they are normally moderate Socialists in practice and are quite profoundly attached to democratic methods. The European unions who will join are already committed to the purposes of the European Recovery Program and have formed, together with the AFL and CIO, a Trade Union Advisory committee to the ERP (ERP–TUAC).

The new international also has particular interest and value to us as a continuing, world-wide medium through which all major elements in the American labor movement can work together abroad. The CIO and AFL and probably the Railway Brotherhoods as well will be represented, and it is expected that they will play an important role. A large number of individual American unions are also extending their affiliation with the international trade secretariats (international associations by craft and industry) which will probably be tied up with the new international. It is to our interest that the American trade unions should, so far as possible in unity, play an ever expanding role in international affairs since by doing so they can support American objectives among groups many of which have traditionally been suspicious of “capitalist” governments, particularly the United States. They can by their contact with Socialist and other politically-minded trade unionists abroad help to break down outmoded stereotypes about this country. At a time when trade union movements, notably in Western Europe and the British Commonwealth, have become powerful political as well as economic forces, this is important to the achievement of our objectives abroad.

American labor association with and contribution to the ERP, the activities of the AFL in encouraging the growth of democratic trade unionism in France, Italy and Germany, and the CIO’s position during the Italian elections of 1948 provide merely a few indications of the role American labor can play abroad in support of our objectives. American labor organizations can also through financial and other practical support of trade unionists abroad help in the fight to prevent Communist seizure and domination of trade union movements, such as has occurred in Eastern Europe and, to a lesser extent, in France and Italy. We should therefore encourage and support the development of this trade union international within the limits of legitimate Government activity.

The recommendations fall into two categories, those designed to help directly in creating the new international, and others, the purpose of which is to make the participation of American labor therein more effective.

Especially during the formative period of the new international, our information media abroad (Recommendation No. 1) can be of effective help. WFTU and other communist propaganda channels are daily accusing the democratic leaders of being “splitters” for having left the WFTU; of being “tools of Wall Street and British imperialism”, and so on. They are not only vilifying the non-Communists, but making the most of whatever signs of division there may be among them. The militancy of the WFTU has a certain appeal, not only in areas where trade unionism is in a fledgling stage, but even to workers in such countries as France and Italy. The democratic leaders as yet have no organization or propaganda means with which to put their case. The Voice of America and other information media should help fill the obvious need to present the Western case, through news and feature presentations. Basic themes should be developed toward this end and be given a high priority at least for the next six months.

The question of UN” status for the new international (No. 2) is rather more complex. Obviously the new international’s anticipated request for “Category A” status should have our support; we have already given informal assurances to that effect. Our position on the “declassification” of the WFTU, also not likely to arise directly at the next session, must necessarily take into account the wishes of the AFL and CIO. Our present thinking, however, is that the best approach would be to see if the WFTU will hang itself by further demonstration, in ECOSOC, of its narrow ideological base.

The Department has already been encouraging the formation of an Asiatic federation (No. 3), which takes on special importance in the light of evidence that the WFTU intends to concentrate on the new labor movements in that area. It is to our interest to have American labor extend its activities, hitherto largely confined to Europe and Latin America, to Asia, Africa, and colonial areas where democratic traditions in trade unionism have not yet taken root.

The further association of American labor with the making and execution of foreign policy (Nos. 4 and 5) will make an indirect but nonetheless effective contribution to American objectives as they are related to the new international. It will help ensure that American labor in its international contacts and activities is better able to promote American policy objectives; and to show trade unionists abroad the existing similarity of outlook on foreign policy between American labor and the U.S. Government. Real progress in this direction has been made recently by the appointment of Labor Advisers to ECA Missions, two of the latter having now been promoted to heads of mission in Norway and Sweden.

Because of the unique nature of the foreign activities of American labor, the Department has taken special pains to maintain liaison with the principal labor leaders involved, chiefly those in the international departments of the AFL and CIO. The recent decision of the two organizations to work together in the new international now provides an opportunity to systematize and extend our consultation with them, bringing them in jointly for special conferences, and providing background information and material in a way designed to appeal to labor’s special interests. It is therefore proposed that ILS and P work out jointly a special liaison program with American labor aimed at maximizing the effective participation of American labor in the new international and labor’s support for American foreign policy.

For further analysis of the considerations related to establishment of the new international, reference is made to the Department’s unnumbered circular instruction dated May 12, 1949, on the subject, “International Labor Movements After the WFTU Split”.²

Concurrences: P, UNE (appropriate sections of the paper); EUR, NEA, FE, ARA (circular instruction referred to in last paragraph above).

1. This memorandum, which was drafted by Irwin M. Tobin of the Division of International Labor and Social Affairs, was transmitted from Director Brown to Under Secretary Webb through Willard L. Thorp, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. It was subsequently circulated to the Under Secretary’s Meeting as document UM D 44, June 1, 1949. For the results of the consideration of the memorandum at the Under Secretary’s Meeting of June 3, see the memoranda of June 3 and June 6 by Humelsine, infra.
2. Supra.