Office of the Historian

800.062 ICFTU/1–1651:Circular telegram

The Secretary of State to Certain Diplomatic and Consular Offices 1

confidential
Washington, January 16, 1951—5 p. m.

Circular 389. International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) sending del to West Africa. Main object will be to lay ground for eventual West African Regional Trade Union org to be affiliated with ICFTU. Del expected to leave sometime before end of Jan, probably from London and will split up in two groups. Tentative itinerary is for first group to cover Nigeria and Gold Coast. Second group will concentrate on French West Africa, Sierra Leone, [Page 1211] Liberia and Gambia. Both groups will meet in Nigeria preparatory to convening in Cameroons in Feb. for regional conference of all West and Central African states. Del will be composed of la Fond (French Force Ouvriere); Dalley (British); Marcos Grant (Sierra Leone); L. White, National Organizer of Navigators and Engineer Officers Union, Great Britain, (representing Internatl Transport Workers Federation); Sercu, (Belgium Textile Union); H. D. Snell, American Negro, Assistant to President, United Transport Service Employees, CIO, (Red Caps Union). Two secretaries, Hood (British TUC internatl department) and Liniger (Swiss) will accompany del.

ICFTU is resolute, anti-Commie internatl trade union org comprising most of world’s non-Commie trade unions and with the AFL, CIO and Brit Trade Union Congress as its backbone. View del will try block WFTU attempts gain control trade unions of West Africa, Dept attaches great importance to its Mission and requests you furnish appropriate assistance to del if sought. Since ICFTU is independent internatl trade union org and US rep acting in internatl capacity you shld of course avoid giving impression we are sponsoring or in any way directing activities del. State and Labor Depts expect brief Snell before his departure.

Acheson
  1. This telegram was sent to the Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia, and to the Consulates in Accra, Gold Coast; Lagos, Nigeria; Leopoldville, Belgian Congo; and Dakar, French West Africa. It was drafted by Handley (NEA) and was cleared by Lavallee (AF), Swayzee (E/L), and by the Department of Labor.↩