LABOR INSTITUTE HOPES TO HELP LATIN PEASANTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73-00475R000100820016-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 17, 2014
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: February 4, 1966
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT r"' Pr"' Pa7?1 '
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/01/17 : CIA-RDP73-00475R000100820016-0
HERALD
M. 325,451
S. 386.117
FEB 4 1956
11r24.4 HAM1 HERALD Friday, Feb. 4, 1966
o?
Of Our Washington Bureau
7: WASHINGTON. ? A U.S. t",lo
agency which trains Latin American labor leaders faces ?
? .
the new year of 1966 with.-
' a new director and new 'di-
rections for its policies in the!
, hemisphere.
The American Institute
2 for Free Labor Development!
(AIFLD), three and one-half
years old, feels that it is now
solidly established and ready
f, to move into broader fields
f of activity.
As part of its new plans.
the Institute Is taking aim at
? the down-trodden Latin
:American peasant, hoping to
elevate his station In life. In
(the past, the institute has
j, s.
worked mostly with, labor unions in Latin cities.
? By
1
By LF,E WINFREY
t
.-: The institute was estan:
r- lished in June 1962, mostly
f, by the AFL-CIO. George
v Meany, president of the
f. AFL-CIO, is also the presi-
...
: dent of AIFLD. . ?
Sixty-four American busi-
nesses are also taking part
In AIFLD work, however,
i including such well-known
firms as the First National
City Bank of New York, IT.
? and T. and Pan American
World Airways. J. Peter.
; Grace, president of W. R.
refiarCo., is the vice
president of the institute.
'i? The U.S. government also
r takes part. .The Agency for
International Development,-
Y. . the government's foreign :aid'
Ir dispenser, contributes more
I. business to the institute's
operation. .1. ? ',' . "
The goal of the program is
.;:.to develop more. democratic
T. union leaders in Letin Mucci-
? .tin trade unlotia-,gtp
..fnit Of SOCialist- and anar--1
chist traditions in the.
Century and many,. of 'them
have been strongly 'Commu-
nist since the end of World
War I.
The institute Is now at
work in 21 Latin countries
? all except Cuba, Haiti and
Paraguay, three dictator-
ships where the local unions
are not free. Praise for its
work has been considerable.
"All Who believe in free-
d?. m and ? democracy rejoice
.in the success scored by the
AIFLD in combatting com-
munism," said Gov. Nelson
.?.A. Rockefeller of New York.
"The AIFLD is -doing an
excellent job." said Sen. Ed-
ward Kennedy (D., Mass.).
"The results have been be-
yond all expectations," said
. Celso Pastor de la Tor r e,
ambassador to the U.S. from.
? Peru.
Thri instittite claims to
haVe reached more than 20,-
:many years. IRemusidi reach---1
ed retirement age and was
.replaced late last year ?
by William C. Eloherty Jr.,
son of a former U.S. amhas-
_sector to' Jamalen, who was
pronioted from within 'the I
;organization. ? .
A shift in emphasis toward j
:the rural worker is now at
.the top of AIFLD' S plans.
',Doherty sees 1966 as "the
.year when the campesinos
;and fermi workers wij join.
?with . fthe organized labor
*movement in -a mighty push ?
for better food, clothing, shel-
ter and education."
Tin move into the hark- j
landhLwill .bring , the AlF.LDj..
eveh more head-to-head with 4.
the Communists, the orga-
riization's chief senemy. Ac-
cording to some critics at
? home as \yell as ? abroad, the ,
rnment ? suoportml
the AIFT in part because
CIA uses-it --trr-nrrinior:!14..,
1157 network
?.Such charges are ? dis-'
missed'N
-f)uri-p-rdpac.anc10
by the institute's friends.L:
ver get 64 Aineri-",
sses lined up with
e ation," said one.
be prejudicial to .
all ? their operations over-
seas."
The institute feels strong-
ly that it is in the front line
.of the war against cornmu7,1
Film, however. ? It Is ?ague-'
about 'the?Ounthrr of Hs ern?%;
ployes ("everal hundred in.:
round figures") and decline
to release any figures on its ;
annual budget. "We don't
care to have our enemies f.1
h e Communists) know t
more than necessary about_*,
our operations," a spoice-sP
man said.
h eonC?ir"-nuh s kntov,
? plenty already,. to their car-
feelt,_The. tippe_ ?
ls . that.. they 'even,
P who* snit itagkiaiifiit? sk...
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/01/17 : CIA-RDP73-00475R000100820016-0
here fo.r. :three-mrintli-stUdy
program WilIch Includes such
subjects as the history . of,
;unions, pririlamentary proce-
dure, public speaking, collec-
tive bargaining, labor legisla-
tion, profit sharing and pub..
Ile relations..,.
"We are not interested in
organizing labor unions,"
:said an AIFLD spokesman. .
?'The laws of most Latin
American countries forbid.
r
- foreigners to do that. What
.we .are interested in doing is
Informing Latins on'how. We
do it here, pointing out the,
advantages of the 'democrat-
ic way." .
The AIFLD is proud "of
the ? record its trainees have;
compiled inLatin America
. .
so far.
In ? Brazil, atter the over-
throw of leftist President
Joao Goulart in 1964, AIFLD
. graduates were named . as.
trustees of eight unions for-
merly dominated by Commu-
nists.
-., 000 Latin workers with some .- In Uruguay,' four unionists'
'..,kind of instruction. The :trained by the AIFLD took'
work is carried on in three "office on the board of the
'ways. 1 principal port union -In a
, Mobile teams roam . the
'Communist cleanout.
towns and villages of Latin ..
In Peru, 17 of the 'first 21
America, conducting lectures graduates of the first
or seminars which - may last
d AIFLD national course con-.
days or weeks. In 14 coun-
tries,' AIFLD operates .rest- .ducted in that country have
dent institutes where Latins .since become secretaries-gen-?
eral of their unions. ? .
'come and live for . formal
; ? study ? coursei -iip to the" From its beginning u n t Ii
'months long. . .,,, ? -.?:??::.?:?..;:.:,' -.;about three months, -Iwo;
' I' ; ' ? ? ' .' ? , . ''', '': :..': ?:- ':''':, '
.AIFLD was directed by Seal
: M ?the *top' of ?the heap is ;Roo' Itomtialdi;',% a ?ii attitaIlted?
- itif ,-.advanced tstudy : . school ,Anie.ricark. ixicit; Id; Italy, who
? whIch';''AIFLD ' operates ; iti I'vtal? ; the AFI41itOs ?epe;eiel-
N11101t.W101WILLAMAltstiAltatillS4Atk .'*10040t,