THE WORLD FEDERATION OF TEACHERS' UNIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-00915R000500400009-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 30
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 20, 1998
• Sequence Number: 9
• Content Type: REPORT

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THE WORLD FEDERATION OF TgACHERS' UNIONS
(Federation. Internationale Syndicale de
1TEnseignement: - F.I.S.E.)
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COT TI NIBIi
THE WORLD ? D d TION or T Acl- RS I TUITIONS
(Federation Internationale Syndicale de
l'Enseignement:
December 1956 Copy No.
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TH WORLD F TD .TA'TIDTN OF TEACHERS' UZIOW
(Fe(leration Internationale Syndicale cue
1tEnseignement~: _ - F. I.S.E. )
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Page
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I.
Pre-war Communist Activity, in t)e Educations FX,
II.
Post-war Developments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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III.
Activities of F. I.S.E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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N.
The Leadership of F . I. S. E. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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V.
Relationship of . F . I . S . E . to the W. F. T. U. . . . . . . . .
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J Al
VI.
F.I.S.E. Unity Tactics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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16
VII.
F.I.S.E. Attacks on the World Confederation of the Teaching
Profession (W.C.O.T.P.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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INTRODUCT ION
The World Federation of Tegcherst Unions, more frequently referred to
as"F. I. S. E." Weft its French initials, is the Communist-controlled inter-
national front organization through which the Soviet Union coordinates its
propaganda and tactics in the field of education in the Free World.
The F. I.S.E. is a typical Communist-front organization)i.n that it
pretends to be "democratic" and "independent." It has never openly ident-
ified itself as a Communist organization. On the contrary, it claims to
be the only international organization representing all teachers, regardless
of political or religious belief. /1 In this disguise it seeks to unite
the teachers of the world into a single international organization of
teachers under its control.
The main objectives of F. I. S.E., in addition to creating broad popular
OIWV
support among teachers for the Soviet-Communist program, -xsto cure the
teaching profession of its "bourgeois" outlook%and to integrate the
activities of teachers into the more general act,ion of the working class./11
According to the Secretary General of F. I.S.E.} "The bourgeoisie is now
incapable of giving the slightest perspective to teachers and children."
The obvious inference being that only the Communists can supply such
perspective. /11
The Communists thus hope, through F.I.S.E,, to be able to
convert teachers to Communism and thereby capture the minds
of the next generation, the students of today. /12
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t{r
. er he F. I.S.E. claimE9 a membership of million
4ft
teachers. Its actual numerical strength, which in any case is concentrated
in the Soviet-Satellite countries, is probably considerably smaller than
this figure. T a.stly inflating^membership figures is a
tactic employed by the various international Communist-front organizations
to create an impression of mimmusthim greater strength and importance
than that actually possessed.
The headquarters of F.I.S.E. Oww formerly located in the Soviet
jector of Vienna in the bolding occupied by the World Federation of
Trade Unions, of which F.I.S.E. is a trade department. In February 1956,
however, the Amstibm government banned further activities in Austria by
the W.F.T.U., as well as F.I.S.E., and both organizations were forced to
move their headquarters. This-marked the second occasion that a host
government had found it necessary to
officiallzproscribe their
activities, moth were expelled from France in 1951.
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The Communists have always regarded t' educationea f2- T
d as- a key
sector On the ideological e, and from' the very beginning they have
made it abundantly clear that their objective is to destroy non-Communist
educational systems and replace them with systems based on scientific
materialism.
Thistwas clearly evident in the Programme of the Communist International
(Comintern), which was adopted in 1928 at its Sixth Congress. This Programme
contained the following passage:
"In destroying the capitalist monopoly of the means of production,
the working class must also destroy the capitalist monopoly of education, that
is, it must take possession of all the schools, from the elementary schools
to the universities."
"At the same time, the proletarian state)( ... reconstructs the whole
of its educational work on the basis of scientific materialism."
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In order to achieve t' !4e revolutionary objectives, the lelers of
the Comintern realized that it was necessary to extend their influence
hevond the immediate confines of the Communist movement itself. This
realization, of course, was not confined to the educational field
but extended to other lines of endeavor as well.
To this end was created a number of auxiliary, or front, or'anlzations
which were actually though not theoretically, under the leadership and
control of the Comintern. These front- or#anizations varier. in character:
some were easily identifiable with the Comintern; others were so organized.
Into the latter caterrory fell the Educational. Workers' International
The E. `J. I. ,. as not irnedietely recognizable as a Comintern
auxiliary because it also r>raned affiliation to unions belonging to the
Second International. /3
r? +,~ ? 0-), the ?' . !. J ha 3 7r5,oso ? ri 1? i.Ing
tn'*ether e,^bers of the tear_ h.inn profession and tea.chers' unions
into a single international org'-nization under Communist control, as
well as enrna.-ling of Coi1m,3nist influence within the. teaching
nrofession. During the pre-Jorld Jar II period, it was the E.RT. I.,
in conjunction with the various Coxn.ist Parties, through which
Communist activity among teachers as coordinated. /2
The E.'1.I.. exist,4fa., least nominally, until 1946 when
it was succeeded by the ?Thich has carried on the essential
tasks of its Comintern nredeceeoor.
4
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 Post-war Developments
During ths-geriod -
1Hati lftl
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1 activities
among the
:ist7-from organiz on oug w c
oao-hi:~tg "profession were coordinate~"ie"r`e'~~j` supplanting
whieh't s'a direct descendant.
its Comintern predece=Ory--ttw-R--AkL ,,of
The F. I.S.E. was founded at an international meeting of teachers' unions
arkitlr a -plaee in July 1946 in Paris. According to the February. 1953
issue of Teachers of the World, official mm publication of F. I. S. E., the
meeting was marked "by the merging together of the old pre-war organizations,
the Educational Workers' International and the International Professional
Secreta } of Teachers, which declared their willingness to unite in the
trade department of the W. F . T. U. (World Federation of _ Trade - Unions) ... it
The basis for this meeting, according to the above publication, was
laid by the visit to Paris of a representative of_the"Teachers' Confederation
of Latin America," Crisologo GATICA Munoz (Chilean Communist , who was
entrusted with the task of making contact with the European organizations,,
arc.
while the French trade union organizations took the initiative OC, e d.ending
invitations to different countries, with the aim of. reconstituting the
teachers' international union ~.
workers were held by I.S.E. in Brussels in 1947 and in Budapest in 1948.
-Wn i
~ g the Paris meeting, international conferences. of educational
4~
.e
l+l
rg the udapest conference its present names t= 'W LPederation
pfATT,", i n~
I! /5
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was adopted.
At a conference held in Warsaw in August 1949 the.. present structure
. Q13
,' o 1). I . S.E . was establishedA its statutesq drawn up
pia eiyfolTowiiig
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Post-war Co?nm>nist Activity in the International Educational Field
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Activities o/r~ I S E
s"oIr =T. . concentrates core
on social and political matters than on strictly educational
problems, (7T promote Soviet foreign policy objectives.
Both in publications and in resolutions of its executive bodies
it has consistently supported the Soviet position, on such questions as
the rearmament of Western Germany, the Korean r, disarmament, "peace", etc.
The president of;'F I.S.E., Henri WALLON, in an article which appeared
i
in Teachers of the World (September 1952), supported the Communist charge
that bacteriological warfare was being used in Korea, but supwassed
oppose the proposal to entrust the investigation of the charges to
the International Red Cross'' `that the International Red Cross
was mobastft an unreliable organization.
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The United Nations has also come in for abuse byf.I.S.E. An article
in Teachers of the World (July-September 1954) dealt with the fall of
the Communist government in Guatemala in the following terms:
"..wthis was brutal imperialist aggression against a small country...
imperialism prepared and unleashed a mortal blow against Guatemalan
democracy in order to terrorize all the Latin American people...the
Security Council of the United Nations, which four years ago supported
a war of aggression in Korea, rejected the complaint of Guatemala."
Within its own specialized field I that of education y the F.I.S.E.
constantly seeks to convey the impression that the position of teachers in
non-Communist countries is intolerably low , in contrast with the situation
of teachers in the Soviet Union and the Satellites, which is L my described
s
in glowing terms. A t,yrpical, but by no means isolated example e6 S 1,m
contained in the General Resolution of the Administrative Committee of
the F. I.S.E., which met in Vienna in December 1954.
ThS resolution, as reported in Teachers of the World (Issue No. 14,
1955), contained the following passages:
...in spite of certain local successes, the position of the school
and of the teachers in the capitalist and colonial countries continue to
deteriotate..."
TTIn the U.S.S.R., Peoples' China and the Peoples' Democracies, the
position of education and of the teachers constantly improves..."
In addition to portraying non-Communist educational systems in 4--
unfavorable a light as possible, the F.I.S.E. eame endeavors
to promote the Soviet system ofXducation. In August 1951, for example, the
Administrative Committee, meeting at Erfurt, stated: /8
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"The answers to the great questions of education can only e suprlied
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by the Soviet Union and the People's Democracies; in capitalist countries,
only the working class can supply such an answer. Educational methods must
therefore be based on the great experience of the U.S.S.R."
On the occasion of Stalin's death the F.I.S.E.1 voted two full pages
of the May 1953 issue of Teachers of the Wow
glowing tribute to
"Stalin the Educator." According to Henri WALLON, President orF.I.S.E.;
"Stalin has been the most exceptional educator. All his statements and
writings are marked by admirable simplicity. They are the essence of good
sense. Listening to him, it seems impossible to think otherwise. And yet
the problems which he solves with such clarity and such simplicity are
precisely the most difficult, the most controversial, those which have
been distorted by the most bijtter controversy."
"Stalin's work
is founded
on a knowledge of the laws that man
must learn to understand; these laws are objective; therefore it is possible
to teach men how to discover them, to verify their efficacy, and to put them
to practical application. Stalin ceaselessly gave this instruction to his
closest collaborators, and whenever the occasion presented itself to the
entire people. This is why his work is immortal and will continue. He
gave it life by basing it on man, became conscious of the laws governing
the world and of the nature of mankind itself. His essential preoccupation
was man, the most precious, capital of all. To render its full value to
this capital, man must be instructed. Stalin was a great educator, an/
educator of genius, the educator of educators
eachers of all countries will be inspired by his great example."
The F.I.S.E. also sent a telegram to the U.S.S.R., signed by Henri
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LLON d P ul )EZLANOUE Secretary General o
WA an a , ._
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stated:
"The work accomplished by Brother Stalin, at the head of the forces
of progress, has transformed the world. Thanks to his immeasurable
contribution to the cause of the peoples, the future appears brighter to
the youth of all countries. The work of Brother Stalin is immortal, his
teachings will guide our act4on to unite the teachers of the world and
educate young people to a consciousness of their responsibilities in
building the future." ~~,~~tt
In view of the Stalin denigration in the U.S.S.R. it is possible that N~+e.
F. I. S.E. has lost some of its fervor for the "great educator, the educator
of genius, the educator of educators."
While the F.I.S.E. professes to be an organization devoted to the
interests of teachers, in reality a considerable portion of its activity,
is devoted to its political role with a corresponding lessening of activity
towards purely educational problems.
Sal
In its political role the F.I.S. E. has not hesitated to assume, violently
partisan stand on both domestic and international political issues, invar-
iably following the Soviet,1Gommunist line on these subjects.
Typical political pronouncements oftF.I.S.E. include the following:
E
(I~ -,!'Everywhere our enemy is the same - American imperialism which, in its
determination to dominate the world, tries to impose the same methods of
compulsion on all education systems throughout the world." (Teachers of
tie World, January 1952).
( 2~ "The Executive Bureau of the F.I.S.E. declares that the armament race
and the policy of aggression pursued by the governments of the imperialist
states, headed by the U.S.A. monopolists, are leading to the further reduction
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of expenditure on peaceful pursuits, and in particular for state education."
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(Teachers of the World. May 1953).
(3) "Looking forward to a new imperialist war, in which they hope to
enrich themselves as they did in the first two wars, the United States
are building military bases in all parts of the world, in Europe, in
Africa, in Asia." (Teachers of the World, February 1952).
(L~} "U.S. imperialism, stained with the blood of Korean women, is
trying to spread war all over the world and to throw mankind into flames."
(!Appeal to the Teachers, Professors and Scientists of the World," issued
by the F.I. E. Executive Bureau at Sofia in February 1951).
Sa
~5 1 "In spite of the unanimous desire of the people that peace should be
maintained, reactionary forces are x intensifying their
activities and are opposing the relaxation of international tension, they
are organizing military blocs in Europe and Asia, they are opposing move-
ments for national libetation, and they are interfering in the internal
affairs of the LatinAAmerican peoples with a view to imposing on them
dictatorial governments which are subservient to the United States
monopolies." (Teachers of the World, January-March 1955).
(b) "In Western Germany in particular, where American imperialism is
trying to create a base for the war that they are plotting, education has
been brought to the brink of catastrope." (Teachers of the lorld, July-
September 1954).
While the United States comes in for the major shay f the abuse,
other non-Communist countries are not neglected; for example:
0 "The teachers of India will continue to defend their own fundamental
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rights, the =cam cause of the children, and she right of their people to
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an education. They will do so against the colonial regime, which still
survives under new forms,, and against Indian reaction. And we can assure
them that they will have the sympathy and the help of their colleagues in
other lands." (Teachers of the World, January 1952).
2 } "A phenomenon characteristic of the political situation in Europe and
throughout the world is the rebirth of German
JMWOOMM imperialism fostered
by the English and American imperialists." (Teachers of the World, February
1952).
(3) "Not only does the enemy attempt to divide us, to separate us from
the workers and the people, but he attempts to isolate the best fighters,
to dismiss them, imprison them. This is what is hapbening in New York,
India, Latin America, and, to a lesser degree, in countries like France,
Great Britain and Belgium.'" (Teachers of the World, January 1952).
In 1953 the F.I.`".E. published and distributed a postcard entitled
I
such as the World Federation of Democratic Youth,vthe Jomen"s International
Democratic Federations Ab"
works in close cooperation with -them, and
most particularly, with the Communist dominated? -Torld Peace Council, of
t
"Liberty Accuses,." which bore the statement that, "In the United States
of America, the Feinberg, Smith and McCarran laws deprive the teachers of
any real freedom of opinion or of organization." F.I.S.E. requested
teachers of all lands to distribute and mail the post-carol. _
In addition to its propaganda and political activities, the F.I.S.E.
also maintains links with other international Communist-front organizations,
which the Secretar- General ofrF I S E Paul DELA,NOUE s member. /S
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In a not tto? subtle way the F.I.:,.E. has also advocated that teachers
in other countries, organize themselves into underground
movements against their respective governments.
In the January 1952 issue of Teachers of the World the F.I.S.E. printed
an article entitled, "The Teachers' Underground Movement in Shanghai Before
the Liberation," waitten by FAN Ming, Chinese Vice President, . .
A
In this article FAN Ming described how the teachers' underground movement
was organized in Shanghai during the Chiang Kai Shek regime.
This article was later published in pamphlet form by the W.F.T.U.
piia Publications, Ltd., in London, and sold for 2d per copy. Advertisements
for its sale w4getarried in Teachers-of the World.
F. I. S. E. published the following statement
"From time to time happenings in one country are highly instructive
for the teachers' organizations in others. For example, Teachers of the "Jorl
published in its first number an interview with our colleague IAN Wing of
Peking, who told how, under the Chiang Kai Shek regime, Chinese teachers in
that town managed to organize themselves, to build up unity among themselves,
and through their active co-operation with factory !Torkers and parents, to
I
develop a vast movement, centered on the teaching profession, which was an
important factor in the liberation struggles of the Chinese people.
"The example of the teachers of Shanghai has been an object-lesson for
our comrades in other countries, particularly in Asia, where similar problems
are now being faced.'
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b Lea(je-r. ship of/F. T.S.E.
r
Uhile the F. I. S. E. professes to be "democratic" and "independent,"
the fact remains that its leadership is firmly under Soviet-Communist
This fact is plainly evident from the background of its leaders who,
most without exception, are either members of
the Communist Party in their respective countries, members of Co?z unist-front
organizations, or are from countries under Communist control and domination.
AIAX
The Administrative Committee ofI. S. E. is composed of the following: /16
Henri .JALLON (France). Member of the Communist
Party of France. Former Communist Deputy. /12
Vice Presidents: Ivan S. GRIVKOV (U.S.S.R.). President of the
Teachers' Union of the Russian Federal Soviet
Socialist Republic.
FAN Ming (Communist China). Deputy- Director of
the International Liaison Department of the
All-China Federation of Trade Unions. Vice Chair-
man of the National Committee of the Educational
Torkers' Trade Union.
Cesar GODOY Urrutia (Chile). A leading member of
the Commnunist Party of Chile. /l8 Alternate
member of the Executive Committee of the World
Federation of Trade Unions.
Antonio DANFI (Italy) President of the
U.S.S.R.-Italy Association. Communist Party of
Italy senator.
Gueye ABDOULAYE (Da]:ar). Secretary General of
the Senegal. Democratic Union, a section of the
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Secretary General:
African Democratic Assembly. Political
Director of Reyeil d'Au i ourci.' h ii,
Paul DELANOUE (France). Member of the
Corvnunist-controii.ed World Peace Council.
Member of the General Council of the :World
Federation of Trade Unions. As of 1953,
Secretary of the National Federation of
Education, a ffil mated to the Communist-
dominated G.G.T. /3,17
Maria MARCHAPNT (Chile). Member of the
Communist Party of Chile. /4
Dinitrj TAPTIKOV (U.S.S.R. )
Eustachy KUROTCZ'0 (Poland)
Stoiko DOBREV (Bulgaria)
Rafael TISCHLM (Guatemala)
Taieb DJADIR (Oran)
J. P. SAINZ (Mexico)
Vaclav NOUKOL (Czechoslovakia)
Erika UENDL/uND (Germany)
N' GUYEN Ifha,n Toan (Viet-Nam).
The F.I.S.E. also has an Auditing Commission composed of the following:
Rudolf KRAICHF,L (Austria)
Radu PETRE (Rumania)
KOVACS, fnu (Hungary)
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The statutory policy-malting body of the F. I. S. E. is its International
Conference, but for all practical purposes the F. I. S.E. is directed by its
nine officers--President, five Ice-Presidents, Secretary.
General, and two Secretaries. /$
The fact that F.I.S.E. has not called an international conference of
its membe*ship since JuIr 1953 (contrary to its statutes), is a further
demonstration of its undemocratic character and its complete control by a
handful (LPe0ple.
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Relationship P. I.S.E. to the W.F.T. U.
The Executive Committee of the World Federation of Trade Unions
(W.F.T.U.) which met in Paris from 28 January to 1 February 1949, decided
to recognize the F. I.S.E., in accordance with its ApIrequest, as the
Education Trade Department. of the W.F.T.U. /6 The F.I.S.E. thereby
earned the dubious distinction of being the first trade department to be
~2G~?dizEo
within the W.F.T.U.
The Communist-controlled W.F.T.U. is the international front-organization
through which the U.S.S.R. coordinates its propaganda and tactics in the
field of labor in the Free World.
jy4jL
As a trade department of the W.F.T.U., the activities ofAF.I.S.E. are
closely coordinated by the W.F.T.U. Secretariat. Moreover, effective W.F.T.U.
control of the F.I.S.E. is ensured through an interlocking directorate
between the two organizations. Thus, the following officials of F.I.S.E.
are also officials of the W.F.T.U.:
Paul DELANOUE (France)
10
Secretary General ofAF.I.S.E. Member of
the General Council of the W.F.T.U.
Cesar GODOY Urrutia,(Chile) A Vice President ofAF.I.S.E. Alternate
W.F.T. U.
Rafael TISCHLER (Guatemala) Member of the Administrative Committee of
_44 F. I.S.E. Alternate member of the General
Council of the W.F.T.U. /7
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In 1951 the W.F.T.U., along withhF.I.S.E., moved to the Soviet sector
of Vienna, having been expelled from Paris by the French Government for
subversive activities. /8
The transfer of th2 respective headquarters to Vienna was imposed on
the Austrian Government without its consener the protection of the
Soviet occupation forces both organizations were able to continue their
activities as before.
Following the signing of the Austrian Peace Treaty the W. F.T.U., for
the first time, took the necessary legal steps to register itself in com-
pliance with Austrian laws I
In February 1956, however, after having determined that the activities
n being conducted by the W.F.T.U. were inimical
Austria/,h.. government by official decree dissolved the W.F.T.U. as a
legal association and expelled it from Austria. The ban also applied to
the F.I.S.E. /10
Thus, two governments have officially determined that the activities
of these organizations are of such a nature as to warrant their expulsion
Following the ban, the W.F.T.U. established its headquarters in
Prague. Presumably, the F.I.S.E. will also establish its headquarters in
a satellite country as it is extremely doubtful that any free country will
accept it.
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z F T "S E Unity, Tact'
Shortly after its creation in 1946 the F.I.S.E. began trying to
non-Communist organizations into its fold in order to establish
$ effort, for the most part resulted in failure. /8
The F
.I S E then reso t d t
r e
?
a single international organization of teachers, . This
?
o another tactic. It adopted the =w-
familiar "unity" tactic presently in vogue in the various Communist Parties
and front-organizations throughout the world, WhiV5 consists of appealing
duo non-Communist organizations to join in t x"united action"
for the achievement of a limited number of common objectives.. These object-
ives, however, are never inconsistent with Soviet foreign policy and, more
frequently, are in outright support of such objectives although this fact is
never mentioned.
According to the F.I.S.E. all the ills of the-teaching profession in
the non-Communist countries *'
Nim Has! are Z!!war budgets"
which result, in decreased expenditures for education.
,Using this as a basis the F.I.S.E. has appealed to non-Communist
teachers' organizations to join ai6bmii,-in united action to correct the
evils arising from this situation. The fact that military expenditures in
the Soviet/Satellite countries affect the teaching profession in those
countries to the same degree is studiously avoided.
budgets grow fatter, eating into the Budgets for education. And because
To use F. I.S.E.'s own words, unity is necessary because:
"Far from improving, the situation worsens from day to day. The war
the teachers cannot accept this situation, because they struggle for the
prosperity and dignity of their profession side by side with their peoples
and with the parents of their pupils, attacks are made on their
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 Sanitized - Approved For Release CIA-RDP78-00915R000500400009-3
essential freedoms. The aim is to transform them into resigned and
passive servants of the rulers who sacrifice education for war.
This is the position not only in New York, but also in London,
Paris, Brussels, Rome, Tokyo, Copenhagen, in the colonial countries and
in many Asian and Latin American countries.
"Under these circumstances, there is no more essential task for our
Federation than that of achieving the unity of the teaching body, unity in
each country and unity on the international scale.
"Only unity can make it possible for us to force the war governments
to retreat." (Teachers of the World, January-March 1953)
The F.I.S.E. has high hopes that its unity of cation tactic will
succeed to the point where it can progress to the next stage, namely unity
of organization, its original and ultimate objective.
The F.I.S.E. has achieved a partial measure of succees with its
unity tactic. It p)irsuaded two non-Communist teacher organizations, the
International Federation of Teachers' Associations and the International
Federation of Secondary Teach.erssto join with it to form a liaison committee
known as the Joint Committee of International Teachers' Federations. /8
The Joint Committee caiie into existence in 1948 and still meets at
regular intervals to discuss questions of practical cooperation between
teachers of East and West. /8
One of the major accomplishments of the Joint Committee was the
preparation of a Teachers' Charter, which was finally approved at a
meeting held in Moscow in August 1954. As F.I.S.E. was outnumbered in the
discussions, the Charter is non-polemical. /8
The F.I.S.E. has on occasion abused its relationship with the Joint
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Committee to further its own purposes. In Teachers of th World (Issue No.
15, 1955), the F. I.S.E. published an article entitled, "Summary of Reports
on the Defence of Education," prepared by Mr. A. M. GOSSART, President of
the Joint Committee. The F.I.S.E. took the liberty of prefacing Mr. GOSSARTfs
report with the Pdleti^g statement#, )
"The report of Mr. GOSSART obviously does not apply to the socialist
countries."
The F.I.S.E. also attempted to use the Joint Committee as a means of
accomplishing wit has not been able to do on its own account,
namely the creation of a single international organization of teachers. A
specific proposal to have the Joint Committee prepare the basis for such an
international organization was made by F.I.S.E. in 1952.0 /5
The F.I.S.E. is well aware that Sri its larger claimed membership,
and a disciplined following voting as a single bloc, 1~ would soon ft
to capture control of such an organization.
ble
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 3atay ` Co~rmiunist-controlled bodies have joined the W.C.O.T.P. /8
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F.I.S.E. Attacks on the World Confederation of Organizations of the
Teaching Profession (W.C.O.T.P.)
One of the principal barriers to F. I.S.E.'s expansion in the educational
field has been the non-political World Confederation of Organizations of the
Teaching Professions (W.C.O.T.P.),
While the F. I.S.E., in accordance with the Soviet/Communist "unity"
II
theme, has made certain gestures of cooperation with the W.C.O.T.P., th L
can only be regarded as a temporary tactical maneuver/for the F.I.S.E.
has made it clear that its objective is to destroy the W.C.O.T.P.
This was revealed in a resolution adopted by the F.I.S.E. Executive
Bureau which met in Warsaw, 15-19 January.1953. Thdly resolution, wg as
reported in Teachers of the World (May 1953), stated that the Executive
Bureau of F.I.S.E. had resolved:
"To instruct the F.I.S.E. Secretariat...to take steps to examine the
activity of the so-called 'World Confederation of Organizations of the
Teaching Profession,, formed in August 1952 in Copenhagen in order to make
plain its disruptive role and to end any influence it may have on t
p teachers' organizations unaffiliated "lie F. I. S. E. "
V1110 7,
The W.C.O.T.P. was founded in August 1952 at Copenhagen when the
International Federation of Teachers' Association and the International
Federation of Secondary Teachers together with the World Organization of
(K10. T R {
the Teaching Profession met and established a new, comprehensive association
Membership in the W.C.O.T.P. is open to any national teachers' assoc-
iation which refrains from "partisan politics or religious controversy.tt/8
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In furtherance of its announced objective of destroying the W.C.O.T.P.
the F.I.S.E. has consistently endeavored to discredit it in the eyes of the
y9
teaching profession. Similar efforts were re direct
edWagaithe J. O. T. P.,
4
which the F.I.S.E. regards as being solely responsible for the creation of
the W.C.0.T.P.
In resolutions of its directing bodies, in its publications, and in
statements of its leaders, the F.I.S.E. has launched vicious and malicious
attacks, and outright falsehoods, against the W.C.O.T.P. and its leaders,
whom they have accused of trying to split the unity of teachers and of
promoting war.
deal examples of -,such attacks'. Des c_
;~~,ha,e veconstantly had the impression that the W.O.T.P.;s major
objective is to try and divide the world teaching profession in two, and to
divide it taking into account not considerations connected with education,
the interests of teachers, the future of the children, or the maintenance
of peace, but taking into account the objectives of the big American employers
or of organizations such as the International Business Machine Co. This is
all in order to develop a 'cold wart offensive, at the expense of education."
"Men who are preparing for war - we accuse Dr. William F. Russell,
l~.t
.
World Organization of the Teaching Profession." a-s the
+gt'J*n article appearing in Teachers of the World, \May 1952,? Contain-
d in the article was the following:
"This is the sinister figure who dominates the W.O.T.P., and will seek
to dominate the World Confederation of the Teaching Profession, which he
1has long sought to establish."
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"And we sound a warning against this man ...who is an enemy of trade
{
 unions and social progress, and who m has always been identified with
to foist upon the teachers and the schools."
it
E
ij American bi business, whose war for world domination he supports and seeks
' -&f the=- World, January 1952:
"The splitting activities carried on in the teaching profession by some
reactionary teachers' organizations, formed in the interest of American
will be denounced in every possible way - by press, radio,
ar1-d. May 1952:,_
"At the same time the Executive Bureau emphasises the vital necessity
of strengthening international unity of teachers; this acquires a particular
importance in view of the growing activity of the reactionary 'splitting'
I
1 teachers' organisations which enjoy the support of their own imperialist
governments."
2 rc~rex~s-_0f,_44*e 74or1d "Iay 1953:
"Set up in Copenhagen in August 1952, on the initiative of American
monopoly, the so-called 'World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching
Profession' is a reactionary organization which has set itself the task of
(smashing teachers international unity and thus making it impossible for the
teachers to struggle actively for their rights and vital interests and for
;progress in education."
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1
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It is ft evident from the nature and tone of these attacks that the
attempt to discredit the W.C.O.T.P. is motivated by an awareness 6n the
part of F.I.S.E. that a.teachers' organization devoted exclusively to the
I interests of the teaching profession offers more
than an organization whose primary concern is the promotion of Communist
The very
political objectives.
existence of such an organization poses a threat tooa expansion
F.I.S.E. and its efforts to establish a single international organization
of teachers under its control.
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