WORLD ASSEMBLY OF WOMEN TO COMMEMORATE THE FIFTIETH ANIVIERSARY OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY (COPENHAGEN, 21 - 24 APRIL 1960

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-00915R001200030001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 56
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 17, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: March 14, 1960
• Content Type: DISP

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2. -considers the following points the Most significant
aspects of the preparatory work for this Assembly, which is being
covertly organized and controlled by the Women's Internatiox}al
Democratic Federation (WIDF):
a. It is obviously a Communist desire to make this a
"popular", large scale event, encompassing as many Socialist
and progressive figures as possible.
be Well-known WIDF personalities have been`,supported
init(,ally by a significant group of Italian and French women,
not heretofore identified with WIDF affil=sates or WIDF activity.
This may reflect a "mobilizing" of hitherto unexposed assets of
the respective Communist parties.
c. The tactics used in connection with the Seventh World
Youth Festival (Vienna, 26 July - 4 August 1959) are again
being applied in this. Instance, but with less effort to conceal
Communist participation. ,
25X1X7
Party of Italy.
d. On the basis of the actions of the French CP, it appears
probable that the Communist parties of Europe are giving a more
frank and direct support to this effort than they have given to
international front-sponsored "broad" gatherings in recent years.
3. This project represents an application, as far as Europe
is concerned, of the basic tactical program endorsed by the 17
European Communist Parties in late November 1959 at Rome, Italy.
By carrying on the "peace struggle" An the framework of a
gathering specifically of women, it is a departure from the conventional
World Peace Council technique, and a development of the Peace Move-
ment's recent efforts to generate peace activity at the national and
regional level by specific interest groups -- women, youth, teachers,
scientists, church representatives, civic representatives, etc. It
appears to be an application, at the international level, of a tactic
which has been long been preferred and advocated by the Communist
All Stations and Bases/
25X1A2d1
Chief,
World Assembly o Women to Commemorate th
F nn yersary of Internatioal-Wong
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4. So. far as the course of events at the Assembly is concerned,
it is likely that the main Communist effort will be to make the
reports and resolutions embody Communist analyses, arguments,
and, slogans:. No matter what the specific topic under discussion, the
Communist effort will be directed at establishing an intimate relationship
between completely unexceptionable demands and programs of women's
groups, and the USSR's conditions for disarmament as well as the
USSR's policies on. questions to be debated. at the Summit meetingp
This 'is likely to involve (a) a major effort to induce the gathering to
reject the -idea. that organized women's activities should be kept free
of political considerations, and (b) public criticism of religious and
conservative women's organizations, particularly those which
denounce or refuse to participate in the conference.
For the benefit of their agitational programs in underdeveloped
countries, the Communists are also certain; to concentrate heavily
on demands. for accelerated economic progress and, on publicizing
the prospects for accelerated national economic development which
would arise from a "satisfactory" resolution of questions at the
Summit. conference and. the beginning of disarmament.
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WORLD ASSEMBLY OF WOMEN TO COMMEMORATE THE FIFTIETH
ANNIVERSARY OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
(COPENHAGEN, 21 - 24 APRIL 1960)
March 1960
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WORLD ASSEMBLY OF WOMEN TO COMMEMORATE THE FIFTIETH
ANNIVERSARY OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
(COPENHAGEN, 21 24 APRIL 1960)
The major propaganda undertaking of the Communist front
Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF) for the 1959 -
1960 period is its covertly organized and controlled "World Assembly
of Women to Commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of International
Women's Day, If which will be held in Copenhagen, 21 - 24 April 1960,
under the auspices of an ostensibly broadly representative "inter-
national Initiating Committee". The organizers are reported to be
in contact with women or women's groups in 115 countries, and
between 1, 500 to 2, 000 women are expected to attend. Half of the
participants are expected to be from Scandinavian countries. It
is interesting to note, however, that as of late October 1959 (im-
mediately after the Danish Government had reversed its earlier
decision and agreed to grant visas to Soviet bloc delegates to attend.
this Assembly) apparently only between 200 to:. 300 women were ex-
pected to attend, according to a Danish press report quoting Mrs.
Esther Brinch (the chief Danish organizer of the International Ini-
tiating Committee, who is a W.IDF Council member and a former
World Peace Council Headquarters official). In view of the fact
that, from the outset, the WIDF envisaged this as a "huge" event,
Mrs. Brinch was probably being politic and seeking to avoid any
further controversy by announcing such a relatively small antici-
pated attendance. WIDF affiliates were advised by a circular letter
in mid-November 1959 that it would be desirable to haye between
1, 500 to 2, 000 women from the various countries throughout the
world attend this Assembly.
The theme of the Assembly will be "The Status of Women
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." The agenda will include the
following topics which will be discussed both in plenary sessions
and in six study sections which, in turn, will give a survey of the
progress achieved by women thus far and make a concrete study
of the issues concerning women at this time.
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Homage to the pioneers of the women's movement.
A. review of a half-century's efforts: assets and liabilities,
future perspectives.
(Principal speaker: a British or an American delegate.
Role and responsibility of women for liberating the world
from war, hunger and ignorance.
(Principal speaker: WLDF President Eugenie Cotton who
is a member of the Presidential Committee of the World
Peace Council and an ardent Communist sympathizer and
Communist front activist. )
Participation of women in the business world.
(Principal speaker: a USSR delegate. )
Women's civil rights.
(Principal speaker: Mme. Gi+ovanna Pratilli of Italy,
an attorney and President of tnie International Federation
of Women in the Law Professions. )
Participation of women in public life.
(Principal speaker: not yet designated. ?)
Social achievements permitting women to reconcile their
external activities and their family responsibilities.
(Principal speaker: a Chinese delegate.)
Tasks of women's organizations and of all women for an
international detente, disarmament and for cooperation.
(Principal speaker: Mrs. Rameshwari Nehru of India,
chief organizer of the Afro-Asian Solidarity Committee
and President of its Indian affiliate, leader of the WIIDF-
affiliate National Federation of Indian Women and Presi-
dent of the Indo-Soviet Cultural Society; a social worker
who is related by marriage to Prime Minister Nehru.)
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Education and cultural development of women.
(Principal speaker: Mme. Palma Guillen de Nicolau of
Mexico, former delegate to the League of Nations and
the International Labor Office, former Minister Pleni-
potentiary, former head of the Secondary Education System
in Mexico and member of a number of Communist fronts
in Mexico.)
Each study section will prepare documents concerning matters
discussed for consideration by the plenary Assembly.
The principal speakers on the above-noted agenda items have
been selected by a "working group" in Copenhagen at "closed"
sessions held during the first half of January 1960. The "working
group" is, of course, composed of several key WIDE officials who
covertly control this body and ensure that the Assembly will follow
lines predetermined by the WIDE.
Plans for the World Assembly of Women were first made by
the WIDE at its Bureau Meeting in East Berlin, 10 -12 December
1958, at which time the WIDF Secretariat was instructed to examine
all possibilities of holding a huge international meeting on 8 March
1960; to form an International Preparatory Committee "of repre-
sentatives of all feminine forces.,. no later than April 1959 to
facilitate preparations;" to consult with national organizations on
the questions of women's and children's rights and problems of
peace that could serve as a basis for this meeting; and to ask
WIDF affiliates to organize the best activities for assuring the
cooperation of women leaders and women's organizations and to
contact such leaders and organizations and prominent women in
all fields of activity. WIDE affiliates were to undertake publicizing
this event in their respective countries, to organize expositions
and other events and obtain the cooperation, of "prominent 'per a ohs
and airtists.
The WIDF Secretariat has made considerable progress in
implementing the Bureau's directives during the past year. At
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least three meetings of WIDF governing bodies have been held since
December 1958 which, among other things, concerned themselves
with organizational planning of this Assembly. It has expanded its
Headquarters staff during the past several months by bringing in
additional women functionaries--many of whom had had prior
experience at WIDF Headquarters--to assist the WIDF in its pre-
parations for this Assembly. In addition, employing the now
familiar but nevertheless still effective Communist front tactics
of trying to camouflage its organization, control and sponsorship
of this Assembly, the WIDF Secretariat covertly organized two
international preparatory meetings. From these meetings there
emerged an ostensibly broadly representative "International
Initiating Committee'' that has "fronted" for the WIDF as the
official sponsoring group and that has in turn permitted the estab-
lishment of counterpart preparatory committees in various
countries. Such committees are themselves "fronts" organized
and covertly controlled by functionaries of WIDF affiliates. at the.
direction of the WIDF. In some instances, they are set up at the
express direction of the national Communist party as well. The
following excerpt from an article titled "International Women's
Day", which appeared in the 24 May 1959 The Worker (organ of
the CPUSA), clearly illustrates this:
"It is not too early for American women to set up
committees in various cities and begin to prepare for the
celebration of the 50th anniversary of International Women's
Day, which will be world-wide next March. In the struggle
for peace, for democracy, for the well-being of children and
for the equal rights of women--meetings, demonstrations,
exhibits, can be arranged....
"It will be disgraceful if in the country where International
Women's Day had its origin, adequate and appropriate recog-
nition of its history is lacking, while colorful and dramatic
celebrations are planned in all other countries. Even a . small
group of determined women can start the ball rolling in each
city....
"Let's set up Committees to Celebrate the 50th. Anniversary
of International Women's Day--and do it soon."
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Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the French. Communist Party
entitled its January 1960 issue of Cahiers du Communisme (its
theoretical and political monthly organ) "Women _ad_/ the Struggle
for Democracy and Peace" and devoted at least three articles
consisting of some thirty-seven pages to "International Women's Day".
In a fourth article entitled "The Communist Party and Women, " the
Communist objectives which. they seek to achieve through such unity
projects with women are clearly spelled out.
The First International Preparatory Meeting of the World -
Assembly of Women for the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary
of International Women's Day was held in Malmd, -Sweden, 13-14
June 1959. It was attended by women from twenty-eight countries,
most of whom were important officials of the WIDF and its affiliates,
including WIDF President Eugenie COTTON and the new Soviet
Deputy General Secretary of the WIDF, Maria Skotnikova. ( It is
known that the incumbent of this position covertly directs the course
of WIDF policies and activities and ensures their conformance with
arri implementation of current Soviet propaganda objectives). Among
the participants who appeared to support the WIDF's Assembly
plans were also a few prominent women who were officers of
organizations not affiliated with the W IDF. This meeting "elected"
an "International Initiating Committee" that issued an "Appeal"
(copy of which is appended) to ".. all women's organizations, all
individuals, all others who support the just cause of women, to
join the celebrations of the 50th Anniversary Jubilee of International
Women's Day in 1960." It also concerned itself with the question -
of 11WIDF Prizes" to be awarded to women who have distinguished
themselves as leaders or in working for various women's causes.-
This first meeting at Malmd decided that organizational
planning and arrangements for this Assembly would be carried
out by the WIDE at its Headquarters in East Berlin, with various
subcommissions specially created to assist the WIDF Secretariat
in better publicizing this event and in obtaining the coveted coopera-
tion and support of prominent women and national and international
women's organizations not affiliated with the WIDF. Shortly there-
after, specially coopted women functionaries began to arrive at
WIDF Headquarters in East Berlin to assist the WIDF in its
S E C R E T
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preparatory work for the Assembly, WIDF affiliates were subse-
quently cautioned to have all their delegates to the Copenhagen
Assembly allow at least six weeks for receipt of necessary visas
and to organize fund-raising activities to help defray the travel
expenses of their delegates, as well as some of the expenses of
delegates from underdeveloped areas. The WIDF undertook to
defray the travel expenses of only two delegates from each country.
The Second International Preparatory Meeting was held in
Copenhagen, Denmark, 5-6 December 1959. This meeting "selected"
the Presidium of the International Initiating Committee (which
includes WIDF President Eugenie COTTON of France) for this
Assembly, formally designed 21-24 April 1960 as the dates the
Assembly would meet in. Copenhagen (not 8 March--" International
Women's Day" - -as originally planned), approved the final agenda
and appointed a "work group's in Copenhagen to work on organi-
zational problems, propaganda and financing of the Assembly.
In view of the W IDF's covert manipulation and control of all
phases of planning and preparations of this Assembly, it is not
surprising that several key WIDF functionaries were "appointed"
to this "working group" in Copenhagen, including the following
who took part in "closed" sessions held by this group from 10 to
14 January 1960 in Copenhagen.
Carmen Zanti Tondi (Italy): / Usually known as Carmen Zanti/
WIDF Secretary General since June 1957, one of the
top three positions at WIDF Headquarters in East Berlin,
she has been a trusted functionary of the Communist
Party of Italy (CPI) for many years and at one time
served in its Central Press and Propaganda Office.
She has traveled extensively, both in the Soviet bloc
and in the Free World, for the WIDF and the CPI.
Zanti has also been active for many years in the
Italian affiliate of the WIDF and represented that
organization at WIDF Headquarters in 1951..
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S E C R E T
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Simone Bertrand (France);
A. militant Communist activist who has been an impor-
tant member of the policy -making Secretariat at WIDF
Headquarters in East Berlin since 1951, first as a WIDF
Secretary who was responsible for African affairs, and
since November 1954 as an Assistant Secretary General
of the WIDF. In this capacity, she is one of the three
most important officials at WIDF Headquarters and is
responsible primarily for Far Eastern affairs. She has
traveled extensively for the WIDF, particularly th+rnu'kii.-
out Asia, the Soviet bloc and Western Europe. She
helped organize the WIDF Conference of Asian Women,
which was held in Peiping in November 1949. For many
years she has been an important functionary of the WIDF-
affiliated Union of French Women and 1958 was elected
one of its Vice Presidents, as well as President of its
Women's Rights Commission.
Gisella Floreanini (Italy):
A former Italian Parliamentary Deputy, she was a Deputy
Council Member of the WIDF from 1945 to 1948 and has
been a Secretary of the WIDF since June 1958. In this
capacity she is a member of the policy-making Secretariat
at WIDF Headquarters. Such positions are given only to
trusted, experienced Communist functionaries. She has
attended WIDF meetings during these periods, both in the
Free World and the Soviet bloc.
Lydia Petrova (USSR):
WIDF Council Member since at least 1948 and Secretary
General of the Soviet affiliate of the WIDF since at least
1956. In this capacity, she controls not only the activities
of the Committee of Soviet Women but indirectly those
of the WIDF as well through her continuing relationship
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with, and authority over the Soviet Assistant. Secretary
General at WIDF Headquarters (Maria Skotnikova). She
is also Vice President of the Society for Soviet-Indian
Friendship and a Doctor of History.. She has traveled
extensively throughout the world and has successfully
broadened the contacts of the Committee of Soviet Women
with women's organizations, including many non-Commu-
nist and leftist groups, throughout the world.
Esther Brinch (Denmark);
Chief Danish organizer of the International Initiating
Committee for the World Assembly of Women in Copen-
hagen, 21-24 April 1960, she has been a WIDE Council
Member since June 1958 and is currently President of
the WIDF-affiliated Danish Democratic Women's Federa-
tion. She has been active for several years in the Com-
munist front "peace" movement and was a World Peace
Council Headquarters official for a while. Mrs. Brinch
has worked for the Danish Government for many years
as an authorized German translater. She is a member
of the Danish Radical Liberal Party and, like many mem-
bers of that party, is strongly opposed to German rearma-
ment. In 1950 she was Chairman of the non-Communist
Danish One World Organization, and in 1955 was a member
.of the Headquarters Committee of the Open Door International
(For Economic Emancipation of the Woman Worker), also
a non-Communist body.
Emilienne Steux Brunfaut. (]3elgium):
A member of the Belgian Communist Party since before
World War II, she is a member of the WIDF affiliate in
Belgium and an Executive Committee Member of the
Belgian affiliate of the World Peace Council, a group
that actively supports WIDE activities as well. She has
attended WIDE and WPC meetings and visited Communist
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China in May 1959 as a member of the Belgian WIDF af-
filiate's delegation. She is moll versed on trade union
questions, both practically and theoretically, having
worked in a textile union at one time, and was a militant
trade unionist at an early age. She has had considerable
contact with foreign. Communists and members of Soviet
and Satellite diplomatic installations. She is married to
a Communist, Maxime Brunfaut, whose father was a
.Socialist Deputy who became Vice President of the Chamber
of Belgium in 1944. She is a graduate of the Ecole Superiur
and is an extremely articulate person.
At these "closed" meetings in early January 1960, the "working
group" decided who the principal speakers would be on each
Assembly agenda item, and generally concerned themselves with
various organizational problems, including publicity for and
financing of the Assembly, on which the following decisions were
reached.
The Presidium of the Assembly should be broadened and
made more representative by inviting the following women
to become members thereof-, Mrs. Alva Myrdal, Swedish
Ambassador to India; Mrs. Nina Popova, Vice President
of the WIDE since its foundation in 1945 and. Chairman of
the Soviet WIDF affiliate and Presidium Chairman of the
Soviet Society of Friendship Abroad;. Mrs.. Eleanor Roose-
velt, former U. S. Delegate to the United Nations Organiza-
tion Mrs. Sekou Toure, wife of the President of Guinea.
Mrs. Roosevelt rejected the invitation. The action of
others is not yet known.
Certain. "National Preparatory Committees"--those
financially able-- were assessed a participation fee of
$5. 00 per delegate attending the Assembly, payable in
advance, and urged to raise as much money as possible
for the International Solidarity Fund by organizing various
fund-raising projects, including soliciting contributions
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from prominent persons and national and international
organizations. International Solidarity Funds are
traditionally used by fronts to defray the travel expenses
of delegates from colonial and underdeveloped areas,
- The Assembly should be; .publicized as far in advance as
possible in articles and interviews concerning the various
topics that would be discussed by the Assembly. To
assist the various "National Preparatory Committees'.'
and WIDF affiliates, the "tworking group" planned to
publish a bulletin giving timely information about the
Assembly.
Various international exhibits should also be held during
the Assembly consisting of materials submitted by the
various preparatory groups throughout the world. I 3uch
exhibits would include women' s publications (books,
magazines, newspapers, bulletins, etc. ), photographs
of prominent women throughout the world in honor of
the 50th Anniversary of International Women's Day and
its pioneers, works of art, recordings made by women,
and albums.
/ It is interesting to note that the WIDE Secretariat advised
its affiliates by circular letter in mid-November 1959 of
plans for organizing similar exhibits at the Assembly, as
well as exhibits on the U. N. 0. and its Specialized Agencies
for women's rights, a Festival of Films and other artistic
manifestations.. The "working group" is planning to
have professional artists provide the delegates with enter-
tainment. Whether it still plans to organize a U. N. exhibit
is not known. 7
-Technical arrangements were also made for the Assembly--
the halls in which it would meet, how and where its
documents would be published ,where the delegates would be
lodged, etc.
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The appointment of a special body to work "on-the-spot'` for
several months in advance of an international Communist front
event is now fairly standard practice. This specially constituted
body invariably gives titled positions of seeming importance to
representatives of bona fide, non-member organizations as
ostensible evidence of its "legitimacy" and representativity, while
the "sensitive" control positions of any real significance are given
to trusted Communist cadre functionaries of the sponsoring Com-
munist front, or in this case, the WIDF. Such functionaries usually
transfer from the Headquarters of the covert international front
sponsor when such an "on-the-spot" preparatory body is formed,
or are functionaries who have had considerable prior experience
in organizing such events for the front in question. This wquld
appear to hold true in the case of the "working group" in Copen-
hagen. Parallel with the operation of such, an"on-the -spot" pre-
paratory body--the Copenhagen working group in this case -the
covert international front sponsor (or the WIDF in this case) not
only continues to tighten up organizational preparations by main-
taining a steady check on its affiliates' preparatory problems and
progress, but also by providing them and the "working group"
with diverse kinds of necessary "support".
A partial insight into the preparatory role played by the WIDF
Headquarters.is provided by a WIDF circular letter to its affiliates
of late December 1959 which first advised that the following "official
documents emanated from this /second international preparatory]
meeting: the Declaration of the Initiating Committee, the program
of the World Assembly of Women, the list of the presidium members,
and the names of the adherents and other information /which/ will
be printed in a folder and distributed from Copenhagen, we hope,
the first half of January 1960." It then. advised its affiliates,
"We must insist that you let us know the names and titles of the
people in your country who are adherents of the Initiating Commit-
tee. We request that you send us this information as quickly as
possible so that it can be used in this folder." The propaganda
importance the WIDF attaches to receipt of the names of such
adherents is attested to by the strong, insistent language used
in this letter,
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According to literature emanating from the "International
Initiating Committee" in Copenhagen, some twenty-five persons
have been identified either as having attended the 5-6 December
1959 International Preparatory Meeting in Copenhagen or as
"adherents" of the Committee. Of these twenty-five only nine
are not known to have previously supported Communist-front
sponsored activities. The following nine women appear to fall
into this category, thus indicating some measure of the success
achieved by the WIDF thus far in. eliciting support of prominent
women and representatives of organizations not affiliated with
the WIDF:
Mme. Marguerite Thibert .(France):
Member. of Presidium of the, International Initiating Committee;
former head of the Department for Women's and Youth's
Labor: of the International Labor. Office (a Specialized Agency
of the UN); a Ph.D.
Mme. Sarah Kielberg (Denmark):
Doctor of Psychiatry and Neurology who has been active in
women's activities for some time; the former -President
of the "Zonta" Club of Denmark and an Executive Committee
Member of the Danish affiliate of the Open Door International,
which is described below.
/Note: This club is the Danish affiliate of the "Zonta Interna-
tional", a bona fide organization of executive, women having
13, 500 members in 15 Free World countries. Its professed
aims are, among other things, to "imp-rove legal, political
economic and professional status of women... to work for
advancement of understanding, goodwill and peace through
a world fellowship of executive women in business and the
profession.... "/
S E ii E T.
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Mme. NoOly Watin (France):
Barrister at the Court of Paris and Secretary-General of the
International Federation of Women Members in the Law
Profession.
/Note: Infprmation on this organization is not available at
this time. /
Mme. Yvonne Tolman-Guillard (France):
Barrister at the Court of Paris and President of the French
Association of Women Members in the Law Profession.
/Note: She attended the first and second international pre
paratory meetings for the World Assembly of Women in June
and December 1959, and she apparently heads the French
affiliate of the International Federation of Women Members in
the Law Profession. /
Mme. Giovanna Pratelli (Italy):
Member of Presidium of International Committee; barrister,
President of the International Federation of Women Members
in the Law Profession, and, according to 1956 Whors Who,
is co-director of two Italian-language legal publications, The
Court of Brescia and Venice and the Forensic Bulletin. Born
in 1895 in Milan but lives in Venice.
/Note: The fact that Mme. Pratilli is President of the Inter-
national Federation of Women Members in the Law Profession
suggests that it has an affiliate in Italy. Since French officials
of this body are also supporting this Assembly, it appears to
be one in which the WIDF has considerable, although hitherto
unsuspected, influence. /
Mme, Dr. Teresita Sandeski Scelba (Italy):
President of the International Alliance of Women (IAW) and
a physician and surgeon.
SECRET
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/Note: The LAW is a bona fide organization that was founded
in 1904 and has affiliates in thirty-three countries of the Free
World. It enjoys consultative status B with the UN Economic
and Social Council, as well. as UNESCO and ILO relations.
Mme. Scelba was previously an Executive Committee member
of the IAW. The professed aims of the IAW are to "secure
enfranchisement for the women of all nations and promote all,
reforms necessary to establish a real equality of liberties,
status and opportunities between men and women.. "z/
Mme. Cisse Fatou Aribot (Guinea):
Secretary General of the Union of Women of West Africa.
/Note: Information about this organization is not available
at this time. /
Mme. Ada Ferrieri Bassini (Italy):
Vice President of the Italian National Council of Women and
Counsellor of the Italian Women's Alliance.
/Note:. These appear to be Italian affiliates of the IAW (des-
cribed above) and of the International Council of Women (ICW).
The ICW is also a bona fide organization that was founded in
1888 and consists of affiliates in thirty-four countries of the
Free World. It cooperates with the LAW and has consultative
status B in the UN ECOSOC and working relations with the
following Specialized Agencies of the UN: Food and Agricul-
tural Organization, UNESCO and the UN International Child-
ren's Emergency Fund. The professed aims of the ICW are to
"bring together women's organizations of all races, creeds
and classes from all parts of the world for consultation on
action to be taken to promote the welfare of mankind, of the
family, and of the individual; to work for the removal of all
disabilities for women.'' /
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Mrs. Anne K. Eaton (USA):
Member of Presidium of the International Initiating Committee.
/Note: Mrs Eaton and her husband, Cyrus Eaton, have been
active organizers and supporters of the Pugwash Movement
during 1958 and 1959, in which the World Federation of Scientific
Workers and scientific personalities from the Bloc have par,
ticipated. She traveled to the Soviet Union in 1958. Several
articles concerning her have appeared in Soviet Woman
(official monthly organ of the Soviet Women's Committee and
the Central Council of Trade Unions of the USSR). The June
1959 issue of Soviet Woman carried an article in which Mrs.
Eaton is quoted as saying the following: "Women must take
the responsibility for better relations between nations... .
What is needed more than astute statesmanship or massive
retaliation is the wisdom of mothers who know that people the
world over are the same. Civilization is in danger. Women
have the obligation to speak up forcefully for sanity in inter-
national relations and must insist that the bomb testing which
endangers the health of children and children not yet born must
be stopped. What is needed is an international meeting of
women and the slogan, 'Women of the world, unite ! Your
children are in danger. "' The article stated that Mrs. Eaton
has been making many speeches to women's clubs throughout
the United States. The December 1959 issue of Soviet Woman
quoted Mrs. Eaton as saying,
"The Fiftieth Anniversary of International Women's Day
is a very significant occasion. I feel sure that the future
of this great organization will have a profound influence
in the course of history.... "/
It may be noted that Mme. Anna Westergaard of Denmark is
being used by the International Initiating Committee in Copenhagen
(of which she is a member of the Presidium)to cosign its corres-
pondence, along with Mrs. Esther Brinch, In view of the fact that
Mme. Westergaard is now almost eighty years old and largely
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inactive, it is apparent that the WIDF organizers are trying to
exploit her prominence as a Danish feminist leader for almost
fifty years, her thirteen years as a member of the Danish Parlia-
ment, her former position as Directress of Traffic of the Danish
State Railroads and her currentposition as President of the Open
Door International. Although Mme. Westergaard has in the past
supported some Communist front "peace" and women's groups, such
support has been in line with her ardent espousal of all femine
causes. The Open Door International (For the Economic Emanci-
pation of the Woman Worker, or ODI), of which Mme. Westergaad
is now President, is a bona fide organization established in 1929.
It has affiliates in ten countries in the Free World, and its pro-
fessed aims are to "secure that a woman shall be free to work and
protected as a worker on the same terms as a man and that legis-
lation and regulations dealing with conditions, hours, payment,
entry and training shall be based upon the nature of the work and
not upon the sex of the worker... ", etc. The Open Door Interna-
tional has consultative "registers" status with the UN ECOSOC.
Reports of the WIDE Council Meeting in Prague in October
1959 clearly indicate that the WIDF intends to use this Assembly
and the worldwide preparations for the 50th anniversary of Inter-
national Women's Day celebrations in two important ways.. First,.
to create the broadest possible support for the current Soviet peace
and disarmament policies and to use such support to "pressure"
Free World'Governments into accepting Soviet peace and disarma-
ment policies. Italian Communist WIDF Secretary General Carmen
Zanti called "for the stepping up of the women's struggle in capi-
talist countries and colonies in defense of their rights and stressed
that this movement was indivisible from the fight for peace. " _
Czech Deputy Premier Ludmila Jankovcova told the WIDF Council:
"The celebration of the 50th anniversary of International Women's
Day falls into this historically important period in which the fate
of all mankind is being decided. I am convinced that democratic
women in the whole world are prepared to celebrate this day in
dignity and that they will use, for their intensified propaganda
work, the time before the new meeting of the heads of government
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of the great powers in order to mobilize all women in the world for
the struggle against war. " Reports indicate that many WIDF .affilir
ates have been organizing signature collection campaigns to present
the WIDF on this occasion with a demonstration of the solidarity
of women's support of the Soviet peace and disarmament proposals.
Reports also indicate that the WIDF intends to use the Assembly
and the preparatory activities as a means of obtaining the broadest
possible unity of action (from above and below) with non-Communist,
non-member women's organizations, prominent women leaders
and unorganized women in the Free World. Where such unity
has been achieved in other covertly organized activities of the
WIDF, such as the Meetings of European Women on Peace,
Disarmament and Atomic Problems held in Rome and Brunate,
Italy in May and July 1959, WIDF has sought to extend it to sup-
port of the Copenhagen World Assembly of Women in April 1960,
and more generally to other WIDF activities of mutual interest.
This tactic has apparently been fairly successful since many of
the "adherents" of the Assembly are women who attended one or
both of the Meetings of European Women in Italy in May and July
1959. It is, therefore, possible that others who attended these.
meetings may also support and attend the World Assembly of
Women in Copenhagen. Should this be the case, the following
organizations might also be represented at Copenhagen-
- The -i'International Reconciliation Movement", whose French,
Italian, and Swedish affiliates were represented at the WIDF-
organized Meetings of European Women.
/Note: The International Fellowship of Reconciliation is a
religious pacifist movement founded in 1919 that has affiliates
in twenty-three Free World countries. Its professed aims
are "To explore the social and international meaning of Love
and Peace as exemplified preeminently by Jesus Christ. 11
Its "members refuse sanction and support of warfare and
strive for social justice and peaceful change by methods
conforming to the way of Christ:' Individual members of this
Movement have participated at conferences sponsored by the
WPC, as well as Anti-A. and H Bomb Conferences. /
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-The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
(WILPF), whose Dutch, Swedish and Swiss affiliates were
represented at the WIDF Meetings of European Women.
/Note: The WILPF is a bona fide organization that has been
a special target of the WIDF for many years. The WILPF
was founded in 1915 and has affiliates in forty-five countries,
including Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. Its professed aims
are to "bring together women of different political and
philosophical tendencies united in their determination to
study, make known and help abolish the political, social,
economic and psychological causes of war, and to work for
a just and lasting peace based on freedom. " It has consul-
tative status +"B'11 with the UN ECOSOC and UNESCO and
specialized consultative status with the following UN Special-
ized Agencies: Food and Agricultural Organization, UNICEF
and ILO. Some of the WILPF affiliates have been infiltrated
by Communists or ardent fellow travellers who, in some cases,
have gained positions of influence which they have sought to
exploit in support of WIDF and WPC activities. The WILPF _
has sent official observers to some WIDF and WPC meetings. /
-The Federation of Women Jurists, whose Italian affiliate was
represented at the WIDF Meetings of European Women.
/Note: It is not known whether this group is identical with
the affiliate of the International Federation of Women. mem-
bers in the Law Profession which is supporting the Copen-
hagen Assembly. There is an International Federation of
Women Lawers (or Jurists) that is a bona fide, professional
organization established in 1944 and has affiliates in fifty-
six countries throughout the. Free World. It has consultative
status "B" with UN ECOSOC and UNESCO and cooperates
with the ILO. It has an affiliate in Italy. /
-International Cooperative Women's Guild, whose Italian
affiliate may have been represented at the WIDF Meetings
of European Women.
/Note: The Italian National Committee of Women Cooperators
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was represented at these meetings. The International Co-
operative Women's Guild is a body that was founded in 19.21
and claims to have affiliates in twenty-two countries (including
Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the USSR) totaling 31
million members. Its professed aims are to. "unite woman
cooperators of all lands... to raise the status of. women through
the achievement of economic and political equality, and im-
prove their standard of family life; promote education of..
women cooperators. , work for international peace through
security and friendly relations between all countries,"/
The Theosophical Society, whose Italian affiliate may have
been represented at the WIDF Meetings of European Women.
/ The Italian Theosophical Association was the group repre-
sented. The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, has
almost 34, 000 members in sixty-four countries of the Free
World, and its professed aims are, among others, "univer-
sal brotherhood, _without distinction of race, creeds, sex,
caste or colour. "/
Successful unity-of-action at the national level on specific matters
of common interest to both non-Communist and Communist front
women's groups may also be extended to support of the World As-
sembly of Women in Copenhagen. It may be noted that in France
the WIDF -affiliated Union of French Women and its Women's
Rights Commission is working jointly with ten other women's
organizations to defeat certain proposed changes in the French
Civil Code which they maintain are detrimental to women's
rights. Two of. these ten organizations are participating in the
international preparatory meetings for the World Assembly of
Women.
In view of the fact that some of the "adherents" of the
World Assembly of Women in Copenhagen are women who
served as sponsors of the First Latin American Women's
Conference which was held in Santiago, Chile, in November 1959
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and which was also covertly organized by the WIDF, some non-
member women's organizations that were represented at this
meeting might also be represented at the Copenhagen Assembly
in April 1960, Most non-member organizations, -however, with-
drew from and repudiated this Conference before it convened,
In any event, at the suggestion of WIDF President Eugenie Cotton,
the Santiago Conference did adopt a special recommendation
calling for preparations for the celebration of the Fiftieth Anni-
versary of International Women's Day to begin at once.
That the WIDF intends to use the Copenhagen Assembly as
an "anti-colonial" tribune is implicit in its postponement of this
Assembly from 8 March 1960 (which is International Women's
Day) to 21 24 April 1960. The 24th of April is the anniversary
of the now "historic" 1955 Bandung Conference which adopted
the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence", a date which
fellow Communist fronts--the World Federation of Democratic
Youth, the International Union of Students and their affiliates--
have sought to exploit by worldwide celebrations and fund-
raising campaigns as the "Day of Solidarity Against Colonialism
and for Peaceful Coexistence". The Afro-Asian Women's Con-
ference is scheduled to open in Cairo on 30 April 1960 under the
sponsorship of the Afro-Asian :Peoples Solidarity Council. It may
be noted that Rameshwari Nehru (a Presidium member of the
International Initiating Committee for the World Assembly of
Women in Copenhagen and a key figure in the Indian Afro-Asian
People's Solidarity Council) has been in contact with the principal
UAR organizer of the Cairo Conference. The Copenhagen Assem-
bly's anti-colonial arguments will, however, probably be keyed
more to "peace" and "national development" slogans than to
aggressive "national liberation" demands.
Postponement of the Copenhagen Assembly also serves the
additional useful purpose of permitting the great variety of world-
wide "International Women's Day" activities on or about 8 March
1960 to be used as preparatory events for the Copenhagen. Assembly.
Delegates may be selected and funds raised to help defray their
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travel expenses. Reports indicate that the organizers consider
these activities of considerable importance and effectiveness in
activating women of varying political orientation from the local
to the national level. They include a great variety of preparatory
activities from the local to the national level, such as large
national assemblies With specially invited foreign guests. These
assemblies, in effect, treat all the agenda items of the Copen-
hagen Assembly and in many cases are preceded by numerous
specialized local and provincial meetings whose programs are
tailored to problems of general interest to women (education,
health, social welfare, employment, etc. ) or to matters. of
interest to specific groups by profession, occupation, social
status or avocation (legislators, teachers, workers, peasant
women, housewives, artists, athletes, etc. ). In some countries
special seminars are planned in which delegates can become
familiar with the proper lines to be taken at the Assembly. These
will also provide useful experience in dealing with any counter
arguments that might be raised at the Assembly. The French
Communist Party has, for example, emphasized that all elements
of the Party are responsible for "intensifying the ideological
struggle" among women, by denouncing all efforts to keep women's
activities apolitical and by explaining in Communist terms, the
real origins of the problems which interest women.
In some countries WIDF affiliates plan to award ! Interna-
tional Women's Day" prizes to women who have distinguished
themselves in scme fashion. Most WIDF affiliates and "national
preparatory committees" plan to publish special propaganda
literature on this occasion (ranging from brochures and cards
to magazines and books), and those in the Soviet bloc even plan
to produce special feature and documentary films showing how
well women in the Bloc live,- The WIDF has provided its affili-
ates and "national preparatory committees" with considerable
propaganda material which they can use in compiling their own
special propaganda literature, as well as with special stamps,
badges, etc. which the affiliates can sellto help them raise funds.
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Finally, there has been considerable international Communist
front support of this Copenhagen World Assembly of Women. The
World Peace Council's support is implicit from the publicity given
it in its official fortnightly organ, Bulletin of the World Council of
Peace No. 3, 1 February 1960. Page 14 of this issue is almost
entirely devoted to WIDF President Eugenie Cotton's article on
the "50th Anniversary of International Women's Day." More
frank and direct support of this occasion was given by the World
Federation of Democratic Youth at its Fifth Assembly of Member
Organizations (Prague, August 1959) when it decided "to partici-
pate in the international gathering of women on the occasion. of the
celebration of the anniversary of March 8th...." The World
Federation of Trade Unions and its affiliates traditionally have
supported International Women's Day celebrations, and may play
an important role this time as well. WIDF affiliates are making
considerable efforts to activate women workers of all types and to
establish unity-of-action with them, even at their jobs.
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S E C R E T
Appendix*
1910 - 1960
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY IS FIFTY YEARS OLD
An Initiating Committee for the celebration of the 50th
anniversary of International Women's Day was convened
in Malmo, Sweden in June 1959. It has published the
following declaration on the occasion of the coming 50th
anniversary of March 8th:
In the city of Copenhagen 50 years ago, women from several
countries gathered to proclaim the need for women to unite to
win their fundamental rights and to exert all their efforts in the_
service of peace, They resolved to celebrate International
Women's Day every year as an expression of the mutual interests
that bind the women of the world.
The past 50 years, marked by deep going social changes
and scientific and technical discoveries, have opened up grand
perspectives of well-being and prosperity for mankind. Notable
among the achievements of this period is the advance made by
women in all spheres of life. Women have won political rights
in most of the countries. They entered professions traditionally
reserved for men. In all spheres of life, women are to a greater
extent taking their rightful place in society. They are occupying
positions more consistent with their abilities, the extent of their
qualifications and the consciousness of their responsibilities.
These decisive gains have been won by persistent and heroic
efforts to which many give their best, and have enabled women
to live in greater dignity as citizens, workers and mothers.
Thus a new woman has come into being whose rights are
recognized in the Charter of the United. Nations.
But all rights have not yet been won. Women in many
countries are still deprived of full access to education, the right
to work, equal pay for equal work, full access to all professions,
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legal and political equality, economic and social security. To
achieve these, all forms of discrimination must be eliminated,
To reach these goals and ensure the continued advance of
women in the family and in society, peace and the rights of
peoples to determine their own destiny are indispensable pre-
requisites. This thought inspired the women who met in Copen-
hagen 50 years ago when they linked the struggle for the rights
of women with the safeguarding of peace.
But two great wars and many other conflicts in the half
century have brought wanton destruction and suffering to
humanity. Today the threat of war still exists and is aggra-
vated by the menace of nuclear weapons and their terrible
consequences. It is more imperative than ever for women to
unite to eliminate war forever.
Women have a common desire to protect life, the security
of the home and the future of their children.
Women of. all social backgrounds, workers, farmers,
peasants, intellectuals, housewives, women belonging to
organizations or unaffiliated, all have rights to win and defend,
We, women from 28 countries from all continents, from
different organizations, meeting in Malmo on June 13th and
14th, 1959.invite all women's organizations, all individuals, all
others who support the just cause of women, to join the celebra-
tions of the 50th Anniversary Jubilee of International Women's
Day in 1960.
This day will be a great occasion on which to honour all
champions and pioneers who have fought for us, to review the
historic past and to draw new impetus from its successors, in
order to help ensure further victories for women, which are
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indispensable to the continued progress of the whole society.
Malmo, Sweden, June 13th and 14th, 1959.
This declaration has appeared in various WIDF documents
(including the August 1959 issue of the WIDE monthly organ,
Women of the Whole World, and official documents adopted
by the WIDF Council Meeting in October 1959 and distributed
to WIDE affiliates by WIDF circular letter of 29 October
1959) and in various publications of the affiliates of the WIDE.
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 25X1A8a 25X1A2g
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S E C R E T
WORLD ASSEMBLY OF WOMEN TO COMMEMORATE THE FIFTIETH
ANNIVERSARY OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
(COPENHAGEN, 21 - 24 APRIL 1960)
March 1960
S E C R E T
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WORLD ASSEMBLY OF WOMEN TO COMMEMORATE THE FIFTIETH
ANNIVERSARY OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
(COPENHAGEN, 21 - 24 APRIL 1960)
The major propaganda undertaking of the Communist front
Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF) for the 1959 -
1960 period is its covertly organized and controlled "World Assembly
of Women to Commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of International
Women's Day," which will be held in Copenhagen, 21 - 24 April 1960,
under the auspices of an ostensibly broadly representative "inter-
national Initiating Committee". The organizers are reported to be
in contact with women or women's groups in 115 countries, and
between 1, 500 to 2, 000 women are expected to attend. Half of the
participants are expected to be from Scandinavian countries. It
is interesting to note, however, that as of late October 1959 (im-
mediately after the Danish Government had reversed its earlier
decision and agreed to grant visas to Soviet bloc delegates to attend;
this Assembly) apparently only between 200 to.,.300 women were ex-
pected to attend, according to a Danish press report quoting Mrs.
Esther Brinch (the chief Danish organizer of the International Ini-
tiating Committee, who is a WIDF Council member and a former
World Peace Council Headquarters official), In view of the fact
that, from the outset, the WIDF envisaged this as a "huge" event,
Mrs. Brinch was probably being politic and seeking to avoid any
further controversy by announcing such a relatively small antici-
pated attendance. WIDF affiliates were advised by a circular letter
in mid-November 1959 that it would be desirable to haye between
1, 500 to 2, 000 women from the various countries throughout the
world attend this Assembly.
The theme of the Assembly will be "The Status of Women
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." The agenda will include the
following topics which will be discussed both in plenary sessions
and in six study sections which, in turn, will give a survey of the
progress achieved by women thus far and make a concrete study
of the issues concerning women at this time.
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Homage to the pioneers of the women's movement.
A review of a half-century's efforts: assets and liabilities,
future perspectives.
(Principal speaker: a British or an American delegate.)
Role and responsibility of women for liberating the world
from war, hunger and ignorance.
(Principal speaker: WIDF President Eugenie Cotton who
is a member of the Presidential Committee of the World
Peace Council and an, ardent Communist sympathizer and
Communist front activist.)
Participation of women in the business world.
(Principal speaker: a USSR delegate.)
Women's civil rights.
(Principal speaker: Mrne. G(ovanna Pratilli of Italy,
an attorney and President of tree International Federation
of Women in the Law Professions.)
Participation of women in public life.
(Principal speaker: not yet designated.) ,
Social achievements permitting women. to reconcile their
external activities and their family responsibilities.
(Principal speaker: a Chinese delegate.)
Tasks of women's organizations and of all women for an
international detente, disarmament and for cooperation.
(Principal speaker: Mrs. Rameshwari Nehru of India,
chief organizer of the Afro-Asian Solidarity Committee
and President of its Indian affiliate, leader of the WIDFr
affiliate National Federation of Indian Women and Presi-
dent of the Indo-Soviet Cultural Society; a social worker
who is related by marriage to Prime Minister Nehru.)
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Education and cultural development of women. .
(Principal speaker- Mme. Palma Guillen de Nicolau of
Mexico, former delegate to the League of Nations and
the International Labor Office, former Minister Pleni-
potentiary, former head of the Secondary Education System
in Mexico and member of a number of Communist fronts
in Mexico.)
Each study section will prepare documents concerning matters
discussed for consideration by the plenary Assembly.
The principal speakers on the above-noted agenda items have
been. selected by a "working group" in Copenhagen at "closed"
sessions held during the first half of January 1960. The "working
group" is, of course, composed of several key WIDF officials who
covertly control this body and ensure that the Assembly will follow
lines predetermined by the WIDF.
Plans for the World Assembly of Women were first made by
the WIDF at its Bureau Meeting in East Berlin, 10-12 December
1958, at which time the WIDF Secretariat was instructed to examine
all possibilities of holding a huge international meeting on 8 March
1960; to form an International Preparatory Committee "of repre-
sentatives of all feminine forces... no later than April 1959 to
facilitate preparations;" to consult with national organizations on
.the questions of women's and children's rights and problems of
peace that could serve as a basis for this meetingx and to ask
WIDF affiliates to organize the best activities for assuring the
cooperation of women leaders and women's organizations and to
contact such leaders and organizations and prominent women in
all fields of activity. WIDE affiliates were to undertake publicizing
this event in their respective countries, to organize expositions
and other events and obtain the cooperation. of:-prominent 'persons
and artists..
The WIDF Secretariat has made considerable progress in
implementing the Bureau's directives during the past year. At
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least three meetings of WIDF governing bodies have been held since
December 1958 which, among other things, concerned themselves
with organizational planning of this Assembly. It has expanded its
Headquarters staff during the past several months by bringing in
additional women functionaries--many of whom had had prior
experience at WIDF Headquarters- -to assist the WIDF in its pre-
parations for this Assembly. In addition, employing the now
familiar but nevertheless still effective Communist front tactics
of trying to camouflage its organization, control and sponsorship
of this Assembly, the WIDF Secretariat covertly organized two
international preparatory meetings. From these meetings there
emerged an ostensibly broadly representative "International
Initiating Committee" that has "fronted" for the WIDF as the
official sponsoring group and that has in turn permitted the estab-
lishment of counterpart preparatory committees in various
countries. Such committees are themselves "fronts" organized
and covertly controlled by functionaries of WIDF affiliates at the
direction of the WIDF. In some instances, they are set up at the
express direction of the national Communist party as well. The
following excerpt from an article titled "International Women's
Day", which appeared in the 24 May 1959 The Worker (organ of
the CPUSA), clearly illustrates this:
"It is not too early for American women to set up
committees in various cities and begin to prepare for the
celebration of the 50th anniversary of International Women's
Day, which will be world-wide next March. In the struggle
for peace, for democracy, for the well-being of children and
for the equal rights of women--meetings, demonstrations,
exhibits, can be arranged... .
"It will be disgraceful if in the country where International
Women's Day had its origin, adequate and appropriate recog-
nition of its history is lacking, while colorful and dramatic
celebrations are planned in all other countries. Even a small
group of determined women. can start the ball rolling in each
city....
"Let's set up Committees to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary
of International Women's Day- -and do it soon."
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Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the French Communist Party
entitled its January 1960 issue of Cahiers du Communisme (its
theoretical and political monthly organ) "Women /and/ the Struggle
for Democracy and Peace" and devoted at least three articles
consisting of some thirty-seven pages to "International Women's. Day".
In a fourth article entitled "The Communist Party and Women, " the
Communist objectives which. they seek to achieve through such unity
projects with women. are clearly spelled out.
The First International Preparatory Meeting of the World
Assembly of Women for the Celebration of the 50th. Anniversary
of International Women's Day was held in Malmb, -Sweden, 13-14
June 1959. It was attended by women from twenty-eight countries,
most of whom were important officials of the WIDF and its affiliates,
including WIDF President Eugenie COTTON and the new Soviet
Deputy General Secretary of the WIDF,.Maria Skotnikova. ( It is
known that the incumbent of this position covertly directs the course
of WIDF policies and activities and ensures their conformance with
atxi implementation of current Soviet propaganda objectives). Among
the participants who appeared to support the WIDF's Assembly
plans were also a few prominent women. who were officers of
organizations not affiliated with the WIDF. This meeting "elected"
an. "International Initiating Committee" that issued an "Appeal"
(copy of which is appended) to "... all women's organizations, all,
individuals, all others who support the just cause of women, to
join the celebrations of the 50th. Anniversary Jubilee of International
Women's Day in 1960. !' It also concerned itself with the question
of 'WWIDF Prizes' to be, awarded to women who have distinguished
themselves as leaders or in working for various women's causes.-
This first meeting at Malmd decided that organizational
planning and arrangements for this Assembly would be carried
out by the WIDF at its Headquarters in East Berlin, with various
subcommissions specially created to assist the WIDF Secretariat
in better publicizing this event and in obtaining the coveted coopera-
tion and support of prominent women and national and international
women's organizations not affiliated with the WIDF. Shortly there-
after, specially coopted. women functionaries began to arrive at
WIDF Headquarters in East Berlin to assist the WIDF in its
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preparatory work for the Assembly, WIDF affiliates were subse-
quently cautioned to have all their delegates to the Copenhagen
Assembly allow at least six weeks for receipt of necessary visas
and to organize fund-raising activities to help defray the travel
expenses of their delegates, as well as some of the expenses of
delegates from underdeveloped areas. The WIDF undertook to
defray the travel expenses of only two delegates from each country.
The Second International Preparatory Meeting was held in
Copenhagen, Denmark, 5-6 December 1959. This meeting "elected"
the Presidium of the International Initiating Committee (which
includes WIDE President Eugenie COTTON of France) for this
Assembly, formally designed 21-24 April 1960 as the dates the
Assembly would meet in Copenhagen (not 8 March--" International
Women's Day"--as originally planned), approved the final agenda
and appointed a "work group" in Copenhagen to work.on organi-
zational problems, propaganda and financing of the Assembly.
In view of the WIDFTs covert manipulation and control of all
phases of planning and preparations of this Assembly, it is not
surprising that several key WIDF functionaries were "appointed"
to this "working group" in Copenhagen, including the following
who took part.in "closed" sessions held by this group from 10 to
14 January 1960 in. Copenhagen.
Carmen Zanti Tondi (Italy)? / Usually known as Carmen Zanti/
WIDF Secretary General since June 1957, one of the
top three positions at WIDF Headquarters in East Berlin,
she has been a trusted functionary of the Communist
Party. of Italy (CPI) for many years and at one time
served in its Central Press and Propaganda Office.
She has traveled extensively, both in the Soviet bloc
and in the Free World, for the WIDE and the CPI.
Zanti has also been active for many years in the
Italian affiliate of the WIDF and represented that
organization at WIDF Headquarters in 1951.
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Simone Bertrand (France):
A militant Communist activist who has been an impor-
tant member of the policy -making Secretariat at WIDF
Headquarters in East Berlin since 1951, first as a.WIDF
Secretary who was responsible for African affairs, and
since November 1954 as an Assistant Secretary General
of the WIDF. In this capacity, she is one of the three
most important officials at WIDF Headquarters and is
responsible primarily for Far Eastern affairs.. She has
traveled extensively for the WIDF, particularly throggii-
out Asia, the Soviet bloc and Western Europe. She
helped organize the WIDF Conference of Asian Women,
which was held in Peiping in November 1949. For many
years she has been an important functionary of the WIDF-
affiliated Union of French Women and 1958 was elected
one of its Vice Presidents, as well as President of its
Women's Rights Commission.
Gisella Floreanini (Italy):
A former Italian Parliamentary Deputy, she was a Deputy
Council Member of the WIDF from 1945 to 1948 and has
been a Secretary of the WIDF since June 1958. In this
capacity she is a member of the policy-making Secretariat
at WIDF Headquarters. Such positions are given only to
trusted, experienced Communist functionaries. She has
attended WIDF meetings during these periods, both. in. the
Free World and the Soviet bloc.
Lydia Petrova (USSR):
WIDF Council Member since at least 1948 and Secretary
General of the Soviet affiliate of the WIDF since at least
1956. In this capacity, she controls not only the activities
of the Committee of Soviet Women but indirectly those
of the WIDF as well through her continuing relationship
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with, and authority over the Soviet Assistant Secretary
General at WIDF Headquarters (Maria Skotnikova). She
is also Vice President of the Society for Soviet-Indian
Friendship and a Doctor of History. She has traveled
extensively throughout the world and has successfully
broadened the contacts of the Committee of Soviet Women
with women's organizations, including many non-Commu-
nist and leftist groups, throughout the world.
Esther Brinch (Denmark):
Chief Danish organizer of the International Initiating
Committee for the World Assembly of Women in Copen-
hagen, 21-24 April 1960, she has been a WIDF Council
Member since June 1958 and is currently President of
the WIDF-affiliated Danish Democratic Women's Federa-
tion. She has been active for several years in the Com-
munist front "peace" movement and was a World Peace
Council Headquarters official for a while. Mrs. Brinch
has worked for the Danish Government for many years
as an authorized German translater. She is a member
of the Danish Radical Liberal Party and, like many mem-
bers of that party, is strongly opposed to German rearma-
ment. In 1950 she was Chairman of the non-Communist
Danish One World Organization, and in 1955 was a member
of the Headquarters Committee of the Open Door International
(For Economic Emancipation of the Woman Worker), also
a non-Communist body.
Emilienne Steux Brunfaut (Belgium):
A member of the Belgian Communist Party since before
World War II, she is a member of the WIDF affiliate in
Belgium and an Executive Committee Member of the
Belgian affiliate of the World Peace Council, a group
that actively supports WIDF activities as well. She has
attended WIDF and WPC meetings and visited Communist
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China in May 1959 as a member of the Belgian WIDF af-
filiate's delegation. She is well versed on trade union
questions, both practically and theoretically, having
worked in a textile union at one time, and was a militant
trade unionist at an early age. She has had considerable
contact with foreign Communists and members of Soviet
and Satellite diplomatic installations. She is married to
a Communist, Maxime Brunfaut, whose father was a.
.Socialist Deputy who became Vice President of the Chamber
of Belgium in 1944. She is a graduate of the Ecole Superileur
and is an extremely articulate person.
At these "closed meetings in early January 1960, the "working
group" decided who the principal speakers would be on each
Assembly agenda item, and generally concerned themselves with
various organizational problems, including publicity for and
financing of the Assembly, on which the following decisions were
reached-
- The Presidium of the Assembly should be broadened and
made more representative by inviting the following women
to become members thereof- Mrs. Alva Myrdal, Swedish
Ambassador to India; Mrs. Nina Popova:, Vice President
of the WIDF since its foundation in 1945 and Chairman of
the Soviet WIDF affiliate and Presidium Chairman of the
Soviet Society of Friendship Abroad; Mrs. Eleanor Roose-
velt, former U. S. Delegate to the United Nations Organiza-
tion; Mrs. Sekou Toure, wife of the President of Guinea.
Mrs. Roosevelt rejected the invitation. The action of
others is not yet known.
- Certain "National Preparatory Committees"--those
financially able- were assessed a participation fee of
$5. 00 per delegate attending the Assembly, payable in
advance, and urged to raise as much money as possible
for the International Solidarity Fund by organizing various
fund-raising projects, including soliciting contributions
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from prominent persons and national and international
organizations. International Solidarity Funds are
traditionally used by fronts to defray the travel expenses
of delegates from colonial and underdeveloped areas,
- The Assembly should be publicized as far in advance as
possible in articles and interviews concerning the various
topics that would be discussed by the Assembly. To
assist the various "National Preparatory Committees"
and W IDF affiliates, the "working group" planned to
publish a bulletin giving timely information about the
Assembly.
Various international exhibits should also be held during
the Assembly consisting of materials submitted by the
various preparatory groups throughout the world. such
exhibits would include women's publications (books,
magazines, newspapers, bulletins, etc.), photographs
of prominent women throughout the world in honor of
the 50th Anniversary of International Women's Day and
its pioneers, works of art, recordings made by women,
and albums.
/ It is interesting to note that the WIDF Secretariat advised
its affiliates by circular letter in mid-November 1959 of
plans for organizing similar exhibits at the Assembly, as
well as exhibits on the U.N.O. and its Specialized Agencies
for women's rights, a Festival of Films and other artistic
manifestations. The "working group" is planning to
have professional artists provide the delegates with enter-
tainment. Whether it still plans to organize a U.N. exhibit
is not known. /
-Technical arrangements were also made for the Assembly--
the halls in which it would meet, how and where its
documents would. be published where the delegates would be
lodged, etc..
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The appointment of a special body to work 'con-the-spot'I for
several months in'advance of an international Communist front
event is now fairly standard practice. This specially constituted
body invariably gives titled positions of seeming importance to-
representatives of bona fide, non-member organizations' as
ostensible evidence-of its "legitimacy" and representativity, while
the "sensitive" control positions of any real significance are given
to trusted Communist cadre functionaries of the sponsoring Com-
munist front, or in this case, the WIDF. Such functionaries usually
transfer from the Headquarters of the covert international front
sponsor when such an "on-the-spot" preparatory body is formed,
or are functionaries who have had considerable prior experience
in organizing such events for the front in question. This would
appear to hold true in the case of the "working group" in Copen-
hagen. Parallel with the operation of such.an"on-the -spot" pre-
paratory body--the Copenhagen working group in this case--the
covert international front sponsor (or the WIDF in this case) not
only continues to tighten up organizational preparations by main-
taining a steady check on its affiliates' preparatory problems and
progress, but also by providing them and the "working group"
with diverse kinds of necessary "support".
A partial insight into the preparatory role played by the WIDF
Headquarters is provided by a WIDF circular letter to its affiliates
of late December 1959 which first advised that the following "official
documents emanated from this /second international preparatory/
meeting: the Declaration of the Initiating Committee, the program
of the World Assembly of Women, the list of the. presidium members,
and the names of the adherents and other information /which/ will
be printed in. a folder and distributed from Copenhagen, we hope,
the first half of January 1960. "" It then advised its affiliates,
"We must insist that you let us know the names and titles of the
people in your country who are adherents of the Initiating Commit-
tee. We request that you send us this information as quickly as
possible so that it can be used in this folder." The propaganda
importance the WIDF attaches to receipt of the names of such
adherents is attested to by the strong, insistent language used
in this letter.
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According to literature emanating from the. "International .
Initiating Committee" in Copenhagen, some twenty-five persons
have been identified either as having attended the 5-6 December
1959 International Preparatory Meeting in Copenhagen or as
"adherents" of the Committee. Of these twenty-five only nine
are not known to have previously supported Communist-front
sponsored activities. The following nine women appear to fall
into this category, thus indicating some measure of the success
achieved by the WIDF thus far in eliciting support of prominent
women and representatives of organizations not affiliated with
the W IDF:
Mme. Marguerite Thibert (France):
Member of Presidium of the International Initiating Committee;
former head of the Department for Women's and Youth's
Labor... of the International :Labor... Office (a Specialized Agency.
of the UN); a Ph.D.
Mme. Sarah Kielberg (Denmark):
Doctor of Psychiatry and Neurology who has been active in
women's activities for some time; the former Ore.sident
of the "Zonta" Club of Denmark and an Executive Committee
Member of the Danish affiliate of the Open Door International,
which is described below.
/ Note: This club is the Danish affiliate of the "Zonta Interna-
tional_", a bona fide organization of executive women having
13, 500 members in 15 Free World countries. Its professed
aims are, among other things, to "improve legal, political
economic and professional status of women... to work for
advancement of understanding, goodwill and peace through
a world fellowship of executive women in business and the
profession.... "/
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Mme. Noely Watin (France):
Barrister at the Court of Paris and Secretary-General of the
International Federation of Women Members in the Law
Profession.
/Note: Infprmation on this organization is not available at
this time. /
Mme. 'Yvonne Tolman-Guillard (France):
Barrister at the Court of Paris and President of the French
Association of Women Members in the Law Profession.
/Note: She attended the first and second international pre-
paratory meetings for the World Assembly of Women in June
and December 1959, and she apparently heads the French
affiliate of the International Federation of Women Members in
the Law Profession. /
Mme. Giovanna Pratelli (Italy):
Member of Presidium of International Committee; barrister,
President of the International Federation of Women Members.
in the Law Profession, and, according to 1956 Who rs Who,
is co-director of two Italian-language legal publications, The
Court of Brescia and Venice and the Forensic Bulletin. Born
in 1895 in Milan but lives in Venice.
/Note: The fact that Mme. Pratilli is President of the Inter-
national Federation of Women Members in the Law Profession
suggests that it has an affiliate in Italy. Since French officials
of this body are also supporting this Assembly, it appears to
be one in which the WIDF has considerable, although hitherto
unsuspected, influence./
Mme. Dr. Teresita Sandeski Scelba (Italy):
President of the International Alliance of Women (IAW) and
a physician and surgeon.
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/Note: The LAW is a bona fide organization that was founded
in 1904 and has affiliates in thirty-three countries of the Free
World. It enjoys consultative status B with the UN Economic
and Social Council, as well as UNESCO and ILO relations.
Mme. Scelba was previously an Executive Committee member
of the LAW. The professed aims of the JAW are to "secure
enfranchisement for the women of all nations and promote all.
reforms necessary to establish a real equality of liberties,
status and opportunities between men and women.... "/
Mme. Cisse Fatou Aribot (Guinea):
Secretary General of the Union of Women of West Africa.
/Note: Information about this organization is not available
at this time. /
Mme. Ada Ferrieri Bassini (Italy):
Vice President of the Italian National Council of Women and
Counsellor of the Italian Women's Alliance.
/Note: These appear to be Italian affiliates of the LAW (des-
cribed above) and of the International Council of Women (ICW).
The ICW is also a bona fide organization that was founded in,
1888 and consists of affiliates in thirty-four countries of the
Free World. It cooperates with the LAW and has consultative.
status B in the UN ECOSOC and working relations with the
following Specialized Agencies of the UN: Food and Agricul-
tural Organization, UNESCO and the UN International Child-
ren's Emergency Fund. The professed aims of the ICW are to
"bring together women's organizations of all races, creeds
and classes from all parts of the world for consultation on
action to be taken to promote the welfare of mankind, of the
family, and of the individual; to work for the removal of all
disabilities for women."/
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Mrs. Anne K. Eaton (USA.):
Member of Presidium of the International Initiating Committee.
/Note: Mrs Eaton and her husband, Cyrus Eaton, have been
active organizers and supporters of the Pugwash Movement
during 1958 and 1959, in which the World Federation of Scientific
Workers and scientific personalities from the Bloc have par-
ticipated. She traveled to the Soviet Union in 1958. Several
articles concerning her have appeared in Soviet Woman
(official monthly organ of the Soviet Women's Committee and
the Central Council of Trade Unions of the USSR). The June
1959 issue of Soviet Womancarried an article in which Mrs.
Eaton is quoted as saying the following: "Women must take
the responsibility for better relations between nations... .
What is needed more than astute statesmanship or massive
retaliation is the wisdom of mothers who know that people the
world over are the same. Civilization is in danger. Women
have the obligation to speak up forcefully for sanity in inter-
national relations and must insist that the bomb testing which
endangers the health of children and children not yet born must
be stopped. What is needed is an international meeting of
women and the slogan, 'Women of the world, unite ! Your
children are in danger. "' The article stated that Mrs. Eaton
has been making many speeches to women's clubs throughout
the United States. The December 1959 issue of Soviet Woman
quoted Mrs. Eaton as saying,
"The Fiftieth Anniversary of International Women's Day
is a very significant occasion. I feel sure that the future
of this great organization will have a profound influence
in the course of history...
It may be noted that Mme. Anna Westergaard of Denmark is
being used by the International Initiating Committee in Copenhagen
(of which she is a member of the Presidium)to cosign its corres-
pondence, along with Mrs. Esther Brinch. In view of the fact that
M,. ne. Westergaard is now almost eighty years old and largely
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inactive, it is apparent that the WIDF organizers are trying to
exploit her prominence as a Danish feminist leader for almost
fifty years, her thirteen years as a member of the Danish Parlia-
ment, her former position as Directress of Traffic of the Danish
State Railroads and her currentposition as President of the Open
Door International. Although Mme. Westergaard has in the past
supported some Communist front "peace" and women's groups, such
support has been in line with her ardent espousal of all femine
causes. The Open Door International (For the Economic Emanci-
pation of the Woman Worker, or ODI), of which Mme. Westergaad
is now President, is a bona fide organization established in 1929.
It has affiliates in ten countries in the Free World, and its pro-
fessed aims are to "secure that a woman shall be free to work and
protected as a worker on the same terms as a man and that legis-
lation and regulations dealing with conditions, hours, payment,
entry and training shall be based upon the nature of the work and
not upon the sex of the worker. . . ", etc. The Open Door Interna-
tional has consultative "register" status with the UN ECOSOC.
Reports of the WIDF Council Meeting in Prague in October
1959 clearly indicate that the WIDF intends to use this Assembly
and the worldwide preparations for the 50th anniversary of Inter-
national Women's Day celebrations in two important ways.. Fiist,
to create the broadest possible support for the current Soviet peace
and disarmament policies and to use such support to "pressure"
Free World'Governments into accepting Soviet peace and disarma-
ment policies. Italian Communist WIDF Secretary General Carmen
Zanti called "for the stepping up of the women's struggle in capi-
talist countries and colonies in defense of their rights and stressed
that this movement was indivisible from the fight for peace. "
Czech Deputy Premier Ludmila Jankovcova told the WIDF Council:
"The celebration of the 50th anniversary of International Women's
Day falls into this historically important period in which the fate
of all mankind is being decided. I am convinced that democratic
women in the whole world are prepared to celebrate this day in
dignity and that they will use, for their intensified propaganda
work, the time before the new meeting of the heads of government
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of the great powers in order to mobilize all women in the world for
the struggle against war. " Reports indicate that: many WIDF affili-
ates have been organizing signature collection campaigns to present
the WIDF on this occasion with a demonstration of the solidarity
of women's support of the Soviet peace and disarmament proposals.
Reports also indicate that the WIDF intends to use the Assembly
and the preparatory activities as a means of obtaining the broadest
possible unity of action (from above and below) with non-Communist,
non-member women's organizations, prominent women leaders
and unorganized women in the Free World. Where such unity
has been achieved in other covertly organized activities of the
WIDE, such as the Meetings of European Women on Peace,
Disarmament and Atomic Problems held in Rome and Brunate,
Italy in May and July 1959, WIDF has sought to extend it to sup-
port of the Copenhagen World Assembly of Women in April 1960,
and more generally to other WIDF activities of mutual interest,
This tactic has apparently been fairly successful since many of
the "adherents" of the Assembly are women who attended one or
both of the Meetings of European Women in Italy in May and July
1959. It is, therefore, possible that others who attended these
meetings may also support and attend the World Assembly of
Women in Copenhagen. Should this be the case, the following
organizations might also be represented at Copenhagen-
- The-"International Reconciliation Movement", whose French,
Italian, and Swedish affiliates were represented at the WIDF-
organized Meetings of European Women.
/Note: The International Fellowship of Reconciliation is a
religious pacifist movement founded in 1919 that has affiliates
in twenty-three Free World countries. Its professed aim's
are "To. explore the social and international meaning of Love
and: Peace as exemplified preeminently by Jesus Christ."
Its "members refuse sanction and support of warfare and
... strive for social justice and peaceful change by methods
conforming to the way of Christi' Individual members of this
Movement have participated at conferences sponsored by the
WPC, as well as Anti-A. and H Bomb Conferences./
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-T he Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
(WILPF), whose Dutch, Swedish and Swiss affiliates were
represented at the WIDF Meetings of European Women.
/Note: The WILPF is a bona fide organization that has been
a special target of the WIDF for many years. The WILPF
was founded in 1915 and has affiliates in forty-five countries,
including Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. Its professed aims
are to "bring together women of different political and
philosophical tendencies united in their determination to
study, make known and help abolish the political, social,
economic and psychological causes of war, and to work for
a just and lasting peace based on freedom. " It has consul-
tative status +"B'" with the UN ECOSOC and UNESCO and
specialized consultative status with the following UN Special-
ized Agencies: Food and Agricultural Organization, UNICEF
and ILO. Some of the WILPF affiliates have been infiltrated
by Communists or ardent fellow travellers who, in some cases,
have gained positions of influence which they have sought to
exploit in support of WIDF and WPC activities. The WILPF _
has sent official observers to some WIDF and WPC meetings. /
-The Federation of Women Jurists, whose Italian affiliate was
represented at the WIDF Meetings of European Women.
/Note: It is not known whether this group is identical with
the affiliate of the International Federation of Women. mem-
bers in the Law Profession which is supporting the Copen-
hagen Assembly. There is an International Federation of
Women Lawers (or Jurists) that is a bona fide, professional
organization established in ]1944 and has affiliates in fifty-
six countries throughout the Free World. It has consultative
status "B" with UN ECOSOC and UNESCO and cooperates
with the ILO. It has an affiliate in Italy. /
-International Cooperative Women's Guild, whose Italian
affiliate may have been represented at the WIDF Meetings
of European Women.
/Note: The Italian National Committee of Women Cooperators
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was represented at these meetings. The International Co-
operative -Women's Guild is a body that was founded in 1921
and claims to have affiliates in twenty-two countries (including
Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the USSR) totaling 31
million members. Its professed aims are to. "unite woman
cooperators of all lands. , . to raise the status of women through
the achievement of economic and political equality, and im-
prove their standard of family life; promote education of.
women cooperators. work for international peace through.
security and friendly relations between all countries."/
-The Theosophical Society, whose Italian affiliate may have
been represented at the WIDF Meetings of European Women.
/The Italian Theosophical Association was the group repre-
sented. The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, has
almost 34, 000 members in sixty-four countries of the Free
World, and its professed aims are, among others, ''univer-
sal brotherhood, without distinction of race, creeds, :sex,
caste or colour. It/
Successful unity-of-action at the national level on specific matters
of common interest to both non-Communist and Communist front
women's groups may also be extended to support of the World As..
sembly of Women in Copenhagen. It may be noted that in France
the WIDF-affiliated Union of French Women and its Women's
Rights Commission is working jointly with ten other women's
organizations to defeat certain proposed changes in the French
Civil Code which they maintain are detrimental to women's.
rights. Two of these ten organizations are participating in the
international preparatory meetings for the World Assembly of
Women.
In view of the fact that some of the "adherents" of the
World Assembly of Women in Copenhagen are women who
served as sponsors of the First Latin American Women's
Conference which was held in Santiago, Chile, in November 1959
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and which was also covertly organized by the WIDF, some non-
member women's organizations that were represented at this
meeting might also: be represented at the C openhagen, As sembly
in April 1960. Most non-member organizations, however, with-
drew from and repudiated this Conference before it convened.
In'any event, at the suggestion. of WIDF President Eugenie Cotton,
the Santiago Conference did adopt a special recommendation
calling for preparations for the celebration of the Fiftieth Anni-
versary of International Women's Day to begin at once.
That the WIDF intends to use the Copenhagen Assembly as
an "anti-colonial" tribune is implicit in its postponement of this
Assembly from 8 March 1960 (which is International Women's
Day) to 21 - 24 April 1960. The 24th of April is the anniversary
of the now "historic" 1955 Bandung Conference which adopted
the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence", a date which
fellow Communist fronts--the World Federation of Democratic
Youth, the International Union of Students and their affiliates--
have sought to exploit by worldwide celebrations and fund-
raising campaigns as the "Day of Solidarity Against Colonialism
and for Peaceful Coexistence". The Afro-Asian Women's Con-
ference is scheduled to open in Cairo on 30 April 1960 under the
sponsorship of the Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Council. It may
be noted that Rameshwari Nehru (a Presidium member of the
International Initiating Committee for the World Assembly of
Women in Copenhagen and a key figure in the Indian Afro-Asian
People's Solidarity Council) has been in contact with the principal
UAR organizer of the Cairo Conference. The Copenhagen Assem-
bly's anti-colonial arguments will, however, probably be keyed
more to ".peace" and "national development" slogans than to
aggressive "national liberation" demands.
Postponement of the Copenhagen Assembly also serves the
additional useful purpose of permitting the great variety of world-
wide "International Women's Day" activities on or about 8 March
1960 to be used as preparatory events for the Copenhagen Assembly.
Delegates may be selected and funds raised to help defray their
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travel expenses. Reports indicate that the organizers consider
these activities of considerable importance and effectiveness in
activating women of "varying political orientation from the local
to the national level. They include a great variety of preparatory
activities from the local to the national level, such as large
national assemblies with specially invited foreign guests., These
assemblies, in effect, treat all the agenda items of the Copen-
hagen Assembly and in many cases are preceded by numerous
specialized local and provincial meetings whose programs are
tailored to problems of general interest to women (education,
health, social welfare, employment, etc. ) or to matters of
interest to specific groups by profession, occupation, social
status or avocation (legislators, teachers, workers, peasant
women, housewives, artists, athletes, etc. ). In some countries
special seminars are planned in which delegates can become
familiar with the proper lines to be taken at the Assembly. . These
will also provide useful experience in dealing with any counter
arguments that might be raised at the Assembly. The French
Communist Party has, for example, emphasized that all elements
of the Party are responsible for "intensifying the ideological
struggle" among women, by denouncing all efforts to keep women's
activities apolitical and by explaining in Communist terms. the
real origins of the problems which interest women.
In some countries WIDF affiliates plan to award "Interna-
tional Women's Day" prizes to women who have distinguished
themselves in some fashion, Most WIDF affiliates and,"national
preparatory committees" plan to publish special propaganda
literature on this occasion (ranging from brochures and cards
to magazines and books), and those in the Soviet bloc even plan
to produce special feature and documentary films showing how
well women in the Bloc live. The WIDF has provided its affili-
ates and "national preparatory committees" with considerable
propaganda material which they can use in compiling their own
special propaganda literature, as well as with special stamps,
badges, etc. which the affiliates can sellto help them raise funds.
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Finally, there has been considerable international Communist
front support of this Copenhagen World Assembly of Women. The
World Peace Council's support is implicit from the publicity given
it in its official fortnightly organ, Bulletin of the World Council of
Peace No. 3, 1 February 1960. Page 14 of this issue is almost
entirely devoted to WIDF President Eugenie Cotton's article on
the "50th Anniversary of International Women's Day." More
frank and direct support of this occasion was given by the World
Federation of Democratic Youth at its Fifth Assembly of Member
Organizations (Prague, August 1959) when it decided "to partici-
pate in the international gathering of women on the occasion of the
celebration of the anniversary of March 8th...." The World
Federation of Trade Unions and its affiliates traditionally have
supported International Women's Day celebrations, and may play
an important role this time as well. WIDF affiliates are making
considerable efforts to activate women workers of all types and to
establish unity-of-action with them, even at their jobs.
c ~ r n FWAIM
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Appendix*
1910 - 1960
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN?S DAY IS FIFTY YEARS OLD
An Initiating Committee for the celebration of the 50th
anniversary of International Women's Day was convened
in Malma, Sweden in June 1959. It has published the
following declaration on the occasion of the coming 50th
anniversary of March 8th:
In the city of Copenhagen 50 years ago, women from several
countries gathered to proclaim the need for women to unite to
win their fundamental rights and to exert all their efforts in the_.,
service of peace, They resolved to celebrate International
Women's Day every year as an expression of the mutual interests
that bind the women of the. world.
The past 50 years, marked by deep going social changes
and scientific and technical discoveries, have opened up grand
perspectives of well-being and prosperity for mankind. Notable
among the achievements of this period is the advance made by
women in all spheres of life. Women have won political rights
in most of the countries, They entered professions traditionally
reserved for men. In all spheres of life, women are to a greater
extent taking their rightful place in society. They are occupying
positions more consistent with their abilities, the extent of their
qualifications and the consciousness of their responsibilities.
These decisive gains have been won by persistent and heroic
efforts to which many give their best, and have enabled women
to live in greater dignity as. citizens, workers and mothers.
Thus a new woman has come into being whose rights are
recognized in the Charter of the United Nations. .
But all rights have not yet been won. Women in many
countries are still deprived of full access to education, the right
to work, equal pay for equal work, full access to all professions,
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legal and political equality, economic and social security. To
achieve these, all forms of discrimination must be eliminated,
To reach these goals and ensure the continued advance of
women in the family and in society, peace and the rights of
peoples to determine their own destiny are indispensable pre-
requisites. This thought inspired the women who met in Copen.-
hagen 50 years ago when they linked the struggle for the rights
of women with the safeguarding of peace.
But two great wars and many other conflicts in the half
century have brought wanton destruction and suffering to
humanity. Today the threat of war still exists and is aggra-
vated by the menace of nuclear weapons and their terrible
consequences. It is more imperative than ever for women to
unite to eliminate war forever,
Women have a common desire to protect life, the security
of the home and the future of their children,
Women of all social backgrounds, workers, farmers,
peasants, intellectuals, housewives, women belonging to
organizations or unaffiliated, all have rights to win and defend.
We, women from 28 countries from all continents, from
different organizations, meeting in Malmo on June 13th and
14th, 1959.invite all women's organizations, all individuals, all
others who support the just cause of women, to join the celebra-
tions of the 50th Anniversary Jubilee of International Women's
Day in 1960.
This day will be a great occasion on which to honour all
champions and pioneers who have fought for us, to review the
historic past and to draw new impetus from its successors, in
order to help ensure further victories for women, which are
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indispensable to the continued progress of the whole society.
Malmo, Sweden, June 13th and 14th, 1959.
This declaration has appeared in various WIDF documents
(including the August 1959 issue of the WIDF monthly organ,
Women of the Whole World, and official documents adopted
by the WIDF Council Meeting in October 1959 and distributed
to WIDF affiliates by WIDF circular letter of 29 October
1959) and in various publications of the affiliates of the WIDF.
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