COMMUNISM IN LATIN AMERICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R00890A000200040021-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 19, 2002
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: February 17, 1954
• Content Type: BRIEF

Approved For Release 2002/0 M400218
NSC BRIEFING 17 February 1954
COMMUNISM IN LATIN AMERICA
1. Topic will receive some attention at
10th Inter-American Conference -
Caracas - 1 March.
II. Increased Communist interest in Latin
America over past two years.
A. Activity of Soviet and Satellite
missions.
1. Credentials presented in eight
countries, in addition to five
existing missions in Argentina,
Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador, and,
z (D U' ' j 2. Trade pact between Argentina
LU _-
-10 AL IMPID _14 ~~ 11
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B. Increase in Latin American travel
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1. 900 Latin Americans last six
months 1953.
2. Greatly increased Latin
American representation at
international Communist meet-
ings WFTU, in Vienna, October
160. World Youth Festival,
Bucharest, August - 600.
3. Attendance at nine front
organization conferences in 1953
with travel in Orbit countries.
C. Communist leaders trained or visit-
ing in Moscow or Orbit in 1953.
1. Secretaries General of four
parties and one other top
party official.
2. Other Communist present or
potential leaders also in
Orbit.
- 2 -
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3. European Communist leaders have
in return visited Communist
or front conferences in Latin
America.
4. Communist training schools and
programs reactivated or begun.
III. Communist influence varies - negligible
only in Dominican Republic or Haiti.
A. Guatemala.Influence Arbenz, control
labor, dominate agrarian reform.
1. Increased voting strength in
January 1953 and December 1953
elections.
2. Party strength up from 500 to
3,000 in 1953.
3. Opposition divided.
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SECRET
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Brazil.
1. Party recruitment broadened
under "united national front."
a. Membership up from 65,000
to 110,000 in 1953.
2. Strength growing in organized
labor.
a. Labor minister using
Communists to build own
machine.
C. Chile.
1. Increasing strength in organized
labor from rising inflation.
2. Communist influence energetic
in nitrate fields, coal mines,
copper workers' federation.
3. Influence in workingmen's
newspapers.
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iAL
IV. At Caracas.
A. US resolutions want controls on
Communist propaganda and inter-
national travel.
1. Most Latin American governments
do not see Communism as threat
connected with Soviet Union.
B. Most Latin American governments will
vote for resolution condemning Com-
munism.
1. Little interest.
2. Greater interest in economic
problems and colonialism.
3. Fear giving impression of inter-
vening in Guatemalan affairs.
a. Sensitive because of
Guatemalan charges (29 Jan-
uary) implying US would approve
armed attack by Latin Ameri-
can governments on Arbenz
regime.
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