KULAK ACTIVITIES, ANTI-KULAK MEASURES IN RUMANIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700090474-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 11, 2011
• Sequence Number: 474
• Publication Date: December 8, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
SECURITY INFORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY Rumania DATE OF
SUBJECT Political; Economic - Kulaks INFORMATION 1951 - 1852
agricultural
policy
HOW DATE DIST.
PUBLISHED Daily newspapers; bimonthly periodical ~ Doe 1952
WHERE
PUBLISHED Bucharest N0. OF PAGES 4
DATE
PUBLISHED 19 Dec 1951 - 8 Aug 1952
KIII.AK ACTIVITIES, ANTI-Ki1I.AK MEASURES IN RUMANIA
Comment: The Rumanian p^ess available in FDD, CIA, does not or-
dinarily publish articles dealing directly with dissatisfaction, pea-
sant resistance, or failures of the regime However, the frequent
articles on kaiaks seem to serve ea an indication of rural irregulari-
ties, failures in quota collection, sad opposition. In the following
selection of articles, kaiaks are accused of sabotage of agricultural
machinery, quota deliveries, and political meetiz3s. They are charac-
terized as a maJor obstacle to the attainment of socialism in agricul-
ture
The kaiaks fierce resistance to the present regime le one of the main ob-
staclee do the socialist transformation of Rumanian agriculture. They defy the
restrictive measures taken by the state. They still influence some oP the back-
ward elementsiatheir communities; and they infiltrate the ranks of the state po-
litical machinery in order to gain favor among party leaders. In short, the
kaiaks are the greatest threat to the working population and to the nation.
Although the number of kaiak farms has been artificially reduced to one
third of the previous number, the Central Committee of the Rumanian Workers'
Party has estimted that 5.50 percent of the total number of peasant farms are
kaiak farms. Under the present regime, it appears that the number of middy
class peasants has actually increased proportionately with the number of kaiaks.
All this amounts to a critical situation, when the numerous methods of devia-
tion used by the kaiaks are coneidered.(1)
Despite their numerous acts of sabotage, k~:laks are often shown an easy-
going attitude by the party officials. Because of their former influence, many
rich peasants are listed as "middle class peasants," assuming this protective
title in order to escape the heavy payments which are demanded of a kulak.(2)
Thus, Grigore Reordorescu from Vutcani, landowner anfl,vell-known ]~ulak,~per-
suaded the people's council to list him as a middle cldss peasant. In so doing,
STATE
ARMY
CLASSIFICATION
NAW NS"ne T
_ __ I
AIR FBI -~
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they permitted him to keep goods belonging to the working population. As a con-
sequence, he vas denounced by small peasants Toma Ivanescu, Gheorghe Parvu and
Panait Iordache. Such acts of arbitrary re-classification are punishable by
heavy fine and lmprisonment.(3)
Opposition to Delivery oP Quotas
Oae of the most common misdeeds of the kuleks is their refusal to deliver
their allotted quotas to the state. Malty such instances can be found. For ex-
ample kaiaks Ion Profir, Gheorghe Vrabie, and Petre Briceag of Raneati Bach xith-
held 3,000 kilograms of cereals and hid them underground. When the authorities
discovered this, they sentenced the kaiaks to 5 years' imprisonment and 100,000
old lei fine. SSmilarly, Mitu Naumica of Maicanesti wen sentenced to 9 years'im-
prisonment, plus a heavy fine, and Gheorghe Leica of the same commune vas sen-
tenced to 11 years' imprisonment and 60,000 old lei fine.(4)
Only 82 percent vi the wheat quota sad 72 percent of the corn quota for the
1951 harvest had been collected as of December 1951 Sn a majority of the regiunes.
The entire problem of quota nondelivery by kulske stems from a lack of respoaei-
bility on the pant of the regiune executive committees, which fall to create suf-
ficient political agitation among the peasant: (S)
Ia C1u,J Regiune, kuleks have often attempted to influence the peasants Mast
selling their produce to state cooperatives, against delivery of the mandatory
quotas, and against entering agricultural collectives. That such kaiak activities
are allowed to continue proves the ineffi:iency of the people's councils and execu-
tive committees of the respective regiune.(2)
Sabotage of Agricultural Machinery
Another subversive activity of the kuleks is the deliberate sabotage of agri-
cultural machinery. For example, a number of kuleks from Corabia and Caracal sold
their used threshing machines at a fraction of their actual coat, without reporting
that parts were missing. The machines were purchased by poor peasants who vere
duped by these "generous offers." In reality, however, kuleks Vasile Zamfir, SlIDion
Ruts, Ilia Gavrilescu, and many others vere attempting to sabotage the harvesting
campaign by the Bale of these defective machines. Consequently, the kuleks received
heavy punishment.(6)
The lax manner in which kuleks repaired farm machinery was demonstrated in vari-
ous regions of the country. In Aaius Raioa, for example, all threshing machines vere
in good repair, with the exception of two machines belonging to kuleks Vasile Balint
and h~ilia Popa. The executive committee of the local people's councl7. yea guilty oY
gross negligence when it relied ua the promises of these two kuleks to maintain the
machines !n good xorking order. It vas only thrcugh the efforts of the raion pri-
mary party organization that the true conditions were uncovered and the intended sabo-
tage averted.
Another example is that oP kuleks Iondin Pienaru from Alba Iulia, Stefan Repede
from Mihalt, and Avram Graaescu from Beriu, all of whom attempted to sabotage the
threshing and harvesting campaign by removing vital pieces from their reapers and
threshing machines. All were immediately tried and sentenced. Also punished were
Visoiu Lazar Prom Strei-Saageorgiu and Nichofor Petrsacu from Ciugud, both of whom
have failed to repair their agricultural machinery up to the present time. To allevi-
ate these conditions, the executive committees of the people's councils x111 have
to intensify their precautionary measures against similar acts of sabotage.(7)
Careful xatch must be maintained over kuleks who try to gain unwarranted privi-
leges. For example, the Trusesti People's Council authorized kaiak Ion Radulescu
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from Movila R?pt3 to dismantle several threshing machines end tractors and to
sell the pieca.s as scrap iron, for profit, The excuse offered was that the
machines were no longer usable; the actual reason was leek of vigilance against
the asbotagiag ac*.s of :.hs kula_ks,(8)
` To es_ape the restrlctlons in.Plicted upon them, many of the kulsks re-
sort to the bribing of party an3 state officials. Nicolas Costesti, one example
oP msgv, owned several hectares of lend, one thresher, and one flour '...11. Be-
cause of his undermining activities, he ves kept under close s,rr~eillance by the
poor peasants end in particular by Ion Flores, s?:rotary of the VPM (Union of
Working Youth; and collector for the r,SC.. On the evening before his subversive
activities were to he sported, kale! Costesti visltedttrhome of the ~Fi'M secre-
tary and offered him 30 kilogrsms of corn ss 3 bribe for "going easy on him,"
The secretsry immed'_gtrly reported Costesti ?o the authorities, and the kaiak
vas punished severely. Similar bribes have often beep discovered by alert pea-
sants and party officials who thwarted the A.pneasing policy oP the kulaks.(9)
Sabotage o.? Politic:gl Meetings
Quite offer kaiaks penetrate the rsn;cs of party politics with s view to
disrupting the smooth organization of the party organs. At political meetings,
they sit in the back rows and contrive means to persuade the working people to
vote against proposed resolutions. On oea such ocession, a meeting was called
by the Hundorf People's Council, in Sighisesrq Raien, to decide whether funds
could be raised for the building of two bridge;, by means of self-taxation.
Ths working peasants agreed unanimously to this proposal. Rovever, several kul-
ake began to whisper provocations to the more backward groups of peasants, Snduc-
ing them to dissent in their vote. Especially pzominent were the efforts of
kaiak Virgil Moldovan, son of a staunch kaiak, who disrupted many meetings in
similar __*ashion. Rovever, all the kaiaks ware quickly apprehended and are now
avriting trial.(10)
Similarly, at the recent Timis Regi~L~e meeting, the peasants discussed the
new draft conetituti~n sad commended the new rights granted by t.hs new conatitu-
tloa to all national minorities in R~imsnia, Puring the meeting, kaiak elements
attempted to split the peasant vote o^ the issue c1' the newly established Hun-
garian Autonomous Region. However, their efforts were quickly rebuked by the
working people, who voted unanimously in favor of scenting equal ri;hta to na-
tional minorities in Rumsals.(l.l)
Mesaures Against Kulake
To bring about an end to all kulsk activities, severe punishments must be
imposed. Mosie Oprea of Lipova Regiuae, for example, was convicted of burying
his quota. For this act he was sentenced to a fine of 500 new lei, surrender
of his quota oP 3,375 kilograms of wheat and 663 kilograms of sunflower seed,
and one year's imprisonment for fraud and misrepresentation. Likewise, Ion Vixen,
steward of the Padureti cooperative in Costesti Raion, vas found guilty of declar-
ing himself a "middle class peasant" rather than a kaiak, in order to escape high
taxes. For this act, be was sentenced by the Pitesti t.rib,wal to 3 years' im-
prisonmeat.(3)
Similar kaiak trials take place slmos? daily throughout the entire country,
Kaiaks are sent to prison, their goods are confiscated, sad they are ousted from
the party ranks and from all political m=stings. All working peasants are alerted
to report arty vithholdinge$ quotas or any subversive talk which is not in accord
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~+ith party directives. Hrn+ever, despite all the preventive and punitive measures
taken eo far, kulaks still continue to defy state measures. All people's coua_
cils and xorking peasants moat know that the liquidation of the kulak cl-. s is
the prime requisite for the establishment of a socialist nation.(1)
SOURCES
1. Lupta de Class, Feb/Mar 52
2. Vista Siadicala, 29 Jun 52
3. Unlversul, 26 Jun 52
4. Ibid., 9 Jan 52
5. Romania Libera, 19 Dec 51
6. Vista 5lndicala, 27 Jun 52
7. Romania Libera, 2~F Jua 52
8. Scanteia, 17 Jun 52
9. Vista Siadicala, 26 Jun 52
10. Romania Libera, 21 Jun 52
11. Ibid., 8 Au8 52
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