CRITICISM OF ROMANIAN LOCAL NEWSPAPERS BY TWO OFFICIAL PARTY PAPERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 13, 2011
• Sequence Number: 182
• Publication Date: November 30, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
SECURITY IIr`FORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS
SUBJECT Political - Local press, party criticism
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspapers
WHERE
PUBLISHE Bucharest
DATE
PUBLISHED 1 - ?29 Apr 1953
LANGUAGE Rwnanian
~, ,. .. , ,,,~.,.,~.a a, ,~.? ~.. ,?,~e.. ,~~
REPORT
CD N0.
DATE OF
DATE DIST. 3o fiov 1953
N0. OF PAGES 7
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT N0.
CRITICISM OF RUMANIAN LOf:Ai. NF,WSPAPERS
-Y TWO OFFICIAL PARTY PAPERS
~omment: Scanteia, official organ of the Rumanian Communist
Party, and Romania Libera, official organ of the people's councils,
during 1 - 29 April 1953 devoted more space than usual to criticism
of Rumanian local newspapers published by regiune ani raion ommit-
tees. This criticism was directed at the failure of the papers to
(1) support party and government directives on collectivization and
spring planting and (2) popularize Soviet and Rumanian work methods
in industrial fields. According to Scanteia and Romania Libera, the
local newspapers failed to criticize the errors of local party organs
in their columns.
mhe followtnq report presents summaries of these criticisms
taken from 1 - 29 April 1953 issues of Scanteia and Romania Libera.
Numbers in parentheses refer to appended sources)
General
According to Scanteia, regiune anP raion newspapers must play en importan'
i?o]e in agriculture by mobilizing workers to carry out springy planting ~r sched-
ule. They must popularize Soviet methods and the suggestions aua taperiences
oT Soviet and Rumanian leading workers, the paper stnted. They must disseminate
information on party organizations, particularly executive committees of peo-
ple's councils. Scanteia also noted that press organs must always combat
improper practices, delaying tactics, and the slothful attitude of many super-
vi.=pry units, sll of which help the tools of the hostile class. They must
coa:bat mistakes which still exist in socialist agriculture and which are com-
L~it*,ed by party and state organs which aid and supervise collectives. These
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2
newspapers must explain the provisions of the new collective statute. Scanteia
further stated that regiune and press organs must attract workers to the ful-
fillment of the Five-Year Plan in 4 yearF and they must encourage the use of
advanced methods in production.(1, 2, 3)
Arad Regiune
Scanteia, in criticizing the Arad Regiune newspaper Flacara Rosie, stated
the following;
Flacara Rosie, official press organ of Arad, published a number of articles
on spring preparations for early plantin in 1
not make a thorough analysis of the actiaities9of rimarver, the newspaper did
and executive committees of commune people's councils n r,~akeysurganizations
the improvement of their mistakes. The vaterial was not well organized nsTher
paper failed to popularize innovations and experiences cf party organizations
and other groups, nor did it encourage competitions. Criticism of party and
state organizations was soft. For example, in a basic article published on 22
March 1953, Flacara Rosie wrote; "It is necessary to bring forth proof in a
special manner of the completely improper attitude shown by members of the
executive committee of the Seceani people's council in regard to areas where
sowing has not begun at all." This phraseology has nothing in common with
Communist. criticism. Such an attitude must not be "brought Forth in a special
manner," as the paper stated, but must be condemned bitterly, and those respon-
sible oust be brought to account. Such criticism as that expressed in Flacara
Rosie contributes without a doubt to the continued presence of persons who do
not devote sufficient attention to spring planting.(1)
Bacau Aegiune
Scanteia carried the following article on Steagul Rosu, organ of the
Bacau P.egiune party committee and the people's council;
From 1 March to 8 April, Steagul Rosu printed a number of articles on
competitions and the popularization of advanced work methods. The paper pre-
sented accounts of workers applying Soviet methods. It also published a num-
ber of articles in this perio3 criticizing the manner in which enterprises of
the regiune applied advanced methods. For example, an article entitled "The
Nineteenth Congress Cement Factory Must Extend the Initiative of Communists of
Boldesti" analyzed reasons for the very small scale introduction of advanced
methods at the factory. The analysis showed that this error was due to the
lack of concern shown by party organizations, the enterprise committee, and
the management. Oa the other hand, Steagul Rosu published many articles on
party organizations which helped to extend the use of advanced methods.
However, during the 1 March - $ April period, the newspaper neglected to
Aoa1 profoundly with competitions and advanced methods Sn petroleum, forestry,
constructions and other basic activities of the regiune. Steagul Rosu should
have devoted special attention to the extension and popularization of Soviet
methods of rapid and intensive drilling in oil 1'iclds, and should have shown
a more combative spirit toward irregularities evident among msnagaments of some
of the regiune's oil fields in supporting the application of new methods. The
editors erred in failing to explain the use of the cyclic graph method in the
Comanesti coal fields, the Orlov and Koroliyov irethods of rapid brick maY.ing
at construction enterprises, etc.
Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2
The paper did devote some attention to wood exploitation and industrial-
ization, however. A basic article and a special page covered the subject.
Nev~rtheleas, the editors did not try to emphasize tY.e achievements and errors
which occurred is the application of advanced methods in the wood industry.
The paper's articles should have been of more value in the development of com-
petitions, in the spread of advanced work methods in forestry Exploitation,
and in describing achievements of Stakhanovites.
In general, the paper published very few items by Stakhanovites and lead-
ing workers, in which they describe their methods in order to aid other workers
to apply them. The paper did not devote enough attention to attracting more
enterprise directors, engineers, and technicians to contribute articles or to
aid in describing advanced methods.
The editorial collective of Steagul Rosu must devote more attention and
more space to competitions and must discuss the various problems connected with
the fulfillment of the Five-Year Plan in 4 years.(3)
Barlad Regiune
The following criticism of Steagul Rosu, official organ of the Barlad
Regiune party committee and people's council, appeared in Scanteia:
Steagul Rosu published many articles on the spring agricultural campaign,
particularly is support of party organizations. The newspaper published a
model plan to be followed by primary party organizations for the preparation
and supervision of the spring agricultural campaign. Errors of a number of
party and state organizations were pointed out. A number of managements of
MTS and state farms were criticized. However, the daily newspai,?r did not
carry out its full duties under a decree oP 6 February 1953 setting up duties
for press and other units in the spring campaign. Calls for competition were
published in a formal and bureaucratic manner. Thus, for example, issue No 204
of Steagul Rosu criticized state and party units in Panciu Raion because only
80 fields had been sown in the raion. The paper did not point out that chair-
men of executive committees of people's councils and chiefs of agricultural
sections were satisfied with organizing competitions in villages without leav-
ing tY.eir offices. Nor did it discuss chairmen of executive committees of
people's councils it Caluti~:ommun^ who challenged those of Cotofenesti to
competitions without initiating competitions in their own ureas.(1)
The editors of Steagul Rosu and the Barlad Regiune party committee organ-
ized a conference to aid editorial collectives of wall newspapers to improve
their work. More tnan 40 men attended the conference and heard speeches on
mode]. organization of wall newspapers. The talks demonstrated the efi'ective-
ness of calls to competition by wall newspapers in the Bolesl?w -ierut, FRB
(Filatura Romans de Bumbac, Rumanian Spinning Mill), and 30 D%cembrie plants,
Bucharest Regiune.
At the conference, the editor of Uzinu, wail newspa~e of ther'oc.sani
communal enterprise, spoke on the planning and organization cf the editorial
collectives of wall newspapers, the most pressing problems of e!,t~rpriscs, and
the contribution of his paper to intensified competition anti Com.!runrct c-ducatien
of workers. The speaker discussed in an uutocritical manner t:~e errors oi' the
Focsani newspaper collective in not using cartoons as weapons e3Linst 1,ad habits
and in not sufficiently emphasizing Soviet and Rumanian St?'shanovite metlrods.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2 ~
stated that the editorial collective of the paper,YUnder the directioln,of the
primary party organization, had distributed leaflets showing the achievements
of tractor drivers'in competition and criticizing drivers who fell behind in
plan fulfillment.
The editor of the wall newspaper oP the Murgeni state farm presented a
talk on the manner in which his paper supported the spring sowing campaign.
subsequent discussion revealed, however, that there are many wall newspapers
which present articles of a general character, which have no connection with
specific problems of their respective enterprises. It was also pointed out
that numerous primary party organizations failed to appreciate the importance
of wall newspapers and did not analyze the work of the administrative collec-
tives of tha_se papers.
In conclusion the chief editor of Steagul Rosu explained the proper
organization of the editorial collective, the best manner of writing articles,
the way in which to check the efficiency of published material, etc.(4)
Cluj Regiune
Faclia, organ of the Cluj Regiune party committee and people's council,
was praised as follows by Scanteia:
Faclia published a number of articles in support of the party and govern-
ment program for holding general meetings to inform peasants of their duties
in the spring agricultural campaign and for supporting the new model collective
statute. These articles, written by the staff of the nevapsper and by contrib-
utors, demonstrated the enthusiastic support of collectivists for the spring
sowing campaign. The articles included portraits of leading workers, chairmen
of collectives, brigade leaders, animal raisers, etc. This material summarized
very well the experience of leading workers and demonstrated their love of ^nd
care for common property and their desire to increase and strengthen collec-
tives, One article, entitled "Primary Party Organizations. Leaders of Compe-
tition in Agricultural Collectives," popularized the experience of the primary
party organization of the Salatiu collective. The portrait entitled "A Faith-
ful Defender of Common Property" describes haw collectivist Gedeon Pop suc-
ceeded in raising more hogs than planned.(2)
Constants Regiune
Scanteia had the following to say about Dobrogea Nous, daily newspaper of
Constants Regiune.
Dobrogea flown published numerous articles on spring preparations, shoving
how party organizations and people's councils were supporting competitions in
sowing and soil preparation. However, the newspaper did not discuss progress
of spring planting among independent peasants. Nor did it analyze thoiroughly
the work of the primary party organizations and executive committees of commune
people's councils in order to point out and aid in the improvement of their
errors. The editors of Dobrogea Noua do not appear to be working according to
a definite plan in the presentation of material.(1)
Craiova Regiune
The following criticism of Inainte, offlrisl organ of the Craiova Regiune
party committee and people's council appeared in Scanteia:
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2 ~
Inainte did not discuss sufficiently?problems raised at meetings of leading
collecti~?Csts, and devoted too little space to the new collective statute. No*
enough articles appeared on the statute and some of the discussions published
were on a very lov level. Articles on leading workers in collectives did not
give concrete information on successful nev methods which were adaptable to
Craiova. Issue No 2551 oP Inainte contained the portrait oP brigade leader
Gheorghe Udrea; but did not mention his qualities as a brigade leader, orga~_
izer, and leading worker, nr the fact tLat he was a man of initiative and per-
spicacity, a lover of common property.
Articles tended to be superficial. They did not criticize stste and party
organizations which should have supervised primary party organizations and
administrative councils in preparing agendas for people's meetings. In addition
the paper did not publish answers to questions submitted by collectivists and
leading workers on provisions of the new model collective statute.(2)
Galat_ i~egi~e
Romania Libera and Scaateia called attention to the following achievements
and shortco~ of Vista Noua official organ of the Galati Regiune party com-
mittee and people's council -~
Vista Noua fulfilled its duties in the spring agricultural campaign in
regard to popularizing good work methods. The paper repeatedly criticized seri-
ous errors oP people's councils, but not to a sufficient degree. Vista Noua
Bu~ora and Calmatiuetoot~asktfor lateness indmobi~lizinpeople's councils in Galati,
sowing, Por failure to assure s supply of seeds, and PorePailurefto applyng and
advanced agricultural techniques. The paper also published a special page on
good organization of work is Viziaru Commune, Calmatiu Raion.
However, VIat~Noua did not concern itself sufficiently with the failure
of permanent agricultural commissions and actives to motilize executive commit-
tees and the peasantry in general, The work of permane^t agricultural commit-
tees was not well analyzed.(5) Too little space was devoted to the explanation
of Soviet methods and to the popularization of the model statute for collec-
tives.(2)
Hungarian Autonomous Regiune
Scaateia published the following iter scoring Voros Zaszlo, press orgsn of
the Hungarian Autonomous Regiune party committee .end people's council:
Voros Zaszlo committed a very serious error in failing to popularize the
new ?nodel statute among peasants and in failing to unmask lies and hostile a-tiv-
itY rf the classes opposing collectivization. It did not publish answers to
quo..cions of collectivists and leading workers on the new model statui.e nor :ry
to convince independent peasants of the advantages of joining a collective,
The paper distorted information in a vile manner. These mistakes show thst the
editorial collective of the paper did not concern itself' with the examination
of problems connected with the socialization of agriculture.(2)
Iasi Regiune
Lupta p~foldovei, official press organ of the Iasi Regiune people's cow,crl
and party committee, was criticized by Scaateia as follows;
-5-
CGNFIDEP]TIAL
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2
spring preparation. It criticized - vy ~~ i~i~o "? successes obtained in
u al managements Yor failures and mistakesnd Thuse fo~aexamplensarticleslwFr
entitled "What Is the Management of the MI5 in Lugo,j Doiagl" or "Formalism and
Superficiality is Haeic Organizational Work in Ruginoaea Commune Must be Liqui-
dated." However, the paper "ailed to appreciate the necPseity for popularizing
successful experiences is villages. Thus in the 25 March 1953 issue, the paper
contained an article entitled "Enough of Waiting for P'avoranle weather" which
did not discuss the fact that working peasants of Iugaai and Mlrcesti had chal-
lenged each other to a competition, nor the fact that more than 600 peasants
went to the cultural center in Mircesti to discuss the competition and to call
all communes of the raion to fight for a richer harvest. Such a fact should
be popularized-and the idea of competitions brought before all peasants of the
raion.
Criticism of party and state organizations was soft instead of combative
and was presented in a phraseology which had nothing in common with Communist
criticism. No special material was reported on the unmasking of hostile acts
by class enemies in connection with the sowing campaign. Lupta Moldovei pub-
lished a 2-page account of a surprise inspection of the progress of the sowing
campaign without mentioning or unmasking kulak saboteura:(1)
Scanteia criticized Drum Aou, organ of the Stalin Regiune party committee
and people's cuuncil, as follows;
Drum Nou published little material on the extension of nev methods between
1 March~Apr~, 1953? Among the few articles published were "For a Thorough
Uhderstanding anu espylication~~of the Most Advanced Work Methods" and "For a
Greater Dissemination of Soviet Methods." In addition, the paper published sev-
eral articles by Stakhanovites and leading workers. However, only short and
infrequent items discussed achievements obtained as a result of competitions,
or information on new methods.
important enterprises introduced the use-ofythe Koleeovymetallcuttingtmethod
on a large scale. However, Drum Nou fruitlessly continued to seek out problems
facing party organizations, unions, and enterprise managements in the applica-
tion of the 7ethod. The paper did not report successes obtained by lathe oper-
ators nor systematically publish solutions to the problems raised. The editor-
ial collective of the newspaper did not try to attract leaders in competition,
Stakhanovites, technicians, and engineers to write articles and give practical
information on how to apply the Kolesov and other Soviet and Rumanian methods.
Tn the Puture, the editorial collective of Drum Nou must fight tirelessly
to find the hest ,journalistic means i'or popularizing the use of advanced meth-
ods ?in industry. The newspaper must lend permanent aid to party and unio^
organizations and enterprise managements so that they may create the proper
conditions for the application of new methods. At the same time, the Stalin
Regiune party committee should supervise and support the editorial collective
of Drum Nou and assign it specific tasks in connection with spreading compe-
titions and applying advanced methods among workers.(3)
Timisoara Regiune
Romania Libera and Scanteia carried the .following remarks on Lu_ ptatorul
Banatean, official organ of the Timisoara Regiune party committee and people's
council;
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2 ~
in the s ri -~--~`~ - """ "??1pD ?cwa ocaer regions newspapers
p ng campaign. It covered activities of executive committees of peo-
ple's councils closely. For example, titles of indiv;dual articles were ae
follows: "Lack of Interest in the Application of the Agrominimum in the Prep-
aration for Planting in Gavo,~dia," "For the Intensification of Agricultural
Work in Deta Raion, All Equipment for Ploughing and Sowing," etc. LuPtatO_
rul Banatean analyzed the causes cf errors committed by the executive commit-
tees in Lugo, Deta, Remetea-Mare, and other areas and showed these executive
committees how to overcome the errors. The paver published special issues on
surprise investigations. Such material was of special value in giving a raion
breakdown oa spring preparation and planting as supervised by executive com-
mittees of people s councils. The paper also published special.pages devoted
to fighting bureaucracy, lack of vigilance, and failures to maintain proper
z:cords and checks.(5)
Luptatorul Banatean analyzed the causes of errors manifest in the activ-
ities ,f executive committees in Lugo,j, Deta, Remetea-Mare, etc., sad cnoxed
how these committees could overcome their errors. 6pecial pages on surprise
investigations, entitled, "Let Us Strengthen the Political-Organizational Work
for the Success of the Spring Camgaign in Lugo, Raion," "Let Us Lend Impetus
to the Socialist and Patriotic Competition in the Sowing Campaign," "All Equip-
ment for Ploughing and Sowing," etc., represent valuable support of raion and
commune executive committees.
Cartoons have been used by the newspaper in an effective manner to criti-
cize errors, to fight bureaucracy, to overcome the lack of revolutionary vigi-
lance, etc.
IIowever, the paper has not presented enough analyses of the activities of
permanent agricultural committees nor stimulated the creation of agricultural
actives.(3)
1. Bucharest, Scanteia, 1 ppr 53
2. Ibid., 28 Apr 53
3. Ibid., 16 Apr 53
~. Ibid., 29 Apr 53
5. Bucharest, Romania Libera, 28 ppr 53
-7-
CONFIDENTL4L
50X1-HUM
_ ,. _.
I
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150182-2