SED - CLARIFICATION OF ORGANIZATIONAL TERMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002100250009-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 23, 1998
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: December 1, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSIFICATION
Approved For Release 1999/09/ : IA-RDP82-00457R002100 o% NO.
INFORM, ( ORT
COUNTRY Gerrra.n r (Russian Zone)
SUBJECT S IM - Clarification of Organizational
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PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE CF
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1 Deoo" r 1942
NO. OF PAGES 3
NO. OF ENCLS.
(USTEO BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
Ko.ntroiikorn ais3ionen (Control Commissions): The Control Commissions
FT Tne 6k, : c'N'''~S" of the recently consti
tuted bodies which have been. superimposed on the regular party oz?gan-
izationtal structure. They have not only investigative power in
examining the conduct an,! efficiency of party work and Personnel,
but also full and specific executive authority to give operational.
decisions and instructions overriding the decisions of the regular
party leadership. That is to say, if the Kreisleiter of ? certain
S D Kreis proposes to initiate a program of action with which the
Control Commission of that Kreis or of_ a higher headquarters
Londesverband or Central Secretariat) disagrees, the Control
Commission is empowered to overrule his plan and order an alternative
program initiated. Control Commissions exist only on Kreis
x~andesverband (of the five Soviet Zone L9nder and of Berljn,
), and
Central Secretariat level. Source does not know whether the Control
C mmission members are chosen from the level which they control
(i~e,,, whether members of a given Kreis Control Commission are chosen
from functionaries of that Kreis) or whether they are appointed
from among the functic?naries of the next headquarters. It appears
clear, however, that membership is appointive rather than el_Pctive.,
is is the case with the Screening Commissions
The Control Commission, or. the Central Secretariat level is nowr
as.-the Z entra'i.kontrol l.kommissioii..
Gommennt: According to recent reports, Hermann Natern,
formerly co-chairman, with Karl Litke, of the FED Landesverband
Berlin, has been appointed to head the Ze:itraikontrollkommissior. ? .)
un4cx n lz sk mini Al ,pen .jnVe in arrnr,A The lnvesti
gating ommls mulls were ~ (jL,
, as prev_LUL;S1y tk ugnt, recently created
in the purge and reorganization move which- set up the Kontroll- and
erprufungskommissionen.. They have been in existence from te time
of the creation of the party. Formerly extending down to the'
Stndthezirk orr City District level, they are now set up only on the
Kreis? Landesverband, and CentraAXxg(gretariat levels. A Kreis
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Investigating Commission consists of three members; source does
not know the composition of the commissions on the higher levels.
The Investigating Commissions are not'charged with initiating
investigations into conduct of party affairs. They work only in
conjunction with the regular Party Courts (Parteigerichte), for
whom they serve as a body for the sifting of evidence in cases
where formal charges have been preferred against party members.
Comment In their capacity of sorting evidence for the
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. ' nktfou.r lr #t V. E'k 1"tJcxgk. ?k.nrns, or .k`u iozt t?ab _( x t .or r. .
`q XT-s*f7 " j-"Tne r l a a been
'YY' creation will be a by-product of the current purge
action, in. that recommendations for suitable functionaries for
appointment will be made by the Screening Commission eh3rged with
the investigation of all members. The functionaries will he
selected on the basis of their activity in agitation and propa-
ganda, organizational and class struggle experience, and ability.
They will~be appointed by, and receive special identity documents
authority, and assignments from, the Landesverband. It is planne
that they will constitute special groups directly under the
Landesverband ready and willing for any assignment. Plans for
Berlin envisage a group. or 6nn to 800 m~~inbers.
leadership, and are not set up as activist cadres.
uns
on
''arty Courts, the Investigating Commissions perform a
somewhat analagous to that of the Staatsanwaltschaft under German
criminal court procedure. They differ from the Staatssnw:altschaft
in that they do not prefer charges and do not serve as the prosecu-
tion in court,)
:4be~ z'i~fungsko i::sianpr,--S The .otnm ssionwY he Screening
Blocky{'""ohr:-Yor Betriebsgruppe) level. through City District,
Kress, and Landesverband level, up to and probably including the
Central Secretariat. Theirs is the basic responsibility for con-
ducting the current investigation of all members and functionaries
in preparation for the proposed purge of unreliable and inactive
members,- -
4. gartlIL- ktiv ,: According to source, the so-called "?artei-Aktivs"
were selected from activists in various fields of party work:
functionaries, governmental office holders, propagandists, and so
forth. Having been selected, probably by the Landesverband under
whose jurisdiction they held membership, as exceptionally reliable
activists, they were formally listed as members of the Partei-
t.ktiv and admitted to a greater degree of trust than the average
functionary. They are, for example, invited to meetings at which
tarty leaders outline party plans with more than usual frankness.
Normally, several Partei.Aktivs, i.e., individuals '':ith that
?esignat i.on, will 'be found in each Kreis, each major governmental
subdivision or administration, and so forth. They are not, however,
organized into groups of ?'artei-Aktivs, and hence have no organic
Comme is headers are: cautioned to bear in mind that the
Functionary Activist Groups are only in the plan sing stage. It
would not be safe to assume that they will be constituted as now
nlanned. It should further be remembered that. although these
groups are probably planned for the entire Soviet Zone, at present
there is specific information only that the Berlin group is to
be constituted.
The original plans, which seemed clear at the time of their promul-
gation, are now not entirely clear to SEC functionaries themselves.
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Certain functionaries now believe that the SED Kreise will be
empowered to designate members of the group, while others believe
that the Krcise will have subordinate Functionary Activist Groups
of their own.
It is the opinion of source that the creation of the "Funktionlir-
aktiv" discussed here constitutes a redesignation, in effect, of
the ""artei-tktivs". Whether this conversion representp a mere
juggling of terms or a practical streamlining and strengthening
of the loosely organized Partei-Aktivs into an activist striking
force, source is not prepared to prognosticate.)
6. :Z~rxn: 3 , ~e glen r~ ~i s j)': Theoretically the Ten-man Groups
' have ex ste wi n the -pr framework from the beginning. In
actuality they have been little more than groups on paper. Apnroxiii1-
ately two months ago,SED Landesverband Berlin decided that the
groups should be reactivated as elite party tactical units
(Parteieinheiten). Several measures were instituted to accomplish
this change, among them instructions to the Ten-man Group leaders
to begin immediately to familiarize themselves with the character,
reliability, and :arty interest of their subordinates. These
leaders were also instructed to begin the collection of dues, which
formerly had been collected by the City District, in order to force
them into contact with the personnel of their groups. Furt er, on
the pretext that larger assemblies were no longer practical because
of the fuel and electricity shortage, regular meetings formerly held
on the House or Factory Block level have been ordered held in the
future within the Ten-man framework. The members of.the House block
Screening Commissions are to pay particular attention to the Ten-
man Groups under their jurisdiction.
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Comment: The reader is again cautioned to bear in mind that
the decision to reactivate the Ten-man Groups was made by Landes-
verband Berlin. This means that there is no specific evidence-on
which to base an assumption that the same reorganization is underway
for the entire Soviet Lone. )
7, Aktionsausschusse diction Committees) Source had no evidence on
the existence of Action Committees within the framework of the
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omment: source also discounts
the existence of Action Cormittees in Berlin.)
,'e
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SEC
/08: CIA-R 82-00
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