COMMUNIST INFLUENCE IN NEW ZEALAND ORE 57-49 PUBLISHED 30 JUNE 1949
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Publication Date:
June 30, 1949
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COPY NO.
COMMUNIST INFLUENCE
IN NEW ZEALAND
This document has been
approved for release through
the HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM of
the Central Intelligence Agency.
Date 11-44?41
BW 92-..1
ORE 57-49
Published 30 June 1949
Documen
NO C
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
ECLASSI
Class. CHANG 0: TS S C
DDA Me ? 4 Apr 77
Auth: DDA 1763
Date:
0
624
WAW41.6)
p
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WARNING
This document contains information affecting the na-
tional defense of the United States within the meaning
of the Espionage Act, 50 U.S.C., 31 and 32, as amended.
Its transmission or the revelation of its contents in any
manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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SaheSTET
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COMMUNIST INFLUENCE IN NEW ZEALAND
SUMMARY
The New Zealand Communist Party
(NZCP) is small in numbers (less than 1,000)
and has little over-all influence. Its only
strength stems from control of key positions
in the trade unions where its influence ex-
ceeds its numbers because of careful planning
and cooperation with left-wing labor leaders.
However, Communist capabilities in the labor
movement have been reduced since the war,
as much of the militant leadership has been
gradually replaced by moderates. This trend
continues.
Direct Communist influence within the New
Zealand Government is believed to be insig-
nificant. Communists have not been able to
win parliamentary representation and they
have failed in repeated attempts to affiliate
with the Labor Party. Prime Minister Fraser
has recently launched a campaign against
Communism. He has ordered Communists
to be barred from all sensitive positions in
the Department of External Affairs, in the
armed forces, and in scientific defense re-
search. This program has been vigorously
conducted and has received wide popular ap-
proval.
NZCP relations with Australian Commu-
nists are believed to be especially close; con-
tact with the Communist Party in the UK
is also maintained. A probable channel of
communication with the USSR exists in the
Soviet Legation at Wellington.
The NZCP employs typical Communist
techniques for spreading propaganda includ-
ing use of press and exploitation of front or-
ganizations and minority groups?particu-
larly the Slays. These propaganda tech-
niques, however, have not produced much
success.
The New Zealand Security Intelligence
Bureau maintains close surveillance on Com-
munist activities and is considered capable of
maintaining internal security. It is believed
that the current anti-Communist trend, as
evidenced by the strong convictions and pol-
icies of government leaders, and the increas-
ing strength of moderate trade unionists will
continue to restrict Communist influence in
New Zealand.
Note: The intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, Army, Navy, and the Air
Force have concurred in this report. It is based on information available to CIA as
of 2 June 1949.
SoMeer 1
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SET
COMMUNIST INFLUENCE IN NEW ZEALAND*
1. Size, Strength, and Distribution of Com-
munist Party.
The Communist Party of New Zealand
(NZCP) is numerically small, having probably
less than 1,000 members. In the 1946 federal
election, NZ Communists received only 0.12
percent of the total vote (1,138 votes of a total
943,732) . During the war, Party recruitment
was aided by the popularity of Soviet military
achievements, but postwar dissatisfaction with
Soviet foreign policy and resentment against
a succession of semi-political strikes in both
New Zealand and Australia have sapped Com-
munist strength. Party members are con-
centrated in urban areas, particularly the
ports of Auckland, Wellington, and Christ-
church. Politically the Party's influence is
Inconsequential, but control of important
labor union posts in the Waterside Workers'
Union, New Zealand Federation of Labor, and
the trade union councils has given Commu-
nists greater influence than the Party member-
ship indicates. Since 1948, however, Com-
munist cells in labor unions have been on the
defensive, and both Communists and militant
fellow-travelers have been dislodged from a
number of important positions. The recent
replacement of Alexander Drennan, National
Party Chairman, by Alexander Galbraith who
was leader of the Party prior to 1946 when it
enjoyed greater success, may represent an at-
tempt to revitalize the Communist program
in New Zealand.
2. Legal Status.
The NZCP is a legal organization. The Op-
position has asked for legislation outlawing
Communist organizations and activities, but
the Labor Government maintains that Com-
munists should be tolerated so long as they
do not "take overt action to overthrow the
fundamental basis of democracy." The gov-
ernment has failed to take action against
Alexander Drennan, recently deposed Chair-
man of the NZCP, who declared that if the
capitalist powers attacked the USSR all work-
ers should be on the Soviet side. However,
the government has strengthened its security
position by passing the Control of Aliens Bill
by which it can deport aliens who are con-
sidered undesirable and which requires aliens
to report changes of occupation and address.
3. International Contacts.
The first contact with Moscow was prob-
ably made in 1921 when a Communist agent,
George Marks, arrived in New Zealand. Since
then, the NZCP has maintained contact with
Communist parties in Australia and the UK,
and has been represented at international con-
gresses by its national committee members.
Prime Minister Fraser believes that Comintern
instructions issued fifteen years ago continue
to guide NZCP policy. Current Soviet guid-
ance appears to come from the Moscow radio
and press service propaganda.
Overt contact between leading Communists
of Australia and New Zealand is maintained by
trade union officials?primarily in the sea-
men's and longshoremen's unions. There has
been close cooperation among Communist-
dominated trade unions of both countries and
with Harry Bridges' Longshoremen and Ware-
housemen's Union for the purpose of organ-
izing waterside workers of the Southwest Pa-
cific. Assistance in the form of propaganda
and instruction in party tactics has reportedly
been received from the UK Communist Party.
A probable channel of contact with the
USSR exists in the Soviet Legation at Welling-
ton. A new Soviet Minister, Aleksandr M.
Aleksandrov, has recently been appointed to
the post vacant since August 1947, but has not
yet arrived to take up his duties. Although no
contacts have been reported between Soviet
Legation members and NZ Communists, there
* This report has been prepared through the collaborative efforts of the intelligence
organizations of the Departments of State, Army, Navy, and the Central Intelligence Agency.
See ORE 9-49 for Communist Influence in Australia, published 11 April 1949.
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are indications that members of the Legation
are on friendly terms with officers of the All-
Slav Union, a local Slav cultural organization.
However, New Zealanders have shown a not-
able lack of interest in Russian cultural ex-
hibits.
Marine Cooks and Stewards Association of the
US CIO is responsible for organizing a com-
munications network which includes the fol-
lowing individuals in New Zealand: Alexander
Drennan, former Chairman of the NZCP Na-
tional Committee, and Clarrie Kelly, member
of the Waterfront Section of the NZCP, who is
reported to be in contact with the Communist
Party Waterfront Section in New York. These
individuals allegedly serve as intermediaries
for forwarding Communist propaganda to and
from New Zealand.
4. Participation in Government.
Direct Communist influence within the New
Zealand Government is not believed to be sig-
nificant. The Communists have no parlia-
mentary representation and have not succeed-
ed in influencing the Labor Party (in power
since 1935) politically. Although the New
Zealand Government has refused to enact
special legislation against Communists or to
remove Communists from government posi-
tions not concerned with security, the govern-
ment is combating Communist infiltration on
both the labor and political fronts. In the
past two years, after much equivocation on the
Communist issue, Labor politicians, particu-
larly Prime Minister Fraser and Robert Sem-
ple, the Minister of Works, have become vigor-
ous campaigners against Communism. At the
last Labor Party conference, Angus McLagan,
the Minister of Labor, announced that the
government would no longer make concessions
to extremist labor elements. He has since
taken a strong stand in dealing with Com-
munist tactics in the trade unions.
The government's policy is to bar Commu-
nists and members of front organizations from
sensitive departments concerned with external
affairs, scientific and industrial research, and
the armed services. Although legislation
passed in 1936 permits Communists (except
S
50X1 4
Party officials) to remain in the government,
security authorities are screening government
employees and a number of workers have been
transferred to non-sensitive departments.
There are no known Communists in the
Labor Party. The Party constitution requires
every convention delegate and every official to
pledge that he is a member of no other party.
The Labor Party leadership is strongly anti-
Communist and has rejected repeated Com-
munist requests for affiliation.
5. Influence in the Labor Movement.
A number of important union posts are held
by Communists and fellow-travelers whose in-
fluence is also an important factor in the trade
union councils where all unions are repre-
sented. Communists or Communist sympa-
thizers in key union posts as of September 1948
were strongest in the Waterside Workers
Union whose national vice-president is Alex-
ander Drennan, former NZCP chairman. The
national president and secretary as well as offi-
cials in several of the Waterside locals are
Communist sympathizers. Communists have
Infiltrated the Carpenters and Joiners Union
(whose national secretary is a Communist)
although current efforts are being made to
eliminate their influence. The Tramways
Union and to a lesser extent the Railway Shop
Union and the Coal Miners Union have also
been infiltrated by Communists.
During the past two years, however, Com-
munist strength in the labor movement has
been materially reduced and this trend con-
tinues. Moderate trade unionists have been
aroused by Communist activities abroad and
by the wave of politically inspired strikes in
both Australia and New Zealand. In April
1948, for example, the annual conference of
the New Zealand Federation of Labor replaced
its militant leadership with moderates. At
the Federation's annual conference held in
May 1949 moderate officers were elected by a
wider margin than in 1948 and the Federation
also voted to withdraw from the WFTU. In
Auckland, New Zealand's largest city and
center of Communist strength, Communist
and militant leaders were swept out of office
in a drastic shakeup during 1948. Alexander
Drennan, then NZCP National Committee
Chairman, was not re-elected president of the
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S E,E T
Auckland Trades Union Council. His two
principal officers, along with the whole Com-
munist and militant slate of candidates, were
also defeated. In addition, Drennan lost to a
moderate the vice-presidency of the powerful
Auckland Waterside Workers' Union (al-
though he is still national vice-president) .
Moderates won a sweeping victory on 21 April
1949 when Drennan was again defeated for
presidency of the Auckland Trades Council.
He was also defeated in the election of a dele-
gate to the National Council of the NZ Federa-
tion of Labor.
6. Control and Influence in Propaganda
Media.
Chief Communist propaganda media are the
Communist press and front organizations.
The principal publications are the People's
Voice, official Communist weekly newspaper
with an estimated circulation of 8,000, and the
New Zealand Labor Review, a Communist
monthly publicizing Marxist theory. The
conservative press occasionally publishes re-
ports of Communist activities, but the New
Zealand Standard and the Southern Cross,
which are Labor Party newspapers, almost
completely ignore Communist statements and
demonstrations.
The Communist Party has been assisted by
several front organizations, notably the Young
People's Clubs (affiliated with the World Fed?
eration of Democratic Youth) ; the Victoria
University College Socialist Club; the Trade
Union Bureau and the Trade Union Forum;
Unity Centers in the large cities for discus-
sions and social activities, the Society for
Closer Relations with the USSR (now declin-
ing through lack of public interest) and several
Slav organizations. The Slav cultural organ-
izations?particularly the Croatian Cultural
and Benevolent Society, the All-Slav Union,
and the Marshal Tito Club?have been strong-
ly influenced by Communists in the past and
have helped raise money and disseminate
propaganda in the Slavic community.
Dissident minority groups are not a serious
problem in New Zealand, where the 1,862,000
population is remarkably homogeneous. The
Communist Party has had little success in ex-
ploiting such indigenous minorities as the
5
aboriginal Maoris and the Cook Islanders. The
most important minority of European origin
is the Slav group. There are about 900 Yugo-
slav citizens and the nationality group (includ-
ing naturalized British subjects) totals about
5,000. Among these Slays Communist propa-
ganda on the cultural level has had some effect
owing to ties with the homeland and the re-
luctance of New Zealanders to absorb non-
British immigrants. The Tito-Cominform
schism, however, has split the Yugoslav com-
munities and, according to press reports, most
New Zealand Yugoslays favor Tito in the dis-
pute between Yugoslavia and the Cominform.
Polish, Czech, and Yugoslav cultural organiza-
tions, however, probably will continue to offer
some possibilities for Communist recruitment.
7. Government Security Facilities.
The New Zealand Government appears to
possess adequate facilities for safeguarding its
security. The Security Intelligence Bureau,
which is under supervision of the NZ Police
Commissioner, is responsible for the investiga-
tion of subversive activities, as well as counter-
intelligence, port security, sabotage, etc. The
Bureau is reported to work with the three serv-
ice departments and with the Central Security
Office in London. The Security Bureau in-
vestigates the activities of the local pro-Com-
munist groups and is believed to be keenly
aware of the danger of Communist propagan-
dists. There is close cooperation between the
armed forces and the police on security mat-
ters. For example, a security check on re-
cruits for the NZ Army is made by the police.
There is no indication of Communist penetra-
tion of the armed forces at the present time.
However, the British have urged establishment
of a counter-intelligence corps in the armed
forces of New Zealand and a Joint Intelligence
Committee responsible to the Chiefs of Staff
and to the Secretary of External Affairs is now
being organized.
8. Conclusions
The New Zealand Communist Party has
little over-all influence. Moderate trade
unionists are gradually assuming the leader-
ship of the labor movement thus weakening
the only source of Communist strength.
S201e& T
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Typical Communist propaganda techniques
have not been successful.
Direct Communist influence within the New
?(_s Zealand Labor Government including the
armed forces is believed to be insignificant.
The government is actively combating Com-
munism on both the labor and political fronts
and is further improving its security facilities
S T 6
under British supervision. The strong anti-
Communist convictions and policies of gov-
? ernment leaders and the increasing influence
of moderate trade unionists combined with
effective work by the New Zealand police will
restrict Communist activities although the
NZCP will continue to exert some influence in
?the trade union movement.
S yet T
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AwforatiW
;
U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
3894-STATE-1949
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