COMMUNIST PENETRATION OF LATIN AMERICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R00890A001100120009-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 17, 1998
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: December 15, 1959
• Content Type: BRIEF

Approved For Release 2001/08/14
ZN*
NSC BRIEFING 15 December 1959
COMMUNIST PENETRATION OF LATIN AMERICA
I. Communist influence has been rising in Latin America since 1956.
A. There are 21 Soviet bloc diplomatic and consular missions in
five countries.
B. Communist parties now have legal organizations in nine
countries.
C. LA Communist party membership now estimated at 220,000 to
240,000, an increase of 10 to 15 percent over estimates in
early 1958.
1. Strength of CP sympathizers probably at least 650,000.
II. Sino-Soviet bloc diplomatic and consular missions engaged in varied
political, economic, subversive, and propaganda activity.
A. Primary objective of bloc and local Communists is to disrupt
all aspects of US-LA relations--diplomatic, economic, and
cultural.
B. Bloc missions provide funds, guidance and other support to
local Communist parties and Communist-front organizations.
1. Soviet embassy in Mexico City and legation in
Montevideo are administrative centers for publishing
and distributing Sino-Soviet bloc printed propaganda
and films throughout hemisphere.
2. Bloc subversive activity illustrated by expulsion of
Soviet and Sov bloc diplomats early this year from
Mexico and Argentina for intervention in internal
DOCUMr_NTNO. - _.(-~_-
affairs these two countries, Nom; ir.T?
DATE .~~"? ~tsi REVIEWER: 372044
 Approved For Release 2001/08/14 9R00890A001100120009-3
3. Bloc cultural organizations in Latin America and
International Communist-front organizations support
local Commies.
4. Bloc scholarship program also apparently increasing.
LA travel to Bloc in 1959 will set all-time high.
III. Chicoms have considerably stepped up their political activity
in the area, especially since early 1959.
A. LA travelers to China, including important parliamentary
delegations, will probably treble in 1959 over level of 1958.
B. New China News Agency has established branch in Habana and
reportedly hired correspondents in Chile, Venezuela,
Colombia and possibly other countries.
C. Large Chinese Communist acrobatic troupe and journalist
delegation visited four countries.
D. Chicoms training LA Commie leaders in China since 1958,
in attempt to expand their role in guidance of LA Communist
parties.
IV. Latin American and private attitudes apparently softening toward
bloc since Khrushchev visit to US and concerted bloc effort to
exploit the thaw in the cold war.
A. Bloc economic campaign has registered principal gains.
1. Mikoyan visited Mexico to open Soviet exposition there
and made, several anti-US speeches. He tried to identify
bloc with national liberation of Mexico from foreign
economic imperialism.
2. Cuba has asked that the exposition be sent to Habana
after closing in Mexico.'
-2-
Approved For Release 2001/08/14: C A-RD 89OA001100120009-3
 Approved For Release 2001/08/14 :'LM R00890A001100120009-3
3. Brazil has sent a trade mission to Moscow which signed
a three-year trade and payments agreement amounting to
$214 million, the largest ever signed by a bloc nation
with a LA nation.
a. Soviet $100,000,000 credit granted to Argentina in
1958 for purchase of oil equipment was largest
previously.
4. Chile has decided to send an economic mission to Moscow
in early 1960.
5. Castro has sent an arms purchasing mission to Europe which
visited Prague.
B. Bloc has also scored political gains.
1. Cuba abstained from vote in UN to postpone Chinese
representation.
2. Venezuela has been considering exchange of diplomatic
missions with one or more bloc countries and granted
Czech request to set up a commercial agency in Caracas.
3. Brazilian Foreign Minister at time of Khrushchev?s
visit indicated Brazil might review its policy on
relations with the USSR.
4. In September Bolivian congress passed resolution
calling for relations with USSR.
Approved For Release 2001/08/14: CIA-RDP79R00890A001100120009-3
 Approved For Release 2001/08/14 ijNIR'=RDP79R00890A001100120009-3
V. Since 1958, regional Communists have registered principal
gains in Venezuela,--now the second largest Communist
party in the area and in Cuba.
A. Castro's brand of anti-Americanism and socialism has
played directly into hands of Communists and Soviet
Blod is seizing opportunities presented.
B. Venezuelan Communists, though not admitted to Pres.
Betancourt's coalition, have strong influence over
press, students and are second strongest party in in-
fluence over organized labor; also their strength con-
centrated in politically focal Federal District where
Betancourt is weak.
VI. Organized labor and student-intellectual groups are among
principal targets of Latin American Communists.
A. Communists frequently collaborate with nationalistic
and leftist elements in organized labor to wield a
disproportionate influence over national labor move-
ments.
1. Communist influence is strong in labor field in
Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Costa Rica,
Cuba, and Panama.
2. Communists use labor agitation to promote unrest
and violence and to upset government economic
stabilization programs.
B. Confederation of Latin American Workers (CTA.L) the
regional affiliate of the Communist WFTU, has affiliates
Approved For Release 2001/08/14: CIA-RDP79R00890A001100120009-3
 Approved For Release 2001/08/14 lt*k-00890A001 100120009-3
which are important to the local labor movement only
in Ecuador, Uruguay, and Costa Rica. CTAL now largely
discredited.
1. Current Communist objective in labor apparently is
to abandon CTAL eventually and wean Latin American
labor away from the US-supported ORIT-ICFTU, the
free world international labor organization.
2. Communist line apparently is to advocate affilia-
tion with neither the West nor the Soviet Bloc and
thus break US-LA labor ties and associate Communists
with more respectable non-Communist labor elements.
VII. Student-intellectual groups are also key Communist target.
A. Government reluctance to take strong action vs. student
violence and extreme nationalist sentiments among stu-
dents render them peculiarly susceptible to Communist
exploitation.
1. Communist influence strong among students in Ecuador,
Venezuela, Cuba., Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador and
Nicaragua.
2. Communists have exploited or led student violence
since 1958 in Peru, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Panama,
Uruguay, and Argentina.
B. Intellectual groups, especially artists, teachers, and
journalists often co-operate with Communist objectives
and are sympathetic to Communist anti-US propaganda.
Approved For Release 2001/08/14: CIA-RDP79R00890A001100120009-3