AID TO DEMOCRATIC GREECE COMMITTEES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-00915R000100120003-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 9, 1998
• Sequence Number: 3
• Content Type: REPORT

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All) TO DEMOCRATIC GREECE CO1,24ITTEES
1. The various "Committees for Aid to Democratic Greece" which
have boon organizing in Eastern and Western Europe in the course of
the past several months have recently been integrated through an
"Internatioria.l do-ordination Comm ttee'ft 'established '1n Paris by the
International.- Conference for Aid "to Democratic Greece ~p?~ris,
10 - 11 April 1948).
These organizations are purportedly concerned only with the pro-
vision of relief (food, clothing, anc' medical supplies) to the Greek
rebels, and although it is clear that their main si;?nificarco lies in
the conventional fields of public aid and propaganda,'it is possible
that,. as In the case of the organizations established in.1936'.to,aid "the
Spanish Loyalists, such clan.estine' ob jectives as the recruitment of
volunteers and the channeling of funds and ar;.is to the CP Greece are
also involved.
2. Prior to the International Conference for :_id to Democratic
Greece, a series of notional committees were formed. in Eastern and
Western Europe.
Yugoslavia: A "Committee for Aicd. to Democratic Greece" for
the collection of food ancl clothing was sot up in Belgrade
on 7.3 January 1948. Djuro Sal.a.j, Russian-trained. president
of the Central Committee of the Yugoslav IIorker's Union is
chairman, and its secretary is T'.ilan Bogd.anovich, chairman
of the Serb Poets and ?driterrf 21.ssocia.tion. Prior to
Januar r 1948, it was alleged that there o.,.iste.d a "Bureau
for the Aid to Democracies" in Belgrade, and that Professor
Potros ICoi.alis was appointed by the rebel leader 4arkos
as the Greek representative to the bureau, 'dzile one
Margarita Poi,,ophoulos teas appointed Yokoalis' deputy.
Poland: A "Friends of Democratic Greece Society," under the
chairmanship of t dladislew Bronewski, and, sponsored, according
to the Co;.iinform journal, by "denocratic parties, public
bodies and cultural organizations," was reported. as solicit-
ing fund.s.
Hungary: The "National Committee for Aid to the People of
Greece" stated in an official report that by 21 February
1948, 482 million forints had been contributed.
Rumania: A similar committee may exist irr Rumania, as
official Coriinform reports stated that wormers employed in
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the oil industry contributed a half days wages to the
Greek fund; natal and te-ttile workers in a Bucharest
factory gave over 1,000 metres of fabric, and -personnel
at a locomotive plant worked 75,000 hours overtime
contributing their overtime pay to the Greek fund.
Belgium: two 25X1X6
Nss ~or F1 AL to ree c We nave apparently Fen
set up in Brussels:
a, an overt committee concerned largely with fund raising
and collecting clothes and food. This committee also
sent two delegates to the "International Conference
for Aid to Democratic Greece" in Paris (See below)
bb a clandestine committee which has held four meetings in
Brussels and is reportedly formulating plans for re-
cruitment of personnel to go to Greece. Sam Herssens
(CC/CP Belgium, communist deputy) presided over three
of the four meetings at which the following points
were discussed:
1. All aid to Greece must be channeled through the
central office of the CP in Paris.
2. Antoine Perna.ndes (Spanish delegate) asserted that
former members of the Spanish International Brigade
would respond to recruitment efforts.
3. Jean do Guent wras appointed to go to France as liaison
with the corresponding French group.
4 Belgian Communists Pierre Massin, Jean de Guent, and
Leonard Hainolryck were elected to be responsible for
funds.
5. 'Names of volunteers to recruit for "International
Brigades" in Greece were taken.
The Belgian committee purportedly maintains relations with a
similar committee in Italy. On 8 ;4ay 1948 the following
persons were reported as having been sent to Italy to co-
ordinate the work of the Belgian and Italian committees:
Antoine Laurent (CP Belgium)
Philippe Dekeyser (Suspected member of CP Belgium)
Verschueren, (gnu)
France: The "Comite Francais D'Aide a la Greco Democratique,"
213 Rue Lafayette, Paris, is headed by Jean Guinebert,
president, and Communist. Madeleine Braun, Secretary General.
In a letter addressed to Juan Santos Rivera, Secretary
General of CP/Puerto Rico, inviting the party to send dele-
gates to the International Conference for Aid to Greece, the
following were listed as honorary presidents of the Committee:
Bloncourt, Elie
Bure, Emile
Cachin, Marcel (CC and Politburo, CP France)
Cot, Pierre
Cotton, Aime
D'Aragon, Charles
de la. Vigerie, D'Astier (Director of Liberation)
Duchene, Mrs. Gabrielle
Eluard, Paul
Joliot-Curie, F.
Jourdain, Francis
Martin-Chauffio r, L.
Prenant, Marcel (alternate member of CC, substitute
member of Politburo, CP France)
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The secretariat of the committee was reported to include:
Bassis, Henri
Monmousseau, Gaston (CC/'CP France)
Patinaud, Marius (CC/GP, France)
Pressouyro, M.
Italy: An "A.id to Greece" committee is presumably operating
in Italy as three Belgian members (see tinder 3elium above)
were sent to Italy to "co-ordinate actfv.tiesrr of the two
organizations.
Australia. and Great Britain: Among delegates to the Internation-
al Conference in Paris (see below) three are named from the
above countries as representing "Aid to Greece Committee" in
those countries.
U.S.: The "American Council for a Democratic Greece" sent two
delegates to the international conference and seem to be
increasing t1eeir activity in the U.S, They are currently
fighting the arrest of a~Greek citizen who is being held for
court-martial because she "dared to appeal to the American
people through a newspaper article." These reports indicate
that the "Aid to Democratic Greece" movement is not confined
to Europe but is world wide and becoming more active.
3. The International Conference for Aid to Democratic Greece was
held in Paris, 10-11 April 1948? The Conference was organized by the
French Co.raittee for .yid to Greece, with .11ndre Marty, French Politburo
member, an active participant.
Paul Elu.ard, French poet, opened the first session and expressed
the hope that "democratic Greece would triumph over her enemies'a and
promised to "render the heroic soldiers of Markos every support."
Zilliacus (British MP, representing the left wing of the Labour party)
demanded that the policy of interference in Greek internal affairs be
stopped and declared that the Soviet Union was the only nation carrying
out the Yalta agreement. Connelly (New York City Councilman) presided
over the third session and one Bluszki (probably identical with Dluski-
Langer, 0stap;, Polish delegate) made a long speech giving the history
of the EAM, following the well-worn Communist line. Madeleine Braun,
the secretary general of the French Aid to Greece Committee, spoke on
organizational questions, stating that 65 delegates from 22 foreign
countries and 115 French delegates were present at the conference. The
French committee, supported by the CGT, "democratic organizations,"
the whole French people, had collected two million francs and had
despatched a large number of parcels of food, footwear and medical
supplies. At the closing session a telegrtmil was read from the provisional
government of Greece, signed by its foreign minister. The conference
then adopted a resolution protesting "energetically against the support
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rendered by the Washington government to the rnonarcho-fascists of
Athens and against the presence in Greece of British occupation troops."
An International Co-ordination Committee for Aid to Democratic Greece
was formed with headquarters in Paris to provide an organizational
center for the groups represented at the meetinC.
The following list of foreign delegates to the conference has been
compiled from the French press and from a publication issued by the
French Committee for Aid to Greece:
Albania
Kocani, Drino, Mrs. (Communist, Union representative)
Iiudra, Llambi (Co m;:luni : t , Union representative)
Sozinowski, (fnu) (Comi:'unist, Union representative)
Algeria
Unnamed representative of Democratic Youth of Algeria
Australia
Fidler, Bernie (Committee for Aid to Democratic Greece)
Murray, Steven (Youth Delegate)
Williams, Bert (Secretary of WWM. Y)
Belgium
Demany, Fernand (Communist deputy)
Marteaux, i)r. (VP of Chamber)
Bolivia
Arze, Jose (:Former President of Deputy's Chamber, leader of Partido
Izquierda Revolucionario, living in France)
Bulgaria
Unnamed delegate; possibly Professor Tachev, who holds a scholarship
at a French University.
Canada
Storrie, Jessie (Communist member of WFDY)
China
Lu Tsui, Mme (Cormunist, delegate of women's organization)
Czechoslovakia
Belcoborsxi, Dr.
Benesova, Lida (Representative of women's organizations)
Bouceit, Jaroslav (Youth representative)
Drtina, fnu (Communist journalist in Paris)
Kralove, Mme. M. (Representative of women's organizations)
Lang, Dr. Jaromir
I'iloslava-Vivegova, Mme.
Ne cheat al , F`.r an t i ce:k (Poet)
Pap ac:. Dr,,
Kirk. Mrs. E. (Communist journalist )
Olson; Albert (Professor at Copenhagen University)
Veibel, Stig. (Professor at Copenhagen University)
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Egypt
Unnamed delegate
Great Britain
4%llon, Miss Elizabeth A. (Civil Liberties Union)
Butler, C. P (Tobacco Union)
Darivas, Vasses (British Aid to Democratic Greece Committee -- Communist)
Haldane, J. B. (CP member)
Haxell (fnu) (Electrical Union)
Jones, Miss Gladys (British Aid to Democratic Greece Committee)
Martin, F. R. (Engineers' Union)
O Hayall, fnu
papworth, A. F. (CP/Great Britain)
Sloan, Pat (League for Democrac.* in Greece)
Stevens, fnu
Zilliacus, K. (MP)