POLITICAL AND LABOR SITUATION IN GUATEMALA (W/ATTACHMENT)

Created: 3/23/1954

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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."'INSTRUCTIONS: Officer designations should be'uied in the "TO" column, Under eachine should be drawn acrosseach comment numbered to correspond with the number in The "TO" column. Each officer should initial {check markfurther rouling. This Routine and Record Sheet should be returned to

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FOR:urrentPolitical and Labor Situation in Guatemala

OCI Evaluation dated4 of

aragraph 4.

The following is source'* reply to the questlonair* provided in the reference:

a. The Incipient conflict between the CGTG and the CNCO. Thia conflict li logical and haa already begun. The CGTG la completely controlled by the CP: the CNCG ia Mid not to have one open CP member on Ita executive committee. It la controlled by the PAR Party which in recent month* haa been the molt nearly critical of the Communists of any of the Government partita. The PAR haa accuacd the National Agrarian Department (DAN) of ahowlng partiality toward* the Communist Party and the COTG.

On other grounds, too, th* conflict ittmi logical. The CGTGage and salaried worker* organisation. The CNCG lnn organisation of small peaeants. Increasingly itoming to be compoaed of peaaant* who have been given land under the agrarian reform. Ito be presumed that the peaaant* who getven only to use title to the landonder the agrarian reform will be anxious to keep their land. However, tbe Communists are certainly going to push for collectivisation as soon a* they feel they are politically able to do ao. They frankly regard the preaent situationalf-way measure. In discussions with me, they^old me different things about their ultimate alms. However, the leM caution* frankly admitted that collectivization waa the neat atep.

Collectivisation Is not going to *it well with the peasant*. of it openly from the Communist quarters can be expected toa violent reaction from them. It *eem* logical tbat theit remain* under the present leadership Is likely to be thethis reaction. The CNCG leaders consider themselves asfor the peasants, and they are in favormall landholders

type of agriculture, or at least many of them ar*. So they will be likely to oppose Communist attempt* to collectivize agriculture.

Tbis is all speculative at tba present moment, naturally,CP has not come out publicly for collectivization. But evenhave strained the relations between the CP and the In the long talk withI had

Inot the distinct Impression that ne was unhappy with the CP. He might not say this publicly, but he said it when we were talking privately with no one else to hear,

far there are no attempts to take over the CNCG. arc not allowing their local unions of peasantsbeen organized heretofore ln tbe CGTG to enter tba CNCGcan help lt. They should logically do so, since the CNCG lsof land-holders, not the CGTG, which is supposedly madewage and salary earners. This woald indicate that at the momentnot trying tohe CNCG. Apparently it}well in the hands

of the PAR. If an open clash should come between the CNCOthe CP, the CP would use its Influence to haveand

others removed, and Ifiven the treatment which the UNTL people got. With the CNCG leaders that kind of treatment wouldit more difficult, since they have quite deeper roota among the economic and political organisatons there ln Guatemala.

suspect that the deportation of the UNTL leaders spellsof tbat organization for tba time being at least. The fourwere the heart and soolc of the organisation. They had atime bringing together the strings of their organisationwere in Guatemala. It will be virtually impossibleuspect.

anti-Communist* In the SAMF are effective withinbat the present political situation doe* not permitto come out frankly agaimt thehichagainst Arbens, aa thingsnd the political situationprobably preventercent antl-Communists, who areat the present moment, from gaining complete controluapect the government will use all of ita influenceforce, ifo prevent the latter event from occurring.

knew of anti-Communist activities in the Incatecu union,American Alrwaya union, and the Co ban mlnera union onlyother people told me.

f. Apparently the workers In Puerto Barrios who wanted to Join the UNTLlxHd lot, but moat of them would be railroad and

dock workers, since that is about all the economic activitiesthere. Accordinglarge part of them were

railroaders. Any "joining" they would have done would probably have been in the form of organization within the SAMF, using the UNTL. i central organization to strengthen insofar as possible In their fight againat pro-Commnnist and neutral elements In the SAMF.

g. The UFC plantation unions are split. Officially, the union which controls the Tiqulsate plantation la in the CGTG,as informed tbat important local parte of it in varloua sections of the plantation, had withdrawn tn proteat against continued affiliation with COTO. They are adrift now without the UNTL. or any other group to aid them.

JAMES ANGLE TON Chief, Special projects Staff

Original document.

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