THE EUROPEAN LABOR COMMITTEE

Created: 2/26/1976

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

)

icr

European Labor Committee

xtension into Europebased radical movement known so the National Caucus of Labor Commit tees (NCLC) has created ln Kest Germany (FRG) an office which conducts defamatory politicalainst prominent persons and organizations of the FRG, .The movement, known in the FRG primarily as European Labor Committeeonsists of fringe radicals who produce pamphlets and operate an Information service that purports to be an intelligence service. The ELC has also founded an FRG political party of no evident significance.

Initially, Zealots of the ELC had "their ai raised againsthich caused Spiegel tothe group as "Operation Paranoia." Its members were also describedondon newspaper as "harmless lunatics." In tine, however, the ELC demonstrated ability to harm by Insult Its favorite ideological - lackhats. Because of tbe movement's American origin, thisFRG relations,

Tbe primary target for th* ELC's political crlti-', clsm Is the Social Democratic Partyspecially its Chairman Willy Brandt and Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. Other ELC targets of note: Swedish Prime ilJnister Olaf Palme; British Prime Minister Harold (Tllscn; Maoism ln all its forms; selected leaders of the Communist Party of Italynd. above all, Vice-President Kelson Rockefeller, who, according to HCLC/ELC legend,ast conspiracy to control the world for which CIA is the executor. ,

Such is the nuisance value of the ELC that the SPD,elt compelled to rule membership in the ELC or

activities on Its behalf incompatible with SPD meaber-

. The German Codbud 1st Party (DKP) has taken similar position. In the Foreign Press Club (VAP) In Bonn, after considerablewo of the movement's news servicenerman court found ELC and its news service representatives guilty of libel andagainst SPD Chairman Brandt.

Another target of the ELC is NATO. he ELC produced what purported tolassified NATO military study called Some Germans of author ity found It rather convincing. On the basis of this paper, at least one interview was conducted by NS-IPS representativesundestag military expert. Such provocative approaches to FRG politicians 'and officials, as well as to officials NATO headquarters, are part of the ELC modus operandi and that of its new service.

In summary, the ELC strives to fit the description of one authority who classified Its members aswho, though not ideologically serious, arcotentially dangerous nuts."

FUG Hoots of the ELC

The German ally of the NCLC first appeared in the FUG duringith the distribution of pamphlets, one entitled Parliamentary Cretinism, criticizingthe political situation in the FRG. TheFirst Strategy Conference" was held ln It attracted international attendance and founded the ELC ln the FRG. Second European Conference on Strategy toward.sb" was organized by the ELC ln Frankfurt/ Main, during- and there have been two further "stratogy conferences" since then.

Following the third such conference, inlosed meeting of ELC delegates snd other inter-

.atlonal associates look pltce at which the Europo.-ii Workers Party (LAP) was founded as tho FRG politicalarm of the aiovement. (This repeats the pattern of tbe KCLC, the electoral arai of which is. Labor Party, or USLP.) The EAP hasirectorate of four officersand directorate of the saave size in Northrhine-Weslphalia as well ssscore of "leading aicmbers" who also belong to the ELC. The EAP has participated ln state elections, with insignificant results.

, Inhe news agency of the movement, he Kew Solidarity International Press Service (KS-IPS, sometimes designatedntered the FRG scene. (The choice of name may have been meant to causewith the print information activity of USIA in Washington, which uses "IPS.") The HS-IPSire service using several telex machines from its office in Wiesbaden. The cost for the service0 DM per month for the "IPS World Kers Roundup Telex Service" andM per month for the "ips Weekly Inhe KS-IPS was estimated to have less thanubscribers in the FRG, most of them probably political associates who do not pay announced rates for the service.

Rough estimates have placed .total membership of the ELC in Europe at less, of which probably at least half are FRGho FRG movement has contacts ln various north German.cities, in the Ruhr, in Bremen and Hamburg. But the ELC's main office, and that of the KS-IPS, Is ln Wiesbaden at Schlerstelner-strasse 6. There works Hclga Ljustlna, member of the ELC directorate, federal chairman of the EAP and one of the KS-IPS "editors" tossed out by tbe VAP ln Bonn.

P.S. Origins of the ELC

The KCLC, with headquarters In Mew York,4 claimedhapters scattered through the major cities

*

i

1

f

. Its "philosophical origins"-reported]*;

can be found In attitudes of the "National Caucus, Laborhich emerged txxtm theumbia students strike of tbe. Founder and gospel preacher of. movement Is Lyndon crmyle LaRouchence better known as Lyn Marcus, who was born2 In Rochester. New Hampshire, and raiseduaker. onscientious objector early in World War II, LaFouche has stated he was "converted from Kant to Marx" by communists he metabor "service camp. Subsequently he did join. Army and served as medical corpsman in India and Burma, where he allegedly contacted local communist parties.*

. After the war, LaRouche joined the (Trotskylte) Socialist Workers Party8 andember His subsequent attendance at Northeastern University in Boston was brief because the studies "bored" him. In the, LaRouche taught courses at the "Free University" ln Greenwich Village and thereolitical action group which worked with, At that time, reportedly, the gospel according lo LaRouche consisted of "outdated computer terminology and sexology, along with arcane and archaicterms." As Lyn Marcus, LaRouche achieved some prominence In connection with the Columbia students strike.

In preparation for6 presidential election, In which he will be the USLP candidate, LaRouche reverted to his original name. No recent data on the USLPis available. It presumably soft-pedals theKCLC goal, namely "control of tbe American labor movement within two years and the establishmentorld workers government within five years," That this was not achieved, in the KCLC view, is due mainly to the machinations of "the Rockefeller clique and its lackey the CIA." The KCLC decision to expand operations Into Europe is consistent with the internationalism of the movement, which also claims branches ln Canada,

Latin America and Greece, The ELCnternational Bulletin) for thentelligentsia"'sa"ld to be issued ln eight languages.

The ELC clearly draws inspiration fron. movement. In addition, the ELC has claimed,o be receiving funds from the American brethren to support the movement in Europe,

World View of The ELC

U.S. paternity for the ELC is manifest in one of its circulars, datedhich reports the CIA snd the FBI to be using the Symbloncse Liberation Army and similar "Zombie groups" ln attempts toPresident Ford and USLP candidate LaRouche. Both movements clearly trade in political grotesque, Tbe same goblins are employed.

Economic theories of LaRouche are also reflectedrogram used by the EAP during FRG state elections It calls for an Immediate Increase ln theof tractors, other agricultural vehicles and fertilizers; the securing by treaty of foreign markets, especially in developing countries and in COMECON countries; and the establishmenturorubel market. This sort of Infantile politics Is characteristic of the ELC. It explains why established FRG parties do not know the EAp exists. .

The Trotskyite tenor of the NCLC was again evident in the early activities of the ELC: though leftist. It was not sympathetic to Boviet.-led communism. This would explain the DXP denunciation of the ELC In Germany. UntilLC demands for struggle against Moscow-oriented CPseature of Its literature. This line has, ln the meantime, given way to calls for cooperation with the Soviet Union, with orthodox CPs

and with left-vine Social Democrats against the(fron an ELC/EAP press conference of late More recently, ELC filers have Identifiedunworthy of cooperative support, namelythe Spanish CP and the PCI, in particular Enricoand Giorgio Aaendola, two notable"Italian communism.** Other PCI factions haveby tbe

- Who Funds the

* r

This poses the question of whether Soviet supportight be deduced from the ELC's shift to approval of Soviet policies and its attacks on CP elementsresent problems for Moscow, However, evidence of Soviet support is not available, Kor is there any evidence of support, overt or covert, from any other government. Given the history of the KCLC/ELC, that It was conceived by the planning staff of an intelligence service is highly unlikely.

Investigators of. movement concludedt was quite likely self-supporting, that it drewfrom resources of middle-class elements attracted to It, who constitute the majority of its active There were tales of members dissolving trust funds for the benefit of tho HCLC, In addition, the movement was reportedly borne alongouthful, ideological dedication which amounted almost toseal: NCLC activists were said toer month ana to work for token pay. Reporters spoke of the authoritarian air, the puritanical atmosphere of the movement and of its members*-total commitment.

A*degree of youthful fervortricter life style than one associates with modern radical cliques are said to be present In the ELC. Of Its twentyactivists, only one was born before tbe war ended Frankfurter Allgemfelne. reporting tbe Brandt

libel trial, described ELC defendants as "students "behavior in court was beyond reproach." Kiththey responded to charges that tbeyin an SS uniform, called him an agent ofnd accused IG MetallLodprer of belongingecret,"trilateral commission" for "worlds the opiate of thei

Still, the telex machines in tbe Wiesbadenf the ELC/IPS rentrice, hardly to beated for by dedicated work on weekends for Siemens. It is doubtful that contributions of ELC members and sympathizers, even when added to the. subsidy, are sufficient to offset estimated costs of the movement's activities. Someone must fund the ELC, even. and FRG internal security services have no clarification to offer on this point. They view the KCLC/ELCect ratherolitical movement,erious threat to domestic stability.

In the FRG, however, the ELC's agrcsslve and defamatory actions against political leaders cause official concern; And. officials in tbe FRG, it is awkward to acknowledge that the ELC Is Inspired and, to some extent, supported. parent Since this can not be denied, however. It is useful to know some details about the background of the ELC and of. counterpart NCLC.

6

Original document.

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: