Politburo decision. 1989 Soviet contribution to the “International Fund to aid Left-wing and Workers’ Organizations” will be 13.5 million hard-currency roubles
(3 pp). [Russian: 28 Dec 88, Pb 144-129 and 28 Dec 1988, Falin]

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[page one, Pb 144/129.
(Pages two to four, CPSU contributions for 1990, see 5 December 1989*)]

Workers of all Lands, Unite!

Must be returned within three days
to the CPSU Central Committee (General Department, Sector 1)

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION, CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Top Secret
SPECIAL FILE

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

No. Pb 144/129

To Comrades
Falin, all items;
Garetsky, item 2.

Excerpt from the Minutes (No. 144) of the Meeting
of the CPSU Central Committee Politburo, held on 28 December 1988

A request from the Central Committee International Department

1. Adopt the proposal of the International Department that the CPSU contribution  to the International Fund for Left-wing Workers’ Organisations for 1989 be 13.5 million hard-currency roubles.

2. The board of the USSR State Bank (Comrade N.V. Garetsky) is to provide Comrade V.M. Falin with 13.5 million hard-currency roubles for special purposes.

3. Task Comrade V.M. Falin to reach agreement with the Communist Party-participants of the International Fund for Left-wing Workers’ Organisationsas as to the size of their contributions.

Secretary of the Central Committee

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[page one – 28 December, Falin]

SPECIAL FILE
Top Secret

To the CPSU Central Committee

The CPSU provides fraternal parties with material aid in various forms (support for Communist Party firms; supply of newsprint; invitations to Party activists to study, take a vacation or receive medical treatment; purchase of Communist Party publications; payment in a number of cases for trips by Party representatives to other countries, and so on).

However, the financial aid provided through the International Fund for Left-wing Workers’ Organisations is most important for the activities of the majority of fraternal parties. The money received from the Fund is used by the parties, at their own discretion, for the main types of party-political work (the activities of the Central Committee, payments to full-time Party activists, publication of newspapers, hire of halls, election campaigns, etc.).

The leaders of fraternal parties rate this form of solidarity very highly, and feel that it cannot be replaced by aid in any other form. This was reiterated recently by G. Plissonnier (French CP), who stressed that receipt of aid from the Fund in no way limits the independence of individual Communist parties in determining their stance on any political issue. At the same time, the cessation of this aid or its reduction would deal a great blow to the political activities of the parties, especially in matters concerning events of national significance (elections, congresses, conferences), all of which call for substantial expenditure.

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[page two]                                                                                                 2.

Many fraternal parties are asking whether the size of this annual aid could be increased. This is justified, principally, in terms of rising living costs, including all kinds of good and services linked to political and propaganda activities (the cost of paper, of hiring halls, transport, duplicating equipment and so on). The issue of payment for full-time Party workers is very acute since, as a rule, they receive a salary below that of a skilled worker.

The International Fund for Left-wing Workers’ Organisations is formed from the voluntary donations of the CPSU and a number of Communist Parties in socialist countries (the GDR, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria). In accordance with a long-standing unwritten agreement between the party-participants the CPSU distributes the Fund.

The CPSU Central Committee International Department believes it is necessary to have an exchange of views with the fraternal parties of the socialist countries about the further operation of the Fund. In the forthcoming year it would be expedient to retain the established order of contribution to and distribution from the Fund, while informing its other participants as to the disbursement of its funds.

It is proposed that the share to be contributed to the International Fund for Left-wing Workers’ Organisations by the CPSU be set at the same level as for 1988 — 13.5 million hard-currency roubles. The Central Committee International Department (V.M. Falin) is to reach agreement with the party-participants as to the size of their contributions.

A draft Central Committee Resolution is attached.

[signed] Falin

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NOTES

The Fund to Aid Left-Wing Workers’ Parties was established in the late 1960s (see 8 January 1969*, Pb 111/162*). For a list of recipients in 1981 and the amounts they received, see 29 December 1980*, Pb 230/34.

See 30 November 1987* (Pb 95/21) and 5 December 1989* for decisions and discussion of CPSU contributions to the Fund in 1988 and 1990.

General

1. Notes by translator and editor are bracketed, thus [ ];
2. text written by hand is indicated in italic script;
3. when a handwritten phrase, figure or word has been inserted
in a previously typed document this is indicated by underlined italic script.

Translation, John Crowfoot