Letter : European Conference for Peace and for Spain

              INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS
9,  AVENUE   D'ORSAY, PARIS-VIIe
Sch/H
EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE : President   W. M  Citrine, Great Britain ;
Vice-Presidents: H. Jacobsen, Denmark ; L. Jouhaux. France.
Corn. Mertens, Belgium , J. Schorsch, Austria ; R. Tayerle, Czechoslovakia ;
General Secretary :  W. Schevenels.
TELEGRAMS : INTERFED-PARIS TELEPHONE :  INVALIDES 45-88
AFFILIATED COUNTRIES :
ARGENTINE AUSTRIA BELGIUM CANADA CZECHOSLOVAKIA DANTZIG DENMARK DUTCH EAST INDIES ESTONIA FINLAND FRANCE GREAT BRITAIN GREECE HOLLAND HUNGARY INDIA LUXEMBURG MEMEL TERRITORY PALESTINE POLAND ROUMANIA SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH-WEST AFRICA SPAIN SWEDEN SWITZERLAND YUGOSLAVIA
Letter
No.
14th August 1936.
PERSONAL AND FOR PRIVATE INFORMATION ONLY:
Mr. Walter M. Citrine, "Glenluce", 63 Kingsway, WEMBLEY.
Dear Comrade Citrine,
European Conference for Peace and for Spain.
As already stated on the telephone, the IFTU did not in any way take part officially in this Conference. The initiative for the Conference, I was told, came from a few leading individuals, and the aim of the meeting was only to have an informal discussion on the possible ways of providing practical and immediate help for Spain and thus for European peace.
When Comrade Jouhaux had asked me personally whether I would take part and when I had been assured that the people concerned were exclusively democratic, I agreed, while underlining that I subscribed purely in my personal capacity and not as Secretary of the IFTU and that in attending the meeting, I would not accept any obligations.
When the invitations were sent out, the description: "General Secretary of the IFTU" was placed under my name, without my consent.     In the same way, a gross abuse of my name was made in the despatch of personal invitations, telegrams and in press statements, as it was made to seem as if I had had something to do with the initiative, the preparations for the meeting and the invitations.