Spanish Trade Union Group : inter-departmental correspondence

              I.C.3.
TRADES UNION CONGRESS.
INTER-DEPARTMENTAL CORRESPONDENCE. 
From: MR W. SCHEVENELS  Department I.F.T.U.
To: MR W.J.BOLTON  Date 20TH JANUARY, 1942.
SUBJECT.
SPANISH TRADE UNION GROUP
I am returning the letter sent by the group Soler to the T.U.C. announcing the constitution of the Spanish Trade Union Group in Great Britain.
I want to inform you that after the collapse in Spain the Labour movement split into two main groups; one supporting the policy of Caballero, Prieto, Carrillo etc., the other supporting the group represented by Gonzalez Pena, Amaro Rosal, Pretel, linked with the political group of the same tendency, Negrin, Del Vayo.
Both groups have constituted in Mexico a so-called National Committee both claiming to represent the former Spanish U.G.T.   The first group is definitely anti-communist, the second group is composed of communists and comrades with strong communist sympathies.
Although until now the I.F.T.U. has not interfered in the internal dispute between the Spanish trade unionists, there is no doubt in my mind that the first group is by far the strongest both numerically and because there National Committee in Mexico is composed of the greatest number of actual elected representatives of their former Spanish unions.
Since the headquarters of the I.F.T.U. are in London Wenceslao Carrillo has been in permanent contact with the I.F.T.U. and has been considered by us as the most representative trade unionist of the former U.G.T.    He belongs to the first of the already mentioned groups and although we do not want to repudiate the other group, which possesses also some mandates of the normally functioning former National Committee of the U.G.T., we are bound to say that we consider Carrillo and his friends as being much nearer to the trade union conceptions of the I.F.T.U. and as being more faithful to its policy.
For all those reasons we believe that the trade union group Carrillo, which has been in preparation for some time and will be officially constituted on the 22nd January, is the most qualified to be recognised as such by the I.F.T.U.    After the official constitution of the Spanish Trade Union Group we will of course let you know its exact composition.    Its address will be Transport House and in an office annexed to the I.F.T.U.