The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1946-03-14


group of organized labor in America" !"
Instructing Brown to present the
AFL's official demand to the Control
Council in Berlin and to the represen-
tatives Of the occupying powers,
Woll asserted that eve base our de-
mand on UNO official decision grant
ing equal recognition to AFL with
all other labor organizations, national
or international in scope" In a
cabled reply, Brown stated that he had
filed the demand through the State
Department and was preparing to go
to Berlin to appear before the Control
Council.
AFL To See Truman
The AFL demand followed up its
victory at the recent London confer
ence in obtaining equal consultative
status with the WFTU in the coun-
ellis of the United Nations Fedora
tion action was precipitated by the
assertion of Brown that the labor
policies of the allied governing powers
in Germany were being dictated
secretly by Sidney Hillman, chairman
of the CIO Political Action Commit
tee, who has just completed visit to
Germany as a member of special
commission of the WFTU.
Woll said that the AFL Executive
Council had voted to send committee
to confer with President Truman and
learn from him "by what authority
Mr.. Hllman processes not only to
speak for all American labor but also
for the u. S. government in the for
mutation of Allied military govern
ment labor policies
AFL interest in ''the development
of genuine free trade union move
ment throughout Germany as the best
guarantee of democratic and peace
full Germany" was cited by Vol.
Cited Stand On Slave Labor
"What is more," he pointed out,
"the interest of the AFL in the de-
velopment of bona fide free trade
unions as the bulwark of peaceful
and democratic Germany is not of re-
cent origin or dictated by desire to
gain narrow organization advantage
i'm the international labor movement.
"Even in the darkest hours of the
war, even i'm the moments Of the most |
bitter military struggle, the AFL was
true to the solidarity of international
labor and vigorously rejected every
proposal of organizing slave labor
battalions of German workers after
Germany was defeated"
Equal Consideration Asked
The text of WolPs cablegram to
Brown follows:
"Immediately present official de-
mand of the AFL to Coutrol Council
in Berlin and the respective represen-
tatives of the occupying powers that
the AFL as the predominant labor or
ganization of America insists that it
be granted equal consideration and
recognition accorded any other labor
organization by the occupying powers
in Germany and full freedom to work
with the German trade unions
throughout all zones.
"We base our demand on UNO Of
ficial decision granting equal recognl-
tion to AFL with all other labor or
national or international
in scope. We further categorically
deny the right of the WFTU to speak
for the predominant group of organ
ized labor in America.
"We also stress our continued in
terest in the development of genu-
inc free trade union movement
Germany as the best guar
antor Of democratic and peaceful
Germany Our record shows contin-
uous support of truly democratic ele-
ments and resistance to all the totali-
tartan forces within Germany before
the war, during the conflict and since
its conclusion.
(Signer) Matthew Woll, Chmm,
"Free Trade Union Committee,
Labor League for Human Rights, ,,