HTML-Encoded Finding Aid

Title: Jay B. Krane Collection

Genre: Papers

Dates: 1948‑1961                                     

Size  : 8.5 linear feet, 17 Manuscript Boxes

ID   #: 614                                                   

OCLC:                                                         

©Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor & Urban Affairs

HEFA.01b.update

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SCOPE & CONTENTS

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Ø     Correspondents

Ø     Transfer

SERIES STATEMENT

CONTENTS

GLOSSARY

Index

Reuther Web Holdings

Scope & Contents

 

The papers of Jay B. Krane were placed in the Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs in 1973 by Mrs. Jay Krane.

         Jay Krane was born in New York City on April 10, 1923. After a public school education, Mr. Krane attended Columbia College where he edited the daily student paper, receiving his B.A. in 1943. During World War II he worked for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) at various assignments in Washington, London, at SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force) headquarters in Versailles, and Germany. The final position he held was Chief of the Reports and Statis­tics Division of the UNRRA Displaced Persons Programme in Europe. In 1946 Mr. Krane returned to Columbia University to the School of International Affairs and the Russian Institute where he matriculated until 1948. From August of that year through May 1950 he worked in Paris as the assistant to Elmer Cope, CIO Representative in Europe. During the six months prior to the January 1949 split in the World Federation of Trade Unions, he served on assignment in the WFTU Secretariat. In June 1950 Krane accepted the position as Chief of Service of the Regional Activities Section of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU). When the Section was restructured as the Organization Department in 1956, Krane was made Assistant Director of Organization, in which capacity he served until March 1961.

         The papers of Jay Krane reflect his work with the CIO and ICFTU. But to a greater degree, they reflect the activities and structure of the or­ganizations for which he worked.

         The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions was established in London in November 1949 following the withdrawal from the World Federa­tion of Trade Unions of Britain, the Netherlands and the CIO. The WFTU, whose membership included the Soviet Union and Nations of Eastern Europe, was criticized as a communist tool to undercut European economic recovery when the body acted in opposition to the Marshall Plan.

         As a result of the split fifty‑one countries including 67 affiliates and 48 million members joined the new organization whose stated goal was to promote free and democratic trade unionism world‑wide.

         The following outlines the administrative structure of ICFTU and such changes as were made during Jay Krane's tenure. The organization's constitution provides that ICFTU be governed by biennial Congresses, de­legates elected from affiliate organizations. In years between Congresses a General Council was to meet, but after disappointing participation at the first General Council in 1952, it was replaced with the Consultative Council consisting of the executive board and representatives of the regional or­ganizations and International Trade Secretariats.

         The Congress elects an Executive Board of twenty‑five members nominated by area which meets not less than twice a year. Eight members of the Executive Board, the President and General Secretary compose the Sub­Committee, known as the Emergency Committee through 1955, which meets in questions of urgency arising between Executive Board meetings. The Finance Sub‑Committee is also part of the Executive Committee.

         The International Solidarity Fund Committee, one of ICFTU's standing committees, was formed in June 1956 to carry out relief and organizing work. Its' seven members include the General Secretary and Director of Organization. The Regional Activities Fund was set up in 1951 to under­take large scale organization activities, subsidized in part by a volun­tary fund. The committee was to be composed of representatives of the donors. At the Vienna Congress in 1955 the RAFC was disbanded and the voluntary fund abolished in favor of levying financially strong affiliates at the rate of one U.S. cent per member.

         In 1959 there were nineteen International Trade Secretariats as­sociated with ICFTU, autonomous but following general ICFTU policy. The ITS Liaison Committee was formed in 1952 to coordinate efforts and facili­tate communication.

         The Milan Congress of 1951 decided to embark on large scale organi­zational activities. As the result of increased work volume the Organi­zation Department was created in 1955 and in June 1956 Charles H. Millard accepted the post of Director of Organization. Within the Organization Department are four regional organizations. The Asian Regional Organi­zation (ARO), established in 1951, has its headquarters in New Delhi with sub‑offices in Singapore, Djakarta, Tokyo, Bankok and Bombay. The Inter‑American Regional Organization of Workers (ORIT), 1951, maintains its headquarters in Mexico City with sub‑offices in Santiago and Rio de Janeiro. The Caribbean Area Division of ORIT (CADORIT) operates out of Port‑of‑Spain, Trinidad. The European Regional Organization (ERO), 1951, has its headquarters in Brussels with a branch office in Paris. The first African Regional Conference was held in Accra in 1957, working toward consolidation of area committees into an African regional organi­zation.

         In March 1961 the Executive Board, under political and financial pressure from AFL‑CIO President George Meany, accepted a plan of reor­ganization "to make the structure of the ICFTO more adequate and responsive... to the need for building effective trade union organizations...in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other parts of the world where the struggle is the hardest and the need is the greatest..."  The positions of Director and Assistant Director of Organization were allowed to lapse.

 

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Subjects

 

The role of the CIO in post World War II Europe

The CIO's split with the World Federation of Trade Unions

The formation of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

ICFTU’s structure, activities

ICFTU Reorganization, 1961

Labor developments in Africa, Asia, Europe and South American during the Cold War

 

 

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Correspondents

 

Omer Becu

Elmer Cope

Albert Hammerton

Alfonso Madariaga

George Meany

Charles U. Millard

Michael Ross

Victor Reuther

 

 

Transfers

 

         Three photographs have been placed in the Archives' Audio‑Visual Collections. Several pamphlets have been placed in the Archives Library.

 

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Series Statement

 

Series I, CIO Paris Office, October 1948‑May 1950, Box 1

Materials include office log and CIO involvement with the European Recovery Plan, Organization for European Economic Cooperation, the Marshall Plan, and the Preparatory International Trade Union Committee which gave rise to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

 

Series II, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 1950‑1961, Boxes 2‑17

Sub‑series A; Proceedings of ICFTU committees, Boxes 2‑12

Includes the Executive Board, Emergency Committee/Sub‑Committee, Finance Sub‑Committee, General Council/Consultative Council, In­ternational Trade Secretariats and ITS Liaison Committee. At the end of the series are general published materials relating to ICFTU's structure as well as the 1961 reorganization.

 

Sub‑series B, ICFTU Organization Department, 1951‑1961, Boxes 12‑17

Files of the Brussels office the bulk of which relates to the acti­vities of the African, Asian (ARO), European (ERO) and Inter‑American (ORIT) regional organizations.

 

 

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Contents

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To Alphabetic Index

[Box1] [Box2] [Box3] [Box4] [Box5] [Box6] [Box7] [Box8] [Box9] [Box10]

[Box11][Box12][Box13][Box14][Box15][Box16][Box17]

 

[Box 1]

 

1‑10. CIO Office, October 28, 1948‑May 20, 1950

11.     European Recovery Programme, International Trade Union

Conference/Trade Union Advisory Committee (London, March 9‑16 1948)

12‑17. ERP‑ITUC/TUAC proceedings, 1948‑1950, with CIO summary notes

18.     Misc. Principal Activities of the Organization for European Economic

Cooperation, 1949

19.     Conference Preliminaire des Experts sur la Campagne Educative Pour le Plan Marshall, Compte‑Rendu, 15 septembre 1949

20‑27. Preparatory International Trade Union Committee proceedings, June 25, 1949‑Sept. 21, 1949 with CIO summary notes.

 

[Box 2]

Part 1 ICFTU Executive Board Meetings

 

1‑15. Executive Board meetings 3‑8, November 1950-December 1952.

The run is complete except for meetings 1, 2, and 5.

 

[Box 3]

1‑13. Executive Board meetings 9‑13, July 1953-November 1954. The run  is complete except for the tenth meeting.

 

[Box 4]

1‑13. Executive Board meetings 14‑18, May 1955‑November 1956. The run is complete except for the 15th meeting.

 

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[Box 5]

1‑14. Executive Board meetings 19‑24, July 1957‑June 1959.

The run is complete except for the 20th meeting.

 

[Box 6]

1‑10. Executive Board meetings 25‑29, November 1959­-March

1961. The run is complete except for the 26th meeting.

                   11. Report by James B. Carey, AFL‑CIO on the 29th Executive Board

meeting

12. Statement and personal notes of Jay Krane, 29th Executive Board meeting

 

[Box 7]

Part 2 Emergency Committee/Sub‑Committee

 

1‑8. Emergency Committee meetings 1‑8, February 1951-October 1955

9‑12. Sub‑Committee (successor to Emergency Committee) meetings 9‑11, April 1956‑March 1958. The run is complete through 1958 except for the second and third meetings.

 

Part 3 Finance Sub‑Committee

 

13‑15. Finance Sub‑Committee meetings 1‑3, November 1957-November 1957‑November 1958

 

[Box 8]

1‑6. Finance Sub‑Committee meetings 4‑9, May 1959-April 1961

 

 

Part 4 General Council/Consultative Council

                 

                             7‑8. 1st General Council, July 1952

9‑12. Consultative Council (successor to General Council) meetings 1‑3, May 1954‑July 1958

                                                  

 

Part 5 International Solidarity Fund Committee

 

13‑17. International Solidarity Fund Committee meetings 4‑8, March 1958‑March 1959. Some of the proceedings are in French;  some include handwritten notes by Krane. The run is complete through with the exception of the first four meetings.

 

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[Box 9]

1‑10. International Solidarity Fund Committee meetings 9‑15, July 1959‑March 1961.

 

Part 6

General Conferences of the International Trade Secretariats and the ITS

Liaison Committee

 

11. General Conference of the International Trade Secretariats,

Vienna, May 19, 1955

12‑13. ITS Liaison Committee meetings 3‑4, November 1955‑March

1956

 

[Box10]

1‑2. General Conference of the ITS, Brussels, October 29‑30, 1956  and May 30‑31, 1957

3. ITS Liaison Committee, 6th meeting, November 1957

4. ITS/ICFTU Ad Hoc Committee on Organization Priorities, January

1958

                            5. Special ITS/ICFTU meeting on Africa, January 1958

                            6. ITS Liaison Committee, 7th meeting, January 1959

                            7. Extraordinary General Conference of the ITS, February 1959

                            8. Joint ICFTU/ITS Meeting, September 1960, with correspondence

 

 

Part 7 Regional Activities Fund Committee

 

9. ICFTU Interim Committee for the Regional Activities Fund, October

1951

                            10‑15. Regional Fund Committee meeting 1‑4, February 1952‑February

1953

16. Regional Fund Committee meeting, 5th, May 1953 with reports of

the first World Congresses of the Sugar, and Plantation Workers.

 

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[Box11]

1‑14. Regional Activities Fund Committee meetings 7‑12.

 

 

Part 8 ICFTU Structure. Miscellaneous

 

                            15. ICFTU Trade Union Conference on International Migration, Nervi,

 9‑11 July l956

 

[Box12]

1. ICFTU Constitution, 1959

                            2. "      Charter of Organization, November 1959

                            3. Table of ICFTU and its Membership (as of 31 December 1958)

                            4. Report on the Structure of ICFTU Headquarters, February 16, 1960

                            5. ICFTU Reorganization, March 1961

                            6‑10. "     Circulars, January 1960‑April 1961

                           11. "     News Bulletins, 1960‑1961

                           12. "IGFTU After Ten Years: Problems and Prospects", Windmuller,

                                    January 1961

                           13. ICFTU Clippings, 1959‑61

                           14. "Know Your Facts #2‑Lecture Notes on ICFTU", April 10, 1969

                           15. Speech at Congress of PTTI, Vienna, July 1960

 

Part I Africa

 

                           16. African Regional Conference, January 1957

                           17. Afro‑Asian Conference, July 1957

                           18. Réunion Speciale des Affiliées de la CISL un Afrique du Nord, mars

1958

                           19. ARO East Central and Southern African Area Division, June 1960

                           20. Africa‑Geneva Office correspondence 1957‑58

                           21. Meetings between the Members from Africa and the Executive Board,

July 1960

                           22. Delegation to West Africa report, July-September 1960

                           23. Rapport de la delegation de la CISL en Afrique Accidentale,

juillet‑septembre 1960

                           24. Reunion Consultative Africain, septembre 1960

 

[Box13]

                           1‑7. Third African Regional Conference, November 1960

                           8. African correspondence, general, 1957‑60

                           9. Africa, clippings, 1959‑61

                          10. Africa, Executive Board minutes, 1960

                          11. All African Trade Union Federation, 1959‑1961

                          12‑13. Aden, 1957‑60

                          14. Africa Report draft, January 1961

                          15. Africa‑"Communist Infiltration in Africa and efforts to counteract such

attempts" by P. de Jonge, January 1961

                          16. "The African Communist", April 1960 issue

                          17. Afro‑Asian Institute for Labor Studies and Cooperation (see also 14‑7)

                          18‑22. Algeria, 1953‑1960

                          23‑25. Arab Federation of Trade Unions, 1956‑59

 

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[Box14]

                         1. Belgian Congo, 1956, 1960

                         2. "La Doctrine Generale du Syndicalisme Congolais", por A. R. Kithima, 1960

                         3‑5. Egypt, 1955‑57

                         6. Ghana, 1958‑60

                         7. Israel, 1960 (See also 13‑17)

                         8. Jordan, 1953, 1957

                         9‑10. Kampala‑African Labor College, 1958‑1960

                        11. Kenya, 1959‑1961

                        12. Liberia, 1960

                        13. Libya, 1956‑1960

                        14. Morocco, 1956‑60

                        15. Nigeria and British Cameroons Labor Report, 1951

                        16. Nigeria, 1958‑1961

                        17. North Africa, 1957‑1960

                        18. Northern and Southern Rhodesia, 1958‑61

                        19. Somalia, 1960

                        20. South Africa, 1957‑60

                        21. Syria, 1955‑57

                        22. Sudan, 1957‑59

                        23. Tanganylka, 1958

                        24. Tunisia, 1956‑1961

 

[Box15]

Part 2 Asia

 

1. Asian Regional Gonference, May 1951

                            2‑3. ARO labour reports, 1952‑55

                            4. Asian Trade Union Seminar, Rangoon May l955

                            5‑8. ARO, l957‑1959

9‑10. ICFTU Goodwill Mission to Asia, Oct‑Nov. 1960

                           11. ARO Textile Worker's Preparatory Committee Meeting, Manila 3 Nov

1960

                           12. ICFTU Asian Trade Union College, 1957

                           13. Burma, 1951‑59

                           14. Indonesia, 1957‑59

                           15. India, 1959‑60

                           16. Korea, 1955, 1960

                           17. Malaysia, 1958‑59

                           18‑19. Pakistan, 1955‑60

                           20. Philippines, l954, 1957

                           21.Singapore, 1956‑1959

                           22‑23. Thailand, 1954‑1958

                           24. Tokyo Office, 1959‑60

                           25‑27. Vietnam, labor reports 1951‑59

                           28. Misc. clippings, ARO area, 1959‑61

 

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[Box16]

Part 3 Europe

 

        1. Europe, correspondence 1958‑9

                                    2. European Regional Organization, correspondence, 1960

                                    3. Unilateral Activities of Affiliates DGB, OGB, TUC, 1959‑61

                                    4. Austria, labor report, 1958

                                    5. Cypress, correspondence, 1960‑1

                                    6. Finland labor reports, 1956‑1961

                                    7. Finnish Trade Union Dispute‑Swedish Mediation, lg58

                                    8. France, report on Force Ouvriere Confederal Congress, October

24‑27, 1956

                                    9. France, correspondence, 1956‑1958

                                   10. Germany, labor reports, 1957‑1958

                                   11. Greece, labor reports, 1954‑1956

                                   12. Greece, labor reports, 1956‑1958

                                   13. Greece, correspondence, ICA program, 1959‑1960

                                   14‑16. Italy, labor reports, 1953‑1959

                                   17. Spain, labor reports, 1954‑1958

                                   18. USSR‑clipping of George Meany statement, 21 May 1960

                                   19. Yugoslavia, labor reports, 1957‑1958

                                   20‑22. World Federation of Trade Unions, reports, 1954‑1957

                                   23. Misc. Tronel Mosely correspondence 7/60‑2/61

                                   24. Misc. Union Nationale des Meres et Femmes de Fusilles et

Prisonniers Politiques Decedes, correspondence, 1959

 

[Box17]

Part 4 The Americas

 

1.Inter‑American Regional Organization (ORIT), 7th Executive Meeting, Jan. 1954

                            2. ORIT: A Progress Report, Sept. 1954

                           3‑4. ORIT, correspondence, 1957‑1960

                           5. ORIT Executive Committee, XV Meeting, Feb. 1960

                           6. IRIT, Budget, 1961

                           7. CADORIT‑correspondence, 1957

                   8‑9. AFL‑CIO correspondence, 1956‑1960

                   10‑11. Argentina, labour reports 1954‑1959

                           12. Brazil, labour reports, 1954‑1957

                           13. "Plan for Brazil" by H. R. Horne, 23 September 1960

                           14. Caribbean Congress of Labour, inaugural Congress September 1960

                           15. Central America March 1956

                           16. Chile, labour reports, 1954‑1958

                           17. Columbia, labour reports, 1958

                           18. Costa Rica, labour report 1954

                           19. Cuba, labour report, March 23, 1956

                           20. Curacao, labour reports, 1956‑1957

                           21. Dominican Republic, labour report, March 19, 1956

                           22. Guatemala, labour report 1954

                           23. Haiti, labour report October 1954

                           24. Honduras, labour reports, 1954‑1956

                           25. Mexico, labour reports, 1955‑1958

                           26. Nicaragua, labour report 1956

                           27. Panama, labour reports 1954‑1955

                           28. Paraguay, labour report, 1955

                           29. Uruguay, labour reports 1954‑1958

                           30. Venezuela, labour reports, 1954‑1959; corres­pondence, 1958

                   31. Misc. "Foreign Aid‑A New Canadian Experience" by Prof. S. G.

      Triantis

 

Part 5 Brussels office and miscellaneous

 

                           32. Staff matters: correspondence, 1955‑61

                           33. Staff matters: contract, salary, etc. 19551960

                  34. Draft on Relations between ICFTU/Regional Organizations,  October,1960

                           35. "Informal Notes on the ICFTU's Organization Work", May 3, 1960

                           36. Misc. handwritten notes, Jay Krane, 1960

                           37. Misc. correspondence, 1956‑58

                           38. Misc. clippings, May 1961

 

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Glossary

 

CGT ‑ Confederation Generale du Travail

 

CGIL ‑ Confederation General Italian Laborers

 

CILO ‑ Comité International de Laison Ouvrierè

 

CISA ‑ Confederation Internationales des Syndicats Arabes

 

CISL ‑ Confederation Italiana del Lavora

 

CISL ‑ Confederation Internationale des Syndicats Libres (ICFTU)

 

CTAL ‑ Confederation of Latin‑American Workers

 

CUTCH ‑ Central Unica de Trabajadores de Chile

 

ECA ‑ Economic Cooperation Administration (Administered Marshall Plan, abolished 1951)

 

ERP ‑ European Recovery Plan

 

FTUC ‑ Free Trade Union Committee (AFL)

 

ICA ‑ International Cooperation Administration (later, Agency for International Development)

 

ICFTU ‑ International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

 

IFAP ‑ International Federation of Agricultural Producers

 

IFCTU ‑ International Federation of Christian Trade Unions

 

IGWF ‑International Garment Worker's Federation

 

ILO ‑ International Labor Organization, (adjunct of the League of Nations, United Nations)

 

IOE ‑ International Organization of Employers

 

ITS ‑ International Trade Secretariats

 

IUE ‑ International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers

 

KFL ‑ Kenya Federation of Labor

 

LGWU ‑ Libyan General Workers Union

 

ORIT ‑ Inter‑Americas Regional Organization of Workers

 

PTTI ‑ Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Worker's International

 

TUC ‑ Trades Union Congress (Great Britain)

 

UGTT ‑ Union Generale Tunisienne du Travail

 

UIL ‑ Unione Italiana del Lavoro

 

UNAC ‑ United Nations Appeal for Children

 

USOM ‑ U.S. Operations Mission

 

WFTU ‑ World Federation of Trade Unions

 

For acronyms not listed consult Acronyms & Initialisms Dictionary, Thomas, Ethridge and Ruffner

 

 

 

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Index