Communist Activitity in Syria

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Damascus, Apr 4^th, 1956

Communist Activity in Syria

In Syria, there is great activity by the communists in order to transform politics in the country in their favor, especially in this new situation where there is great tensions between East and West on the one end and the Arab states of the other, where there has been division into two blocs.  The plan that was laid out for this end aims at achieving the following:

First: Since Syria approved a national charter, they’d like to form a cabinet that represents the will of the people and not one that represents the parties that are against the people, like the Peoples Party.  This cabinet has to stand up against and resist Zionist and imperialist schemes.

Second: Widely organize and agglomerate the people in order to oppose military alliances, especially the Baghdad Alliance.  Also, preparing the people for the fight against schemes that are contrary to national objectives.

Third: Exploit the Palestinian refugees and include their rights in the struggle against the Johnston Project by spreading propaganda to them exposing the risk to their future due to this Project because the communists want to use the current situation of these refugees to keep them at their side and to, when needed, transform them to a powerful force against western imperialism.

Fourth: Announce popular mobilization in case Israel attacks Syria and take necessary precautions already for that.  The communists aim from this arrangement is to benefit from the current situation and invite communists to join the army, whether through the compulsory draft or by volunteering.  Their aim is to already train communists in military matters, use them to spread communist propaganda in the army ranks, and attract the largest number of supporters for the Communist Party, which will spread the spirit of communism among army members.

Among the seven thousand volunteers who joined the service in the Syrian army since early March, 1956, there are more than a thousand communists, whom only joined the Syrian army by instructions they received from leaders of the Communist Party.

Fifth: Strengthen political, military and economic cooperation with Egypt and Saudi Arabia as long as these two countries continue their cooperation with Syria in resistance to western imperialism and its alliances, while at the same time being cautious about every attempt made by them in service of the West.  Also, monitoring [their] leaders in order to expose activities that prove treason and cooperation with the West.

Sixth: Support economic policies that aim at advancing Syrian industry and agriculture, and seek reasons for [economic] strength from any source, in order to liberate Syrian relations economically from being confined to western states.  Signing deals with Russia and its followers as long as they are the only ones that support Syria’s sovereignty and independence.

Convincing the Syrian public opinion that the Soviet Union is the only [country] helping Syria in all it needs without any imposition or precondition.

Seventh: Convincing the Syrian public opinion that strengthening the republican system and improving the lives of the people, and in turn leading the country toward Arab unity cannot be accomplished without uniting these countries by the Soviet Union.  They are giving many examples concerning that, particularly how the Soviet Union was able to unify all its nations with their brothers, which is contrary to what’s going on in imperialist countries that have been divided into many countries.   This was the situation in these countries during the French Mandate and as it is in other countries that the West is attempting to imperialize in any way.