This manuscript is part of the International Institute for Social History's Alexander Berkman archive and appears in Anarchy Archives with ISSH's permission.

Buenos Aires, January 1935.-             Secretariat for Foreign Countries

     The Regional Committee of Anarchist Relations (C.R.R.A.) has sent different times some documents and reports regarding its activities and purposes, with the general situation of the country economico-political, with the situation of the workers' movement under the actual reaction, with the possibilities Argentina offers to our ideas and libertary organizations. Consequently, we suppose that you are more or less informed of the work done by us, and also that our paper "Libertary Actions" has shown you our spirit in favour of a solid, quick and revolutionary anarchist organization.

     In August and September 1934, this Secretariat sent a long REPORT analizing with some detail the situation of the country, the political and workers' forces, and particularly our movement. Some of our foreign papers publicate it (by instance "Proletary Culture" of New York) and we know that in other countries it has been widely read among our ranks. About the political and economical situation we may say now that it is the same as before. The only news on that line is the decision of an opposing party -The Radical-, who were until late trying to make "revolutions" to get again the power they lost in September 1930; which decided a few days ago to come back to the legal road of the polls. On the other side, the Government is going on with its tragic repression of the revolutionary workers' movement of the F.O.R.A. and persecutes implacably all kind of manifestation of the revolutionary ideas, pleasing us in a forced clandestinity.

     The only thing has changed since that report is the situation of our own movement, accomplishing a great deal of the objective we declare in it, as a guide of the activity of our fellows.

     As a result of the conditions we have arrived today at, which are the result of the work done by groups and fellows relationed to Zone, Local and Regional Relation Committees it had been decided TO CREATE THE ANARCHIST FEDERATION in a few months, to which end the CONSTITUENT CONGRESS has already been called for. Is the preparation of this Congress that means today the greater amount of energy and enthusiasm. We do believe that this first Congress of organized groups with a very definite purpose - change the actual relationing form into another one founded in an organic way - will be a worthy end to the many tasks accomplished since the Rosario Congress of 1932.-

     The agreement arrived at by so many as 50 delegations to the 2nd, Anarchist Congress of Rosario -September 1932- was practically achieved. The idea of the Federation was accepted there, and the reason why it was not create at once was because, according to the members, there were not efective basis for it; and on that case it would have a hasty move with contradictory results to those needed. Of course, it would have not been right starting almost from the top, without any previous preparation of the basic elements, which were not only the groups but also the methods employed by them in the propaganda and coordinated fight. The agreement was very clear about what was expected from the anarchist organization and, then, the results proved the vision of that agreement: TO CREATE THE BASIS OF THE FEDERATION, THAT IS TO GIVE LIFE TO THE NEW MOVEMENT ESTABLISHING TIES BETWEEN FELLOWS AND GROUPS BY MEANS OF RELATION COMMITTEES, WHO MOREOVER COULD HAVE TO BY ITS MAXIMUM EFFORT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LIBERTARY GROUPS AND THE STRENGTH OF ITS MUTUAL RELATIONS.-

     We have been working for two and a half years to get this purpose to a successfull end. Many changes were made as experience indicates the cryers and

C.R.R.A.-                           -2-                           Foreign Secretariat.-

more effective means were found. If we keep in mind that this first organization on trial, to coordinate and fix the basis for the future Federation has to be done always in secret since its beginnings, you can easily appreciate the magnitude of the experience when you observe its achievements.

     Here is a synthesis of what we have now, of the work we are doing, which is far from being complete. There are ANARCHIST GROUPS in almost all the important cities of the country. EACH ZONE RELATIONS COMMITTEE - which are now 15 in total - embraces a determined part of the country. EACH LOCAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE - which are now 10 in total - is constituted by direct delegations of the cities groups. THE REGIONAL COMMITTEE ties all these relation bodies and even those fellow who are not in direct contact with any of them. It is easy indeed to go from this mechanism to that of the local, zone, regional and national federation.

     "LIBERTARY ACTION" is going out regularly every month - until today we issued 10 numbers. The propaganda edition in Buenos Aires and the rest of the country is also wide; not so much, as it would be without the economic difficulties which are today enormous. We also issue some internal documents - notes, information, reports, etc - which in addition to an uninterrupted mail permit us to keep in contact with all the persons in connection with our movement.

     We shall quote, at last, the last tasks done to give you an idea of the great variety of work performed - which we always believe insuficient of the trends followed by the organized movement.

     We issued a booklet about Spain regarding October events, analizing the position of the C.N.T. and F.A.I.; which has been so successfully received that we are ready for a new edition. Number 10 of ******* "Libertary Action" is already in the street. It has been also issued a bulletin of 18 pages with reports of the interior of the country. We issued 3 bulletins of the Commission to favour the Anarchist Federation, which we shall talk later of. We issued the report of our delegation to the Regional Meeting of the F.O.R.A. held at the end of September 1934. We sent copies of the acts of several meetings held in different places in the country (Federal City: groups meeting and libertary youths' meeting; Avellaneda: local groups meeting; Rosario: Santa Fe groups and fellows' meetings; Mendoza: Mendoza y San Juan groups meetings; meetings which are often held to take agreements about future works and which are now multiplied in consideration to the next Congress. Another booklet is being prepared for public sale, about the Government repression in all the country, with information on the lawsuits to the F.O.R.A, to our friends of Arraggado - three of which were condemned to life terms - to the brickamakers of the Buuenos Aires State; and about tortures, prosecutions, exils, and vexations suffered by all those who are today in the jails of the republic.

     We desire to mention especially about the libertary youth movement, which has reached noticeable proportions. There are in the country 20 Libertary Youth Association, which are related among them and have in the important cities their respectives section groups, being also related to the Committees of the Anarchist Groups. By instance, here in Buenos Aires, the A.J.L. is composed of 8 quarter or sections groups. On the other hand these youths are preparing the creation of a Libertary Youth Federation. They have a permanent section in "Libertary Action". The valuable contribution of the youth is quite a promise for the Anarchism of Argentina. We are sure that when creating the Anarchist Federation and the Youth Federation we shall be in a much better position to attract the rebellious youth and get stronger with new militants with no influence on ***** of past internal differences almost disappeared.-

     To prepare all the matters in connection with the creation of the Federation, the C.R.R.A. constituted a COMMISSION PRO-F.A. which at once consults the movement on this: if they do believe the time was arrived to materialize the agreement of the 2nd. Anarchist Regional Conference of Rosario (1932) where it established that as soon as were create basis strong enough the Federation could follow. The answers were almost the seed, favouring an immediate Congress

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to constitute it. Therefore, and according to the functions it has been given, the Commission of the CRRA send a project of the order of the day, so that it could be discussed and changed to arrive in conclusion to the definitive Order of the Day. As soon as the answers from the groups and committees were received that project became the DEFINITIVE ORDER OF THE DAY, and now the groups are studying its different points to pronounce on them finally. So that being more or less two months to the date of the Congress -date and place are kept in secret till the very last moment on account of its reserved character - we are busy in the studying of the problems which will be discussed in it.

     The Order of the Day we are enclosing will give you an idea of the importance that this event is going to have for the anarchists of Argentina. Only fundamental points have been included, leaving aside many other importants which could not seriously be treated during the Congress; keeping in **** that all about TACTICS is concerned is more a matter of future work for the Federation, and that the most important part now is the delineation of the idelogical and organic basis of the F.A.

     In addition to the Commission of the Regional Committee, have been created in the more important cities Commissions Pro-F.A., which cooperate with the former in their task. Fundamentally, these especial commissions have as duty: to give to the groups and militants all the information required to guide them in the study of the Order of the Day; to solicit colaborations on the points to be discussed from fellows of this and foreign countries; to organize the different faces of the Congress, practical, economical, etc; to answer the consultations, explanations, suggestions and initiatives from the groups, committees or fellows; and some other of less importance tending to secure a good success of the Congress, so much in the number of delegations as in the seriousness and practicability of its agreements.

     All those preparatory activities are in march today. We send a month ago invitations to those fellow who we know more able, to send collaborations on themes of the Order of the Day or any other in relation with it. They have been sent to all countries in Europe and America, with no answer so far.

     HEREWITH WE REITERATE THAT PETITION THROUGH YOUR CONDUCT, AND WE RECOMMEND TO PASS THE COPY OF THE ORDER OF THE DAY TO THOSE WHO YOU MAY JUDGE TO BE ABLE TO SEND COLLABORATIONS. MOREOVER WE REQUEST OF YOU THE MORE POSSIBLE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ABOUT LIBERTARY ORGANIZATIONS, SUGGESTIONS, INITIATIVES, or PAPERS WHICH MAY BE USEFUL TO US IN THE CONGRESS.-

     The first point of the Order of the Day is: Regional and International Report. This last one logically implies to have on hand up to date information from each one of the countries in which there are fellows in activity.

     With the purpose of making that possible, this secretariat sent in Circular no 2 a set of questions on the more important aspects of the anarchist life. So far we have only received answers from the fellow of Bulgary, Spain, Mexico, Chile and France. As we are very anxious to receive this information as soon as possible, we ask you TO SEND A REPORT AS COMPLETE AS POSSIBLE AS OUT THE MOVEMENT IN YOUR COUNTRY, KEEPING IN MIND THE POINTS ASKED FOR IN CIRCULAR No "2", A COPY OF WHICH YOU WILL FIND ENCLOSED.

     To get over the inconvenients of lack of relation among the Regional Committees and all the countries and organizations, we do also request that you notify about this report to those fellows or organizations from other countries which are in contact with you; otherwise please send us the information you already got, or the addresses so that we may get in touch directly with them at once.

     To prepare that International Report we need your help, without delay FELLOWS: Contribute with your effort to the good success of our Congress.-

C.R.R.A.-                           -4-                           Foreign Secretariat.-

     So as the life of our anarchism has been strengthened thanks to the bonds established, to the organization; also our efforts tending to connect with fellows of other countries regularly gave us very soon a successful result.

     Our fellow-militants of the anarchist groups need to know with much detail the characteristics and activities of the libertary movements throughout the world, not only for the encouragement it means to know how other people fight for the same ideal, but also to get the best learning from the experience involved on each day of revolutionary activity on each place.

     This double objective has been achieved only partially on account of the lack of answer from some organizations and fellows. We have had the pleasure of giving some direct reports or taken from the libertary press about the most important events of the world. We could also give information and publish a booklet on Spain, thanks to the contact we had established with the fellows of the peninsula, especially the F.A.I.

     We did not try to convert ourselves into an information-bureau but only to organize the relations between the anarchist movement of this country with the anarchists of the world. We do believe that one of the preoccupations of the Federation, which will soon be a reality in Argentina, will be to arrive to effective ties through international organization. On the other side, the 2nd. Congress of 1932 pronounced itself in such a mood. The short experience we have now show us the importance that would have a connection organism of such a kind.

     In the meantime we shall go forward creating the basis of such a system of relation, making contacts and interchanging mail, reports, press, initiatives, between us, directly. Perhaps is not far the day when the anarchists of the world will get together to discuss the fundamental problems offered by the capitalist world.

     Let us secure our relations, fellows of the world. Let us join our efforts so that they can yield profit. Let us work intensely and with tenacity to raise our forces in every country, making the anarchism the revolutionary stream which will solve the chaos where is actually sinking the bourgeosie society.! Forward, for the Libertary Communism!

1. -Regional and International Report.
2. -Declaration of principles and plan of action.
3. -Types of organization: (a) individuals and organisms, (b) structure, (c) duties and obligations, (d) economics, (e) name of the organization.
4. -Tactics: (a) agitation and propaganda, (b) united actions, (c) workers' movement, (d) problem of the land-worker, (e) fascism, (f) participation in the popular social recovery movements, (g) defense, prisoners, fight.-
5. -Miscellaneous.-