14th Marsh, 1964

Dear -^ili,

You will find enclosed the following:

1 An copy of the Memorandum that ^lien Heilman drew up, giving a history of the ^'und. i-his may be too long for your purposes, and you may want to shorten it.

2. The financial statements for the years ending 1962 and 1963. We have not yet got a statement for the situation to date. As soon as I have this will send it to you - probably within the next week. It will indicate that we have already spent more on legal defence than we did in the two predeeding years together.

3. A near—copy of a ltter that went to Danon ^olxins, covering the schedule attanched to it. 1he letter gives an account of the types of charges we had and the exigencies (what a gorgeous word) we worked with, under, by or from \\

I will be doing tc.is week for you a table as nearly accurate as possible of the cases handled before Juhy last year, giving number of cases, charges results, ^ut the old records are not wildly accurate or very complete. This type of t ing will automatically give an idea in the increase of cases.

I will also get out some sort of estimated budget for future work. One heli of a job that will be. I mean, do we do do we not expct a swoop on alx Liberals this yeqr - and ■‘•"rogs next ??

II he amounts received and spent are given in the two finaicial statements enclosed. Do you want more detail than that on amounts received and spent ? Please let me snow. t-. , Also enclosed are the newsletters. I thin* tnat is all there were. It will have to be, as we have not other copies here. You will be delighted to know that a new one will be coming out soon.

has copies of All the statements and accounts of ili^ treatment we had here. ^ould you please get them from her if you want copies. Perhaps she or someone could help get copies typed out. Particularly if she knows what it is for.

If you want to ask me for any more or let me know what else you need, Sheila has a cover address for me. She can post any letters you may want to write, tp me.

If my suufx is too detailed, forgive me. ^ut I tought it better to let you have too much, which you can condense if you want to, than* too little. * Please let the money come '/QUICKLY. I have sleepless nights over it all, Hope you are will, and Margaret and the children. Love to them. AFRICAN LABOUR NEWS

OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS

APS/92 20 November, 1965.

For immediate Release

ICFTU contributes £11,000 to south African Defence and Aid Fund;

In pursuance of its outstanding policy to help the victims of

the ruthless apartheid regime in South Africa, the International

Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has made a further

contribution of igjci,000 to the South African Defence and Aid Fund,

i This latest donation brings the total ICFTU contribution

towards funds for victims of apartheid to £1 1 ,130.

The Defence and Aid Fund was established to help South Africans

persecuted for their belief in human dignity and their opposition to

the apartheid policy of the South African Government.

The Fund has helped to provide legal defence for the accused

and in relieving distress among their families.

issued by the publicity & Public Relations Department of the ICFTU African Regional Organisation (AFRO).

AFRO—ICFTU Offset 85 Simpson Street, Ehute Metta, Lagos. P. M B. 1038, Phone 43057 & 43955 Telegrams: Interconfcd Ebute-Metta. DEFENCE AND AID FUND

CHRISTIAN ACTION Chairman: THE REVEREND CANON L. JOHN COLLINS 2 AMEN COURT, LONDON, E.C.4 Telephone: C IT y 3747/6869

25th November 1965

Dear

My wife, Diana Collins, has just returned from South Africa where she has been visiting the Defence and Aid Committees and seeing something of their work and of_the difficulties they are up against. She will be making a report of her visit to a meeting arranged by Christian Action at Church House, Westminster on Monday December 13th at 7 p.m.

My wife was in South Africa for over five weeks and I feel that you, as a Sponsor of the Defence and Aid Fund, may be glad of this opportunity to hear at first hand something of what is going on out there.

I write, therefore, to invite you to join us at this meeting. If you would care to let me know how many tickets you would like to have I would be happy to have them sent to you.

It would be very helpful if you could let me have an early reply as the accommodation at Church House is not unlimited.

Yours sincerely,

L.John Collins. ^■U,V\xK ALEX. HEPPLE, SPE 5064 6, Vale Rise, Golders Green, London, N, W. 11

31st. March 1966 The General Secretary, Trades Union Congress, Congress House, Great Russell Street, LONDON. W. C. 1

Dear Mr. Woodcock, THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE & AID FLUID. On the 18th. March 1966 the South African Government issued a proclamation declaring the Defence and Aid Fund to be an unlawful organisation in terms of the Suppression of Communism Act. A simultaneous statement by the State Dep­ artment of Information attempted to justify the ban in a mixture of allegations and insinuations, purporting to show that the Fund was engaged in a communist conspiracy and that the major part of it3 receipts were used to finance the political activities of the banned African National Congress and Communist Party.

In view of the fact that I was chairman of the Bouth African Defence and Aid Fund from its inception until Sep­ tember 1964, I feel it incumbent upon me to state that the allegations are absolutely false. I write this letter to you because it was my privilege as chairman of the Fund to receive from you at various times generous contributions collected from your_affiliated unions. I wish to place on record that all monies donated by your organisation were used solely for the purposes for which the Fund was estab­ lished, vis. to provide legal aid for persons arrested and/o charged with political offences and for the welfare of their dependants. Among those helped were a large number of non-white trade unionists; many more were workers who were denied access to trade union membership because of legal obstacles in discriminatory labour legislation. . Applications for assistance.were carefully scrutinised* administrative exoenseg were stricxly limited,,yana respon­ sible voluntary committees authorised expenditure in accor­ dance with the provisions of the constitution. At no time wa3 any money used for the benefit of any political organi­ sation® or political activity.

continued/ x V 1' The General Secretary, T* U. C. 31st. March 1966

2

I need hardly remind you that the Suppression of Communism Act is so widely drawn that the Minister has the power to outlaw any organisation which displeases his ruling National Party. In using this power against the Defence and Aid Fund the Minister hao further reduced the already severely limited rights of the non-white majority.

If you so wish, you may convey the contents of this ^e.ter to your affiliated unions, particularly those which so sympathetically took the trouble to raise money on behalf of the Defence and Aid Fund*

As you see from the address at the head of this letter, x am now living in London, where you can contact me in case of need.

With very best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

ALEX. HEPPLE. ALEX. HEPPLE, 6, Vale Rise, Solders Green, London, N, W, 11, England.

31st. Larch 1966 The General Seer tary, I* C. F. T. U., 37-41, rue Montagne aux Herbes Potag&res, BRUSSELS. 1. Belgium.

Dear Mr. Becu,

BAII1.ILG OP TUB SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE & AID PULP. As you will recall, I was the chairman of the South African Defence and Aid Fund from its inception in i960 until September 1964. During that period it was my pleasure to receive from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions several remittances, amounting in all to something like £10,000. Now the South African Government has proclaimed the Fund to be an unlawful organisation. It has done this in terms of the Suppression of Communism Act. Simultaneously, cne otate Department of Information has issued a statement wuicn, by a mixture of allegations a d insinuations, attempts ^o establish that the Funds was engaged in a communist con­ spiracy and was using contributions to finance the political activities of the banned African National Congress and Communist Party.

In the circumstances I feel it incumbent upon me to place on record that these allegations are completely false. All monies received by the Fund were used solely for the purposes set out in the constitution, viz. to provide legal aid for pjuqnaisK persona arrested and/or charged with political oifences and for the welfare of their dependants. Among those helped were a large number of non—white workers; some were members of trade unions but many more were not because of the numerous discriminatory labour laws which denied Africans access to registrable unions and made non-racial labour organisation impossible. The affairs of the Defence and Aid Fund were at all times properly conducted. Applications for assistance were carefully scrutinised, administrative expenses were kept to

/continued The General Secretary, I.C.F.T.U. 31st. I larch 1966

2

a iainlraum, and voluntary committees aubhorised expenditure strictly within the scope of the constitution. At no time was any money used for the benefit of any political organ!- s .cion or for any political activity, I need hardly remind L0UJ.t r1at J"e . Suppression of Communism Act is so widely drawn u.uat cue minister of Justice has the power to arbitrarily hxn party* any organiaation which displeases his ruling political

• letter lias become necessary because it is now impossible (and illegal) for anyone connected with the i eience and Aid Fund inside South Africa to communicate in order to refute the false accusations of the South African authorities,

J- 0 opportunity to express my appreciation oi tne help given to the Fund over the years by the Inter­ national Confederation of Free Trade Unions and to etate my approval of your declaration on the ban, which you issued in Brussels on March 22, 1966.

With very best wishes,

Yours sincerely, 'jr-

ALEX. IIBPPLK. TRADES UNION CONGRESS

GENERAL SECRETARY: GEORGE WOODCOCK CBE CONGRESS HOUSE • GREAT RUSSELL STREET • LONDON WC1 Telephone MUSEUM 4030 Telegrams TRADUNIC LONDON WC1

D EPT International O U R R E F GW/AK/SA Y O U R REF

Mr. A. Hepple, April 5* 1966. 6, Vale Rise, Golders Green, London, N.W.ll.

Dear Mr. Hepple,

Defence and Aid Fund in South Africa

Thank you very much for your letter of March Jl. I am glad to have your assurance that no union contribu­ tions transferred by us to the Defence and Aid Fund in Johannesburg have ever been used to support any political organisation or political activity but have been spent solely on legal aid and relief.

I am grateful to you for letting me know that you would have no objection if the contents of your letter were made known to affiliated unions, and we shall certainly keep in mind the suggestion that if needed we can contact you at your London address.

Yours sincerely,

General Secretary. \ Chairman: THE REVEREND CANON L JOHN COLLINS Christian Secretary: M ISS FREDA NUELL 104-5 NEWGATE STREET LONDON EC1 Telephone M O Narch 6123 (01-606 6123) t Action Christmas cards & literature only, MONarch 7570 (01-606 7570) All Correspondence to the Registered offices: Registered under the Charities Act 1960 2 AMEN COURT LONDON EC4

8th August 1968

Dear Mr. Heppde, Canon Collins recently received the enclosed letter. I wonder if you could help Canon Collins to write a reply? Despite its rather odd phrasing Canon Collins feels it is a letter we ought to try and answer, rather than just ignore. I hope you are both well; i wondered when you are taking a holiday? With best wishes, £MEAR’ Yours sincerely UPROAR m i® Political Reporter THE EDITOR of the Right-wing journal, the “S.A. Observer,” has accused verligte National­ ists of deliberately causing an A. Heppdb, Esq., uproar over the recent “smear” Defa Research, letter, to force the party leadership into action against 315 Ballards Lane, verkramptes. N.12 “Normally, an anonymous cir­ cular of this kind would have been torn up and would have found its way into the waste- paper basket,” Mr. S. E. D. Brown, the editor, says in the latest edition of the journal in another bitter attack on ver­ ligte Nationalists— and Mr. Piet Cillie, editor of “Die Burger,” in particular.

POSITION “ But the liberal establish­ ment were provided with a handy stick with which to beat their opponents and, still un­ sure of their position in rela­ tion to their ‘verkrampte’ oppo­ sition, they proceeded to lash I*V out in all directions.” Mr. Brown— whose journal has been denounced by Mr. Vorster— says the phenomenon of a smear letter could never have manifested itself in the time of any of Mr. Vorster’s Nationalist predecessors. TRANSPORT HOUSE SMITH SQUARE LONDON SWI TELEPHONE: VICTORIA 9434 THE LABOUR PARTY TELECRAMS: LABREPCOM LONDON SWI GENERAL SECRETARY: A L WILLIAMS HON. TREASURER: H R NICHOLAS OBE NATIONAL AGENT: SARA E BARKER

GC/SJW

Mr. Alex Hepple, 6, Vale Rise, Golders Green, London, N.W.l.

14th April,1966

Dear Mr. Hepple, Thank you for your letter of the 1st April enclosing one addressed to the General Secretary about the South African Defence and Aid Fund. I have passed your letter on to the General Secretary. I am sure that it was right for you to put these facts on record at a time when the Fund is being unjustly accused, and I am glad to see the publicity given to corrective state­ ments recently in the press. I have not forgotten the matter of your addres­ sing a meeting of the FLP and will take this matter up when Parliament re-assembles. Yoi

George Cunningham, Commonwealth Officer, Overseas Department. ICFTU INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS C 1 S L CONFEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DES SYNDICATS LIBRES ( id ' M \ 1 B F G INTERNATIONALER BUND FREIER GEWERKSCHAFTEN C 1 0 S L V - M J CONFEDERACION INTERNACIONAL DE ORGANIZACIONES SINDICALES LIBRES

37-41, rue Montogne a u x Herbes Potageres, Bruxelles 1 — Belgique

President - President Prasident - Presidente OD/pv 3318 Brussels, 15 April 1966 Bruno STORTI Mr. Alex Hepple General Secretary - Secretaire general 6 , Vale Rise Generalsekretar - Secretario General Golders Green O m e r BECU LONDON, N.W.ll England

Dear Mr. Hepple,

Thank you very much for your letter of 31 March which we have read with close _attention. We should like to thank you for the explanation which you gave in this letter, and we can assure you that the ICFTU will continue to do whatever it can to help the victims of Apartheid.

Now that jar channel of the South African Defence and Aid Fund is closed to us we wohder if you have any suggestions to make as to whether any alternative is available.

We are pleased to see that you are still in England and hope that you will keep in touch with us.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Head, Organisation Department

P.S. We have taken the liberty of conveying the contents of your letter also to the British TUC who have also been making contributions to the South Africa Fund.

Tel. : 17.80.85 Telegr. : INTERCONFED. BRUXELLES 1VYH 17, Belmont Court, Finchley Road, London, N. W, 11

10th. August 1966

Dear Alan,

t u you see from the above, I am now living in I have just seen a report in the Johannesburg Star thatwu*

hi^alle^atifnshis aliegations *against • V°rSi?r the *nt5eDefence M n iand s t e rAid of Fund. Justice As to Twas prove °~ thf ?und frora its inception until September 1964 m b?£'°ye® m® ^ state as categorically as you have done 4> (1. that the Defence and Aid Fund was in no way a ’communist ;!;o™ n i S r gpni?ati0” und had absolutely nothing to do with the Fund didtno?rS ’,fleit?®r in ?outh Africa or abroad; and (2) the Partydor anv m°ney available to the CoLunist .arty or any other political party, organisation or group.

Yorster knows perfectly well that this is true a n d T ht pfrsi®ts v/ith his allegations. Ye who were trustees of the Fund and responsible for its administration Ynde Den dent /areful that it remained completely orffaSiSatiSnrf ^ ? / ree fr0m dominatioT1 by any political nlffSJf i10?* Jts raanagement comprised persons of various political affiliations?11 ) ■ -1 wSuld like y°u to know that when the allegations were thrLitilhSr eTfm0rthS^h6°TIwirameniately c°™iicated v/ith Conf ederation * of *Free w ^ r e ^ e ^ s ?hemrthe ?^efacts? FUnd) repudiatine the chai*Sea “ d giving free S m e ^ e a s e S?**!!* P?Jon ke?ping? When you have some tree time please drop me a line. I would love to hear from

sincerely,

I DEFENCE AND AID FUND

CHRISTIAN ACTION Chairman: THE REVEREND CANON L. JOHN COLLINS 2 AMEN COURT, LONDON, E.C.4 Telephone: C IT y 3747/6869

5th May, 1967. Dear Alex,

This is to thank you for the excellent report which you so promptly supplied on the Transit Camps. Also, many thanks for the economic article. / We have decided t o ^immedi at el y<^r"3 pro dure) the Transit CarrmCamp rfinnrtreport and sprirlsend -it:;it: ..—------—"

1. To the United Nations Special Committee on Apartheid, with a covering letter asking them to reproduce this as a United Nations Document.* 2. To the Red Cross with the suggestion that while their representative is in South Africa, he might consider investigating these camps.

3. To the special ad-hoc committee of the United Nations Human Rights Commission recently set up to investigate prison conditions in South Africa. 'p. 4. For the information of our national committees, and 5. For release to the Press.

If you have any further suggestions as to whom this document should urgently he sent, we would appreciate hearing from you.

With regard to the economic report, I believe we need further discussion to decide how best this information could be disseminated and used to the best advantage.

Let me say once again how delighted we are with the excellent quality of these reports. ^ j / With every best wish, '

Yours sincerely,

L. John Collins. Alex Hepple Esq., 17 Belmont Court, N.W.ll. 9th. August 1968

Dear Freda, I have read the letter from Hudson and the copy of the S. A. Observer which he sent to Canon Collins, both of which I return herewith. My first comment is really a piece of advice. When I was in public office in South Africa I received numerous communi­ cations of this nature and I learned from some unpleasant experiences that it is folly to enter into correspondence with such fanatical extremists. There is nothing one can say to convince them of the facts. They are dedicated to a cause which is completely abhorrent to us and delight in wasting our time on answering their ranting , emotive arguments. As to Hudson's "authority", the 3. A. Observer, this is an extreme right-wing journal, extremely popular among the ultra-conservative white supremacists of the Southern States of America, as well as the extreme racialists of South Africa. Its editor, S. E. D. Brown, draws liberally on the writings of American anti-Negro leaders and the right-wing lunatic fringe. This year he launched an attack on the Nationalists for being too liberal and he campaigned in the cause of the "verkramptes" to such an extent that Vorster had to denounce him. Once he and the Observer were popular as praise-singers of the National­ ist Party but today they are unpopular in Nat. circles and a constant embarrassment. If Canon Collins does decide to reply, I think he can do no better than to say that we criticise the South African Govern­ ment because it is an instrument of a minority white oligarchy; because the non-white majority have no say in the election of their rulers; because we don't like the cruelties and injustice of the pass laws, race classification, group areas,1 mass removals, the denial of many human rights, bannings, banishment, and detention without trial. Kind regards, yours sincerely,

Miss Freda Lie:® 11, Christian Action, 2, Amen Court, "K. C. 9.

Collection Number: A3393

Collection Name: Bob Hepple Papers

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