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The Anti-Apartheid Movement the Anti-Apartheid Movement the Anti-Apartheid Movement the Anti-Apartheid Movement 89 Charlotte Street London, WIP 2DQ Tel 580 5311 t NB THE NEXT MEETING OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE will take place on SATURDAY 6-MARCH 1971 at 2.30 pm in the CONWAY HALL Red Lion Square WCI (Club Room) MINUTES OF NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEETING. House of Commons : 17 November 1970 PRESENT: Alan Brooks, Lord Brockway, Ursula Brown, Sonia Bunting, Keith Burdon (WRI), Isla Caldor & Mick D. Cornish (Fabian Society), * Idris Cox, Caroline de Crespigny, Sarah Darling, Benny Dembitzer (UNA), John Ennals (Chairman), Ruth First, Christabal Gurney,..Joan Hymens - (Liberation/BOSP), Bob Hughes MP, Peter JOnes, Ethel.de Keyser, 3dan Lestor MP, Abdul:S. Minty, Ruth Obalkevich, Tony O'Dowd, . Vlla Pillay, mrs S. Prior (Horney-AA),'Dorothy Robinson, * C"hris Ross (SLAAT), John Sprack, margaret Stokes (Kensington/ Chelsea AA), Nancy White, Stuart Wisatp.nley (MonmouthshireAA), Jack Woddis.. APOLOGIES: P6lly Gaster (CFM,A&G), Jeremy Thorpe MP, Keith Suter (UNA Youth), The Rt Revd Trevor Huddleston CR, Mike Gerrard, Bob Davidson, -Frank Judd MP, Rica Hodgson (IDAF), Gregory Hawk en.(WUS),.Sybil Whawell (Nottingham AA). The Chairman welcomed those attending a NatienalRCommittee meeting for the.first time. 1) MINUTES OF MEETINGS OF 19 SEPTEMBER & 1 NOVEMBER were agreed. 2) MATTERS.ARISING FROM MINUTES OF 19 SEPTEMBER (a) Visit to Germany by Abdul Minty & Bidhop Reeves ;.Abdul. Mnty reported briefly on the visit. Contat 'was made with a number of groups and individuals working particularly on Cabora Bassa. It ws now necessary to follow this up, and a special Executive meeting was being arranged to discuss international work. (b) ,101UN Year Against Racial Discrimination : The Chairman emported that he had written to the FO asking what were their plans for this year. They had replied that they were not planning anything but had asked the Home Office to arrange something. The ,,Hwe Office., in. turn, had asked the Community Relations Commission to draw up plans.. Benny.Dembitzer stated that the UNA had. decided not to make any special recommendations but were advising their branches to cooperate with other grnups. Abdul Minty asked if UNA would give AAW facilities to circulate their branches; (M'r Dembitzersaid he Would enquire about this. Vella Pillay asked if MPs could raise in Parliament the question of why*.the Government were not prepared.to sportsor and finance special activities for this Year. Joan Lestor .said she was planning to put down a question, and.suggested an Early Day Motion on this issue. Ethel de Keyser reported that it was planned to hold a meeting in the Central Hall on 10 December (the day the Year begins) as part of AAM activities. This meeting'would also -oammemotate the 50th anniversary of the mandate over South West Africa, and it was hoped to have speakers from SWAPO and FRELIMO. -2. Other suggestions to mark the Year were to circulate students and universities, and trade unionsto _approach the TUC to have a SACTU representative to address their Congress; etc. (c) TIMES Ad Ethel de Keyser reported that response to the small ad placed by the AAM had been good; it was suggested that the exercise be ,reo5tted in other supplements in the future, e.g. the FINANCIAL TIMES is planning o supplement on South Africa. 3) NATION.AL COMMITTEE (a) Full Organisation membership,: It was proposed that the Committee for Freedom in Mozambique, Angola &Guinea, the Joint Council for the Welfare of, Immigrantsa.nd the:-National Union of Students be promoted from Observer status to full membership; and the Association of Cihematograph & Teevisipn Technicians be invited to join the Committee'under this'pategory. This was. agiree. (b)M Observer Status It was mareed that the following organisations be invited to join the Committee>ss Observers: Indian Workers Association, Labour. Party:Young Socialists,, National Secular Soc etyj, USDAW, South London Against Apartheid Trade, nd the Friends of Namibia Committee. (c) South African'Orqanisations (Observers): It was reported that an application had been received from the South Africani Congress of Trade :Unions to send a representa,ive to National Committee meetings, and this was. aszmed.. (d) Local Committees ; It.was. suggested, since the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement was not a local committee but an independent organisation, that they be transferred to the category of Organisations with Observer status; -.nd-this was agreed. (e) Cooptions : The following were agreed - Andrew Neale, Marcia Heinemann, Jonathan Forbes, Joan Mellors, Jan Cosgrove and Suresh Malhotra. 4) FINANCE AND FUND RAISING Tony O'Dowd reported that a minimum of £O0 per mon1th was needed for normal expenses, i.e. salaries,-rent, rates, AA NEWS, postage for AA NEWS and members' newsletters, etc. This Oid not include expenses such as printing information material - leaflets, posters, etc. It had been, agreed by the EC that this sum should be raised monthly and that normal income and dinations would cover-the extra costs., Over £1,000 had been received during October and the position for November was also quite good, Ethel de Keyer eported plans for fund raising in the near future: A massive mailing at'the end of the month or beginningq of December with an appeal letter based on the work being done by the Movement (this appeal would go to the membership and to others on available lists;' thbse present were asked for additional lists); a small highly-priced evening with entertainers and a champagne supper; a Christmas party a series of dances in areas of London with S high immigrant population; and possibly a night of David Mercer's new play, due to open in February. Mick Cornish suggested that the Movement and the Fabian Society circulate each other's membership forms in their mailings. There was some disagreement about this, e.g. that it might be -een as'aligning the Movement with a particular organisation, or tha6t it might set a precedent. However, following a discussion, tasformally "oposed and seconded that this suggestion be- discussed at the next. EC meeting for a decision to be ratified by the next NC meeting. Thiswsegqreed. 5) CAPA IGNS (a) Ar s sales Abdul Minty reported on developments, particularly in relation to agreements between the UK Atomic Energy Agency and the South Africans. He felt that in general the point to get acrossawas the danger of some form of treaty'relationship between Britain, South Africa, Malaysia, Sngapore, Australia, etc. -3 Bob Hughes said we should push the point that any involvement with South Africa will lead to involvement of British troops against freedom fighters. Joan Hymens suggested that further efforts should be made in the City in view of press reports of opposition to arms sales among businessmen. Ethel de Keyser reported on campaign plans - meetings and conferences were taking place all over the country but something more was needed to keep the issue alive. It was proposed that a declaration, saying 'I am totally opposed to the sale of arms to apartheid South Africa', be circulated as widely as possible for signatures, to be presented to the Commonwealth Prime ministers Conference due to take place on 14-22 January. This would be circulated to the membership, all organisations, to churches and through churches, trade unions and all other bodies. It was hoped to present the declaration either (a) to the Singapore High Commissioner; or (b) to a group of African High Commissioners who would be asked to meet us and to take the signatures to Singapore; or (c) if President Kaunda is coming to London on his way to Singapore, to present them to him for conveyance to the Conference. After discussion, it was agreed to go ahead with the Declaration. Roger Trask reported on the progress of Regional Conferences: six had already been arranged - Swansea on 28 November, manchester on 6 December, Edinburgh on 12 December, and Surrey, Leeds and Newecastle-on-Tyne in January. Three more were in the pipeline. (b) Rhodesia : Ethel de Keyser reported on plans, such as the production of a leaflet and poster on Rhodesia, but emphasised that work on Rhodesia was part of the campaign on arms. Additional plans would be discussed at the next EC. 6) DR PASCAL NGAKANE Dr Pascal Ngakane, son-in-law of the late Chief Luthuli, who had recently arrived in the UK from South Africa, addressed the meeting. He spoke of the situation in South Africa and how anti-apartheid work was seen there. 7) IMPLEMENTATION OF AGM RESOLUTIONS As time was short, it was suggested that a report be prepared to be sent to the National Committee. This was agreed. 8) ANY OTHER BUSINESS (a) monmouthshire Anti-Apartheid Committee Inaugural meeting : Stuart Winstanley reported that the meeting had been attended by between 250/300 people and was addressed by the Bishop of monmouth, Neil Kinnock MP, michael Foot MP and Abdul minty. It was hoped that the Committee would be very active in the arms campaign and others, and it was noted that United Transport, which was involved in the Cabora Bassa dam, had its headquarters in Chepstow and would be one of the main targets of the Committee. (b) WFDY Conference : Peter Hellyer, who had attended the Conference on behalf of the movement, reported. Several resolutions on Southern Africa had been passed, he had met representatives from other countries and had useful discussions, and one of the most important things to come out of the Conference was a resolution to organise opposition to apartheid South Africa in the French African states. (c) Sonia Bunting reported that although people in South Africa were being given exit permits they were not being allowed to leave the magisterial district to which they were confined in order to board a ship or a plane.
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