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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. [Volume 39, Issue 8. April 1976]

Funds from the C.I.A

Funds from the C.I.A.

Those countries withdrawing claimed they were doing so because WAY was no longer democratic, and because it was proved to have been funded by the CIA.

The new leadership retorted that this argument was s sham, that the CIA financing had occured while WAY was controlled by those very countries that were now withdrawing, and therefore was nothing whatsoever to do with them. The charge of being undemocratic was simply a reaction of a European failure to adjust to a new world where International organisations could no longer be controlled by the white west.

So Europe withdrew, and formed a new regional body, the Countil of European National Youth Councils (CENYC). Yet along withe the membership they also took with them the considerable financial input which had been going to WAY.

WAY's financial problems were compounded also by rising criticism that the organisation was too much under the financial domination of the U.S.A., and the Manchester Assembly took a decision to move to end American financing of WAY. The last American money ended in March 1975.

As American support ceased, WAY was forced to fire a large number of its regional staff, and scale down its programmes of activities. Little effort seems to have been made by the administration controlling WAY in the post-1972 period to find alternative sources of finance, and to allow WAY to continue with a useful programme.

It was easy to find people willing to fund activities that centred on Family Planning, a large part of WAY's programme over the last three years centred around this acitvity, causing some disatisfaction.

In the face of this mounting financial crisis, it proved difficult to hold the General Assembly, originally planned for last August. The six month delay was mainly the result of inadequate funds to organise the meeting, and when it was finally held the tight budget had repercussions right throughout the meeting.

There was no money, for instance, to pay for an adequate translation service, and the delegates from Latin America complained bitterly they were often left out of discussions because they could not understand what was going on.

Practically every delegate present was unhappy about the organisation of the conference. Lack of finance also led to the conference being too short to adequately discuss the very important questions the New Zealand delegation wished to see high up on the agenda.'