CO A’l AI UN
IS”l
TACTICS
A?JI)
STRATEGY
377
The able to give an imprcssi{jn of grczt size and support. techniques used were fairly rcprcscntative. They consisted of the following: ‘Lhternal co7)7711L771d. This wm conqwscd of dcmonsttxtion commanders well-rcmovecl from the activity, stationed whence the entire ‘battlefield’ could be observed; if a moving demonstration, it would stay apart from the crowd. “internal command. This was the Communist cadre within the crowd. They were responsible for ,di recting the demonstration, under the cxtcrn:d comrmmd’s orders. G rcm importmcc was nttachcd to protecting the lender of this unit. “llnrmdoes. This group acted as t 100SC bodyguard surrounding the internal command, protecting the leader from police, and screening his escape if necessary. A line of these guards would flank processions and protect banner carriers as well. “Messc//gcrs. “I”llcy stayed close to lc:tdcrs, carrying orders bctwccn intcrnnl and cxtcrn:ll coll)llmnds. Gcucrfilly, they WOUld wheel their Licyclcs along the sidewalks, keeping abreast of, but removed from, the demonstration. “Shock guards. These men were armed with stout staves and accompanied the Communist faction, but marched along the sidewallc where they were screened by spectators. They would dash into the mainstream of mob action only as reinforcclllcnts if the Col]llnunists were attacked by police. Their sudden and violent descent on the batdc, was designed to provide sufficient diversion to enable an orderly retreat of the main body of Communist demonstrators who, upon signal from the external command, would melt quickly into the ranks of spectators, leaving the milling bystanders, unwitting excitement seelcers, and fellow travelers to the police. “Bmmer carriers. The slogms used by this group and the ‘cheering section’ were adapted to suit the prevailing mood. At first they displayed banners with slogans expressing general “grievances, but as the demonstration gained momentum and frenzy drove out reason so that real issues lost meaning, the slogans were exchanged for direct Communist propaganda. “In any Communist demonstration anywhere, key agitators can often be found keeping close to certain conspicuous bwmcrs, The c~rricr may bc a sincere non-Cmnmunist protcstor, entirely innocent of his true role as an important part