CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1952/05/09

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02046570
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: May 24, 2019
• Document Release Date: May 30, 2019
• Publication Date: May 9, 1952

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SECUfi INFORMATION
9 May 1952
Copy No.5 3
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANGE IN CLASS.X
i DECLASSINED
GLASS. CHANGED TO: TS
NEXT REVIEW DATE:
AUTH: HR /0-2
rwvipvt/FR.
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Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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SUMMARY
FAR EAST
1. Communist units renew charges of BW attacks in North Korea
(page 3).
2. Large amounts of petroleum products shipped by USSR to North
Korea (page 3).
3. Communists reportedly plan to attack Nationalist off-shore islands
In May (page 4).
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
4. British press release adversely affects Iranian-United States
relations (page 4).
5. Turks displeased with handling of Tunisian issue (page 5).
WESTERN EUROPE
6. Poland desires to renew trade agreement with France (page 6).
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FAR EAST
1. Communist units renew charges of BW attacks in North Korea:
"They dropped spiders and ants over Songjin
city. . today," a North Korean coastal
security station in northeastern Korea re-
ported on 6 May. The message continues
that the alleged drop area has been isolated and is being investigated
by "the plague prevention work committee."
Farther south in the Wonsan-Hamhung area,
another North Korean unit on 5 May reported that "on the second of
May, at night, they dropped bacteria weapons at Chongpyong."
Comment: In February and March, reports
of BW attacks sent by many Communist units in North Korea were
used in propaganda charges against the United States. During the
past few weeks, Communist propaganda has made little reference to
specific BW incidents, although some enemy units reported such attacks
as late as mid-April.
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2. Large amounts of petroleum products shipped by USSR to North Korea: 3.3(h)(2)
Two recent North Korean banking
reveal that the USSR is to ship a const era e
quantity of petroleum products to North Korea
during the next few months.
instructs
a an in oscow o open a etter of credit of 9.4 million rubles in pay-
mentfor"petroleum products." The earlier message of 21 March,
opened a similar letter of credit for 3.9 million rubles.
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Comment: If an average value of 200 rubles
a ton is assumed, these shipments will aggregate about 66,550 tons of
petroleum products, or nearly 20 percent of North Korea's annual
peacetime consumption.
If intended exclusively for military use, as
seems probable, this quantity of petroleum products would ustain
North Korean vehicles and armored operations well into the summer.
3. Communists reportedly plan to attack Nationalist off-shore Wands in May:
/the Communists intend
to invade the off-shore islands of Tachen,
Matsu, and Chinmen at the end of May. The
plan, submitted by Chen Yi, Commander of the Third Field Army, was
approved in April by Mao Tse-tung. It seeks to insure the Security of
the southeast China coast and to learn the reaction of the Anierican
Seventh Fleet. This undertaking reportedly was suggested after the
Soviet Union failed to order or promise support for an invasion of
Formosa.
Comment: Another report from a different
source has referred to a March meeting at which Chen Yi is said to have
discussed plans to capture the off-shore islands by early June. The
Chinese Communists are estimated to have about 240,000 troops in the
adjacent coastal area, as opposed to approximately 75,000 Nationalist
troops on the islands.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
4. British press release adversely affects Iranian-United States relations:
The British Embassy in Tehran released to
the Iranian press on 5 May purported extracts
from a Department of State press conference
in Washington on military aid to Iran. The
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transcript, as released by the British without prior notification to the
American Embassy, quoted the Washington spokesman as saying that
the non-payment of Iran's troops was a problem which does not concern
the United States.
Ambassador Henderson reports that the Iranians
interpret the release as evidence that the United States is "indifferent if
not rather smug" about their difficulties. He believes that the release
has undermined Iranian goodwill towards the United States, and points
out that the Iranian press has interpreted the release as evidence of
American-British collusion against Iran.
Comment: The British release inaccurately
attributed to a State Department spokesman a remark made by a corres-
pondent during a 29 April press conference. The British, however,
apparently consider that the military aid agreement has strengthened
Mossadeq and have already expressed strong resentment over its con-
clusion.
5. Turks displeased with handling of Tunisian issue:
Turkish UN delegate Sarper told the American
delegate that Turkey's decision to abstain on
the Tunisian item was partly caused by its re-
luctance to antagonize France so soon alter
being accepted in NATO. He added that he
was so concerned over his country's difficult position vis-a-vis NATO
and the Arab-Asian group that he had almost persuaded Ankara to vote
against inclusion of the item on the agenda. Turkey's standing with the
Arabs, Sarper hinted, was being increasingly impaired.
Comment:
Turkey's abstention was intiuencea by its desire
to maintain solidarity with the Western powers, particularly the United
States. Turkey, however, would have preferred to have the question
dealt with outside the Security Council through direct negotiation.
Many leading Turks share Sarper's conviction
that Turkey would be more useful to the West if it did not openly align
itself with Western policies in the area.
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WESTERN EUROPE
6. Poland desires to renew trade agreement with France:
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a Polish Trade Ministry official wants discussions
to start soon for renewal of the French-Polish
trade agreement which expires at the end of June,
failing which the present agreement might be ex-
tended temporarily.
Comment: France has substantial coal import
requirements and needs to minimize dollar purchases. In its presenta-
tion to COCOM of its commitments to deliver strategic goods to the Soviet
bloc, France has already estimated that it will export about fifteenbillion
francs worth of ball bearing to Poland under its next trade agreement.
In recent months Polish coal prices to Norway,
Finland, Austria and Italy have been reduced by as much as 20 percent.
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