CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1952/03/08

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02692607
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: May 24, 2019
• Document Release Date: May 30, 2019
• Publication Date: March 8, 1952

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SEC OR
8 March 1952
Copy No. 4
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE .BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO.
No p!
I. CL
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- 70: TS S
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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SUMMARY
GENERAL
1. Soviet Ambassador says USSR will veto Libyan admission into
United Nations (page 3).
USSR
2. New activity at Irkutsk Automobile Assembly Plant (page 3).
3. Comment on the 1952 Soviet State Budget (page 4).
FAR EAST
4. Chinese airfield near Tonkin border improved (page 4).
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
5. French approve early establishment of embryo Middle East
Command (page 5).
6. Egyptian Foreign Minister urges"early action" on Anglo-Egyptian
dispute (page 6).
WESTERN EUROPE
7. German regional elections will test Adenauer's policies (page 6).
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GENERAL
1. Soviet Ambassador says USSR will veto Libyan admission into United
Nations:
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The USSR will find it "difficult" not to veto the
proposed separate entry into the United Nations
of the UN-created state of Libya, the Soviet Am-
bassador in London told the Yemeni Minister there.
Comment: The Yemeni Minister had been
Instructed by his government on 8 February to make certain friendly
approaches to Russian representatives, including a suggestion that the
Soviet Union not block Libya's admission to the United Nations.
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The General Assembly on 1 February voted in
favor of admitting Libya; the Soviet bloc, however, abstained on the
ground that the motion was illegal.
The Soviet Union has maintained that nine non-
Communist countries including Libya, plus five Soviet Satellites, must
be admitted together.
USSR
2. New activity at Irkutsk Automobile Assembly Plant:
The Irkutsk Automobile Plant is apparently
starting a new type of activity in cooperation
with the Ministry of the Communications
En!iipment Industry,
Although the e act nature oz tne activity
is not disclosed, it is believed to be related to installation of electronic
equipment on the GAZ-51 2.5-ton truck or the 1-APZ 3-ton trailer, both
of which are assembled at this plant.
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This activity appears to be of such large scope
as to require construction of additional facilities. Three officials of the
plant were called to Moscow in mid-Ianuary for detached service with
the Ministry of the Communications Equipment Industry,
Comment: This additional construction may
indicate plans for a considerable increase in production of mobile electronic
equipment. The more likely possibilities are: medium and highfrequency
radio, ultra high frequency radio relay, radar, and electronic test and
maintenance equipment.
The Irkutsk plant is known to have shipped
vehicles to Manchuria.
3. Comment on the 1952 Soviet State Budget:
The planned surplus of 32 billion rubles in the
�new Soviet budget is a deflationary measure, which indicates the magni-
tude of existing inflationary pressures. Moreover, some funds for
Soviet atomic energy development may be derived from this source.
Conspicuously absent was any mention of a
second postwar Five-Year Plan,
Similarly, no mention was made of price cuts on consumer
goods, as in the years 1948-51. It may be that announcements on both
of these subjects are being withheld until the World Economic Conference
meets in Moscow in April.
FAR EAST
4. Chinese airfield near Tonkin border improved:
rench pilots told the US Air Attache that,
hile patrolling at a high altitude along the
onkin-China border, they had sighted two
arallel paved runways, each 6,000 feet long,
at Lungchou, some 13 miles inside China. The Attache comments that
this is the first reliable information the French have provided on this
field.
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Comment: The last reliable report on this
installation, dated September 1951, described one clay surface runway
of 1,000 feet. Extension and improvement of the field have since been
reported by other sources.
This field is within combat radius of the Tonkin
delta for MIG-15's without wing tanks.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
5. French approve early establishment of embryo Middle East Command:
The French Foreign Office in late February
approved holding a secret four-power dis-
cussion in London on the organization of the
proposed Middle East Command, regardless
of any developments in the Anglo-Egyptian situation.
France agreed with Britain that initially the
Command functions should be restricted to planning and coordination,
but felt that the London discussions should be more broadly based on
the original four-power proposals. France opposed the inclusion of
Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa in these discussions because
it would wound the sensibilities of the Arab countries and increase British
Influence in the organization.
Comment: Turkey also seems to have favored
holding the meeting. The original British plan to announce its date
following the Lisbon conference appears to pave been revised in the
light of American and French desires for secrecy in order not to offend
the Egyptians.
The British on 16 February proposed establish-
ment of the nucleus of the proposed Command on Cyprus with no forces
assigned to it. The functions of this organization would include providing
advice and training to Middle East states on their request, coordinating
their requests for arms and equipment, planning for the wartime oper-
ations of all forces to be introduced into the area, and coordinating those
operations with NATO plans.
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6. Egyptian Foreign Minister urges "early action" on Anglo-Egyptian
dispute:
The Egyptian Foreign Minister has strongly
appealed to Ambassador Caffery in Cairo for
speedy action on the Anglo-Egyptian controversy.
He warned that this would probably be the last
chance for the free world to reach a solution and that the USSR stands
ready to exploit the situation.
The Foreign Minister also pointed out that,
while the new cabinet of Prime Minister Hilali is seriously considering
urgent domestic reforms, nothing can be done about them until the dispute
with the British is settled.
Comment: Events of the past few months have
shown that domestic issues are so colored by the Anglo-Egyptian contro-
versy that it will be difficult for any government to solve the many press-
ing internal problems without first reaching some settlement with Britain.
WESTERN EUROPE
7. German regional elections will test Adenauer's policies:
Constituent assembly elections in the new
German Southwest State on 9 March will show
the extent of popular opposition to Chancellor
Adenauer's defense program and will indicate
the trends that will shape next year's Bundestag elections.
American officials predict a considerable
growth in the strength of the Social Democratic Party which is opposed
to rearmament. If the Social Democrats gain a plurality, they will also
gain control of the Federal Senate.
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Comment: Adenauer's Christian Democrats,
the largest party in the state, are weakened by internal dissension and
the competition of two other political organizations new to the area.
Although public opinion polls show that Adenauer's
party has recaptured some popularity, the sharp public reaction to the
government's newly announced rearmament plans will have a dampening
effect on these gains.
It is believed that the West German Communist
Party as well as the right extremist Socialist Reichs Party will show
some increases in this election.
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