CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1953/04/21

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02893554
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: July 15, 2019
• Document Release Date: July 22, 2019
• Publication Date: April 21, 1953

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SECUR NFORMATION
21 April 1953
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Copy No., G
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANizE IN CLAGS,
f DEC LA'3,�'.3IFIED
CLASS, CHAN3cT) TO: IS S
NEXT R.EVIEW DATE:
UTH: HR 70/
AzAt
REVIEWER:
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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CURITY INFORMATION
SUMMARY
SOVIET UNION
Comment on reorganizations in Soviet republics (page 3).
SOUTHEAST ASIA.
2. Purge of pro-1VIagsaysay officers in Philippine Army indicated
(page 3).
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
Comment
on Israeli diplomatic maneuvers (page 4).
WESTERN EUROPE
',French oppose outright withdrawal of short Austrian treaty (page 4).
\019f Russians make conciliatory gestures in Austria (page 5).
TV, ws.
urave financial difficulties threaten French Government (page 6).
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CURITY INFORMATION
SOVIET UNION
1. Comment on reorganizations in Soviet republics:
The Supreme Soviets in the Georgian,
Azerbaijani, Moldavian and ICarelo-Finnish Republics have con-
vened within the last week to approve ministerial changes in line
with the All-Union governmental reorganization of 15 March.
In Georgia, the reorganization included
a major shake-up in both the party and government which appears
to exonerate the Georgian leaders who were arrested in 1951-52.
At that time, public revelations concerning the situation in Georgia
seemed to reflect a weakening in the position of L. P. Beria, who
was considered to have a personal interest in Georgian affairs.
The present developments, therefore,
appear to be the result of high-level political decisions in Moscow
absolving Berta and certain of his Georgian henchmen. This is
also suggested in the speech by the new chairman of the Georgian
Council of Ministers which referred to Beria in particularly glow-
ing terms, without making reference to Malenkov.
It is noteworthy that despite Pravda's
16 April editorial against one-man control, the newly elected
chairman of the Azerbaijani Council of Ministers, Bagirov,
assured the Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet that the people would�
rally around Malenkov, the closest comrade in arms of Stalin.
Bagirov is a candidate member of the party's Presidium in Moscow.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
2. Purge of pro-Magsaysay officers in Philippine Army indicated:
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Comment: There have been frequent
rumors that pro-Magsaysay elements would be purged from high
positions in the armed forces so that the Liberal Party could use
the army to control the November elections. Other than a general
shake-up in the new Acting Defense Secretary's personal staff, this
is the first indication that such a purge may have begun.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
3. Comment on Israeli diplomatic maneuvers:
Israel's public announcement that it plans
to launch a diplomatic drive for peace with the Arabs represents a
new effort to force its neighbors to negotiate directly or be labeled
as aggressive and uncooperative with the West. Israel, concerned
over the reported reconsideration by the United States of its Near
East policy, is anxious to appear wholly cooperative and the champion
of a Middle East settlement.
Tel Aviv has given no indication, however,
that it is ready to make useful concessions to promote an understand-
ing with the Arabs who at present are more interested in any new US
Middle East policy than in peace. Recent incidents involving Israel
with Egypt and Jordan will make any possible approaches toward
settlement in the immediate future even less likely.
WESTERN EUROPE
4. French oppose outright withdrawal of short Austrian treaty:
French Foreign Ministry officials state
that France does not support the British
view that the West should unconditionally
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abandon the abbreviated Austrian treaty draft prior to a further
exchange of diplomatic notes with Moscow.
If the Russians abandoned extraneous
Issues such as Trieste and a possible demand for Austrian neutral-
ization, France believes that the West should conclude the long
treaty draft with its economic concessions to the Soviet Union and
� with the Soviet version of the unagreed articles. The French con-
sider that Austrian willingness to accept this solution leaves the
West no alternative.
Comment: There is no indication that
the Soviet Union will resume negotiations on terms other than prior
Western withdrawal of the short draft. Should this question be held
In abeyance pending actual resumption of treaty talks, the Western
powers would still be in fundamental disagreement on the accept-
ability of the economic concessions which Russia would receive under
the long treaty.
5. Russians make conciliatory gestures in Austria:
The American Embassy in Vienna reports
that local Soviet authorities have suddenly
become more conciliatory, and have even
Invited Oscar Helmer, the strongly anti-
ommun an nister of Interior, to visit Moscow.
At the 17 April meeting of the Allied
Council's executive committee, the Russians altered their previous
position. This resulted in agreement on four items and the dropping
of two others that were potentially troublesome. At a luncheon after
the meeting, Soviet officials indicated that a dispute over interzonal
passes would soon be resolved.
Comment: _ The invitation to Helmer is
particularly surprising, because no other official of the Austrian
Government has been as much disliked by the Russians.
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Since the Russians have several times in
the past made conciliatory gestures prior to treaty negotiations, these
developments should not be interpreted as Soviet relaxation on the
terms of an Austrian treaty.
6.
7. Grave financial difficulties threaten French Government:
Leaders of the major non-Communist French 3.3(h)(2)
political parties predict that the government's
grave financial predicament will cause Premier
Mayer's downfall in May.
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� The American Embassy in Paris expects that
In any event parliamentary opposition to new taxes, investment retrench-
ment, and administrative reforms will force cuts in the French military
program. It also foresees a real danger that any new premier would
agree to put off EDC ratification in return for support on urgent economic
problems.
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Comment: Mayer's reliance on advances
by the Bank of France to the Treasury, which have so far postponed
a showdown on the government's financial troubles, has strengthened
inflationary pressures. The Finance Ministry does not expect to meet
the 31 May deadline for repayment of the late March $228,000,000
loan, which was a temporary advance beyond the legal ceiling.
The government has already gone back on
its commitment to release nearly $100,000,000 of blocked defense
appropriations, and may decide to reduce the 2.3 billion dollar budget-
ary deficit by cancelling an even larger portion of 1953 defense appropria-
tions.
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