CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1953/01/18

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02900512
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: July 15, 2019
• Document Release Date: July 22, 2019
• Publication Date: January 18, 1953

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SEC INFORMATION
18 January 1953
Copy No.
58
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANGE IN CLASS.
o DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS
NEXT REVIEW DATE:
AUTH: 17O-`
DATE
REVIEWER
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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SECU INFORMATION
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1.
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6.
SUMMARY
SOVIET UNION
Additional fighter division indicated in Soviet Far East (page 3).
SOUTHEAST ASIA
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urma reportedly plans concerted military effort against Chinese
Nationalists lnarfp 4)
NEAR EAST .AFRICA
Comment on current Egyptian crisis (page 6).
7.
3
WESTERN EUROPE
8. Biclault anxious for Saar settlement without foreign intervention
(page 7).
9. Italian spokesman opposed to F,DC modification prior to ratification
(page 7).
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SOVIET UNION
1. Additional fighter division indicated in Soviet Far East:
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2.
Comment: Authorized strength of a Soviet fighter
division is approximatelyillTreFOr 150 conventional aircraft.
This would be the second fighter division added
to the Fifth Fleet Air Force since November 1952, and would raise the
total of Soviet Naval Air divisions in the southern Maritime and Kwantung
Peninsula areas to eight.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
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3
.3(h)(2)
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3. Burma reportedlyplansconcerted military effort against Chinese Nation-
alists:
4.
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)(2)
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Burmese officials are planning an all-out mil-
itary effort against the Chinese Nationalist forces
in northeastern Burma
/the government plans to retaliate against Chinese
civilian residents of Rangoon suspected of assisting the Nationalist troops.
Comment Burmese Commander in Chief Ne Win
told the US Army Attache in Rangoon on 7 January that the problem re-
sulting from the presence of Nationalist troops in Burma has "reached
serious proportions," and that he was undecided whether to concentrate his
forces against the Communist insurgents or the Nationalists. More re-
cently, the Army Attache estimated that a major operation against the
Nationalists would follow the current country-wide redeployment of Bur-
mese troops.
Diversion of Burmese forces against the Nation-
alists would preclude aggressive operations against the Communists during
the current dry season, and would provide them an opportunity to regroup
and consolidate their positions in north-central Burma.
3.3(h)(2)
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NEAR EAST - AFRICA
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6. Comment on current Egyptian crisis:
7.
General Nagib's abolition on 16 January of all
political parties in Egypt, following the arrest of alleged plotters, dem-
onstrates that Nagib can meet any internal threat to his government and
that no political figure can initiate a successful coup without strong army
support. By describing the plot as "Communist-Wafdist" inspired, the
government attempts to discredit further the former dominant party.
There is no evidence that this episode augurs
a change in Nagib's attitude toward Britain and the West.
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WESTERN EUROPE
8. Bidault anxious for Saar settlement without foreign intervention:
3.3(h)(2)
French Foreign Minister Bidault, while admitting
to the British Ambassador in Paris that he did not
know Premier Mayer's specific ideas on the Saar
question, stated that he attaches importance to
making maximum progress as soon as possible and believes West German
Chancellor Adenauer is just as sincere in his desire for progress.
Bidault made it plain that neither British nor Amer-
ican "intervention" would be desirable at this time.
Comment: This first statement on the Saar by
Bidault suggests that the Mayer government has no specific new plan for
fulfilling its stipulation that "a definition" of a Saar settlement must pre-
cede parliamentary debate of EDC.
Bonn is not likely to agree to the French proposals
as they now stand.
9. Italian spokesman opposed to EDC modification prior to ratification:
French attempts to modify the EDC treaty befor.3(h)(2)
ratification would impair its chances of ultimate
adoption, according to Italy's permanent repre-
sentative to the EDC Interim Commission. He
told American Ambassador Draper that the French objective of maintaining
"unity and integrity of French forces" by negotiating a protocol permitting
countries to withdraw forces from EDC would not be acceptable to other
member countries.
The representative recalled Premier de Gasperi's
statement at the December meeting of the North Atlantic Council that the
treaty should be ratified "quickly" in its present form and modified later.
He asked whether the United States has any alternative in mind if EDC
must be abandoned.
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Comment: Chancellor Adenauer of West Germany
has taken the same position as De Gasperi toward EDC treaty ratification.
The Italian Parliament, where the EDC treaty is
buried in committee, is pot expected to consider ratification before the
May nationahelections.
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