CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/11/17

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02996968
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: November 17, 1955

pproved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968 . e
TOP SECRET
17 November 1955
Copy No.
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
110CUMENT NO
NO CHANGE IN CLASS.
[1 DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW OATEE z C I 40
AUTH: HR
DATttr.,4r,__,� PIEVIeWER;
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
TOP SECRET
100
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
*qrsiv'
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
TOP SECRET
CONTENTS
I. BRITISH COMMISSIONER GENERAL FOR SOUTHEAST
ASIA FAVORS STRENGTHENING SEATO (page 3).
2. VIET MINH FORCING CLOSURE OF SAINTENY OFFICE
IN HAIPHONG (page 4).
THE ARAB-ISRAELI SITUATION
(page 5)
* * * *
THE TAIWAN STRAIT
(page 7)
17 Nov 55
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 2
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
.S.EA.:11L1
�ftar
1. BRITISH COMMISSIONER GENERAL FOR SOUTHEAST
ASIA FAVORS STRENGTHENING SEATO
The American ambassador in Phnom
Penh reports that Sir Robert Scott,
who took up his duties as the British
commissioner general for Southeast
Asia in Septem er, s indicated a positive attitude toward
SEATO and is casting about for pr ctical means to strengthen
the organization. Scott is scheduled to preside at next month's
meeting of the SEATO powers in Bangkok.
Scott stated that although SEATO would
not be really effective until Burma and Indonesia become
members--which is unlikely in the near future�he believed
that military men throughout the area were awakening to
strategic realities and might ultimately have ,a greater influ-
ence on neutralist civil leaders than is now apparent. He
also was pleased to note, on his recent trip through South-
east Asia,,that security in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia was
not as bad as he had feared.
Comment The British government, concerned
with implementing the 1954 Geneva
agreements on Indochina and anxious to maintain the status
quo in Southeast Asia, has shown little interest in strength-
ening the SEATO organization. It has, in fact, sought to
prevent any SEATO action which might conceivably antago-
nize the Communists. Scott's favorable attitude probably
does not reflect a change in London's policy.
17 Nov 55
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 3
TOP SECRET
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
. .
TOP
minor
2. VIET MINH FORCING CLOSURE OF SAINTENY OFFICE
IN HAIPHONG
A member of France's Sainteny
mission indicates that the mission's
Haiphong office will be closed as a
result of Viet Minh pressure. The
r c r e there has been forbidden the use
of radio facilities and accused of illegal currency trans-
actions. A Viet Minh official is said to have stated that
pressure is being applied because of the French govern-
ment's failure to accept an official Viet Minh representa-
tive in Paris.
The French official suggests that the
Viet Minh wants to keep all Western observers out of Hai-
phong and believes that the British vice consul may be
squeezed out next.
Comment French interest in the soft "Sainteny
approach" has been gradually diminish-
ing because of the failure of the mission to achieve any sig-
nificant results. Viet Minh authorities may feel that a
change in tactics on their part is called for to determine
whether or not the presence of the Sainteny mission holds
any further benefits for them.
17 Nov 55 Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 4
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
1 )...1ILYL,IVE4 1
THE ARAB-ISRAELI SITUATION
(Information as of 1700, 16 November)
No significant military activity has been
reported. Israel is with-
drawing troops in substantial numbers from the Syrian frontier.
It is not known where these troops are going. Israeli Foreign
Ministry officials continue their efforts to convince the West of
the serious dangers in the situation. One such official, speak-
ing in Geneva, avers that recent developments have changed
Israel's "sense of isolation to one of strangulation" and that
"Israel is left to its limited but forceful wisdom!"
17 Nov 55
Current Intelligence Bulletin
Page 5
TOP SECRET
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
Ur .5 L.
Egyptian foreign minister Fawzi told
Ambassador Byroade on 14 November that Egypt wants to
get back to its "traditional system" of depending upon the
West for arms. Fawzi said that if this could be done, the
Soviet bloc deal could be made a "one shot" affair and the
"nightmare" closed out as soon as possible. Fawzi indicated,
however, that Egypt did not have any specific equipment re-
quest in mind for the immediate future. Fawzi's remarks ap-
pear to be part of Nasr's current at emnts to keep a foot in
both the Western and Soviet camps.
Although the Saudi Arabian ambassador
in Cairo has denied that his visit to Soviet ambassador Solod
had anything to do with arms, Cairo's semiofficial radio con-
tinues to state that the meeting dealt with this subject. The
radio claims that King Saud has suggested to the USSR that
Saudi representatives meet with the ambassador in Cairo to
discuss means of enabling the Soviet Union to send arms to
Saudi Arabia.
An American press dispatch from Cairo
quotes an informed source to the effect that the USSR will sup-
port Saudi Arabia "by all possible means" in its dispute with
Britain over the Buraimi oasis. If the USSR has actually made
such an offer, it presumably refers to possible Saudi action in
the United Nations as well as to Soviet bloc arms offers to the
Saudis. (Press)
17 Nov 55
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 6
TOP SECRET
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
TOP SECRET
BIWEEKLY SUMMARY
3-16 November 1955
THE TAIWAN STRAIT
Report of the IAC Cur rent Intelligence Group
for the Taiwan Strait Problem
1. There were no significant military developments.
There continues to be no evidence that the Chinese Commu-
nists are preparing to initiate major combat operations in
the near future.
2. The runways of the six Chinese Communist airfields
which have been under construction along the East China
coast now appear to be capable of use at any time the Commu-
nists so desire. Four of them, Nantai, Chingyang, Lungchi
and Chenghai, are capable of supporting jet fighter and jet
light bomber operations. The field of similar capacity at
Lungtien could be made ready for operations in a short time.
The other, at Swatow, can handle only light transport aircraft.
There are no indications that the Chinese Communists will oc-
cupy these airfields soon, although air units could begin using
them with little advance preparation.
3. Chinese Communist commentary on the Taiwan issue
during the past two weeks subsided to a low level. The October
Revolution celebrations in Peiping on 6 and 7 November featured
speeches by Yudin, the Soviet ambassador to China, and others
stressing support of the Soviet people for the Chinese Commu-
nist claim to Taiwan.
17 Nov 55
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 7
TOP SECRET
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968
N/IrAIWAN STRAIT SITUATION
16 NOVEMBER 1955
�Ii������
CHINESE COMMUNIST AIRFIELD LEGEND:
DESIGNATIONS
PRIMARY AIRFIEI,D
CONSIDERED MOST IMPORTANT IN
AREA WITH PREPARED RUNWAY
GENERALLY scroo FEET OR LONGER.
SECONDARY AIRFIELD
AUXILIARY OR EMERGENCY BASES
OR FIELDS OF LESSER IMPORTANCE.
RUNWAYS GENERALLY LESS THAN
5000 FEET.
ACTIVE BASE FOR MILITARY CIVILIAN AIR-
CRAFT. SOME BASES USED BY PISTON TYPES
MAY BE USABLE BY JETS
�
OPERATIONAL
A
INACTIVE BASES CAPABLE OF USE BY AIRCRAFT
�
SERVICEABLE
�
CURRENT STATUS UNDETERMINED
UNKNOWN
USABILITY
a
M1G-15
MIG-17
TU-4
IL-28
TU-2,
IL-10
LA-9 /11
LI-2
ETC.
* FIELDS NOT CONSIDERED CAPABLE
OF SUPPORTING SUSTAINED OPER-
ATIONS AT PRESENT.
HO
\.
AN
�
H U EH
OHANKOW
(
-28 C SHA,-- -
\ WENCHOW 9
�r"-- r � .,,..
--,,' ' ' - + 7 ) - -
�-- Yill 1 1 cd r
- �\
7 ,i,, ,
,p7,600,001! -L ---7 '
, ,, ,
(iNct. DES FIELD FORCES 9(ND CHIENOU'
I CURITY TROOPS) / - -
' Illiv i
I'll� 2
5
.
1011111
WUHUOWC
r
J9HSI N&
usAIN
G - CHO IS.
la AL 30
NINGPOdir
14.1
ANG HAI
CHINHUA
A
LUC H TACHEN
NGYANG 3
-(,-----i...Nlie
-\ 1
--. S
7, KIANGSU
}.� -
NANKIN9AIL
,,.... ../.,..wR--
'X..
l' --X i s"
HUAINING
�4,
10
�e* � "'N
AO'
,ITHUFFSIEN
NANCIIAN 'n
SHARIGJA0 ;/'
-a -
r
-.19416 _
CHANGTING* :\
LI%CHENG
(5�
KAIICH I*
k
770
K�W A N 'G TUNG
CH E
CAP,tiaQ SKATOW*
I.�YA N G
51,900
F0004OW mATsus
NANTAIO 19,000
LUNGTIEN
TAGyuA_Ilt
APOSHAN
-HU IAN
CH IN GYANG
-g----MACHIANG*
QUEMOY
_76,000
* ILAN
HSINCHU .rir
t. *TAICHUNG
AINAN
NAUTICAL MILES
50 100
50 100 150
STATUTE MILES
170
H- RAILROAD
--H� -4--4- -4- PROPOSED RAILROAD
*NATIONALIST AIRFIELD
PRIMARY ROADS
SECONDARY ROADS
51101 2
Approved for Release: 2019/09/16 CO2996968