CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1954/09/23

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03000912
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: August 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: August 30, 2019
• Publication Date: September 23, 1954

Copy No.
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO.
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AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE: 7 37mr% to REVIEWER:
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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23 September 1954
3.3(h)(2)
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SUMMARY
FAR EAST
1. Possibility of violence to prevent Yoshida trip reported (page 3).
2. Chinese Nationalists reported planning raid on coast after
30 September (page 3).
3.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
WESTERN EUROPE
4. Italian Foreign Ministry fears nine-power London conference will
fail (page 5).
5.
LATE ITEM
army opposes Quwatli's return to
power kpage 0).
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.41.101
FAR EAST
1. Possibility of violence to prevent Yoshida trip reported:
Comment: While Japanese labor union
leaders are generally anti-Yoshida, most of them would probably
oppose the use of force. Extremists in some of the unions may
well employ violence, however, in the hope of preventing Yoshi-
da's departure on a world tour which they believe would enhance
his domestic political stature.
During the past six months there have
been several abortive attempts on Yoshida's life. The Japanese
police have labeled these the work of cranks. Many observers,
both American and Japanese, however, have expressed alarm at
the similarity of the present situation in Japan with that in the
1930's, when extremists committed a series of assassinations.
2. Chinese Nationalists reported planning raid on coast after
30 September:
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1. 1..
Comment: It is probable that the
planned "raid" will be merely an attempt to reconnoiter the
Amoy area for intelligence purposes.
There is a possibility, however, that
the Nationalists will deliberately attempt to provoke major
Communist counteraction, in the hope of involving American
forces. Recent Nationalist moves to strengthen the Quemoy
arrison,
ould improve Nationalist capabilities for such an
on.
In the past the Chinese Communists
have frequently known in advance of operations planned by the
Nationalists. They may well learn of the raid scheduled for
next month.
23 Sept 54
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
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.L 1.A...'A L 1,40,
WESTERN EUROPE
4. Italian Foreign Ministry fears nine-power London conference
will fail:
A high official of the Italian Foreign
Ministry expressed the view to the
American embassy in Rome on 20
September that the London nine-power
conference might fail, like the Brussels meeting, unTess a firm
basis for agreement is established in advance through adequate
diplomatic soundings. The official felt the French proposals for
an EDC alternative, which he described as "full of discrimina-
tion against Germany," vaguely drafted and alluding only indirectly
to German admission into NATO, would only create confusion
and dismay.
The Foreign Ministry continues to be
suspicious of Mendes-France. It has expressed regret to the
French embassy that he has apparently agreed to having his
memoires published in a newspaper which the Foreign Ministry
describes as Communist.
Comment: Italian pessimism on the
nine-power conference is generally shared by other Western
European governments.
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�,..0 J.���� 611..,
LATE ITEM
army opposes Quwatli's return to power:
the bulk
of the Syrian army officer corps is now
opposed to the election of Shukri
Quwatli as president of Syria.
a quar-
ter of the present officer corps participated in the coup that
overthrew Quwatli in 1949 and fear the consequences of his return
to power. One half of the corps entered the Syrian military acad-
emy after Quwatli's exile and were appointed from families not
sympathetic to him.
Ambassador Caffery in Cairo reports
that the real reason for
the Syrian prime minister's visit to Cairo was to convince Egypt
that his candidacy for the presidency has the backing of the
Syrian army. army support for Ghazzi
is based less on enthusiasm for him than on fear of Quwatli.
This unexpectedly strong, last-minute
opposition to Quwatli could portend trouble on the occasion of
the parliamentary elections to be held on 24 September. It
seems more likely, however, that the army will allow the elec-
tions to be held but exert strong pressure to prevent the parlia-
ment elected from then choosing Quwatli as president.
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