CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1954/08/18

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03000931
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: August 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: August 30, 2019
• Publication Date: August 18, 1954

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Copy No.
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANGE IN CLASS
DECLASSIFIED,
CLASS. CHANGED TO: IS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE � 3.(:)( 0
AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE: 7 I'LL CO REVIEWER:
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
()
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18 August 1954
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SUMMARY
SOVIET UNION
1. Comment on further expansion of Soviet "new lands" program (page 3).
FAR EAST
2. Ikeda attributes Japan's difficulties to American policies (page 3).
3. American offer of flood relief to China seen desirable (page 4).
4. Two more Chinese jet fighter divisions may have left Manchuria
(page 5).
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
5.
18 Aug 54
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SOVI.ET UNION
1. Comment on further expansion of Soviet "new lands" program:
The expanded land reclamation program
announced by Moscow on 17 August--the
largest such program ever undertaken in
the USSR--calls for a 20-percent increase in the total sown acreage
in 1956 over 1953.
.The land reclamation decree issued in
March 1953 called for the cultivation of 32,000,000 acres of virgin
and reclaimed land by 1955; the new decree raises that figure to
37,000,000 acres by 1955, and to between 69,000,000 and 74,000,000
acres by 1956.
The 1954 reclamation quota has been over-
fulfilled by a wide margin, and favorable weather has created good
harvest prospects. These successes, combined with poor harvest
prospects elsewhere in the USSR, may have induced the government to
enlarge the acreage expansion program earlier than anticipated.
The land scheduled for use after 1955, how-
ever, is probably even less suitable for cultivation than that scheduled
for use in the early years of the program. In most of the areas in-
volved, weather conditions unfavorable for grain crops have occurred
on an average of two years out of five.
FAR EAST
2. Ikeda attributes Japan's difficulties to American policies:
Hayato Ikeda, secretary general of the
Japanese Liberal Party, told Ambassador
Allison on 13 August that many of Japan's
economic difficulties are due to "mistaken"
American occupation policies and, therefore, the United States
should be more generous in helping Japan recover. He warned
that many Japanese believe Germany has received more benevo-
lent treatment than Japan.
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Ikeda said the prestige of Prime Minister
Yoshida and the Liberal Party had never been so low as today, and
the government needs increased strength to put American-Japanese
co-operation on a permanent basis. He emphasized that Yoshida is
still the key to sound Japanese relations with the United States, and
it is thus "indispensable" that the prime minister be given "real
presents" on his forthcoming trip to Washington.
Ikeda also asserted that his recent remarks
urging more flexibility in Japan's Asian policies had been misquoted.
He said co-operation with the United States is so basic to all aspects
of Japanese policy he had not felt it necessary to dwell on this essen-
tial in his remarks.
Comment: Ikeda's attitude is typical of a
trend among Japanese officials to look to the United States to help
Japan in its current crisis, rather than to impose the austerity
measures required by the nation's deteriorating economy.
American aid is important to Yoshida's
position, since his popular strength derives primarily from the
belief that he is the man who can best gain maximum benefits from
the United States.
3. American offer of flood relief to China seen desirable:
A semiofficial organ of the Chinese National-
ist government has announced a drive for
flood relief to victims on the China mainland.
The announcement stated that assistance
would be sought from the United States.
The American embassy at Taipei suggests
that an American failure to make some gesture of aid to flood vic-
tims will give another opportunity to those who wish to persuade
Asian peoples that the United States places a low value on Asian lives.
Comment: Peiping would almost certainly
reject an offer of flood relief from the Chinese Nationalists. It
seems likely, although less certain, that an offer from the United
States government would also be rejected.
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There would be a psychological warfare
advantage in an American offer of aid, particularly if the USSR
failed to offer assistance or offered only token aid. If an American
relief offer were made, Peiping would have difficulty concealing the
fact.
4. Two more Chinese jet fighter divisions may have left Manchuria:
airfield in East China.
yet apparent.
There are indications that the Chinese
Communist MIG-15-equipped 6th and
15th Divisions have been transferred from
the Yalu River area of southern Manchuria.
The 6th Division may have moved to an
The destination of the 15th Division is not
Comment: Three other Chinese Communist
MIG-15 divisions have left Manchuria since March, two of them go-
ing to bases in the Shanghai area of East China.
Transfer of the 6th and 15th Divisions
would leave only one Chinese Communist MIG-15 division--with about
50 aircraft--in Manchuria, apparently placing primary responsibility
for the fighter defense of the Yalu River area in the hands of six Soviet
air regiments which have a strength of over 200 MIG-15's.
The movement of the 6th Division to East
China would add considerably to Peiping's already formidable fighter
strength in that area.
5.
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NEAR EAST - AFRICA
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