CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/03/03

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03004632
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: March 3, 1955

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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO. 3
NO CHANGE IN CLASS pi
Ci DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: T8 S
NEXT REVIEW DATE. 2.0 lb
AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE: 1> TAN Kt? REVIEWER,
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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SUMMARY
GENERAL
1. USSR reverts to tough position in London disarmament talks
(page 3).
SOUTHEAST ASIA
2. Comment on Cambodian king's abdication (page 4).
3.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
4. French may propose Big Three talks on Middle East developments
(page 5).
50 Egyptian-Israeli border clash considered well-planned military
operation (page 6).
6. Greek prime minister's physical decline may presage major
political crisis (page 7).
EASTERN EUROPE
7. Hungarian regime may be preparing public trial attacking United
States (page 7),
WESTERN EUROPE
8. French spokesmen optimistic on Paris agreements (page 13).
9. Italian Communists reported planning series of strikes (page 9).
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GENERAL
USSR reverts to tough position in London disarmament talks:
he position taken by Andrei Gromyko
t the London meeting of the UN dis-
rmament subcommittee is completely
t variance with the Soviet attitude in
the last session of the United Nations General Assembly, accord-
ing to Ambassador Lodge. At the 1 March session in London,
Gromyko, in effect, dissociated the Soviet Union from its earlier
ostensible acceptance of the Anglo-French proposals of June 1954
and made clear his unwillingness to answer any of the Western
delegates' questions regarding the Soviet position.
The American delegation concludes that
Gromyko's blunt insistence that atomic stockpiles be destroyed,
without controls or limitations on manufacture and without any
conventional disarmament, represents the most negative posi-
tion the USSR has adopted on disarmament since the end of World
War IL The French, British, and Canadian representatives did
not conceal their dismay.
Comment: The Sovief disarmament plan
presented to the last session of the General Assembly by Vyshinsky
was designed primarily to offer the Frenct a substitute for German
rearmament at the time of the London conference called last fall
to find an alternative to EDC. Gromyko's reversion to a tougher
position in the current secret talks is further evidence that the
Soviet leaders are not interested in serious negotiations on dis-
armament problems. They are, instead, apparently seeking to
secure a propaganda advantage by giving publicity to such general
statements as their 18 February proposal to destroy nuclear weap-
ons and freeze armed forces and other armaments at the levels
prevailing on 1 January 1955.
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
2. Comment on Cambodian king's abdication:
3.
Cambodia's stability may be adversely
affected by the precipitous abdication of
King Norodom Sihanouk on 2 March in
favor of his father. The circumstances
under which he abdicated, however, suggest that he will continue
to be influential in Cambodian politics.
Less than a month ago Norodom received
an overwhelming vote of confidence in a national referendum which
passed judgment on his policies of the last three years. Moreover,
his aging father has no apparent political aspirations. The act of
abdication itself is typical of Norodom's penchant for dramatizing
his displeasure, in this case directed at what he considers unwar-
ranted intervention in Cambodia's internal affairs by India, Canada
and Britain, which have protested against his plan to postpone na-
tional elections as a violation of the Geneva agreement. In view
of these considerations, it is quite possible that Norodom's abdica-
tion is by no means permanent.
Norodom's exaggerated fear of opposi-
tion caused him to make sure that no potential rival held a posi-
tion of any real responsibility in the government. Consequently,
the present regime will, in all probability, encounter consider-
able difficulty in controlling its security forces--whose discipline
is already notoriously weak--and in preventing an increase of polit-
ical factionalism.
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NEAR EAST - AFRICA
4. French may propose Big Three talks on Middle East developments:
The French government proposes that
Britain, the United States, and France
consult on Middle East developments, and
particularly on the implications of the
Turkish-Iraqi defense treaty,
France, as a
Mediterranean and African power with important bases in the west
Mediterranean, cannot dissociate itself from developments in the
"hinge" area between Asia and Africa.
France considers that the consequences
of the extension of Turkey's defense responsibilities as a result of
its treaty with Iraq must be examined from the point of view of the
.Atlantic alliance. As the basis for such ,action, Paris cited the
Tripartite Declaration of 25 May 1950. In this declaration, the
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United States, Britain, and France, which also form the Standing
Group of NATO, had agreed to maintain the status quo in the Mid-
dle East.
France proposes that a solution be sought
which would reconcile the interests of the Big Three and those of
the Middle East countries, including Israel, and which would also
enable the Middle East to defend itself.
Comment: The French consider the Turkish-
Iraqi treaty as a cover for Iraqi designs for union with Syria, and
hence a threat to France's "special position" of influence in Syria,
the French were assured that Britain would be prepared
to disclaim publicly any designs on Syria when London joins the
Turkish-Iraqi treaty.
5. Egyptian-Israeli border clash considered well-planned military
operation:
The American army attach�n Tel Aviv
believes that the 28 February attack on
Egyptian military installations in Gaza
was a well-planned operation by Israeli
army units. He considers that the numbers
na me type and quantity of explosives used indicate that
the incident was not a "spontaneous retaliatory raid,"
Comment: This incident, coming ten days
after former prime minister Ben-Gurion returned to the Israeli cab-
inet as defense minister, may be the first demonstration of a tougher
military policy toward the Arabs. Ben-Gurion has personified such
a policy in the past. Other border incidents may be expected, but
it is unlikely that Israel will provoke an outbreak of general hostili-
ties.
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6. Greek prime minister's physical decline may presage major
political crisis:
Greek prime minister Papagos' sudden
departure for Switzerland on 2 March
was caused by a serious deterioration of
his health in the last few days
The illness has been variously reported
as cancer of the stomach, tuberculosis of the stomach and intes-
tines, and other serious ailments.
Comment: Papagos,
is the only unifying force in the Rally
coalition which he heads. His departure will give rise to rumors
which will intensify political maneuvering. His death would almost
certainly bring about the disintegration of the Rally and its leader-
ship of the government.
EASTERN EUROPE
7. Hungarian regime may be preparing public trial attacking United
States:
The American legation in Budapest be-
lieves that the arrest in late February
of two Hungarian nationals employed by
the legation may be part of a build-up
or a public trial indicting the United States and the legation for
subversive activities. In support of this possibility, the legation
cites the publicity given the recent trial of a "counterrevolutionary
organization" accused of direct ties with "Hungarian Fascists liv-
ing in the United States," and the current crescendo in the propa-
ganda campaign against West German rearmament,
The legation points out that if the aim of
the regime, on the other hand, is to reduce the legation's effec-
tiveness, it can accomplish this by using "legal" pretexts for
arresting its other Hungarian employees.
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Comment: This harassment of the Ameri-
can legation appears to be part of a general intensification of an
anti-West propaganda campaign which has been growing in several
Satellites in recent weeks.
The arrest of two legation employees is
the first such move against the American legation in Budapest since
last September, when a local employee was arrested on charges of
tax evasion. In November, the legation in Budapest even reported
an apparent improvement in the Hungarian attitude toward the Amer-
ican mission.
WESTERN EUROPE
8. French spokesmen optimistic on :Paris agreements:
The chairman of the French Council of
the Republic's Foreign Affairs Committee
predicted to American officials in Paris
on 28 February that the council will ap-
nts without amendments. Because time
and the Communist campaign against German rearmament have
worked against the agreements, however, he has lowered his esti-
mate of 170 to 180 senators in favor of the accords to between 150
and 160. He still counts 50 of the 319 senators as against ratifi-
cation.
The Foreign Ministry's chief specialist
on German affairs is also "relatively optimistic" that the agree-
ments will be approved without amendments.
Comment: Foreign Minister Pinay's
appointment of the Foreign Ministry specialist mentioned above
to be a "technical adviser" in his personal cabinet indicates that
Pinay is fortifying himself to meet council objections to the agree-
ments.
The council has tentatively scheduled the
debate and vote on the agreements for 22-25 March.
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9. Italian Communists reported planning series of strikes:
Under heavy pressure from the Italian
Communist Party, the executive com-
mittee of the Communist-dominated
Italian General Labor Confederation
has agreed to start a series of "labor actions," including general
strikes, to continue without interruption during the next few
months,
The Communist Party is said to consider Strike action necessary
because failure by the confederation to react to attempts to elimi-
nate it from factories mieht Rive the impression it lacks the
capacity to fight back.
Comment: Except in the Genoa area,
there has been no organized resistance thus far to anti-Communist
measures in Italian industry. In Genoa, efforts of the Communist-
dominated unions to maintain control over the hiring of ship repair
workers have interfered with port activities since January. Short
sympathy strikes in other industries in the Genoa area have also
been reported. Should such protest strikes spread to other locali-
ties, they could have serious results for the Italian economy.
3 Mar 55
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