CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1957/04/18

Document Type: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
03148915
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
U
Document Page Count: 
7
Document Creation Date: 
December 12, 2019
Document Release Date: 
December 20, 2019
Sequence Number: 
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
April 18, 1957
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PDF icon CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULL[15755586].pdf222.15 KB
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T LLI LLETI Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 )70, ao, 715:0740/07/4 /#4 .// /��' (//#0 'POP SECRET eV1/00,/,"0001 A 18 April 1957 Copy No 134 3.5(c) 3.3(h)(2) DOCUMENT NO. NO CHANGE IN CI A33 -Ut..CLASSIFIED CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C NEXT REVIEW DATE: AAUT11141-_P7A'. 9 D la EWER: OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 C03148915 Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 C03148915 Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 C03148915 Approved for Release:.2019/12/04 C03148915 �Vir? "wo CONTENTS 1. THE SITUATION IN JO AN (page 3 � 01 2._SOVIET LEADERS CALL FOR NEW ERA OF COEXISTENCE (page 5). HNA MENON NAMED n'EFENSE MINISTER IN NEW INDIAN CABINET (page 6). 18 Apr 57 Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 2 SECRET Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 C03148915 Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 C03148915 -"SbtftE--1-- 1, THE SITUATION IN JO IAN Comment on: Hussain's control in the city of Amman is assured by the presence of three loyal Bedouin regiments which are reportedly eager to crack down on demonstrations against the king. According to the Israeli press on 17 April, additional Jordanian troops are being moved into West Jordan, center of the anti-Western majority of Jordan's population. Such action could be a precursor to a larger-scale roundup of leftist leaders. While calmness prevails in West Jordan for the moment, strong Baath party and Communist groups are dis- pleased with their exclusion from the cab- inet. They are reported uncertain as to future action as a consequence of the speed and surprise of Hussain's coup. The king's most important immediate prob- lem continues to be to gain and hold control over the army, and he is concentrating ef- forts on selection and appointment of loyal officers. Further changes in top command posts may therefore be in the offing. about 40 pro-Nuwar officers have submitted their resignations and are being retired. about 250 ar- my officers had decided to submit resigna- tions on 17 April if the king would accept them. This action was to have taken place after a meeting on the morning of 17 April. About 100 Bedouin officers retired by Nuwar last year are avail- able as replacements. The Egyptian minister of war and commander of the Arab Joint Command, General Amer, meanwhile, is re- ported to have arrived in Damascus on 16 April--probably in 18 Apr 57 Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 3 T1F T Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 CO3-1-48915 Approved for Release:.2019/12/04 C03148915 connection with developments in Jordan as well as to attend the Syrian celebrations on 17 April commemorating the with- drawal of foreign forces in 1946. Hussain has been warned by supporters in Lebanon and Iraq to be alert against possible Syrian troop movements. Iraq, which is now concentrating a 4,000-man brigade at H-3 pumping station near the Jordanian border, is reported planning to send a full division supported by tanks to H-3 next week. 18 Apr 57 Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 4 Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 C03148915 Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 C03148915 2. SOVIET LEADERS CALL FOR NEW ERA OF COEXISTENCE Comment on: oviet leaders chose the visit to Moscow f an Albanian government-party delega- ion as the occasion for conciliatory peeches intended to reinforce the series f diplomatic and propaganda moves dur- ing the past month designed to restore Soviet international prestige, Khrushchev, Bulganin and Suslov made a special attempt to push events in Hungary and the Middle East per- manently into the background and called for a new start in improving relations between all countries. Bulganin de- scribed his recent letters to Norway, Denmark and West Germany as efforts to improve relations with those countries. In sharp contrast to the accusations against Tito made at the Soviet-Hungarian friendship meeting in mid- March, the Soviet leaders made a bid for better relations with Yugoslavia. Using Belgrade's own formula, Khrushchev as- serted that attention should be concentrated not on differences but on "what brings the peoples of our two countries together in their struggle for socialism:' Khrushchev called particu- larly for an improvement in Albanian-Yugoslav relations. Although these remarks suggest that Moscow has decided to be more restrained in its relations with Belgrade, it is clear that it does not intend to retreat from the basic tenets objectionable to the Yugoslays. For example, Khrushchev ex- tolled the concept of the "socialist camp" as the only one which expresses correct relations between Communist countries, and Suslov said there could be no "basically different roads to so- cialism:' He condemned the theory of "national Communism" which he said was being used by "certain theoreticians who describe themselves as Marxists and Communists!' 18 Apr 57 Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 5 C�r",letri Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 C03148915 Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 C03148915 ii_eLJ'.1. 1 115LLf 141fte NW" 3. KRISHNA MENON NAMED DEFENSE MINISTER IN NEW INDIAN CABINET Comment on: Prime Minister Nehru's appointment of V. K. Krishna Menon as minister of defense in the reshuffled Indian cabinet announced on 17 April will curtail his activities as an international mediator. It is not likely, however, to impair Menon's position as an influential adviser to Nehru, who has retained the foreign affairs portfolio. Menon, who was a minister without port- folio in the pre-election cabinet, has been strongly opposed by several leading cabinet members and officials. He will now speak from a position of greater official authority. He may continue to act occasionally as Nehru's personal envoy, particularly in connection with deliberations on the Kashmir case. The new cabinet is composed almost en- tirely of those ministers in the old cabinet who have demon- strated their ability. A notable new member is S. K. Patil, Congress Party leader from Bombay, who has been named minister of irrigation and power. The appointment of Path, who led the successful campaign against the Communist Party in Andhra in 1955, appears to be a reward for his recent cam- paign effort to assure Menon's election to parliament from Bombay. 18 Apr 57 Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 6 Approved for Release: 2019/12/04 C03148915