CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/02/06

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03157463
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: February 6, 1955

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oxi 11-E4
3.5(c)
3.3(h)(2)
6 February 1955
Copy No.
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANGE IN CLASS X
IJ DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE. 1-010
AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE. 15 REV1EWEF
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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SUMMARY
GENERAL
1. Burmese trade talks in Moscow break down (page 3).
FAR EAST
2. Comment on plane incident off west coast of North Korea (page 3
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
3. Iraq wants defense pact with Turkey, Britain and US by April
(page 4).
LATE ITEMS
4. Moscow approaches British with suggestion for ten-power confer-
ence on Formosa (page 5).
5. Italians favor general East-West conference to achieve "detente"
(page 6).
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"two 'tar
GENERAL
1. Burmese trade talks in Moscow break down:
the Soviet delegation had
a
adopted a "more aggressive" attitude ter 20 January and had
raised "totally new and unacceptable terms" in an effort to bring
the talks to an end. The Soviet negotiators had finally stated
bluntly that they could buy rice only on Soviet terms.
Comment:
These developments in Moscow contrast
sharply with the comparative ease with which Burma has recently
concluded agreements with Peiping. Some Burmese leaders have
placed great hope on solving their country's economic problems
through greater trade with the USSR.
FAR EAST
2. Comment on plane incident off west coast of North Korea:
It now seems clear that the MIG-15's
which on 5 February attacked a US
R13-45 reconnaissance plane and its
fighter escort off the west coast of North
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Korea were North Korean aircraft.
North Korean fighter
units have assumed the predominant role in air defense of the
North Korean area. North Korean pilots have demonstrated in-
creased aggressiveness and have trailed UN flights from attack
positions.
No connection is evident between the
5 February attack and the F'ormosan question.
3. Iraq wants
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
defense pact with Turkey, Britain and US by April:
Iraqi prime minister Nun i Said has
advised the British ambassador in
Baghdad that he wishes to sign a de-
fense pact with Turkey, the United
States, and Britain in March or April.
Nun i also told American ambassador
Ga,11man on 3 February that he wants
the proposed Iraqi-Turkish treaty to be the first step toward a
general pact including Syria, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Britain,
and the United States.
Comment: The proposed Iraqi-Turkish
treaty, according to the communiqu�ssued by Null and Turkish
prime minister Menderes on 13 January, will be open to states
which wish to join and "are able to do so by reason of their geo-
graphical position or the means at their disposal."
6 Feb 55
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The United States has an arms aid agree-
ment with Iraq, and Britain has two air bases in that country un-
der terms of the Anglo-Iraqi treaty of 1930, which expires in 1957.
Nun, who has publicly promised action
this spring on the Anglo-Iraqi treaty, probably hopes the proposed
pact can be made to serve as a substitute for the treaty with Britain.
In October British officials in London indicated to Nun i "general
sympathy" for this approach.
LATE ITEMS
4. Moscow approaches British with suggestion for ten-power confer-
ence on Formosa:
On 4 February Foreign Minister Molotov
handed the British ambassador in Moscow
a memorandum suggesting that a confer-
ence on the China situation be held this
month in Shanghai or New Delhi attended by the Big Four, Commu-
nist China, India, Burma, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Ceylon. This
was necessary, he said, because the United States and British
position had made "lawful and impartial consideration" by the UN
"impossible."
Ambassador Bohlen feels this latest move
is designed to bring the USSR in line with the Chinese, whose in-
transigence on UN consideration of the question he believes sur-
prised even Moscow. The ambassador notes that the Soviet Union
could hardly expect the Western powers, especially the United
States, to accept this proposal to by-pass the UN and ignore Na-
tionalist China completely. He sees it as an obvious play for
Asian neutralist sentiment providing propaganda support for the
Chinese and serving to keep Moscow in the center of any diplo-
matic negotiations on this issue.
Comment: If there have been differ-
ences between Moscow an-a-Peiping as to how this problem should
be handled, their policy now appears to be co-ordinated.
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This latest move would seem designed
primarily to generate pressure on the United States from its major
allies and the Asian neutrals for conferences which could be manip-
ulated to Communist advantage more easily than could UN dis-
cussions.
Peiping almost certainly intends to main-
tain tension in the China area by various means, including limited
military operations, in order to give an air of urgency to such ne-
gotiations and to a settlement on Peiping's terms.
5. Italians favor general East-West conference to achieve "detente":
Italian officials suggested to Turkish
prime minister Menderes on his recent
visit to Rome the necessity of an early
general East-West conference to achieve
a "detente" to reduce world tensions, according to Ambassador
Warren in Ankara. The Italians have in mind a meeting, includ-
ing also the Satellites and the neutralist nations, to seek a deci-
sion on general disarmament.
The Turks rejected the suggestion as
impractical and undesirable at this time.
Comment: Rome has frequently expressed
concern over the limitation of East-West talks to the "big powers,"
but this is the first indication that Italy is attempting to generate sup-
port for broadening the base of such discussions.
In view of the inability of the UN Disarma-
ment Commission to reach agreement, there probably would be
considerable interest in Western Europe in a conference of the
type proposed.
6 Feb 55
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