CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1956/02/28

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03161768
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: October 25, 2019
• Document Release Date: October 31, 2019
• Publication Date: February 28, 1956

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27' OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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3.3(h)(2)
DOCUMENT NO. 3
28 February 1956
Copy No. 103
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CURRENT
INTELLIGENCE
BULLETIN
NO CHANGE IN CLASS ea
ri DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE: 10 10
AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE: 14 17. TO REVIEW:
3.5(c)
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CONTENTS
1. PRINCIPLE OF COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP REAFFIRMED
BY SOVIET PRESIDIUM ELECTION (page 3).
YUGOSLAVS PLEASED WITH SOVIET 20TH PARTY
CONGRESS DEVELOPMENTS (page 4).
3. HEAVY REINFORCEMENTS REQUESTED BY LACOSTE
FOR ALGERIA (page 5).
4. SOVIET BLOC ARMS REPORTED ARRIVING IN AFGHANI-
STAN (page 6).
. ARRESTED THAI MP REPORTEDLY TO BE CHARGED
WITH TREASON (page 7).
v 6. THREE NON-COMMUNIST INDONESIAN PARTIES REPORT-
EDLY AGREE ON COALITION GOVERNMENT
(page 8).
28 Feb 56
THE ARAB-ISRAELI SITUATiON
(page 9)
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1. PRINCIPLE OF COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP REAFFIRMED
BY SOVIET PRESIDIUM ELECTION
The composition of the new presidium
and secretariat of the Soviet Commu-
nist Party reaffirms one of the main
themes of the party congress--that the
principle of collective leadership will
be maintained.
The top party hierarchy, with Khru-
shchev predominant, remains virtually intact. No change
was made in the roster of 11 full members of the presidium.
The fact that Malenkov and Molotov have maintained their
status despite recent severe criticism illustrates the prac-
tice in the post-Stalin period of treating the loser in a policy
dispute with restraint.
The number of probationary members
of the presidium has been raised from two to six. Four of
these, the new probationary members Brezhnev, Mukhitdinov,
Shepilov and Furtseva, are full-time party workers and pro-
teges of Khrushchev. Furtseva is the first woman to achieve
this status in the party hierarchy. The promotion of Marshal
Zhukov to probationary member reflects the increased recog-
nition of the military viewpoint within the top councils of the
party. One of the two old members, Shvernik, was retained.
The sole casualty of the elections was
P. K. Ponomarenko, who was dropped as a presidium candi-
date. Ponomarenko was removed from administration of
the Kazakh party organization during 1954 and is now ambas-
sador to Poland.
The party secretariat, under First
Secretary Khrushchev, has been expanded from six to eight
by adding Furtseva and Brezhnev to its membership. Khru-
shchev's control over the secretariat, one of the key factors
in determining power relationships, appears to be well solid-
ified.
28 Feb 56
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2. YUGOSLAVS PLEASED WITH SOVIET 20TH PARTY
CONGRESS DEVELOPMENTS
The general reaction in Belgrade to
the Soviet 20th Party Congress is
favorable, according to Ambassador
Riddleberger. The Yugoslays seem
n ow o believe That the USSR has definitely endorsed the
principle of different roads to socialism. The Yugoslays
particularly approve the condemnation of Stalinism and
Khrushchev's reference to parliamentary methods as a
means of achieving socialism. They conclude that the
Soviet "threat" is no longer imminent if in fact it exists
at all.
Ambassador Riddleberger observes
that in spite of Yugoslav efforts to minimize to Western
officials the importance of Tito's message to the Soviet
congress, the Yugoslays regard it as of major signifi-
cance. A Yugoslav Foreign Ministry official denied that
the message indicated anything with regard to party rela-
tions, which he insisted had "not yet" been established.
Comment Developments at the Soviet party con-
gress appear to have gone a long way
toward removing the obstacles that Yugoslav leaders felt
were in the way of re-establishing official ties with the
Soviet party.
� The Belgrade press has applauded
practically all the proceedings in Moscow, and cited them
as. proof of the Yugoslav view that the Soviet leaders have
set their country on a new orientation.
Yugo-
slay officials have maintained that it is now the West that
is "inflexible" and the Soviet Union that is showing "flexi-
bility," particularly through its generous offers to Belgrade.
28 Feb 56
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3. HEAVY REINFORCEMENTS REQUESTED BY
LACOSTE FOR ALGERIA
Robert Lacoste, minister residing
in Algeria, has requested 50,000
additional troops immediately and
50,000 more in the course of the
IICAL le W 1.11U11L110, according to Foreign Minister Pineau,
Pineau told Ambassador Dillon that the French expected
a serious increase in the Algerian fighting some time dur-
ing March and that it was important that NATO put no dif-
ficulties in the way of the troop reinforcement.
Comment Defense Minister Bourges-Maunoury,
reportedly unaware of Lacoste's re-
quest, told Dillon earlier the same day that 340,000 troops
were present in North Africa. He proposed reorganizing
the troops in the area, apparently including the divisions
committed to NATO, into smaller units for guerrilla war-
fare.
Heavy reinforcements for Algeria would
further strip France's already understrength contribution
to NATO and would require a new call-up of reservists. The
political and economic consequences of these developments
would further weaken Premier Mollet's government by alien-
ating leftist support for his Algerian policy.
28 Feb 56
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4, SOVIET BLOC ARMS REPORTED ARRIVING
IN AFGHANISTAN
A convoy of trucks which arrived
in Kabul from northern Afghanistan
on the night of 22 February is re-
ported to have carried arms and
ammunition, according to the Amer-
ican army attach�n Kabul. The Pakistani charg�nd
the British military attach�aw some of these trucks
being unloaded at Afghan army ammunition storage loca-
tions.
Three truck drivers from the convoy
stated that it carried rifles, submachine guns, hand gre-
nades and ammunition. One source said small aerial
bombs were included.
Comment
28 Feb 56
This is the firmest available informa-
tion that Soviet bloc arms are actually
being delivered to Afghanistan.
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4
5. ARRESTED THAI MP REPORTEDLY TO BE CHARGED
WITH TREASON
The Thai government plans to prose-
cute Thep Chotinuchit, the opposition
member of parliament who was ar-
rested on his return from Communist
China on 21 February,
He
win De cnargea witn nign treason and
conspiracy to overthrow the govern-
ment. Thep is said to have warned the police, however,
that he would use the trial as a forum for publicizing his
favorable impressions of Communist China.
Comment
The Phibun regime, which until recently
had been re-examining its strongly anti-
Communist policies, last week began a widespread crack-
down on elements agitating for direct relations and trade
with Peiping. The government may consider it necessary
to label Thep a traitor in connection with this campaign.
This about-face by the government may
indicate a realignment of the internal power balance in favor
of Phao at the expense of Prime Minister Phibun.
28 Feb 56
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6, THREE NON-COMMUNIST INDONESIAN PARTIES
REPORTEDLY AGREE ON COALITION GOVERNMENT
� The Masjumi, the National Party,
and the Nandlatul Ulama (NU) have
agreed "in principle" to form a tri-
partite coalition government and
avebfoinied President Sukarno.
They have as yet
emen , owever, on a program or a dis-
tribution of portfolios.
Comment
Representatives of these three major
parties have held frequent discussions
on the possibility of a tripartite coalition to the exclusion
of the Communists. Increased possibility of such a coali-
tion is believed to have resulted from the Masjumi's en-
dorsement on 24 February of the more nationalistic poli-
cies of its Vice Chairman Sukiman as opposed to those of
Chairman Natsir. Sukiman is a more skillful politician
�and is also more acceptable to the NU and the National
Party than is Natsir.
28 Feb 56
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CONFIDENTIAL
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SZt-ne,
THE ARAB-ISRAELI SITUATION
(Information as of 1700, 27 February)
.11
Syrian president Quwatli has coniirmea
press reports that he plans soon to visit Egypt, where he
lived for years, to take a "needed rest." He told the Ameri-
can ambassador in Damascus on 23 February he did not share
the concern of Syrr army officers regarding current rela-
tions with Israel.
Two high Israeli officials have informally
suggested that the United States encourage Syria and Jordan to
go ahead with the proposed Yarmuk River project, a segment of
the Jordan valley development scheme. The Israelis reason that
Israel could then logically proceed with work on the Banat Yacov
project while the "spotlight" was on the Yarmuk, and the Syrian
government would save face. The American embassy in Tel
Aviv believes Prime Minister Ben-Gurion feels the need for some
formula to enable him to tell his cabinet that a way has been found
to assure Israel's acquisition of its share of the Jordan waters.
,
28 Feb 56
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SECRET
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