CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/03/29

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03162015
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: March 29, 1955

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3.3(h)(2)
3.5(c)
29 March 1955
Copy No.
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO. (o
NO CHANGE IN CLASS cat
D DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE: 0
AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE: '3 43-24,� 0 REVIEWER:1
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
88
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SUMMARY
GENERAL
1. Bohlen believes Moscow maneuvering to block Austrian tie with
NATO (page 3).
2. Molotov adamant against Nationalist representation at proposed
conference on Formosa (page 3).
SOVIET UNION
3. Zhukov probably attended Soviet atomic explosion last autumn
(page 4).
SOUTHEAST ASIA
4. Comment on South Vietnam situation (page 5).
5. British official urges primacy of Indian influence in Laos and
Cambodia (page 5).
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
6. Comment on current tension in Turkish-Syrian relations (page 6).
7. Continuing border violence seriously concerns Israel and Egypt
(page 7).
WESTERN EUROPE
8. Austrian foreign minister discusses Raa,b's proposed Moscow
visit (page 7).
LATE ITEM
9. Soviet fleet units may move out of Black Sea (page 8).
THE FORMOSA STRAITS
(page 10)
* * * *
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GENERAL
1. Bohlen believes Moscow maneuvering to block Austrian tie with
NATO:
Ambassador Bohlen believes the Soviet
Union may consider that the prospect of
West German rearmament has increased
the danger of some concealed involvement
of e Western zones of Austria in the NATO military network. He
suggests that recent Soviet maneuvers are designed to prevent this
by ensuring the neutralization of Austria, and failing this, to pro-
vide propaganda justification for the integration of the Soviet zone
into the projected Orbit military setup.
Bohlen points out that although the Soviet
note of 24 March stated Moscow's willingness to consider the Aus-
trian issue separately from the German question, it did not exclude
the possibility that other matters besides Austria could be taken up
at a four-power conference, He points out that the note implied the
Soviet Union would reserve the right to send troops back into Austria
after a treaty is concluded if it thought that a direct threat of an
Anschluss had arisen.
2. Molotov adamant against Nationalist representation at proposed
conference on Formosa:
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Comment- There have been uncon-
firmed reports of high-level Soviet disagreement over the degree
of support to be given Peiping on the Formosa issue. If these
differences have not been finally resolved, this could explain
Moscow's policy of stalling on the conference question while mak-
ing sure, however, that the door is left open for a diplomatic solu-
tion.
Moscow may also have decided to hold
out the prospect of negotiation on this situation until after next
month's Afro-Asian conference.
SOVIET UNION
3. Zhukov probably attended Soviet atomic explosion last autumn:
In September 1954, Marshal Zhukov,
who was then a first deputy defense min-
ister and probably commander in chief
charge of Soviet military maneuvers which
included the tactical use of atomic weapons,
The maneuvers reportedly took place at
Totskoe, in the South Ural area between Kuibyshev and Chkalov.
Several unidentified "corps of special units" are said to have par-
ticipated.
Comment: This report tends to confirm
the hypothesis that the Soviet nuclear explosion known to have oc-
curred on 14 September 1954 at Totskoe, a locality not previously
used for sun tests, was part of a military maneuver or effects
test. The purpose of this activity may have been to demonstrate
Soviet atomic warfare tactical doctrine as well as to give Sino-
Soviet bloc observers firsthand knowledge of the effects of nuclear
weapons, in connection with the atomic warfare training programs
now under way in Soviet and Satellite military forces.
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
4. Comment on South Vietnam situation:
Premier Diem's decree of 26 March
stripping the Binh Xuyen of its control
over the Saigon police and transferring
this force to the Saigon prefectural
authorities may lead to incidents between the government and
the powerful gangster organization.
The Binh Xuyen has gradually emerged
as the focal point of opposition to the government. With its large
economic holdings to protect and with the special patronage of
Bao Dai, the Binh Xuyen is not likely to retreat readily before
government pressure.
While the "united front" of the sects
has apparently been weakened by independent Cao Dai general
Trinh Minh The's reversion to support of the government, the
American embassy in Saigon believes the premier's pronounce-
ment of 27 March, offering to make certain changes in the gov-
ernment, will be regarded by the sects as a sign of weakness and
may embolden them in their demands.
5. British official urges primacy of Indian influence in Laos and
Cambodia:
Britain would like to see India take over
the "major foreign influence role" in
Laos and Cambodia, according to a
Foreign Office official. He told Amen-
can officials in London that this was "of course long-range plan-
ning" and that Britain did not desire to see present American and
French plans "queered."
The British official noted that India does
not have the money to take over military training in Cambodia.
He agreed that firm Indian support for the Laotian government was
"most important" to the chances of restoring, by an appeal to the
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International Control Commission, the royal government's control
over areas held by the dissident Pathet Lao,
Comment: The British have long been
anxious to see the Indians adopt a "big power" role in Southeast
Asia. In line with this general policy, top British officials at the
recent Bangkok conference suggested the possibility of having
India take over responsibility for military training in Cambodia.
The Indians have not been enthusiastic about assuming this re-
sponsibility.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
6. Comment on current tension in Turkish-Syrian relations:
Turkey's blunt diplomatic assault on the
avowed intention of the present Syrian
government to align itself with Egypt
and Saudi Arabia against the Turkish-
considerable resentment in Damascus.
The Syrian foreign minister told Ambas-
sador Moose on 23 March, however, that despite Turkey's provo-
cations, Syria intended to make every effort to maintain friendly
relations and would keep the tone of its communications within
normal diplomatic usage. Despite mutually hostile press cam-
paigns, charges of border violations, and the recall of the Syrian
ambassador in Ankara for consultations, a formal rupture of
relations between the two countries does not seem likely at this
time.
Ankara has categorically denied press
reports that Turkish troops are concentrating on the Syrian
frontier and attributes these reports to Egyptian propaganda.
The unusually tough tone of Turkey's
diplomatic notes to Syria has nevertheless alarmed Lebanon and,
to a lesser extent, Iraq, which fears that Ankara may be over-
playing its hand. However, pro-Western Syrians in touch with
the American embassy in Damascus believe the Turkish pressure
is helping materially to influence the Syrian cabinet away from the
Egyptian-Saudi proposals.
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7. Continuing border violence seriously concerns Israel and Egypt:
Prime Minister Sharett told the Ameri-
can ambassador on 26 March that Israel
is gravely concerned over continuing
border violence in the Gaza area,. Sharett
said that the attack on an Israeli wedding
party on 24 March "raises again the
question of how long Israel can remain
calm in the face of repeated violence."
Sharett has also had meetings with the
British, French and Soviet ambassadors
to emphasize the seriousness of the bor-
der situation in the Gaza sector,
Egypt has categorically denied official
responsibility for this incident The American embassy in Cairo
states that Egyptian officials are "clearly upset" by it and have
expressed fear that their government will be charged with insti-
gating this attack.
Comment: Egypt is incapable of con-
trolling the actions of the more than 200,000 Arab refugees in the
Gaza strip,
Israel, supported by the UN Mixed
Armistice Commission's censure against Egypt for the attack of
24 March, will probably expect the Security Council to consider
the over-all Egyptian-Israeli border situation before condemning
Israel for the 28 February attack against an Egyptian military
post in Gaza�
WESTERN EUROPE
8. Austrian foreign minister discusses Raab's proposed Moscow visit:
Austrian foreign minister Figl informed
the West9rn ambassadors in Vienna on
26 March that the cabinet would decide
on 30 March whether Chancellor Raab
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should accept the Soviet invitation to visit Moscow. He thought
Raab would certainly not go until after Easter, and mentioned
that the chancellor would have to be back in Vienna for ceremo.-
nies on 27 April.
Figl agreed that no commitments should
be made in Moscow on Austrian neutrality. He observed that
there were great dangers in neutrality guarantees, and said he
favored a simple four-power guarantee of Austrian sovereignty
and territorial integrity with no provisions for implementation.
Figl said he thought that if pressed on
this matter by the USSR, the Austrians should express satisfac-
tion with the present draft treaty and state that if the USSR wants
something more, it should take the matter up with the Western
powers.
American ambassador Thompson is by no
means sure, however, that Raab "will take or be able to maintain"
such a position.
Comment: In view of favorable Austrian
press reaction to the Soviet invitation and the general air of opti-
mism among many Austrian leaders, Raab's trip to Moscow now
appears a certainty.
Figl was described in a recent report
as irritated by Raab's "irresponsibility" in making promises in
dealing with Soviet officials. Raab probably will find it difficult
to go back on his 20 March statement that Vienna would be will-
ing to insert an Austrian pledge of neutrality in the state treaty.
Such a pledge was proposed by Molotov during the Berlin confer-
ence in January 1954 and was opposed by the Western powers at
that time.
LATE ITEM
9. Soviet fleet units may move out of Black Sea:
one or more surface
units Fleet are moving
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out of the Black Sea. at
least three ships are involved and that as of 1400 Greenwich
time on 28 March the vessels were opposite the Bulgarian
coast.
Comment: The vessels involved tenta-
tively appear to be subordinate to the "Special Surface Group,"
which has consisted of one light cruiser, six destroyers and
eight other escort vessels.
Soviet naval vessels must'give Turkey
eight days' notice before passing through the Dardanelles. Turkey
is not known to have received any such notification. The only time
since World War II that Soviet warships left the Black Sea via the
Bosporus and Dardanelles was in June 1945, when a cruiser and
two destroyers visited Durres, Albania.
� The Soviet Union has sounded out Greece
and Italy within the past year about an exchange of naval visits,
but final arrangements have not been reported. No other pending
visits to Mediterranean countries have been reported.
It is possible that the warship construc-
tion program in the Black Sea area has been of sufficient scope
to permit the transfer of a number of vessels to other fleets.
It is also possible that the group will proceed to another fleet
area for exercises, although an exercise involving elements of
two separate fleets would be unprecedented.
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THE FORMOSA STRAITS
Report of the IAC Current Intelligence Group
for the Formosa Straits Problem
This report is based on information received in Washington
up to 1100 hours 28 March 19550
1. No significant military activity has been reported.
Weather precluded reconnaissance of Chinese Communist air-
fields.
2. Intelligence contraverts recent press accounts of a
Chinese Communist buildup in this area.
30 During the course of the French Senate debate on the
ratification of the Paris agreements, Prime Minister Faure said
that he did not accept the "roll-back" concept in relations with
the Soviet Bloc and Asia and that it was not realistic to permit
the Chinese Nationalists to sit on the UN Security Council. These
statements were made to placate French opinion, which has been
concerned with reports that the US might go to war to prevent
Communist seizure of the Quemoy and Matsu island groups.
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28 March 1955
Available Airfield (jet)
Available Airfield (conventional)
Airfield Site
Nationalist-held Islands
Rail (selected)
100
Statute Miles
100
Kllometers
Road (selected)
116 120
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2 FACH ENS
KEELUNG
FORMOSA
SECRET
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