NEAR EAST/AFRICA DIVISION INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY FOR WEEK ENDING 3 MAY 1950

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-01090A000100060017-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 26, 1999
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: May 3, 1950
• Content Type: SUMMARY

Approved For Releae 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-0109A000100060017-7
*-;j"' AU OY
MAY 3 1950
NOTICE: This document is a work:. paper., not
an official CTA is suanoe . It ha3 been co-.ordina-
t:ed within ORE. but not vitip the IA( Agencies.
It -ePresents currant think1og by specialists
in CIA, anal is designed for use by others engaged
In similar or overla,oping st ud.iesa The opinions
expl-essed herein may be rev1aed before final
ana official publication. It is .intended solely
for the information of the addressee and not for
further dissern1i .cion .
Oou4v for
MENT NO.
j CMMWM IN GLWASS
CECLA
NEXT REVIEW DATE: i
AUTH:
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DATE A/~C A ?EV1EWER: 006
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NEAR EAST/A_ERICA DIVISION
Is TELLIGJ NCE BUI-SRHY
For Week Ending
3 I?'.$y 1950
TABLE OF COIY2 tEI TS
Vol. V No. 17
Quiet before the storm?...,.. 0****.. .... .. 004. *00.0 ... . . ... 4 ..1
Venizelos still backs coalition but appears restive
TURKEY
Kind words for investors ....................................2
.'te.tism to re min despite FRP campaign pledges
;A EIA
Political crisis ............................................2
Anti-US elements moving toward showdown with arnw
PA-LESTIN Z
Abdullah's annexation of Arab Palestine .....................
Jordanian move stirs reactions in various quarters
Ni!T) TIN BRIEF
(#reeoe, Turkey, Iran, India-Pakistan......... R ......1;
25X6A
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NEAR EAST/AFRICA. IT WLIAGi Ci SUT-AVA Y
Quiet before the storm? The .:1i a expectancy of the Plastiras
coalition government renains uncertain despite the vote of
confidence it recently received. The parliamentary support
accorded the coalition at the outset has given it a chance
to take some inportant steps not requiring specific legis-
lative approval. An exchange of ministers with Yugoslavia
has already been arranged as a preliminary to exploring such
outstanding problems as the return of the 9,000-odd Greek
children in Yugoslavia, the restoration of mutual counutnica-
tions, and the development of trade channels. The Cabinet
has utilized existing laws to initiate the screening of
Greece's estimated 30,000 political prisoners for poss.~ble
return to civilian life and has rieanwhile decided to abolish
the controversial Ph,kronisos detention camp for civilians.
Unification of the armed forces under Marshal Papagos, which
serves to quiet right wing fears that Plastiras would dominate
military policy, is now being implemented without controversy.
The economic officials of the Cabinet, who appear to be both
capable and wholeheartedly behind the .ACA economic program,
have already started enforcing drastic measures to col.-.':'.eat
delinquent taxes from shipownez's.
Within the next f e' i gees the Cabinet will have to deal
with Parliament on various specific issues, however, and when
it does it is likely to run into difficulties. As expected,
rightist opposition to Pla.stlras has In no way abated, while
the extreme left has expressed dissatisfaction with the gov-
ernment's policy both on internal and on foreign matters.
The greatest threat, however, comes from Liberal leader
Venizelos, who has displayed a frivolous, unenthusiastic,
and even resentful attitude towards the coalition and appears
quite capable of pulling out of it at the first suitable
occasion. There is little doubt that nest of his 54 deputies
would follow him out of the government camp, leaving the
coalition twenty or third votes short of a majority. Venizelos'
opportunity my well arise out of attempts by extreme rightists
and extreme leftists to use their influence in the labor unions
to promote renewed demands for inflationary wage increases.
Even if the Cabinet msnages to sidestep this problem, contro-
versy is almost equally likely to develop over the manner of
holding local elections or over the new budget, new tax measures,
or other legislation necessary to the economic program. On all
these issues Plastiras is }.i .ikely to pick up many outside votes
and thus needs the solid support of his own coalition.
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''`' ~^t ?a f'c r? invev ' Ci ' 0 The 01.: io ?i r _ti tfc rm anno < c. ed
MM waa by tO SE =i.ta? 3')copi itj)uaJ_^ican Party (PRI
:,unta_k ed no 2 urpr..;1 u;3 3 ?; Cc for the ac tievbat LLtaccu" uvmc d
stre os it placed on ';he part; $ vords of encouraoemeni to
pr vat : enterprise. For once, tha 'R? not only talken of
ez?.convaging and ass..stinr; c`..cr{.cbt:x c and foreign private
invas-6orz but also p !'o v e . er, y: ? tray n-iont for privy c: and
state antcrpr1se Such ?'. "Uetet't :r1t repvescn5a a tacit ..d--
i , as ion that equal '.r w # ;:.i e :t Q c not .ion: ex1e t, a poi-?t
which the PRP bas ; av bean 1io yoJ.'.ictont to concet?.s'.
The fact remains, I1c"vevo , that Tar*::.rein will remain an
et.a.tis state, hei1r iy 1m =tauor of state..own.;tt
enterprises, re rd1.ean of can pro a.ses or probabi
o.k of for 4ariva.~.o
election .restlts; the M
accumnlati.oa of capital :'n ,E" npt R_Oe1 w 3i'e the state ha.,;
dog 1n bed 1n u3t rly a` nd for ix`x: n.ti years is alos ..'-?
suff?iciexit to per ev rL tie. ., ;;c E:{ y as uqqtion by privat
investors of i a jor r agaryu . s3:i ? . ty for continued econo :_c
deve.T.o;3mont. Statements such as t`'Y'-;s3[ :tale G' the PR:' do.
however, indicate th?'. t the %15. rAJ pw_, v is C;,car'1^, ~Cff=._ '; ~c~i .r
As tiiit passes, opposi;:,ivn pressure and Tunke ^s need for
foreign investment wci 1 prtmota a loosening of the bonds
of discrimination by which Turkish r.'.vate capital is now
eon_!" d, even though i;ac' ;ov= pn nY n.: likely to be Ora
of ~~+ d.o-~ .ls~`} .- (~ s than of Turkish LI e.ntrep.i'c. '~L K.L ,s
solicitous 5~..~12[~is\T W 3
SY;R 3.A
Polit i al Crisis: The ;cri` Du vituperative acct J G '=
campai n .n a he.r3 arce ap.it ated s liOus poiitica'
crisis The extr Uie nai.iox:.alist No lem Brotherhood, which
advocates closer tiQs with ute! USSR and the establish rent of
Islam as the state rali. !oIL, .".: u1'3 : the ca?Vai ;n as
means of arous ir1 popular appc rt a.+"sd of increasing its.:
influence in the government. Owe"v> r, influential men:: er
of the Constituent A31 a w "e1. as the pOi ticallr;i
powerful aru leaders are uni k ly to accept a govern .-.-a at
donana:.ted by the ext:'e s net1c ??R.i i.s O
Rue? has been E d.d to the or.I i.3 .J. bliateraing ar:a;.t-03
attack of Mister of 3 .tit?n ?'. acononS,`f tawai bi. by the s'umo
that the US bad urine Wu : : L ; Arabian Government to bring
pressure on Prime NLi;t;: sA tc dismiss Unvulibi from } his
position. Apo''r':Ic ?a , o._'_ , bn this nature can be d.iL svfrJn ,e .
indefinitely, and t5 ire is WC ;'.'.ice that the Soviet .d.t '>a z tl off.
in Damascus well ' Donlan Brotherhood is eg ia: Da,, . I _b-
on. Noo e:u Brotherhood {. eput; _ es in the Constituent .E1.soornhyi,;`
sn
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 Approved For Ufoa% a 1999/0912 :CA-RDP79 01
0--k Soviet diplo .tic. bupPOrt
I C.,
11ve uraed the government to 3
against the pro-Israeli policies of the US and the UEL. The
Azin Governrrent has taken no action e:ith r to curb the p,cless
under the Syrian press law, to discipline Dawalibi, or to
dissociate itself from the opinions expressed by both.
The refusal to take such action is an attenpt on its ?:pa at
to court-popular favor, but there is some doubt whether it
,will be able to control and retain the support of the
extreme nationalist forces that have been unleashed
Although a n^a nbe of -independent deputies in the A. h emb?.
have attacked the proponents of a pro-Soviet policy., op: o
anion to the I-bslem Brotherhood carq>aign is apparently
centered in the army, which copes for US arm and equip
;meat and which is strongly an-ti-Soviet. Def enu