EASTERN EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCER

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
S
Document Page Count: 
5
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
June 17, 2010
Sequence Number: 
93
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
March 1, 1968
Content Type: 
REPORT
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1.pdf264.36 KB
Body: 
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1 25X125X1 49 EASTERN EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCER Poles Want Competitive US Bid in Uranium A Foreign Trade Ministry official told a US Embassy officer in Warsaw in early February that the major reason :his government has asked for a quotation from US sources for enriched uranium was to use the bid to lower the Soviet price when the time comes to purchase the material. He said the Poles were "almost obliged" to buy uranium from the Soviets but that a good US price would be a powerful argument which could be used effec- tively by his ministry during negotiations with Moscow. COMMENT: This is the first known Polish approach, tactical or otherwise, to a Western country as a source of nuclear material. It is not known what response the Polish query brought from the US. Foreign Minister Peter Encourages Further Dutch-Hungarian D scuss ions During his talks with Dutch Foreign Minister Luns earlier this month, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter gave the impression that Hungary would be receptive to bilateral discussions with The Netherlands on some European problems. Luns has told the NATO political advisors that he proposed a "group of ten" approach to a European security conference and a potential "arrangement" between the European Economic Community and Eastern Europe and that Peter indicated an interest. Peter failed to give any encouragement on the German problem except to state that Hungary was attentive to recent developments. Peter and Luns also agreed to main- tain communications on the Vietnamese situation, but Peter warned that this should be done privately to avoid encouraging false hopes. COMMENT: The EEC "arrangement" is of particular interest to the Hungarians whose long range economic development is dependent on expanding its hard currency trade. Premier Fock's recent statement that,"It would not be abandoning our principles if, in the interest GROUP I EXCLUDED FROM AUTOMATIC DOWN- GRADING AND DECLASSIFICATION 25X1 25X1 25X1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1 of our 'trade relations, we should turn to one of the EEC organizations in Brussels. This should be done if it is in the interests of Hungary;' is an indication of the importance Hungary places on its trade prospects. East German Party Congratulates Fred Oelssner On His Birtth day Fred Oelssner, once the East German party's chief ideologue who was purged in 1958 for "factional activities' was honored by the SED on the occasion of his 65th birth- day. Oelssner was similarly honored on his 60th birth- day. The SED Central Committee sent him a letter, signed by Walter Ulbricht, which noted his long-time partici- pation in the struggle "against imperialism and fascism and for socialism," thanked him for his "tireless work" in carrying out party-assigned tasks, and wished him well for the future. COMMENT: Oelssner, Karl Schirdewan, the then-heir presumptive to Ulbricht, and Ernst Woliweber, Minister of State Security, were purged in 1958 because they opposed Ulbricht's desire to increase the pace of social- ization, apparently because they thought this would impede the chances for German reunification. In 1959, however, Oelssner and Schirdewan publicly recanted and pledged their loyalty to Ulbricht. Since then, Oelssner has worked in the GDR Academy of Sciences, and is now a member of the Academy's presidium and director of its Institute for Economic Sciences. By honoring Oelssner, the SED demonstrated once 25X1 again its relatively-civilized approach to handling dissenters; remove them from seats of power. and pretend that nothing ever happened. Rumania Walks Out of Budapest Preparatory Meeting On 29 February the Rumanian delegation acting under orders from its Central Committee in Bucharest walked out of the Budapest Preparatory Meeting in pro- test against the course the meeting was taking. Earlier the Rumanians had demanded a resolution from the floor which would foreswear further attacks on the Chinese and on Rumania itself. After considerable haggling, aFinnish CP compromise measure was passed but the Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1 compromise did not satisfy the Rumanians who walked out of the meeting and returned to Bucharest. A UPI account of the walkout alleges that the Finnish dele- gation head accompanied the Rumanians as far as the door of the meeting hall before turning back at the last minute. The official communist view of the walkout in yesterday's communique places full responsibility for the walkout on the Rumanians' intransigence in the face of the "deeply democratic atmosphere" of the debate on the Rumanian demands. The communique states that the Meeting will continue its work to prepare the International Communist Conference and to unite the communist movement. WFTU Sets Vietnam Solidarity Day On 23 February the World Federation of Trade Unions, headquartered in Prague, appealed to trade unions throughout the wor d to make 1 May a day of solidarity with Vietnam. Bulgarian Mass Organization Disbands Bulgaria's Voluntary Organization for Cooperation in Defense (DOSO) has been disbanded, effective 1 March. Its educational and sports responsibilities will be absorbed by the Komsomol. COMMENT: This action is in line with government and party boss Todor Zhivkov's December theses which advocated the centralization of all activities related to youth under the Komsomol. Polish Plenum Forms Congress Commission The two-day 11th plenum of the Polish Communist party ended on 29 February with the adoption of a resolution to hold a congress in the "fourth quarter of 1968" and created a special congress commission. The commission includes the entire Politburo and Secretariat. 25X1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1 The Embassy concluded that the diverse character of the commission is a reflection of "continuing political strength." The 88 members include such strange bedfellows as Kociolek, Schaff, and Trampczynski on one hand and Naszkowski, Ruminski and Witaszewski on the other. All but nine of the commission members are on the Central Committee. The broad time zone for scheduling the congress-- three months--probably is related to uncertainty about the date for the proposed international Communist con- ference which oviets have suezested for r or December. Absence of Albanian Officials According to our records, no leading Albanian party or government officials have appeared in public for the last 12 days. There is a confirmed report of a low level ur a now in progress in one district of Albania however, no reason has as yet been given for this unexplained and prolonged absence of key party/state dignitaries. NOTE: THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ABOVE REPRESENT ONLY THE ANALYSIS OF THE EE DIVISION Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1 Yugoslavia Undated Rumania Premier Maurer and Foreign Min- ister Manescu to make an official visit to Sweden in early March F_ Yugoslavia CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS FOR MARCH 1968 Federal Executive Council Presi- dent Spiljak and Foreign Minister Nikezic to Turkey 25X1 Foreign Minister Nikezic to Warsaw 3-.12 East Germany Leipzig Spring Fair Yugoslavia- Bulgaria The 90th anniversary of the 4-8 Berlin Treaty of San Stefano mittee meetings Belgrade Dutch Foreign Minister Luns to 25X1 25X1 25X1 Czechoslovakia Central Committee plenum 20-26 Bulgaria Hungary Party and government leader Zhivkov to Turkey 25X1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/18: CIA-RDP79B00864A000800010093-1