POSSIBILITIES FOR THE EXPANSION OF US INFLUENCE IN ALGERIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00826A001600010073-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 1, 2006
• Sequence Number: 73
• Publication Date: February 17, 1967
• Content Type: IM

Appr'ovetd Eor41 ease 2007/04/02: CIA-RDP79T0082to 01600010073-8
No. 0795/67
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
crate of Intelligence
17 Pehruary 1967
4C:. R E W R
$uam ary
Options open to the US to Increase Its influence
end prestige in Algeria are few. U`S relations with .1I-
esri , are strained because of policy differences over
Vietnam and Algeria's support of 'third world" positions
in the United Nations which are contrary to over-all
policy go.Is. Algeria's resentment stems from the lack
of overt U support during the Algerian rebellion and
from 1 eria.'a fears that US aid to Morocco and Tunisia
is designed to "encircle" and subvert the Algerian re-
giza.
heless, the Us could probably obtain a toe-
hold for the present- -primartly through economic aid--
with the possibility of a slow expansion over the longer
tern. Even these options are limited however (1) by Al-
erian and trench sensitivities to an American presence
in Algeria, (2) by US legislation which compounds the
difficulties of a oneluding a onomic aid negotiations,
(3) by the failure to obtain Algerian commitment to
investment guarantee agreement.
DIA review(s) completed.
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I.. US relations with fl: ,eria have t,roved dif
over since r M *ria became independent to July 1962. The
the street seems inclined to friendly toward
but the government and the 3 atio?~tal Liberation
_
) --the country', only titica1 party--remain
~picei Moreover, the AM-controlled press
,
radio, anu television are doNnrigbt hostile toward the US.
This attitude originally was a. reaction to the resat or
isaginod U support :for trance--particularly Vrnnce's use
at such American ailite;ry equi t t during the eight-year
ions b eve seen no corr+eso$ndin betterment in reltt-
anted his diarerrerd for 'US menet-
seettn; with President ten y during which potential US
}
aid was discussed, he fle* to Havana for an ostentatious
visit with Castro. ''os 1462 to early 1965, US a hipmeentet
to 60 percent for eovre st1-ratirs eager apt 3s artsnt factor
in as retaining stability.
open support or the ono retie lion to
the US.
With the overthrow of Son Bella in June 1905 and
the tnstallr tIon of the dens regime, relations
e. L to lust year, however, a now down-
ward trend developed as 11311eri.n officals pressed for a
favorable reply to their re.-,quest for more to .t and Al..
Ban propaganda agencies stepped asp their attacks on
ything American--from policy and military activities
in Vietnam to racial difficulties in the US. ueedi ne,
while taking a more nti_Coui*t tack, continued Ran
e policy of acceptim heavy Soviet atlitarv and
Liberation Front of south Vietnam (N?`L Y--the Viet Long)!
4. Current frictions in US-Algerian relations
ter primarily on Vietnam. Algeria supports the tat
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office in Algiers. The A
the us
aentativ
Algeria
struggle
dray all
some medical supplies which originated in
lot Cons, and exchanges diplomatic repr
vs that the U$ would aria the sixth Fleet to-
can bases in both countries credible, but
coo and Tunisia. The ;tl erians not only find
numerous visiting delegntions with Hanoi.
ituation in Vietnam with its own
dance and demands that the US with-
It is unlikely that this policy will
ntly.
ccand major source of friction is US military
ether with the alleged basses to encircle Algeria and
Wipe out its socialist regime. The French press and
ce-rtain Tench residents of Al eri.a-,-who are antagonistic
toward the US because they assu , the US wants to usurp
France's_ ition in North & rica---bane nourished these
tencirclemont" tears,
G. In the United Nations Algeria invariably sides
It forces opposed to aims, In some issues, such as
dmission of R *d China, it takes the lead in opposing
Other friction have involved the seizure of U
t real estate in Algiers, the closure of the UU
euter in Constantine on charges of subversion,
onalize.tio r of time in which America" have ti-
Brest, and duds that the US reduce the
her of persons dtplem3aticislly accredited.
7. Suspicion of foruigsers is not limited to
U, Most other esbneates have their own extensive
siers of frictions with the Ailearians. No dl
travel tar outside the city of his residence
without obtaining advaeaco pt-rmtasion from the Algerian
3. spite ;x. hostile press, radio, and television
there have been no mob attacks on .rican citiae
facilities-such an has been experienced within the pas
year by the Moroccan and Jordanian, embassies and a Soviet
diplomat. Demonstrations which have occurred near US
establishments have been carefully policed.
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Boumedilne i* i to
cats its 11 mil l ios hungry, underemployed, and I argely
illiterate people. It in, however, extremely ct if f icutt
sources so that it may feed, provide work for, And
8. Algeria in -An. avowedly socialist state which
aspires to leadership in the so-called "third vrorld."
The Bounsdiene regime, nevertheless, to =ore ifterasted
than was Van Bella in building yap the country domes-
tically and is less inclined toward foreign adventures.
'A'LE re f 's primary concern it to develop Algeria's re
zuct any business with the government. Over and
Above the euspicton and distrust, the government lads
able administrators, and government employees
been arrested and imprisoned,
within Algeria, although a.. tow of their followers have
which engage primarily in it i--lioume d ens propaganda are
based in urope and seen to have no appreciable follin
regime to loath to delegate responsibility to the carable.
foreign advisers it has employed.
10. There is little likelihood of a charge in gov-
ernment, or of different outlook if A change should
occur. The general Aura of instAbility which surrounds
the - imediene regime atom in large part from reports
of friction among its members rin* the development of
antagonistic cliques. Despite these reports, the re: e
appears to have a good deal of durability and is very
slowly progressing toward administrative and agricul-
tural reform. There is no effective opposition. Most
politically experienced Algerians not collaborating with
the regime seen to be sitting on the sidelines, waiting
f