WESTERN EUROPE CANADA INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00865A000700320001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 27, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 11, 1975
• Content Type: NOTES

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Secret
No Foreign Dissem
gu~~~ HOUE
Western Europe
Canada
International Organizations
Secret
119
No. 0173-75
April 11, 1975
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Warning Notice
Sensitive Intelligence Sources and Methods Involved
NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions
Classified by 005827
Exempt from general declassification schedule
eat E. 0. 11652, exemption category:
g5B (1),(21, and (3)
Automatically declassified
on: Date Impossible to Determine
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WESTERN EUROPE - CANADA - INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
This publication is prepared for regional specialists in the Washington com-
munity by the Western Europe Division, Office of Current Intelligi nce, with
occasional contributions from other offices within the Directorate of
Intelligence. Comments and queries are welcome. They should be directed to
the authors of the individual articles.
NATO Members Opposed to Formal Closer
Ties With Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Icelandic Foreign Minister's Visit to the
Soviet Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Italian Socialists Divided Over Alliance
with Communists in Genoa. . . . . . . . . . . 3
Portuguese Parties Agree to Extension,
of Military Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
April 11, 1975
SECRET
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NATO Members Opposed to Formal Closer
Ties With Spain
Most NATO members remain opposed to establish-
ing closer formal ties between the Alliance and
Spain.
On April 10, several NATO permanent representa-
tives indicated that major political changes will
have to occur in Spain before their governments will
stop opposing Spanish membership in or association with
NATO. The British, Dutch, Norwegians, and Danes
are strongly opposed to a Spanish connection. The
Scandinavians, long the most obstinate opponents of
Spanish membership or association, did not. attend
the meeting.
Spanish Foreign Minister Cortina recently told
West German Foreign Minister Genscher that while
Spain did not intend to apply for membership in NATO,
it did wish to cooperate with the Alliance and to
obtain some sort of security guarantee.
The Spaniards desire an explicit, publicly-
acknowledged relationship with NATO that could be
exploited politically. The Thursday meeting of
NATO ambassadors indicated, however, that the pre-
sent Alliance members will have trouble agreeing to
even private, informal NATO ties with Spain. (Secret
No Foreign Dissem)
April 11, 1975
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Icelandic Foreign Minister's Visit to the
Soviet Union
Icelandic Foreign Minister Agustsson's visit
to the Soviet Union from April 1-9 was largely
ceremonial. The two countries did not come to
grips with the thorniest problem facing them--the
trade imbalance caused by the skyrocketing price
of oil.
Iceland imports 80 percent of its oil from
the Soviet Union. The quadrupling of the price
of oil over the last two years has produced a
large Icelandic deficit, despite an increase
in the price of Icelandic products sold to the
USSR. The visit produced an understanding
that the two countries will abandon their
traditional barter arrangement, which will
result in Iceland paying more hard currency
for Soviet oil. In return, the Soviet will
buy more Icelandic fish, according to an
Icelandic official, but probably not enough
to balance Icelandic oil purchases.
The bulk of the visit was devoted to
expressions of support for detente, the Vienna
force-reduction talks, the UN, and an early
conclusion to the European security conference.
The Soviets, who have been pressing for an
agreement on cooperation in fisheries research
for the last year, were able to obtain only a
vague response alluding to possible cooperation
in the future. A five-year cultural exchange
was the only formal agreement signed.
Problems created by the oil squeeze may be
further aggravated when Reykjavik and Moscow
work out the details in negotiations on a new
five year trade agreement in June or July. In
the meantime, cries that the Soviets are using
trade as political blackmail, and demands that
Iceland begin looking for a new oil supplier will
probably continue. (Confidential No Foreign Dissem)
April 11, 1975
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Italian Socialists Divided Over Alliance with
Communists in Genoa
The recent decision of the Socialist Party
organization in Genoa to form a municipal govern-
ment with the local Communists has accentuated
differences among the Socialist Party's national
leaders.
The Socialist Party, like the dominant
Christian Democratic Party, is characterized
by factions based on strategic differences and
personal rivalries. About 70 percent of the party
agrees with Socialist chief De Martino's current line.
De Martino hopes to use any Socialist gains in
the June 15 nationwide local elections as
leverage to secure a larger role for his party
at the national level in another center-left
coalition with the Christian Democrats. In
addition, De Martino has dropped his earlier
support for a consultative link between the
government and the Communists.
Most left-wing Socialists--about 30 percent
of the party--are going along with De Martino
for tactical reasons, but they are not very
enthusiastic about his approach. In general,
the Socialist left puts more emphasis than
De Martino on maintaining close ties with the
Communists. When the party has a choice, as it
did in Genoa, these Socialists are less hesitant
about opting for a governmental alliance with
the Communists.
. Until the Genoa affair, the Socialists
had managed to paper over these differences
in the interest of pre-electoral unity. Genoa,
however, brought the disagreement back into the
open.
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While an embarrassed De Martino downplayed
the significance of the Socialist-Communist alliance
there, his main rival for control of the party--
left-wing Socialist leader Mancini--publicly
congratulated the Genoese party officials and
wished them well. In a meeting of the Socialist
central committee this week, Mancini's group
abstained in a vote on the De Martino line.
The Socialists' public feud over the Genoa
situation plays into the hands of their rivals
for influence in the center-left coalition,
such as the Social Democrats, who have long
maintained that the Socialists give only half-
hearted support to the center-left formula.
In addition, Socialist internal differences
on relations with the Communists could complicate
their efforts to exploit the gains they expect
in the local elections. If they do well in June,
the Socialists will be faced in other localities
with a choice between the Communists and Christian
Democrats--a development that could trigger a
divisive debate in Socialist ranks. (Confidential)
April 11, 1975
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Portuguese Parties Agree to Extension of
Military Rule
Portugal's major political parties today
signed the draft constitution presented to them
by the ruling Armed Forces Movement, formally
giving up the opportunity for civilian control
of the government for at least three years.
Only six of the twelve parties that are al-
lowed to participate in the April 25 election
for a constituent assembly approved the document.
President Costa Gomes acknowledged that the Move-
ment's platform was not enthusiastically endorsed
by all, saying "no act in history has ever been
totally above criticism." Although Information
Minister Jesuino has said no action will be taken
against parties refusing to agree to the Movement's
plan, some politicians fear the dissenting parties--
five on the extreme left and the moderate Monar-
chists--will be declared illegal.
The final version of the Movement's platform,
presented to the parties last Wednesday, included
only a few minor changes based on suggestions made
by the moderate parties last week.
The signing of the pact means that the April
25 election, will have no bearing on the tenor of
the new constitution to be approved by the as-
sembly. However, the elections will be an impor-
tant indication of the political sympathies of
the Portuguese people.
The Popular Democrats and the Socialists hope
their showing in the election will influence the
Movement to look upon them more favorably and to
turn away from the Communists. Three embassy
sources have reported, however, that enemies of
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the moderate parties may move to prevent them
from collecting a large portion of the vote.
They indicate that the committee of inquiry into
the March 11 coup may implicate these parties in
their preliminary conclusions which will probably
be published a few days before the election. The
sources believe that even unsupported charges
would hurt the two parties at the polls.
The moderate, non-communist parties expect
to receive a boost from the Church. The Church's
official position has been that it will not sup-
port any political party, but it does plan to
issue a pastoral letter within the next few days
telling the people that voting is a Christian as
well as a civic duty. Parish priests will urge
their parishioners to vote for parties espousing
Christian values, which will amount to discreet
support of the moderate parties. (Confidential)
April 11, 1975
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Secret
Secret
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