CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A016800050001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 10, 2004
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: July 30, 1970
• Content Type: REPORT

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Central Intelligence Bulletin
Secret
'=s 0
30 July 1970
State Department review completed
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No. 0181/70
30 July 1970
Central Intelligence Bulletin
CONTENTS
Cambodia: The fight for Kirirom continues to dominate
the military situation. (Page 1)
Arab States: The disagreement between Egypt and the
fedayeen appears to be deepening. (Page 2)
Yugoslavia: The authorities are trying to achieve a
better nationalities balance in the armed forces.
(Page 3)
El Salvador - Honduras: The OAS observer force is
moving ahead in establishing a demilitarized zone.
(Page 4)
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Morocco: "National front" (Page 6)
Venezuela: Student demonstration (Page 6)
Ecuador: Strongman (Page 6)
Bolivia: Tin sales (Page 7)
Ghana: Presidential election (Page 7)
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Cambodia: Current Situation
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Cambodia: The fight for Kirirom continues to
dominate the military situation.
The four government battalions that withdrew
from Kirirom regrouped south of the town near Route
4 yesterday and reportedly have been joined by three
more battalions. The reinforcements included some
Khmer Krom troops, which were rushed from Phnom Penh.
A counterattack apparently has been launched to re-
take Kirirom, but a Cambodian officer participating
in the operation told the press it would be "very dif-
ficult" to do so. Although the Cambodians do not at-
tach any strategic value to Kirirom, holding it prob-
ably has become a point of military honor.
South of Phnom Penh, two government battalions
withdrew from their position at Bat Rokar in Takeo
Province, following an attack by an estimated 800 Com-
munist troops. No air support was available to help
defend the position. In the west, Cambodian Army
positions in and near Siem Reap city were again har-
assed by enemy fire on 29 July. The Communists re-
portedly also put the airport under mortar fire,
closing it to traffic.
More Complaints About Saigon's Soldiers
Anti-South Vietnamese sentiments in Cambodia
show no signs of diminishing. A Cambodian student
leader in Phnom Penh has told US Embassy officers
that students are becoming increasingly upset over
reports of looting and pillaging by South Vietnamese
Army (ARVN) troops. Some students apparently have
spoken of driving ARVN forces out of Cambodia even
before the Communists are dealt with. They blame
the US for ARVN's presence.
30 Jul 70 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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Arab States: The disagreement between Egypt and
the fedayeen appears to be deepening.
A guerrilla spokesman in Amman yesterday charac-
terized Cairo's closure of two Palestinian radiobroad-
casting outlets as the first shot to be fired against
the fedayeen by the Egyptians and a signal for an at-
tempt to liquidate the Palestinian resistance move-
ment. His organization declared that fedayeen groups
now have complete freedom to adopt independent pol-
icies. For their part, Egyptian authorities report-
edly now are requiring visas for all Arabs traveling
to Cairo.
As a stopgap measure to compensate for the loss
of the Cairo transmitter, Fatah claims it has begun
broadcasts from a low-powered transmitter, apparently
in Baghdad. Press reports indicate that more perma-
nent and powerful facilities are being sought in Syria
and Iraq.
Central Intelligence Bulletin
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Yugoslavia: The authorities are still wrestling
with the problem of achieving a better nationalities
balance in the officer corps of the armed forces.
This problem was raised in a critical article
published last month in Croatia. Last weekend,
speaking to a conference of reserve officers in
Zagreb, a prominent federal party official, Mika
Tripalo, labeled the present makeup of the officer
cadre as "unsatisfactory." He noted that, despite
official efforts, it is still predominantly Serb
and Montenegrin, and he suggested a long-term pro-
gram to begin correcting the problem by encouraging
young people, other than Serbs and Montenegrins, to
enroll in military schools.
Yugoslav leaders are banking on the armed forces
to play a stabilizing role in the period after Tito
is no longer at the helm. They wish to improve the
balance of nationalities in the officer corps in or-
der to prevent one group or another from taking ad-
vantage of the instability of the immediate post-
Tito era.
There are constraints on the government's abil-
ity to redress the imbalance, however. To the eco-
nomically well-off Slovenes and Croats, a low-paying
career in the military holds little or no attraction.
Among other economically depressed minorities, such
as the Albanians, resentment of past injustices and
Belgrade's suspicion of their loyalty tend to hold
down recruiting.
Tripalo's speech implies that federal authori-
ties have little hope for a short-term solution and
may be studying longer-range possibilities. At the
same time it conveys a sense of concern on the fed-
eral level, apparently intended to mollify the mi-
nority critics.
30 Jul 70 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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El Salvador - Honduras: The OAS observer force
is beginning to move ahead in establishing a demili-
tarized zone.
The Argentine general who commands the 30-man
observer force told US Ambassador Ryan in Honduras
that he was satisfied with progress thus far, al-
though each side remains distrustful of the other.
Salvadoran and Honduran forces have been pulled back
from the zone in the southern sector near the Gulf
of Fonseca, and efforts now are concentrated on
clearing the northwest section.
The two countries have not yet established di-
rect communication with each other or reactivated
postal service, and the OAS continues to serve as
the sole communication channel. Despite these bu-
reaucratic delays, the observer force is encouraged
by the absence of shooting incidents since the death
of an OAS observer on 30 June and by the quiet ob-
servances in both countries of the anniversary on
14 July of the 1969 war. F__ I
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Morocco: Following their futile campaign against
last week's constitutional referendum, the two prin-
cipal opposition parties are taking a new initiative.
The conservative Istiglal and the moderate wing of
the leftist National Union of Popular Forces (UNFP)
have announced the formation of a "national front."
The two parties intend to retain their autonomy but
will pool their efforts in preparation for the par-
liamentary elections on 21 and 28 August. The gov-
ernment, however, may not permit candidates to cam-
paign under any party label. Meanwhile, extremist
members of the exile faction of the UNFP are reported
to have formed a "Moroccan Revolutionary Party" in
France. dedicated to the overthrow of the monarchy.
Venezuela: Government officials are apprehen-
sive that today's student demonstration may become
violent. The students are protesting the university
reform bill now before congress. Student leaders
would prefer to keep the protest peaceful so as not
to prejudice their cause, but the issue is popular
and they may not be able to control the demonstration.
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Ecuador: Defense Minister Jorge Acosta has
emerged ase strongman in Velasco's cabinet with
the resignation of the minister of government.
Acosta is a nephew of the President and until re-
cently had been competing for influence with the
ministers of finance and government, both of whom
have now left the cabinet. The participation and
growing influence of the armed forces will probably
be a salient feature of the regime. The hitherto
autonomous Guayaquil port authority has already been
subordinated to the navy.
(continued)
30 Jul 70 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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Bolivia: The sale of Bolivian tin to the USSR,
which aim bbeen hailed as a progressive step in Pres-
ident Ovando's "revolution," apparently will be fa-
cilitated by short-term financing from two US banks
with branches in La Paz. Following the signing of
the Bolivian-Soviet tin contract last month, the
banks requested US Embassy advice about their pro-
jected involvement in facilitating Bolivian exports
to the Soviet Union. The Bank of America is seeking
authorization from the finance minister to act as the
intermediary in obtaining payment for the tin exports,
and a second US bank has been approached to help fi-
nance the operation of a tin smelter that will pro-
duce exclusive) for the Soviet market. F __1 25X1
Ghana: Prime Minister Busia's government has
decide dttiat a president should be elected soon to
replace the interim Presidential Commission, the
successor to the junta that governed Ghana from after
Nkrumah's overthrow until the return to civilian rule
last year. The president is to be elected by members
of the national assembly and by regional chiefs.
Constitutionally, the president is largely a cere-
monial figure with limited powers, but an elected
chief of state can be expected to play a more sig-
nificant political role than the Presidential Com-
mission, which has been virtually inactive since
its creation. 17
30 Jul 70 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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