CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1957/01/13

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03180487
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2019
• Document Release Date: December 20, 2019
• Publication Date: January 13, 1957

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CURRENT
INTELLIGENCE
BULLETIN
13 January 1957
Copy No. 131
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANCE IN _ASS.
I DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO:
NEXT REVIEW DATE:
AUTH: HR 70A
DATA* r) ( -"REVIEWER:
TS
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OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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CONTENTS
I, SOVIET STATEMENT URGES MIDDLE EAST REJECTION
OF "EISENHOWER DOCTRINE" (page 3).
�
2. IMMINENT ARMY REVOLT AGAINST NASR RUMORED
(page 5).
3. SAUDI ARABIA AND SYRIA READY TO JOIN EGYPT IN PRO-
(page 6).
4. USSR REPORTEDLY STEPS UP SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES
IN IRAQ (page 7).
5. WESTERN OBSERVER REPORTS ON UNSETTLED CONDI-
TIONS IN BULGARIA (page 8).
6. YUGOSLAVS SAY USSR EXERTING PRESSURE THROUGH
ECONOMIC RELATIONS (page 9).
7. FRENCH REPRESENTATIVE IN LAOS REPORTED BY COM-
MUNIST AS CRITICAL OF US POLICY IN LAOS
(page 10).
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1. SOVIET STATEMENT URGES MIDDLE EAST REJECTION
OF "EISENHOWER DOCTRINE"
Comment on:
The Soviet statement issued by TASS on
12 January in the form of a point-by-
point rebuttal of the "so-called Eisenhower
doctrine" is aimed principally at encour-
aging Arab rejection of the American pro-
posals. It omits any reference to the President's provision
that American action would be in response to requests from
individual states, and contains no suggestion of specific Soviet
counteractions.
The statement denies any Soviet intention
to compete for "bases or concessions" in the Middle East
and claims that the "Soviet Union has never sought to worsen
the relations" between the area countries and the United States.
The statement indirectly suggests that the
proposed American moves represent a fifth crusade. It states
that "Islam, as a religion, arose centuries before America
was discovered and withstood four crusades:' "To put it plain-
ly, the United States is trying to implant the former colonial
order in the Middle East under a new signboard'
The Soviet statement makes several ref-
erences to the Bandung conference,reflecting Moscow's hope
that there will be an area-wide rejection of the American pro-
posals,
Calling for "businesslike co-operation
among nations;' the statement contrasts this principle with
the American proposals�which "set countries at loggerheads
and... sow the seeds of mistrust between peoples The state-
ment attempts to disparage the economic aid provisions of the
program, alleging that "American and British oil monopolists...
made a net profit of $L 9 billion" on Middle East oil during 1955,
and warns of the dangers of new Israeli "predatory plans" which
would follow from the American proposals.
In its conclusion, the statement mildly warns
that "authoritative Soviet circles" hold that the use of American
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armed forces in the area might lead to "dangerous conse-
quences, the responsibility for which fully rests with the
United States government:'
Soviet foreign minister Shepilov, in pre-
viewing the statement for the Egyptian ambassador, coun-
seled that the "Arabs would incur no risk if they stand
together" against the American proposals.
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2. IMMINENT ARMY REVOLT AGAINST NASR RUMORED
The city of Alexandria has been subject
to a "crescendo of rumors" and hearsay
that a revolt led by dissident army ele-
ments against the Nasr regime is immi-
nent, The
dates for the revolt always mentioned in these rumors are
from 14 to 16 January,
these ru-
mors are too widespread and too specific to have been spon-
taneous; they are widely believed by all levels of the local
populace.
Comment Military defeat, increasing economic
hardship, and purges of army officers
have resulted in considerable dissatisfaction with the Nasr
regime. There is no good evidence as yet, however, that
any group in Egypt is presently capable of posing a serious
threat to Nasr.
Alexandria is a center of antiregime sen-
timents and has been hit hard economically. Dissident ele-
ments in the area may be engaged in a campaign to harass,
and exert pressure on, the Nasr government.
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3. SAUDI ARABIA AND SYRIA READY TO JOIN EGYPT IN
PROVIDING SUBSIDY FOR JORDAN
to join with Egypt,
Comment
King Saud,
describing his recent talks
with President Quwatli of Syria, stated
that Saudi Arabia and Syria were ready
to provide a subsidy for Jordan.
A four-man Jordanian delegation which
intends to discuss Arab financial assist-
ance to Jordan to replace the annual British subsidy of
$33,000,000 left Amman on 8 January for Cairo, and was
to continue after a week to Damascus and Riyadh.
King Hussain has instructed the delega-
tion to obtain an unconditional ten-year guarantee of a spe-
cific sum of aid in sterling or dollars. The king has ex-
pressed doubts, however, that such assurances will mate-
rialize. He reportedly will use any failure of the delegation
�as an excuse to dismiss the ultranationalist Nabulsi govern-
ment, Successful efforts by the delegation would permit
realization of the Nabulsi governments' campaign promise
to replace British with Arab aid.
If the mission returns with assurances of
forthcoming aid, King Hussain's ability to influence events in
Jordan will be reduced,
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A
4. USSR REPORTEDLY STEPS UP SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES
IN IRAQ
The USSR is intensifying its subversive
activities in Iraq and plans to increase
considerably the smuggling of small arms
into northern Iraq this spring.
the Soviet Union is furnishing the Kurds
with small radio receivers and is infiltrat-
ing the large number of pilgrims to Iraq's
religious shrines.
on
31 December the Iranian army conducted a widespread search
of houses for illegal arms and ammunition and that 35 persons
were arrested and a quantity of arms seized. The consul was
told that the search had been ordered by the Shah in order to
stop the flow of arms to Iraq. The army attach�n Tehran as-
sumed the arms were intended for the Iraqi Kurds who recently
demonstrated in northern Iraq.
Comment Moscow's alleged intention to arm the Kurds,
who inhabit parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and
Turkey, and support their demand for an independent Kurdistan
has long been rumored,.
Egypt and Syria also have been attempting
to maintain the momentum of widespread antigovernment dem-
onstrations in Iraq which occurred followed the Anglo-French-
Israeli attack on Egypt.
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Niro Arf,
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REPORTS ON UNSETTLED
CONDITIONS IN BULGARIA
Isolated incidents of unrest have oc-
curred in Bulgaria recently,
. These include the arrest of 40 students for
a conspiracy in Pleven and the murder of a security police
officer on a street in Sofia by two students on 25 December.
Reports of demonstrations in widely separated places in
Bulgaria, including an alleged uprising led by military of-
ficers in a mountainous area in the northern part of the coun-
try, have appeared in the Greek and Austrian press during
the past few days.
the
Bulgarian people, who privately express hope and optimism,
believe the Hungarian uprising represents a defeat for Soviet
Communism and that Poland has gained much at Soviet ex-
pense. Since October the regime has armed its officials
and instituted several harsh measures,
including the arrest of 2,500 people, mainly ex-
army officers and students, the reopening of the Belene
concentration camp, and the dismissal of about 500 students
from Sofia University.
Comment The official newspaper of Dimitrovgrad,
a Communist-built industrial city in south-
central Bulgaria, was quoted recently by a Western news
agency as saying that the townspeople had "gathered in the
street shouting nonsense they had picked up from Western
radio stations!'
Apart from tightening security measures,
in the face of disorders which appear sporadic and disorgan-
ized, the Bulgarian leaders have indicated in their speeches
since September that they are seriously concerned with the
unrest in their country.
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6. YUGOSLAVS SAY USSR EXERTING PRESSURE THROUGH
ECONOMIC RELATIONS
Vice President Vukmanovic'-Tempo has
told US officials that all Yugoslav eco-
nomic relationships with Russia are slow-
ing down, probably reflecting a direct at-
tempt to apply pressure on Yugoslavia.
He specifically mentioned Soviet performance on the credits
to finance a fertilizer plant and the USSR-East German jointly
sponsored aluminum plant. Tempo does not expect an economic
blockade such as occurred after 1948, however.
The Yugoslav Foreign Ministry official in
charge of economic affairs, Vladimir Velebit, told Ambassa-
dor Riddleberger on 11 January that the USSR had intimated
it wanted to postpone its investment credits for two years. Al-
though Velebit thought this may have been partly caused by the
heavy demands on Soviet production from China and the Satel-
lites, he also feared it may be for purposes of political pres-
sure on Yugoslavia.
Comment Reports of Soviet economic pressure on
Yugoslavia have come only from Belgrade
officials, who may want to impress the United States with its
continued need for Western economic support. Taere has been
a delay in trade negotiations for 1957, but several recent Yugo-
slav trade agreements with the Satellites have called for an in-
crease in trade.
The total Soviet foreign economic program,
including recently increased aid to Eastern Europe, is still
quite small in relation to total Soviet resources. In the light
of Yugoslavia's sensitivity on "aid without political strings," it
is doubtful that the USSR would exert heavy economic pressure
on Belgrade, unless it were willing to risk a break with Yugo-
slavia.
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7. FRENCH REPRESENTATIVE IN LAOS REPORTED BY
COMMUNIST AS CRITICAL OF US POLICY IN LAOS
� Apparent efforts of French charge
Soulie in Vientiane to dissociate France
from US and British moves to block a
coalition government in Laos
Soulie also criticized
"heavy US pressure" on Souvanna and said the premier had
told him he would resign, blaming the United States, if the
"obstructionism" intensified.
Comment In conversations with American am-
bassador Parsons, Soulie had endorsed
American objectives, but has suggested that pressure on the
Pathets could better be applied during the integration period
following assembly approval of the coalition agreement. Dis-
avowal of US actions in a talk with Sen, however, would indi-
cate a desire to preserve French influence in a united Laos
at the expense of the United States.
Such statements by Soulie would undoubt-
edly contribute to the anti-US campaign which,
has been intensified. This cam-
paign may play a decisive role in the assembly vote on coal-
ition, now expected for 15 January.
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