CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1951/08/21

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02739457
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: April 15, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 22, 2019
• Publication Date: August 21, 1951

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/1 August 1951
Copy No. e 9
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO
NO CHANGE IN CLAS
DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: IS Siber 3.5(c)
NEXT REVIEW DATE:
AUT1 Vrie
REVIEWER
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Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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SUMMARY
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USSR
1. Embassy reports curbs on foreign air travel within USSR (page 3).
NEAR EAST
3.3(h)(2)
3. Syrian Prime Minister issues statements favorable to the West (pag
EASTERN EUROPE
. Plans reported for marked expansion of Polish Merchant Marine
(page 5).
WESTERN EUROPE
5. Coal trains to West Berlin are stopped by East Germans
age 5).
4).
3.3(h)(2)
7. Anti-US feeling in the Netherlands is growing (page 7).
8. Further Niemoeller opposition to rearmament',expected (page 13.),
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USSR
1. Embassy renartasurbs on foreig,n air trays'. within_USSR):
Embassy Moscow considers it possible that
a large airlift into Siberia and the Far East
may be the cause of added travel restrictions
which have been imposed on members of its
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military staff.
The trend was first observed a month ago, and
travel eastward is hardest hit. Other directions affected include Odessa. The
official Soviet excuse for placing curbs on air travel is the need to give pri-
ority to the movement of freight, the consequent diversion of aircraft for
hauling cargo and the resulting shortage of passenger space. 3.3(h)(2)
Commpt: Restrictions on the movements of
the Embassy staff within the USSR are of long standing and are part1 of the
Soviet internal Security pattern.
Additional icu t es may ave
arisen in recent months from freight priorities on air transport for the Soviet
Government's big construction projectsisuch as the Main Turkmen canal east
Of the,Caspian, and the Volga-Don canal in the Stalingrad area.
3.3(h)(2)
NEAR EAST
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3..5,yrian Prime Minister issues statements favorable to the West:
The new Syrian Prime Minister has issued
statements to the local press which reveal a
favorable attitude toward the West. He is
quoted as saying: "Arabs cannot face the dan-
gers of this perplexed world alone. Neutrality is imaginary when we are weak
.... I do not advocate alignment with the Western bloc for love of this bloc,
but to repel the dangers threatening my country."
The Prime Minister, however, also has cau-
tioned that there is a great difference between his beliefs and government
policy formulated by the Cabinet.
Comment: The forthright and realistic state-
ments attributed to the Prime Minister are in sharp contrast to the neutralism
and open anti-Westernism so commonly voiced in Syria. The Army and its
Chief of Staff are the real rulers of Syria; there is no evidence that they have
assumed a pro-Western attitude.
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EASTERN EUROPE
4. glans reported for marked expansion of Polish Merchant Marine:
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the pri-
mary objective of the Polish Merchant Marine
is to expand its present 270, 000 ton fleet to
600, 000 tons. To achieve this goal, Poland
must resort to the purchase of shipping from outside the orbit. The expanded
fleet of ships is expected nearly to double the twelve ships currently plying
the China trade routes. 3.3(h)(2)
Comment: he re-
organization of the Polish Merchant Marine at the beginning of 1951, as well
as increasing Soviet control over most of its activities. The Polish Merchant
Marine consists of at least 59 vessels, either owned or under charter -- a
40 percent increase since September 1950. Twelve of these ships have been
identified in commerce with Communist China.
There is little likelihood, however, that Poland
will be able to increase the number of its ships plying Far East routes, for
since Iune 1951, bunkering facilities have been denied Polish ships at ntiost
refueling stations. Only Socony, whose facilities are temporarily limited by
the Iranian oil crisis has offered to bunker Polish ships at Port Said and Suez,
5. coaLtrains to West Berlin
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are stopped by ast Germans:
The Soviet-supervised East German Reichsbahn
suddenly refused to permit the movement of
extra coal trains to Berlin on 17 August,
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stating that the facilities were needed to move the harvest, and that Berlin
has enough coal. These trains had been carrying over 15,000 tons of coal a
week from the Ruhr to West Berlin by agreement between the East and
West Germans.
Comment: This move may be a Soviet retali-
ation to the West's action in bringing legal East-West German trade to a halt
on 3 August. The retaliation was probably deferred until the close of� the
Berlin Youth Festival, In Tanuary of this year, the East Germans, closed the
Mittelland canal lock, through which Ruhr coal had previously moved, and
since that time coal shipments to Berlin have been difficult. West Berlin hns a
coal stockpile sufficient for three months. 3.3(h)(2)
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J. %ler ORA.d11.11
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. Anti-US feeli in the Netherlands is rowin
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The US Ambassador to The Hague states
a growing feeling
o resen men owar e on the part of the
Dutch, who allege that US political and economic
policy is becoming "increasingly dictatorial and
arbitrary as respects Europe. " 3.3(h)(2)
The Dutch, faced with a
worsening economic situation, have given a bad press to the Kern Amendment
and the recently announced ECA Productivity Program.
The Netherlands undoubtedly fears that the
loss of its voice in world affairs would force the country to abide by the de-
cisions of the big powers.
There is also ever-present Dutch resent-
ment against the US because of its role in achieving Indonesian independence.
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This is currently accentuated by the Indonesian demandS, for rOvision Of the
Dutch-Indonesian agreements and the transfer of Netherlands New Guinea to
Indonesia. Continuation of the current anti-US attitude would jeopardize im-
plementation of the Dutch defense program.
8. Further Niemoeller opposition to rearmament expected:
, .
3.3(h)(2)
A resolution opposing it West German contri-
bution to European defense is likely to be pre-
sented at the meeting in early September of the
Council of the German Evangelical (Protestant)
Church, according to its head Dr.Otto Dibelius.
In an interview with High Commissioner
McCloy, Dibelius stated that the anti-rearmament forces under Dr. Martin
Niemoeller would offer such a resolution, which would be defeated, and that
they would then make an appeal to the public to resist any legislation on a
defense contribution. Dibelius pointed out that many of the Protestant youth
now support the Niemoeller position.
Comment: Pastor Niemoeller, now the head
Of the Evangelical Church of Hesse, has made periodic pronouncements on
world affairs. He leads a wing of the Protestant Church which combines
attacks on various Allied policies with a neutralist line.
Despite a demand last April by Church leaders
that he stay out of politics, he has lately continued his old habits. There is
no real indication of how much support his minority receives within the
Church.
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