CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1953/07/18

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02872242
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: July 15, 2019
• Document Release Date: July 22, 2019
• Publication Date: July 18, 1953

r;e17,101107/1)71Approved for Release: 2019/07/10 A 7'OP S ET C";2/10,1(1717 08400/
SEC INFORMATION
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
AUTH: HA 70-2,5 A
18 July 1953
Copy No,
3.5(c)
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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ECURITY INFORMATION
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SUMMARY
GENERAL
1. USSR moves to improve relations with Greece (page 3).
FAR EAST
/Chinese Communists may be planning late July offensive on
western Korean front (page 3).
3. Chinese Nationalist paratroopers used in Tungshan Island
Veoperation (page 4).
Chinese Communists extend off-shore island campaign to north
Fukien coast (page 4).
SOUTHEAST ASIA.
5.
V� . Negotiations for Romulo's withdrawal from Philippine campaign
reported (page 5).
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
3.3(h)(2)
3.3(h)(2)
EASTERN EUROPE
Hungarian party members discouraged and disunited (page 6).
WESTERN EUROPE
9. Comment on proposed East German wage increase (page 7).
10. Food bazaars for East Berliners opposed by Western officials
(page 7).
2
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SECURITY INFORMATION
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GENERAL
1. USSR moves to improve relations with Greece:
Comment: Soviet efforts to resume normal
relations with Greece are in line with recent conciliatory gestures
toward the other members of the Balkan pact designed to weaken the
alignment and forestall any further development of Western bases on
Orbit frontiers.
The reported trade agreement, together with
recent Greek-Satellite pacts, calls for a sharp increase over 1952 in
trade with the Soviet bloc.
FAR EAST
2. Chinese Communists may be planning late Iuly offensive on western
Korean front:
Comment: The 21st Artillery Regiment
Is believed to be taking up new positions on the western front opposite
the American I Corps sector.
other artillery units are also moving to this area, and an increase in
tank strength from two to four regiments has been noted.
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3.3(
h)(2)
3.3(h)(
2)
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SECURITY INFO
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There are indications that an offensive by
the North Koreans on the eastern front also may be planned for late
July.
. Chinese Nationalist paratroopers used in Tungshan Island operation:
More than 600 Chinese Nationalist paratroopers
flown by 17 C-46 transport aircraft from For-.
mosa were used in the large-scale hit-and-run
raid on Communist-held Tungshan Island, be-
tween Swatow and Amoy, according to reports
from American officials at Taipei. No enemy
aircraft or antiaircraft artillery opposed the
jump,, and all of the transport aircraft in the
operation returned to Formosa.
3.3(h)(2)
Comment: As many as 7,000 Chinese National-
ist airborne and amphibious troops may have been used in this operation,
the most ambitious raid the Nationalists have yet undertaken.
4. Chinese Communists extend off-shore island campaign to north Fukien
coast:
About 1,000 Chinese Communist troops occu-
pied at least four islands off the coast of
northern Fukien Province on 14 July,
Other reports Indicate ConP(h)(2)
munist landings at islands in the immediate
area; details of the operations are not yet known.
Comment: Communist forces apparently
plan to extend their current campaign to all of the Nationalist-held
islands immediately off the mainland. An island invasion campaign
has been taking place near the Tachen Islands off the Chekiang coast
since late May, and Communist reconnaissance raiders landed on
Chinmen Island near southern Fukien in early July.
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TOP .1
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
5.
3.3(
6. Negotiations for Romulo's withdrawal from Philippine campaign reported:
h)(2)
3.3(h)
Comment: Most of Romulo's support has been
drawn from the Magsaysay camp. His only chance of winning the presi-
dency has appeared to lie in the possibility that Quirino might be forced
to forego the Liberal candidacy for reasons of health, thus opening the
way for Romulo to head a Liberal-Democratic coalition. Reports that
Quirino's health has improved may have led Romulo to seek an arrange-
ment with Magsaysay.
5
(2)
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NEAR EAST - AFRICA
EASTERN EUROPE
8. Hungarian party members discouraged and disunited:
Rank and file members of the Hungarian
Workers' Party remain discouraged, dis-
united and frightened in spite of party leader
Rakosi's speech on 11 Ally, in the opinion of
the American legation in Budapest. Rakosi did not convince them that
he still is in control of the party or abate their misgivings about the
government's "new economic policy."
3.3(h)(2)
The legation believes that the program pro-
claimed by Premier Nagy and modified by Rakosi has failed to achieve
its psychological objective of persuading workers and peasants to co-
operate with the government. Instead, the speech convinced the already
skeptical Hungarians that the policy is a temporary expedient at best
and probably a complete deception.
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WESTERN EUROPE �
9. Comment on proposed East German wage increase:
The proposal by the East German trade unions
and Socialist Unity Party to increase the wages of lower-paid employees
in most industries and reinstate premiums for Sunday work is probably
intended to appease the population by bringing about real benefits for the
lower category workers. The new concession, however, can be expected
to go no further than other economic reforms in satisfying the demands
of the people, which have gone beyond the economic sphere in demanding
political change.
In granting so widespread a pay increase, the
East German government runs the danger of a resultant rise in prices,
which would be a further cause of popular discontent.
10. Food bazaars for East Berliners opposed by Western officials:
Both Vice Chancellor Bluecher and Allied
officials in West Germany fear that expanding
the food bazaar project begun on 14 June by a
West Berlin borough president might bring
prompt Soviet retaliation. Bluecher was re-
portedly cool to a plan of West Berlin mayor
Reuter whereby every resident in the Soviet
sector would receive a coupon entitling the
holder to purchase a small quantity of food at an even exchange of
east and west marks. The vice chancellor was inclined to leave such
relief efforts to charitable organizations.
Both the French and British, Berlin comman-
dants fear that the bazaars might become trouble centers, thus pro-
viding a pretext for reprisals. American officials comment, however,
that food distribution on a small scale would not be likely to bring
Soviet reprisals, and that the original bazaar should be maintained.
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