CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/01/06

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02989040
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: January 6, 1955

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6 January 1955
Copy No.
79
3.5(c)
3.3(h)(2)
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANGE IN CLASS. I
CI DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE.. 0
AUTH: HR 70-2 �
DATE: s3h/c9CL REVIEWER:
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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SUMMARY
GENERAL
1. Comment on Peiping t stand on Asian-African conference (page 3).
2. Egypt plans anti-Communist program for Asian-African confer-
ence (page 3).
SOUTHEAST ASIA
3. Ouster of Thai army chief reported imminent (page 4).
4. Comment on Indonesian declaration of state of emergency in
South Moluccas (page 4).
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
5. Split between Shah and Iranian prime minister widens (page 5).
6. Comment on Sudanese political developments (page 7).
EASTERN EUROPE
7. Yugoslav-Chinese Communist relations to be established this
month (page 8).
LATIN AMERICA
8. Nicaraguan opposition reported planning revolt (page 8
* * * *
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6 Jan 55 CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN Page 2
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GENERAL
1. Comment on Peiping stand on Asian-African conference:
Communist China seems to be moving
to seize the initiative at the Asian-
African conference scheduled to be
held at Bandung next April. Chinese
Communist spokesmen in the past two
days have presented Peiping as an
authoritative voice on what they claim
to be the conference's principal subject--anticolonialism.
Peiping is attempting to define the pur-
pose of the meeting as "enlarging the peace area." The Chinese
Communists will almost certainly try to use the sessions to ex-
tend their diplomatic and economic relations.
Communist China also is attempting to
Isolate the United States by accusing it of being opposed to the
conference. This charge has been echoed in the Orbit and Indian
press.
The American embassy at New Delhi
believes that Nehru can be counted on to resist Chinese efforts
to dominate the meetings. Several other prospective partici-
pants are also expected to resist Peiping 's bid for leadership.
2. Egypt plans anti-Communist program for Asian-African confer-
ence:
Egyptian foreign minister Fawzi told
Ambassador Caffery on 4 January that
Cairo believes it will be able to line up
ten other countries for an anti-Communist
program at theAsian-African conference. Fawzi said this pro-
gram would attempt to (1) silence any talk about a third bloc, (2)
influence Indonesia and Nehru away from the Communists, (3) give
the conference a "good push" toward Western thinking, and (4)
avoid any semblance of recognition of Communist China.
6 Jan 55
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
3. Ouster of Thai army chief reported imminent:
General Sarit will soon be eased out of
his job as commander in chief of the
Thai army,
He is said to
ye no remaining power and will be replaced by the commander
of the Bangkok garrison, General Thanom.
Sarit alerted the army on 25 December
allegedly because he was afraid of a group of young army officers
who were reported planning to oust him after having heard rumors
of his drunken misconduct at a dinner party for Admiral Radford.
Army officers have long been embittered over Sarit's drunken-
ness and his failure to keep promotion promises.
Comment: Sarit, Premier Phibun and
Police Director General Phao have long been considered the three
most powerful figures in Thailand. In recent months, however, Sarit
has rapidly lost ground to the more dynamic Phao.
It is by no means certain that Sarit's strong
following in the army has been seriously diminished. Should he be
ousted, his successor would have to move quickly to redress the
grievances of Sarit's erstwhile supporters if a serious threat to the
stability of the regime were to be avoided.
4. Comment on Indonesian declaration of state of emergency in South
Moluccas:
6 Jan 55
The declaration by the Indonesian govern-
ment on 5 January of a state of emergency
in the South Moluccas, a small group of
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islands in East Indonesia, points up Djakarta's difficulty in con-
solidating its authority over outlying non-Javanese areas (see
map, p.6). Since early December government spokesmen have
made several vague references to trouble in the area, at the same
time claiming that things were well in hand.
The self-styled "South Moluccan Republic,"
centered on Ambon Island, staged an unsuccessful military effort
for independence in 1950 and 1951, and is generally supported by
the 100,111_ Ambonese in the area who are anti-Javanese and pro=
Dutch. movement has never been entirely suppressed, and
Indonesian authorities consider it Dutch-supported.
Government forces are believed capable
of containing the dissidents. In view of recent statements by Pres-
ident Sukarno and high-ranking National Party leaders, however,
recommending the use of force to win Netherlands New Guinea,
the Indonesian government may use the Moluccan situation to jus-
tify increasing its clandestine military activity in New Guinea.
Indonesian infiltration parties have been apprehended there by
the Dutch during the past 18 months, most recently in October.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
5. Split between Shah and Iranian prime minister widens:
6 Jan 55
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Comment: Zahecli's position, which has
been deteriorating, will probably be further weakened by his ob-
jection to the Shah's discussion of additional American military aid
in view of the Shah's well-known interest in strengthening the Ira-
nian military establishment.
The Shah has been reported several
times to be planning to remove Zahedi after returning from the
United States, and these reported actions of the prime minister
are likely to confirm the Shah's determination to do so.
6. Comment on Sudanese political developments:
Premier Azharth pro-Egyptian govern-
ment may fall when the Sudanese parlia-
ment reconvenes in mid-February because
of an indicated realignment of political groups. A report from
Khartoum states that Sayid All Nfirghani, leader of the important
Khatmia Moslem sect, has "granted his patronage" to a new Repub-
lican Independence Party, open to all who favor independence for
the Sudan. This suggests that a union between pro-independence
elements of the governing National Unionist Party and the opposi-
tion Umma Party may be imminent.
Identification of Mirghani with Sudanese
independence would be a serious setback to Cairo's efforts to ob-
tain union of the two countries, since Azhari's Egyptian-sponsored
NAtional Unionist Party is dependent on the Khatmia for popular
support.
Under the terms of the Anglo-Egyptian
agreement on the future of the Sudan, the Sudanese are to choose
either complete independence or union with Egypt before 1957.
Mirghanib reported action considerably strengthens the Sudanese
independence movement.
6 Jan 55
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EASTERN ELTR,OPE
7. Yugoslav-Chinese Communist relations to be established this
month.:
Yugoslav ambassador Vidic in Moscow
told Ambassador Bohlen on 4 January
that Yugoslavia and Communist China
would exchange diplomatic representa-
ves in the near future, and in any event "this month." Vidic
emphatically stated that the Russians had not been intermediaries,
but that the negotiations had been conducted through informal ex-
changes directly between Chinese and Yugoslav officials. Al-
though Vidic did not reveal where they took place, Bohlen believes
it may well have been in Moscow.
Vidic reportedly expressed hope that
this development would not be misunderstood in the United States,
and emphasized it was an entirely logical consequence.
Comment: Yugoslavia has long favored
establishing relations with Communist China and announced recog-
nition of the Peiping regime several years ago. It has repeatedly
declared that Western recognition of the Peiping regime is the
best insurance against Soviet domination of Communist China. It
was previously reported that arrangements for Sino-Yugoslav dip-
lomatic relations might be completed in Rangoon, where Tito is
to arrive today.
Peiping's willingness to open diplomatic
relations with Yugoslavia at this time is almost certainly part of
the Orbit's efforts to improve relations with Belgrade. Moscow
may even have believed that the goal would be best advanced in
this instance by remaining in the background.
LATIN AMERICA
8. Nicaraguan opposition reported planning revolt:
6 Jan 55
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
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President
Somoza believes Conservative leader Emiliano Chamorro is plan-
ning an attack on the presidential palace, "using peons armed
�with machetes." Somoza has increased security precautions and
has moved his son, who is the armed forces chief of staff, into
his fortified residence.
Comment: Conservatives as well as
members of the former "Caribbean Legion" were recently found
guilty by a Nicaraguan court of complicity in the 3 Aprilaimassina-
don attempt against Somoza. The Nicaraguan president believes
the attempt was prepared with the aid of Costa Rican president
Figueres.
The National Guard, Nicaragua's only
armed force, which could probably suppress any attempted re-
volt, is believed loyal to Somoza.
6 Jan 55
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