CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/09/30

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03000963
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: September 30, 1955

Approved for Release: 2019/09/16
7/713/747A
WOZI/OrM4
3.3(h)(2)
3.5(c) /4
/
30 September 1955
Copy No. 99
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO es
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NO CHANGE IN CLASS.
n DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE- 2 0/C
AUTH: HR 70-2 401
DATE:a so REVIEWER:
)fr
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
TOP SECRET
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CONTENTS
1. GREEK KING PLANS TO REPLACE PRIME
MINISTER PAPAGOS (page 3).
2. EGYPT REPORTED PROMOTING SYRIAN AND
LEBANESE PURCHASES OF SOVIET ARMS (page 4).
3. EGYPT REQUESTS COAL FROM COMMUNIST CHINA
(page 5).
4. BONN'S DEFENSE BUDGET INDICATES REARMAMENT
SLOWER THAN PLANNED (page 6).
30 Sept 55
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1. GREEK KING PLANS TO REPLACE PRIME
MINISTER PAPAGOS
King Paul is insisting on the ap-
pointment of a new prime minis-
ter to replace ailing Marshal
Papagos,
The king suggests that
if Papagos refuses to resign and name a successor,
the cabinet should resign and propose a new prime
minister or permit the king to choose one.
Minister of Public Works Con-
stantine Karamanlis believes Papagos will nominate
Foreign Minister Stephanopoulos to head a caretaker
government.
Comment Any new government sponsored
by the Rally is unlikely to gain
popular support or reverse the trend of Greek public
opinion toward neutralism. The king apparently
hopes elections can be avoided until popular passions
arising from the Cyprus issue have subsided and un-
til ICaramanlis can create a strong center party capa-
ble of being elected.
30 Sept 55
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2. EGYPT REPORTED PROMOTING SYRIAN AND
LEBANESE PURCHASES OF SOVIET ARMS
Soviet Union,
The Egyptian military attache
in Damascus has recently ap-
proached military officials in
Syria and Lebanon regarding
the purchase of arms from the
according
to the American army attache.
Comment Egypt's interest in obtaining
military equipment for Syria
and Lebanon would be in line with its desire to main-
tain its leadership in the Arab world.
the Saudis have sought Egypt's aid in ob-
taining arms in Europe.
Press reports indicate that an
Egyptian delegation is to spend three days in Syria
on its way to Prague to discuss arms for Egypt.
One of the delegates mentioned has headed economic
missions to Eastern Europe and Moscow.
30 Sept 55
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A I
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3. EGYPT REQUESTS COAL FROM COMMUNIST CHINA
The closer economic contacts with
China recently reflected in the purchase of Chinese
steel reinforcing rods are an outgrowth of last April's
Bandung conference, where Chou En-lai and Premier
Nasr indicated an interest in the development of further
contacts between their countries. (Concurred in by ORR)
30 Sept 55
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4, BONN'S DEFENSE BUDGET INDICATES REARMAMENT
SLOWER THAN PLANNED
Despite Chancellor Adenauer's recent
public statement in support of rapid
rearmament, the position of his gov-
ernment on defense expenditures makes
it ppear that the prospective build-up will be slow, ac-
cording to Ambassador Conant. On 28 September the
Bonn Foreign Ministry notified the American embassy
that the government intends to spend approximately 2. 3
billion dollars annually on the new army and that this
sum will probably not be increased until after the 1957
federal elections.
Conant observes that such a program
would leave a large gap between Bonn's total defense bill
and the outlays necessary for the planned three-year build,
up.
Comment Discussions sn the rate and magni-
tude of German rearmament are now
being held in Bonn and in Paris in connection with the
NATO annual review. Bonn's Defense Ministry, with
Adenauer's ostensible support, strongly advocates a
three-year build-up. The chancellor, however, has
not opposed the actions of the Finance Ministry, which
is intent on stretching out the build-up period to five or
six years so as to keep defense expenditures low.
Bonn's contemplated expenditures are
less proportionately than the defense expenditures of other
major NATO countries.
30 Sept 55
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TnP .c1rTRET
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