CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/10/25

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03002337
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: October 25, 1955

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25 October 1955
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
00CUIvtENT NO. 46 /
NO :CHANGE IN CLASS.
Cl DECLASSIVIEO
CLASS. CHANGED To: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE: E 0/0 -
AUT44: Hfl70-2rSP\
DATE41- -t40 REVIEWER:
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
�TOT' SEC
3.5(c)
3.3(h)(2
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CONTENTS
I. SOVIET UNION AND YEMEN MAY ESTABLISH
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS (page 3).
2. EGYPT AND SAUDI ARABIA CONCLUDE DEFENSE
AGREEMENT (page 5).
3. BULGANIN AND KHRUSHCHEV REPORTEDLY SEEK
INVITATION TO VISIT EGYPT (page 6),
4. CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND AFGHANISTAN IMPLEMENT
THEIR ARMS DEAL (page, 7).
5. MOLOTOV VOICES OPTIMISM ABOUT GENEVA
CONFERENCE (page 8).
6, THE SAAR REFERENDUM (page 9).
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1, SOVIET UNION AND YEMEN MAY ESTABLISH
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
A Soviet delegation is expected in
Taiz soon to discuss the establish-
ment of a diplomatic mission in
Yemen, according to the Yemeni
representative in Aden. He said the Imam of Yemen,
motivated by anti-British feeling and inspired by the
Egyptian example, probably will seek arms from the
USSR.
The American consul in Aden com-
ments that Yemeni permission for the opening of a
Soviet mission would be in marked contrast to the gov-
ernment's attitude toward Italian and French requests
for permission to open legations, which have been ig-
nored for months.
Comment The Imam instructed his deputy for-
eign minister in Cairo
to confer with the Yemeni ambassador on the speedy con-
clusion of "the treaty with Russia," which apparently re-
ferred to a renewal of the Soviet-Yemeni treaty of friend-
ship and commerce of 1928. The deputy foreign minister
was also to contact the Soviet ambassador to find out
whether the USSR could supply Yemen with various kinds
of arms, as Imam Ahmad had been informed Moscow was
prepared to do "unconditionally."
In addition the deputy foreign minis-
ter was to approach the Czech minister with regard to a
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CYPRUS
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treaty of friendship so that Yemen could obtain as many
armored cars, medium tanks, and antiaircraft and anti-
tank guns as possible.
Some of the arms acquired by Yemen
from the Soviet bloc might be supplied to dissident tribes-
men in neighboring Aden to be used against the British.
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2. EGYPT AND SAUDI ARABIA CONCLUDE DEFENSE
AGREEMENT
Comment By this agreement with Saudi Arabia
and the military pact with Syria, Egypt
is putting into effect its plan for extending its hegemony in
the Arab world and increasing the isolation of pro-Western
Iraq.
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Note Noir'
3. BULGANIN AND KHRUSHCHEV REPORTEDLY SEEK
INVITATION TO VISIT EGYPT
Soviet ambassador Solod has informed
Egyptian premier Nasr that Prime
Minister Bulganin and First Secretary
Khrushchev would welcome an invitation
o visit Egypt on their return from India in November,
Nasr reportedly will extend
the invitation.
Comment The Egyptians would probably welcome
a visit by Khrushchev and Bulganin as
likely to increase Egyptian prestige in the Middle East.
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4. CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND AFGHANISTAN IMPLEMENT
THEIR ARMS DEAL
Afghanistan has accepted an invitation
..to send a military mission to tour
Czech arms factories in the near future,
according to a Radio Kabul broadcast
of 20 October. The American army
ftttache in Kabul believes the delega-
tion will probably number from 10 to
12 Afghan officers.
two Czech arms experts from
the Skoda works arrived in the capital in
mid-October.
Comment Afghanistan negotiated a $3,000,000 cash
arms deal with Czechoslovakia in August
1955. The Afghan military mission to Czechoslovakia and
the Czech experts in Kabul are probably concerned with the
inspection and delivery of these arms.
Afghanistan's regular military forces
number about 60,000 troops, with only a small supply of
antiquated equipment. Most of the $3,000,000 purchase will
probably be small arms. In view of the tension with Pakistan,
however, Kabul would probably also be interested in other
deals covering heavier equipment if sufficiently attractive
offers were made.
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5. MOLOTOV VOICES OPTIMISM ABOUT GENEVA
CONFERENCE
Soviet foreign minister Molotov, in
a talk with French ambassador Joxe
on 21 October, made a show of opti-
mism regarding the forthcoming Big
Four foreign ministers' conference and said that recent
statements of the American position augured well for the
outcome of the conference. He indicated he was willing
to remain in Geneva a long time
Molotov emphasized the importance
of East-West contacts and gave Joxe the impression he
expects a good portion of the conference to be devoted
to this issue. He said the USSR attached the greatest
importance to an effective security system. He felt that
this problem could not be solved at Geneva, but that
progress on it was possible there. He also felt that po-
sitions on disarmament were drawing closer.
Comment Recent Soviet propaganda has been
optimistic about the prospects for
progress on disarmament and on East-West contacts.
Soviet propaganda and statements by high Soviet officials
have denied, however, the possibility of agreements on
German unification or on European security if the West
continues to link that question to German unity.
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NAMW'
6� THE SAAR REFERENDUM
The 2 to 1 margin of victory by the
pro-German forces in the 23 October
Saar referendum has been followed
by the resignation of pro-French Saar
premier Johannes Hoffmann and his cabinet. However,
Hoffmann and the cabinet presumably remain in a care-
taker status, since the Saar constitution makes no provi-
sion for the resignation of the premier in the absence of
a no-confidence vote by the Landtag, which is not in ses-
sion
The Faure government will probably
wait until the initial wave of French press and parliamen-
tary bitterness has subsided before entering any new nego-
tiations with West Germany over the status of the Saar.
France has little chance of reimposing its control.
Bonn is expected to propose that, pend-
ing such negotiations, the area remain temporarily under
jurisdiction of the Western European Union. The British
would probably support such a move. The WEU supervisory
commission was originally to remain in the Saar only to ver-
ify the vote. Its jurisdiction seems sufficiently vague, how-
ever, to permit it to act in emergencies, and for the imme-
diate present, Paris would probably be relieved to have WEU
assume such a responsibility.
Pro-German elements are not represented
in the present Landtag and will probably redouble nressure
for new elections.
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