CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1954/11/20

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03017656
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: August 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: August 30, 2019
• Publication Date: November 20, 1954

700z.#70R.,:
AN111.6
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20 November 1954
Copy No. 80
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO, 2/
NO CHANGE IN CLASS.
n DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE. EaLo
AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE: 7/I icg_a REVIEWER:
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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SUMMARY
GENERAL
1. Soviet official says Paris agreements ratification will leave
nothing to negotiate (page 3).
SOUTHEAST ASIA
2. Comment on prolonged Laotian political crisis (page 3).
3. Cambodian accuses French of undermining US position (page 4).
SOUTH ASIA
4. Comment on reports of imminent changes in Nehru's cabinet
(page 5).
rF
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Noor
GENERAL
1. Soviet official says Paris agreements ratification will leave
nothing to negotiate:
Soviet
deputy foreign minister Zorin recently
said to gravely and
pointedly: "What will there be to nego-
tiate after ratification of the Paris agreements?" He added,
"There will be nothing to negotiate then."
Zorin charged that the Western powers
did not want to negotiate either an Austrian or a German solution
because negotiations would "disturb their plans."
Comment: Statements of this kind by
officials are designed to bolster open Soviet propaganda, which
has consistently emphasized how difficult negotiation on European
questions would be after ratification of the Paris agreements,
but which has carefully avoided excluding future negotiations.
Soviet propaganda has said repeatedly that ratification would
prevent German unification "for many years." The most recent
Soviet note said ratification would "complicate" the European
situation and "undermine" the possibility of settling European
problems, particularly Germany.
At the Moscow reception on 7 November,
after a discussion with the French ambassador on the Paris agree-
ments, IChrushchev asserted: "There is nothing to be done."
Malenkov replied: "There is always something to be done."
SOUTHEAST ASIA
. Comment on prolonged Laotian political crisis:
The redesignation of ICatay Sasorith,
former Laotian finance minister, to form
a new cabinet is not likely to bring an
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,0004....) %DEA�. IN.E. 1
end to the political crisis in Laos, which
is already of record length. Meanwhile,
the government is prevented from taking
adequate steps to counter Viet Minh
infiltration and subversion.
The crisis had its origin in dissatis-
faction with the Geneva settlement; it came into the open with the
assassination of the defense minister on 18 September. Premier
Souvanna Phouma's government resigned on 19 October.
The prolongation of the crisis results
from a roughly even balance in the assembly between the old
guard, who have been associated with the French for a long
period, and the younger members, who are impatient with any
delay in cutting down French influence. To be installed in office,
a cabinet must have a two-thirds vote in the assembly.
Katay, who failed in an earlier attempt
to form a cabinet, represents the younger group. Although an
anti-Communist of long standing, he shares the view of most
Laotian leaders that the Pathet Lao are "not really Communists."
The American embassy in Vientiane
believes that the only solution to the crisis may be for Crown
Prince Savang to draft a cabinet. So far the crown prince has
been reluctant to stretch his constitutional powers in this manner.
3. Cambodian accuses French of undermining US position:
Ouk Chhoum, chief aide to the Cam-
bodian defense minister, told an Ameri-
can official in Phnom Penh on 17 Novem-
ber that the Cambodian desire for Amer-
ican mi itary training is being frustrated by vigorous French
efforts to persuade the Cambodians to turn down the offer of an
American training mission. He said the French have threatened
to withdraw all military support, and have argued that the United
States cannot be counted on in a pinch and that the introduction
of American personnel would be frowned on by the International
Control Commission and the "neutral" countries.
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Comment: Reverses suffered by the
French in Vietnam have caused them to attach particular impor-
tance to retaining Cambodia as their sphere of influence. Al-
though virtually independent, Cambodia is still subject to French
pressure owing to French control of Cambodia's trade outlet
through Saigon and of Indochina's foreign exchange and central
banking.
The Cambodians are presumably eager
to derive maximum advantage from French-American competi-
tion for Cambodia's co-operation.
The American offer of a training mission
to Cambodia has been made contingent on an understanding that
French training personnel will be phased out.
SOUTH ASIA
4. Comment on reports of imminent changes in Nehru's cabinet:
Indian prime minister Nehru intends to
reshuffle his cabinet soon, according to
several press and other sources. Among
the changes anticipated are Nehru's resig-
nation as defense minister, a shift of K. N.
Katju from the Home Ministry to the
Defense Ministry and his replacement in
the Home Ministry by G. V. Pant, and
appointment a C. Subramaniam to the Food Ministry. V. K.
Krishna Menon has been mentioned for both the Foreign and De-
fense Ministries.
Except for Krishna Menon--whose ap-
pointment is believed unlikely�the men reported due to be named
to new cabinet posts are conservatives.
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