CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/11/20

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03019090
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: November 20, 1955

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20 November 1955 3.5(c)
Copy No. 100
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO 7
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Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
TOP SECRET
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CONTENTS
BURMESE CABINET CRITICAL OF U NU'S BEHAVIOR
IN USSR (page 3).
* * * *
THE ARAB-ISRAELI SITUATION
(page 4)
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BURMESE CABINET CRITICAL OF U NU'S BEHAVIOR
IN USSR
Prime Minister U Nu has been
twitted unmercifully by his cabi-
net on his actions in Russia, ac-
cording to U Win, the Burmese
ambassador-designate to the United States. The prime
minister became quite annoyed when several cabinet
members accused him of returning "thoroughly in-
doctrinated."
U Nu asserted that his invitation to
Bulganin to attend the next Asian-African conference
arose from a remark he made that most of the Soviet
officials at a dinner he attended looked more Asian
than European. He said the invitation was never in-
tended to be taken seriously.
Several cabinet members protested
his inviting numerous Soviet technicians to Burma. U
Win remarked to the American ambassador that, in view
of the cabinet opposition, he did not believe the United
States need worry about many actually being invited.
Comment The cabinet's treatment of U Nu can-
not be considered indicative of a firm
stand against U Nu's professed interest in Soviet economic
and technical assistance. Although some members may
question the wisdom of closer ties with the USSR, it is
doubtful that they would seriously oppose any plans of the
popular prime minister.
Moscow probably is prepared fully
to exploit Burma's desire for closer trade relations.
Even those Burmese leaders who are suspicious of So-
viet intentions will welcome barter arrangements which
would materially assist in disposing of Burma's surplus
rice.
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THE ARAB-ISRAELI SITUATION
(Tnfnrmation as of 1700. 20 November)
\N'o significatt Military activity has been
reported. UN officials estimate that one Israeli brigade
has been withdrawn from the area between the El Auja de-
militarized zone and Beersheba, but that Israeli forces
around El Auja have not been reduced and are well dug in.
General Burns believes that the recent incidents on the
Jordanian-Israeli border, which have been attributed to
Egyptiarrtrained terrorists, may have been directed by
low level Egyptian military commands or possibly by the
Mufti of Jerusalem without the concurrence of Prime Min-
ister Nasr.
Saudi Arabia sent 10,000,000 Egyptian pounds ($28,800,000)
to Egypt on 10 November as the second installment of the
40,000,000 Egyptian pounds ($115,200,000) pledged by King
Saud as Saudi Arabia's contribution to the Czech arms
agreement.
The New York Times correspondent
in Cairo told an American embassy official on 17 November
that Saudi Arabia had accepted a Soviet arms offer but was
reluctant to announce it for fear that previously scheduled
deliveries of American arms might be suspended. There
is as yet no firm evidence that Saudi Arabia has concluded,
an arms deal directly with the USSR, but several reports
have indicated that the Saudis are negotiating with the USSR
for arms, and a Saudi mission has reportedly been sent to
Prague for that purpose.
The Syrian minister of defense and the
chief of staff have informed the American ambassador in
Damascus that although Czechoslovakia and the USSR have
offered arms, Syria has not signed and does not want to -
sign any arms agreement with the Soviet bloc. The defense
minister said Syria preferred to buy American arms. The
dhief of staff said that though he was under increasingly
strong pressure from leftist circles in the army to conclude
a deal with Czechoslovakia, he was determined not to do so,
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unless the United States rejected Syria's requests for
vehicles and antiaircraft guns. If the United States refused,
he said, he would have no alternative but to accept the
Soviet offer.
The Syrian statements to the American
ambassador may be aimed at setting the stage for a public
announcement to the effect that Syria is compelled to turn
to the Soviet bloc because the United States refuses to
furnish arms.
the Syrians are considering the purchase of
bloc arms, and, assisted by the Egyptians, may be near
concluding an arms deal with the Czechs.
Moscow has formally announced that
the USSR and Syria have agreed to raise their diplomatic
missions to the rank of embassies.
The American embassy in Beirut re-
ports a widespread belief in Lebanon and other Arab states
that the United States is reappraising its Middle East policy
and that some new announcement or proposal regarding the
Palestine problem is imminent.
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