CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1957/04/18

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Keywords: 2018 Sanitization
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03148915
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2019
• Document Release Date: December 20, 2019
• Publication Date: April 18, 1957

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Approved for Release: 2019/12/04
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18 April 1957
Copy No 134
3.5(c)
3.3(h)(2)
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANGE IN CI A33
-Ut..CLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE:
AAUT11141-_P7A'. 9
D la EWER:
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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CONTENTS
1. THE SITUATION IN JO AN
(page 3
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01 2._SOVIET LEADERS CALL FOR NEW ERA OF COEXISTENCE
(page 5).
HNA MENON NAMED n'EFENSE MINISTER IN NEW
INDIAN CABINET (page 6).
18 Apr 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 2
SECRET
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1, THE SITUATION IN JO IAN
Comment on:
Hussain's control in the city of Amman
is assured by the presence of three loyal
Bedouin regiments which are reportedly
eager to crack down on demonstrations
against the king. According to the Israeli
press on 17 April, additional Jordanian
troops are being moved into West Jordan,
center of the anti-Western majority of
Jordan's population. Such action could be
a precursor to a larger-scale roundup of
leftist leaders. While calmness prevails
in West Jordan for the moment, strong
Baath party and Communist groups are dis-
pleased with their exclusion from the cab-
inet. They are reported uncertain as to
future action as a consequence of the speed
and surprise of Hussain's coup.
The king's most important immediate prob-
lem continues to be to gain and hold control
over the army, and he is concentrating ef-
forts on selection and appointment of loyal
officers. Further changes in top command
posts may therefore be in the offing.
about 40
pro-Nuwar officers have submitted their
resignations and are being retired.
about 250 ar-
my officers had decided to submit resigna-
tions on 17 April if the king would accept them. This action was
to have taken place after a meeting on the morning of 17 April.
About 100 Bedouin officers retired by Nuwar last year are avail-
able as replacements.
The Egyptian minister of war and commander
of the Arab Joint Command, General Amer, meanwhile, is re-
ported to have arrived in Damascus on 16 April--probably in
18 Apr 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 3
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connection with developments in Jordan as well as to attend
the Syrian celebrations on 17 April commemorating the with-
drawal of foreign forces in 1946. Hussain has been warned
by supporters in Lebanon and Iraq to be alert against possible
Syrian troop movements. Iraq, which is now concentrating a
4,000-man brigade at H-3 pumping station near the Jordanian
border, is reported planning to send a full division supported
by tanks to H-3 next week.
18 Apr 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 4
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2. SOVIET LEADERS CALL FOR NEW ERA
OF COEXISTENCE
Comment on:
oviet leaders chose the visit to Moscow
f an Albanian government-party delega-
ion as the occasion for conciliatory
peeches intended to reinforce the series
f diplomatic and propaganda moves dur-
ing the past month designed to restore Soviet international
prestige, Khrushchev, Bulganin and Suslov made a special
attempt to push events in Hungary and the Middle East per-
manently into the background and called for a new start in
improving relations between all countries. Bulganin de-
scribed his recent letters to Norway, Denmark and West
Germany as efforts to improve relations with those countries.
In sharp contrast to the accusations against
Tito made at the Soviet-Hungarian friendship meeting in mid-
March, the Soviet leaders made a bid for better relations with
Yugoslavia. Using Belgrade's own formula, Khrushchev as-
serted that attention should be concentrated not on differences
but on "what brings the peoples of our two countries together
in their struggle for socialism:' Khrushchev called particu-
larly for an improvement in Albanian-Yugoslav relations.
Although these remarks suggest that Moscow
has decided to be more restrained in its relations with Belgrade, it
is clear that it does not intend to retreat from the basic tenets
objectionable to the Yugoslays. For example, Khrushchev ex-
tolled the concept of the "socialist camp" as the only one which
expresses correct relations between Communist countries, and
Suslov said there could be no "basically different roads to so-
cialism:' He condemned the theory of "national Communism"
which he said was being used by "certain theoreticians who
describe themselves as Marxists and Communists!'
18 Apr 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 5
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3. KRISHNA MENON NAMED DEFENSE MINISTER IN NEW
INDIAN CABINET
Comment on:
Prime Minister Nehru's appointment of
V. K. Krishna Menon as minister of
defense in the reshuffled Indian cabinet
announced on 17 April will curtail his
activities as an international mediator.
It is not likely, however, to impair Menon's position as an
influential adviser to Nehru, who has retained the foreign
affairs portfolio. Menon, who was a minister without port-
folio in the pre-election cabinet, has been strongly opposed
by several leading cabinet members and officials. He will
now speak from a position of greater official authority. He
may continue to act occasionally as Nehru's personal envoy,
particularly in connection with deliberations on the Kashmir
case.
The new cabinet is composed almost en-
tirely of those ministers in the old cabinet who have demon-
strated their ability. A notable new member is S. K. Patil,
Congress Party leader from Bombay, who has been named
minister of irrigation and power. The appointment of Path,
who led the successful campaign against the Communist Party
in Andhra in 1955, appears to be a reward for his recent cam-
paign effort to assure Menon's election to parliament from
Bombay.
18 Apr 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 6
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