CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1956/10/17

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03150402
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: October 25, 2019
• Document Release Date: October 31, 2019
• Publication Date: October 17, 1956

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011 CURRENT
7 INTELLIGENCE
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BULLETIN
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17 October 1956
Copy No. 2
DOCUMENT NO
NO CHANGE IN CLASS,
o DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S
NEXT REVIEW DATE.
AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE 9 ITLtee.??REVIEWER:
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
3.5(c)
3.3(h)(2)0044
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CONTENTS
1. EGYPTIAN-SYRIAN ATTITUDE TOWARD DEVELOP-
MENTS IN JORDAN ) (page 3).
2. NEW WEST GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER LIKELY TO
SLOW DOWN REARMAMENT (page 4)0
3. YUGOSLAV-ITALIAN COMMUNIST COMMUNIQUE
(page 5).
4. SOVIET PARTY PLENUM POSTPONED
5. BRITISH VIEWS ON HONG KONG SITUATION
(page 7).
6. CHOU MAKES NEW OVERTURE TO JAPANESE
) (page 8).
17 Oct 56
* * * *
THE ARAB-ISRAELI SITUATION
(page 9)
(page 6).
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1. EGYPTIAN-SYRIAN ATTITUDE TOWARD DEVELOPMENTS
IN JORDAN
Increasing Syrian nervousness over
Israeli intentions in Jordan
The
Syrians expected a new Israeli attack
on Jordan in the Jenin and Latrun sectors. Israeli troop con-
centrations were reported on a wide front opposite the portion
of West Jordan north of Jerusalem. The Jordanian command
was described as "shaky:'
The Soviet
has informed the Jordanian legation
that Israel is preparing a "big attack" on Jordan. Syrian
president Quwatli was confirmed this infor-
mation Soviet represent-
atives have previously supplied the Arab states with alarmist
reports.
Syria has decided to provide heavy arms
to Jordan immediately.
the Syrian chief of staff believed Egypt "had gone back on its
word" after agreeing to send arms aid to Jordan. Syria
planned to send 16 Sherman medium tanks immediately, and
a similar quantity later, together with six French 105-mm. guns.
Delivery of the heavy equipment began on 16 October.
Egypt has tried to play down the Israeli
threat to Jordan so that Arab attention would not be distracted
from the Suez Canal dispute.
17 Oct 56
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2. NEW WEST GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER LIKELY TO
SLOW DOWN REARMAMENT
The American embassy in Bonn ex-
pects a more national-minded approach
to West German defense planning and
less effort to meet NATO goals as a
result of the appointment of Franz Josef
Strauss as defense minister. Herbert
Blankenhorn, German representative to
NATO, told American officials in Paris
at it would be unrealistic to expect West
Germany's military build-up to accelerate until a review
of NATO strategy is completed.
While the embassy in Bonn believes
Strauss will attempt to conduct Defense Ministry policy
more independently of Chancellor Adenauer than his prede-
cessor, Theodor Blank Strauss, who believes that the
West German military build-up is proceeding too rapidly
for efficiency, has said a future re-examination may show
a 300,000-man army adequate for German;. He is one of -
the chief advocates of further consideration of modern and
atomic weapons for Germany.
Comment The appointment of Strauss, former
atomic affairs minister, is the most
important change made in the Bonn cabinet reshuffle of
16 October. Former defense minister Blank has long
been the target of West German criticism for his vigorous
efforts to accelerate West Germany's build-up. The West
German public already doubts the wisdom of rearmament
and will probably support Strauss in a cutback of military
spending.
Strauss has repeatedly defied or ignored
Adenauer with regard to atomic energy policy and has been
the principal stumbling block to German agreement on
EURATOM. On 12 October, however, Adenauer said that
the time may come when all European armies will receive
atomic weapons.
17 Oct 56
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3. YUGOSLAV-ITALIAN COMMUNIST COMMUNIQUE
Comment on:
The communiqu�igned at the conclu-
sion of Italian Communist deputy secre-
tary general Longo's visit to Yugoslavia
is the first statement of principles agreed
upon between Yugoslavia and a Western
European Commtmist party. In terms reminiscent of the
Soviet-Yugoslav party declaration in July, it emphasizes that
party relations will be developed on a basis of equality, non-
interference in internal affairs, mutual respect of differing
attitudes, and "comradely criticism!' It indicates that these
principles can be a pattern for party relations with other so-
cialist and progressive movements.
Longo singled out for special praise Yugo-
slavia's workers' council system, which he said could serve
as an example for Italian Communists and other workers' move-
ments because it "makes possible the creation of the most ef-
ficacious form of people's democracy." Polish and Hungarian
officials have already spoken favorably of the workers' coun-
cil system in Yugoslavia.
Moscow has made no public comment on
the visit of the Longo delegation. However, it has shown con-
cern over Yugoslav influence in Poland and Hungary and in
early September warned the Satellite parties not to look to
Belgrade as a model.
17 Oct 56
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4. SOVIET PARTY PLENUM POSTPONED
Comment on:
Postponement of the Soviet Communist
Party's central committee plenum,
originally scheduled for sometime in
October, may reflect uncertainty, fol-
lowing the recent talks with Tito, over the proper course
the Soviet Union should pursue vis-a-vis the Satellites.
Khrushchev informed Western newsmen of the postpone-
ment at a reception at the Afghan embassy on 15 October.
Khrushchev said that another plenum of the party's central
committee would be held this year but not within the next
month.
Tito has asserted that the Yugoslav posi-
tion remains unchanged as a result of the recent talks.
It is rumored that a meeting of the pre-
sidium of the central committee, with the addition of a few
other important central committee members, will take
place this month and the new policy could be decided upon
at that meeting.
17 Oct 56
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5. BRITISH VIEWS ON HONG KONG SITUATION
Despite the vigor of the Chinese Commu-
nist protests about the recent Hong Kong
riots, the British Colonial Office and
Foreign Office do not believe that Peiping
seeks an early change in the status of the
colony, according to the US embassy in
London.
London believes the so-called Triad
societies were primarily responsible for the riots, but
sees "no clear evidence" of Chinese Nationalist-Triad co-
ordination. The riots demonstrated Hong Kong's extreme
vulnerability to possible Communist-directed rbting and
sabotage which could in the future afford a pretext for Chi-
nese Communist intervention.
The Colonial Office plans to maintain its
opposition to renewed Communist pressure for official dip-
lomatic representation in Hong Kong.
Comment The British have long recognized the
vulnerability of Hong Kong. They ap-
parently do not believe that the riots have changed the
circumstances which have led the Communists to refrain
from seizing the colony in the past.
17 Oct 56
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6. CHOU MAKES NEW OVERTURE TO JAPANESE
Chou En-lai has told a Japanese
Socialist leader that Peiping intends
to open negotiations with Washington
for settlement of the Taiwan question
after the American elections,
Chou said once such negotiations are in prog-
ress, it will be impossible for Washington to raise further
objections if Tokyo agrees to discuss resumption of Sino-
Japanese relations.
Chou is said to have promised that the
Chinese would make "every effort" to open mainland markets
to the Japanese. He also gave assurances that Peiping would
encourage Japanese economic expansion in Southeast Asia
through the "13,000,000 Chinese merchants" in the area.
Comment Japanese Socialists as well as influen-
tial business interests are proponents
of "normalized" relations between Tokyo and Peiping, and
their efforts will be aided by Chou's statement. Chinese Com-
munist spokesmen have previously argued that since the Amer-
ican government is negotiating with Peiping at Geneva, there
is no reason why the Japanese government should not enter
into talks with the Chinese.
17 Oct 56
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THE ARAB-ISRAELI SITUATION
(Information as of 1700, 16 October)
UN truce supervisor Burns has advised the
UN secretary general that the entry of Iraqi troops into Jordan
would not contravene the terms of the armistice agreement and
that Israeli contentions to the contrary are not correct.
The British charg�n Tel Aviv reported to
�the American ambassador on 15 October that he had delivered
to the Israeli Foreign Ministry the text of assurances which Iraq
had given to Britain regarding movement of its troops. The
British charg�aid he was not allowed to divulge the contents
of the communication but he felt it would help clear the atmos-
phere in Israel.
A Syrian Foreign Ministry official has told
the American embassy that if Iraqi troops enter Jordan, Syrian
and probably Egyptian forces would also enter. He said that
Jordan had already made official requests of Syria, Egypt and
Iraq for military assistance. The American army attach�n
Damascus estimates the maximum Syrian contribution would be
one battalion of infantry plus a battalion composed of 12 tanks
and a company of armored cars which is presently available near
the Jordanian border on the main Amman-Damascus road.
A French Foreign Ministry official told the
American ambassador on 15 October that pro-Israeli sentiment
is so strong in the French assembly and with the French people
that Paris would probably be forced to support Israel if hostilities
should break out. He said that France had urged Britain to try to
delay the movement of Iraqi troops into Jordan until satisfactory
r c Iraqis.
The American embassy has been informed
by an Israeli Foreign Ministry official that the army has asked
the cabinet for more authority in selecting reprisal targets, for
17 Oct 56
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more time to prepare the strikes, and for more latitude in
method of operation. Lsraeli military officers feel that losses
have been considerably increased because of the government's
desire to avoid attacks on Arab civilians,
reports that the Israeli defense force has obviously changed its
mobilization procedure and that observation of military move-
ments has become more difficult. some move-
ment of tools and materials to north Israel was noted on 13-14
October. Israeli troop_ movements northward have also been
noted by the Arabs.
17 Oct 56
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