CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1957/03/09

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03150411
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2019
• Document Release Date: December 20, 2019
• Publication Date: March 9, 1957

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CURRENT
INTELLIGENCE
BULLETIN
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9 March 1957
Copy No. 131
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OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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CONTENT S
g1. COMMENT ON ISRAELI INTENTION TO FORCE PASSAGE
THROUGH GULF OF AQABA (page 3).
INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT FEARS BORNEO WILL REVOLT
(page 5).
3. TENSION RISING IN HUNGARY ON EVE OF 15 MARCH
(page 6).
/1/4. GOMULICA WARNS POLISH PRESS TO END ANTI-STALINIST
CAMPAIGN (page 7).
5. GHANA OFFICIAL SUGGESTS RELATIONS MAY BE ESTAB-
LISHED WITH SOVIET BLOC (page 8).
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1. COMMENT ON ISRAELI INTENTION TO FORCE PASSAGE
THROUGH ABA
Beirut
informed Cairo that Israel planned to attack Egypt if Cairo at-
tempted to obstruct passage of Israeli ships through the Gulf
of Aqaba. (See Item 1, CIB, 8 March 1957.)
This report is in general accord with the
statement of Israeli foreign minister Meir on 5 March to UN
secretary general Hammarskjold to the effect that Israel
"next week" would exercise the right to pass shipping through
the Straits of Tiran. Mrs. Meir stated that Israeli naval ves-
sels would be used "if necessary" in this undertaking. Prime
Minister Ben-Gurion on 6 March informed the Israeli parlia-
ment he would use force to protect Israeli "rights" in the Gull
of Aqaba.
The principal channel for shipping through
the nine-mile wide entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba is Enterprise
Passage, a 4,600 foot wide deepwater channel adjacent to the
Egyptian coast. (See map, p.4.) There is a second narrower
and shallower entrance, Grafton Passage, just to the east of
Enterprise Passage. The Israelis have destroyed the Egyptian
gun positions commanding the entrance to the gull, leaving
Egypt no immediate local capability for opposing the passage
of Israeli shipping from the shore. Egypt has one frigate and
about eight motor torpedo boats in the Red Sea area, and the
Gulf of Aqaba is within range of Egypt's 35 IL-28 jet light bomb-
ers. Nevertheless, Israel's air power as well as its naval
strength in the gulf�two frigates and two armed launches--is
sufficient to cover passage through the gulf.
It is probable that Israel will attempt to
send its ships through the Straits of Tiran and support their
passage with force of arms if necessary in the near future.
Egypt will certainly react with protests to any Israeli attempt
to force the straits and may use force. An important deter-
rent factor to the use of force by Cairo is the presence of UNEF
units at Sharm el-Shaikh,
The political posture of Britain and espe-
cially France strongly suggests that they would give IsraA at
9 Mar 57
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least moral support in such action. Since the Israelis have
demonstrated their ability to cope with Egypt militarily with-
out outside assistance, it seems doubtful that direct military
assistance is viewed as neress2ry at this stage.
PROFILE OF STRAIT OF TIRAN
ENTERPRISE PASSAGE GRAFTON PASSAGE REEFS AND SHALLOWS WITH
950 FEET DEEP 300 FEET DEEP SINGLE CHANNEL
54 FEET DEEP SAUDI
EGYPT I TIRAN SLAND ARABIA
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9 MARCH 1957
9 Mar 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin
70308-2
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vi4
2. INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT FEARS BORNEO
WILL REVOLT
Indonesian officials in Djakarta are re-
ported highly apprehensive that Borneo
will join in the spreading revolt against
the central government. They are par-
ticularly concerned over a reunion of army veterans in
Borneo which opened 5 March in defiance of an army ban on
such meetings. In addition, the South Borneo governor, who
returned from Djakarta just prior to the conference,carried
the news that the central government had promised only a
part of the $40,000,000 special reconstruction budget which
the province had demanded. The American army attache
comments that these developments are typical of those which
preceded the emergence of autonomy movements in Sumatra
and East Indonesia.
Representatives from Atjeh in North
Sumatra and from the disaffected Central Sumatran province
as well as local officers and civil leaders were reported
present at the veterans' reunion.
Comment Borneo is the only major area outside
Java still accepting direction from
Djakarta. There have been growing indications that Borneo,
like Sumatra and East Indonesia, wants greater local self-
government and a greater share of the central government's
expenditures.
Central Sumatran military leaders have
been in touch with Borneo officials within the past month and
reportedly are trying to effect unity among all Indonesian ele-
ments opposed to the Ali cabinet and to President Sukarno's
"concept!'
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4414 fl)NFIDENTTAL
3� TENSION RISING IN HUNGARY ON EVE OF 15 MARCH
With the approach of Hungary's national
independence day, 15 March, Premier
ICad.ar is showing extreme nervousness
and making urgent efforts to assure calm.
The American legation in Budapest makes the "highly tenta-
tive" estimate that there may be sporadic outbreaks of vio-
lence but no widespread fighting in Budapest, and that popu-
lar hatred will probably be expressed in some form of silent
demonstration. �
There reportedly has been a sharp build-
up in Budapest of Soviet and Hungarian forces. The security
forces are jumpy and could become trigger happy, according
to the legation. Popular hostility toward the regime is ex-
pressed in a variety of ways, such as work slowdowns and
"ostensible stupidity" of students taking Russian language
courses. Incidents of violence continue to be reported in
Budapest and in widely separated parts of Hungary.
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Noe' vie
4. GOMULKA WARNS POLISH PRESS TO END ANTI-
STALINIST CAMPAIGN
campaign,
During a recent conference with the
editorial staffs of two leading Polish
intellectual journals, Gomulka de-
manded an end to their anti-Stalinist
Gomulka told the editors that Moscow
would be at his throat if their press campaign continued.
Gomulka has become nervous and dicta-
torial in recent weeks, and during conferences does not
permit the opposition to voice contrary views.
Gomulka feels his program is threatened
chiefly by the radical ideas of the intelligentsia. He believes
he can swing the Stalinist Natolin group to his point of view
and keep them in line through appeasement. Gomulka plans
to maintain good relations with Cardinal W szynski and the
Catholic hierarchy, and the peasants.
Comment On 24 February one of these journals pub-
lished an article as strongly anti-Stalinist
as any recently seen in Poland. It is not clear whether it was
written after Gomulkais admonition, and therefore in defiance
of him.
Gomulka has already removed the editors
of Zycie Warszawy and Trvbuna Ludu, the principal govern-
ment and party papers. On 27 February he criticized all of
the press for antisocialist leanings.
In his attempts to appease the Natolins, who
are not likely to come over to his point of view, Gomulka might
undermine his popular support.
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5. GHANA OFFICIAL SUGGESTS RELATIONS MAY BE
ESTABLISHED WITH SOVIET BLOC
Ghana's secretary general of external
affairs told a group which included Amer-
ican officials on 5 March that his coun-
try may find it necessary to establish
diplomatic relations with members of the Soviet bloc, al-
though no final decision has yet been made. Prime Minister
Nkrumah added that firm decisions have been taken only on
establishing diplomatic relations with the United States,
Britain, France and Liberia. Nkrumah stated that Ghana's
policy will be "noninvolvement and nonalignment in the East-
West struggle" but that Ghana "will protect its independence
and resist domination!'
Comment The USSR has recently increased its
purchase of cocoa, which accounts for
over 60 percent of Ghana's foreign exchange earnings. TASS
has already reported a Soviet invitation for Ghana parlia-
mentary groups to visit the USSR.
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