CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1957/05/04

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03150419
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2019
• Document Release Date: December 20, 2019
• Publication Date: May 4, 1957

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CURRENT
INTELLIGENCE
BULLETIN
3.3(h)(2)
4 May 1957 3.5(c)
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OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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CONTENTS
NI I UA CLAIMS RECAPTURE OF BORDER TOWN
FROM HONDURANS (page 3).
02. GREEK PRIME MINISTER AND MAICARIOS MAY REACH
COMPROMISE (page 4).
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3. URUGUAY SEEN SEEKING DIPLOMATIC RAPPROCHEMENT
WITH COMMUNIST CHINA (page 5).
JORDAN REPORTED CALIv page 6).
4 May 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 2
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1. NICARAGUA CLAIMS RECAPTURE OF BORDER
TOWN FROM HONDURANS
Patriotic fervor is running high in Nic-
aragua, and President Somoza proclaimed
before a cheering crowd late on 2 May that
Nicaraguan troops had recaptured the bor-
der town of Mocoron from the Honduran
force which had seized it the day before.
The American army attach�n Managua
believes that both President Somoza, and
his brother, chief of the armed forces
General Anastasio Somoza, are determined
to "settle forever" the dispute with Honduras.
In case of further Honduran attacks, they
plan an all-out air strike on Honduran air bases followed by a
ground invasion. They are confident of victory, and 2,000 troops
have already taken up positions on the border near where the
Inter-American Highw y crosses into Honduras. Ambassador
Whelan notes that numerous groups in Nicaragua, even some
political opponents of the regime, are united, with apparent
government backing, in rapidly developing public support for
a major military effort.
Unless further provoked by Honduras, how-
ever, Nicaragua will probably confine its military action to
ejecting any Honduran troops still found in that portion of the
disputed area which Nicaragua claims as indisputably its own.
The special fact-finding committee named by
the council of the Organization of American States after an emer-
gency session on 2 May is due to arrive in Honduras on 4 May.
4 May 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 3
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leare
2. GREEK PRIME MINISTER AND MAKARIOS MAY
REACH COMPROMISE
Greek prime minister Karamanlis and
foreign minister Averoff now seem to
have reason to believe that Archbishop
Makarios will relax his insistence on
enosis at this time in favor of independence for Cyprus, af-
ter a transitional period of self-government under Britain.
Karamanlis presumably has abandoned his recent intention
to call new elections in September if his government and
Archbishop Makarios failed to agree on a moderate joint
policy regarding Cyprus.
In spite of its recent insistence on parti-
tion of Cyprus, Turkey may eventually accept a compromise
such as Karamanlis and Makarios may be concluding, pro-
vided that treaty guarantees against enosis are included. How-
ever, the Turks will remain suspicious of Greek intentions,
and Averoff recently told the Turkish ambassador that any new
crisis in Greek-Turkish relations would result in a diplomatic
break.
4 May 57
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3. URUGUAY SEEN SEEKING DIPLOMATIC RAPPROCHEMENT
WITH COMMUNIST CHINA
The visit to Uruguay of a Chinese Commu-
nist trade mission, scheduled to arrive
soon, may be a step toward the establish-
ment of diplomatic relations between Monte-
The Chinese mission is expected to deal
directly with the Uruguayan national bank and reportedly hopes
to sign a payments agreement before 15 May.
Comment Uruguay's most influential politician, for-
mer president Luis Baffle Berres, re-
sponded to Chinese Communist overtures in early 1956 by say-
ing that the announced assignment of a trade representative to
Peiping could be a step toward exchanging ambassadors. He
said US trade policies were driving Latin American countries
into closer relations with the bloc. Although Uruguay is re-
strained to some extent by the unwillingness of other hem-
isphere countries to recognize Communist China, intensified
dissatisfaction in Montevideo with trade and financial relations
with the US could prompt a revival of this attitude.
Uruguay's pride in its traditional political
and economic independence was demonstrated by the announce-
ment on 3 May that asylum in Montevideo has been granted ex-
president Arbenz of Guatemala, who has lived in Europe since
his pro-Communist government was deposed in 1954.
4 May 57
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ioinuit.u.
4. JORDAN REPORTED CALM
Reference:
tmosphere has been prevail-
ing in Amman because of the festivities
marking the end of Ramadan. The cur-
few has been relaxed. Deputy Prime
Minister Rifai told Ambassador Mallory on 2 May that the
government planned to round up a number of Communists
in two villages in West Jordan.
Rifai stated that Saudi Arabia had de-
posited to Jordan's account the equivalent of $7,000,000; no
payments had been received from Egypt or Syria, and Rifai
said "none are expected!'
The deputy prime minister has indicated
serious concern over the maneuvers of Israeli naval craft in
the Gulf of Aqaba. Rifai claims that Israeli vessels recently
entered Jordanian and Saudi territorial waters, and warned that
if they did so again he "could not foretell the result!'
4 May 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 6
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