CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1957/09/19

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03190610
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2019
• Document Release Date: December 20, 2019
• Publication Date: September 19, 1957

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CURRENT
INTELLIGENCE
BULLETIN
3.5(c)
19 September 1957
Copy No. 131;
DOCUMENT NO.
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OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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CONTENTS
St-42.- 1. SYRIAN 77T CHIEF OF STAFF FEARS IMMINENT
ATTACK (page 3).
h_z 2. KING SAUD TO VISIT DAMASCUS
(page 4),
3. KING CALLS FOR NEW ELECTIONS IN THAILAND
(page 5).
("?--- 4. EGYPT MAY SEEK US-BLOCKED FUNDS THROUGH IMF
(page 6).
5. YUGOSLAVS FAVOR RUMANIAN PROPOSAL FOR BALKAN
STATES MEETING (page 7).
6. VIOLENCE LIKELY IN HAITI AS ELECTION NEARS
(page 8).
19 Sept 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 2
TOP SECRET
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1., SYRIAN ASSISTANT CHIEF OF STAFF FEARS
IMMINENT ATTACK
Syrian Assistant Chief of Staf f
"fears an imme-
diate attack from abroad." Nafuri
based his fear on reported Turkish and
Israeli troop concentrations, an increase of RAF strength on
Cyprus, and the movements of the United States Sixth Fleet
in the eastern Mediterranean. He said he believes the United
States is inciting the Israelis to attack Syria.
Comment These fears are characteristic of Syrian
thinking at this time. Syria seems anx-
ious to avoid any appearance of provocation to its neighbors,
and has neither mobilized nor declared a state of emergency in
spite of Nafuri's professed fears.
19 Sept 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 3
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2 KINC; RAPT) Tr) VISIT DAMASCUS.
King Saud reportedly will pay a one-
day visit to Damascus after a short
stay of possibly four or five days in
Switzerland beginning 19 September.
From Damascus he will fly directly to Riyadh.
Saud is also reported to be planning
a Sc o'er s a e visit to Lebanon, where he may confer
with a number of Arab chiefs of state.
omment Saud has been urged by some of his
advisers to visit Damascus in an at-
tempt to mediate between Syria and the United States. Saud
has indicated, however, that he deeply distrusts the pres-
ent ruling clique in Syria, and his visit might be intended as
a gesture of support for persons like President Quwatli, who
Saud may feel still exercises a moderating influence.
19 Sept 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 4
10? SECRET
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3. KING CALLS FOR NEW ELECTIONS IN THAILAND
Comment on:
Thailand's King Phumiphon has issued a
royal decree dissolving the National
Assembly and calling for new elections
within 90 days. He has asked the army
junta led by Marshal Sarit which overthrew the Phibun regime
on 16 September to form a provisional government for the in-
terim period.
Elections presumably will be held to re-
place only the 160 elected members of the outgoing assembly.
The remaining 123 appointed members will probably be re-
shuffled to assure the Sarit army group effective control of
the government. Elections for the entire membership of the
assembly would very likely lead to a victory by Khuang
Aphaiwong's Democratic party.
19 Sept 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 5
CONFIDENTIAL
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4. EGYPT MAY SEEK US-BLOCKED FUNDS
THROUGH IMF
Comment on:
gypt may soon attempt to release its
unds blocked by the United States dur-
ng the Suez crisis,
the unspecified plan mentioned in a recent Cairo
newspaper article is the one devised by President Nasir last
July. At that time Nasir reportedly said that in September
he would request the International Monetary Fund to collect
Egypt's $30,000,000 debt to the fund from the approximately
$42,000,000 held in the United States.
Egyptian Finance Minister Kaysuni will
attend the annual meeting of the IMF which will be held in
Washington from 22 to 27 September. Kaysuni might use that
occasion to r resent Nasir's request, although it is unlikely that
Egypt could gain any significant support among members of the
IMF for sucl a transaction. Nasir's intent is probably to harass
the United States and continue to claim he is a victim of Amer-
ican economic warfare. Nasir has in the past considered the
sequestration or nationalization of American business and oil in-
terests in Egypt as an act of retaliation against the United States
for blocking Egyptian funds.
19 Sept 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 6
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5. YUGOSLAVS FAVOR RUMANIAN PROPOSAL FOR
BALKAN STATES MEETING
Comment on:
President Tito's prompt and unconditional
acceptance of the Rumanian proposal of
10 September that top Balkan leaders meet
to discuss economic and cultural coopera-
tion and a nonaggression pact strongly sug-
gests his intention to attend regardless of whether Greece and
Turkey participate. Unofficially Athens and Ankara have indi-
cated they will not participate.
Tito declared that "special attention must
be paid right now... to eliminate the diff..culties which still ex-
ist between some Balkan countries." Belgrade's willingness to
participate is undoubtedly motivated at least in part by what it
sees as an opportunity to implement its long-cherished hopes
for leadership in the area.
Moscow has publicly supported the Ruma-
nian initiative for a conference of all six Balkan states, but it is
not yet clear whether it favors such a meeting without Greek
and Turkish participation. It may support a four-power confer-
ence, however, despite the risk of its leading to the spread of
Yugoslav influence in the Balkans, in order to obtain closer Yugo-
slav adherence to the bloc.
The proposed conference may have been dis-
cussed during the recent Tito-Khrushchev meeting in Rumania,
and final plans were probably coordinated with Tito during the
visit of Rumanian politburo member Bodnaras and Foreign Min-
ister Maurer to Belgrade on 29 August.
19 Sept 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 7
SECRE-T
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6. VIOLENCE LIKELY IN HAITI AS ELECTION NEARS
zerious aisoraers are nicely at any
moment in Haiti as the opposing polit-
ical camps rapidly build up their forces
for the presidential election of 22 Sep-
tember.
The forces of exiled former dictator Mag-
loire, which now are backing Clement Jumelle for the pres-
idency, are making every effort to instigate demonstrations
sufficiently violent to prevent the election, since they realize
Jumelle could not win.
The third leading presidential aspirant,
Louis Dejoie, expects the election to be canceled or rigged
in favor of Duvalier. He warned publicly on 17 September
that if the Duvalier machine attempts to subvert a free elec-
tion, "the people will smash it and we shall have a revolution."
Comment Stability in Haiti, which has had seven gov-
ernments in the past nine months, would
probably be served by Duvalier's victory in a not too obviously
rigged election. Duvalier, a moderate, is the only candidate
acceptable to the army and his popular support is such that he
might win even a free election. A Duvalier victory would prob-
ably not, however, be accepted without a violent reaction by
Dejoie, who is strong in the south of Haiti and in the capital.
19 Sept 57
Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 8
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