CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A001400340001-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 25, 2003
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 27, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

27 January 1954
Copy r o0
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO. ~
NO CHANGE IN IN CLASS.
ft'f"
(:I DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE:
AUTN: IIA 7O "
DATE: REVIEWER:
IF
State Department review
completed
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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SUMMARY
GENERAL
Comment on Molotov's opening statement at Berlin (page 3).
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
3. Viet Minh attack on Dien Bien Phu expected within week (page 4).
4.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
Jordan may request British military assistance (page 4).
8. Finland and USSR to negotiate gold loan and settlement of-trade-
credit (page 6).
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GENERAL
1. Comment on Molotov's opening statement at Berlin:
Foreign Minister Molotov's opening
statement at the foi. r-power conference indicated very little
change in the Soviet position. Molotov raised the possibility
of a prolonged deadlock at the outset by demanding that the first
item on the agenda be the convening of a subsequent five-power
conference. He is unlikely, however, to permit the conference
to break down over this issue.
Molotov's proposal that the Austrian
state treaty be discussed at Berlin was the first explicit Soviet
agreement to this Western demand. His suggestion that the treaty
be based on existing agreements foreshadows Soviet opposition to
any alleviation of the harsh economic terms of Article 35, The
demand that Austria never again become the tool of German mili-
tarism suggests that the Soviet Union will insist on a neutrality
clause in the treaty.
Molotov did not repeat the familiar
Soviet theme that a German settlement would facilitate agreement
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to an Austrian treaty.
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
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Dien Bien Phu within a week. One defen-
the French estimated as of.26
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sive area had been under harassing mortar fire for 48 hours and
enemy intelligence reconnaissance units were active to the west
and north of the town.
The French High Command believes the
French position could be critical, since Viet Minh firepower at Dien
Bien Phu is double that used in a similar situation at Na San in Novem-
ber 1952.
Comment: It is still not certain that the
Viet Minh will try an all-out assault on Dien Bien Phu. The Commu-
nists may first undertake probing attacks to test French defensive
capabilities before deciding their course of action.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
4. Jordan may request British military assistance:
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A senior Jordanian official told Ambassador
Mallory that Jordan must get military and
financial assistance from a source other
than the Arab League countries, since they
are reluctant to continue contributing funds to the Jordanian National
Guard.
The official stated that since Jordan is
"fighting for its existence," it is seriously considering offering Britain
military facilities as an alternative to the Suez base, despite the dis-
favor such a move would meet both in the Arab world and among ultra-
nationalistic Jordanian circles.
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3. Viet Minh attack on Dien Bien Phu expected within week:
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Comment. The Jordanian government
was under strong domestic criticism last October when the Arab
Legion failed to repel the Israeli attack on Qibya. Arab League
states voted to provide considerable financial support for the
Jordanian National Guard along the Israeli border, but they have
been slow to meet their commitments.
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8. Finland and USSR to negotiate gold loan and settlement of trade credit:
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A Finnish delegation headed by Trade Minister
Aura left for Moscow on 25 January to negotiate
a gold loan and a settlement of Finland's trade
credit with the USSR.
Comment: Finland anticipates an export
surplus of some $159000,000 wi th the Soviet Union during 1954, and
hopes to obtain a Soviet commitment to settle all or part of this credit
in sterling or gold.
The Finns have shown some interest in the
Soviet offer of a gold loan, which would permit them to expand their
non-woodworking industries. These have not been covered by loans
from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
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