DANISH PRIME MINISTERS VENTURE INTO INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00826A002200020001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 9, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 22, 1967
• Content Type: IM

Approved For Release 2Q1/03/22 :OgrRPR'T9T00826AOQ,2200020001-9
No Foreign Dissem/Background Use Only
No. 1119/67
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
22 June 1967
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
Danish Prime Minister's Venture
Into International Diploma3_y
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1. The decision of Prime Minister Jens Otto
Krag (he also holds the Foreign Ministry portfolio)
to attend the special session of the United Nations
General Assembly has aroused considerable specula-
tion in Denmark and the other Scandinavian countries
about the purpose of the visit. In this respect,
Krag is out of step with the leaders of the Norwe-
gian, Swedish, and Finnish governments who decided
to hold off sending high-ranking representatives to
the meeting until it became clearer whether the ses-
sion would turn into a Soviet propaganda side show
or lead to serious substantive discussions of the
Middle East crisis.
2. Krag's rationale was that the anticipated
"diatribes" of the Soviets should be met by spokes-
men of high rank. He probably also thought that
since Denmark's Permanent Representative to the
United Nations, Hans Tabor, holds the Security Coun-
cil presidency during June, this placed special re-
sponsibility on the Danish Government to try to
facilitate settlement of the dispute.
Denmark favors direct Israeli-Arab nego-
tiations and believes that Israel might be encour-
aged to return conquered territory in return for
freedom of passage in the Gulf of Aqaba and the
Suez Canal. As a way out of the impending General
Assembly impasse, however, the Danes are consider-
ing proposing a brief, non-substantive resolution in
place of both the US and Soviet texts that would re-
fer the problem back to the Security Council and call
No Foreign Dissem/Background Use Only
SECRET
Approved For Release 2001/03/22 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO02200020001-9
 Approved For Relejse 2001/Rpt-RDP79T006A002200020001-9
No Foreign Dissem/Background use only
for appointment of a special representative of the
UN or Secretary General to contact the parties in-
volved. The Danes believe the Egyptians are re-
ceptive to the idea of a go-between and are willing
to sound out the Israelis.
4. Another factor which influenced Krag is
the belief held by many Danes that Denmark, as a
small country with a respected international image,
has a role to play in smoothing relations between
the East and West. The Danish Government would
probably be eager to have one of its representatives
play the role of "honest broker" or intermediary, if
one is needed at this particular time. It is prob-
ably with this in mind that Krag met with Premier
Kosygin on 19 June and will meet with President John-
son on 23 June.
5. In making the trip to New York, Krag may
also have certain domestic political considerations
in mind. At home his Social Democratic government
and party (of which he is chairman) are in some
trouble, as the elections last November clearly in-
dicated. The government he heads is in a minority
position in parliament, and the Social Democratic
Party is faced with continuing defections to the
parties on both the left and the right. In order
to stem the defections--particularly to the leftist
Socialist People's Party (SPP)--he is currently try-
ing the expedient of limited parliamentary coopera-
tion with the SPP despite opposition in both parties
to this arrangement. Growing disunity over this is-
sue in the SPP, however, is threatening the "Social-
ist majority" which has put through some significant
domestic legislation. Without the SPP's solid sup-
port, Krag's government may not be able to continue
unless he makes such sweeping concessions to the SPP
radicals on foreign policy that his own party would
disown him.
6. Some observers have also interpreted Krag's
foray into international diplomacy as a move to re-
coup his political fortunes by demonstrating to the
Danes that they have a government leader who moves
in the highest circles of international politics and
has access to leaders of both the US and the Soviet
Union.
No Foreign Diss 3ECRkg ound Use Only
Approved For Release 2001/03/22 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO02200020001-9
 Memo Control Form S/zto
Approved For "ease 4TMM' ( IOF t9TA+0826AO02200020001-9
^ NOTICE NO 62-0 COVER SHEET []tDISSEM AUTHORIZATION
MEMO NO 1119/67 DATE 22 J'ms 67 Due D/OCI Review
Dates: Dissem 22 AMe 67
SUBJECT: D ish Prime l4inieter=e Venture into ternational Dip1am y
REQUESTED OR ORIGINATED BY: Bela[ itiated
PURPOSE: IT Krag+s a sit with the ?resident on F i.day 23 line.
ASSIGNED TO: GRAPHICS
DISSEMINATION
^ Preliminary (DDI, D/OCI, and their staffs)
^ Category Recommended to D/OCI
^ Category Finally Authorized By:
[] Specified Other
es made
^
Cat. E (Routine intern ft gtndrnal)
Cat. D (Routine intern )
Cat. B (Subcabinet and internal CIA)
Cat. A (Elite--External top officials only and internal CIA)
25X1A
COORDINATE
OUTSIDE OCI
25X1 C
OBSOL
2024 0
24 FIR EV 8-66 EDITION
Approved For Release 2001/03/22 : CIA-RDP79T00826AO02200020001-9