CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1952/05/03

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02692631
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: May 24, 2019
• Document Release Date: May 30, 2019
• Publication Date: May 3, 1952

Approved for Release: 2019/05/08 CO2692631
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SECUR7t INFORMATION
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO
NO CHANGE IN CLASS.
I DL.CLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS 3 001b0 t
NUT REVIEW DATE:
3 May 1952
Copy No.5 2
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DA-44.'11- REVIEWER:
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
TOP SECRET
3.5(c)
3.5(c)
3.5(c)
3.5(c)
SEC INFORMATION
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CRET
SUMMARY
GENERAL
I. Attack on French airliner may have been object lesson to
corridor violators (page 3).
FAR EAST
2, General Li Mi reported in Bangkok (page 3).
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
against British officials paws Libya (page 4).
LATIN AMERICA
5. Bolivian Government threatened by labor leaders (page 5).
* * * *
2
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CRET
GENERAL
1. Attack on French airliner may have been object lesson to corridor
violators:
3.5(c)
3.3(111)(2)
American authorities in Berlin tend to believe
that this attack on the Air France passenger plane was premeditated
because of frequent Soviet complaints that airplanes have beep flying
out of the corridor. Therefore Soviet authorities may have decided to
make an object lesson of the next violator by forcing it down or subject-
ing it to scare-gunfire.
According to the US High Commissioner's
office in Berlin, the action appears to have been part of a previously
conceived plan which went further than had been anticipated. This
analysis is supported by the fact that no Soviet official was available
to� receive the Allied protest, an indication that the incident may have
thrown the Russians off balance.
FAR EAST
2, General Li Mi reported in Bangkok:
3 3(h)(2)
Two subordinate Chinese Nationalist corn- �
manders from Kengtung State in Burma have
informed the American Embassy in Bangkok
that General Li Mi is now in that city. They
were told by Li that no supplies were available in Bangkok for their
troops.
- 3 -
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.BECRET
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Comment: While there is no information to
confirm this report, the two Chinese officers from Burma informed the
American Embassy last week that they had been ordered by a wire from
Taipei to meet Li Mi in Bangkok early in May,
The Burmese Government has made repeated
strong representations to the American, French and Thai governments
to prevent Li Mi from returning to Southeast Asia.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
3. Sentiment against British officials grows in Libya:
The relations between Libyan and local Brit3.3(h)(2)
officials employed by the Libyan Government
have so deteriorated that the American Minister
in Tripoli detects a growing resentment of Western
"interference" in Libyan affairs.
He reports that several British officials have
been released by the government and that other s,feeling mistreated by
Libya and abandoned by Britain, have left their jobs, Their places
have been filled by incompetent friends of influential Libyans. The
American Minister fears that if this process continues, it will destroy
the first line of defense against the rise of nationalism and nepotism.
Comment: Anti-British feeling has already
been making it difficult for Britain to negotiate a long-term military
agreement with Libya. This country has become more strategically
Important to Britain because of the uncertainty of the Suez Canal situation.
So far there has been no indication that the
Libyan Government harbors any anti-American sentiment, Libya has,
In fact, been seeking American military assistance.
4
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4. French residents in Tunisia ask for membership on Mixed Coinmission:
French residents in Tunisia have asked of the
Resident General that the French members of
the Mixed Commission be selected from Tunisia
rather than France.
Comment: The Mixed Commission, of at least
16 members, to be composed of equal numbers of French and Tunisians,
is to discuss the formation of Tunisian legislative assemblies. It was
originally scheduled to convene 24 April, but now may not meet before
Stine. Previous indications had been that all the French members would
be from France.
Substantial representation of the French residents
in Tunisia, who are more adamant than the Paris government in opposing
Tunisian autonomy, would make it impossible for the Commission to reach
any decisions acceptable to the native Tunisians.
LA TIN AMERICA
5. Bolivian Government threatened by labor leaders:
3.5(c)
3.3(h)(2
During May Day speeches in La Paz, Ministe3.3(h)(2)
of Mines Lechin and other top union leaders
warned that if the government wants to stay
In office, it must keep its promises to labor
and leave the unions alone. They stated that only the workers, who
have the necessary arms, can stop the "counter-revolution."
5 -
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T&P CRET
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Lechin referred to the workers and himself as
"we" and alluded to the government as "they." His speech, which was
broadcast, was followed by vivas for unionism and for former MNII
presidents, but none for President Paz Estenssoro, The President's
speech from the balcony of residence was notbroadcast.
Comment: The union leaders' speeches had
the tone of an ultimatum to Paz Estenssoro's moderate faction to comply
with their extremist demands or be ousted. Lechin's identification of
himself with the workers' threats against the government brings into the
open the division within the governing party over nationalization and labor
benefits.
Since the arms distributed during the recent
revolt have not yet been called in, labor could make an armed attack
against the government.
3.5(c)
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