CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/05/22

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03194451
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: May 22, 1955

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22 May 1955
Copy No.
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENIF NO. 40
NO CHANGE IN CLASS.
CI DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C
NEXT REVIEW DATE: 20 /0
AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE: 9/ /. te 0 REVIEWER:
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
-7-10-P-SECRET
94
3.3(h)(2)
3.5(c)
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SUMMARY
FAR EAST
1.
Burma may approach Chinese Nationalists for Peiping (page 3).
2.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
3.
Vietnamese election auestion raised by French official (Daze 51.
4.
5.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
6. Reported resignation of Syrian minister suggests cabinet crisis
is imminent (page 8).
EASTERN EUROPE
Pushkin insists East German government decide on road tolls
(page 8).
WESTERN EUROPE
8. Comment on British strike situation (page 9).
* * *
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FAR EAST
1. Burma may approach Chinese Nationalists for Peiping:
Both Burma and
India favor. Chinese Communist annexation of Formosa by diplo-
matic means.
The Chinese Communists may be pre-
paring, or agreeing, to offer to discuss directly with the Chinese
Nationalists the "peaceful liberation" of Formosa. Peiping has
been declaring publicly and privately for several weeks that "peace-
ful liberation" could be effected if American forces were withdrawn
from the China area.
Such Chinese Communist statements have
apparently envisaged direct negotiations with the undefended Chi-
nese Nationalists, who would have the alternatives of assisting in
a turnover or awaiting a military assault. Peiping's broadcasts
to Formosa have long offered amnesty to all persons there except
Chiang Kai-shek.
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The Chinese Nationalists could be ex-
pected to reject any Communist overture of this kind, and Peiping
presumably would calculate that it would be rejected. An approach
would be consistent, however, with Peiping's effort to present it-
self as exploring all means for a peaceful settlement.
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
3. Vietnamese election question raised by French official:
The director of the Asian Department of
the French Foreign Ministry expressed
to American and British embassy repre-
sentatives in Paris his view that the
er conference in Saigon would be a good occa-
sion to present a tripartite position on the Vietnamese elections
to the Vietnamese government,
The spokesman thought, however, that
acceptance of the Vietnamese proposal that the Saigon conference
be at the foreign ministers' level might "preclude formulation" of
an agreed position prior to 20 July, the date stipulated at Geneva
as the opening of the period of north-south talks on elections.
The French government prefers that the
anti-Communist side take the initiative in calling for election
talks.
Comment: The stated purpose of the
Vietnam government in calling for a four-power conference was
precisely to avoid being presented with a prior position agreed
upon by the Western powers.
The Vietnam government agrees to the
desirability of proceeding with a discussion of the elections to
be held in July 1956, but it has thus far refused to enter into di-
rect talks with the Viet Minh and reserves the right to insist that
as a non-signatory of the Geneva accords it is not bound by their
terms.
Diem's brother Nhu recently stated that
the four-power talks should include discussion of the defense of
Vietnam "in view of the unlikelihood that elections would be held."
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NEAR EAST - AFRICA
6. Reported resignation of Syrian minister suggests cabinet crisis is
imminent:
The Syrian minister of public works, who
in the past favored the Turkish-Iraqi pact,
has resigned as a result of a difference
with Prime Minister Asali and Foreign
Minister Azm over the proposed .Egyptian-Syrian-Saudi Arabian
pact, according to a pro-Iraqi editor in Damascus. The editor
stated that this information had been confirmed to him by both the
prime minister and the minister of public works.
The editor asserted that the resignation
was the "first fruit" of renewed efforts by pro-Iraqi elements to
bring about the fall of the Asali cabinet. He believed the cabinet
would fall about the end of May.
The American embassy comments that
the resignation and other signs of dissension within the cabinet
point to a ministerial crisis after the post-Ramadan holidays
at the end of May.
Comment: The reported resignation em-
phasizes the instability of the Asali government and suggests that
a period of intense political maneuvering and foreign intrigue can
be expected within the next few weeks. The fall of the cabinet
would probably invite direct Syrian army interference in politics.
EASTERN EUROPE
7. Pushkin insists East German government decide on road tolls:
Soviet ambassador Pushkin told the three
Western ambassadors meeting in Berlin
that the question of taxes on roads in East
Germany was under the sole jurisdiction of
the East German government, according to
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Ambassador Conant. Pushkin specifically stated at one point
that East Germany was "master of the roads" in its territory.
In Conant's opinion, the whole affair
represents "a calculated and serious attempt" by the Kremlin
to use the issue of access to Berlin to force recognition of East
Germany.
Conant also points out that the French
ambassador went "dangerously far" in offering concessions to
reach a compromise solution, and in fact "consciously or un-
consciously" came close to the position of recognizing the com-
petence of the East German government in the tolls question.
Comment: Pushkin's stand makes
clear the determination of the Soviet Union to use the road tolls
issue to force direct negotiations between the West and East
German governments�negotiations which would be interpreted
as de facto recognition of the East German regime.
The campaign of harassment measures
by East German authorities against West Berlin can be expected
to continue.
WESTERN EUROPE
8. Comment on British strike situation:
A strike on 23 May by dockworkers
In Britain's major ports is virtually
certain, and a strike by railway
engineers and firemen is threatened for 28 May.
Both actions are opposed by top trade
union and Labor Party officials and are the results of inter-
union disputes rather than of genuine economic grievances. The
immediate impact will probably be to hurt Labor's chances in the
26 May general election.
A prolonged stoppage would cause severe
economic damage, especially in Britain's vital export trade. How-
ever, present indications are that the dock strike may be short.
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The powerful Trades Union Council has
denounced the dockers. The Transport and General Workers'
Union as well as tugmen and lightermen, who observed the prin-
ciple of union solidarity in last October's dock strike, are pre-
pared to oppose the action. The dockers' leaders themselves
are evidently divided. The Communists, who are strong in the
dockers' union and who directed the strike last October, are, for
their own tactical reasons, not-supporting the present work stop-
page.
The National Union of Railwaymen,
which represents the bulk of the railway workers, continues to
oppose the strike threatened by the engineers and firemen.
Such a walkout would effectively tie up the British railway sys-
tem.
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