CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/05/31

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03194459
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: May 31, 1955

. Approved for Release: 2019/09/17 CO3194459
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31 May 1955
Copy No. 94
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO. 46
NO CHANGE IN CLASS.
; DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S 0
NEXT REVIEW DATE: ,e10/0
AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE: -0/15'.0, __REVIEWER:
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
TOP S "CR
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3.3(h)(2)
3.5(c)
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SUMMARY
GENERAL
1. USSR reportedly renews offer of arms and economic aid to Egypt
(page 3).
SOUTHEAST ASIA
2. Burmese premier plans to visit USSR (page 3).
3, Position of pro-Western Burmese leader reported deteriorating
(page 4).
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
4. Ben-Gurion seen assuming Israeli prime ministership again (page 4).
5. Comment on probable increased Jewish emigration from North Africa
(page 5).
EASTERN EUROPE
6. Hungarian security police increase terror tactics (page 6).
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GENERAL
1. USSR reportedly renews offer of arms and economic aid to Egypt:
Comment: Previous Soviet offers of arms
and t rhninal aid hnuta h"'n i'llT"1"1 flown by the Egyptian govern-
ment. the USSR may be trying to
take advantage of Egypt's resentment over the Turkish-Iraqi pact
and over its inability to get from the United States and Britain the
military equipment Cairo wants.
The USSR is not known to have delivered
arms outside the Sino-Soviet bloc, but it has reportedly expressed
willingness to furnish them to several non-Communist countries,
Including Syria, India, and Burma. In addition, Czechoslovakia
has sold small arms to Egypt and to other countries. Considerable
further negotiation would be required before conclusion of any firm
Soviet-Egyptian arms deal, with the Egyptians probably refusing
to admit Soviet personnel to instruct Egyptian officers in the use of
the weapons.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
2. Burmese premier plans to visit USSR:
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Comment: U Nu may feel that a trip to
Moscow is necessary, in the interest of Burma's neutral foreign
policy, to offset his visit to the United States in June. U Nu may
also hope to be effective in Moscow in his self-assumed role as
mediator of the East-West conflict.
3. Position of pro-Western Burmese leader reported deteriorating:
Minister of Industries Kyaw Nyein is
losing out to Defense
Minister Ba Swe in his struggle for a domi-
nant position among Burmese leaders.
some of Kyaw Nyein's supporters are oreoarina to desert him,
although they fear to do so openly.
Comment: Kyaw Nyein and Ba Swe are the
two most powerful leaders of the Burma Socialist Party, which domi-
nates the government coalition. Although they generally co-operate
on government policy matters, they have long been rivals for the
premiership, from which U Nu is expected to retire after the 1956
elections,
A loss of influence on the part of the out-
spokenly anti-Communist Kyaw Nyein would probably accelerate
Burma's trend toward closer relations with the Sino-Soviet bloc.
Although Ba Swe in recent years appears to have moderated his
leftist views, his orientation with respect to the East-West con-
flict is uncertain.
NEAR EAST - AFRICA
4. Ben-Gurion seen assuming Israeli prime ministership again:
31 May 55
The Israeli ambassador to the United States,
Abba Eban, told Ambassador Lawson on 26
May that he believes Defense Minister Ben-
Gurion will become prime minister again
after the elections in late July.
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Eban made this statement after a full
day of discussions with Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister Sharett and
other top Israeli officials. Eban described Ben-Gurion as seeking
and enjoying the political activity he gave up a year ago for a "clois-
tered life in the Negev desert,"
Comment: Ben -Gurion's return to the prime
ministership is quite possible in view of the difficulties that his pro-
teg6, Prime Minister Sharett, has had with the cabinet on high policy
matters, particularly Arab-Israeli relations.
Under Ben-Gurion's leadership, Israel would
be likely to pursue the tough policy toward the Arabs for which he is
noted and which has partially replaced the moderation of Sharett since
Ben-Gurion returned to the cabinet.
5. Comment =probable increased Jewish emigration from North Africa:
the unrest in North Africa is apparently re-
ulting in a determined Israeli effort to ar-
ange for increased Jewish emigration from
that area. Israel is apparently aiming at
ringing in about 30,000 of the 500,000 Jews
n French North Africa in 1955, and 40-45k, -
)00 in 1956. Immigration on this scale is
ertain to increase tension in Palestine by
trousina Arab suspicion an.d fear.
Trench authorities in Morocco and Tunisia
do not favor mass emigration. The departure of large numbers of
Jews would underscore the political unrest there and encourage other
settlers to consider similar action.
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EASTERN EUROPE
6. Hungarian security police increase terror tactics:
The American legation in Budapest has
noted a sharp increase in the use of terror
and intimidation tactics by the Hungarian
security police since early May. Police
have arrested at least four Hungarians who had previous connections
with the legation or its employees, and are intimidating local citizens
who visit the legation to receive news bulletins. Callers at the British
legation are receiving similar treatment.
The legation believes that these and other re-
ported arrests elsewhere in the country are part of a campaign to elim-
inate remaining support for ousted premier Nagy and to restore tighter
political control over the population.
Comment: The intimidation of Hungarians in
contact with the American legation is probably part of the anti-Ameri-
can campaign which has been increasing in intensity since February.
The legation has anticipated for several weeks that it may be implicated
in a trial of a Hungarian employee of Associated Press in Budapest, ar-
rested last February.
Both the anti-American campaign and the use
of terrorist police methods, which has been played down throughout
the Soviet Orbit since Stalin's death, may be considered necessary
by the regime to strengthen its control in the face of widespread popu-
lar and party disaffection, which was probably intensified by the purge
of Nagy.
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