CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN - 1955/04/28

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03181200
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: September 20, 2019
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2019
• Publication Date: April 28, 1955

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28 April 1955
uopy No . 94
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
DOCUMENT NO. /.9
NO CHANGE IN CLASS.
0 DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S 0
NEXT REVIEW DATE' 17/ 17
AUTH: HR 70-2
DATE: 4/1410__ REVIEWER
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
TOP SECRET
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SUMMARY
SOVIET UNION
I. Comment on Soviet ratification of border and financial agreement
with Iran (page 3).
SOUTHEAST ASIA
2. Diem considers procedure for election of national assembly (page 3).
3. Vietnamese government hopes to arrange defection of group of Viet
Minh regulars (page 4).
SOUTH ASIA
4. Pakistani prime minister comments on Afro-Asian conference
(page 5).
THE FORMOSA STRAITS
(page 6)
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SOVIET UNION
1. Comment on Soviet ratification of border and financial agreement
with Iran:
p.
Soviet ratification of the border and fi-
nancial agreement with Iran represents
one more step in Moscow's campaign to
encourage neutrality in uncommitted states along Soviet Orbit
borders.
Current Soviet propaganda, by attempt-
ing to distort a simple border and financial agreement into a
neutrality commitment, reveals apprehension that Iran may now
feel freer to join a Western-sponsored defense bloc. It empha-
sizes that "dangerous tendencies" are pushing Iran along a path
contrary to its treaty obligations with the USSR. A Pravda
editorial promises that a policy of neutrality in Iran will receive
the "full support of the USSR, which more than once came to the
assistance of its friendly neighbor."
Until all provisions of the agreement are
carried out, including demarcations of the border which will take
at least 18 months, Iran is not expected to change its present
policy of avoiding offense to the USSR.
The Shah recently proposed, however,
talks with Turkey, Iraq and Pakistan. His pro-
Western inclination and his desire ultimately to link Iran for-
mally with Western defense arrangements are not likely to be
weakened by this Soviet gesture. Neutralist sentiment in Iran,
which will probably be encouraged by the Soviet action, exerts
virtually no thfluence on government policy,
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Diem considers procedure for election of national assembly:
Premier TM PM
28 Apr 55
is opposed to the
formation of a national assembly whose
seats are merely distributed among the
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� I
parties and sects.
process would strengthen persons "who are deeply compromised
by their collaboration with colonialism since 1946."
only elections will eliminate persons "who
represent nothing but themselves." He believes the elections can
be organized to prevent undue intimidation by the sects.
He envisages excluding Viet Minh agents
from the polls by legal arrangements, whose application would be
facilitated by the violently anti-Communist feeling in the newly
liberated areas. He also envisages the postponement of elections
in regions where "conditions of freedom" have not been established.
Comment: Municipal and village elec-
tions held two years ago provide evidence that the Viet Minh can
be excluded from the polls.
3. Vietnamese government hopes to arrange defection of group of
Viet Minh regulars:
The Vietnamese government has been
negotiating with the leaders of the 308th
Viet Minh battalion since 16 April and
will probably accept the allegiance of
some of its elements in the near future,
The battalion commander is
said to be convinced that the Diem government is nationalist and
anti-French. He claims 7,000 followers, but the government be-
lieves they number no, more than 1,000.
Comment: The 308th is a battalion of
Viet Minh regulars last known to be in the Camu area, near the
southern tip of Vietnam. It may have remained there after the
regroupment which was completed on 7 February.
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_
SOUTH ASIA
4. Pakistani prime minister comments on Afro-Asian conference:
The recently concluded Afro-Asian con-
erence was a "75-percent victory for
the free world," according to Pakistani
prime minister Mohammad Ali.
Mohammad All expressed belief that
Chou En-lai was impressed by the strength of anti-Communist
forces. He contrasted the skillful parliamentary tactics of the
pro-Western countries with Chou's apparent ignorance of par-
liamentary procedures and Prime Minister Nehru's extraordi-
nary ineptness.
Nehru's loss of prestige was so marked
as to frustrate his ambition to be the spokesman for Asia, accord-
ing to Mohammad All, who pointed out that, despite Nehru's strong
opposition, the conference had linked international control of nu-
clear weapons with disarmament. Mohammad All also noted that
the conference had approved collective security agreements un-
der the UN charter in the face of objections from Chou and Nehru
and that Chou's sudden acceptance of the proposal had momentarily
isolated the Indian premier.
Comment: Nehru from the start was
cool toward an Afro-Asian conference and was anxious to prevent
friction at Bandung. He may have been impressed by the strong
anti-Communist stand taken by a number of nations, and as a re-
sult he may consider it necessary to reassess India's position on
current Asian problems.
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THE FORMOSA STRAITS
Report of the IAC Current Intelligence Group
for the .Formosa Straits Program
This report is based on information received in Washington
up to 1100 hours 27 April 1955.
1. Aerial photography of the East China coast has revealed
possible initial construction on another new airfield opposite
Formosa. Repair or possible expansion was noted on two other
airfields along the coast.
a. Photography on 25 April indicated early stages of
possible airfield construction near Lungtien, about 35 miles south
of Foochow and 120 NM from Taipei. Only initial clearing was
noted on a runway area about 6500 by 240 feet.
b. The first recent photography of Taishan airfield, in
the Choushan Islands south of Shanghai, revealed expansion of the
field. A 7000' by 440' concrete runway and 10 revetments were
observed. One CAB (LI-2) transport and five single-tIngine fighters
were on the field.
c. There was evidence on 24 April that rehabilitation
of Machiang airfield, near Amoy, had started. Some vegetation
had been removed from the runway. Machiang had been dormant
since 1951, when construction work was halted. At present it is
suited for only limited operational use by transports, but could be
readied for limited fighter operation in about ten days. The field
is 15 NM from Quemoy.
2. Photography also noted FALCON (MIG-15) types at air-
fields near Ningpo and Canton.
a. Thirty-nine FALCON types and seven single-engine
piston fighters were counted on Changchiao airfield at Ningpo on
25 April. On the basis of communications intelligence, the 17th
Air Division (55 FALCONS) was believed located at Changchiao.
This field has also been used as a staging base for naval air force
�BATS (TU-2) operating out of the Shanghai area. No such aircraft
were observed at Changchiao on 25 April.
28 Apr 55 CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN Page 6
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b. Photography of the Canton area on 26 April re-
vealed 55 FALCONS on Nanhai airfield, southwest of Canton.
Photographs of White Cloud airfield, three miles north of
Canton, were too poor to permit an aircraft count. There was,
however, no evidence of new construction. The presence of one
fighter division--the 4th--and one regiment from the 18th Air
Division have been accepted in the Canton area
A possible 80 FALCONS are es-
timated in the area.
3. On 26 April, the Chinese Communists, for the first
time, fired upon a Nationalist-held island in the Matsu group.
Two rounds of artillery landed on Peikantang and wounded five
Nationalist personnel. The firing came from the Peiling Penin-
sula. The limited number of rounds fired strongly suggests
registration. The Communists have had artillery weapons on
the Peiling Peninsula for some time and there have been recent
reports of additional antiaircraft, artillery and coastal defense
positions on the peninsula.
4. A summary of Formosa Straits Reports for the week
ending 27 April is attached.
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WEEKLY SUMMARY
FORMOSA STRAITS REPORT
27 April 1955
1. the transfer of
Soviet BUTCHER (IL-28) jet light bombers in the Port Arthur
area to the Chinese Communists. The exact number involved
cannot be ascertained at this time. If all 84 BUTCHER-type air-
craft located at this point plus the 36 BUTCHERS known to have
arrived at Tsitsihar in northern Manchuria are assigned to the
Chinese Communists, their over-all jet light bomber strength
would be raised from 145 to 265.
2. Photography confirms the presence of 23 jet fighters
at Tatopu airfield near Changsha, 460 NM inland from Formosa.
They would be important in the
air defense of central China but would not be effective against
Formosa unless staged through one of the coastal bases.
3. No further information has been received to confirm the
movement of a possible jet fighter unit of divisional size from the
Shantung Peninsula to the Shanghai area as reported 24 April. On
25 April photography of Changchiao airfield, believed to have been
the terminal point for these aircraft, revealed only 39 jet fighters
present,. Although some other aircraft may have been either in
the air or at another airfield in the immediate vicinity, this count
from one photo mission cannot be taken as confirmation of a
second divisional size unit at this. airfield.
4. During the period there was almost a complete lack of
Communist ground activity. An inspection team from MAAG,
Formosa, recently conducted a series of combat readiness tests
of Chinese Nationalist troops on the Matsu Island group, resulting
in an over-all rating of "satisfactory." Evident weaknesses were
the serious understrength of the regimental combat team on the
Paichuan (White Dog) Islands, the inexperience of the division
staff on Matsu, and the slowness of the Ministry of National Defense
to follow MAAG's recommendations for augmentation of crew served
weapons.
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5. Chief of MAAG, Formosa, recently recommended that
the Wuchiu Islands, midway between Matsu and Quemoy, either be
abandoned or garrisoned by regular Nationalist forces. CINCPAC
concurred in MAAG's recommendation that the Wuchius be aban-
doned because he does not consider the position of the islands in
the Chinese Nationalist defense system warrants the expenditure
of support and equipment for a defending garrison there.
6. Chou En-lai at Bandung and related Chinese Commu-
nist propaganda during the past week continued to insist that the
"liberation" of Formosa is a purely internal matter in which "out-
side interference" will not be tolerated, that the only international
question susceptible to negotiations is that of US "intervention," and
that compromise is out of the question. Chou En-lai, however, has
indicated that he does not regard the door to negotiations as entirely
closed.
28 Apr 55
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN Page 9
" rit pr.
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FOOCHOW
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COMMUNIST AIRFIELD LEGEND
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DESIGNATIONSUSEABILITY
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importance�runways generally less than 5000 feet.
OF,RATIONAL: consistently used by military civilian aircraft.
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UNKNOWN: current status undetermined.
01/ER: under construction, abandoned or unserviceable.
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