CURRENT INTELLIGENCE DIGEST

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T01146A001200310001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 6, 2002
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 22, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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SECURITY INFORMATION
US OFFICIALS ONLY
22 September 1952
OCI No. 9383_
Copy No. 23
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE DIGEST.
Office of Current Intelligence
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This digest of significant reports has been prepared primarily
for the internal use of the Central Intelligence Agency. It does
not represent a complete coverage of all current reports re-
ceived. Comments represent the immediate views of the Office
of Current Intelligence.
*Army, USAF and State Dept
reviews completed*
SECRET ARCHIVAL RECORD
SECURITY INFORMATION P7.EA,C E R" T';TFN TO
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THIS MATERIAL CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL
DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE
ESPIONAGE LAWS, TITLE 18, USC, SECS, 793 AND 794, THE
TRANSMISSION OR REVELATION OF WHICH IN ANY MANNER TO AN
UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW.
1. Bulgaria to try Catholic "spies": Minister of Interior
Tsankov has announced that a "large group" of representatives
of the Catholic clergy from all parts of Bulgaria will soon be
tried on charges of espionage. The Catholic priests are said
to have arranged meetings with representatives of foreign
countries in various churches and monasteries, received
"millions of leva" from foreign agencies, accepted the instruc-
tions of the "dark forces of the Vatican," provoked discontent
and resistance against the government, and attempted to set
up.armed units for use in the rear of the Bulgarian Army in
the event of war. (R FBIS Sofia, 16 Sept 52)
Comment: Fifteen Protestant pastors were tried on
similar charges in 1949 and received sentences varying from
one year to life imprisonment. The recent announcement that
an all-denomination "peace congress" will be convened in Sofia
on 5 October suggests that, even while the leaders of this
last remaining western-oriented religious minority are being
tried, heavy propaganda lip-service will continue to be paid
to the "full religious liberty" allegedly enjoyed by all de-
nominations in Bulgaria.
2. Finland completes war reparations payments to USSR: On
19 September inlan c_6mTleted its e-g an final year of
reparations deliveries to the Soviet Union. Ships, machinery,
railroad equipment and wood products constituted the bulk of
the deliveries, which reached a total value of 221,400,000
"war reparations dollars" (1938 gold dollar quotation).
In a message commemorating the event, Premier Kekkonen
stated the important question now was whether Finland could
create export markets in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
for the products of its machine and shipbuilding industry.
(R Helsinki AF IR-120-52, 13 June; UY Times, 19 Sept 52)
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8. Chinese railroad timetables. indicate reduced service in
South China: me a es ssue n ay
aby th n engyang Railway Bureaus, which operate linesin'thec ou
Central-South District, differ from previous timetables in
that passenger trains 171 and 172 between Wuchan and Hengyan
were discontinued. These timetables also show Pinghsiang, 10g
miles from the Indochina border, as the terminus of the new
railroad through Kwangsi, and Chinchengchiang in Kwangsi as
the western ter of th
e Kwangsi?Kweichow railroad.
25X1A
Comment: Some reduction in passenger and freight services
in th s par of China has probably occurred because of the
need for rolling stock by new lines in southern and western
China and possibly in Korea. Other evidence of this reduction
is contained in the official 1951 economic report for the
Canton area, which admitted that 20 percent less freight and
28 percent fewer passengers were carried than in 1950,
The Communists are expected to extend the Hunan-Kwangsi
line from Pinghsiang to Chennankuan on the Indochina border,
and the Kwangsi-Kweichow line westward into Kweichow from
Chinchengchiang. As of May, apparently, these extensions had
not been completed.
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
9. Philippine Communists reportedly trying to create false
sense o? secur y. pp ne ommun s Party is repor ed
to ave or ere uk units to refrain from raiding and to
avoid encounters with government troops. By creating a false
sense of security, it hopes to bring about the withdrawal of
security forces from crucial areas and to cause reductions in
the armed forces budget,
10,
The American Embassy in Manila observes that although the
Huks have not been wiped out and are still capable of effective
activity, some Philippine officials are beginning to believe
their own propaganda claims that the Huk movement has been
broken. (C Manila 844, 19 Sept 52)
Indonesian press and political circles condemn Juliana's
throne speec e erences to e er an s ew u nea in
Queen u area's throne speech are eliciting bitter comment in
the Indonesian press and in political circles. Comments
ranged from the view that Juliana had said nothing new to
statements urging immediate abrogation of the Netherlands-
Indonesian Union, diversion of Indonesian trade and commerce
from Holland, and withdrawal of the Netherlands military
mission from Indonesia within a year's time.. (R Djakarta
532, 17 Sept 52)
Comment. Juliana stated on 16 September that the Nether-
lands was w fling to resume negotiations with Indonesia on
the Netherlands-Indonesian Union and "related matters," but
failed to mention the possibility of ceding New Guinea to
Indonesia. The Queen referred instead to development plans
for New Guinea and the Netherlands' responsibility for the
area under the UN Charter.
Indonesia and the Netherlands last February discussed
New Guinea, the abrogation of the Netherlands-Indonesian
Union, and the revision of the Round Table Conference agree-
ments, These discussions were broken off when the Indonesian
Cabinet fell and were further postponed because of elections
in the Netherlands and the subsequent delay in the formation
of the Dutch Cabinet.
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NEAR EAST - AFRICA
11.
25X1 C
10 000.
of the newspapers and
courts in Iraq disseminate Communist propaganda and anti-
25X1A West material under the guise of nationalism.
12.
25X1A
Communist influence reportedly increasing among Iraqi
offic a s,: Communist n uence among Iraqi officials is
growing eadily and effective propaganda is responsible for
increasing Communist strength in the country to an estimated
Comment: Iraq outlawed the Communist Party in 1938. In
1947, however, a well-organized covert party was discovered
and suppressed. Since that time the government has tried to
maintain a close surveillance over possible Communist acti-
vities, but the unstable political situation in Iraq and
neighboring countries lends itself to Communist exploitation
and an underground party has again been organized.
There have been several recent unconfirmed reports of
Tudeh-inspired disturbances in the Persian Gulf area and of
Soviet agitation among the Kurdish tribes of northern Iraq.
Greek Government moves against the Communists: The
Greek Government's recent crackdown on the Communists was
motivated by its fear that the Communist-dominated EDA,would
claim the government's pro-left policies as its own and thus
take votes away from Prime Minister Plastiras' left-of-center
EPEK in the expected elections.
Comment: Prime Minister Plastiras' policies have been
based on his desire to attract the large leftist element in
Greece to EPEK, and the government's actions may have been
stimulated by its fear of such a Communist maneuver.
The government is vulnerable to opposition charges of
excessive leniency toward the far left and it probably hopes
to profit by a display of anti-Communist activity. In
addition, leaders of EPEK may believe that the measures will
persuade the Communists that they have more to gain by
cooperating with EPEK than by campaigning separately.
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WESTERN EUROPE
14. East German Alert Police believed receiving Soviet artil-
lery and tanks: Army Headquarters in Germany a ieves t at
a "Substantial proportion" of the approximately 2,200 pieces of
Soviet artillery'shipped into East Germany during the first
eight months of 1952 has been issued to East German Alert
Police units. About 30 percent of the total shipments were
probably antitank guns, half antiaircraft guns and the remainder
mortars and howitzers.
This source also reports that it is "known" that the Alert
Police has received, since the middle of last May, "substantial
numbers" of Soviet tanks. (S CINCUSAREUR Heidelberg Weeka 37,
15 Sept 52)
Comment: The above estimates of Soviet shipments of heavy
weapons into East Germany have not been confirmed.
Although the Alert Police has been extensively equipped
with Soviet heavy weapons and recent recruitment has increased
its estimated strength from 52,000 to 82,000, the combat ef-
fectiveness of the Alert Police will remain low until the recruits
have received additional training.
25X65. East Germans reportedly organizing medical support for
military activities: 25X6
senor officials" of the Ministry of Health believe
that the "real function" of the East German Red Cross will be
the recruiting of medical personnel for the East German Alert
Police. F- I 25X1A
Comment: After reportedly examining statutes of the Soviet
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the East German Ministry
of Interior on 2 July authorized the formation of a "Preparatory
Organization Committee of the German Red Cross." Although the
committee is headed by a department chief from the Ministry of
Health, the head of the Alert Police Medical Department is one
of its members.
There have been several unconfirmed reports in recent
months of unusual East German interest in persons with medical
training. The East German Government has allegedly attempted
to recruit unemployed West German medical technicians, launched
a program of special "military-medical" training for selected
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personnel, and initiated a volunteer program for the training
of nurses in the Soviet Union.
25X6
16. East German judicial reforms allegedly eliminating court
independence: Impending ju c a reforms in East Germany are
likely to include, in the view of American officials in Berlin,
a new legal procedural code, a new criminal code, and a thorough
reorganization of the courts. These officials believe that the
East German Government will thus achieve a greater centralization
of control over the administration of justice, purge undesirable
judges, and augment the "arsenal" of repression of resistance
with the threat of a thoroughly "socialized" justice.
Articles in the East German press indicate that the new
court system will consist of county (Kreis) courts, district
(Bezirk) courts of both primary and appellate jurisdiction, and
a final court of appeal. The lower courts will be composed of
both lay and professional judges, and the county courts will be
subject to control and direction from the justice departments of
each district. Many nonjuridical or semilegal functions will be
transferred to state "notaries" or administrative agencies.
The West German press reports that draft proposals covering
court. organization, a new and severe criminal code, and a court
procedural code are already in the hands of the East German
Parliament. (Factual data from. C Berlin Desp 146, 14 Aug 52;
R FBIS Hamburg, 26 Aug and 12 Sept 52)
17.
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Critical period foreseen for French non-Communist labor
unions: French non- ommunist la or leaders fear that the recent
high-level purge of the Communist Party will increase the influence
of Benoit Frachon, leader of the General Confederation of Labor,
in his drive for non-political trade unionist objectives. Leaders
of the Socialist-oriented Force Ouvriere have long feared that
such a drive would attract their following and destroy this anti-
Communist organization. (S Paris 1703, 18 Sept 52)
Comment: The members who were purged, including Andre Marty
and C air es-Tillon, had opposed cooperation with non-Communist
elements and had handicapped Frachon's efforts by subordinating
labor activities to political objectives.
Active labor support for the confederation's campaign for
a 15-percent wage increase will be determined by price trends in
the next few months.
Belgium in general agreement with US views on UN agenda: Ac-
cord1xg to a report of the American Embassy in Brussels, the
Belgian Foreign Ministry is in general agreement with United States
views regarding the agenda for the forthcoming UN General Assembly.
However, the Belgians want a European rather than a Canadian
for Assembly president, and are expected to support France on the
Tunisian and Moroccan questions. The Embassy also notes a
reluctance to follow the British suggestion for postponement of
general debate until midway in the session. (C Brussels 306,
18 Sept-52)
Comment: From incomplete information, the choice of a
Canad an or president of the Assembly and the inscription of
the Tunisian question appear to be favored by most UN members.
The attitudes of member countries on the inscription of the Moroc-
can question and the timing of the general debate appear to be
still at the formative stage.
Communists intensify efforts to infiltrate Italian Army:
The Italian Communist Party PCI s relying to an increasing
extent on its Youth Federation (FGCI) for infiltrating and propa-
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gandizing the army, FGCI 25X10
members about to be inducted are instructed to contact as quickly
as possible the Communist-dominated Aid Center for Veterans. The
recruits are to form cells within their units and to distribute
Communist literature among their fellow soldiers. This literature
seeks to demonstrate that the army cannot assure Italy's security
as. long as it is placed at the service of American interests.
25X1A
Comment: Although there are a sizable number of Communists
among t Fe recruits, reports indicate that many are being weaned
from Communism by the army's better living standards.
25X130: Alliance between Christian Democrats and Monarchists in
Italy less i e y: An alliance between the Monarchists an the
rist an Democrats before the 1953 elections is Lik#lyp
the move
oppose by Prime Minister de Gasperi and the center and left
wings of the Christian Democratic Party. However, such a
proposal will continue to be pushed by the Christian Democratic
right wing, headed by Catholic Action leader Luigi Gedda.
Such an alliance before the elections would lead to a govern-
25X1 ment crisis resulting in the resignation of De Gasperi. Probably
with this factor in mind, the Pope is not supporting either group
until there Is further cls-rifica+n of political developments.
25X6
Comment: Although the political alignments for the next
nationaS"eloctions are not yet clear, it appears thus far that
De Gasperi is balancing the divergent forces in his party suc-
cessfully. An alliance with the Monarchists would cost him the
support of the moderate leftist parties, whose electoral strength
could not be compensated for by the Monarchists who polled only
four percent of the vote in 1951 and 1952.
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25. Poles reduce price of coal trade agreement with Norway:
A supplementary agreement between Norway and Poland, scheduled
to be signed on 18 September, provides for lower prices on coal
imported from Poland. (R FBIS Oslo, 18 Sept 52)
Comment: Denmark and Sweden also recently obtained more
favorable coal prices from Poland.
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