CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP79T00975A001400180001-6
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
T
Document Page Count: 
7
Document Creation Date: 
December 15, 2016
Document Release Date: 
December 30, 2003
Sequence Number: 
1
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
January 8, 1954
Content Type: 
REPORT
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PDF icon CIA-RDP79T00975A001400180001-6.pdf295.47 KB
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00, ;0001 e 200 SW 'T0094 8 January 1954 Copy o? 84 CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN DOCUMENT NO. -- NO Z CHANGE IN CLASS. 1. 1 DECLASSIFIED CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS S C NEXT REVIEW DATE: -- AUTH: HR 70.7,1 j DATE: -- REVIEWER: C Office of Current Intelligence CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY State Department review completed :sx, 25X100 0 0 0 25X1 .io SUMMARY FAR EAST 1. Inadequate Japanese defense budget nears final cabinet decision (page 3). 2. Indians impressed by Chinese Communist construction program (page 3). SOUTHEAST ASIA 3. Philippine vice president to visit Indonesia (page 4). NEAR EAST - AFRICA 4. Iran again requests $2590008000 loan from Export-Import Bank (page 4). 5. Comment on first Sudanese prime minister (page 5). 6. Moroccan city reportedly under "state of siege" (page 6). EASTERN EUROPE 7. Czechs request meat instead of strategic goods from Austria (page 6). WESTERN EUROPE 8. Reynaud denies intention to seek negotiations with Viet Minh (page 7). 25X1A Approved For Release 2004/01/16 : CIA-RDP79T00975A001400180001-6 25X1A FAR EAST 25X1A 25X1 1. Inadequate Japanese defense budget nears final cabinet decision: Approved For Re ease 2004/01/16: CIA-RDP79T00975A00 Barring last minute changes, top Japanese officials are expected to submit to the cabi- net for final decision on 12 January a draft 1954 defense budget described by the Ameri- can embassy as "disappointing" and "inadequate." The draft calls for total defense appropriations of 138.4 billion yen (about $384,000,000) during the next fiscal year, as compared with "minimum" American recommendations of 155 billion yen (approximately $430,000,000) The budget limits the increase in Japanese ground forces to 24,000 for 1954, 6,000 less than what the United States regards as an acceptable minimum. Comment-. Foreign Minister Okazaki told Ambassador Allison on 28 December that the budget would not fall far short of the figure of 155 billion yen suggested by the United States, as compared with 123.4 billion expended in fiscal 1953. 2. Indians impressed by Chinese Communist construction program: were greatly impress by the tremendous amount of construction, rebuilding and cleaning up in Communist C They expressed the view that Peiping is seeking a position of real independence vis-a-vis the Soviet Union and would welcome the normalization of relations with the United States. Comment: Peiping's construction program similarly impressed several n on-Communist diplomats who were given a tour of Manchuria last month. These tours are part of the Chinese effort to exploit "neutralist" sentiment, especially in the Far East. -3- ApprA Fdr R4Iease 2004/01/16: CIA-RDP79T00975Ad 01400180&044p 54 25X1 25X1 25X1A Approved For Release 2004/0 1 25X1 There is no evidence of Chinese eagerness for diplomatic relations with the United States. SOUTHEAST ASIA 3. Philippine vice president to visit Indonesia: Vice President Garcia of the Philippines 25X1A will pay an official visit to President Sukarno of Indonesia during January, e American embassy in Manila believes reasonably tain that Garcia will invite a military mission to visit the Philippine armed forces and will suggest that Sukarno appoint a small number of cadets to the Philip- pine Military Academy. Comment: Ambassador Cumming in Djakarta has reported that the Indonesian foreign minister recently expressed great admiration and respect for Magsaysay. He readily agreed to the ambassador's suggestion that, in certain fields, Indonesia might benefit from employment of Philippine technical advisers. NEAR EAST - AFRICA 25X1A 4. Iran again requests $25,000,000 loan from Export-Import Bank: Foreign Minister Entezam asked Ambassador Henderson on 5 January whether Iran could soon receive the $25,000,000 Export-Import Bank loan which has been pending for two years. Entezam said funds are urgently needed for economic develop- ment programs which cannot wait for renewed oil revenues. He argued that Iranian good will has been sufficiently demonstrated to convince the United States and the Export- Import Bank that granting of the loan will not diminish eagerness to settle the oil dispute. 25X1A 25X1 25X1 Approved For Release 2004/01/16: CIA-RDP79T0097GA0014001801714 54 25X1A Approved ForQOLase 2004/01/16 m - 01400180001-6 Granting the loan prior to settlement of the oil dispute, he added, would help to convince Iranians of Ameri- can friendship. It would also strengthen Prime Minister Zahedi's popularity during negotiations. Comment: Iran will face a severe financial crisis when emergency American aid expires in March or April. Continued foreign financial aid will be needed and more requests for such aid can be expected. Several requests by Mossadeq for imple- mentation of the Export-Import Bank loan were denied, presumably because of Iran's unfavorable financial position following oil national- ization. 5. Comment on first Sudanese prime minister: The selection of Ismail Azhari, a pro- Egyptian political agitator without parliamentary experience, as the first prime minister of the Sudan is likely further to embitter Anglo-Egyptian relations and handicap the development of Sudanese self-government. Azhari, leader of a small pro-Egyptian splinter group until appointed president of the Egyptian-sponsored National Unionist Party in 1952, has been closely associated with Egypt since 1944. His open support of Egypt's position has dis- credited him among some Sudanese who consider him to be an "Egyptian hireling." The choice reflects the current strength of Egyptian influence in local affairs. Azhari's selection, however, 25X1 A is not likely in the long run to promote party unity and may contribute to subsequent Sudanese opposition to Egyptian interference. Approved For Rele 25X1A 400180001-6 8 Jan 54 Approved F elease 2004/01/16 :CIA-RDP79T00941400180001-6 25X1A 25X1A 6. Moroccan city reportedly under "state of siege": The city of Fez has been under a "state of siege" by French troops and French- controlled native tribes for ten days, Comment'. Maintenance of the French position in Morocco is assured --by ome 56,000 loyal troops. Despite mass arrests of Moroccans, however, the French have been unable to halt the increase in terrorist acts which occurred following the deposi- tion of the former sultan last August. EASTERN EUROPE Czechoslovakia has suddenly offered to reduce its proposed imports of Austrian ball bearings, aluminum and 30 to 40 ther finished-goods items under the 1954 tracY6 agreement now unaer negotiation, and requested in their dpl acce f 25X1 25X1 this is the first irm evidence of orbit willingness to sacrifice imports of high-priority strategic goods from the West in order to procure foodstuffs. an a an import quota of $2,500,000 worth of Austrian pork, bee according to the American high commissioner in Vienna. He comments that the Austrian government probably will be reluctant to curtail tra- ditional shipments of finished goods, manufacture of which employs large numbers of Austrian workers. Comment'. 7. Czechs request meat instead of strategic goods from Austria'. Approved For Rele 25X1A se X1400180001-6 8 Jan 54 25X1 25X1 25X1A Approved For Re ease 2004/01/16 :CIA-RDP79T00975A0 WESTERN EUROPE 25X1A 8. Reynaud denies intention to seek negotiations with Viet Minh: Alsop that Reynaud wants France to negotiate with the Viet Minh. The vice premier, he said, favors evacuation only as a last resort, and supports active prosecution of the Indochina war until international negotiations are possible, preferably as part of any post-Korea political conference or in five-power talks including Communist China. Vice Premier Reynaud's executive secre- tary approached American embassy offi- cials in Paris on 6 January to deny the statement of American columnist Joseph In the embassy's opinion, Reynaud is trying to retract statements he now believes went too far. The embassy also thinks that Secretary for Associated States Jacquet, who stated on 5 January that the vice premier was pressing the cabinet to adopt imme- diately a policy of withdrawal from Indochina, may have exaggerated Reynaud's position. Comment-. Reynaud's position as redefined here suggests that he is now like y to insist more than ever on the need for international negotiations on Indochina. In particular he may urge even harder that at Berlin Premier Laniel should accept any Soviet pro- posal for five-power talks on the Far East. Approved For Ro 25X1A p1400180g03- 54