MIDEAST EVENTS CAME AS A 'SURPRISE' U.S. INTELLIGENCE BLAMED FOR FOUL-UP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300060043-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: July 15, 2005
• Sequence Number: 43
• Publication Date: June 3, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

P;i1LAl)F1,1' IIA, PA.
BULLETIN
E-670,123
S-7-28,906
Approved For Release 2005/07/25 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300060043-2
JUN 3 1967
Mideast Events Came as a tSurprise
U.S. Intelligence B ktmed for-Foul-UP
clouds of crisis first began Lr a a a~ aava~ a unuvr~u uao uccu tV gwc
gathering over the Middle Bulletin-North American Newspaper Alliance the Administration major
East a senior American in- - problems it did not count nn_~,
telligence official pooh-poohed "Nasser's probably just march- ershcan undo stand kthej -a e second Jordan's King Hussein, thei
the , signific- mg them up and down the hill explanation. Britain and beneficiary of )pillions in U. S. "
military aid, had been expect-
ance of Egypt' again," he said. France have been in Iow 're- ed to be at least somewhat
Tian tr o o p Fourteen hours later, the pute among Arab leaders ever
c a n.v o q s as world was electrified by Nas- since they permitted the estab- neutral.
n But Hussein 's domestic po
m o v I
g f s ser's demand that the UN. lishment of the State of Israel ,
t h r o u g h in Palestine iri 1948 and fought liticai pressures and Jordan s
0.1
peacekeeping force on the Is- ties with- Islam were totally,
Cairo. against Egyptian forces in the
under .: rated, and seemingly,
It was, he rael - Egypt border be with-
Suez crisis or..1956.
said airily, drawn immediately. The next have been for it long:time.
The Britis.i, whether in gov-
just "anoth s y day, Egyptian troops began
? ernment or business, are re-
on SCdrdacl~Xre
{; a occupying UN positions,
i er show" by
P resident ax
the line." theyc once 4t~were' the colonial; T e President faces the'
G a m a 1 Ab 1'er Horst nastcn,s ; of Arabia The * pros sect of Jorda's' Amer-'
del Nasser, designed to plac- Poor Performance French. 3~re no baiter, prim ican jets and tanks and the
ate the anti-Israel feelings of
The episode serves to, thus ! trily because they are the American - trained Jordanian;
Syria and other Arab states, I''trate to White House officials ;C' 1 gOri.7ic'' and military sup=', :army --,'the best in the Arab
flow poorly the U. S. inkelli- pliers for h a ted Israel. world will be used against
gence community has funs ` t.'Is,rael 'if war comes.
tioned in the Middle East Cris LPrivr Relations And with Hussein over In tht:
is. Nasser. camp, White House of
Bit.ntinistration leaders But it only hints at tile cha p:sryticipated'. that the CIA and' 1'cials are skeptical of Intel
grin and surprise in the: White tlw~ tat. ~%vould have ,a - finger.., igence reports that, Saudi,
House when President John- o r the Arab world's pulse be Arabia s King Faisal will stay,
-son first heard the May 3i caw ke,' of U food shipments on the fence.
news that Jordan's young Ding.that iiave gone to Egypt, mili- a The lest straw in the inteI-%
;Hussein, one of his few Arab ! tary assttstaiice that has gone. l~ge:tce.foul,iap may have been'
"friends," had signed a mill, to J'oi'clar,, plus the vast Amer-?,w provided by the Russians, whoi
tary pact with Nasser thatl icsn; oil interests .in the Mid-,' are openly on the Arab side.'
',pledged Jordan's assistance., d1e last; Such relationships The Soviet Embassy in' Cairo'
in the anti-Israeli campaign.
"with any country are tract reportedly knew .i>t