Documents / FOIA release
The CIA's Directorate of Intelligence issued this Weekly Summary, No. 0369/70, on 8 May 1970. It covers events through noon on 7 May. The Far East section deals with the allied operations into Cambodia, Hanoi's cautious response and the government in exile Sihanouk formed in Peking. Other items cover Soviet military aid, the Sino-Soviet talks, Jordan, Dahomey, Guatemala and Brazil, and a special report looks at Cuban support for subversion in Latin America. Many pages are withheld, and the summary contains no UFO material.
Approved for Release: 2023/03/28 C03154550 NEW TENSIONS IN JS—SoMAL1 RELATIONS New tensions have arisen be- tween the US and the military regime in Somalia, and relations seem likely to worsen. In late April the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC) rounded up a collection of civilians and military personnel and charged them with plotting against the government. General Korshel, a vice president of the SRC and a former police commander, was accused of masterminding the plot. Following Korshel's arrest and a propaganda campaign that stressed the involvement of an "im- perialist" power, five members of the US Embassy in Mogadiscio were expelled for alleged involvement in the conspiracy. The expulsion of the Americans suggests that some government offi- cials may have been aiming more at creating new irritants between the US and Somalia than at countering local coup plotting. No informa- tion has yet emerged to shed any light on the plot itself or on the few Somalis thus far identified. Reports have long confirmed the existence of disaffection and pe- riodic plotting, but it is unclear if those arrested were part of a conspiracy or were merely known dis- sidents who were jailed to put them out of circulation. Even less clear is General Korshel's part in the plot. Despite the regime's contention, Korshel seems ill suited to the role of ringleader. He had few assets to contribute to a serious plot, having little influence outside the coun- cil or with his colleagues. He was a reluctant participant in the army take—over last Octoberand joined 0nlY after being threatened with arrest. Since then, his position has been shaky at best, and he apparently was retained on the SRC partly by virtue of his senior rank and partly to give the appearance of army and police cooperation. On the other hand, during his long tenure as a top police official before the coup, Korshel was closely involved with the US police train- ing and assistance program. Although Korshel may have been in contact with some dissidents, it also seems prob- able that linking him with the plot may have been prompted by some SRC members as a convenient way of dump- ing him from the council and impli- cating the US. At least one source—— an article datelined Mogadiscio that appeared in an Italian Communist publication——hinted at such a pos- sibility by stating that US repre- sentatives are involved in police training and alleging that the plot was organized by police. Sentiment favoring a break with the US is known to exist among some of the young nationalist officers on the SRC. Although it is not clear who is behind the current anti-US campaign, US-Somali relations have drifted steadily downhill since the army seized power in October 1969. The army has long been hostile to the US for its role as an arms sup- plier to Ethiopia and as a close supporter of ousted prime minister Egal. Somali suspicion of the US has already led to the expulsion of the Peace Corps in December l969, and this latest incident may nudge both countries closer to a break. Page 25 \VEF.KLY SUMMARY 8 May 70 Approved for Release: 2023/03/28 C03154550 (b)(3
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 78 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.