CIA · President's Daily Brief · declassified 2015–2016
22 days in 1963 on which the CIA's brief for the US president names Romania: 23 paragraphs, scanned and transcribed, with the withheld passages marked.
THE COMMUNIST IMAGE MAY SUFFER FURTHER DAMAGE IN AFRICAN EYES. AFRICAN STUDENTS IN BUCHAREST, ENCOUNTERING PROBLEMS SIMILAR TO THOSE EXPERIENCED IN SOFIA, ARE HOPING TO ORGANIZE A STUDENT UNION; AFRICAN STUDENTS IN MOSCOW ARE SAID TO BE "EXTREMELY" DISTURBED BY THE TROUBLES IN BULGARIA.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 22 February 1963, page 9 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Moscow is having its difficulties in organizing and coordinating the economies of Eastern Europe through CEMA--the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. The Rumanians are bucking a February CEMA decision that they abandon most of their plans for major new industries and concentrate instead on petroleum products, fertilizers and agriculture. Party leaders in Bucharest have sought and received support for their stand at the grass roots level and will find it difficult to back down should the Soviets elect to press the issue.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 23 April 1963, page 8 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
a. Soviet/Satellite economic planning seems to be running into snags.
b. The Executive Committee of the Bloc's Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA) is to meet within the next 10 or 12 days. It concluded a meeting only last week and it normally meets only every other month.
c. We know that one issue in dispute is Rumania's reluctance to accept its allotted role in CEMA's plans for economic integration.
d. The Polish delegate, in a statement to the press after the last meeting, dropped a hint that the problem could be broader than the specific issue of Rumania. He said the "debates" were "pervaded by the concern" with which members "approached the expansion and deepening of cooperation."
President's Intelligence Checklist, 1 May 1963, pages 6 and 7 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
a. We have a mounting collection of bits and pieces which have led us to wonder about the status of Rumanian-Soviet relations.
b. Rumanian resistance to certain CEMA plans for an integration of the Rumanian economy with that of the bloc. Rumania has threatened to withdraw from CEMA over the issue.
c. We note a present willingness by Bucharest to criticize certain Soviet World War II political actions.
d. In contrast to the other satellites, Rumania has been relatively mum on the Sino-Soviet dispute and may even be playing footsy with the Chinese--new agreements have upped Rumanian trade with China and Albania a notch, and Rumania returned an ambassador to Albania in late March.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 6 May 1963, pages 3 and 4 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
a. A meeting of the first secretaries of the Soviet bloc parties--the first to be held since mid-1962--appears scheduled for June in Moscow.
b. Problems of economic integration--particularly the Rumanian wrangel with CEMA--will probably be well up on the agenda.
c. The Polish party is attaching a great deal of importance to this meeting, which is expected "to significantly affect the Polish economy."
d. The meeting will fall between the Soviet party plenum set for 18 June and the two-sided encounter between the Soviets and the Chinese Communists which will begin on 5 July. This timing will give the Soviets a chance to put the East European ranks in step before facing the Chinese.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 18 May 1963, page 5 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
A fact-finding mission has gone from Bucharest to Indonesia to explore the possibility of obtaining raw materials for Rumania's industries.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 28 May 1963, page 6 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
a. Rumanian leaders apparently remain convinced that Moscow's plans for economic integration would leave Rumania a second class citizen in the Bloc.
b. Soviet Presidium member Podgorny has been in Bucharest to persuade them otherwise. But on Wednesday, he was treated to an uncompromising public speech by Rumanian party secretary and Presidium member Ceausescu.
c. Ceausescu quoted Lenin to support Bucharest's view that "equalization of the level of construction of Socialist states is indispensable for the construction of Communist society."
d. This is a favorite Chinese chestnut, too.
e. Curiously, when the Soviet government newspaper Izvestiya carried Ceausescu's speech, it deleted this offending paragraph and another relating to indispensability of heavy industrial development. Pravda ran the text in full.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 3 June 1963, pages 4 and 5 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
At least one phase of this year's Warsaw Pact exercises appears now to be underway in southeastern Bulgaria, involving Bulgarian as well as Soviet and Rumanian units of at least divisional size.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 4 June 1963, page 7 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
REUTERS THIS MORNING WAS REPORTING RUMORS FROM MOSCOW THAT KHRUSHCHEV HAD SUDDENLY LEFT FOR RUMANIA, OR WAS ABOUT TO. AS OF 0800 EDT (OUR PRESS TIME) WE HAD NO CONFIRMATION AND HAD NO NEWS OF UNSCHEDULED VIP FLIGHTS FROM MOSCOW.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 25 June 1963, page 9 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
A. IF KHRUSHCHEV HAS IN FACT GONE TO RUMANIA AS RUMORED--WE STILL ARE NOT SURE, BUT A SPEECH IN MOSCOW ON TUESDAY WAS READ FOR HIM--HE MUST THINK RUMANIA'S ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES WITH THE USSR NEED HIS PERSONAL ATTENTION BEFORE THE SINO-SOVIET CONFRONTATION NEXT WEEK.
B. WE HAVE, HOWEVER, SEEN NO SIGNS OF THE MOVEMENT OF VIP AIRCRAFT TO BUCHAREST, WHICH WE WOULD NORMALLY EXPECT.
C. ALTHOUGH THE RUMANIAN DEVIATION IS NOT ONE TO WHICH THE CHINESE WOULD BE SYMPATHETIC, BUCHAREST AND PEIPING ARE EACH TRYING TO EXPLOIT THE OTHER'S QUARREL WITH MOSCOW.
D. RUMANIA IS THE ONLY EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRY TO PUBLISH A SUMMARY OF THE LATEST CHINESE PARTY LETTER, WITH ITS IMPLIED CONDEMNATION OF SOVIET "ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION" OF THE SATELLITES.
E. KHRUSHCHEV IS NOW DUE IN EAST BERLIN ON FRIDAY--TWO DAYS BEFORE ULBRICHT'S BIRTHDAY PARTY, THE OFFICIAL EXCUSE FOR HIS VISIT.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 26 June 1963, page 2 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
A. KHRUSHCHEV'S RAMBLING 21 JUNE SPEECH TO THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE PLENUM, JUST PUBLISHED, LOOKS LIKE AN EFFORT TO STRENGTHEN DISCIPLINE WITHIN THE SOVIET PARTY BEFORE THE FORTHCOMING CONFRONTATION WITH THE CHINESE.
B. LASHING OUT AT BOTH DEVIATIONISTS AND RECALCITRANT INTELLECTUALS HE WARNED THAT DEVIATION FROM THE KREMLIN LINE COULD GET ONE THROWN OUT OF THE PARTY.
C. THE SPEECH GAVE NO NEW INSIGHTS ON MOSCOW'S TACTICS IN THE 5 JULY SINO-SOVIET MEETING OR ON SOVIET FOREIGN POLICY.
D. KHRUSHCHEV WILL PROBABLY UTILIZE THE GATHERING TOMORROW OF EAST EUROPEAN PARTY CHIEFS IN EAST BERLIN--ALL BUT RUMANIA'S GHEORGHIU-DEJ--TO COORDINATE STRATEGY FOR NEXT WEEK'S MEETING.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 29 June 1963, page 2 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Moscow is still trying to cover up Khrushchev's hurried visit to Bucharest on 24-25 June. Soviet Ambassador Zhegalin stated flatly in Bucharest that Khrushchev received the Women's Congress group in Moscow 24 June. However, Moscow's Mayor greeted the opening session and the Soviet delegate read Khrushchev's message to the group. We continue to believe Khrushchev made the trip.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 9 July 1963, page 5 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
a. The two parties managed this weekend to extricate themselves from the talks with a communique stating they have "agreed" to resume discussions, "some time later."
b. Several East European countries, in commentaries so similar that Moscow's guidance seems apparent, have harshly criticized the Chinese.
c. As expected, the party and government chiefs of the CEMA member states are to meet Wednesday in Moscow, for the first time since 1962. Moscow has also announced an aid agreement for Yugoslavia and Khrushchev's plan to go there in August.
d. The CEMA meeting may discuss breaking economic relations with Peiping, and will surely deal with Rumania's recalcitrance. The Rumanian ambassador in Moscow told Kohler Saturday that this problem had been satisfactorily resolved.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 22 July 1963, page 2 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
OUR EMBASSY IN BUCHAREST CONCLUDES THAT THE RUMANIANS HAVE SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY ALL JAMMING OF VOICE OF AMERICA AND RADIO FREE EUROPE BROADCASTS.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 8 August 1963, page 5 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
a. Rumanian officials have been assiduous the past week or so in their protestations that they desire better economic relations with the US.
b. Gheorghiu-Dej told Secretary Freeman that the proposals for supranational planning had been shelved at the last CEMA meeting. The Rumanian leader insisted that his country would proceed with its industrialization program, adding that "no one tries to prevent us from buying from the Americans."
c. Rumania, he said, wants to buy US industrial installations and will find the means to pay for them.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 9 August 1963, page 5 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
The Rumanians want to send their Planning Commission chairman to the US for trade talks. They are interested in buying equipment for their chemical, oil, rubber, paper, and radio-TV industries. Their trade with the US amounted to only $1.5 million last year, but it has been growing rapidly with Western Europe.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 12 August 1963, page 7 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Russian has been dropped as a mandatory language in Rumanian schools this year. Instead, it is now an elective along with French and English.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 12 September 1963, page 8 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
a. The Yugoslavs report that Rumania party boss Gheorghiu-Dej will pay them a visit within the next ten days.
b. The rumor in Belgrade is that he will sign an agreement on joint Rumanian-Yugoslav construction of a power and navigation project on the Danube.
c. Rumania has heretofore been the most reluctant of the Soviet bloc states to improve relations with Yugoslavia though it has loosened up in other departments.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 7 November 1963, page 9 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
A Rumanian news agency official has pressed visiting Washington Post European Correspondent Walter Estabrook to establish a permanent news office in Bucharest. Estabrook told legation officials that the Post had been negotiating with the Soviet Government for some time on opening an office in Moscow. He said that if these talks continued to drag on he would recommend that his paper open a bureau in Bucharest.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 7 November 1963, page 13 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
PRESIDENT GHEORGHIU-DEJ'S VISIT TO YUGOSLAVIA IS DEFINITELY ON FOR NOVEMBER 22-30. RUMANIA HAS BEEN THE MOST RELUCTANT OF THE SOVIET BLOC STATES TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH BELGRADE.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 18 November 1963, page 6 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Rumanian officials are about to award a US firm, Ferguson and Company of Cleveland, Ohio, a $32 million contract to help build the huge Galati steel plant. The Rumanians are pressing ahead with this project in the face of Soviet efforts to discourage it in various ways, most importantly by refusing to underwrite the scheme to any substantial degree.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 28 November 1963, page 12 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Paris has decided to raise the level of its legations in Rumania, Hungary, and Bulgaria to embassies. This follows a similar move by London last week.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 9 December 1963, page 11 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
a. In yet another gesture of independence from the USSR, the Rumanians have agreed to supply aviation gas and jet fuel to the Chinese Communists next year.
b. This will be the first time that Peiping has obtained these products from other than Soviet sources.
c. The Soviets have so far been willing to continue supplying China's needs in this respect, but Peiping has been trying hard to diversify.
President's Intelligence Checklist, 24 December 1963, page 5 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive