THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 18 OCTOBER 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993578
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: October 18, 1972

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The President's Daily Brief
18 October 1972
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Exempt from general
declassifiotion schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5B(1),(2).(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
18 October 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Recent reporting suggests that relations between the
two Communist delegations at the Paris peace talks
have become strained. (Page 1)
On Page 2, we discuss Japanese Foreign Minister
Ohira's impending visit to the Soviet Union.
The Japanese Government is still trying to put to-
gether a trade program to forestall growing interna-
tional pressures on the yen. (Page 3)
Ifedayeen
(Page 4)
In Yugoslavia, Tito is seeking a purge of top Serbian
party leaders who have not heeded his demand for more
obedience. (Page 5)
the Lao Com-
munists were unusually conciliatory ,during yester-
day's initial round of peace talks in Vientiane,
(Page 6)
Shutdowns and strikes of protest against the Chilean
Government continue to spread, but most of the anti-
government activity seems uncoordinated. (Page 6)
The East German parliament has enacted a law absolving
from criminal prosecution those East Germans who fled
to West Germany between 1961 and January 1972.
(Page 6)
The Chiang Kai-shek government has informed Japan
that it is ready to begin negotiations on its future
relations with Tokyo. (Page 7)
At Annex, we discuss difficulties that appear to have
risen between the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong
delegations in Paris,
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there may be something amiss in the relationship
between the two Communist delegations at the Paris
peace talks. Ambassador Porter's report on the
session last Thursday, moreover, points to an ob-
vious lack of coordination between the two.
Signs of possible discord between the
North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong dele-
gations are discussed in more detail at
Annex.
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JAPAN-USSR
Japanese Foreign Minister Ohira will proceed
from Washington to Moscow, arriving there on Satur-
_ day for four days of talks with Soviet leaders.
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JAPAN
The Japanese Government is still trying to put
together a trade program to forestall growing inter-
national pressures on the yen. Essentially, the
plan calls for a liberalization of import laws as
well as simultaneous curbs on Japanese exports, in-
cluding the imposition of an export surcharge, which
as late as last week was rejected by Prime Minister
Tanaka.
The major factor influencing Japanese
thinking on revaluation, of course, is
the country's rapidly growing trade sur-
plus with the United States. In Septem-
ber the surplus amounted to $440 million--
up almost 50 percent from the September
1971 level. So far this year the surplus
with the US has totaled about $2.9 billion
and for 1972 as a whole will likely be
about $4 billion.
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FEDAYEEN TERRORISTS
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YUGOSLAVIA
. Tito is locked in a dispute with Serbian party
leaders that seems likely to result in a purge of
the largest republic party organization in. Yugo-
slavia. At issue is the conduct of Serbian party
boss Marko Nikezic, who became party leader during
the wave of liberal reforms in 1968. Nikezic has
been a champion of republic party autonomy. Since
last January, however, Tito has been trying hard
to recentralize party authority at the federal level.
After four days of fruitless negotiations,-Tito
yesterday called on the Serbian central committee
to throw out-its leaders. Because Nikezic is so,
well.entrenched, such a move.will be difficult.to
accomplish, even though Tito will have the support
of the. more.conservative rural central committee-
members.
Tito curbed similar republican "chauvinists"
in Croatia last year and succeeded in
purging its party. With the support of
the armed forces.and the security service,
he can carry off a purge in Serbia as
well. The long-term effects of his ac-
tion, however, may be to damage badly the
party and government structures which
have been set up to replace Tito in an-
orderly fashion once he retires or dies.
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NOTES
Laos: The Lao Communists were apparently un- 25X1
usually conciliatory during the initial round of
peace talks held yesterday in Vientiane.
Pathet Lao chief negotia-
tor Phoune Sipraseuth condemned US activities in
Laos, but indicated that the Communists are willing
to proceed with discussions even though the US is
continuing its bombing(
Chile: The shutdowns and strikes of protest
against the Allende government continue to spread,
but press reports of violence appear to be exagger-
ated. Most of the antigovernment activity is unco-
ordinated. This so far has made it less difficult
for security forces to maintain control. At the
same time, however, it increases the danger of un-
planned outbreaks of violence.
East Germany: Pankow announced on Monday that
the East German parliament has enacted a law that
absolves from criminal prosecution those East Ger-
mans who fled to West Germany between 1961 and Janu-
ary 1972. This law also strips them of East German
citizenship. By lifting Pankow's legal claims
against them, the new law could pave the way for
additional thousands of refugees to visit relatives
in East Germany. The action is consistent with Pan-
kow's efforts to appear conciliatory in practical
matters with Bonn while holding firm in negotiations
on key political issues.
Commonwealth Caribbean:
(continued)
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'Nationalist China - Japan: The Chiang Kai-shek
government is ready to begin negotiations on future
relations with Japan, reports the US Embassy in Tai-
pei. The Ja anese have been informed of the deci-
sio
Nationalist officials are fully aware of
Tokyo's economic importance to Taipei and have re-
acted with considerable restraint since Japan's rec-
ognition of Peking.
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NORTH VIETNAM - VIET CONG
Ambassador Porter has reported a strange bit
of byplay at the session last Thursday that suggests
a communications breakdown between the North Viet-
namese and the PRG delegations. The issue was the
French Government's request, delivered several weeks
earlier, that the peace talks vacate the conference
center at Avenue Kleber on 19 October to make room
for the EC summit. Up until last week, both Commu-
nist delegations had insisted that the talks must
be held at another location, but just before Thurs-
day's meeting the North Vietnamese called to say
they would agree to postpone the session of 19
October if the US delegation proposed it. No such
call was received from the PRG delegation--a highly
unusual occurrence.
A few hours later, when Ambassador Porter pro-
posed the postponement at the formal session, Madame
Binh was quite obviously taken aback. Even with
the prompting of her aides she was able to muster
only a few fairly ungracious sentences. The North
Vietnamese delegate, on the other hand, read from
a smoothly written prepared statement. He seemed
highly embarrassed at his colleague's discomfiture.
(continued)
Al
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