THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 12 NOVEMBER 1973

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993983
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: November 12, 1973

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The President's Daily Brief
12 November 1973
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 58(1),(2),(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENPS-DAILY, BRIEF
12 November1973
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
There have been no reports of fighting since Egyp-
tian and Israeli representatives signed the-six-point
agreement yesterday. In Tel Aviv, leaders of the
opposition group, Likud, have come out against the
accord; they claim that Mrs. Meir's government lacks
a mandate to speak for Israel. The controversy over
Dayan's handling of the war has also grown more in-
tense. Meanwhile, a Soviet official in Cairo has
commented on the role of Soviet surface-to-surface
missiles in Egypt. (Page 1)
The West Germans may be prepared to sign a treaty
of reconciliation and to establish diplomatic rela-
tions with Czechoslovakia before their demands on
the West Berlin legal assistance question are fully
satisfied. This probably would lead to early es-
tablishment of diplomatic relations with Hungary
and Bulgaria as well, completing the treaty frame-
work of Ostpolitik. (Page 4)
All Arab oil producers that signed the agreement on
November 4 to reduce production by 25 percent seem
to be complying. Libya and Algeria, neither of
which fully carried out the first agreement in Oc-
tober, apparently are falling in line this time.
(Page 5)
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Text of the Egyptian-Israeli Agreement
Signed on 11 November 1973:
--Egypt and Israel agree to observe scrupulously the
cease-fire called for by the UN Security Council.
--Both sides agree that discussions between them will
begin immediately to settle the question of the re-
turn' to the October 22 positions in the framework of
agreement on'the disengagement and separation of
forces under the auspices of the UN..
--The town of Suezwill receive daily supplies 'of:'..:
food, Water'and mediCine. All wounded.civilianS
the town of Suez will be evacuated.
--There shall be no impediment to the movem'ento
non-military supplies to the East Bank.
--The Israeli checkpoints on the Cairo-Suez road will
be replaced by UN checkpoints. At the ?Suez end of
the road Israeli officers can participate with the
UN to supervise the non-military nature of the cargo
at the bank of the Canal.
--As soon as the UN checkpoints are established on'
the Cairo-Suez road, there will be an- exchange of
all prisoners of war, including'wounded.
4'1r ."
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
ARAB STATES - ISRAEL
After signing the six-point agreement yesterday,
Egyptian and Israeli representatives met with UN of-
ficials to discuss implementing it. An Egyptian
spokesman in Cairo insisted that the next steps
should be to disentangle military forces west of the
canal, "returning them to positions of October 22,"
and to secure Egyptian road communications to Suez
City and the east bank. He sidestepped a question
on the blockade of the Bab al-Mandab, the southern
entrance to the Red Sea.
Talks between Egyptian and Israeli officers will
resume today; they are to deal with exchange of pris-
oners of war. There have been no reports of fighting
since the six-point accord was signed.
In Tel Aviv, leaders of the opposition group,
Likud, decided last night to oppose the new agreement.
Likud objects that the accord does' not include pro-
visions for lifting the blockade of the Bab al-Mandab.
In addition, the opposition group contends that, in
effect, the siege of the Egyptian Third Army has been
lifted. More important, Likud argues that the Meir
government lacks a mandate to speak for Israel. The
opposition points out that the government's term in
office ended on October 28, but it has remained in
power until new elections--postponed because of the
war--are held on December 31. Likud has demanded
that the cabinet recognize that only a new government
has the authority to negotiate future settlements.
Meanwhile, in an Israeli television interview,
Deputy Prime Minister Allon said that negotiations
could not possibly become substantive before the
eleCtions. He stated that many Israelis, including
himself, think the government needs a new mandate
before concluding further agreements.
The controversy over Israel's conduct of the
war is also growing. The cabinet announced yesterday
that Mrs. Meir has proposed a full investigation,
and that the army would conduct an inquiry of its
own. Earlier, Foreign Minister Eban had criticized
Dayan's handling of the war and Israeli preparedness,
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
and called for a special commission to look into
these matters. In addition, Major General Sharon,
a top Israeli commander on the Egyptian front, has
criticized the Israeli high command for its conduct
of the war. Sharon is a leader of Likud.
Yasir Arafat, Fatah leader and Palestine Libera-
tion Organization chairman, left for Moscow yesterday
after consultations with President Sadat in Cairo,
according to a press report. Arafat's stopover, in
Egypt follows a meeting with King Faysal on November
10 and earlier meetings with other Arab leaders.
Fatah reportedly has been in the forefront of the
commando groups favoring fedayeen participation in a
peace conference.
A Soviet TASS official in Cairo
commented on Soviet
surface-to-surface missiles in Egypt during a conver-
sation with a US diplomat on November 10. The Soviet
said that, under considerable pressure from the Egyp-
tians, Moscow agreed to send a "limited number" of
these missiles, and that they arrived shortly before
October 16--the day Sadat claimed Egypt had a missile
capable of striking Israel.
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The TASS official contended that the surface-
to-surface missiles are manned by Soviet crews and
remain under. exclusive Soviet control. He described
their purpose as deterrent or, failing that, re-
taliatory. The,missiles, he said, are there to
pose a convincing threat against Israeli -civilian
targets in the event Tel Aviv is tempted to strike
directly at Cairo or other Egyptian population
centers. Avoiding any reference to a nuclear capa-
bility, he stressed that the impact of the missiles
is primarily political, especially in view of the.
"small size of the warhead."
(continued)
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This account of Soviet motives 'seems plausible.
The accuracy of the Scud is such that with a 24000-
pound conventional warhead it would have little .value
against military targets, but Might be used effec-
tively as a terror weapon against cities. Scuds
deployed in northeastern Egypt could reach Tel Aviv.
Moreover, since the Israelis can not be altogether
sure that nuclear warheads will never be used, the
weapon has considerable deterrent value.
Seven Soviet ships, including two major surface
combatants and two submarines, have left the Mediteran-
nean since November-9. Soviet naval strength in the
Mediterannean is now down to 83 ships, including 21
surface combatants, 21 submarines, and various sup-
port vessels.
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There have been no flights of Soviet transport air-
craft associated with the arms resupply effort in
over five days.
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WEST GERMANY - CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Bonn and Prague seem prepared to sign a treaty
of reconciliation and to establish diplomatic rela-
tions. Ready for signature six months ago, the
treaty was held up because the Czechs refused to bow
to Bonn's insistence that its prospective embassy be
authorized to represent West Berlin legal institu-
tions.
In order to break the impasse, the West Germans
came up with a compromise proposal which would permit
West Berlin and West German courts to deal directly
with counterparts in Eastern Europe. Foreign Min-
ister Scheel broached this during his visit to Moscow
from October 31 to November 3, but the Soviets were
noncommittal. On November 5, the Czech foreign
minister also went to Moscow for consultations, and
two days later Bonn's Foreign Office Political Di-
rector Van Well arrived in Prague to resume the
direct dialogue broken off. last August.
The Soviets and Czechs will remain reluctant
to accede to any arrangement, such as the one pro-
posed, that would tend to buttress Bonn's claim that
special ties exist between the Federal Republic and
West Berlin. They may hope that a desire to breathe
new life into Ostpolitik will induce further give in
the West German position.
Bonn may now be prepared to go ahead and sign
?the treaty before reaching full agreement on the
West Berlin legal assistance question. There has
been considerable feeling within the ruling coali-
tion that Bonn's approach to the matter has been
too rigid, and officials have been hinting at new
flexibility. Coalition leaders evidently think they,
can ride out predictable criticism that the govern-
ment has again given in to pressure from the East
on a Berlin-related matter.
A West German Foreign Office spokesman told the
US Embassy on November 10 that Chancellor Brandt and
Scheel are expected to visit Prague at the turn of
the month to sign the treaty. This would probably
lead to early establishment of diplomatic relations
with Hungary and Bulgaria as well, completing the
treaty framework of Ostpolitik.
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INTERNATIONAL OIL
All Arab oil 'producers that signed the agreement
on November A to reduce production by 25 percent seem
to be complying.
Libya and Algeria, neither ..of which fully carried
out the first agreement in October to. cut production,
apparently are falling in line this time.. One of the
US companies operating in Libya was told on Friday to
cut Its production by 25 percent. US officials in
Algeria, relying on information concerning only two
fields, report. that Algeria has already cut production
by at least 15 percent. :Together the two countries
produce about 17 percent of all Arab oil.
In addition, Iraq, which signed neither agree-
ment, lost about 20-30 percent of its production be-
cause of war damage to its terminal at Baniyas, Syria.
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