THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 8 DECEMBER 1973

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006007617
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: December 8, 1973

_-
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
The President's Daily Brief
8 December 1973
45
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5E07,0).0)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
,FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
8 December 1973
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Only scattered incidents occurred on the Syrian and
Egyptian fronts yesterday...: The press and officialdom
.in both Cairo and Tel Aviv have been_issuing conflict-
ing reports on the inevitablility of war and the: like-
lihood of peace, presumably with the intention of
pressuring the enemy and the\superpowers and masking
intentions (Page 1)
I(Page 2
Jordan\
\ Korea/
/ (Page 3)
25X1
25X1
Moscow has begun to soften its polemical exchange
with Peking, but Soviet leaders continue to insist
that the Chinese must make the next move on the 25X1
stalled border talks. (Page 4) 25X1
The Yugoslav-Romanian
25X1
On Pages 6 and 7 are notes on South Vietnam's recapture
of Kien Duc, Libya
President Pak s release of
Korean students arrested in October, the agreement
of major European Communist parties to meet next year,
and results of the latest round of talks on reorgan-
ization of the inter-American system.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
ARAB STATES - ISRAEL
? Only scattered :incidents. occurred on_the Syrian
and Egyptian fronts yesterday, The Israelis con-
tinued to fly a number,of.reconnaissance missions
along the Suez Canal. Israeli aircraft also were
active along .the Gulf of Suez in the general area
of the air clash of December,6, but there is no
evidence of any Egyptian attempt to challenge them.
The press and officials in Cairo and Tel Aviv
have been conducting a war of nerves with conflict-
ing reports on the inevitability, of war and the
likelihood of peace. These reports ,probably are
designed partly to put pressure on the enemy and
the superpowers and partly to mask intentions.
They may also reflect genuine uncertainty about
futUre policy.
The Egyptians appear to hope that the visits
of Israeli Defense Minister Dayan to Washington and
of Secretary Kissinger to the Middle East will pro-
duce some movement toward breaking the diplomatic
impasse. Although the Egyptian press continues to
carry reports that Cairo will not resume the disen-
gagement talks, the public comments of official
spokesmen leave open the possibility that the talks
will reopen. Their comments indicate, however,
that the Geneva peace conference could be convened
without prior progress toward disengagement.
In Israel, the press continues to stress the
need to maintain a high state of alert but notes
that there is only a slim possibility of an all-out
confrontation.
1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
25X1
25X1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
JORDAN
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
25X1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T60936A-011900010007-8
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
KOREA
3
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
25X1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22: CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
USSR-CH IM
Moscow has begun to soften its polemical ex-
change with Peking, although Soviet leaders continue
to insist that it is up to the Chinese to make the
next move on the stalled border talks.
This latest shift from the superheated rhetoric
and personal attacks that reached a peak in the
months following the Chinese 10th Party Congress may
be Moscow's response to signs that Peking too is
willing to use cooler words. In early NoVember,
the Chinese sent National Day greetings to Moscow
that referred to the border question and avoided
the usual attempt to play off the Soviet people
against their leaders. The Soviets in turn took
the unusual step of publishing Moscow's thanks for
the Chinese greetings.
Another recent sign that the Soviets are easing
their criticism of the Chinese was the failure of
Pravda to print a sharp attack on Peking that was
contained in a speech in late November by Politburo
member Suslov. This deletion coincided with Pravda's
commemoration of Albania's National Day, which for
the first time in years did not blame Peking for
Tirana's move out of the Soviet orbit.
4
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
YUGOSLAVIA-ROMANIA
5
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22: CIA-RDP79T00956A011600010007-8
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTES
South Vietnam: South Vietnamese forces re-
took the district capital of Kien Duc in Quang Duc
Province yesterday. Enemy resistance was light,
suggesting that North Vietnamese units had moved
away from the town.
Libya:
South Korea: President Pak has released most
of the students arrested during the campus demon-
strations that began in early October.- Pak's move,
which comes on the heels-of a cabinet shuffle and
the ouster of the South Korean CIA chief, is another
conciliatory gesture toward those calling for polit-
ical-reform. It may help dampen protest for the
present, even though dissidents are likely to con-
tinue to agitate fori:the freeing of other imprisoned
students. Campus disturbances in Seoul have subsided,
and the closing of schools for the winter break to-
gether with the onset of Cold weather will ease the
government's efforts to handle domestic unrest.
USSR - Communist Parties: All of the major
European Communist partiesevidently have now agreed
to meet next year, thereby giving Moscow an oppor-
tunity to coordinate their activities and to line
them up behind Brezhnev.'s detente policy. The
willingness of the Romanian and Yugoslav parties
to attend suggests that Moscow has agreed to play
down the China issue. The Soviets may be willing
to give ground on this questionAn order to ensure
a successful European session, which in turn could
pave the way for a world party congress later.
(continued)
6
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
25X1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22: CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Western Hemisphere: As the third round of
talks on reorganizing the inter-American system con-
cluded, OAS representatives recommended a few re-
visions of the OAS Charter and the Rio Treaty, but
defeated sweeping reforms urged by the more radical
delegates. The proposal to revise the Rio Treaty
calls for collective security against "economic
aggression"; this is aimed at limiting the influence
of US and multinational corporations. Unlike earlier
rounds, however, the latest talks in Lima were char-
acterized generally by a desire for constructive
dialogue with the US.
7
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936-A01196-0010007-8
Top Secret
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/22 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011900010007-8