THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 30 MARCH 1974

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006007711
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: March 30, 1974

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The President's Daily Brief
March 30, 1974
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5B( I 1(2)13)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
? THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
? March 30, 1974
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Soviet
(Page 1)
In China, the current political turmoil may have
claimed its first high-ranking provincial victims.
(Page 2)
In recent press interviews President Sadat has com-
pared the Soviet Union unfavorably with the United
States. (Page 3)
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Soviets 25X1
(Page 4)
The NATO permanent representatives have overwhelm-
ingly supported continuation of work on the US-NATO
declaration regardless of action on the US-EC dec-
laration. (Page 5)
Algerian President Boumediene
would support Nouira
as the next president of Tunisia. (Page 6)
Notes on West Germany - South Vietnam, South Korea,
and South Asia appear. on Page 7.
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USSR-CHINA
/the USSR would be more conciliatory to China
in bilateral discussions such as the border talks
and economic negotiations.
Moscow's motives for following the line of this
briefing presumably spring mainly from a desire to
cool the more inflammatory aspects of? Soviet rela-
tions with Peking and thereby limit the leverage
that Moscow believes Washington gets from prolonged,
open bitterness between the USSR and China. More-
over, in Soviet eyes, there is always a danger that
Sino-Soviet tensions might reach a flash point and
affect other Soviet policies, particularly detente
with the West.
Looking ahead, as the Soviets move closer to
calling upon the world's Communists to condemn the
Chinese at another international conference, they
must convince the more reluctant parties that Mos-
cow has done everything possible to improve rela-
tions with the Chinese. Another longer term con-
sideration is that the Soviets also want to prepare
the ground for dealing with a post-Mao Chinese lead-
ership.
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CHINA
The current political turmoil may have claimed
its first high-ranking provincial victims.
political wall posters
condemning by name the top two party and government
leaders in Shansi Province. Hsieh Chen-hua and Tsao
Chung-nan are probably being blamed for promoting an
opera which includes an unflattering portrayal of a
character apparently modeled on Madame Mao. There
are indications that leaders in Shantung Province
may also come under attack. Another opera first
presented there includes a similar character. In
Honan, it appears that a provincial leader is also
in trouble, although no politically objectionable
operas are known to have been produced there.
The attacks on the operas and the struggles
over some other issues seem to add up to an effort
by Madame Mao and her supporters to alter the force
and. direction of the anti-Lin, anti-Confucius cam-
paign. If so, it would also seem that her forces
are still in a relatively strong position.
The attacks on provincial figures may fore-
shadow eventual criticism of high-level political
figures in Peking. article on
March 27 that attacked the Shansi opera warned:
that "whoever you are, however senior your official
position, if you do not follow Mao Tse-tung's revo-
lution line we shall strongly resist and struggle
against. you vigorously."
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EGYPT-USSR
In recent press interviews President Sadat has
compared the Soviet Union unfavorably with the United
States, and he may be planning to sharpen his criti-
cism of the Soviets in a major speech next week. A
journalist close to Sadat, Ali Amin, predicted in a
Middle East News Agency dispatch from Yugoslavia yes-
terday that Sadat, after he returns to Cairo from
Belgrade, will "unveil political secrets connected
with the behavior of certain big powers." An "im-
portant decision" is to be announced at the same time,
according to Amin.
Amin's statement followed the Egyptian rebroad-
cast of a BBC interview with Sadat in which he praised
the "radical change" for the better in the US atti-
tude toward peace in the Middle East, expressed hope
for better relations with Britain, and gave a tem-
porizing reply to a leading question on the "ambiguity"
of his relations with the Soviets. The Middle East
News Agency also carried an interview with a Lebanese
journalist in which Sadat charged that the Soviets
had attempted to deceive him about alleged Syrian de-
sires for a cease-fire on the opening night of the
October war.
Soviet-Egyptian relations have reached the lowest
point since the expulsion of Soviet military advisers
in 1972. The Soviets, who were upset at having been
excluded from the negotiations for the Egyptian-Israeli
disengagement, have been increasingly critical of
Sadat's friendly gestures toward the US and his in-
terest in Western economic assistance and investment.
Moscow has criticized Sadat's claims that US policy
toward the Middle East has changed, and more recently
condemned Sadat's support of the decision to lift the
oil embargo on the US.
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USSR
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NATO
At an informal meeting this week, the NATO per-
manent representatives overwhelmingly supported con-
tinuation of work on. the US-NATO declaration regard-
less of action on the US-EC declaration.
Belgian NATO Ambassador de Staercke had urged
that the representatives adopt such a policy. Secre-
tary General Luns agreed, noting that the original
US invitation for an Atlantic declaration was ad-
dressed to all NATO members and only later did the EC
Nine opt for a separate declaration on US-EC rela-
tions. The West German, Italian, Norwegian, Dutch,
Turkish, and Greek ambassadors all supported De
Staercke. Only the French and Danish ambassadors
questioned the proposal.
The Bonn Foreign Office has indicated agreement
with UK Foreign Minister Callaghan',s.position that
the fifteen should complete the US-NATO declaration
in time for signature by the foreign ministers at the
April meeting commemorating NATO's 25th anniversary.
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ALGERIA
Tunisian Prime Minister Nouira
is a logical choice
for, the Algerians ? to back. He led the ? opposition to
the short-lived Tunisia-Libya merger agreement of
last January,. and has-been working to improve rela-
tions with Algeria since the merger fiasco. Nouira
has also been friendly to the US.
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NOTES
West Germany - 'South Vietnam: The West German
Foreign Ministry has agreed in principle to provide
South Vietnam with more than $17 million in aid for
specific projects. Although the German package in
itself will do little to help Saigon's balance-of-
payments problem, it could encourage other potential
donors to go ahead with their own economic assistance
projects. Bonn is still withholding assistance from
North Vietnam, largely because of Hanoi's continuing
violations of the Paris accords as well as its de-
mands for recognition of the PRG.
South Korea: Seoul will seek $3 billion in for-
eign loans over the next two years. South Korea
needs help to offset a projected $1.1-billion trade
deficit this year. Major Western donors, meeting in
Paris this week, already have agreed on the need to
increase funds. Based on South Korea's economic
record, including a real growth rate of 17 percent
last year, they believe that South Korea will be able
to weather its economic difficulties.
South Asia: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh
are proceeding with plans to hold a high-level meet-
ing in New Delhi on April 5 to settle the fate of
195 Pakistani POWs in India accused of war crimes by
Bangladesh. Although it was feared the sudden illness
and treatment in Moscow of Prime Minister Mujib would
force a postponement of the tripartite conference,
the Bengalee leader has apparently given his ap-
proval for the meeting. Some 75,000 of the more
than 90,000 Pakistani POWs have already been repa-
triated, and soon all but the 195 will have been
freed.
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Top Secret
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