THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 16 DECEMBER 1974

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006007894
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: December 16, 1974

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The President's Daily Brief
December 16, 1974
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/15 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012400010012-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/15 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012400010012-6
Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category SB( I
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
p-) tf wr
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
December 16, 1974
Table of Contents
Egypt: Cairo may be having some second thoughts
about at least part of its new tough position
on Arab-Israeli questions. (Page 1)
France: Prime Minister Chirac may be moving to
strengthen the Gaullist movement's position
in the government. (Page 2)
South Vietnam: Communist forces overran a district
town north of Saigon on Sunday. (Page 3)
Rhodesia: Prime Minister Smith has begun to imple-
ment his truce agreement with Rhodesian insur-
gents. (Page 4)
Note: China (Page 5)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
EGYPT
Cairo media have avoided referring
to Foreign Minister Fahmi's demand on
Friday that Israel either agree to the
formation of a single Jewish-Muslim-
Christian state or return to the UN par-
tition plan of 1947. Instead, media
commentators have concentrated on the
demand that Israel allow no immigration
for 50 years.
The omission may indicate that Cairo is having
second thoughts about its bold attempt to redefine
Israel's pre-1967 borders. At the same time, there
is nothing in the commentary to indicate that the
Egyptians are backing off from their new demands
on the immigration issue-demands that could them-
selves upset negotiations and at a minimum will
revive Israeli doubts about Egyptian willingness
to coexist with Israel.
Sadat had appeared to be willing to proceed
with a second-stage withdrawal in the Sinai Penin-
sula in order to ease domestic military pressures
and to justify his reliance on US mediation. Is-
raeli leaders have hinted broadly, however, that
such a withdrawal would be the last for several
years.
Sadat may have concluded that he could not
participate in such a scheme if there were no hope
for some quick movement also on at least the Syrian
front. He may thus have adopted a position more
Arab than the Arabs to bolster his image with his
allies.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
FRANCE
Prime Minister Jacques Chirac's
election as head of the Gaullist Party
on Saturday probably presages an at-
tempt by him to strengthen the move-
ment's position in the government.
First, however, Chirac will have to convince
old-line Gaullists to give him more than the grudg-
ing support they have thus far granted him as Prime
Minister. Caught by surprise on Saturday, the party
"barons"--the bosses who dominated the movement
under De Gaulle and Pompidou--accused the Prime Min-
ister of "treason" and "strong arm tactics." Chirac
has been mistrusted by orthodox Gaullists since he
deserted their candidate Jacques Chaban-Delmas in
the presidential election last May and cast his lot
with Giscard.
If the barons can be convinced to accept
Chirac's leadership, the Prime Minister would be
able to swing the party into line behind Giscard's
government. An early indication of support would
be acceptance of a cabinet post by one of the barons.
Although addition of more Gaullists to the
cabinet would be a setback for Giscard's scheme to
form a "new majority" of the center, the presence
of important Gaullists in the government could give
Giscard more latitude to cooperate with the US.
In addition, with some 175 seats in the 490-seat Na-
tional Assembly, the Gaullists control the largest
bloc in Giscard's parliamentary majority.
Chirac's move this weekend may have resulted
from threats to his control of the party. Recently
disaffected Gaullists have been wooed by former
foreign minister Michel Jobert. Jobert has never
been a member of the Gaullist movement, but his
appeal to nationalism closely mirrors that of De
Gaulle. He has organized a movement of his own
which reportedly has been gaining support from many
Gaullists.
There have also been rumors of comeback bids by
the barons--Chaban-Delmas, Maurice Couve de Murville,
Michel Debre, and Olivier Guichard. Guichard in
particular has been touted as a man who could lead
the Gaullists back to dominance.
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Gulf of
Thailand
? MR 4
CAPITAL
SPECIAL
ZONE
South China Sea
SOUTH VIETNAM
0 25 50 75
Statute Miles
556990 12-74
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH VIETNAM
Communist forces overran Duc
Phpng district town north of Saigon
on Sunday after nearly five hours
of heavy shelling and are maintain-
ing heavy pressure against several
other government positions and
population centers in the southern
half of the country.
Communist forces in the Duc Phong area--believed
to include a North Vietnamese regiment--also overran
a government military encampment farther south and
are threatening the adjoining district capital at
Don Luan. Rockets and artillery have been fired
into the provincial capital at Phuoc Binh.
Heavy fighting continues in Tay Ninh Province
where South Vietnamese units are having trouble
trying to reinforce local militia units at two lo-
cations on the outskirts of the provincial capital.
In the delta, action has diminished in Kien
Tuong Province after six days of heavy fighting,
but new communist assaults are expected soon. Units
from the North Vietnamese 5th Division infiltrating
the area now have almost complete control of Tuyen
Nhon district.
Military activity elsewhere in the country is
light, although there are reports that the fighting
will intensify soon in the southern and central
provinces of Military Region 2. Heavy rains in
Military Region I have kept the pace of action slow
there.
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RHODESIA
Prime Minister Smith has taken the
first step toward implementing his truce
agreement with Rhodesian insurgentd by
allowing rebel leaders who had been long
imprisoned to resume political activity.
Late last week, Joshua Nkomo and Ndabaningi
Sithole, leaders of the Zimbabwe African Peoples
Union and the Zimbabwe African National Union, re-
spectively, made their first public appearance in
a decade. They issued a joint statement in Salis-
bury after returning from Lusaka, Zambia, where
they had formulated a common bargaining position
with exiled Rhodesian insurgents and negotiated
the truce with Smith's envoys.
The appearance of the two followed Smith's
announcement that, in return for a cease-fire
agreement, he was-releasing all detained black na-
tionalists. Nkomo and Sithole were joined in their
appearance by Bishop Muzorewa, head of the non-in-
surgent African National Council, the only nation-
alist group that has been allowed to function
openly in Rhodesia.
Exiled nationalist leaders, who have been di-
recting guerrilla operations inside Rhodesia from
bases in Zambia, may not be willing to honor an
immediate cease-fire as implied in Smith's announce-
ment of the truce. These leaders, who also partic-
ipated in the Lusaka talks, have not spoken out
since the talks.
The exiled nationalists may be waiting assur-
ance that Smith's promise of amnesty applies to
them, or they may be waiting to see whether Smith
will make further concessions.
Herbert Chitepo, who has directed the Zimbabwe
African National Union's insurgent efforts from
Zambia, opposed accepting the cease-fire at the
Lusaka talks until Smith guaranteed an early transi-
tion to majority rule in Rhodesia. Chitepo argued
against giving up the tactical advantages gained
by his group, which has fielded most of the guer-
rilla units operating inside Rhodesia since 1972.
It is doubtful that Sithole could get these units
to honor a cease-fire without Chitepo's concurrence.
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NOTE
China:
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