THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 6 JANUARY 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006007910
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: January 6, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
January 6, 1975
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5B( 11,( 2).13)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
A) ?.P
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
January 6, 1975
Table of Contents
USSR-Egypt: The Soviets have tried to discount
the importance of both Brezhnev's health and
Soviet-Egyptian frictions in the postponement
of his visit. (Page 1)
Egypt-Israel:
Arab States - PLO: Jordan made a minor concession
to the PLO during two days of talks in Cairo.
(Page 3)
USSR:
(Page 4)
South Vietnam: Government defenders at the capi-
tal of Phouc Long Province have been rein-
forced, but the situation remains serious.
(Page 5)
Notes: USSR; Ethiopia; Mexico (Page 6)
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USS-EGYPT
The Soviets have made efforts to dis-
count the importance of both Brezhnev's
health and Soviet-Egyptian frictions as
factors in the postponement of the General
Secretary's trip to the Middle East. We
continue to believe, however, that both
factors did play a role.
The Soviet Foreign Ministry official responsi-
ble for Near East affairs, M. D. Sytenko, expressed
to Ambassador Stoessel on Friday his annoyance with
Western press speculation about the postponement.
He said the move should not be considered unusual.
Sytenko implicitly dismissed Brezhnev's health as
a factor, noting that Brezhnev had met with the
Egyptian foreign and war ministers when they were
in Moscow last month.
Sytenko tried to put a good face on Soviet-
Egyptian relations. He vaguely asserted that the
talks with the Egyptians had been positive, although
he indicated that there had been no new date set for
Brezhnev's visit. Sytenko stressed several times
the importance Moscow assigns to the Geneva confer-
ence and suggested that a new Sinai disengagement
agreement would cause "others" to become suspicious.
Pravda yesterday published a commentary criticizing
1"so-called quiet diplomacy which suggests that the
Middle East problem be solved stage by stage."
A senior Egyptian official's claim last week
that the Soviets have made any new arms agreement
contingent on Egyptian acceptance of the Geneva
conference approach to peace negotiations underlines
how far apart the two countries are on political
issues. The official did relate that the Soviets
have said they would deliver within three months
armaments promised to the Egyptians prior to the
October 1973 war.
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EGYPT?ISRAEL
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ARAB STATES - PLO
The foreign ministers of Egypt,
Syria, Jordan and a representative of
the Palestine Liberation Organization
made only minor progress during two days
of talks in Cairo. The four agreed on
Saturday to meet in Damascus next month
in a further attempt to iron out differ-
ences between Jordan and the PLO.
The Jordanians made a small concession to the
Palestinians by agreeing to hold bilateral consul-
tations, and both agreed to refrain from "any meas-
ures or statements that do not contribute to the
development of relations between Jordan and the
PLO." The Jordanians have refused to meet of
with the Palestinians ever since the feda-
yeen were driven out of Jordan in 1970. Amman may
further put off meeting bilaterally with the PLO
until the Palestinians ease their propaganda attacks
on King Husayn and indicate at least some willing-
ness to reach political compromises.
The agreement of the four to continue consul-
tations was couched in terms of their responsibil-
ity to organize against the Israeli military threat.
Their communique Saturday did not indicate that the
Palestinians had sought to portray this threat as
sufficient justification for a renewed fedayeen
presence on Jordanian territory. The PLO appar-
ently considered it unwise to jeopardize Jordan's
more limited concession on bilateral talks by mak-
ing an issue of the PLO's desire to return forces
to Jordan.'
The communique avoided any reference to Mid-
dle East peace negotiations.
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USSR
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104
1108
Demilitarized Zone
110
MR 2
Gulf of
Thailand
, 104
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116
Capital Special Zone
China
Sea
SOUTH VIETNAM
MILES
16-
14-
10-
57072 1-75
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SOUTH VIETNAM
South Vietnamese defenders at the
capital of Phuoc Long Province were rein-
forced Saturday by a 300-man Ranger.unit,
but the situation is still serious.
additional reinforcement of Phuoc Binh is
not contemplated, and its defenders have been told
to withdraw if their situation becomes untenable.
Communist attacks during the past four days
have made heavy use of artillery and armor. All
defending artillery has been destroyed. i In addi-
tion, North Vietnamese 7th Division units appear
to have entered the fight--the first time they have
been used in combat since the communists stepped
up the fighting in early December.
The government has been able to use air.strikes
effectively in the PhuocLong area, and South Viet-
namese commanders believe they can provide amini-
muM of 60 sorties a day, by using aircraft from other
parts of. thecountry.
Elsewhere in Military Region 3, North Vietnam-
ese troops are continuing to attack Hoai Duc dis-
trict capital in northern Binh Tuy Province. A
South Vietnamese regiment has been sent to rein-
force the local defenders and to secure strategic
Route 20 in Long Khanh Province. The South Viet-
namese are concerned that the communists will be
able to gain control over a corridor to the seacoast.
In Tay Ninh Province/ a government communica-
tions site atop Ba Den Mountain remains under siege,
but additional artillery units have been brought.
in to support the regional force units there.- 'Com--
munist rocket attacks against the Bien Hoa airfield
over the weekend caused.minor damage. The commu-
nists will probably try to continue to fire rockets
at the air base in hopes of closing the airstrip
to government aircraft using it to support the.
Phuoc Long area.
Elsewhere, fighting is light to moderate. In
the delta, the number of incidents continues to
drop from the record levels of early December, but
still remains well above "normal." In the northern
part of the country, fighting continues around Mo
Tau Mountain; south of Hue, but heavy rains are
hampering major military operations.
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NOTES
Moscow has yet to take a definitive public
stance on the new US trade reform and Export-Import
Bank legislation.
Preliminary Soviet media reaction expresses
dissatisfaction with the laws' "discriminatory res-
ervations and limitations" concerning Soviet-American
trade. Soviet accounts of the bill-signing cere-
monies note, however, your objections to the provi-
sions in question. Pravda commentator Yury Zhukov
suggested over natioNWM-television on Saturday
that the USSR would take its business elsewhere if
the US persisted in limiting credits, but he con-
cluded that Soviet-American economic cooperation
will thrive, "no matter how the enemies of detente
try to hamper it."
!*
Ethiopia seeking peaceful solution to insur-
gency in Eritrea Province.
The ruling military council yesterday announced
substantial concessions to Eritrean tribal and re-
ligious leaders, who had presented a list of demands
to government representatives in Asmara last week.
The council directed its forces in Eritrea to relax
security measures and to exercise maximum restraint
in carrying out their duties. It agreed to review
the cases of all Eritrean political' prisoners, ex-
cept those charged with serious criminal offenses,
with a view toward granting them amnesty or reducing
their sentences. The council has authorized local
leaders to contact Eritrean insurgents and to convey
to them the need for a peaceful solution. According
to some press reports, local leaders have already
begun talks with insurgent leaders on a possible
truce and direct negotiations between them and the
council.
Mexican cabinet secretary responsible for oil
policies ousted.
The departure of Secretary of National Proper-
ties Flores de la Pena, regarded as the most leftist
member of the cabinet, will satisfy Mexican business-
men and others disenchanted with the more radically
nationalistic aspects of the Echeverria administra-
tion. Flores pushed hard and often for full Mexican
membership in OPEC, but the government seems to have
opted for a "go-slow" approach in light of the US
Trade Reform Act. The new secretary, Francisco
Javier Alejo, is an economist who may have been a
member of Echeverria's "kitchen cabinet."
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Top Secret
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