THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 22 MARCH 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014752
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: March 22, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
444"
March 22, 1975
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. I 1652
exemption category, 515( IMAM
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
March 22, 1975
'Table ' of ' Contents
Cambodia: President Lon Nol has decided
to leave Phnom Penh in the near future. (Page 1)
USSR: The Soviets have reacted to news stories on
US efforts to salvage a Soviet submarine in the
Pacific by overflying the area where the sub-
marine sank in 1968. (Page 3)
Arab States - Israel: Military exercises and train-
ing activity in Israel and Egypt last week are
intended to bolster the negotiating position
of each and enhance their ability to launch
or withstand attack should negotiations fail.
(Page 4)
Palestinians: Moderate leaders of the Palestine
Liberation Organization appear to be moving
cautiously toward a public acceptance of Israel.
(Page 6)
South Vietnam: The control of territory in various
parts of the country continues to change hands.
(Page 7)
Turkey: Ankara will delay for at least
another month any retaliation for the halt in
US military assistance. (Page 8)
(Page 9)
Note: Portugal (Page 10)
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CAMBODIA
President Lon Nol has decided to
leave Phnom Penh "in the near future,"
Lon
Nol reached the decision following dis-
cussions with Prime Minister Long Boret
on Wednesday and Thursday when Boret
revealed that the Japanese government
had offered to invite Lon Nol to Japan.
Lon Nol apparently intends to accept
the offer, but he will not depart until
he receives a formal letter of invita-
tion.
Lon Nol does not intend to resign, but presi-
dential functions will be taken over by a close
confidant, Saukam Koy. As president of the Senate,
Saukam Koy is constitutionally empowered to assume
executive responsibility in the president's absence.
The government yesterday announced the comple-
tion of the cabinet shuffle. The only major change
was the naming of Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sak
Sutsakhan as defense minister. Widely respected
as an elder statesman, General Sutsakhan was also
named deputy prime minister. This move is appar-
ently designed to emphasize both his civilian role
and the government's increased control over the mil-
itary establishment. Other new cabinet appointments
are significant only in that several ministers close
to Lon Nol have been replaced by individuals aligned
more with Long Boret.
The new cabinet, however, is still dominated
by Lon Nol's Socio-Republican Party. The Democrats
and Republicans--the two minority parties--refused
to participate, although Republican Party strongman
Sink Matak apparently remains as a member of the
executive council, the top policy-making body. With
the resignation of Sosthene Fernandez, now en route
to France, Matak, Boret, and Lon Nol are the three
active government leaders with whom the communists
have refused any dealings whatsoever.
(continued)
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Cambodia: Lower Mekong
0 Miles 10
557522 3-75
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The US airlift was suspended late yesterday
after communist rockets seriously damaged two US
cargo planes at Pochentong airport. Preliminary
reports indicate: that the Crews. esCaped without in-
jury. An attempt was made to resume the airlift a
few hours later., but another rocket hit the airport,
wounding a number-of persons.
Along the Mekong Rivet,. government forces have
responded well to. renewed communist pressure at
Neak Luong. Government troops have repulsed attack-
ing insurgent forces east of the town, reportedly
killing 50 communists-. Intercepted messages indi-
cate that the insurgents, are planning to shift addi-
tional forces from the West bank of the Mekong to
participate in attacks against Neak Luong.
Insurgent activity near Prek Phnou, north of
Phnom Penh, currently is the most serious threat
to the capital. Government operations in that area
are making little progress.
East of Phnom Penh, the insurgents ?continue to
infiltrate government defenses at night, forcing
the Cambodians to conduct clearing operations the
next day. This activity is gradually depleting
government forces in the area even though both sides
are holding their ground.
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USSR
The Soviets have reacted to news
stories regarding US efforts to salvage
a Soviet submarine in the Pacific by
overflying the area where they believe
the submarine sank in 1968.
The overflight yesterday 25X1
clearly was in reaction to 25X1
the press reports because Soviet 25X1
flights over the Pacific normally cover transit
lanes for US aircraft carriers. We expect further
flights of this nature.
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ARAB STATES - ISRAEL
Military exercises and training
activity in Israel and Egypt during
the past week are intended to bolster
each side's negotiating position and
enhance its ability to launch or with-
stand an attack if negotiations fail.
Syrian forces too are likely to have
increased their readiness.
The Israelis apparently conducted a large-scale
exercise in the northern Sinai from Ma c
Thursday
that he saw no overt signs that Israeli military
forces had increased their readiness or that any
reservists had been mobilized. He did say, however,
that the British defense attache had reported some
indications that at least some selective call-ups
were under way.
Egyptian navy and commando forces have been
participating in an exercise for the past several
days and some reservists may have been recalled to
duty. The air force also has taken precautions--
perhaps in reaction to Israeli activity.
(continued)
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We have no information to
confirm the movement of Syrian forces closer to the
front. We believe, however, that the Syrian forces
have increased their readiness, but not to the point
that would invite an Israeli preemptive attack.
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PALESTINIANS
Yasir Arafat and other moderate
leaders of the Palestine Liberation
Organization appear to be moving cau-
tiously toward a public acceptance of
Israel. By using second-level spokes-
men and vague language, they are at-
tempting to make the minimum concessions
necessary to win the Palestinians a role
in negotiations without alienating their
many skeptical and more militant col-
leagues.
This week the PLO representative in London,
Said Hammami, wrote in a news magazine that some
form of "mutually acceptable coexistence" might
in time be developed between Israel and a Pales-
tinian state. Hammami suggested that if current
efforts toward a settlement should result in the
establishment of some kind of Palestinian entity,
the PLO could then pursue its "dream" of a secular
(i.e., non-Zionist) Palestine by evolutionary means.
The Palestinians' willingness to recognize
formally and to live peacefully with Israel is
still only implicit in Hammami's statement. The
Israelis will be unmoved by it, and will refuse to
negotiate with the Palestinians until they explic-
itly recognize Israel's right to exist and forswear
terrorist attacks on Israel.
a comprehensive Middle East settlement is impossi-
ble without a settlement of the Palestinian problem.
enough
for deal-
This consideration, however, has not been
to prompt Israel to modify its conditions
ing with the PLO.
the PLO must do more
eign newsmen that it recognizes the existence of
Israel."
than inform us through for-
Although Arafat reportedly approved Hammami's
statement, he is unlikely to defend it publicly or
make any more explicit concessions unless he re-
ceives something substantial from Israel in return.
The PLO's governing executive committee looks on the
Hammami statement and those like it made by PLO of-
ficials in Beirut as trial balloons to which the
organization's prestige should not be attached.
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NORTH
VIETH
Demilitarized Zone
Gulf of
Thailand
1Ci:4
96
Capital Special Zone
MR 2
South
China
Sea
SOUTH VIETNAM
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MILES
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SOUTH VIETNAM
The control of territory in various
parts of South Vietnam continues to
change hands.
Quang Duc has been added to the growing list
of provinces ceded to the communists. Government
forces have withdrawn from the provincial capital
of Gia Nghia, reportedly without obtaining approval
from higher authority. This gives the North Viet-
namese control of all the provinces north of Tay
Ninh that border on Cambodia.
Regional commanders in the central provinces
now believe that the South Vietnamese 23rd Division
no longer exists as a fighting unit and at least a
year will be required to rebuild it. Thus far, few
of the stragglers from the highland provinces have
been regrouped into viable fighting units. The
22nd Division continues to be an effective force,
but it has stopped trying to open Route 19. A
sizable number of people who have fled Kontum and
Pleiku provinces are trapped along this road.
The military situation remains grave in the
northern provinces, but the South Vietnamese have
had some successes there in the past few days. Gov-
ernment units have cleared some lowland areas in
Quang Nam, Quang Tin, and Quang Ngai provinces in
an attempt to push the communists back from highways
being used for refugee evacuation.
Closer to Saigon, the evacuation of South Viet-
namese forces from An Loc is nearly completed.
There has been virtually no communist reaction to
this move. The commander of the provinces ringing
the capital is continuing to maneuver his forces
to counter the increasing number of communist in-
itiatives in the region.
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TURKEY
Ankara will delay for at
least another month any retaliation for
the halt in US military assistance, but
pressures are growing for at least a token
gesture against the US.
As a result of Secretary Kissinger's visit to
Ankara in mid-March, Foreign Minister Esenbel re-
portedly is hopeful that some steps will be taken
to restore the aid program by the end of April.
Undoubtedly intending to impress the US with
the gravity of the situation and to exert pressure
for a restoration of aid, Esenbel- took a similar
line in a conversation with Ambassador Macomber on
March lg. Esenbel said he was deeply disturbed by
the postponement of congressional legislation to
restore US military assistance to Turkey. He tried
to correct what he said was a false impression that
Turkey was being "softened up" and that the danger
of retaliation against the US was passing. The
foreign minister emphasized that the only reason
retaliation had not been taken in recent days was
the confidence the Turkish leadership had in US
assurances that the cutoff legislation would be
reversed.
Esenbel said that former prime minister Ecevit
had warned that Washington was becoming too com-
placent and recommended choosing a US installation.
Esenbel said that he had resisted the suggestion,
but he is convinced that the forces favoring such
retaliation cannot be held off much longer.
The Turkish General Staff, although concerned
and angered by the arms embargo, has decided against
shutting down US bases as a response. The senior
officers--and President Koruturk-. re-
main fundamentally opposed to closing the US bases
or withdrawing Turkey from NATO. The General Staff
is aware that its short-term problems of acquiring
critical spare parts and its longer term plans for
modernization of the Turkish armed forces cannot be
met by any other source except the US. Even though
West German military aid is about to be restored,
it is viewed as insufficient.
the Turkish government will act on the basis of
the decisions of the Turkish General Staff and the
President, not on the public statements of either
the foreign minister or the prime minister, both of
whom have hinted at retaliation.
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NOTE
The Revolutionary Council in Portugal an-
nounced after a meeting that ended ear y this morn-
ing that it would expand its membership to include
four leading moderates.
The Council also voted to allow any of its
members to be expelled by a vote of the 200-man
assembly of the Armed Forces Movement. This could
allow the more moderate mainstream of the military
to gain greater influence. These actions may be
largely cosmetic, but they may presage a less left-
ist cabinet than some moderates in Portugal have
feared. A new cabinet is expected to be named next
week.
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&
Top Secret
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