THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 20 MAY 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014802
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: May 20, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
May 20, 1975
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 58(1),(2),(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
May 20, 1975
Table of Contents .
Laos: Communist Deputy Prime Minister Phoumi
Vongvichit seems to be advocating a "go-slow"
approach to the communist-inspired protest
demonstrations sweeping the country. (Page 1)
North Korea: Pyongyang has reopened its campaign
for direct talks with the US on Korean mili-
tary issues. (Page 3)
Lebanon: President Franjiyah and PLO chairman
Arafat have reached an agreement to try to
reduce clashes between fedayeen and right-
wing Christian political parties. (Page 4)
(rage b)
Greece-Turkey: The foreign ministers of the two
countries have concluded unproductive talks
on their conflicting claims to the mineral
resources of the Aegean. (Page 6)
Notes: China (CSS-X-4); China (nuclear); Portugal
(Page 7)
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LAOS
Communist Deputy Prime Minister
Phoumi Vongvichit seems to be advocating
a "go-slow" approach to the communist-
inspired protest demonstrations that
have been sweeping Vientiane and other
major non-communist urban areas.
Phoumi is
generally acknowledged to be relatively moderate
and more a nationalist than doctrinaire communist--
the May 9 demonstration against the US
embassy "went too far." Actions such as ripping
down the American flag, "alienate
people."
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the protest movement must ? not. 25X1
set off mass panic and "counterprotests."
On the issue of the American presence in Laos,
the US embassy to con-
diplomatic functions,
must be reduced to that
tinue to exercise the usual
but its role in Lao affairs
played by "other missions." 25X1
the Lao communists "could not afford" to have 25X1
US economic and military assistance terminated until
Laos was "self-sufficient" because aid from other
sources is inadequate. In the interim, all assist-
ance agreements "with conditions" would have to be
abrogated.
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Phoumi intends to renegoti-
ate the 1951 aid agreement with the US as soon as
possible and, while negotiations are under way,
students and other activist groups should resume
demonstrations to "soften up the opposition."
administration in
resignations
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the situation in the coalition 25X1
the wake of the recent rightist
would be "im-
prudent to demand the ouster of too many bureau-
crats now because the communists do not have enough
trained personnel to replace them.
the "tasks" ahead include the establishment of
a new national assembly, a new permanent cabinet,
and a possible expansion of the Joint National Po-
litical Council.
(continued)
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BURMA
GULF d6I
GULF
OF
TONKIN
18?
ARGATION,
LINE
HA
NAM
Predominantly Comm nist-controlled area,
February 1 3 ceasefire
557910 5-75
MILES 100
MB 00 IA'
,
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Sanan Soutichak, a member of the Lao communist cen-
tral committee, has been urging stronger and more
violent action by demonstrators against non-commu-
nists of all stripes and, particularly, against the
US. He has reportedly decided that the communists
must move quickly to establish total political con-
trol or risk losing valuable momentum. His views
may well reflect those of Lao communist leaders in
Sam Neua.
Lao communist troops may be planning to follow
yesterday's occupation of Pakse ?with similar moves
against other former rightist strongholds ?in south-
ern and central Laos.
communist forces are moving
toward Savannakhet, and have already arrived in sev-
eral smaller towns in the Lao panhandle. A recent
intercepted message indicates that, at least in
south Laos, the North Vietnamese are prepared to
provide the necessary logistic support for whatever
military moves the Lao communists have planned.
In northern Laos, communist and pro-communist
neutralist forces have apparently occupied a number
of positions in the Long Tieng area which were for-
merly defended-by General yang Pao and his Meo
tribesmen. The communists have also closed the
only overland route out of Long Tieng, apparently
in aneffort-to block a major migration.by the Meo
southward to the Thai border.
at Savannakhet
demonstrators had seized
two of the 12 Americans previously held under loose
house arrest. US charge Chapman has informed senior
Lao officials in Vientiane of the development and
is hopeful that Interior Minister Pheng Phongsavan
and his deputy will travel to Savannakhet today to
negotiate with the demonstrators.
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NORTH KOREA
Pyongyang has apparently reopened
its campaign to secure direct talks with
the US on Korean military issues.
In two very unusual contacts last week, North
Korean officials asked American diplomats at the
UN and in Kinshasa bold questions about US plans
for the post-Vietnam era in Asia and made the stand-
ard demand for withdrawal of US troops from South
Korea.
There was a round of similar "diplomatic" ap-
proaches last fall. North Korea had earlier tried
to engage the US government in bilateral dealings
by sending letters addressed to the US Congress,
one in 1973 and another in 1974--both delivered via
the Romanians. Pyongyang has also taken occasional
soundings of Romanian and Indonesian willingness
to act as intermediaries in secret talks.
North Korea is probably desires to probe US
willingness to go over the heads of the South Ko-
reans in dealing with the North. Direct Pyongyang-
Washington talks, under most foreseeable circum-
stances, would be a psychological blow to a South
Korea already shaken by eVents in Indochina.
? Pyongyang probably also reasons that contact
with the US--or even publicized attempts at con-
tact--would enhance its carefully cultivated image
of reasonableness prior to consideration of the
Korean issue in the UN General Assembly this fall.
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LEBANON
Lebanese President Fran jiyah and
Palestine Liberation Organization chair-
man Arafat on May 14 reached agreement
on measures to reduce the likelihood of
clashes between the fedayeen and militia
of the right-wing Christian political
parties.
This accord is designed to supplement the
April 16 cease-fire that ended four days of fight-
ing in Beirut. Reportedly reached in an "atmos-
phere of understanding," it will reinforce the re-
cent inclination of the Lebanese army and the major
fedayeen groups to stay out of disputes started by
the Christian militia and radical fedayeen. The
agreement will not, however, effectively restrain
the parties primarily responsible for the disturb-
ances last month. Franjiyah has only limited con-
trol over the Phalangists; Arafat still less over
the fedayeen "rejectionists."
Although there have been no significant viola-
tions of the cease-fire, the situation is tense and
violence could recur at any time. The government
security forces--never strong--are now impotent as
a result of Prime Minister Sulh's embittered resig-
nation late last week. In his resignation speech,
Sulh blamed the Phalangists for the recent fighting
and called for an expanded Muslim role in government,
a dilution of the power of the army's predominantly
Christian officer corps, and full Lebanese support
of the Palestinians, whatever the consequences.
Sulh's endorsement of these long-time Muslim
and leftist goals increases the chances for renewed
fighting between Christians and Muslims. His de-
mands will not prompt Franjiyah to make any basic
changes in Lebanon's delicately balanced system of
government, but will make it more difficult for the
president to find an able prime minister.
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USSR
nine
variable-sweep wing Backfire bombers at Poltava,
an operational Long Range Aviation base in the
southwestern USSR. The plane is now in series pro-
duction, and more than half of those to be produced--
an estimated 400 aircraft by 1985--will go to air
force units. The balance will be assigned to naval
aviation.
The aircraft is the first new Soviet bomber
in more than a decade.
De-
pending on armament and flight profile, the Back-
fire has an estimated combat radius of over 3,000
miles. From Poltava, it could strike anywhere in
Europe or the Middle East.
The Backfire can carry bombs, air-to-surface
missiles, or both. Its improved capability for
low-altitude penetration gives it a better chance
of delivering these weapons than the older TU-16
and TU-22 intermediate range bombers, some of which
it is expected to replace. During a bombing exer-
Cise last week over East Germany, the aircraft flew
under 1,000 feet during a tactical run.
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GREECE-TURKEY
The Greek and Turkish foreign min-
isters concluded three days of talks in
Rome yesterday with a noncommittal com-
munique stating that "in an atmosphere
of good will" they had made a first study
of the text to be submitted to the Inter-
national Court of Justice on their con-
flicting claims to mineral resources in
the Aegean.
The Turkish foreign minister later announced
that a summit meeting had been arranged between
Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis and Turkish Prime
Minister Demirel, which will take place during the
NATO meetings in Brussels at the end of the month.
The initial stages of the talks did not go well.
Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Stavropoulos told the
US embassy that the Turks staked out their maximum
bargaining positionon both Cyprus and the Aegean.
The Greeks could not tell if this was a negotiating
tactic to be followed by concessions or whether the
Turks planned to hold closely to their opening posi-
tion in the belief that they were negotiating from
strength, and had the alternative of military action
to attain their objectives if bilateral negotiations
broke down.
Despite the overall lack of progress at the
talks, the Turks argued for an optimistic "flamboy-
ant" communique. The Greeks believe this was an
attempt to influence the debate then underway in the
US Senate on the Turkish military aid cutoff.
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Second Stage of CSS-X-4
At Wu-chai Launch Site
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NOTES
The Chinese may soon be able to launch their
7,000-nautical-mile CSS-X-4 ICBM from a silo.
the recently completed developmental silo at Wu-chai
was in the final phases of facility check-out. A
test from the Wu-chai silo in the near future would
involve some risk. The CSS-X-4 apparently has failed
in all? but the first of its six test flights from
the surface launch site at Shuang-cheng-tzu. As a
space launch vehicle, the CSS-X-4 could place about
5,000 pounds into a near-earth orbit.
The Chinese have resumed preparations for nu-
clear tesTirTTTE the Lop Nor atmospheric test site
and the nearby underground test area in northwest
China.
Oreparation
of the atmospheric test site apparently in the mid-
to-late stages of construction. The Chinese should
be ready to conduct a test by midyear. This test
will be of a low-yield device emplaced in a building,
thus, giving more precise performance data than is
possible than air drop test. Preparations for the
underground test are under way at the tunnel where
the Chinese conducted their only underground test in
1969. The next test probably will not occur before
late this year.
The Portuguese Armed Forces Movement's 240-
man general assembly met yesterday to consider pro-
posals that would preclude political parties from
playing any meaningful role. The proposals call
for establishing "direct links between the military
and the people."
One report presented to the assembly discounted
the result of the constituent assembly election and
warned that the election increased dissension and
jeopardized the "alliance of the people and the
Armed Forces Movement." It suggests these ties can
be renewed through residents' and workers' commit-
tees. The report apparently focuses its criticism
on the Socialist Party. Socialist Party leaders
Soares and Zinha drove to the assembly meeting last
night and demanded to speak with members of the
Revolutionary Council.
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Top Secret
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