THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 24 SEPTEMBER 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014910
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: September 24, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
September 24, 1975
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Exempt front general
declassification schedule of E.O. I 1652
exemption category 5B(1),(2),(31
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
September 24, 1975
Table of Contents
Lebanon: Fighting in Beirut increased last night
and the fragile cease-fire appeared to be in
jeopardy. Syrian Foreign Minister Khaddam
told PLO leaders that he had obtained the
agreement of the Lebanese Prime Minister and
Minister of Interior for an expanded cabinet
and for the consideration of a series of pro-
posals by a "committee of national dialogue."
(Page 1)
USSR-Portugal: Portuguese President Costa Gomes
and Foreign Minister Antunes will depart
Saturday for visits to the USSR and Poland.
(Page 3)
Syria-Israel:
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OPEC: The oil ministers meeting, which opens today
in Vienna, could promote moderation and con-
ciliation toward the Western consuming nations.
(Page 5)
Notes: Egypt; USSR; Panama-US; USSR-Somalia; Laos
(Pages 6 and 7)
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LEBANON
After having subsided during the
day yesterday, fighting in Beirut in-
creased last night with exchanges of
mortar and rocket fire in the suburbs.
The armed militias of both sides con-
tinued to man barricades in several
sections of the city, and the fragile
cease-fire appeared to be in jeopardy.
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(continued)
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Late yesterday, Khaddam announced that he had
agreed with Maronite leaders on a common formula
Jumblatt's group, however, appeared to be holding
out for at least partial acceptance of the leftist
reform program which would amend the constitution
and the national covenant more drastically. The
US embassy in Beirut believes that as long as these
issues are unsettled, the cease-fire will remain
tenuous.
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USSR-PORTUGAL
Portuguese President Costa Gomes
and Foreign Minister Antunes will de-
part Saturday for visits to Poland and
the USSR. The trip has been planned
for several months, but probably was
not definitely scheduled until the
new Portuguese government assumed
Office.
The Soviets may have done some soul-searching
and some explaining to the Portuguese Communists
before agreeing to see Antunes, the leader of the
anti-Communist forces within the Armed Forces Move-
ment. During the recent governmental crisis in
Portugal, Moscow criticized Antunes by name.
Soviet media continue to report--and now as-
sociate Moscow with--Communist Party leader Cun-
hal's statements that the Azevedo government is
the best that could be achieved, given the current
circumstances in Portugal. Communist participation
in the cabinet is justified as necessary to keep
Portugal from moving to the right. The Soviets
presumably will use the same reasoning to explain
the visit of Costa Gomes and Antunes.
In receiving the two officials, Moscow is,
in effect, reaffirming the pragmatism of its pol-
icy toward Portugal. Despite the downturn in the
prospects of the Portuguese Communists, the Soviets
want to maintain friendly ties with Lisbon. It
will be interesting to see whether General Secre-
tary Brezhnev, in view of his recent association
with a hard line on Portugal, will meet Costa Gomes
and Antunes.
The subject of economic assistance will un-
doubtedly arise during the visit. The Soviets
have publicly noted Portugal's economic problems
and have accused the West of virtually imposing
an economic boycott on the country. Foreign Min-
ister Gromyko mentioned Portugal's economic prob-
lems in his speech to the UN General Assembly yes-
terday, and Moscow may feel obliged to make some
gesture of assistance to Lisbon.
Little of substance is likely to come out of
the talks in Warsaw. Since January, the two govern-
ments have signed separate commercial and shipbuild-
ing accords and a five-year agreement on economic
cooperation.
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SYRIA?ISRAEL
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OPEC
The OPEC oil ministers meeting,
which opens today in Vienna, could pro-
mote moderation and conciliation toward
the Western consuming nations.
The interim agreement between Egypt and Israel
arranged since the last OPEC ministerial meeting in
June, while not giving the Arabs everything they
wanted, is at least perceived as a positive step
toward meeting Arab demands. Concessions by the
West on issues raised in March at the first pre-
paratory conference of oil consumers and producers
should also mollify most OPEC states. In addition,
conciliatory proposals made at the UN Special Ses-
sion on developing country problems have lessened
the atmosphere of confrontation that has marked
past sessions on similar topics. Even Algeria,
usually the loudest voice demanding "justice," was
muted if not constructive.
The fragile state of the world economy has
impressed several of the cartel members who think
that an increase now in the price of oil--greater
than 15 percent--would undermine Western economic
recovery. They contend that an aborted recovery
would continue to depress demand for OPEC oil and
heighten problems several members have had adjust-
ing their production. Most of the members feel an
increase of 5-10 percent at this time, perhaps fol-
lowed by another rise in January, would not sub-
stantially slow the Western recovery.
The OPEC states are generally aware that some-
thing must be done to help the poorer countries if
OPEC is to retain their support. The oil importing
developing countries argue that unless they receive
additional economic assistance, price hikes by OPEC
will retard further their lagging economic devel-
opment. As a result, OPEC will probably couple its
small price increase with an ostensibly generous
aid package.
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NOTES
Egypt
(continued)
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The government of Panama apparently did not
sponsor the student attacks on the US embassy yes-
terday, but General Torrijos will use them to but-
tress his contention that popular patience with the
treaty talks is wearing thin.
Torrijos and his chief lieutenants probably
still believe they can control the tempo of student
protests but further demonstrations, possibly with
government connivance, are likely. Torrijos made
an unscheduled trip to Bogota Monday to see Colom-
bian President Lopez on the eve of Lopez' trip to
the US, presumably to ask the Colombian to put in
a word for Panama in Washington. Torrijos hopes
it will help get US concessions if Latin American
leaders make demarches stressing the need for a new
canal treaty to avoid a popular explosion and a
souring of US - Latin American relations.
Soviets
Somalia
The US embassy in Laos may be the target of
demonstrations this week.
? Former embassy guards are threatening to appear
at the embassy gates tomorrow to demand additional
severance pay. Their number could be augmented by
Pathet Lao sympathizers. Communist-inspired harass-
ment of the embassy stopped in late June, but the
attitude of the Lao government toward continued re-
lations with the US has been somewhat ambiguous.
A major demonstration would suggest that the commu-
nists are intent on further moves against the re-
maining US presence.
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