THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 10 NOVEMBER 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014950
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: November 10, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
November 10, 1975
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5I3( I ),(2),(3
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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November 10, 1975
Table of Contents
Spanish Sahara: King Hassan canceled the mass
march of Moroccans, implying that Spain has
agreed to negotiate .a favorable settlement.
(Page 1)
Spain: The length of the waiting period for Franco
to die is causing new unrest. (Page 2)
Bangladesh: A revolt by enlisted men and noncom-
missioned officers that erupted in Dacca on
Saturday appears to be easing. (Page 3)
Bangladesh: We present key paragraphs of an inter-
agency Intelligence Alert Memorandum on The
Deteriorating Situation in Bangladesh and the
Increasing Possibility of Indian Intervention.
(Page 4)
UN - Middle East: The General Assembly today takes
up three resolutions on Middle East issues that
could have permanent repercussions on the or-
ganization. (Page 7)
Note: Portugal. (Page 8)
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SPANISH SAHARA
King Hassan yesterday canceled
the mass march of Moroccans into
Spanish Sahara, strongly implying that
Spain has agreed to negotiate a settle-
ment favorable to Morocco.
In a brief speech from Agadir, Hassan ordered
the marchers to return to the closest assembly point
in Southern Morocco. He said the march had "ac-
complished its mission" and hinted that Morocco's
claim to the territory will be resolved through
negotiations. It may take a few days for all the
marchers to return. A second column crossed the
border Saturday some 50 miles east of the main
group.
Hassan stressed his desire for a new era of
good relations with Spain and praised the Spanish
army for avoiding a fight with the marchers.
The King's speech came one day after he held
talks in Agadir with a senior Spanish official.
Although Hassan did not reveal any specifics of an
understanding or a framework for future negotia-
tions, he has too much personal prestige at stake
to have backed down empty-handed.
The cancellation of the march will defuse
tension in the area and provide a good atmosphere
for further talks with Madrid. At the same time,
however, Hassan will be under growing domestic pres-
sure to demonstrate soon that progress is being
made toward a settlement.
Morocco and Spain will still have to deal
with Algerian opposition to a direct transfer of
the territory to Morocco and to Mauritania, which
also claims part of Spanish Sahara. Hassan point-
edly ignored Algeria in his speech; he opposes
Algerian participation in any negotiations. He is
likewise unwilling to accept a referendum on self-
determination, as Algiers had demanded, despite
Spanish assurances that the results could be manip-
ulated.
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SPAIN
The *Length of the waiting period
for Franco to die is causing new unrest.
The Communists now are regretting their will-
ingness to grant Juan Carlos a grace period when
he becomes king. They reportedly have appealed for
a general strike through the Communist-dominated
clandestine Workers' Commissions, calling for "demo-
cratic action to mobilize the masses."
A date for a strike has not been set, but a
week to ten days after Franco's death is the most
likely choice. Most of the non-Communist labor
organizations are likely to reject the strike call,
however, and it probably would be a failure. Any
strike effort would be likely to provoke police
repression and strengthen the far right.
A sudden crackdown on the Spanish press, mean-
while, may raise political tensions. Several weekly
magazines that urged reform have been seized.
In addition, over the weekend the editor of a pres-
tigious Madrid daily was charged with attacking
the constitution. The charge stemmed from an ar-
ticle he published last week urging increased demo-
cratic participation in government after power has
passed to Juan Carlos. The decision to crack down
on the press may have been made by the information
ministry without consulting Juan Carlos.
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BAY OF BENGAL
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BANGLADESH
A revolt by enlisted men and non-
commissioned officers that erupted in
Dacca on Saturday appears to be easing,
and conditions are returning to normal.
The rebellion emphasizes the indisci-
pline among the troops and the diffi-
culty the new government faces in im-
posing its authority on the army.
A resurgence of factional fighting could eas-
ily lead to widespread turmoil and the exodus of
much of Bangladesh's sizable Hindu minority to
India. Officials in New Delhi have indicated in
recent months that a flight of refugees into India,
such as the massive influx in 1971, could result
in Indian military intervention. So far, it does
not appear that New Delhi has decided to intervene.
The origins of the mutiny are obscure; it ap-
pears to have developed out of the confusion sur-
rounding the ouster and killing of General Mushar-
raf on Friday and the subsequent rise to power of
General Zia ur-Rahman. Enlisted men apparently
played a large role in Musharraf's fall, and the
government has not fully regained control over them.
Some mutinous elements, including extreme
leftists, took advantage of the confusion to make
demands on their officers for better treatment for
enlisted personnel and for release of some polit-
ical prisoners. Other mutineers reportedly set-
tled old scores; they killed several officers and
detained others.
President Sayem has released some leftist
political prisoners who are influential with the
rebellious troo s.
It will be difficult for strongman General
Zia to reimpose discipline. The events of the past
few days revealed that officers have less influence
over their troops than was generally believed. This
situation is complicated by contention in the offi-
cer corps between those who fought in the 1971 war
of independence and those who were held in Pakistan
until 1973.
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BANGLADESH
We present the key paragraphs of an
interagency Intelligence Alert Memoran-
dum, The Deteriorating Situation in Bang-
ladesh and the Increasing Possibility of
Indian Intervention, issued on November 8.
The normal command structure of the armed forces
has been disrupted with junior officers and enlisted
men reportedly making demands of their seniors, even
of the new strong man, Major General Zia ur-Rahman.
Some of these mutinous groups appear to be radical
in orientation, and rumors in Dacca suggest that
some may be operating under Indian influence.
--The Dacca press has labeled the overthrow
of Musharraf a "sepoy (enlisted man) mutiny."
(continued)
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--The senior Bangladesh military representative
in New Delhi has warned that if the eight majors
who participated in the August 15 coup against
Mujibur Rahman return to Dacca from their exile
in Bangkok, the likelihood of Indian interven-
tion will increase markedly. (Our latest infor-
mation is that the majors are still in Bangkok.)
We doubt that India as yet has decided to in-
tervene militarily in Bangladesh. Prime Minister
Gandhi, following her victory in court, is in a
strong position domestically. She has no need at
present for a foreign victory to enhance her pres-
tige. Therefore, we judge that she will not delib-
erately embark on intervention for internal politi-
cal purposes.
India's foreign relations would also argue
against intervention--at least until a good case
could be made for it, such as would be furnished by
a large movement of refugees into India. India's
awareness that there would be a strong negative re-
action from other countries, especially from the
Muslim world, to intervention would be a major de-
terrent to precipitate action.
(continued)
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Indian spokesmen have repeatedly warned, how-
ever, that the nation cannot be unconcerned over
events in Bangladesh, and that chaos in that coun-
try followed by a movement of refugees into India
would force New Delhi to intervene regardless of
the consequences. New Delhi has also warned that
India would intervene if Bangladesh proclaimed it-
self an Islamic state.
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_ _ _ _ _
UN - MIDDLE EAST
The General Assembly today takes
up three resolutions on Middle East
issues that could have permanent reper-
cussions on the organization. The first
to be dealt with concern the rights of
Palestinians to a homeland and to inter-
national recognition. The assembly then
will turn to the resolution equating
Zionism with racism.
The resolutions have split the Arab caucus
over how far to push for Palestinian rights and
for isolation of Israel.
A unified Arab position on the more contro-
versial Palestinian resolution was reportedly
worked out only Friday, primarily through the
efforts of Algerian Foreign Minister Bouteflika.
This resolution--originally offered by Egypt in
an attempt to paper over differences--calls for
an invitation to the Palestine Liberation Organi-
zation to participate in any UN-sponsored peace
conference on the Middle East. It also now calls
for the Security Council to adopt measures to
enable the Palestinians to exercise their national
rights.
The second resolution on the PLO, originally
sponsored by Syria, calls for the establishment
of a special UN committee to work out a timetable
for implementing last year's resolution affirming
the rights of the Palestinian people to a national
homeland and self-determination. It contains an
implicit threat to suspend or expel Israel from
the UN if it should obstruct the committee's work.
The resolution equating Zionism with racism
goes beyond previous UN condemnations of Israel.
It has had the effect of polarizing attitudes in
the UN and may lead to accelerated erosion of sup-
port for the organization. Most Western and devel-
oped countries are strongly opposed to it, as are
the African states, whose campaign against racial
discrimination and apartheid could be jeopardized.
Most countries are hesitant to oppose an Arab-
sponsored initiative openly, but a motion to defer
voting on the resolution until next year appears
to have wide support.
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NOTE
Portuguese Prime Minister Azevedo told cheer-
ing supporters in Lisbon yesterday that his govern-
ment would persevere in the tough policy it announced
last week against leftist disturbances.
Even as he spoke, however, leftist militants
momentarily disrupted the rally by throwing teargas
when the strongly pro-government crowd tried to burn
effigies of Soviet boss Leonid Brezhnev and Portu-
guese Communist Party chief Alvaro Cunhal. In a
message aimed at his Communist and far left detrac-
tors, Azevedo said his government represents the
majority of the Portuguese people and will uphold
the law as long as it remains in power.
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