THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 30 MARCH 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006015068
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: March 30, 1976

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013200010033-4
The President's Daily Brief
March 30, 1976
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category, MI ),(2),(3)
declassified onli on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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March 30, 1976
Table of Contents
Lebanon: Syrian mediation efforts remain stalled
as leftist forces continue their drive against
Christian strongholds in the Beirut area.
(Page 1)
West Germany: The constraints of an election year
have led Chancellor Schmidt to respond nega-
tively to US attempts to obtain financial sup-
port for several costly military projects.
(Page 3)
Note: Iran-UK-Maldives (Page 4)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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IMS
Al Mutayn
..Aynt rah
Syria
BEIRUT-DAMASCUS
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Damascus
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Dara
Jordan
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LEBANON
Syrian mediation efforts remain
stalled as leftist forces continue their
drive against Christian strongholds in
Beirut and the mountains east of the
capital. Damascus seems for the moment
to pin its hopes for slowing the left-
ists' offensive on its arms cut-off and
on PLO chairman Yasir Arafat's efforts
to persuade Lebanese leftist Kamal Jum-
bZatt to accept a cease-fire.
Syria's proposed solution reportedly calls for
an immediate cease-fire and a meeting of the Leba-
nese parliament to amend the constitution and elect
a new president. All the leftist leaders except
Jumblatt agreed yesterday to support it. Jumblatt
apparently is holding out in hopes the leftists
will first capture the port area of Beirut.
We doubt that Asad has made a decision yet to
intervene openly in- Lebanon. He would probably
face strong opposition in Damascus if such inter-
vention appeared aimed at preventing the leftists
from scoring a military victory. He may believe
it best to delay a decision, hoping the leftists
will soon run out of steam.
Leftist forces, however, made some additional
inroads against the Christians yesterday, especially
in the hotel district of Beirut and at Al Kahhalah,
astride the main road to Damascus just east of Bei-
rut. In see-saw fighting, leftist troops reportedly
occupied at least part of Al Kahhalah yesterday and
continued to put strong pressure on the Christians
in their principal stronghold in Beirut.
Christian forces in the mountains east of Bei-
rut held their own and may even have made some gains
around the villages of Aynturah and Al Mutayn.
Fighting in the Tripoli-Zagharta area in the
north apparently was limited to intense artillery
exchanges, with neither side making appreciable
gains.
(continued)
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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Israeli officials, meanwhile, continue to moni-
tor Lebanese developments closely, while avoiding
extensive public comment. In an interview published
Friday, Defense Minister Peres emphasized that Is-
rael would not intervene simply to maintain the sta-
tus quo in Lebanon. He reiterated the position that
Israel would take necessary "defensive measures" if
there were "direct Syrian military intervention
which might endanger the security of Israel."
Jordan has placed some of its military units
on alert--probably in reaction to the crisis in
Lebanon.
US attaches in Amman have reported that units
at Jordan's two principal fighter bases have been
in an increased state of readiness since Sunday.
Fighter aircraft reportedly have been armed and put
into protective shelters. Antiaircraft artillery
units are reported to have been moved to combat po-
sitions near the airfields.
The attaches said some Jordanian ground force
units were on increased alert yesterday, although
most of the army appeared to be in a normal status.
Air defense elements of Jordan's 2nd Infantry Divi-
sion were on alert, and support elements were seen
moving from rear areas toward the northwest border
area. The 2nd Division is responsible for defend-
ing that border area.
We have no indications of unusual Syrian or
Israeli military activity. The US defense attache
in Damascus saw no evidence, as of early yesterday
morning, of Syrian troop movements that might be
related to the Lebanese situation.
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WEST GERMANY
The economic and political con-
straints of a West German election year
have Zed Chancellor Schmidt to respond
negatively to US attempts to obtain fi-
nancial support for several costly mil-
itary projects.
Affected are a new agreement to offset the
cost of stationing US troops in West Germany, a
US-built airborne early warning system, and new
facilities for a US brigade assigned to NATO's
Northern Army Group.
Schmidt's reservations result from several
factors.
Schmidt has closely
identified himself with the widespread feeling in
West Germany that Bonn should stop serving as the
paymaster for NATO and the EC.
He is also determined to project an image of
fiscal responsibility by keeping a tight rein on the
budget. All West German ministries have been or-
dered to cut expenditures, and the Chancellor is
insisting that the bureaucracy keep an anticipated
budget deficit as small as possible.
Bonn's unwillingness at this time to provide
financial assistance does not represent a funda-
mental change in policy. After the election, Bonn
will probably be more flexible on defense matters
and more forthcoming in providing financial assist-
ance.
In the meantime, West German officials are
hinting that Bonn will not support the airborne
warning system unless the US purchases the German-
built Leopard II tank. This linkage was made most
forcefully last week by a defense expert of the op-
position Christian Democrats/
/ Carl Damm, the defense expert, will
testify at a US Senate hearing tomorrow and will
propose the swap at that time.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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NOTE
The Iranian ambassador in London has approached
British officials about renting facilities at an air
base in the Maldives archipelago that the Royal Air
Force is leaving.
Under the 1965 independence agreement, the
British retain a veto until 1986 over Maldivian pro-
posals to lease RAF facilities to a third country.
lit seems likely that London will
respond favorably.
The Maldivian government has said it will not
allow another foreign power to use the facility.
It realizes that India, with which it has good re-
lations, would disapprove. Iranian financial in-
ducements, however, might persuade the Maldivian
government to reexamine its position.
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Top Secret
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