THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 13 APRIL 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006015081
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: April 13, 1976

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010012-6
The President's Daily Brief
April 13, 1976
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption categorx.58(1),12),(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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/WA\ A A.11-1 A A 1.-ILIAAJAJL ? A VAT Al A
April 13, 1976
Table of Contents
Lebanon: Syria has moved no additional troops to the Lebanese
border area since the weekend. (Page 1)
China: The country-wide rallies held since April 8 to mark the
dismissal of Teng Hsiao-ping and the appointment of Hua
Kuo-feng as premier and first vice chairman of the party
have been well organized and orderly. (Page 2)
USSR
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Notes: Cyprus; USSR; Zambia-Angola (Pages 5 and 6)
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MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
BEIRUT
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LEBANON: Syria has
moved no additional
troops to the Lebanese
border area since the
weekend.
The major elements of three Syr-
ian brigades are still along the
border and remain in control of
the Damascus-Beirut highway be- 25X1
tween the border and the road
junction a few miles south of Zah-
lah.
Israeli leaders are still avoid-
ing public comment on the situa-
tion in Lebanon. The Israeli
press has generally followed the
government's lead and avoided
dramatizing Syria's actions.
Many commentators, however, are
expressing misgivings about the
government's restraint.
Some fighting occurred yesterday
in the Beirut hotel district and
several areas in the suburbs and
the mountainous areas east of the
city. Although the clashes have
subsided, a wave of kidnapings
has kept tensions high. Other
areas of the country are rela-
tively quiet.
Officials close to President Fran-
jiyah have told the US embassy
that Franjiyah will sign the
amendment to the constitution
providing for his departure bef(25X1
this Thursday. There has been no
breakthrough, however, in the de-
bate over Franjiyah's successor.
1
--continued
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V .1 _I 1.-LL V I V A V A-/
CHINA: The rallies
throughout the country
since April 8 to mark
the dismissal of Teng
Hsiao-ping and the ap-
pointment of Hua Kuo-
feng as premier and as
first vice chairman of
the party have been
well organized and or-
derly. They seem to
be designed to contrast
with the unruly demon-
strations of April 5
and to convey an im-
pression of popular
support for the new
personnel decisions.
The Soviet navy, meanwhile, con-
tinues to maintain a close watch
on the US naval task force an-
chored southeast of Crete. The
Soviets have four surface war-
ships, some support ships, and
probably several submarines in
the area of the 11-ship US force,
which includes the aircraft car-
rier Saratoga.
Participants in the rallies in-
cluded several provincial of-
ficials who had not previously
lent their public support to the
campaign against Teng as well as
some others who had been under
attack. While it is likely that
most of these provincial leaders
are now anxious to disassociate
themselves from Teng, the promi-
nent role they have taken at the
rallies suggests they are not
under serious political pressure
and that the campaign against
Teng will not spread to other
political moderates.
Most of China's powerful regional
military commanders took part in
the rallies. There have been
virtually no military rallies of
this sort since the,Lin Piao
"coup" of 1971. The sudden emer-
gence of the military in a politi-
cal connection suggests that prom-
inent military figures may have
played an important role in piec-
ing together last week's apparent
compromises. It is possible that
political pressure against the
military may now ease.
In contrast to the public appear-
ance of several moderate leaders,
China's leading leftists have not
--continued
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appeared since the announcement on
Hua and Teng. Their absence is
conspicuous and further suggests
that the party's left wing is not
entirely satisfied with the out-
come of the anti-Teng campaign.
The dismissal of Teng is probably
no more popular in the provinces
than was the campaign against him.
The Chinese populace undoubtedly
has been unsettled by the sudden
leadership changes. Some Chinese
officials abroad have reacted to
the situation with uncertainty and
concern.
Hua Kuo-feng's ability to head a
leadership coalition effectively
remains a question mark. Hua does
not appear to have a power base of
his own. As a relative newcomer
to the highest levels of the re-
gime, he lacks the experience and
the ties to important second-level
figures that both Chou En-lai and
Teng Hsiao-ping possessed. Al-
though Hua's political roots are
in Hunan, Mao's home province,
there is no evidence that he is
personally particularly close to
the Chairman.
The leadership clearly needs a
mediator like Chou En-lai, but it
is far from certain that Hua can
function effectively in that ca-
pacity. Others in the leadership,
notably leftist Politburo members
Chang Chun-chiao and Wang Hung-
wen, may have had their eye on one
or the other of Hua's new jobs and
may harbor some resentment toward
him. Hua probably can count on
the cooperation of moderates in
the leadership for implementation
of policies, but he will have to
tread a careful path between pur-
suing relatively moderate policies
and giving sufficient weight to
the left's interest in political
struggle.
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USSR:
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.L IJ it I ALL L V .L l."1 V
CYPRIOT police pre-
vented anti-American
demonstrators in Nic-
osia yesterday from
penetrating US embassy
grounds.
Two of the USSR's most
prominent Jewish activ-
ists have told US em-
bassy officials in Mos-
cow of the "shock and
concern" felt by Soviet
Jews over the demonstra-
tions and violence di-
rected by Jewish ex-
tremists at the Soviet
UN mission in New York.
NOTES
Some of the 1,000 demonstrators
managed to get through two of
three police lines, but they were
eventually forced back by tear gas.
A five-man delegation was subse-
quently allowed to deliver a letter
to the embassy protesting the new
US-Turkish Defense Cooperation
Agreement and its alleged conse-
quences for Cyprus.
Knowledge that Greek Foreign Min-
ister Bitsios is visiting Washing-
ton to discuss additional mili-
tary assistance for Greece could
bring cancellation of other demon-
strations scheduled over the next
few weeks. Athens fully supported
the firm handling of yesterday's
demonstration.
Both men said they have tried to
pass on through their contacts
with Western newsmen in Moscow the
"revulsion" that Soviet Jews feel
at this kind of activity, believ-
ing it to be wholly counterproduc-
tive to their cause. They agreed
that the events in New York could
result in more official intransi-
gence than ever toward all would-
be Jewish emigrants, as well as
such activists as themselves who
have been repeatedly denied exit
permits.
--continued
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V I "././ VLi .1
Zambia
Angol al
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Top Secret
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