THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 28 APRIL 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006015094
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: April 28, 1976

6.1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
The President's Daily Brief
April 28, 1976
2
To
ecret 25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
6.1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
The President's Daily Brief
April 28, 1976
2
To
ecret 25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
April 28, 1976
Table of Contents
Portugal: The secretary general of the center-right Popular
Democratic Party is threatening to withdraw from the govern-
ment. (Page 1)
Thailand: The Seni Pramot coalition is expected to clear its
final hurdle by winning a parliamentary vote of confidence
by the end of the week. (Page 2)
Lebanon: The election of a new president will be held on Satur-
day. (Page 2)
Notes: Ghana; Panama; Spain; Romania-USSR; Tunisia-Libya;
Rhodesia (Pages 4, 5, and 6)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
 1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
PORTUGAL: Francisco Sa
Carneiro, secretary gen-
eral of the center-right
Popular Democratic
Party, created new po-
litical uncertainty yes-
terday by threatening
to withdraw his party
from the present provi-
sional government.
He is demanding that the Socialists
drop plans to form a minority gov-
ernment after the presidential
election this summer. He also is
insisting that the present govern-
ment be shuffled to exclude the
Communists and to reflect more ac-
curately the results of the legis-
lative assembly election last Sun-
day. His party finished second in
the election.
Socialist Party leader Soares has
not reacted publicly to Sa Carnei-
ro's threat, but he is unlikely to
give in easily to such pressure
tactics. A Popular Democratic
withdrawal, however, would leave
the Socialists and the Communists
as the only parties in the provi-
sional government. This would em-
barrass the Socialists, who have
said on several occasions that they
would not govern with the Commu-
nists alone. It would also cause
concern among anti-Communist "oper-
ational" military officers that
such a leftist coalition might be-
come a permanent fixture.
Sa Carneiro's strategy could have
even more far-reaching conse-
quences, however. Shortly before
the assembly election, Prime Minis-
ter Azevedo threatened that any po-
litical upheaval during the inter-
regnum could cause his resignation.
Should Azevedo decide to step down,
President Costa Gomes would be re-
quired to appoint a successor to
form another temporary government.
The prospect of a complete govern-
ment collapse would be upsetting
to the military and could play into
the hands of those who favor sus-
pending the presidential election
and setting aside the legislative
results.
1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
=-=-6
6
L,
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THAILAND: The Seni
Pramot coalition is ex-
pected to clear its
final hurdle by winning
a parliamentary vote of
confidence by the end
of the week.
LEBANON: The election
of a new president will
be held on Saturday,
May 1, the speaker of
Lebanon's parliament
announced yesterday.
The new government probably will
have a comfortable majority of
over 60 seats, which should make
it less vulnerable to parliament25x1
pressures than the previous Khu-
krit government.
The principal groups--the Chris-
tians, Muslim leftists, Palestin-
ians, and Syrians--have made clear
their preferences for President
Franjiyah's successor and have
shown only tentative signs of com-
promising before the elections.
If they do not settle on a candi-
date in advance, the parliamentary
session could turn into a prolonged
debate that could upset the shaky
cease-fire in Beirut.
2
--continued
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
L i L.?
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
During the few remaining days of
the campaign, Ilyas Sarkis, the
preferred choice of the Syrians
and conservative Christians, and
Raymond Edde, the favorite of the
Lebanese left and the Palestinians,
will try to break the deadlock in
their race for the presidency.
Should they fail, the field will be
open to a host of weaker candidates.
3
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Ghana
Panama's efforts to
capture foreign fishing
vessels is still under-
way. No boats have yet
been seized, but a US
tuna boat reported a
Panamanian aircraft
fired across its bow on
Monday.
Spanish Communists and
other opposition parties
are planning strikes
and massive demonstra-
tions on May Day.
25X1
NOTES
Heavy rains yesterday may have
curtailed sea and air patrolling
and apparently hampered communica-
tions. The Panamanians are still
awaiting an official response to
their request that Canal Zone au-
thorities detain a US registered
boat presently in zone waters that
they claim was fishing illegally.
As a prelude to May Day, the Com-
munist Party has called for nation-
wide walkouts to begin today in
the construction industry. The
Communists are urging Spanish work-
ers to transform the work stoppage
into a general strike. Security
forces are preparing for trouble
and have banned all rallies except
those sponsored by the state labor
organization.
4
--continued
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
25X1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
It 2 1.1 LI I .L tEd V A .1-./ J-11 VA VA? Ad A
Romanian President Ceau-
sescu used exceptionally
strong language in a
speech on Monday to
charge Moscow with
twisting Marxist-Lenin-
ist doctrine to advance
Soviet hegemony in the
world Communist movement.
The Tunisian navy may
be conducting a small-
scale naval operation
in waters under dispute
with Libya.
The Yugoslays immediately rebroad-
cast Ceausescu's speech, describ-
ing it as the "official opening of
a polemic" against advocates of
limited sovereignty--a euphemism
for the "Brezhnev Doctrine."
Ceausescu's speech, which will not
be ignored by the Kremlin, suggests
that Bucharest feels itself under
pressure from Moscow. His charges
and the Yugoslav commentary clearly
reflect the apprehensions of Bucha-
rest and Belgrade both over the
greater Soviet emphasis on ideo-
logical conformity since the 25th
Soviet party congress and Moscow's
intentions in the Balkans in the
post-Tito period.
The continental shelf has been a
source of concern for both coun-
tries for several years because
of potential petroleum resources.
The latest round of negotiations
to establish a mutually acceptable
boundary along the shelf broke
down in early March. A US de-
stroyer is now participating in an
exercise with the Tunisian navy
in the Gulf of Hammamet, but ap-
pears to be well out of the poten-
tial confrontation area.
5
--continued
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
LI .1 V I .I. A .1 A.LJA-IJ ? A. V -I. ? J.,
Rhodesian Prime Minis-
ter Ian Smith announced
last night that he is
bringing ten blacks
into his government.
Four tribal chiefs are being sworn
in today as full cabinet ministers,
and six deputy ministers will soon
be appointed from among Rhodesia's
black businessmen and profession-
als.
Smith apparently hopes this move
will offset the collapse last month
of his constitutional settlement
negotiations with Joshua Nkomo,
one of the rival leaders of the
divided African National Council.
Smith's token measures are not
likely to win over Rhodesia's ur-
ban blacks, who have supported
Nkomo, nor deter foreign backing
for the Rhodesian guerrillas, who
have recently stepped up incur-
sions from bases in Mozambique.
6
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2
/
Top Secret
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010025-2