THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 7 NOVEMBER 1969

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006146451
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: November 7, 1969

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The President's Daily Brief
7, November 1969
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THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
7 November 1969
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Communist sappers struck two police posts on the
outskirts of Saigon this morning. Enemy activity
in the delta also increased. (Page 1)
The East German party daily has taken a hard line
on East-West German relations. (Page 2)
Podgorny's speech yesterday contained nothing
earthshaking. (Page 3)
Nasir yesterday made his most hawkish speech since
the six-day war. (Page 4)
?The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
says it will not be bound by any agreement between
Yasir Arafat and the Lebanese. (Page 5)
The Sino-Soviet border talks have not gotten any-
where. (Page 6)
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VIETNAM
Early this morning Communist sappers attacked
two police posts on the southwestern outskirts of
Saigon, killing two policemen and wounding five
others, according to preliminary reports.
This action may represent increased enemy
emphasis in the Saigon area, including
stepped up sapper and terrorist incidents
within the city itself. (
Fighting also increased in the delta, where
there were some 72 enemy-initiated incidents the
night of 6-7 November.
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EAST - WEST GERMANY
In its first authoritative commentary on East-
West German relations since Brandt's statement last
week, the East German party daily Neues Deutschland
yesterday repudiated Brandt's concept that relations
between the two must be of a "special character."
Rather, the paper insisted, relations must be "only
on the basis of international law," and Bonn must
treat East Germany as a sovereign state.
These rigid formulations are similar to
the ones used earlier in the year by
Ulbricht, and on the surface they leave
little room for compromise.
This latest commentary, however, is not
an official government statement and prob-
ably does not represent Pankow's last word.
It may be designed to pressure the Brandt
government to be even more forthcoming.
the government may be con-
cerned about domestic popular reaction to
Brandt's statement. The editorial thus
could also be designed to persuade its
East German readers that nothing has
changed in Bonn.
At the least, this latest tactical shift
underlines the caution with which the East
Germans are handling Brandt's statement.
We do not expect Brandt to be deterred by
the public coolness in Pankow, and in fact
we think the East Germans will continue to
be more forthcoming in private.
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SOVIET UNION
Yesterday's speech by Soviet President Pod-
gorny marking the 52nd anniversary of the October
Revolution was the kind of wide-ranging, nonspe-
cific survey that has generally been a fixture of
the occasion. As the Soviets have frequently done
recently, Podgorny said that a positive outcome on
SALT could lead to Soviet-US progress in other
fields. He warned, however, that the USSR "has
never allowed and 'neverwill allow anybody to speak
to it from a position of strength." His choice of
words betrayed once again Moscow's sensitivity to
US suggestions that the future of the arms talks is
linked to other bilateral problems.
Podgorny professed interest in improving rela-
tions with the US, but went on with a comprehensive
criticism of American foreign policies. Accusing
the US of actions which contradict its official
statements, Podgorny reiterated standard Soviet
claims of Washington's responsibility for the war
in Vietnam and tensions in the Middle East. He
dismissed President Nixon's speech of 3 November
for allegedly failing to show a "sober" approach
to ending the war. On the Middle East Podgorny
followed the tough line which has characterized
Soviet commentary in recent weeks.
A good part of the speech was devoted to Eu-
rope and to presenting Moscow's case for the early
convening of a security conference. Podgorny
claimed that many European states had responded fa-
vorably to the idea. He followed this with a dis-
cussion of the "successful development" of Soviet
relations with France. Podgorny was cautiously
positive in his comments on West Germany. Although
he said that the USSR would wait for the Brandt gov-
ernment to prove itself by its "practical deeds,"
he clearly implied that Moscow was hopeful that
changes for the better were in prospect.
We see nothing in Podgorny's polemics
that deviates significantly from the re-
cent Soviet line, nor did he break any
new ground on the positive side. All in
all?and not surprisingly, given the oc-
casion--the speech was pretty standard
fare.
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EGYPT
Nasir's speech yesterday opening the Egyptian
National Assembly session is perhaps the most hawk-
ish he has made since the June 1967 war. Adhering
almost solely to the theme of the battle with Israel,
he reasserted that "what has been taken by force can
only be regained by force" and called on all Arabs
to forgo their own rivalries to concentrate on the
struggle with the enemy. In this connection he
reiterated his call for an Arab summit meeting.
Nasir used the past tense when he talked of the
chances for a political settlement, and the speech
clearly indicated that he sees little hope for a
peaceful solution. "Everything up to this moment
has been a lost effort," he said; "there is no longer
any way out except to open our own road toward what
we want by force."
His remarks clearly named the USSR as the friend
of the Arabs and the US as their enemy. He echoed'
recent charges current in the Middle East that US
military personnel are fighting with the Israeli Army.
Nasir's language accurately reflects the
pessimism rampant in the Arab world. His
words will probably set the tone for the
Joint Arab Defense Council meeting in
Cairo tomorrow. They doubtless will also,
be loudly acclaimed by Arab nationalists
throughout the Middle East.
In spite of this, Cairo will probably con-
tinue to cooperate with the efforts of the
big powers and the UN in searching for a
political settlement. Egypt's public line,
however, will continue to be harsh, both
as a reflection of genuine pessimism and
as a way to put pressure on Tel Aviv.
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LEBANON
Eric Pace of the New York Times, who talked
recently in Amman with officials of the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine, says he was
told that the PFLP does not consider itself bound
by any agreement between Yasir Arafat and the Leb-
anese on fedayeen activity in Lebanon.
The PFLP has always been one of the most
intransigent of the fedayeen groups, and
its refusal to give Arafat carte blanche
is not surprising. As far as we know,
however, there are not many PFLP commandos
in Lebanon; its militancy in this one case
is somewhat academic.
A much more serious question is the atti-
tude of Saiqa, the group associated with
the Syrian Baathists. It has not been
heard from yet, but it has never been
noted for subservience to Arafat. Around
half the fedayeen in Lebanon are Saiqa
adherents.
Pace also told the US Embassy that the PFLP is
planning more airliner hijackings. His contacts
specifically mentioned TWA.
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COMMUNIST CHINA - SOVIET UNION
The Soviet-Chinese border negotiations in Pe-
king so far have gone nowhere. The Chinese, wor-
ried about the Soviet military buildup on their
borders, are pressing hard for a firm preliminary
agreement on military disengagement in disputed
areas. The Russians, judging that they now hold
the military and political advantage, seem reluc-
tant to reach such a tactical accord without broader
agreement on specific territorial differences.
The Soviets still profess optimism in their
public commentary, but early this week several
Russian journalists indicated to US officials that
the Soviet delegation was finding the going diffi-
cult in Peking.
The Chinese are also beginning to release in-
directly their version of the impasse. A Hong Kong
newspaper yesterday blamed lack of progress on Mos-
cow's desire to negotiate from a position of
strength. The paper strongly reiterated the Chinese
contention that an agreement to calm down the fron-
tier must precede negotiations on substantive is-
sues.
Despite these intimations of stalemate,
neither side appears to want the talks
to fail. Each continues to mute propa-
ganda attacks against the other. Accord-
ing to diplomatic sources in Peking, the
top two members of each delegation are
meeting privately in an effort to over-
come the deadlock.
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NOTES
USSR - Communist China: The Soviets are con-
tinuing to give priority treatment to their units
on the Chinese border.
USSR-Cuba: Havana radio announced yesterday
that Defense Minister Grechko will "soon" be vis-
iting Cuba at the request of the Cubans. Grechko
will be the first high Soviet official to visit the
island since Kosygin stopped off on his way home
from the UN in 1967. Havana gave no reason for the
visit, and there have been no recent reports of
difficulties which might have prompted the Cubans
to ask him to come. He will, however, doubtless
check the Soviet military aid program while he is
there.
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Top Secret
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