THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 21 SEPTEMBER 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006466851
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: September 21, 1976

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The President's Daily Brief
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September 21, 1976
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Exempt from general
declassafication scheduk of E 0 11652
exemption category 5B( I
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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September 21, 1976
Table of Contents
Lebanon: Syrian President Asad is unlikely to resume military
operations in Lebanon until after president-elect Sarkis'
inauguration on Thursday. (Page 1)
China: Since the death of Mao Tse-tung, the Chinese leadership
has moved quickly to reconfirm the general outline of Chi-
nese foreign policy toward the US and the Soviet Union.
(Page 2)
North Korea: Pyongyang has unexpectedly chosen to withdraw its
draft UN General Assembly resolution. (Page 3)
Notes: China; Malta; Argentina (Pages 5 and 6)
At Annex(
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LEBANON: Syrian Pres-
ident Asad is unlikely
to resume military op-
erations in Lebanon
until after president-
elect Sarkis' inaugura-
tion on Thursday to al-
low the new president
to work for a political
settlement.
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Meanwhile, the Syrian media yester-
day accused the Sadat government
once more of responsibility for the
Lebanese civil war and of sabotaging
the talks at Shaturah. The sin-
gling out of Egypt in this manner
does not bode well for the success
of the summit in Saudi Arabia.
--continued
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Fighting in Beirut has
become worse over the
past few days.
CHINA: Since the death
of Mao Tse-tung less
than two weeks ago, the
Chinese leadership has
moved quickly to recon-
firm the general out-
Zine of Chinese foreign
policy toward the US
and the USSR.
The renewed hostilities have raised
some concern about the ability of
the Arab League forces to provide
adequate security for Sarkis' in-
auguration. The ceremony now is
scheduled to take place at a lo-
cation only 100 yards from the
front line.
* * *
The Chinese press quickly published
your letter of condolence and re-
played your statement to US news-
men on Mao's death. The Chinese
nevertheless have made clear that
they remain displeased with some
aspects of US foreign policy, such
as Washington's continuation of
"detente" with Moscow.
The Chinese ambassador to the UN,
Huang Hua, during a talk last week
with Ambassador Scranton, reiter-
ated standard Chinese warnings
that "detente" might hasten war
rather than prevent it.
Chinese media gave perfunctory
treatment of Secretary Kissinger
in its coverage of foreign tributes
paid to the late Chairman. The
Chinese did not publish the Secre-
tary's statement after Mao's death,
and he was given no special promi-
nence in Chinese coverage of con-
dolence calls paid by senior US
officials to the Chinese mission
in Washington.
There is no ambivalence in Peking's
treatment of the USSR. Peking re-
jected a condolatory message from
the Soviet party Central Committee
on the grounds that the Chinese
"have no relations" with the Soviet
--continued
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NORTH KOREA: North Ko-
rea, in a sudden turn-
about, has instructed
its supporters in the
UN to withdraw the
draft resolution favor-
ing the North from the
provisional agenda of
the UN General Assem-
bly.
party. The Chinese also allowed
several days to pass before they
publicly acknowledged that two So-
viet Politburo members had expressed
condolences at the Chinese embassy
in Moscow.
Heated anti-Soviet propaganda
stressing the theme of Soviet "ex-
pansionism" has continued to appear
in Chinese media since Mao's death.
Peking's treatment of this sensi-
tive issue is clearly designed to
counter speculation that Chinese
policy toward Moscow is likely to
change now that Mao is gone.
North
Korea's communist co-sponsors will
present a letter of withdrawal to
the president of the General Assem-
bly this morning.
The North Koreans may have detected
some weakening in the support for
their position at the UN this fall.
Last year two conflicting Korean
resolutions were passed, and the
North was hoping to build enough
momentum this year to achieve an
outright defeat of the South.
A number of recent developments,
however, have improved the pros-
pects for passage again of South
Korea's resolution. These include:
--the unusual display of dissent
registered by 23 countries against
a harshly worded North Korean res-
olution submitted at the non-
aligned conference in Sri Lanka;
--the improved pro-South lobbying
effort;
--continued
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--the confrontational language
of the draft UN resolution sub-
mitted this year by the North;
and
--the adverse publicity stemming
from the Panmunjom incident in
mid-August.
North Korea may also have sensed
that there was growing sentiment
at the UN this year for a deferral
of debate on the perennially con-
tentious Korean issue.
* * *
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With the end of the
mourning period follow-
ing Mao's death, China
has resumed preparations
for an atmospheric test
of a nuclear device at
Lop Nor.
Prime Minister Mintoff's
Labor Party won a close
but decisive victory
over the opposition Na-
tionalists in Malta's
parliamentary election
on Friday and Saturday.
Serious differences
with Argentina's for-
eign minister, Admiral
Guzzetti, appear to have
been the principal
cause of last week's
surprise resignation
of Ambassador Arnaldo
Musich, the junta's en-
voy to Washington.
NOTES
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the test could occur during the
next few days.
The final vote count is expected
to give Labor a three-seat major-
ity in the new parliament. This
is more than enough to guarantee
the continuati-on of a strong Labor
government for the next five years.
The result is a personal triumph
for Mintoff, and he will interpret
it as a mandate to continue his
foreign policy aimed at avoiding
alignment with either the US or
USSR.
The burden of defending the regime
against charges of human rights
violations also could have influ-
enced Musich's decision.
Guzzetti has long been upset with
Musich because the latter tended
to be more responsive to the econ-
omy minister than to the foreign
--continued
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minister. Guzzetti was said to be
further incensed when Musich met
in Washington with a US priest who
had been detained by Argentine au-
thorities as an alleged subversive
and freed only after a vigorous US
protest.
The loss of the able Musich, a
businessman and economist who
worked hard to secure financial
assistance and sympathy for the
new government, could hurt the
military regime. It could also
mean a loss of prestige for Presi-
dent Videla, who pressed Musich's
appointment despite some military
objections.
--continued
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MEXICO
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