THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 26 OCTOBER 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006466881
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: October 26, 1976

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The President's Daily Brief
October 26, 1976
2
Top ecret 25X1
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Exempt from general
declasstficanon schedule of E 0 11652
exemphon category 58411,(21,(3)
declasstfied only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
October 26, 1976
Table of Contents
USSR: The decision to make public General Secretary Brezhnev's
major foreign and domestic policy review--delivered yester-
day to the opening session of a plenary meeting of the party
Central Committee--probably reflects the importance the
leadership attaches to getting its position on record in
advance of the US elections. (Page 1)
Lebanon: Most Arab leaders seem reluctant to let Christian
advances in the south interfere either with the truce or
with the ratification of peacekeeping arrangements being
discussed at the current Arab summit. (Page 3)
Notes: USSR-Egypt; Thailand (Page 5)
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
USSR: The Soviet deci-
sion to make public
General Secretary Brezh-
nev's major foreign and
domestic policy review--
delivered yesterday to
the opening session of
a plenary meeting of
the party Central Com-
mittee--probably re-
flects the importance
the leadership attaches
to getting its position
on record in advance of
the US elections.
In some of the most
specific comment in some
time on relations with
the US, Brezhnev empha-
sized that "on the
whole," US-Soviet rela-
tions "retain, so far...
positive direction."
Addressing Peking di-
rectly for the first
time since Mao's death,
Brezhnev offered to im-
prove relations.
The move may also be designed to
emphasize that any personnel changes
that may be announced at the close
of the plenum will not affect basic
policy lines. The wide dissemina-
tion of the speech breaks the prec-
edent of some years of generally
unpublicized plenary proceedings.
Brezhnev's review of foreign policy
was a reiteration of standing So-
viet positions. Acknowledging a
"slowdown" in US-Soviet relations,
Brezhnev disclaimed Soviet respon-
sibility and ascribed it instead
to the "complex political situa-
tion," especially the election, in
the United States. Brezhnev cited
the same reason for the fact that
the United States "has not yet an-
swered" Soviet strategic arms lim-
itation proposals of last March.
He went on to say that "whoever
comes to power in Washington after
the elections.. .one thing must be
absolutely clear: our policy of
extensively developing relations
with the United States, of lessen-
ing the danger of a new world war,
remains invariable."
He reiterated that the USSR is
ready to normalize relations in
line with the principles of peace-
ful coexistence and hinted that
Moscow may be ready to restore
party-to-party ties. Brezhnev
concluded by stating that where
mutual relations go from here de-
pends on "what stand will be taken
by the other side."
1
--continued
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Remarks on the Middle
East were a repetition
of previous expressions
of hope for a peaceful
solution but seemed to
reflect little expecta-
tion that Moscow would
play a more active role.
On Africa, Brezhnev men-
tioned neither Western
diplomatic initiatives
nor the USSR's support
for forces of "national
liberation."
In dealing with the
domestic front, Brezh-
nev's broad and detailed
economic report set the
stage for the Supreme
Soviet session scheduled
to open tomorrow.
Brezhnev called for a reconcilia-
tion of Lebanese leftist, Palestin-
ian, and Syrian forces while re-
gretting Damascus' military in-
volvement. He called again for
the reconvening of the Geneva con-
ference but conveyed no real sense
of urgency.
He hailed the development of Soviet
relations with Angola, Mozambioue,
and "other fighters for freedom"
and condemned Rhodesia and South
Africa as "imperialist stooges"
and "bastions of racism."
In the first public estimate of
Soviet agricultural yields by a
Soviet leader, Brezhnev said the
harvest so far has amounted to
216 million tons, but that the
total yield is not yet in.
The main task of the short session
of the Soviet parliament will be
approval of the 1976-80 five-year
plan and of next year's budget.
2
--continued
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MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
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Sidon
BEIR
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A yl Aye
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Mays al Jabal./I
Dint Jubay16
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Goba
Heig s
S Y
*DAMASCUS
IA
MILES 20
0 KILOMETERS 20
820.594
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
LEBANON: Israeli-sup-
ported Christian ad-
vances in the south
could threaten the
cease-fire elsewhere
in Lebanon, but most
Arab leaders so far
seem reluctant to let
this situation inter-
fere either with the
truce or with the rati-
fication of peacekeep-
ing arrangements being
discussed at the cur-
rent Arab summit.
Arab leaders recognize
that the Christian-
Israeli strategy is de-
signed to create a buf-
fer zone along the bor-
der before the Cairo
accords--which allow
the Palestinians vir-
tually free run of some
border areas--can be
fully implemented.
Palestine Liberation
Organization chief Yasir
Arafat may try to turn
the Palestinians' re-
verses in the south to
their advantage.
Christian forces now appear to con-
trol all but a few towns along the
Lebanon-Israel border.
According to Israeli radio reports,
Christian forces yesterday recap-
tured the town of Al-Ayshiyah,
which had been lost to Palestinian
and leftist forces last week. Far-
ther south, the Christians have
surrounded both Mays al Jabal and
Bint Jubayl, reportedly the only
remaining pockets of Palestinian-
leftist control along the border.
The situation in the south was
added to the summit agenda yester-
day, and the foreign ministers met
last night to formulate recommenda-
tions for consideration at the sec-
ond session of the summit today.
Most of those leaders who dominate
the conference may be unwilling to
endanger the Lebanese cease-fire
and the tenuous harmony achieved
at the smaller Riyadh summit last
week by encouraging the Palestin-
ians and leftists to counter the
Christian advances.
3
--continued
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
The summit seems to be
handling smoothly the
composition of the ex-
panded Arab League se-
curity force for Lebanon.
Libya reversed an ear-
lier decision and sent
a representative to the
conference.
for the
present the Palestinians are will-
ing to go along with the situation
in the south because they see the
Syrian presence in Lebanon as a
guarantee over the longer term
against an effective Christian-
Israeli alliance. Not only do the
Palestinians expect low-level fric-
tion to increase between the Chris-
tians and Syrians, but they are
also banking on Syria's commitment
to the struggle against Israel to
prevent Damascus from permitting
Christian-Israeli hegemony for
long over southern Lebanon.
Apparently only Iraq has seriously
objected to the inclusion of the
25,000 Syrian troops already in
Lebanon in the 30,000-man force.
In a surprise move, Libya sent to
the summit Foreign Minister al-
Huni, who has lived in self-imposed
exile in Cairo for over a year.
Al-Huni, who has never been a pro-
ponent of some of the radical pol-
icies President Qadhafi pursues,
may quietly go along with the ma-
jority.
4
--continued
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Soviet Ships in the Gulf of Sollum
???s
TUNISIA
\
Tripoli ?,_...
? e ITALY
BULGARIA
ALBANIA
GREECE?
Mediterranean Sea
LIBYA
Gulf of Sonum
Black Sea
TURKEY
?-?-
CYPRUS z SYRIA
LEBANON
/
ISRAEL '
JORDAN
Lif'
t,
\
/
EGYPT
Miles 400
0 400
Kilometers
620511 10-76 CIA
IRAQ
SAUDI ARABIA
Red \
\ Sea \,
25X1
25X1
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
The USSR resumed more
active operations in
the Gulf of Sollum yes-
terday--the day after
Egyptian naval maneu-
vers in the area con-
cluded.
Thailand's new military-
dominated government
hopes to obtain substan-
tially increased mili-
tary and economic aid
from the US.
NOTES
Two Soviet ships--the helicopter
cruiser Leningrad and a Kashin-
class destroyer--arrived in the
Gulf of Sollum yesterday. Flight
operations from the Leningrad were
either in progress or about to
begin;
25X1
25X1
Two months ago, Egypt declared an
area in the northern Gulf of Sol-
lum closed for naval maneuvers for
designated periods between August
25 and October 24. The Soviets
largely ignored the closure no-
tices and, during most of this time,
maintained a reduced presence in
the northern part of the gulf.
* * *
The military council--which will
continue to shape Thai foreign
policy despite the establishment
of a civilian administration--
wants to restore at least partially
the former relationship with Wash-
ington and plans to press hard for
increased assistance. Council
leaders particularly hope to get
the US ammunition stockpile in
Thailand on liberal terms. .
The council apparently assumes that
the US Congress would not approve
the resumption of a substantial US
military presence in Thailand.
5
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Top Secret
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