THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 17 OCTOBER 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993576
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: October 17, 1972

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The President's Daily Brief
17 October 1972
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5B(1),(2).(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
17 October 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
The South Koreans plan to declare martial law this
morning to set the stage for prolonging the rule
of President Pak Chong-hui. (Page 1)
Lebanese cabinet sources say that Israel's latest
air strikes have undercut the government's rationale
for curbing guerrilla activities in southern Leba-
non. (Page 3)
In Chile, the principal opposition parties have an-
nounced their backing of the strikes, but the gov-
ernment appears to have minimized the immediate
effect of the stoppages. (Page 4)
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SOUTH KOREA
Prime Minister Kim Chong-pil has told Ambassador
Habib that martial law will be declared throughout
the nation this morning. An accompanying proclama-
tion will call for fundamental changes in the na-
tion's governmental structure through amendment to
the constitution and set the stage for President Pak
Chong-hui to prolong his rule.
According to the US Embassy in Seoul, one amend-
ment to be made public next week calls for a national
referendum in mid-November and the choosing of an
electoral group that will in turn elect a president
for a six-year term. These electors will ?be chosen
from the local administrative units, which can be
expected to line up solidly behind President Pak.
Pak has been contem-
p ating for some time ways to extend his
term of office beyond 1975--the limit set
by the constitution. His decision to move
now may reflect an attempt to settle the
matter before opposition and factional
maneuvering can develop. Such problems
surfaced in 1969, prior to passage of the
constitutional referendum that permitted
him to run for a third term last year.
The President, moreover, appears to be
convinced that the nation needs to reaf-
firm his leadership so that he can deal
from a position of strength with the North
Koreans in the sensitive negotiations
ahead.
Pak is also confident that there will be
little domestic opposition to this new
move, since the nation is already tightly
in his grip as a result of emergency meas-
ures taken last December. To ensure ac-
quiescence, however, the announcement
closes all universities for the time being,
increases censorship, and forbids all po-
litical activity.
With an eye toward recent political events
in Thailand and the Philippines, Pak very
likely believes that South Korea's inter-
national standing and its relations with
the US will not be seriously impaired by
the new measures. The Embassy believes
that the announcement is deliberately being
made in the last stages of the US election
campaign in order to minimize the attention
it will receive in the US.
(continued)
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Seoul has no major international objectives
that could be jeopardized by the declara-
tion now that the contentious Korean issue
in the UN has been sidetracked for another
year. Because of the timing of the refer-
endum, Pak may feel compelled to put off
his state visit to Japan next month--a
decision the Japanese would
doubtless now prefer.
Pak's action will be an unmistakable sign
to the North Koreans that Seoul has no in-
tention of lowering its guard in the talks
as Pyongyang has hoped. Already frustrated
by its Zack of success in the negotiations,
Pyongyang may seize upon the latest de-
velopments as additional examples of Seoul 's
perfidy and attempt to exploit them for
major propaganda gains. The North could
break off the negotiations at this juncture,
but is more likely to wait out developments
in the South before deciding how to proceed.
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LEBANON-ISRAEL
Lebanese cabinet sources have told the US Em-
bassy in Beirut that Israel's air strikes on Sunday
have undercut the government's rationale for impos-
ing curbs on guerrilla activities in southern Leba-
non. Critics are now certain to point to the ab-
sence of any clear fedayeen provocation for these
strikes, the Embassy notes. They will argue that
Israel,will implement its post-Munich policy of
"Continuous war" against the fedayeen-in any event,
and that the army's role of policing the fedayeen
therefore is more questionable than ever.
Within the fedayeen movement itself, the
leadership has had difficulty in holding
support for the suspension of forays into
Israel, Extremist dissenters witil now
argue that the political climat/e is-right
for resuming cross-border operations.
The Israelis, for their part, evidently-intend
to press.on.with a campaign of pre-emptive attacks.
In her statement to the Knesset-yesterday, Prime
Minister Meir reiterated that Israel's war against
the terrorists could not be defensive only, but
must be aimed at "stamping out" the terrorist organ-
izations./
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CHILE
The opposition's effort to throttle economic
activity is gaining some new support, but the Al-
lende government's responses so far have largely
offset the immediate effects of the strikes. Both
the Christian Democratic and National parties have
declared their backing of the strikes and some of
their partisans have stopped work.r
Many stores in downtown Santiago opened for
business yesterday in response to police pressure
and the government's threats to requisition their
goods. With military protection, the government
has taken almost complete charge of transportation
and distribution of food and fuel. The dynamiting
of a railroad from the main port serving Santiago
yesterday triggered a further tightening of se-
curity for vital installations.
The growing bitterness on both sides will
make the customary search for a negotiated
solution more difficult than usual. The
disruptions will also accelerate Chile's
economic deterioration--Allende's gravest
problem.
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NOTE
Laos: The opening round of peace talks now is
scheduled to begin today. Government spokesmen had
earlier stated that the first session would be held
yesterday, but the Communists spent the day making
courtesy calls.
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