THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 21 AUGUST 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006466745
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: August 21, 1976

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The President's Daily Brief
August 21, 1976
2
Top Secret5?x1
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/05 : CIA-RDP79T00024A000200020005-1
Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E 0 11652
exemption calegory,511(1),(2),(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director or Central Intelligence
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/05 : CIA-RDP79T00024A000200020005-1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
August 21, 1976
Table of Contents
Korea: We present excerpts from the intelligence community's
National Situation Report with information as of 2:00 am
(Page 1)
Lebanon: The Christians' delay in launching their campaign in
the mountains east of Beirut probably results from a hitch
in their coordination with the Syrians. (Page 2)
Egypt-Libya: The Egyptians are continuing their military prepa-
rations for a possible showdown with Libya. (Page 3)
Notes: USSR-Iran; UN-Greece-Turkey; Cuba; Japan; Thailand; South
Africa; Kenya (Pages 5, 6, 7, and 8)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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Joint Security Area DMZ, Panmunjom Area
Kaesongi
1
I
620321 8-76
North Korea
/-ofthe v -7.emilitarized Zone
*-
1.??"t
/clod?
/ tt"
/#3
Joint Security re
Site of incident
UNC observation Post,,.
Freedom bridge?
North Korea
Coltrol Point
Military
Demarcation
Line
0
Guard
Go
0 0.5 Mile
0
500Meters
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
KOREA: We present ex-
cerpts from the intel-
ligence community's Na-
tional Situation Report
with information as of
2:00 a.m.
Subsequentlythe.North
Koreans requested a
meeting of the two prin-
cipal Military Arthisti?ce
Commission members.
About two hours after
the removal of the tree,
a helicopter carrying
the Task Force Com-
mander was hit by small
arms fire while air-
borne about 1,000 meters
(1,100 yards) east of
Panmunjom.
At 6:00 pm EDT August 20, a UN
Command work party of 38 US and 60
South Korean personnel entered the
Joint Security Area at Panmunjom
to cut down the tree at the site
where North Korean personnel had
two days earlier killed two US of-
ficers. Some 20 North Korean sol-
diers were in the immediate area
but did not interfere. Another 50
or so watched from across a nearby
bridge.
The work party cut down the tree
and removed two illegal North Ko-
rean barriers. The operation was
completed, and the work party
cleared the Joint Security Area in
about one and one half hours. No
US backup forces had to be com-
mitted.
This meeting, which convened at
10:45 pm EDT, was the scene of a
Conciliatory North Korean state-
ment to the effect that the August
1,8 incident was "regrettable."
The North Korean spokesman prom-
ised that his side "will never
provoke first."
50X1
One round struck the tail rotor
pylon; there were no casualties,
and no fire was exchanged. We do
not consider this significant or
even necessarily related to the
task force operation. Such inci-
dents happen routinely when the
--continued
1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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Beirut, Lebanon
British Emb
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620325 8-76
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Pyongyang's basic pol-
icy stance is committed
to finding a way to rup-
ture US - Republic of
Korea security ties
and will put much ef-
fort into portraying
the US as the prime in-
stigator of instability
on the Korean Peninsula.
LEBANON: Heavy and in-
discriminate shelling
between east and west
Beirut continued yes-
terday.
The Christians' delay
in launching their cam-
paign in the mountains
east of the capital
probably results from
a hitch in their coor-
dination with the Syr-
ians who were to pro-
vide artillery support
for the offensive.
North Koreans believe our aircraft
approach too close to their posi-
tions.
Pyongyang doubtless perceives that
it will have a number of good op-
portunities toward this end in com-
ing months, for example, during
the US election campaign and the
UN debate on Korea this fall. We
would expect, therefore, that North
Korea will continue to stage prov-
ocations from which it expects to
extract political and diplomatic
mileage.
The heaviest exchanges occurred
in the southern suburbs and in
central Beirut where many foreign
embassies are located.
Syrian President Asad has been
reluctant to undertake new mili-
tary moves against the Palestin-
ians. This reluctance presumably
stems in part from his concern
over increased domestic criticism
of his Lebanese policy and the
international attention recently
focused on Tall Zatar.
Asad may also calculate that his
next move should facilitate Syria's
much touted goal of transferring
--continued
2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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*
NIGER
LIBYA
CHAD
GREECE
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
_
TURKEY
SYRIA
LEBANON
IS
JORDAN
? Matruh t.et
.Alexandria
/
1
f Sinai
Cairo*
SAUDI
, ARABIA
EGYPT
SUDAN
0 200 Miles
0 200 Kilometers
a20323 EI-76
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/05 : CIA-RDP79T00024A000200020005-1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
*
EGYPT-LIBYA: The Egyp-
tians are continuing
their military prepara-
tions for a possible
showdown with Libya.
power from President Franjiyah to
Ilyas Sarkis. Damascus could be
stalling the Christians until Fran-
jiyah steps down, or it may want
to avoid altogether any move that
would upstage Franjiyah's departure
and the momentum this would give
to serious negotiations.
Asad has obtained approval from
his senior military advisers, how-
ever, for a renewed military of-
fensive in Lebanon should it be
necessary to force a settlement.
50X1
50X1
71-
W
A new order declaring a 20-kilo-
meter (12 mile) military zone
along the Egyptian-Libyan border
area is to take effect early next
week. This may indicate that Cairo
intends to complete its buildup by
then in anticipation of an attack
on Libya.
50X1
he Egyptians are pre- 50X1
paring to deploy another squadron
of fighter aircraft to Matruh in
western Egypt. This would be the
second fighter squadron to deploy
to Matruh in about a month, and
the third squadron to relocate
there since late May.
--continued
3
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
50X1
on Thursday two amphibious 50X1
ships arrived at Matruh from Alex-
andria. The ships can carry sev-
eral hundred men and a few tanks.
Their arrival could be related to
the deployment, scheduled for this
week, of Egypt's only marine in-
fantry brigade to the area.
50X1
A source of the US defense attache
in Cairo has reported that the
Egyptians will ultimately assign
one mechanized and one armored
division to the border area, with
another armored division to be
held in reserve in eastern Egypt.
These units might begin to move'
to the border this weekend; Civil-
ian travel this weekend on the
railroad between Cairo and Alexan-
dria reportedly has been restricted
by Egyptian authorities.
--continued
4
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TURKEY
31,1(k 'Ica
U.S.S R.
.Tashkent
(
CYPRUS
LEBANON SYRIA
SRAELi.,
JORDAN
/
RED
*Tehran
AFGHANISTAN
Neutral Zone
SAUDI
KUWAIT
ARABIA
\\3 BAHRAIN -
\.:k)PATAR
PAKISTAN
,,Z7*
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
OMAN
1:\
S E A
NORTH
YEMEN
SOUTH
YEMEN
FR ,TERR OF 1HE CULT OF ADP,:
AFARS AND ISSAS
500 MILES
560 KILOMETERS
A R A LI I A N
Cr I A
I \1)1/\,\.' OCEAN
MALDIVES
620326 6-76
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5
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
\Soviets.]
/Iran\
*
The UN Security Council
may reconvene early
next week to consider
a draft resolution on
the Greek-Turkish dis-
pute.
NOTES
50X1
*
*
The draft is being formulated
jointly by the US, the UK, France,
and Italy.
Greek and Turkish leaders, while
publicly continuing to trade
charges about each other's provo-
cations in the Aegean, privately
seem to be looking for ways to
back away from the present impasse.
--continued
5
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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OX1
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
The SR-71 flight over
Cuba did
not provide any addi-
tional information on
the presence of SA-5
radar near Havana.
50X1
50X1
Much of the island, including the
Havana area, was cloud covered,
and no SA-5 equipment was seen in
the cloud free areas that were pho-
tographed. We have not yet de-
tected any signals associated with
the radar.
What appeared to be the SA-5 radar
was seen in Cuba for the first
' satellite photography
at a Soviet signals intel-
ligence collection facility south-
west of Havana. The next satel-
lite photography will be available
in mid-September.
50X1
50X1
50X1
50X1
--continued
6
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Thai
50X1
Violence continued in
South Africa yesterday
in three black town-
ships near Port Eliza-
beth.
50X1
50X1
50X1
The death toll for the past three
days in that area now stands at
33, making the Port Elizabeth
riots bloodier than those that
erupted last week around Cape Town.
In reaction to the riots, a number
of industrial groups in South Af-
rica have forwarded proposals to
the government to improve condi-
tions for urban blacks who supply
the bulk of the labor force. The
most sweeping recommendations came
from the Transvaal Chamber of In-
dustries in Johannesburg, one of
the most influential employer
groups in the country.
--continued
7
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Kenya has ordered or is
negotiating for military
equipment worth nearly
$240 million.
50X1
The proposals urge limited self
government for black townships,
improved housing and eduation,
higher wages, and greater job mo-
bility. The government has not
responded to these suggestions al-
though it has displayed some re-
ceptivity to another plan for up-
grading urban black housing.
* * *
In addition to 12 F-5 fighter air-
craft from the US, the Kenyans
have ordered equipment from the
UK valued at $70 million; this in-
cludes tanks, surface-to-air and
antitank missiles and artillery.
Kenya has $28 million of transport
aircraft and support equipment on
order from Canada, and is negoti50x1
ating for Italian helicopters,
West German trucks, and Australian
small arms.
Kenya's efforts to upgrade its m50X1
itary capabilities were consider-
ably spurred by last month's ten-
sions with Uganda.
8
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Top Secret
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