THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 27 MARCH 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006015066
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: March 27, 1976

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The President's Daily Brief
March 27, 1976
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category, 513( 12.(2).(3)
declassified ortlg on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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March 27, 1976
Table of Contents
Lebanon:
(Page 1)
USSR-Egypt: President Sadat publicly confirmed
yesterday that Cairo has barred the Soviets
from using Egyptian port facilities. (Page 3)
USSR-Cuba-Angola: An interagency intelligence
memorandum concludes that the USSR and Cuba
provided Angola with about $125 million worth
of goods last month, much of it food. (Page 4)
Ethiopia: The ruling military council has moved
sharply to the left over the past two months.
(Page 5)
Notes: Egypt-Israel; Argentina (Page 6)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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LEBANON
The Syrians may attempt to salvage their media-
tion effort, but much will depend on a meeting ten-
tatively scheduled for today between President Asad
and Arafat. Lebanese leftist leader Kamal Jumblatt
also plans to go to Damascus today. His attitude--
as much as Arafat's--will determine Syria's next
step.
The Syrians have been in contact with major
Lebanese Christian leaders and, after talking with
Arafat and Jumblatt, they may decide whether a re-
newed attempt at mediation is worth risking another
diplomatic failure.
Phalanges leader Pierre Jumayyil and Interior
Minister Shamun--who together hold the key to the
Christians' next move--apparently are coordinating
their tactics, but neither seems sure about what
to do next. Jumayyil issued a statement yesterday
in which he called partition the "most abhorrent"
solution to the crisis. He expressed some hope
that Syrian mediation might still succeed, but
raised the possibility of putting the Christian
case before the UN or the Arab League.
Heavy fighting continued yesterday and early
today in Beirut and in the mountainous district
east of the city, although neither Muslim nor
Christian forces appeared to be making appreciable
gains.
The US defense attache in Syria reported no
unusual military activity along the Damascus-Bei-
rut road as of early yesterday. After conversa-
tions with various Syrian army commanders on Thurs-
day, he concluded that the Syrians are now in a
(continued)
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.? ?-- -.I 1. V
readiness posture that would enable them to move
forces into Lebanon within a few hours, should Asad
take the political decision to do so.
The Israelis yesterday flew several recon?
naissance missions over Lebanon and the eastern
Mediterranean.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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ATLANTIC OCEAN FRANCE
FEDERAL
REPUBLIC
OF
GERMANY
CZECH.
ROMANIA
PORTUGAL
BULGARIA
Balearic
Islands
Corsica
pSardinia
ALB NIA
USSR
BLACK SEA
Bospona
Domfanolles
TURKEY
SRad of ibrraWx
Sicily
TUNISIA
(MALTA
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MOROCCO
CYPRUS
LEBANO
Beirut
Tartus
SYRIA
Damasc
ISRAELt
r.
J%1 LJORDAN
I
a'S?ez
ALGERIA
Gulf of
"Sewn
Alexan
Cairo*
2so
NAUTSCAL
559525 3-76
LIBYA
EGYPT
Canal
RED
SEA
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USSR-EGYPT
Egyptian President Sadat publicly
confirmed yesterday that Cairo has
barred the Soviets from using Egyptian
port facilities.
Several Soviet naval ships in the
eastern Mediterranean are apparently re-
acting to events in Lebanon.
the Soviets
have been given until April 15 to evacuate the Al
Gabbari shipyard at Alexandria. Three Soviet ves-
sels--two F-class submarines and an ocean-going
tug--are still being overhauled in the yard. There
are some indications that the Soviet evacuation of
Alexandria is under way.
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A Sverdlov-class cruiser and a Kashin-class
destroyer have moved from their anchorage in the
Gulf of Sollum and are now near Tartus, Syria, and
may already have entered port.
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The Soviets may be reacting to the movements
of a US naval force in the Mediterranean. Alterna-
tively, in view of their imminent ouster from Alex-
andria, the Soviets may be using the crisis in
Lebanon as a pretext for establishing a greater
naval presence in Syria than has previously been
permitted. Moscow could also simply be considering
the possible need to evacuate Soviet civilians from
Beirut.
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USSR-CUBA-ANGOLA
(Following are the key points from
an interagency intelligence memorandum
on Soviet and Cuban aid to the MPLA in
Angola during February 1976.)
The value of support provided the
Popular Movement for the Liberation of
Angola by the Soviet Union and Cuba in
February 1976 amounted to at least $125
million, measured in US equivalent costs.
This brings total estimated Soviet and
Cuban aid to the MPLA for the year begin-
ning March 1, 1975, to over $400 million.
Although overall tonnage of goods delivered in
February rose above the January level, we believe
that the amount of military goods shipped declined.
Arms deliveries, however, included the first confirmed
shipments of MIG-21 aircraft.
A large portion of the February deliveries was
foodstuff.
We believe an additional 1,500 Cubans were sent
to Angola in February, raising the total number of
Cuban military personnel in country to about 13,500.
Since late February, the number has probably remained
at this level, as further arrivals have been offset
by an equal number of troops, including some wounded,
returning to Cuba.
The airlift from the Soviet Union during Feb-
ruary was limited to one flight, and passenger flights
from Cuba were put on a regular every-other-day sched-
ule beginning in mid-month.
Sealift operations between Cuba and Angola were
increasingly integrated into the Cuban merchant
fleet's worldwide schedules.
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ETHIOPIA
Ethiopia's ruling military council
has moved sharply to the left over the
past two months.
Leftists on the council--led by First Vice
Chairman Mengistu Hailemariam--are emphasizing a
radical socialist program in an effort to broaden
the council's narrow base of popular support.
Since mid-February the council has reshuffled
the cabinet and has arrested thousands of middle-
of-the-road and conservative civilians, government
officials, and military officers. For several
weeks the official media have been campaigning
against "bureaucratic capitalists" for holding back
Ethiopia's socialist reconstruction.
Mengistu's bid for leftist domestic support
has been accompanied by an attempt to draw closer
to communist countries, especially the Soviet Union.
Praise of the USSR has increased markedly in the
Ethiopian media, and visiting Soviet delegations
have received fulsome local coverage. Early this
month, a high-level mission was dispatched to Pe-
king, and its activities also have been heavily
publicized.
The council hopes Moscow will use its close
ties to Mogadiscio to restrain Somalia's aggres-
sive designs on the French Territory of the Afars
and Issas, through which Ethiopia's principal rail
outlet passes.
Media attacks on Western capitalists and
"racists" for alleged wrongdoing in Africa have a
strong anti-American flavor, although the US is
usually not named directly. Despite these attacks,
the government still follows its official policy
of maintaining good relations with the US.
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NOTES
Argentina's military government is extending
and consolidating its control. Officers now occupy
all federal executive posts and top jobs in the 22
provinces and some local jurisdictions.
Apparently encouraged by the lack of resis-
tance thus far, the junta is relaxing some of the
more obvious controls. The US embassy reports
that roadblocks are now down, airports are operat-
ing normally, and censorship of the press has been
eased. The greatest potential for opposition lies
with the terrorists, who so far have remained rela-
tively inactive. Labor, too, can be expected to
protest when, as seems likely, the government an-
nounces further economic austerity measures.
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Top Secret
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