THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 20 JANUARY 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006007922
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: January 20, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
January 20, 1975
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of EO. 11652
exemption category 5/3( I
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
January 20, 1975
Table of Contents
China: The appointments and policy statements ap-
proved by the Fourth National People's Congress
are designed to stress moderation and continu-
ity. (Page 1)
Cyprus: The US embassy in Nicosia is bracing for
another assault today. (Page 4)
t -Israel:
Cambodia: Government forces are pressing a major
ground and air effort to reopen the Mekong
River corridor. (Page 6)
Portugal: The Portuguese cabinet failed to reach
a compromise on the controversial labor law
Friday. (Page 7)
OAS: The Permanent Council meets today in response
to Venezuela's charge that the US Trade Reform
Act constitutes "economic aggression." (Page 8)
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CHINA
The appointments and policy state-
ments approved by the Fourth National
People's Congress are clearly designed
to stress moderation and continuity.
Nevertheless, the brevity of the con-
gress--the first in a decade--and the
initial secrecy in which it was held
suggest that lingering leadership dif-
ferences have not been fully ironed
out. Although Chairman Mao Tse-tung
did not attend the congress, he appears
to be still a very active force in
Chinese politics.
The reappointment of Chou En-lai as Premier and
the naming of his close ally, Yeh Chien-ying, to the
sensitive post of defense minister underscore Chou's
continuing power and prestige as a senior policy-
maker. Teng Hsiao-ping, elevated to the Politburo
standing committee and named a vice chairman by the
central committee plenum which preceded the congress,
appears to be Chou's logical successor.
Chairman Mao
Chairman Mao Tse-tung, who did not attend either
the plenum or the congress, has now been away from
Peking for over six months. He has only once been
absent from the capital for a longer period of time,
and that was immediately before the onset of the
Cultural Revolution when, he subsequently claimed,
he was being circumvented and ignored by political
opponents. Mao's continuing meetings with foreign
visitors indicate that his health remains reason-
ably good and suggest that his absence from Peking
may have a political justification.
It is possible, for example, that Mao may have
been upset with the decision to wind down the anti-
Lin, anti-Confucius campaign in July. Propaganda
articles issued as late as November, which may well
have been reflecting the Chairman's personal views,
appeared to be calling for a further effort in the
campaign, particularly as it related to an assault
on the military's political position.
(continued)
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If Mao has remained in the countryside as a
political gesture, it is likely that he is "sulking
in his tent" and has not been deliberately excluded
from the capital. The Chairman has clearly kept in
touch with developments in the capital
Although the communique issued at the conclu-
sion of the congress makes relatively little men-
tion of Mao personally, the guiding role of "Mao
Tse-tung Thought" was written into the new consti-
tution, and the party chairman was designated com-
mander of the armed forces. Moreover, in the course
of discussion of the constitution it was specifi-
cally noted that one clause in the document was
written in at Mao's behest.
Vice Premiers and Ministers
The congress approved a list of 12 vice pre-
miers. Teng Hsiao-ping leads the list, followed by
Shanghai party boss Chang Chun-chiao, who gave the
report on the revision of the state constitution on
behalf of the party central commkttee. This assign-
ment is another indication that Chang is acting in
the post of party secretary general, although he has
never been publicly identified in that role.
Only one military figure, Peking Military Re-
gion Commander Chen Hsi-lien, was included in the
list of vice premiers. This contrasts with four
who served in this capacity before the Cultural
Revolution, a change that indicates the military
has been further circumscribed in its political
role.
Even more striking is the downgrading of the
political "left." With the possible exception of
Chang Chun-chiao, who rose to prominence during the
Cultural Revolution but has long seemed to have
moderated his political views, no easily recogniza-
ble "leftist" was named vice premier. The two most
prominent of these figures, Chiang Ching and Yao
Wen-yuan, both of whom had claims to important gov-
ernment jobs, were passed over.
(continued)
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There are now 29 ministries, compared with the
40 that existed before the Cultural Revolution. The
great majority of ministers are veteran bureaucrats,
and a number were severely criticized during the
Cultural Revolution.
The position of state chairman, which had been
held by the disgraced Liu Shao-chi and had figured
prominently in the Lin Piao affair, has been abol-
ished. According to Chang Chun-chiao's speech,
this and other constitutional revisions were designed
to strengthen the party's control over the state
structure.
Constitution
The new government constitution, which is less
than one third the length of the old one, repeats
the fundamentals of moderate economic policies. Com-
promise is evident, however, in articles which guar-
antee the right to criticize officials and policies
through public debates and wall posters and which
state that revolutionary committees will remain as
permanent government bodies. Both provisions ap-
pear to be a sop to the political left.
Chang Chun-chiao's speech did provide a hint
that there may be friction ahead. He noted that
while state enterprises have the form of socialist
ownership, in some cases leadership is not in the
hands of real Marxists and the worker masses. The
implication of this phrase is not clear, but it may
mean that new political attacks may develop as the
"New Leap" economic campaign, now apparently begin-
ning, gathers steam.
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CYPRUS
The US embassy in Nicosia is brac-
ing for another assault today. Despite
assurances from the Cypriot government
that stronger security meaeures will be
in forces there is concern that a de-
termined mob could again break into the
building.
Initial reports indicated that the police were
breaking up groups of demonstrators as they formed
in various locations. The embassy believes, however,
that the demonstration planned by government workers,
shopkeepers, students, and teachers could grow to
15,000 persons and turn violent. Leftist extremist
members of Vassos Lyssarides' party, who have report-
edly been in the streets whipping up emotions, may
well provide the spark and organization for the day's
activities.
Police officials now responsible for embassy
security are known to be politically reliable and
committed to maintaining order. Lower police and
national guard ranks, however, many of whom share
the sentiments of the man in the street, may not
follow the orders of their superiors. Although em-
bassy officials were "reasonably confident" yesterday
that evacuation of embassy personnel would not be re-
quired, they did not rule it out.,
The situation was generally calm yesterday. The
funeral in Limassol of the Greek Cypriot youth
killed Friday in a clash between demonstrators and
British personnel took place without sparking major
protests. This canS probably be attributed to tight
security measures by Greek Cypriot authorities.
The evacuation of Turkish Cypriot refugees
from the British base at Akrotiri continued unim-
peded over the weekend and is scheduled to be com-
pleted within a week. The road from the refugee
area to the Akrotiri airstrip has remained open,
and Greek Cypriots have made no effort to interdict
traffic.
Turkish Cypriot leader Denktash has made what
appears to be a reciprocal gesture for the release
of the Turkish Cypriot refugees. At the intercom-
munal talks on Friday he offered to discuss with
the Turkish army a plan whereby some 10,000 Greek
Cypriot refugees would be permitted to return to
their homes northwest of the British base at Dhe-
kelia.
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EGYPT? ISRAEL
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Cambodia: Lower Mekong
Oudong
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Pochen tong A irpo
naot
6)4_ Prey Veng
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Government positions
Baz3
Neak Luong Navy Base
Heavy co ntrat ions
of Communis ces
River
narrows
0
Miles
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SOUTH VIETNAM
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CAMBODIA
Government forces.are taking advan-
tage of reduced Communist pressure in the
Phnom Penh area to press a.major ground
and air effort to reopen the Mekong River
corridor.
Supported by heavy air strikes, Cambodian army
forces yesterday conducted apparently successful
amphibious assaults against several Communist posi-
tions along the lower Mekong south of Neak Luong.
The assaults are being staged from the Neak Luong
area some 30 miles downstream from Phnom Penh.
The first resupply convoy to move up the Mekong
from South Vietnam in three weeks may try to get
under way today. A successful breakthrough by the
convoy, however, depends on the effectiveness of
escort security provided by Cambodian air and naval
units.
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PORTUGAL
The Portuguese cabinet failed to
reach a compromise on the controversial
labor law Friday and expects to resume
debate today. SRcialist Party leaders,
fearing they will lose the issue to the
Communists, planned to meet yesterday
to decide whether to leave the coalition
if the law should be passed.
In the course of a seven-hour cabinet session
Friday, the governing Armed Forces Movement was un-
able to gain acceptance for a compromise proposal
that would trade passage of the Communist-backed
labor law for a moderate economic plan favored by
the non-communist parties in the coalition.
Communist leader and Minister Without Portfolio
Cunhal has said that the cabinet is irreparably
split over the dispute. He urges that the coalition
be maintained, however, at least until the constit-
uent assembly elections, tentatively set for April.
Socialist leader and Foreign Minister Soares
told US Ambassador Carlucci on Saturday that he op-
posed a walkout and hoped to convince his colleagues
to remain in the government. He believes the Popu-
lar Democrats will follow the Socialist lead.
The Catholic Church broke its usual silence on
political matters Saturday to issue a communique
opposing the labor law and upholding the rights of
workers to select their own unions. The bishops?
statement carefully avoided identifying the church
with any political party.
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OAS
The special meeting of the OAS Per-
manent Council opening today in Washington
could have an important impact on the dia-
logue between the Latin Americans and the
US. The session is being held in response
to Venezuela's charge that the US Trade
Reform Act constitutes "economic aggres-
sion."
We have no evidence that Venezuela has aban-
doned its original plan to have the Permanent Coun-
cil convoke a special consultative gathering of OAS
foreign ministers, which in effect would act as a
"court" with the US in the dock. If the Perez
government opts for this, it will be difficult for
other Latin American nations to oppose.
Most of the large Latin American nations, in-
cluding Brazil and Mexico, have sharply, criticized
the Trade Reform Act. They would, however, prob-
ably be content with an agreement to talk the prob-
lem out at the hemispheric foreign ministers' meet-
ing in Buenos Aires in March, or at the next OAS
General Assembly meeting in April.
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