THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 29 JULY 1970

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005977593
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: July 29, 1970

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The President's Daily Brief
29 July 1970
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THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
29 July 1970
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
The current situation in Cambodia is discussed on
Page 1.
A Pathet Lao delegation is expected to arrive in
Vientiane on Friday for talks with Souvanna Phouma,
but there are no signs that the Communist negotiating
position has softened. (Page 2)
Jordan(
the UAR
muzzled fedayeen broadcasting facilities. (Page 3)
Soviet-
I (Page 4)
The warming trend in Chinese -North Korean relations,
has not resolved all their differences. (Page 5)
In Panama, General Torrijos appears to be backing
out of his promise to extend a US military base agree-
ment. (Page 6)
Last week 13 European countries agreed in principle
to form a unified space organization. (Page 6)
The upcoming presidential elections in Lebanon are
discussed at annex.
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Cambodia: Current Situation
0 Communist-controlled location 1
'....7A41 Communist-controlled
99434 7-70 CIA
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CAMBODIA
Government forces were driven from their posi-
tions at Kirirom yesterday and headed south toward
Route 4.. The retreat probably is only temporary,
however, and new government efforts to,retake.the-
reSort town are likely...to be. launched soon.
The government also has pulled out. of.its-com-
mand.post at-ThMar Keo, northwest of.Kompong.Speu
city. Most.of the villagers living in the sparsely
populated area around the.post.reportedly are:Cam-
bodian- Communists.or-sympathizers
Yesterday a government, spokesman announced' that
CaMbodian troops, with the help.of South Vietnamese'
infantrymen,-recaptured the cement factory. at. Chakrei
Ting, in the southern coastal province of Kampot4
Earlier reports indicated that the government bat-
talion defending the plant' withdrew'southward' toward
Kampot city on 27 July, after being overwhelmed by
atlarge enemy force..
In the only other significant military action,.
the Communists. ambushed a 14-truck, government-convoy
yesterday on_Route 7,_north of Kompong Cham city.
South Vietnamese units movingalong Route 7 have en-
gaged-the enemy. 20 miles-southeast of Kompong.Cham
city and claim to haveltilled 19 eneMy troops
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LAOS
a Communist
delegation led by Souk Vongsak will arrive? in Vien-
tiane on 31 July for talks with Souvanna Phouma.
Souk was a minister, in the Vientiane coalition gov-
ernment until 1964.
There are no indications that Souk will
offer any fundamental change in the Pathet
Lao negotiating position. Indeed, Pathet.
Lao spokesmen in a number of capitals dur-
ing the past week have been taking a rather
negative position in referring to the pros-
pects for talks. The Laotian Communist
de legate in Hanoi characterized Souk's trip
to see Souvanna as only a "good will ges-
ture" and dismissed the idea that there
has been any change in the Pathet Lao to-
ward a settlement. Soviet press accounts
of interviews with Pathet Lao officials in
Paris and Vientiane have reiterated the
usual line that no meaningful talks can
begin until all US bombing in Laos has
stopped.
These suggestions of inflexibility in the
Communist attitude maybe.only an effort
to stake out a position from which the
bargaining can begin. On the other hand,
Hanoi may have no intention of arranging
for genuine negotiations at this time and
may only be seeking to stage some extended
discussions which will serve to restrict
Vientiane's freedom of action.
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JORDAN-UAR-FEDAYEEN
Egypt also has moved to curb the Palestine
guerrillas. Yesterday Cairo police closed the of-
fices of both the Voice of Palestine and the Voice
of Fatah, probably in reaction to fedayeen criticism
of Nasir's acceptance of the US peace proposals and
to a fedayeen demonstration in Amman Monday in which
Nasir was called a coward. Similar demonstrations
occurred again yesterday.
The crackdown reflects Nasir's sensitivity
to Arab criticism of his acceptance of the
US peace initiative. The fedayeen facili-
ties are used primarily for broadcasting
anti-Israeli propaganda
but they have on occasion
been used for attacking Arab regimes con-
sidered to be anti-fedayeen. Although a
government spokesman indicated that the
closure is only temporary, he gave no
idea of when the fedayeen would be allowed
to resume broadcasting.
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USS R
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COMMUNIST CHINA - NORTH KOREA
Despite improved relations between China and
North Korea, continuing differences between the two
were evident in their observance of the 17th anni-
versary of the Korean War armistice on Monday. The
Chinese barely touched on bilateral matters and
focused more on broad topics of more immediate con-
cern to Peking. The Chinese used the occasion to
criticize US "peace frauds" in Indochina and to con-
demn the US for flouting the Geneva agreements. Pe-
king also continued to emphasize the need for an
Asian-wide "union" against the US, Japan, and, in-
directly, the USSR.
The North Koreans, on the other hand, stuck to
matters close to home. The head of a high-ranking
military delegation visiting Peking, for example,
compared the present situation on the Korean penin-
sula to that existing on the eve of the Korean War.
Chinese official statements appeared to play down
the possibility, of an imminent crisis in Korea and
stuck to the standard, vague pledges of support for
North Korea if the US "reimposes" war.
Peking's restraint on Korean issues re-
flects its policy of discouraging North
Korean military "adventures," while
Pyongyang's failure to condemn the So-
viets is a clear indication that North
Korea intends to maintain an independent
position in the Sino-Soviet dispute. Even
though Pyongyang has not received any ma-
jor military deliveries from the USSR in
over a year, it does not want to ruin its
chances of extracting aid from both Moscow
and Peking.
The Korean military delegation now in Pe-
king probably is asking for military hard-
ware (such as tanks., patrol craft, and jet
aircraft) no longer being received from the
Soviets and the bargaining promises to be
difficult. Peking may furnish some mili-
tary aid but only in return for North
Korea's support for China's Asian "united
front" scheme and more cooperation in the
Sino-Soviet dispute. Even with such back-
ing, however, the Chinese will limit arms
aid to Korea because of their own mounting
domestic defense needs.
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NOTES
Panama: General Torrijos may default on his
oral commitment to General Westmoreland to extend
the Rio Hato base agreement, which expires on 23
August. Rio Hato is used as a training area and
air base and is the only US military installation
in Panama except for the Canal Zone itself. Tor-
rijos, using a thinly veiled threat of anti-US stu-
dent agitation, recently told Ambassador Sayre that
it would be politically impossible to extend the
agreement without "something to show for it."
Western Europe: Space' ministers of 13 European
countries agreed in principle last week to form a
"European NASA" to replace three multilateral Euro-
pean space organizations. They also decided to send
a delegation headed by Theo Lefevre, the Belgian
science minister, to Washington to discuss European
participation in US space programs. The meeting was
a bench mark in the development of a genuine Euro-
pean approach to space but some familiar problems
remain. France reserved its position on the insti-
tutional arrangements for the new organization, and
France, Germany, and Belgium refuse to make financial
commitments beyond 1971.
Bolivia;/
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LEBANON
Fuad Shihab, who was president from 1958-
64, is the best bet to be named president
in the election which will probably occur
within the next week or so. Shihab, who
has not yet formally announced his candi-
dacy, has the public support of the Parlia-
mentary Democratic Front, a loose, ,mainly
Muslim grouping that has a narrow majority
in the 99-member Chamber of Deputies that
elects the president. Former president
Chamoun and right-wing Phalange Party Zeader.
JumayyiZ are also potential contenders, but
their chances would depend on making deals
with individual Democratic Front members
to cross over in the secret ballot. They,
must also agree themselves on which one
should be the beneficiary of support from
the Zarge Maronite Christian group in the
chamber that strongly opposes Shihab for
his alleged pro-Muslim tendencies.
The basic issue in the election is Lebanese
policy toward other Arab countries. Shihab,
like the other contenders, is a Maronite
Christian, the eastern-rite Catholic group
to which most Lebanese Christians belong.
According to the National Covenant of 1943
which apportioned political power between
the Muslims and Christians, the next pres-
ident must be a Christian. Shihab's sup-
porters are generally pro-Nasir, however,
and urge closer ties between Lebanon and
its Arab neighbors. The opposition wants
to maintain Lebanon's traditional detach-
ment from the infighting of Arab politics.
Shihab is more willing than either Chamoun
or Jumayyil to accept increased Lebanese
involvement in the Arab world, but he is,
basically a moderate. He would try to con-
tain pressure from militants who want the
government to cooperate closely with the
fedayeen or to take an active pro-Nasir
Zine on Arab matters. Although Shihab
would be faced with competing pressures,
and might waver as he balanced them, he is
a former army commander in chief and still
has heavy influence in the army
(continued)
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The fedayeen problem has been kept out of
the election thus far. The potential can-
didates are aware that it is explosive and
as the next president each would be faced
with the same problem as outgoing President
Hilu: maintaining enough control over the
commandos to prevent Lebanon from becoming
another Jordan.
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