THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 11 JUNE 1976

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0006015133
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T
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20
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August 14, 2016
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August 24, 2016
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June 11, 1976
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 The President's Daily Brief June 11, 1976 Top Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Exempt from general declassification schedule of E.O. I I652 exemption category 513( I declassified only on approval of the Director of Central Intelligence ? Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 T- /7 \ T1 '77 IT 7' 7-7 T r- n IT'S 7-7 7\ T M Z-1 TI Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 June 11, 1976 Table of Contents Lebanon: The Syrians are reportedly continuing an armor and infantry assault begun last night against a Palestinian position near Beirut. (Page 1) An Iraqi task force of some 13,000 troops is now in western Iraq. Jordan is concerned that the Iraqi force may try to enter Syria without permission. (Page 1) The secretary general of the Arab League was in Damascus yes- terday to lay the groundwork for the introduction of an Arab security force into Lebanon. (Page 3) Israeli officials have denied reports that Tel Aviv was re- 25X1 vising its hands-off policy toward Lebanon. (Page 4) Egypt-Syria:( Italy: With ten days to go before the election, debate is cen- tering on the Christian Democrats' record and the future role of the Communist Party. (Page 4) USSR: In the force reduction negotiations, the Soviet have ful25X1 nished some incomplete data on the strength of t2aXlIarsaw Pact forces. (Page 5) Turkey: USSR: (Page 7) (Page 8) Notes: Romania; Uganda; Cuba-Angola (Pages 9 and 10) At Annex we discuss Cuban troop withdrawals from Angola. FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 25X1 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 BL1/.4 HAT 1111,14 MEDITERRANEAN 559887 6-76 0 KILOMETERS 20 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 ? i rli in Declassified in Part - Sanitized iaonpy?Ap?prOVned Tfonr ri0a1 T676 771 16 T.. raik-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 LEBANON: Syrian forces are continuing an armor and infantry assault be- gun last night against a Palestinian position on the outskirts of Bei- rut, according to press reports. Prior to the assault, fighting yes- terday had been a a relatively low level. Iraq now has a task force of about 13,000 men in western Iraq. Some clashes between Syrian and leftist forces were reported in Sidon, but little military activity was noted in Beirut and Tripoli. Military authorities in Tel Aviv have reported that a mechanized brigade of the Syrian 7th Infantry Division has entered Lebanon and is moving toward Sidon. Support vehicles of the division were seen entering Lebanon yesterday by the US defense attache in Syria. This is the first firm indication that Syria has begun to draw directly upon its forces confronting Israel on the Golan Heights. The introduction of the new unit brings the total number of regular Syrian troops in Lebanon to some 12,000, with another 5,000 or so in support roles in adjacent bor- der areas. Heavy fighting, desertions, and poor morale are taking their toll on Syrian-controlled Palestinian forces in Lebanon, and Damascus has been forced to pull some of them back to Syria. The Syrians will have to replace these troops with some of their own in order to fill the void. An armored division, reinforced by units from at least two other di- visions, is in position along the Euphrates River between the capital and the Syrian border. It is not clear whether the task force was formed specifically as a contin- gency for intervention in Lebanon, or whether it has been scheduled to participate in maneuvers in the border area. Syrian President Asad has acknowl- edged that he does not know whether --continued 1 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 ? - T, T1 TN T, TJ 7-7 T r17 1-1 11 IT VT Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Jordan also is showing increasing concern about the possibility that the Iraqi forces may try to enter Syria without per- mission, ostensibly as part of the pan-Arab peacekeeping force for Lebanon. the Iraqi build-up is intended as a threat to Syria or as a peacekeep- ing force for use in Lebanon. For- eign Minister Khaddam yesterday in- formed Arab ambassadors in Damascus that Syria will take "suitable meas- ures" to counter any Iraqi troop movements. 25X1 King Husayn told the US ambassador in Amman Wednesday that he has been in close contact with Asad, and that he has sent a high-level mil- itary delegation to Damascus to coordinate contingency plans for Jordanian assistance if Iraq at- tacks Syria. Asad told the delegation, which included Prime Minister Rifai, that Syria is moving its troops to coun- ter the Iraqi threat. Both Asad and the Jordanians apparently are also worried that Israel will try to take advantage of Asad's current problems with Lebanon and Iraq. Jordanian aircraft have begun re- connaissance flights over western Iraq, but, as of last night, were unable to detect any Iraqi troop movements. Libyan Prime Minister Jallud con- tinued his efforts yesterday to work out acceptable terms for a cease-fire in Beirut. After con- ferring in Beirut with Palestinian and leftist leaders, Jallud report- edly returned to Damascus for fur- ther discussions with Asad. On Wednesday, Fatah officials re- portedly rejected a Syrian proposal, --continued FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 ^ 7-6m T T1 Cl T 7-N 7-, A 7" ,7", /-1 A T T IT Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Arab League Secretary General Riyad also vis- ited Damascus yesterday to make preliminary ar- rangements for the in- troduction of the six- party Arab security force into Lebanon. After talks with Pres- ident Asad, Riyad an- nounced that an Arab League military mission will proceed to Damascus within the next two days for detailed talks with Syrian officials. conveyed by Jallud, for a cease- fire in place. The Palestinians and leftists are said to be in- sisting on an immediate Syrian pull-back. The mission presumably will be led by Egyptian Chief of Staff Fahmi, who is Riyad's assistant for mil- itary affairs. Riyad yesterday instructed Fahmi to begin forming the Arab force. Actions taken by Riyad and Fahmi are likely to reflect the wishes of Egyptian President Sadat, who, to counter Syria's involvement in Lebanon, probably will push for the early commitment of a substan- tial force. This will be opposed by Damascus. Asad has agreed to accept a symbolic force, but will try to prevent the Arab unit from replacing or interfering with Syr- ian forces already in Lebanon. Asad preempted the Arab League by arranging before its session on Tuesday for a Libyan-Algerian force to proceed immediately to Syria. According to press reports, some Libyan and Algerian troops may have already moved from Syria into Leb- anon. The conservative Arab states and Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasir Arafat apparently decided that their best strategy was simply to add other Arab coun- tries to the Algerian-Libyan team. Lebanese President Franjiyah, who recently has been cooperating closely with Damascus, has denounced the Arab League resolutions, and leaders of the major Christian mi- litias apparently are following his lead. President-elect Sarkis, who is more immediately responsive to Damascus, has said nothing. --continued 3 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 /7" T Y T1 T1 T, T 7-, 71 VT, Z-1 TTT IT Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Israeli defense and For- eign Ministry officials denied reports yesterday that the Rabin govern- ment was revising its hands-off policy toward Lebanon. EGYPT-SYRIA:/- ITALY: Election debate is centering on the Christian Democrats' record in government, the Communist Party's future role, and the sharp increase in po- litically motivated violence. Syrian spokesmen have insisted pub- licly that Lebanese approval is necessary before any joint Arab force can be used. According to one press report, gov- ernment sources have indicated that Israel could accept a "symbolic" Arab peacekeeping force in Lebanon provided, as usual, that it does not threaten Israel's security. 25X1 25X1 With ten days to go until the elec- tion, the Christian Democrats are under attack from all sides. The Communists are coupling their de- mand for participation in the gov- ernment with the charge that Italy's problems stem from 30 years of --continued 4 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 1Thel T 71 71 T T 77 rT7 fTh T T .17 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 25X1 USSR: For the first time in the force re- duction negotiations, the Soviets have pro- vided some data on the strength of the Warsaw Pact forces. "bad government." Rather than de- fending their record, the Christian Democrats have responded by empha- sizing the uncertainties that would accompany Communist entry into the government. They seem to have set aside their differences in an all- out effort to remain Italy's largest party. Despite the Communists' rhetorical insistence that no effective gov- ernment can be formed without them, there are some signs that the party will not press the issue immediately unless it achieves massive gains. for tactical reasons the Communists would prefer to stay out of the government at least until after the US and West German elections. Berlinguer reportedly is open to a deal by which the Communists would merely support a new government on specific programs--an idea pushed by the Socialists and favored by some Christian Democrats. Meanwhile, the assassination in Genoa this week of the city's pub- lic prosecutor, presumably by left- wing extremists, ensures that po- litical violence will remain a hot issue. The director of Italy's principal public opinion organiza- tion has concluded from his re- search that this issue now favors the Communists, a finding consis- tent with other evidence that some in the middle class see the Commu- nists as better guarantors of pub- lic order. Their information appears to be in- complete. Moreover, the figures were presented even though agree- ment had not been reached on which categories of forces should be --continued 5 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 D PI= DDL'OTT1VNIT IINTT V Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 counted and on how ground and air force manpower in the Warsaw Pact and NATO should be defined. The Soviet ambassador to the nego- tiations stated yesterday at a for- mal plenary session that the over- all strength of the Warsaw Pact force in the NATO Guidelines Area, which includes East Germany, Po- land, and Czechslovakia, is 987,300 men. He also said that this total included 805,000 men in the ground forces--a figure that is 144,000 lower than the NATO estimate. In deriving their lower figures, the Soviets apparently have counted the manning of Soviet units at less than the strength level that NATO claims they have. They also have excluded non-combat uniformed support personnel, which are in- cluded in the Western figures. In addition, they have defined ground and air force units by function rather than by service designation. According to NATO estimates, the Pact's ground forces in the NATO Guidelines Area have about 160,000 more troops than does NATO. Al- though the Soviets have not yet presented their estimate of NATO strength, it is likely that their data will show a smaller disparity between Warsaw Pact and NATO ground forces than do Western figures. BALANCE OF FORCES IN THE MBFR NEGOTIATIONS NATO Force Strength WARSAW PACT Force Strength (NATO estimate) (Soviet statement) (NATO estimate) Ground Forces Air Forces Total Forces 791,000 193,500 984,500 805,000 182,300* 987,300 949,000 198,000 1,147,000 *This figure was not provided by the Soviets. It was derived by subtracting their ground force figure from their overall force strength. 6 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 T7 /1 T3 rr TT D 11ATT Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 TURKEY: 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 --continued 7 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 25X1 T7/1 71 '7" TTV nn C, T 1-1 T /-1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 USSR: 25X1 25X1 --continued 8 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 25X1 25X1 25X1 - 77/1T) rrTTL' 117\TT Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Romanian party secre- tary for foreign affairs Stefan Andrei, who will arrive in the US on Sunday for a visit of about ten days, has told US diplomats that President Ceausescu wants him to seek your views on "one or two issues of major inter- est." NOTES Andrei almost certainly will want to talk about Soviet-Romanian re- lations, including what the Roma- nians consider to be a Soviet ide- ological-historical attack that questions--and thereby threatens-- the legitimacy of the Romanian na- tion and its rights to its present territory. Since some Romanians fear that Moscow will try to sabo- tage the Helsinki follow-on con- ference scheduled for Belgrade next year, Andrei may outline Ro- mania's plans to press for guaran- tees safeguarding its independence and sovereignty. Andrei, age 45, is the youngest member of the party's Political Executive Committee and is second only to Ceausescu in the formula- tion of Romania's delicately bal- anced foreign policy. --continued 9 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 LYID 'T'LTU DD re mrArrr nATT V Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Uganda A contingent of Cuban troops arrived in Ha- vana from Angola on Wednesday, according to a Yugoslav press re- port. Although Havana has not officially con- firmed the report, it probably is accurate. 25X1 25X1 The troops could have come from the convoy that arrived on the same day in Mariel, just west of Havana. The number of troops was not given. One ship in the convoy has made several trips to Angola as a troop carrier and can accommodate about 700 men. The convoy probably con- sisted of only one or two other ships, each of which could carry from 400 to 700 men. --continued 10 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY 25X1 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized -64-; Approved for ikeie-a-ie-2bie-70771 9 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 CUBA-ANGOLA The talk that has been emanating from Ha- vana since late April about plans for a withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola has several aims. It is intended to: --Meet Soviet concerns. --Check international criticism of Cuba's military intervention. --Deflate Angola as an excuse for direct US retaliation against Cuba. --Undercut the justification for any crit- icism of Cuba at the meeting of the Gen- eral Assembly of the Organization of Amer- ican States. --Smooth the way for a resolution approv- ing Cuba's role in Angola at the non- aligned summit in Sri Lanka in August. --Reverse the unfavorable trend in Cuba's bilateral relations with countries in Western Europe, Japan, and Latin America. Havana has deliberately left vague the nature of the planned withdrawal in order to retain as many options as possible while gaining maximum propa- ganda advantage. The Cubans can be expected to keep details of the withdrawals as obscure as possible. President Dor- ticos, for example, has told foreign journalists that Havana will not permit the withdrawal to be monitored. He said he expects Cuban statements on the subject to be taken at face value. At the same time, Havana appears concerned that its position might be misrepresented and that world pub- lic opinion might then be led to expect more than the Cubans intend to deliver. This probably ex- plains why Fidel Castro chose to address the issue publicly on Sunday, once the contents of his mes- sage to Swedish Prime Minister Palme were released to the media. --continued Al 25X1 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 A X EV1 fl 'T' Ll 1 D E' C TT IP /1 ATT v Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Castro said that a withdrawal had begun in accord- ance with a plan worked out with the Angolan govern- ment, but he gave no specifics and strongly under- scored the long-term nature of the program. There was no corresponding announcement from Luanda, sug- gesting that the Cuban force reduction was not uni- versally popular in official circles there. The Size of the Cuban Presence US estimates of the Cuban presence in Angola have stood at 13,000 to 15,000--mostly military--for several months. They were computed without benefit of continuous, comprehensive information during the buildup, particularly with regard to the number of troops arriving by ship. Havana may have decided that substantial and con- tinuous withdrawals at present are out of the ques- tion, especially in light of the recent increase in guerrilla warfare in several areas of Angola. By inflating the figure for the Cuban presence far be- yond the US estimates, the Cubans could claim to be pulling men out for months without changing the composition of their actual forces and thus reduc- ing their capability to secure the countryside and maintain order. The Cubans have in fact been spreading the word that the US estimates are too low. Early this month, Fidel Castro gave some visiting diplomats the impression that the true figure is about 20,000, stating that the US estimates were about 8,000 too low. Troops Sent Home Some troops have already left Angola. According to Castro, some 100 Interior Ministry troops thrown into battle in early November were present during his speech on Sunday. He indicated, however, that they had been replaced by others from the same min- istry. This type of rotation has probably been typical since early this year. As Castro was speak- ing, a convoy of Cuban merchant ships, including at least one known troop carrier, was moving toward Cuba. Even if the 20,000 figure is accurate, several thou- sand Cubans could probably be shipped home without seriously weakening President Neto's regime. The bulk of the fighting is over, and resistance has --continued A2 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 TJ'TlD DDUCTTIEW7111ATT V Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 been reduced to sporadic--but persistent--guerrilla warfare. The Cubans probably believe that Angolan units, with strong Cuban leadership and technical support, can eventually eliminate the guerrillas. In any event, Havana probably wants its troops with- drawn from combat as much as possible in order to reduce casualties--a source of some discontent at home. While shipping some troops home, Havana will proba- bly try to give the impression of even greater with- drawals by resorting to subterfuges, such as those suggested by various diplomats in Havana. Several hundred military personnel could be dispersed among other African countries without attracting undue at- tention, and there is evidence that this is already being done. Cuban mili- tary advisers from Angola arrived in Equatorial Guinea in April to help train local forces. More- over, some of the Cuban military advisers sent to Mozambique this year to assist the Mozambican armed forces and to help train Mozambique-based Rhodesian guerrillas almost certainly came from Angola. almost all of the 30 Cuban military advisers in Sierra Leone had come from Angola. In addition, Cuban forces from Angola had recently re- placed most of the local military units on Guinea- Bissau's border with Senegal, but there is no in- formation to confirm or support this report. The transfer of Cubans in Angola from military to civilian status also could distort the nature of the withdrawal. A large portion of the Cuban mili- tary personnel in Angola are reservists. Many of them could be demobilized in place, continuing their military duties as civilians. They also could be re-mobilized on very short notice should the situation in Angola require it. The Czechoslovak ambassador in Havana stated in late May that perhaps as many as 3,000 Cubans now engaged in support tasks in Angola were demobilized military personnel. These devices give the Cubans the opportunity to claim plausibly that they are adhering to their pledge to reduce their military presence and at the --continued A3 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 L'Pifl rr ETV Dr) E' T T1 L'NT 'T' /17tT T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 same time keep the Angolan veterans handy in the event they are needed again in Angola or elsewhere in Africa. The men chosen for such reassignments, however, probably would be military advisers and technicians. The Soviet Ang_le The withdrawal gambit largely appears to have been a product of Soviet urging. Moscow has become in- creasingly concerned about the negative impact of Cuban-Soviet activity in Angola and elsewhere in southern Africa on the USSR's relations with the US. This reportedly was a subject of discussions when Castro, his top foreign affairs official, Carlos Rafael Rodriguez, and his chief adviser for African policy were in Moscow in late February and early March for the Soviets' 25th party congress. Rodri- guez has made three additional trips to Moscow since then, presumably in part to iron out differ- ences on Angola. Cuban Armed Forces Minister Raul Castro evidently went to Angola on April 20 to conduct a personal review of the situation with his field commanders and then went on to Moscow to attend the funeral of Marshal Grechko. After meeting with Brezhnev on May 5, Raul dropped out of sight. He may have been in Moscow later in May when high-ranking dele- gations from Mozambique and Angola were there. Raul reportedly reappeared in Angola in early June and then went to Congo and Guinea before returning home.; Staying On A very large force of Cuban military advisers and technicians will be needed indefinitely to develop the basis for a professional military establishment and to acquaint the Angolans with the equipment they have inherited. At some point, the Cubans may ask other African countries to offset with their own troops whatever reduction the Cubans are making in their residual force. --continued A4 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 25X1 L-nD wur DD rcIT1r7\17' /INT T Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Even should assistance be forthcoming from other African countries, the Cubans have no illusions about the ability of the Popular Movement to sur- vive a rapid withdrawal of Cuban military personnel from Angola. Havana has no intention of wasting through a precipitate withdrawal the sacrifice it has already made in Angola and will maintain a sub- stantial military presence there for at least the next year. A5 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0 Top Secret Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013400010026-0