THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 30 AUGUST 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006466839
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: August 30, 1976

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The President's Daily Brief
August 30, 1976
Top ecrek25x1
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E 0 I 1652
exemption category 5B(1).(2),(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
August 30, 1976
Table of Contents
Egypt-Libya: We now have good indications that Egypt has begun
to remove ground units from the vicinity of the Suez Canal,
presumably for use on the Libyan border. (Page 1)
Lebanon: The key parties to the conflict are involved in more
consultations prior to an anticipated meeting of Arab for-
eign ministers this week. (Page 2)
Iran : A group of religious extremists appears responsible for
the killing on Saturday of three US civilians in Tehran.
(Page 3)
Notes: USSR-US; North Korea; Kuwait; Saudi Arabia - Syria
(Pages 5, 6, and 7 )
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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2;6
Egypt
Railroad
o 50 190 150 290 Miles
0 50 100 150 200 Kilometers
T bruk
Libya
Cyprus
Mediterranean Sea
Alexandria
Leb non
Beirut
Damascus
yria
Tel Aviv-1( ?Is
Tato k
Israel )
1 /
\ I
\
\ /
\
eli- occupied
Territory
Amman
-30
Brrkat
OS rue
Jordan
Saudi
Arabia
Lake
Nasser
Sudan
216
BOUNDARY REPRESENTATION IS
/ 34
NOT NECESSARILY AUTHORITATIVE
22-
6203.5 8-76
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
EGYPT-LIBYA: There are
now good indications
that Egypt has begun to
remove ground forces
from the Suez Canal
area, presumably for
use on the Libyan bor-
der.
In Libya, flights of
transports to eastern
Libya also have con-
tinued.
Pravda yesterday for
the first time mentioned
the growing Egyptian-
Libyan dispute.
A preliminary review of U-2 pho-
tography showed 25X1
that one mechanized and one armored
battalion of an armored division
were being loaded on rail cars at
Fayid near the Suez Canal. The
units probably are the ones that
intercepted Egyptian communications
indicated were to move by rail from
Fayid over a four-day period be-
ginning on August 26.
The photography also showed that
one armored and three infantry
battalions normally located near
the southern half of the canal were
absent. Because some of these same
units were not seen .on the U-2 mis-
sion ten days earlier, we presume
that they also probably have been
sent to the Libyan border.
The Egyptians apparently are try-
ing to minimize the impact that
any withdrawal of forces from the
canal would have on their capabil-
ities opposite Israel. So far,
the units being withdrawn have
come from several divisions, with
no one division being seriously
depleted in strength.
Over the weekend, five C-130s and
one 727 aircraft were scheduled
to fly to Tobruk. This brings
the number of flights there to at
least 15 during the past two weeks.
The aircraft probably have been
moving troops and supplies to the
border area.
A pro-Libya article criticized
Egyptian leaders for alleging they
--continued
1
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MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
Tripoli
SYR IA
?
BEIRUTy
Tyre
hySidonJazzi
)Heigh
IS E L
(-1
Gola
.1
0
DAMASCUS
IA
MILES 20
0 KILOMETERS 20
620362 8-76
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
LEBANON: The principal
parties to the Lebanese
conflict are engaged in
another round of con-
sultations prior to an
expected meeting of Arab
foreign ministers this
week.
were threatening Libya because
Tripoli had opposed "those Arab
countries which seek separate
agreement with Israel through the
mediation of the USA."
The article also called upon "pro-
gressive forces" in and beyond the
Arab states to thwart those who
opposed Arab unity. The develop-
ments around Libya, the commentary
said, attracted close attention
because of "the danger of a new
military conflict." The article
gave no hints as to what the So-
viets might do in the event of
such a conflict.
The secretary-general of the Arab
League yesterday invited the for-
eign ministers to meet in Cairo on
Wednesday. The group will try to
arrange for an Arab summit confer-
ence on Lebanon, perhaps in early
September.
The Arab League's chief mediator
in Lebanon was due to return to
Cairo last night after three days
of trying to promote the latest
League peace plan among Lebanese
Christian, Palestinian, and Syrian
leaders. No side has issued an
unequivocal acceptance of the pro-
posal.
Fatah leader Salah Khalaf said
yesterday that the Palestinians
accept the peace plan, but he tied
his approval to Christian adher-
ence to provisions reportedly re-
quiring balanced Palestinian and
Christian withdrawals from con-
tested areas in the mountains east
of Beirut. These areas are pre-
dominantly Christian, and Chris-
tian leaders are demanding a uni-
lateral Palestinian and leftist
pullback.
--continued
2
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Military activity was
at a relatively low
level in most areas of
Lebanon over the week-
end.
IRAN: The assassina-
tion on Saturday of
three US civilians in
Tehran appears to have
been the work of a
group of religious ex-
tremists, the People's
Strugglers.
Christian leaders are withholding
any formal reaction to the peace
plan out of dissatisfaction with
its demand for Christian with-
drawals and pending some indica-
tion of Syria's position. Arab
League mediators talked with Syr-
ian Foreign Minister Khaddam yes-
terday, but Damascus has made no
comment on the proposed agreement.
The Lebanese Christians and the
Syrians appear to be preparing a
coordinated response to the League
proposal and a strategy for the
foreign ministers' meeting. A
representative of the right-wing
Phalanges Party visited Damascus
following a meeting of Christian
leaders on Friday, and Lebanese
president-elect Sarkis is scheduled
to travel to Syria tomorrow.
There was almost no indiscriminate
shelling in Beirut and less ground
action than usual in contested
areas of the capital and the cen-
tral mountains. Syrian and Chris-
tian forces are continuing their
attempts to consolidate their po-
sitions in the east and south,
particularly near Jazzin. Shell-
ing continues in Tripoli, with
neither side making appreciable
gains.
* * *
We have no direct evidence that
the Strugglers were responsible
for the deaths of the three Ameri-
cans, but the attack was similar
to their previous assaults. The
Strugglers were responsible for
the killing in Iran of a US army
officer in 1973 and two US air
force officers in 1975.
--continued
3
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25X1
The terrorists apparently hope to
provoke enough alarm within the
non-official community in Iran to
cause many of its members to re-
turn home. Even a limited exodus
of the approximately 17,000 US ci-
vilians in the country probably
would impede, if only temporarily,
Iran's efforts to carry out its
economic and military moderniza-
tion program.
The Strugglers is one of two ter-
rorist groups active in Iran. It
deplores the growth of Western,
non-Muslim influences. The Strug-
glers' strategy is to destroy the
present regime by attacking its
main bases of support which, in
the terrorists' eyes, include the
US.
25X1
25X1
--continued
4
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L...
ALBANIA
`r '-
?.? GREECE\
V'
. 72
J _T-----"---
CYPRUS
Mediterranean Sea
LEBANON
*
BEIRUT/
jI
ISRAEL '
Matruh. it JORDAN
r I
---'
lex --,--... ..-?
Aandria .) LII
\ I)
\ I
'I
Black Sea
Collision x
TURKEY
LIBYA
EGYPT
Miles 400
400
Kilometers
SYRIA
IRAQ
SAUDI ARABIA
6201, 7-76
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
A collision occurred
Saturday morning be-
tween a Soviet nuclear
submarine and a US frig-
ate in the Mediterra-
nean 150 kilometers
southwest of Greece.
In an obvious pressure
tactic, North Korean
media is claiming that
the VS has already ac-
cepted Pyongyang's pro-
posal for partitioning
the Panmunjom area.
NOTES
The submarine is one of two cruise
missile attack submarines the So-
viets normally maintain in the
Mediterranean. One of the subma-
rine's radars, its sail, and pos-
sibly its bow appeared to be dam-
aged but the submarine seemed to
be under control. Two Soviet
ships, one with the commander of
the Soviet Mediterranean squadron
aboard, reached the submarine late
Saturday.
The US ship sustained some damage
and was towed to anchorage west of
Crete.
* * *
Reporting on the meeting on August
28 of the Military Armistic Com-
mission, the North Korean news
agency stated that the "US side
was compelled to agree to the just
proposal of our side." At the
meeting, the Communists deflected
US requests that North Korea pro-
vide interim assurances of the
safety of UN personnel in the Pan-
munjom area and withdraw its guard
posts from below the military de-
marcation line as preconditions
to further negotiations at lower
level staff meetings.
The situation along the Demilita-
rized Zone remains suiet.
25X1
--continued
5
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Kuwait's 15-year expe-
riment with a parlia-
mentary system ended
suddenly yesterday when
Emir Sabah al-Sabah dis-
solved the National As-
sembly and suspended
key sections of the con-
stitution.
North Korean patrol boats this
morning seized a South Korean fish-
ing boat that reportedly had inad-
vertently strayed into North Korean
territorial waters. Such incidents
have occasionally occurred in the
past, but the timing of this one
so soon after the August 18 inci-
dent is likely to aggravate ten-
sions and give the North Koreans
additional propaganda ammunition
against the South and the US.
* * *
The ruler's action came shortly
after the resignation of the cab-
inet of Prime Minister and Crown
Prince Jabir al-Ahmad, the coun-
try's most important political
figure. The Prime Minister, who
has already been asked to form a
new cabinet, said he quit because
of the failure of the legislature
to cooperate with the executive
branch.
The government has issued new
rules designed to curb the Kuwaiti
press. A publication will be sus-
pended if it is shown that it serves
the interest of a foreign state or
if its policies are against the na-
tional interest. In addition, gov-
ernment approval will be necessary
for the publication of any state-
ment by a foreign country. These
controls are in part aimed at keep-
ing Kuwait out of intra-Arab world
squabbling.
--continued
6
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CYPRUS
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
LEBA ON
Beirut
*Damascus
GOLAN
HEIGHTS
ISRAEL
Tel Aviv-Yato.
JORDAN
Cairo
EGYPT
Tabuk.
SAUDI ARABIA
620361 8.76
RED
SEA
Nautical Miles
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Saudi Arabia apparently
has begun to withdraw
its forces from Syria.
* * *
A convoy of Saudi cargo trucks
moved through Jordan on Friday,
according to the Saudi attache
in Amman, en route from Syria to
Tabuk in northern Saudi Arabia.
The US defense attache in Damas-
cus reports that the transfer is
expected to be completed by mid-
October.
The Saudis announced in mid-July
that they planned to withdraw their
5,900-man brigade from Syria. The
unit had been stationed south of
Damascus since October 1973. The
Saudis also plan to pull their
5,600 troops out of Jordan, but
we have seen no information on
the timing of that move.
The withdrawal probably is related
to the long-planned modernization
of Saudi units at Tabuk, where
they will begin conversion to
mechanized units with equipment
purchased from the US.
7
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Top Secret
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