THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 22 AUGUST 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014882
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: August 22, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
August 22, 1975
To
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption categoty, 5130 ),(2).(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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August 22, 1975
? Table of Contents
Portugal: Rumors of troop movements and an impend-
ing coup are rife as the forces contending for
political power continue to jockey for posi-
tion. (Page 1)
Portuguese Timor: Portuguese Foreign Minister Ruivo
reportedly has told the Australians and the
Indonesians that Portugal wants to withdraw
from Timor. (Page 3)
Notes: Thailand; Bangladesh-India (Page 4)
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PORTUGAL
Rumors are rife in Lisbon of troop
movements and an impending coup as the
forces contending for political power
continue to jockey for position. The
power struggle could just as well de-
generate into clashes between military
units backing rival ideological approaches.
There were reports last night that a military
alert had been declared in Coimbra, headquarters
of the central military region. Several high-rank-
ing military leaders, including security chief
Carvalho and Army Chief of Staff Fabiao, met there
in what could have been a strategy session.
President Costa Gomes reportedly met again
yesterday with former foreign minister Antunes,
apparently to discuss further the ultimatum Antunes
and General Carvalho presented him for the removal
of Prime Minister Goncalves, but there is still no
clear indication of the President's response. Ac-
cording to press reports, Antunes told Costa Gomes
that any military move to retain Goncalves in power
could be put down in a matter of hours.
Despite the claims of overwhelming strength
by Goncalves' opponents, the Prime Minister vowed
yesterday that he would make a last-ditch stand
to retain power.
Meanwhile, Goncalves' ardent supporters in the
Communist Party appear to be backing away. On Tues-
day evening, Portuguese Communist Party leader
Cunhal conceded at a press conference that the
present government does not have the necessary sup-
port to be viable and the Communists are prepared
to consider alternatives.
Goncalves' ouster would be the most serious
of many bitter blows suffered by the Communists in
recent weeks. Cunhal expressed alarm that military
officers favoring the Communists would now be purged,
a process that has already begun.
(continued)
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If efforts to oust Goncalves are successful,
it is not clear what form of aovernment miaht
emerge.
new government program
largely represents the views of the democratic,
pro-European Antunes group, with some small consid-
eration given to placating the radical leftists.
Such an arrangement presumably would allow real
power to remain in the hands of anti-communist mili-
tary officers and the democratic political parties.
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PORTUGUESE TIMOR
Portuguese Foreign Minister Ruivo
held urgent consultations with both the
Indonesian and Australian ambassadors
Wednesday night on the situation in Timor.
He told the Australian ambassador that Portugal
wanted to withdraw from Timor and asked Canberra's
assistance in evacuating Portuguese nationals. He
said Lisbon would leave the governor and a staff of
about 70 to act as a symbolic presence in Timor and
to work out a modus vivendi with the warring politi-
cal factions. He said he would like to establish a
"good offices" committee to assist in the process,
and he hoped both Australia and Indonesia would
participate.
Ruivo said Lisbon would make a similar approach
to Indonesia and would also alert the International
Red Cross.
Australia, for domestic political reasons,
probably will elect to avoid overt involvement in
the Timor situation. President Suharto, however,
is likely to see Lisbon's approach as offering a
way out of his present dilemma. He could authorize
Indonesian military intervention in Timor on the
grounds that he had tacit Portuguese support to re-
store order and protect the lives of non-Timorese.
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NOTES
An uneasy calm has returned to Thailand, but
the underlying issues that sparked Wednesaay's vio-
lence remain unresolved.
the Thai cabi-
net has agreed to reinstate legal proceedings against
student and farmer activists arrested last week. It
was the government's dropping of the charges that
prompted the wave of police protests which culmi-
nated in the sacking of Prime Minister Khukrit's
house. In reopening its investigation, the govern-
ment is risking a new round of demonstrations by the
student community, which brought about the govern-
ment's current dilemma. Whatever measures the gov-
ernment takes to remedy the problem, distrust be-
tween conservatives and leftists is not likely to
ease. The conservatives will see any move by the
Khukrit government to avoid prosecuting the activ-
ists as further evidence of the government's will-
ingness to put up with "mob rule." Leftists will
see the reopening of the case against the activists
as a sharp move toward the right by the government.
The new rulers in Bangladesh, uneasy about
India's intentions following last week's coup, have
assured New Delhi of their desire for friendship
and have backed away from initial moves to desig-
nate Bangladesh an "Islamic republic."
These developments, while gratifying to the
Indians, will disturb the Pakistanis who initially
were enthusiastic about the new government. India
reportedly had reinforced military units near the
Bangladesh border, but Prime Minister Gandhi told
our ambassador that these forces now are being with-
drawn. Meanwhile, friction within the Bangladesh
army is getting worse as the various contenders for
power maneuver for position. Despite their differ-
ences; however, they are trying to maintain an out-
ward appearance of unity because they fear Indian
intervention if their dispute gets out of hand.
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