THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 17 NOVEMBER 1973

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993988
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: November 17, 1973

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The President's Daily Brief
17 November 1973
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declassification schedule of ED. 11652
exemption category 5B( I 1,12),13)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY MIEF
17 November 1973
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Egyptian-Israeli prisoner exchange continued
yesterday without hitch, and Syria's president has
indicated some flexibility on agreeing to an ex-
change. The battle fronts were the quietest yet.
(Page 1)
The Greek Government's suppression of student demon-
strations has probably set back its experiment in
promoting greater democracy. (Page 2)
A somewhat unusual message suggests that North Viet-
namese infiltration through southern Laos may increase
markedly in the next six months. (Page 3)
\South Vietnam(
(Page 4)
Notes on resumption of operations at the Syrian oil
terminal at Baniyas, the continuing failure to form
a government in Turkey, and international monetary
developments appear on Page 6.
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ARAB STATES - ISRAEL
The Egyptian-Israeli prisoner exchange continued
into its second day yesterday with no apparent hitch.
More than 1,300 of the approximately 8,000 Egyptians
have now been repatriated, and Cairo has returned
54 of the 247 Israeli prisoners. A convoy of UN-
controlled vehicles brought the first wounded ci-
vilians out of Suez city yesterday, carrying about
300 of the town's estimated 1,200 wounded. As con-
voys of a non-military supplies to Suez city and
the Egyptian Third Army continued, Tel Aviv reported
that it turned back several Suez-bound trucks that
were carrying fuel.
According to Secretary General Waldheim, Syria's
President Asad has told a special UN envoy that
Damascus would be ready to reach agreement on the
exchange of prisoners of war if Israel were willing
to accept the lines as they existed at the outbreak
of hostilities on October 6. Asad said that an Is-
raeli declaration of intent, rather than an actual
return, would be sufficient and that negotiations
could then proceed on "humanitarian aspects." Prime
Minister Meir has at least initially rejected Asad's
proposal, however, saying that the POW issue is a
separate matter not linked to any other question.
Yesterday was the quietest day on the battle
fronts since the war began, with only a single re-
port of small arms fire on the Egyptian front marring
the cease-fire.
Since the cease-fire Beirut has shown interest
in obtaining a UNEF presence along its border with
Israel. No formal request has been made, however,
and Lebanon has apparently decided to await develop-
ments in the peace negotiations before pursuing the
matter. Security Council approval would be required
to expand the UNEF patrol area.
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GREECE
The Papadopoulos-Markezinis experiment in
promoting greater democracy probably received a
severe setback last night as the government sup-
pressed student demonstrations in Athens.
Martial law was imposed throughout the country
this morning. Prime Minister Markezinis initially
postponed a press conference at which he was to
have announced further measures in the "politicali-
zation" of the regime and in the scheduling of the
promised "impeccable" elections, but now he is again
scheduled to speak early today.
The police restored order in the capital last
night after six hours of rioting and violent clashes;
two deaths were reported. Early this morning army
tanks and police moved into the Polytechnic school
at Athens University, which students had occupied
since Wednesday. A government communique this
morning announced that "no one would be allowed to
disturb further the lawful order and calm of the
Greek people." Demonstrators returned to the streets
today, however.
President Papadopoulos had initially ordered
that no force be used, in the hope that the students
would eventually withdraw if left alone. As the
demonstrations grew, however, he evidently felt
obliged to follow the advice of his military police
chief that they be halted, by force if necessary.
The students have been demanding greater aca-
demic freedom and immediate restoration of a democ-
racy. They had staged sporadic protests since a
clash with police on November 4 following a memorial
service on the fifth anniversary of the death of
former prime minister George Papandreou. Prominent
former political leaders exploited the trial of ar-
rested demonstrators by directly attacking the gov-
ernment. The light sentences accorded those con-
victed reflected the conciliatory approach the
government took until last night.
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VIETNAM
The number of North Vietnamese groups infil-
trating through southern Laos may increase markedly
during the next six months. According to a message
intercepted on November 11, groups of some 600 men
each will pass through the system on 19 days of
every month beginning in December. The message in-
dicates that these groups are earmarked for the
central highlands and the southern half of South
Vietnam. The total is comparable to the 68,000
that Hanoi sent to these areas in the 1971-72 dry
season.
Several aspects of the message are unusual and
suggest that it may not be an entirely accurate fore-
cast. The number of infiltrators for these two re-
gions is much larger than predicted by an earlier
message, which indicated that only 13,000 men would
pass through the system from November to March. So
far, no troops have been detected. Dispatch of in-
filtration groups on only 19 days of each month is
also highly unusual. Hanoi normally sends one or
two groups every day while a movement is taking
place. Moreover, the infiltration network has been
improved in the past year and is probably capable
of efficiently handling an even heavier flow than
before.
The latest forecast makes no mention of troop
infiltration to the northern and coastal areas of
South Vietnam. If Hanoi intends to engage in heavy
and sustained fighting there, additional troops
would have to be sent south to replace anticipated
losses.
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SOUTH VIETNAM
A top-level power struggle may cause President
Thieu to dismiss one or both of his two most im-
portant aides.
Presidential Assistant Nguyen Van Ngan and In-
formation Commissioner Hoang Duc Nha have been vying
for influence for some months.
Thieu depends heavily on the backing of the
military establishment, and if it comes to a show-
down between civilian advisers and his senior com-
manders, he is likely to back the military.
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FRANCE
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NOTES
Syria-Iraq: The Syrian oil terminal at Baniyas,
a major outlet for Iraq's oil exports, apparently
has resumed operations, although somewhat below ca-
pacity. The Israelis destroyed about 60 percent of
the terminal's oil storage facilities, and the port
itself had been out of operation since October 7.
About 8 percent of Western Europe's oil came from
Iraq, principally through the Baniyas facility.
Turkey: Suleiman Demirel, the leader of the
second largest party in parliament, has concluded
that he is unable to form a coalition government.
Bulent Ecevit, who heads the largest parliamentary
group, failed in a similar attempt just last week.
Former President Sunay reportedly has proposed that
he be allowed to head a "grand coalition" of the
two major parties, but this suggestion may not get
much support either. Turkish politicians are rapidly
running out of options, and new elections may be
necessary.
International Monetary Developments: Growing
pessimism over West Germany's economic prospects in
view of the impending oil shortage is causing strong
internal pressure on the European joint float. This
pressure resulted in revaluation of the Norwegian
crown on Thursday, and both the Swedish and Danish
crowns closed at their upper limits against the mark
yesterday. Although the Scandinavian countries rely
heavily on Arab oil, Arab restrictions will hurt
them less than more highly industrialized West Ger-
many, and pressure for revaluations of the other
Scandinavian currencies probably will continue.
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