THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 26 NOVEMBER 1973

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993995
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: November 26, 1973

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The President's Daily Brief
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26 November 1973
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5B( I),(2)(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
26 November 1973
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Egypt called off yesterday's scheduled meeting with
Israeli representatives on the question of disen-
gagement of forces, but another meeting is set for
today. Tensions remain high on both military fronts,
and the Israelis reported a brief exchange of ar-
tillery fire on the Egyptian front yesterday.
(Page 1)
Elements of the Greek Army ousted President Papa-
dopoulos in a bloodless coup early yesterday morning.
Both Ioannidis--the Chief of Military Police who re-
portedly engineered the coup--and new President
Gisikis are reported to be pro-American and pro-
NATO. (Page 3)
The leaders of 15 Arab states meet today to forge
a common policy for dealing with Israel and the US,
but dissatisfaction with the conference is apparent
even before it begins. (Page 4)
Moscow is maintaining a cautious attitude toward
the fedayeen until Palestinian issues are resolved
within the Arab camp. (Page 5)
Secretary General Luns is urging that the NATO
declaration of Atlantic principles be completed in
time for the semi-annual NATO ministerial meeting
on December 10 and 11. (Page 6)
The Yugoslav Government, after refusing to receive
Romania's Foreign Minister early this month, has
announced that he will visit Belgrade today and
tomorrow. (Page 7)
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ARAB STATES - ISRAEL
Egypt called off yesterday's scheduled meeting
with Israeli representatives on the question of the
disengagement of forces, apparently in protest
against what the Egyptians view as Israeli stalling.
Another meeting is set, however, for today.
Although General
Gamasy, Egypt's chief negotiator, has indicated that
he personally will not participate in further talks,
there has been no indication that the Egyptians in-
tend to terminate the meetings completely. UN sources
have indicated that Egyptian-Israeli exchanges, de-
spite disagreement, have been conducted in a con-
structive and friendly atmosphere.
The prisoner-of-war issue may again emerge as
a serious issue between Egypt and Israel. Israeli
Defense Minister Dayan has publicly accused Egypt
of murdering some prisoners, and the US Interests
Section in Cairo has unconfirmed information that
the Egyptians are still holding 101 Israeli pris-
oners whose names have not been given to the Red
Cross. The prisoners are said to be persons who
are either not Israeli citizens or who hold dual
citizenship. The group reportedly includes some
Americans.
The Israeli cabinet announced its decision yes-
terday to accept "in principle" the convening of a
peace conference at Geneva to be attended by Israel,
Egypt, Syria, Jordan, the US, the USSR, and the UN
Secretary General. Israel is withholding official
acceptance, however, until it receives a formal in-
vitation to the conference. The Israeli press has
indicated that the opening will be only pro forma
as far as Tel Aviv is concerned and that substantive
negotiations must await the conclusion of Knesset
elections on December 31. The Israeli list of con-
ference participants omits mention of the Palestin-
ians or any other UN Security Council members that
the Arabs may insist on including.
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US sources have been
unable to confirm any of this Egyptian or Syrian ac-
tivity. Egyptian air activity, in fact, has been
normal or below normal.
The Arabs appear concerned
that the Israelis may intend some action.
Actual military incidents yesterday were lim-
ited to a 30-minute artillery exchange on the north-
western edge of the Israeli salient on the west
bank. The Israelis announced the activity and
stated that it was initiated by the Egyptians.
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GREECE
Elements of the Greek Army ousted President
Papadopoulos in a bloodless coup early yesterday
morning. The takeover, reportedly engineered by
Chief of Military Police Dimitrios Ioannidis, in-
stalled First Army Commander Phaidon Gisikis as
President and Adamantios Androutsopoulos--a former
minister of finance and of interior under Papa-
dopoulos--as prime minister. The country is calm.
Papadopoulos is variously reported as either under
house arrest at his seaside villa 25 miles south of
Athens or as having left Athens yesterday on a spe-
cial aircraft.
Ioannidis had long been dissatisfied with
Papadopoulos' handling of the government and had
been reported to have been only awaiting the oppor-
tunity to act. The three military services report-
edly supported the coup. An unsigned proclamation,
issued yesterday "in the name of the armed forces,"
charged that the Papadopoulos government, instead
of creating suitable conditions for the nation's
return to a healthy parliamentary life, was leading
the country "toward the same situation against which
the armed forces rose in 1967."
The 17-man cabinet includes only civilians.
All are relatively obscure, and little is known
about their political orientation. Both Ioannidis
and Gisikis are reported to be pro-American and
pro-NATO.
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ARAB SUMMIT
The leaders of 15 Arab states meet today to try
to forge a common policy for dealing with Israel and
the US. Dissatisfaction with the conference is ap-
parent, however, even before it begins. Iraq and
Libya are boycotting the gathering, largely because
Egyptian President Sadat has worked to assure the
conclave's acceptance of his decision to negotiate
with Israel. King Husayn has decided not to attend
primarily over the Jordan-fedayeen issue. Aside
from the divisive issues which have kept these three
away, their very absence deprives Sadat of the show
of solidarity for which he had hoped.
The conferees probably will agree on extending
the oil embargo to South Africa, Rhodesia, and Portu-
gal and to endorse Arab participation in the forth-
coming peace conference. The heads of state are un-
likely, however, to reach a decision on use of Arab
monetary resources as a political weapon.
Egypt apparently wants to keep discussion of
the Palestine issue as cursory as possible. The
summit may name Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organi-
zation to participate in peace negotiations, but the
fedayeen's own inability to agree on territorial de-
mands and on the desirability of establishing a gov-
ernment-in-exile probably preclude any further deci-
sion by the heads of state. They are likely to let
the fedayeen work out among themselves how to estab-
lish an independent Palestinian entity.
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USSR-FEDAYEEN
Moscow is maintaining a cautious attitude to-
ward the fedayeen until Palestinian issues are re-
solved within the Arab camp. Soviet media have
ignored the six-day visit of Yasir Arafat's delega-
tion, and a Middle East specialist in the European
Ministry denied to a US Embassy officer on November
23 that Arafat was in Moscow.
Arafat sought: 25X1
--a Soviet statement of full support for
Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization
as the sole legal representative of Pales-
tinians;
--agreement to the opening of a PLO office
in Moscow; and
--a Soviet commitment to seek international
recognition of a Palestinian provisional gov-
ernment should the fedayeen agree on one.
The Soviets probably used Arafat's visit to
take soundings on these issues and on the question
of Palestinian participation in a Middle East con-
ference. In talks with the US, the Soviets have
stressed the complexity of the Palestinian problem
and have said the USSR would not be in a position
to support or propose solutions until after the
Arab summit in Algiers.
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NATO-US
Secretary General Luns is urging that the NATO
declaration of Atlantic principles be completed in
time for the semi-annual NATO ministerial meeting
on December 10 and 11. The allies last week accepted
the revised French text of the declaration as the
basic draft. Most, however, clearly want some
changes in it.
There is a general consensus that comments or
revisions from all members should be presented by
November 28. Belgium's representative has force-
fully stated that a US contribution is important
now if there is to be a collective dialogue of the
Fifteen rather than one between the US and the
Fourteen.
The Canadians have "serious problems" with the
French draft. They oppose the French concept of
European defense, which holds that the US and Europe
face different threats and implies a basic weakening
over the long term of the US-European defense rela-
tionship. Moreover, the French draft casts doubt
on the need for the continuing presence of Canadian
forces in Germany.
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NOTE
Romania-Yugoslavia: The Yugoslav Government,
after refusing to receive Romania's Foreign Minister
Macovescu early this month, has announced that
Macovescu will visit Belgrade today and tomorrow.
Macovescu's visit comes at a troubled juncture in
relations, as the Yugoslays appear to be turning
from close ties with Romania to a new rapproche-
ment with the USSR. The next meeting in a long
series between Presidents Tito and Ceausescu is
scheduled for the end of the year. Before it can
take place, Macovescu must assess the meaning for
Romania of Tito's new relationship with Brezhnev.
He must also find out why the Yugoslays have pres-
sured the Romanians to give up their independent
Middle East policy, and why Belgrade's Communist
Party is moving toward neutrality in the Sino-
Soviet quarrel, rather than backing Romania's
position that China has a right to be different.
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Top Secret
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