THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 23 APRIL 1974

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006007730
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: April 23, 1974

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012000010064-3
The President's Daily Brief
April 23, 1974
4
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012000010064-3
Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5B( I
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
"
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012000010064-3
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
April 23, 1974
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Labor Minister Yitzak Rabin, narrowly elected yes-
terday to succeed Mrs. Meir as Labor Party leader,
faces an uphill struggle to forge a new cabinet.
His chances do not seem good and new elections may
have to be called this year. (Page 1)
Fighting on the Golan front yesterday was down for
the third straight day from the intense level of
last Friday. (Page 2)
Cambodian Government forces are in trouble 20 miles
northwest of Phnom Penh. (Page 3)
The Burmese Government has more than held its own
against the Communists in northeast Burma during
the fighting this dry season. (Page 4)
Notes on USSR-Cuba and China appear on Page 5.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
ISRAEL
Labor Minister Yitzak Rabin, narrowly elected
yesterday to succeed Mrs. Meir as Labor Party leader,
'faces an uphill struggle to forge a new cabinet.
His chances do not seem good and new elections may
have to be called this year.
Rabin's first task will be to convince the
faction-ridden Labor Party to unite behind him,
particularly the group led by Dayan and Shimon
Peres. Peres, the only other candidate, made a
surprisingly strong showing, an indication that op-
position to Rabin within Labor is fairly widespread.
The Labor Minister's other major hurdle in forming
a cabinet is the reluctance of Labor's coalition
partners--the National Religious Party and the
Independent Liberal Party--to reconstitute the
Labor-led coalition.
Rabin, only 52, is much younger than most of
the country's national leadership. He is relatively
untainted by the controversy about the government's
handling of the war last October and has steadily
gained popularity over recent months.
As prime minister, Rabin almost certainly would
not significantly alter Israel's current domestic
policies or its position on a Middle East settle-
ment. He is pessimistic about Israel's chances of
negotiating successfully with the Syrians.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
ISRAEL-SYRIA
Fighting on the Golan front yesterday was down
for the third straight day from the intense level
of last Friday. Syrian and Israeli forces exchanged
tank, artillery, and small arms fire in the Mount
Hermon area as well as along other sectors of the
front.
According to an Israeli military
spokesman, Syrian aircraft yesterday overflew por-
tions of the Israeli salient in what probably was a
reconnaissance mission. Israeli fighters were dis-
patched to intercept the aircraft, but no contact
?was made.
Israeli military authorities have officially
denied a story in a Lebanese newspaper that Israeli
forces are occupying a hill in Lebanon west of Mount
Hermon,
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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CAMBODIA: Phnom Penh Area
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CAMODIA
Government forces are in trouble 20 miles north-
west of Phnom Penh. Although press reports of the
loss of Kompong Luong over the weekend are overdrawn,
the setback reduced Cambodian Army holdings in the
area to the former training complex at Lovek, a few
miles northwest of Kompong Luong.
Over-3,000 troops and 25,000 civilians are now
isolated at Lovek. These include survivors from Kom-
pong Luong; about half of the 1,900-man force formerly
stationed there have arrived so far.
. The Cambodian Army high command will have to de--
cide in the next few days whether to make a stand at
Lovek or to,evacuate. A successful defense would de-
pend heavily on the ability of the air force to pro-
vide tactical and logistic support. If Lovek is aban-
doned, government forces could be extracted by heli-
copter or could try to move overland to the Tonle Sap
River, where they could go north to Kompong Chhnang
by boat.
The Communists are likely to focus attention on
Lovek soon. Recent intercepted messages show that a
continuing flow of ammunition is going to insurgent
units in this area, and Communist gunners are being
urged to block passage of the Tonle Sap 'River just
south of Kompong Luong.
3
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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