NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A028100010049-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 2, 2006
• Sequence Number: 49
• Publication Date: September 30, 1975
• Content Type: REPORT

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National Intelligence
Bulletin
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DIA review(s) completed.
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September 30, 1975
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National Intelligence Bulletin
September 30, 1975
CONTENTS
PORTUGAL: Government take-over of
communications media being disregarded . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LEBANON: Compromise still
eludes conciliation committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
LAOS: Confrontation over
severance pay averted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
CUBA: Castro reiterates support
for Puerto Rican independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
CANADA: Influence of nationalists
strengthened in cabinet shuffle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
FOR THE RECORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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National Intelligence Bulletin
Prime Minister Azevedo is running into trouble in his attempt to take over the
leftist-controlled radio and television stations.
All stations have been occupied by security troops, but the stations are ignoring
Azevedo's orders that his communique be read every 15 minutes and that all news
not received from official sources be subject to government censorship. In at least
one station, the security forces have sided with the workers, who appear to be in
control.
September 30, 1975
Representatives of the occupied stations met with security chief Carvalho and
Information Minister Almeida Santos last night to discuss the situation, but no
conclusions were reached. A crowd of about 3,000 outside the Information Ministry
demanded that Carvalho order his troops out of the stations. When he refused, they
threatened to take the stations back by force. The unpredictable Carvalho
apparently sides with Azevedo on this issue but could give in to extremist pressure.
Azevedo's move on the media is the toughest action his new government has
taken to implement the promise to restore "democratic pluralism" to the media and
discipline to the military. Azevedo issued the order as acting president while Costa
Gomes, well known for temporizing and compromising, is out of the country,
visiting Poland and the USSR. Foreign Minister Antunes has postponed his plans to
join Costa Gomes because of the current situation.
Azevedo received the unanimous support of the all-military Revolutionary
Council before ordering the troops into the radio and television stations, but his
ability to control the stations is dependent on the reliability of the troops in Lisbon.
Azevedo was thought to have gained an upper hand over dissident radical troops last
week when he formed a special force of trusted units to maintain public order. The
new force, according to the US defense attache, exists only on paper so far. If
Azevedo is forced to back down on the media issue, it would be a serious blow to
the credibility and long-term prospects of his government.
In a speech last night, Azevedo appealed for national unity and support of his
action. He said the occupation of the radio and television stations is intended to end
the media's encouragement of civil disruptions and the exploitation of indiscipline in
the armed forces. Demonstrations had been increasing in recent days, with radical
soldiers, veterans, and left-wing civilians protesting Azevedo's new government and
Spain's execution of terrorists.
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National Intelligence Bulletin September 30, 1975
Azevedo's decision was triggered by an attempt by disabled veterans over the
weekend to detain members of the cabinet. He ordered commandos to break up the
crowd and was heavily criticized by the media. Azevedo also disapproved of the
media's call for activists to sack the Spanish embassy in Lisbon on Saturday.
The Prime Minister assured the nation that the occupation measure is
temporary and is designed to avoid declaring a state of emergency that would
restrict civil liberties. If he does not gain full control soon, a reliable source has told
US embassy officials that Azevedo is prepared to declare a state of emergency.
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National Intelligence Bulletin
September 30, 1975
The Lebanese national conciliation committee met for the second time
yesterday. It apparently made some progress on immediate issues affecting the
cease-fire, but there was no sign of compromise on basic issues. Prime Minister
Karami announced that the committee agreed on steps to remove street barricades,
to silence snipers, to close clandestine radio stations, and to prevent further
kidnapings.
The committee did solicit the views of the competing groups on how to deal
with the causes of the violence that has racked the country. Neither the Christian
Phalangists nor their leftist Muslim opponents apparently showed any give in their
positions. The discussions are likely to be complicated by Phalangist leader Pierre
Jumayyil's insistence on discussing the sensitive question of the Palestinians in
Lebanon, a matter that most other participants would prefer to avoid.
The make-up of the committee itself ensures that the talks will be difficult.
Leaders of the conservative wing of the Shia Muslims are said to be angry over not
being adequately represented. Parliament speaker Kamal al-Asad, a member of this
group, has boycotted the meeting.
Karami reportedly is trying to expand the membership of the committee to
meet the objections of the Shias, as well as of the Christians east of Beirut who have
similar complaints. The leftist followers of Kamal Jumblatt oppose any such change
in the committee.
The security situation in Beirut improved again yesterday as shops and stores
began to reopen. Most banks were closed, but were expected to reopen today. Some
shooting broke out during the day, but was quickly brought under control by the
security forces.
The army has taken over the job of keeping order in the commercial areas of
Beirut, leaving other areas to the internal security forces and to the Palestine
Liberation Organization. The PLO has assumed responsibility for security in the
western part of Beirut.
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National Intelligence Bulletin September 30, 1975
A confrontation between the US embassy in Vientiane and former embassy
guards demanding additional severance pay was averted last week. Nevertheless, the
embassy and other non-communist missions are finding it increasingly difficult to
function as the communists tighten control.
Non-communist diplomats are encountering problems conducting routine
business and are facing administrative barriers created by the new communist
administration. Non-communist government officials have been replaced or
circumvented by the communists and access to the new communist authorities is
sporadic. While the situation appears, at least in part, an outgrowth of communist
efforts to remove the remaining vestiges of the old regime and to consolidate
control, it may also represent an attempt further to isolate select diplomatic
missions in the hope of eventually "putting them out of business."
The closure of banks in Vientiane for "audit" purposes has caused serious
problems for several missions. US embassy accounts in two of the banks remain
blocked, and communist officials are contemplating the seizure of part of one
account in the National Bank of Laos which contains AID trust funds. French
officials are concerned about the confinement of members of the staff of the Bank
of Indochina and have taken the position that there will be no additional aid to Laos
until the bank question is resolved. The British ambassador has also registered a
strong protest with the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the banking issue.
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National Intelligence Bulletin September 30, 1975
Fidel Castro strongly endorsed the cause of independence for Puerto Rico on
Sunday. He thus lent his personal prestige to an issue that has become a major
stumbling block in the path of normalizing relations with the US. His remarks
apparently were intended as a response to what he labeled "strong statements" by
US officials.
In a long speech otherwise devoted to internal Cuban affairs, Castro spoke
briefly about Puerto Rico and the US. He implied that Cuban solidarity with the
cause of Puerto Rican independence is a matter of principle and that it will not be
renounced in order to improve relations with the US. He added, "If that is not
understood, we will know how to be as patient as necessary."
Contrary to some press accounts of the speech, Castro did not depart from the
now-standard Cuban position regarding Puerto Rico. Nothing he said indicated a
retreat from his stated willingness to begin negotiations with the US to settle
bilateral differences.
Puerto Rican independence, while a genuine Cuban goal, is also being used by
Havana to bolster its revolutionary credentials in the Third World.
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National Intelligence Bulletin
September 30, 1975
Prime Minister Trudeau's cabinet shake-up on September 26 strengthened the
influence of staunch nationalists.
The most important shift was the appointment of Donald Macdonald as finance
minister. Although his economic views are not well known, the US embassy believes
his appointment could signal hard times ahead for Canadian-US economic relations.
in negotiations.
Alastair Gillespie, heretofore minister for trade, industry and commerce, moves
over to Macdonald's old job as energy, mines and resources minister. In commenting
on this appointment, a senior energy ministry official told a US diplomat, "The last
thing we need here now is an even more nationalistic minister." Given his past
record, Gillespie is likely:
--to push hard for increased upgrading of natural resources prior to export;
--to accelerate efforts to reduce Canadian dependence on US coal imports;
--to uphold Macdonald's opposition to any course of action that smacks of a
continental energy policy.
John Turner, who resigned two weeks ago as finance minister, was an
influential voice in the cabinet for close consultation and cooperation with the US,
not only on economic affairs but in other areas as well.
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National Intelligence Bulletin
September 30, 1975
CHILE: The Pinochet government has reiterated its refusal to allow traditional
political parties a voice in running the government. The action came in a strongly
worded Interior Ministry statement, which implied that two letters written by
Christian Democratic Party leaders discussing alleged cooperation with parties of the
left might violate Chile's ban on partisan politics. Although not a blanket
condemnation of the Christian Democratic Party, the government's action is a
disappointment to the party's hopes and to its senior spokesman, former president
Eduardo Frei, who was tacitly invited to participate in a proposed council of state to
advise the junta. This action will make Frei's participation in the council even more
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