THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 4 AUGUST 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006466730
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: August 4, 1976

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The President's Daily Brief
I
August 4, 1976
2
Top Secrez5?x1
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Exempt from general
declasufication schedule of E 0 11652
exemption category, 5B( I 1,(2),(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
August 4, 1976
Table of Contents
Lebanon: The Arab League is still trying to secure compliance
with a cease-fire. Meanwhile, both the Muslim and Christian
factions are moving to bolster their civil authority. 50X1
(Page 1)
South Africa - Rhodesia:
Egypt: Some military officers reportedly view the buildup along 50X1
the Libyan border as a US-engineered scheme to divert Egypt's
attention from Israel. (Page 4)
Greece-Turkey: Athens has sent its own oceanographic ship into
the northern Aegean where a similar Turkish vessel has been
operating since last week. (Page 5)
Guinea-USSR: President Toure says he intends to prohibit the use
of Guinea as a staging base for Soviet TU-95 naval reconnais-
sance flights after this month. (Page 6)
Notes: Libya-USSR; Libya; Malaysia-USSR; Chile (Pages 8 and 9)
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
LEBANON: Arab League
mediator Hasan Sabri
al-Khuli is continuing
his efforts to secure
compliance with a cease-
fire, but several ob-
stacles apparently re-
main before a truce can
be concluded.
President Franjiyah has
called for a cabinet
meeting today--the
first since late March--
to consider trying to
revive the central gov-
ernment's administra-
tive a'saratus.
Although Christian leaders report-
edly accept the concept of sta-
tioning Arab League forces in a
buffer zone between east and west
Beirut, they may still be resist-
ing deployment of the forces in
the eastern, Christian-controlled
sector.
The leftist political council re-
cently formed by Kamal Jumblatt to
administer west Beirut announced
yesterday that it has created a
420-man military police force.
Troops from the renegade Lebanese
Arab Army and leftist militiamen
apparently form the backbone of
the force.
Fatah, which had been providing
security for the Muslim sector c5ox1
the city, has become increasingly
concerned about the resentment its
authority has engendered among
Lebanese Muslims/
The commander of the police unit--
a member of the largest left-wing
50X1
militia in Beirut--has stressed
that the force's primary task is
to restore order/
Karami has announced that he will
not attend the session on the
grounds that he no longer recog-
nizes Franjiyah as the president
of Lebanon. Other Muslim cabinet
ministers will probably also boy-
cott the meeting.
1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
--continued
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620210 8-76 CIA
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Fighting was at a low
level throughout most
of Lebanon yesterday,
and a local cease-fire
in the Tall Zatar area
of Beirut finally per-
mitted evacuation of
the first increment of
wounded from the camp.
Christian and Syrian
forces continue shell-
ing Palestinian and
leftist positions in
the Jazzin area, but
ground fighting appears
to have tapered off.
These moves and countermoves are
likely to work to Jumblatt's ad-
vantage by underscoring the total
collapse of the central government
and the lack of any real power
among traditional Muslim leaders
like Karami to represent Muslim
interests.
A total of 91 were taken out of
the camp yesterday. Red Cross of-
ficials are hopeful that the evac-
uation can be continued for five
or six days until the more than
1,000 wounded are removed, but
Christian officials on the scene
yesterday told the press that al-
lowing the camp's defenders an ex-
tended truce would not be "realis-
tic."
Christian leaders hope that Pales-
tinian forces will voluntarily de-
part from the camp after the
wounded have been removed, leaving
the area fully in Christian hands.
They are working on a similar ar-
rangement for the Shia Muslim dis-
trict of Nabaa, the only other
Muslim enclave in the Christian
sector of Beirut.
The Christians claimed on Monday
night that the key town of Rum,
site of a regional Fatah headquar-
ters, had been "regained."
--continued
2
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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SOUTH AFRICA - RHODESIA:
50X1
* *
50X1
*
50X1
--continued
3
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
EGYPT: Some Egyptian
military officers re-
portedly view their
military buildup along
the Libyan border as a
US-engineered scheme
to divert Egypt's at-
tention from Israel.
50X1
50X1
"many" military officers believe
Washington is encouraging an Egyp-
tian operation against Libya be-
cause the US cannot fulfill its
promises to return Israeli-occupied
territory in the Sinai and wants
to focus Egyptian forces away from
that area. They purportedly think
Egypt's military readiness against
Israel is being reduced at US be-
hest to fight "the wrong enemy,"
50X1
and that President Sadat is a US
pawn.
We do not know how widespread these
sentiments are. They are probably
--continued
4
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V U G 0 S L-A VIA
24 BULGARIA
Lake
Prespa
"P?
Lesbos
Sismik I present
area of operation
Samotkrane
Limnos
Imroz
Is ta nbu
SEA OF IvIARAIARA
C.7
TURKEY
36
qgq
IONIAN
SEA
0
025
50
75
Miles
,
0 25
50
75
Kilometers
24Q
SEA OF CRF;TE
Crete
28
?36-
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
GREECE-TURKEY: Athens
announced yesterday
that it had sent its
own oceanographic ship,
the Nautilus, into the
northern Aegean.
not
prevalent
50X1
50X1
50X1
nonetheless reflects the views of
a segment of the Egyptian military.
These complaints would undoubtedly
be silenced by a successful opera-
tion against Libya. An unsuccess-
ful operation, on the other hand,
or a prolonged deployment on the
Libyan border without action,
could increase military discontent
with Sadat and aggravate griev-
ances over economic and other is-
sues unrelated to the military
situation.
A similar Turkish vessel, the
Sismik I, entered the Aegean last
week accompanied by a naval es-
cort. The Nautilus reportedly is
operating alone, although press
reports claim it is "in contact"
with Greek warships.
The course announced for the Turk-
ish ship through August 20 should
not provoke a confrontation, but
Greek Prime Minister Caramanlis
appears convinced that the Sismik
will enter a contested area after
that period. Ankara has not indi-
cated the ship's itinerary after
August 20.
Caramanlis told Ambassador Kubisch
over the weekend that if the Sismik
began seismic research in a Greek
area, he would be forced "to re-
act" or risk being removed from
office. Caramanlis was not cer-
tain what form his reaction would
take but said he would give the
Turks 24-48 hours to cease activi-
ties on the Greek-claimed conti-
nental shelf.
--continued
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
GUINEA-USSR: President
Toure has told Ambassa-
dor Harrop that he in-
tends to prohibit the
use of Guinea as a
staging base for Soviet
TU-95 naval reconnais-
sance flights in the
Atlantic after this
month.
The Turkish government has indi-
cated it is up to Athens to resume
the talks--broken off late last
month--which sought to devise a
compromise formula for safe pas-
sage of the Sismik through con-
tested waters. Ambassador Macomber
believes the Turks are not now pre-
pared to take the lead in avoidina
a crisis over the Sismik but may50X1
show some flexibility before the
ship enters disputed waters.
Toure said that provisions to this
effect have already been completed,
although we have no reports that
he has informed the Soviets of
this.
He may be trying to elicit US pro-
tection against an alleged threat
posed to his regime by Guinean ex-
iles living in neighboring Senegal
and Ivory Coast. Toure told the
ambassador that the Soviet flights
were first allowed because they
served as a protection for Guinea
against a recurrence of the sea-
borne attack on Conakry mounted in
1970 by Portuguese-backed forces
and Guinean exiles.
The Soviets have used the port of
Conakry since 1970 as a staging
base for naval operations off the
west coast of Africa but have been
refused permission to build their
own facility there.
--continued
6
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
They have deployed long-range na-
val reconnaissance aircraft to
Guinea 16 times since 1973. The
most recent deployment was from
July 5 to 22, 1976. These aircraft
usually have conducted at least
one reconnaissance mission over
the Atlantic. They have also on
occasion been used to monitor the
movements of US aircraft carriers
en route to the Mediterranean and
to support the Cuban sealift to
Angola. The loss of the use of
facilities in Guinea would not se-
riously hamper Soviet maritime re-
connaissance operations in the
north Atlantic, but operations in
equatorial waters would be curtailed.
Toure, on the other hand, may only
be giving the appearance of recep-
tivity to US concerns. He avoided
discussing the small Soviet naval
patrol off Conakry since 1970,
which strengthens Toure's position
against his domestic opponents.
--continued
7
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Libya received 17 MIG-
23 jet fighters from
the USSR last month.
These shipments bring
the estimated number
of MIG-23s delivered
thus far to 41.
Libyan President Qa-
dhafi has shelved, at
least temporarily, his
planned call-up of some
20,000 government civil
servants for military
service.
NOTES
Moscow has now delivered about
half of the $730 million worth of
equipment negotiated in 1974. In
addition to the MIG-23s, deliveries
have included tanks, armored per-
sonnel carriers, SA-2 missiles,
and six TU-22 medium bombers.
Libya expects to receive six more
TU-22s soon. Iraq is the only
other third world country to re-
ceive this sophisticated bomber
from the USSR.
Last year, 350 Soviet military
technicians were in Libya and 600
Libyans were sent to the USSR for
military training.
* * *
50X1
/his
advisers may have convinced him
that the call-up would seriously
hurt the Libyan economy.
Qadhafi has been planning for some
time to expand the armed forces to
man his growing stocks of Soviet
and West European weapons. His
efforts have been frustrated, how-
ever, because of Libya's small
population (2.5 million people)
and the lack of interest among eli-
gible males in military service.
--continued
8
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Malaysia has decided to
cancel impending nego-
tiations with the USSR
on a hydroelectric proj-
ect that was to have
been Moscow's first ma-
jor aid venture in non-
communist Southeast
Asia since the mid-60s.
The Chilean government
announced last night
that 250 political pris-
oners would be released
as soon as countries
could be found to ac-
cept them.
* * *
A Soviet feasibility study on the
$80 million dam project was com-
pleted last year. Pressure from
Moscow for an agreement to begin
the project has only irritated
the Malaysians.
The cancellation follows a long
series of Malaysian rebuffs to Mos-
cow and underscores how little prog-
ress the Soviets have made in re-
cent years in cultivating non-com-
munist Southeast Asian states.
Prime Minister Hussein clearly
would like to keep both the So-
viets and the Chinese at arm's
length. Because of Malaysia's
very large ethnic Chinese minority,
Kuala Lumpur particularly wants to
avoid any gesture to the Soviets
that would give Peking an opening
to seek an increased presence.
* * *
The move is intended to improve
Chile's image--particularly in the
US. The planned releases will
bring the total number of detainees
freed to about 610 since Secretary
Simon's visit to Santiago in May.
Although Foreign Ministry sources
did not identify those to be re-
leased, the press reported earlier
that Allende's former economy min-
ister, Fernando Flores, had been
granted an exit permit allowing
him to go into exile in the US.
9
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