THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 16 SEPTEMBER 1970

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005977684
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: September 16, 1970

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The President's Daily Brief
16 September 1970
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
s 16 September 1970
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
The situation in Jordan is discussed
There is increasing concern in Phnom
fate of the task force attempting to
Thom. (Page 4)
on Page 1.
Penh over the
reach Kompong
In Chile, the military leaders appear inclined to
avoid a challenge to Allende. (Page 5)
Construction has stopped on a Soviet SS-11 group at
the Yedrovo ICBM complex. (Page 6)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
(
JORDAN
King Husayn has put the country under a military
government. The King has replaced Prime Minister
Rifai, who resigned yesterday, with Brigadier Muham-
mad Daud. All members of the new cabinet are from
the military. The real power may eventually lie
with Marshal Habis al-Majali, who was made commander
in chief of the armed forces and military governor
general, heading up five provincial military gover-
nors. Chief of Staff Haditha has resigned his post
and been appointed special military adviser to the
King.
Before acting, Husayn informed the Embassy in
Amman that he was moving to an "all or nothing"
showdown to establish "law and order." He said
that he would not force the issue with the fedayeen
but would "use any force necessary" if the fedayeen
resisted his efforts to force the implementation of
previous agreements, including the removal of feda-
yeen forces from Amman. The King asked the US to
take steps to keep the Israelis from aggravating
the situation but cautioned that he might later
need US or Israeli assistance if things got out of
hand.
Early this morning Amman remained quiet.
Husayn's action came just after a new agree-
ment to end the fighting had been signed yesterday
by the army and fedayeen. The agreement calls for
the withdrawal of fedayeen from the streets of Am-
man in return for the withdrawal of the army from
the outskirts of the city. The fedayeen are not
to interfere with civil or military personnel,
search houses, or arrest people, and their military
bases in the city are to be removed; by the same
token, military and public security personnel are
not to interfere with the fedayeen. The fedayeen
are to be allowed a "token presence" at such places
as the post office, the power generators, and the
water pumps. A joint government-fedayeen committee
is to enforce the agreement, which will be extended
to other cities after it has been carried out in
Amman.
(continued)
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Husayn/may be moving toward a confrontation
with the fedayeen at last. His moves, at
a minimum, appear to be an attempt to en-
force yesterday's agreement with the feda-
yeen. The US Embassy in Amman believes,
however, that the fedayeen have too much
at stake to accept yesterday's agreement
which could signify the end of the feda-
yeen movement as a major force in Jorda-
nian politics. Rather than leave Amman,
where they have the upper hand and a cer-
tain amount of protection from attack,
the fedayeen will probably dig in and hope
that at the moment of crisis the King, as
he has in the past, will back down.
Large-scale fighting between the army and the
fedayeen could bode ill for the future of the hos-
tages still being held by the PFLP. Swiss diplomats
in Amman fear that the hostages may be taken to par-
ticularly dangerous locations to forestall a military
move against the commandos. The British believe
that the PFLP position is likely to toughen with the
passage of time and that the PFLP may underscore its
demands by hijacking another plane or killing the
hostages one by one.
The Germans, too, are saying that if the Bern
-group does not appoint a new negotiator with a clear
mandate by noon today, they will be.:forced'cto
for other possibilities for a'solution."
(continued)
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The PFLP also seems to be growing increasingly
impatient. In a press statement issued yesterday,
the PFLP said that it now believes that the Red Cross
is playing a biased role and attempting to buy time
for the "imperialist states," thus shirking its duty
as a disinterested party. In an obvious maneuver to
split the European countries from the US and Israel,
the PFLP said direct responsibility for their own
people now falls upon the shoulders of the states
concerned, and that it is incumbent upon these states
to announce their agreement to the front's demands.
Israel, the PFLP said, must agree in principle to
return the two Algerians recently taken off a TWA
plane along with one Swiss accused of belonging to
the PFLP and ten Lebanese soldiers. The PFLP would
then name the prisoners Israel must release in ex-
change for the release of the Israelis and dual
citizens being held.
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Current Situation
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99989 9-70 CIA
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CAMBODIA
The government task force which is trying to
reach Kompong Thom, is still stalled on Route 6,
south of Tang Kauk village. Yesterday, Lon Nol or-
dered the group's commander to Phnom Penh to "explain"
his decision to withdraw from Tang Kauk village after
failing to dislodge Communist forces there. The gov-
ernment lost. 20 killed and 103 wounded in the fight-
ing for the village.
Meanwhile, military authorities in the capital
are telling newsmen that the 4,000 - 5,000-man task
force is surrounded and the Cambodians have no means
to extract them. It is not clear, however, whether
the situation has deteriorated appreciably in the
past 24 hours or if the Communists are bringing up
forces for a major battle.
Lon Nol, who personally ordered the Kom?
pong Thom operation, will probably be re-
luctant to order its termination. The gov-
ernment has been touting it as a major step
forward in the fight against the Communists.
Lon Nol probably will first request addi-
tional allied air support to help get the
task force moving again, but if that fails,
he may as a last resort call on the South
Vietnamese to help airlift the Cambodian
troops out.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CHILE
Ranking military leaders are saying that Salva-
dor Allende 's electoral plurality has not changed
their determination to stay within and to protect
the country's "constitutional process." Already
they are making some "demands" on the Marxist leader
and seem to be accepting his assurances at face
value.
The military leaders' inclination to avoid
any challenge to Allende is also influenced
by concern over the widescale violence
they feel would erupt if he is denied the
presidency. Most military units would
probably act quickly to suppress disorders,
but some commanders have expressed concern
about the military's ability to cope with
a widespread breakdown of public order.
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USSR
The latest satellite photography shows that
construction has stopped on an SS-11 group at the
Yedrovo ICBM complex. Why the Soviets abandoned
this group is unclear. The group was started in
June 1969, and if construction had proceeded nor-
mally it would have been completed by now.\
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Top Secret
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