THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 14 SEPTEMBER 1973
Document Type:
Collection:
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):
0005993931
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RIPPUB
Original Classification:
T
Document Page Count:
13
Document Creation Date:
August 14, 2016
Document Release Date:
August 24, 2016
Sequence Number:
Case Number:
Publication Date:
September 14, 1973
File:
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The President's Daily Brief
14 September 1973
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Exempt from general
declassification scheduk of E.O. 11652
exemption category 513(1),(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
14 September 1973
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
In Laos, the protocol to implement the peace agree-
ment has been signed, but there may be some delay
in carrying it out. (Page 1)
The Israelis claim they downed 13 Syrian MIGs yes-
terday in the first aerial engagement between the
two countries since last January. (Page 2)
The junta in Chile is still encountering small
pockets of armed resistance in Santiago, but else-
where the country reportedly is returning to normal.
The junta has been too preoccupied with security
to consider government policy and organization.
(Page 3)
Soviet officials have sought to mask any anxieties
?they may have about the impact of the Chinese party
congress on Sino-Soviet relations. (Page 5)
The allies, now preparing for force reduction talks
that begin in Vienna next month, remain divided on
a number of major points. (Page 6)
Thai Prime Minister Thanom has notified Nationalist
China that a new Thai ambassador will be sent to
Taipei. This will be regarded by Peking as a set-
back in its efforts to normalize relations with
Bangkok. (Page 7)
Notes on Scud missile
equipment at the Soviet port of Nikolayev, and on
There are also notes on preparations for a major
North Vietnamese transportation effort through
Laos
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LAOS
The protocol to implement the February peace
agreement has been signed, but there may be some
delay in carrying it out.
The coalition government authorized by the pro-
tocol will not come into being until it is invested
by the King, and that cannot happen until the right-
ist-dominated National Assembly approves the proto-
col. Prime Minister Souvanna anticipates no major
problems with the assembly. As a precaution, how-
ever, he is planning a parliamentary maneuver de-
signed to gain de facto approval without a formal
vote by the deputies.
Neither will key military provisions of the
protocol go into effect until investiture is com-
plete. The 60-day period for the removal of all
foreign forces from Laos, for example, will not be-
gin until the government is formally organized.
Moreover, the neutralization of Vientiane and Luang
Prabang--which involves the withdrawal of troops
from both cities and the establishment of a joint
security force--very likely will be subject to the
same delay.
Some military provisions of the protocol, how-
ever, such as setting up boundary markers in the
countryside, may be implemented before a new govern-
ment is formed, and planning for others may begin
in the interim.
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Israeli?Syrian Air Engagement
TURKEY
MEDITERRANEAN 'SEA
Port Said
ISRAEL
Tel Aviv-Yato
Latakia
jrnmi+ Tartus
SYRIA
LEBA 0
Beirut
Damascus
/.
IRAQ
554605 9-73
Gulf
of
Aqaba
ke Tiberias
*Amman
salem
Dead
Sea
JORDAN
SAUDI, ARABI A
SEA. 9 100
Nautical Miles
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
ISRAEL SYRIA
In yesterday's dogfight in the vicinity of the
Syrian port of Tartus, the Syrians apparently lost
13 MIG-21s and the Israelis one Mirage. According
to the Israelis, their aircraft were on a reconnais-
sance mission over Syria and were intercepted; in
the ensuing engagement, nine Syrian and one Israeli
aircraft went down. The Israelis say that their
efforts to rescue a downed pilot brought on.a sec-
ond engagement in which they got four more Syrian
MIGs.
Damascus
has acknowledged that eight of its planes
were hit.
The Israelis occasionally fly reconnais-
sance missions over the Syrian ports of
Tartus and Latakia. The current mission
may have been an attempt to determine
whether the Soviets have delivered any
Scud surface-to-surface missiles to Syria;
such missiles may have been given to Egypt.
It is not clear why the Syrians decided
to challenge the Israeli incursions,
something they had not done since January,
when it cost them six planes. Their heavy
losses this time may cause them to think
twice in the future.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CHILE
The military junta continues to encounter small
pockets of armed resistance in industrial sectors
and low income areas of Santiago, but elsewhere the
country reportedly is returning to normal. Military
leaders expect that it will take several days before
the city is completely pacified. Arrests and casual-
ties are numerous, and Chilean authorities have been
calling urgently for blood donors, medicines, and
sanitary materials.
the junta has been too
preoccupied with restoring order to consider govern-
ment policy and organization. A major concern at
the moment is to ensure the distribution of food and
fuel throughout the country.
In an effort to portray an image of normalcy,
the government-controlled radio network is broad-
casting numerous messages of support from civic,
industrial, and professional groups, and denying
reports of damage or sabotage of public services.
These efforts apparently are also aimed at counter-
ing reports being broadcast from a radio transmit-
ter operated by followers of the late President.
One such report alleges that former army commander
General Prats is leading a column from the south
to attack the junta's forces in Santiago. The ex-
istence of such a column remains unconfirmed, and
Prats is at his home in the capital, according to
a government spokesman.
International reaction to the coup continues to
be largely critical. Protest demonstrations have
been organized in major cities, and several Latin
3
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American countries have declared three days of offi-
cial mourning for the death of Allende. Brazil and
Uruguay, however, have recognized the new government.
At the UN, the Cuban Ambassador has formally re-
quested an urgent meeting of the Security Council
to consider the attack on the Cuban Embassy in San-
tiago by the Chilean military.
The USSR has reacted by issuing a statement in
the name of the Central Committee sharply denouncing
the coup. The statement expresses "full solidarity"
with leftist forces in Chile and "firm confidence"
that they will continue the struggle. It is doubt-
ful, however, that the Soviets see much prospect
that the military take-over will be reversed.
The reaction of Moscow's closest East European
allies has been relatively restrained thus far.
The two Balkan mavericks--Yugoslavia and Romania--
have weighed in with strong condemnations of the
coup.
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USSR-CHINA
Soviet officials have sought to hide any anx-
ieties they may have about the impact of the Chi-
nese Tenth Party Congress on current Sino-Soviet
relations. In two recent conversations with US
Embassy officers, Soviet officials took the line
that the congress marked a victory for Chou En-lai,
and that Chou is better than an unknown quantity.
The officials did not mention Chou's strong
attacks on Moscow during the congress or Peking's
careful endorsement of Sino-American rapprochement.
Instead, Viktor Trifonov--a Foreign Ministry China
specialist--professed to regard as a positive de-
velopment the fact that Chou had "left the door
open" to the normalization of Sino-Soviet relations,
and that for the first time this position had been
endorsed by the Chinese party. When asked about
signs that the USSR might declare that China is no
longer a socialist state, Trifonov denied any such
intention.
In an effort to encourage caution in the US
attitude toward China, Trifonov argued that the
congress had touched off a new round of domestic
political infighting. He said that Chou's author-
ity probably is unimpaired, but the prospects for
continuing his policies are not bright once he
passes from the scene. Trifonov claimed that left-
ist radicals now have the edge among the party
vice-chairmen and the politburo's standing committee
This Zine suggests the Soviets are con-
cerned that even the appearance of fur-
ther deterioration in Sino-Soviet rela-
tions will be exploited by the US.
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NATO - FORCE REDUCTIONS
The allies, now preparing for the force reduc-
tions talks that begin in Vienna next month, remain
divided on a number of major points.
At the September 12 meeting of the North Atlan-
tic Council, the West Germans argued that the concept
of imposing a "common ceiling" on NATO and Warsaw
Pact ground forces in central Europe should be intro-
duced early in the negotiations, but that two nego-
tiating phases are necessary to achieve this force
reduction goal. The West Germans maintain that the
allies should call early for expliCit agreement to
hold a second phase, making clear that the second
phase would primarily involve European rather than
US and Soviet forces.
The UK--which has now taken a position somewhat
closer to that of the US--has warned that it would
be dangerous to try to specify the contents of the
second phase. Although the British accept for in-
ternal Alliance use the "common ceiling" figure of
700,000 troops, they hope it will not be necessary
to mention the figure during the first phase of the
actual negotiations. The British think it is a mis-
take to specify--as the US would like--a two- to
four-month duration of the initial round of talks,
since experience shows they might drag on a good
deal longer.
Turkey, supported by Greece and Italy, continued
to voice its fears that force reductions in central
Europe could permit Warsaw Pact forces to threaten
NATO's southern flank. The Turks have said they may
hold up agreement on an allied position if they do
not get satisfaction on these points.
NATO has set September 30 as the target
date for settling these disagreements.
Discussion could continue longer, however,
since the force reduction talks themselves
do not open until October 30.
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THAILAND-TAIVAN-CHINA
Thai Prime Minister Thanom, reversing an ear-
lier cabinet decision, has notified the National-
ists that a new Thai ambassador will be sent to
Taipei
the reversal represents an
effort to maintain a balance between the "two
Chinas." The Thai leaders evidently believe the
improved relationship which Bangkok has developed
with Peking over the past 18 months can be main-
tained.
Prime Minister Thanom has consistently
had more doubts than other Thai leaders
as to the wisdom of improving relations
with Peking at Taipei's expense. His
views may have been reinforced by the
findings of .a Thai Foreign Ministry dele-
gation that visited China recently. The
Chinese apparently were unwilling to com-
ply with Thanom's demand that they abandon
all assistance to Thai insurgents.
More important, Thanom is not under the
same pressure he was a year ago when a
bandwagon psychology was pushing most
Southeast Asian countries toward early
recognition of China.
Peking would regard the retention of a
Thai ambassador in Taipei as a setback
to the normalization of relations with
Bangkok, which China has regarded as pro-
ceeding smoothly.
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USSR-Egypt:
NOTES
the Black Sea port of Nikolayev indi-
cates that equipment for the Scud--a surface-to-
surface missile with a range of 160 nautical miles--
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USSR:
Indochina: Preparations are under way for a
major transportation effort from North Vietnam
through Laos soon after the dry season begins next
month. A major logistic unit just north of the Ban
Karai Pass in North Vietnam reported on August 30
that it had received over 1,200 tons of munitions
since the middle of the month--an unusual amount
for this time of year. Recent intercepts indicate
that two Communist transportation regiments are
moving from South Vietnam to the main north-south
road corridor through the Laos panhandle.
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Top Secret
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