THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 19 NOVEMBER 1974

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006007872
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: November 19, 1974

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The President's Daily Brief
November 19, 1974
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of ED. 11652
.xemPtion ce,Boty, 58(1 ),(2)(3)
declassified cut; on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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November 20 1974*
Table Of Contents
Middle East: Military activity at low level, but
Israelis likely to retaliate for terrorist
attack early this morning. (Page 1)
Western Europe-Oil: ReactiOn generally favorable
to Secretary Kissinget's recent proposals.
(Page 3)
'United Nations: Procedural maneuvering could affect
outcome Of debate on Cambodia and'on con-
tinuation of UN Command in Korea,. (Page 5)
Saudi Arabia: Recent death of minister of state
for foreign affairs may complicate relations
with US. (Page 6)
Notes: North Vietnam; Argentina; Cyprus-Greece;
Palestinian Terrorists; USSR; France; Canada-
France; Ethiopia. (Page 7)
*Information as of noon EST November 19, 1974.
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MIDDLE EAST
Military activity was at a generally
low level yesterday.
The Israelis fleW-seVeral reconnaissance
missions along the Suet Canal, but no
unusual reconnaissance along the border with Syria
and Lebanon.
? Some Egyptian air force and navy reservists
began reporting for active duty on November 16.
Some commando reservists were recalled "for training"
for only a two-week period from November 6, and the
navy reservists called up last week are scheduled
for demobilization on Friday. The call-up probably
involves all branches of the armed forces, but
apparently is limited to personnel discharged from
active duty in May of this year. Egyptian reservists
are periodically called up for one or two weeks
active duty training.
In Syria, there does not appear to be any
unusual military activity, according to the US
embassy. Western diplomatic personnel touring the
countryside over the weekend encountered generally
normal levels of military activity.
Israel-Fedayeen
The four Palestinian terrorists who seized
an apartment house only four miles from the Jordanian
border yesterday morning apparently hoped to take
hostages to exchange for Arab prisoners held by the
(continued)
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Israelis. Before Israeli troops stormed the build-
ing and killed the guerrillas, three Israeli
civilians were killed and a number wounded. The
Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PDFLP), a Marxist-oriented group that
has aligned itself with PLO leader Yasir Arafat,
has claimed credit for the attack.
The Israeli government will be under intense
pressure to react to the attack. Despite the fact
that the operation was mounted from Jordan, an
Israeli retaliatory attack is most likely against
fedayeen bases or Palestinian refugee camps in
Lebanon. Following the PDFLP attack on Maalot last
May, the Israelis responded with heavy airstrikes
on two refugee camps.
The Israelis are aware that the Jordanians
have consistently attempted to intercept guerrilla
bands crossing Jordan to mount operations into
Israel or the Israeli-occupied West Bank. An
Israeli warning strike into Jordan cannot, however,
be ruled out.
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WESTERN EUROPE--OIL
The major Western European states are
reacting favorably to most of Secretary
Kissinger 's recent proposals for cooperation
among oil-importing countries. They are also
showing interest in the French suggestion for
a conference of oil producers, oil consumers,
and developing states.
The French reaction to the US proposals has
been particularly interesting. Paris has come out
against speculation in the French press that the US
initiative amounts to outright rejection of France's
own plan. A French foreign ministry official has
told a US embassy officer that the French have
decided to give primary attention to the parts of
Secretary Kissinger's recent speech that are con-
sistent with French views; he stressed that Paris
wants to keep the door open to a producer-consumer
conference. The official said Paris would put
aside plans for a preparatory meeting this month,
but would continue to seek agreement on holding a
producer-consumer conference.
West German Foreign Minister Genscher has
endorsed the US proposals. In a recent speech in
Bonn, Genscher laid particular stress on energy
conservation measures, but implicitly warned that
it will be'more difficult for Europe to trim energy
consumption than for the US.
Genscher re-emphasized Bonn's commitment to
finding international solutions to problems caused
by the increased cost of energy. He gave strong
support to the French proposal for a conference
and reminded his audience of the call for a pro-
ducer-consumer conference made in the final
communique of the Washington Energy Conference last
February.
British 'reaction to the US proposals has been
similar to that of the 'West Germans and the French.
EC Finance 'Ministers also discussed the Secretary's
speedh:at their meeting in Brussels on Monday and
dedided that the 'redyling.proposal would be one of
the issues taken up at next month's summit of EC
leaders,
(continued)
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? There has been little specific reaction to the
proposal to set up a $25 billion fund to provide
loans to oil-importing states suffering serious
balance-of-payments problems. West European
governments are apparently awaiting further details.
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UNITED NATIONS
Procedural maneuvering over the timing of
debate on Cambodian representation and on
continuation of the UN Command in Korea could
affect the final vote of these issues.
General Assembly President Bouteflika wants
consideration of Cambodian representation moved up
?to come immediately after the Palestine debate
concludes later this week. He is trying to capital-
ize on the atmosphere created by the debate on the
Palestinian and South African questions.
Bouteflika's proposal would delay the Korean
debate until after that on Cambodia. A victory for
Sihanouk in the assembly could in turn be exploited
to obtain the votes necessary for a resolution
favorable to North Korea.
The chairman of the political committee and
supporters of South ?Korea are so far resisting
Bouteflikats efforts. The political committee
earlier had set November 25 for the beginning of
debate on the Korean question. That debate was
expected to end by early December, after which
Cambodian representation would have been taken up.
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SAUDI ARABIA
The death last week of Omar Saqqaf, Saudi
minister of state for foreign affairs, may
have significant repercussions on King Faysal's
handling of foreign relations and, in parti-
cular, on the extent of US influence within
the country. Over the past year Saqqaf had
become an advocate of Secretary Kissinger's
approach to a Middle East settlement and
apparently was able to modify Faysal's per-
sonal inclination to press for immediate
satisfaction of the Arabs' maximum demands.
Saqqaf believed Saudi interests lay in close
ties with Washington, and he was often able, accord-
ing to Ambassador Akins, to sell US policies to the
King. Saqqaf also saw to it that US views were
given a hearing in Arab councils, where he acted
as a voice of moderation.
The King will have difficulty finding a capable
replacement for Saqqaf
Interior Minister Prince Fahd reportedly has
asked for the job; he would want to be foreign
minister, not merely minister of state. (Faysal
himself is presently foreign minister as well as
prime minister.) Petroleum Minister Yamani has
similar ambitions, and Ambassador Akins believes
Yamani may get the post. His accession would pro-
bably leave the petroleum ministry to the King's
son, Saud, one of the most competent of the younger
generation. In any case, Faysal would continue to
call the shots on key issues, but day-to-day decision
making will become even more complicated, at least
for a while, in the absence of Saqqaf.
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NOTES
North Vietnam: Hanoi is conducting its second
conscription drive in four months. Probably few
of the new conscripts will be ready to Move south
until early 1975. According to propaganda and
intercepted messages, the latest induction campaign
began in mid-October. It appears to be widespread,
but there is no reporting suggesting any urgency
about the drive. This campaign and the one that
preceded it in late summer should provide Hanoi
enough manpower to sustain a moderate to heavy flow
of troops to the South during the dry season which
has just begun.
Argentina: Leaders of the two principal leftist
terrorist groups reportedly have decided to attack
US embassy personnel in retaliation for their alleged
support for the activities of right-wing death
squads. This decision was reached at a high-level
meeting last week. The terrorists involved have
demonstrated that they are capable of carrying out
such attacks; US Ambassador Hill has been informed.
Cyprus-Greece: Acting Cypriot President
derides will reportedly meet with Makarios in
London on November 20. Clerides is expected to
urge Makarios to postpone his return so as to avert
clashes such as the one last week in Larnaca between
pro and anti-Makarios camps. derides will also
want to clarify his own status as negotiator for
the Greek Cypriot side. The timing of Makarios'
return will probably not be decided until next week's
summit in Athens between the two men and Karamanlis.
The Greek prime minister's landslide victory in
Sunday's election has strengthened his hand con-
siderably in dealing with Cyprus; he is now in
much better position to put pressure on Makarios
to delay his return.
Palestinian Terrorists: The 15 terrorists
arrested in Rabat last month for planning to kill
Jordan's King Husayn and other top leaders at the
Arab summit are now in a Cairo jail, according to
a pro-fedayeen newspaper in Beirut. Moroccan
authorities got rid of the group last week, rather
than risk another attack by Black September terror-,
ists to free their colleagues. The Beirut news-
paper said that the terrorists were to be turned
over to the Palestine Liberation Organization,
but that they were arrested by the Egyptians upon
arrival in Cairo. In refusing to turn them over
to the PLO, Egyptian authorities have explained
that President Sadat has a personal interest in
the case. And well he may. According to some
accounts, Sadat was among those marked for assassi-
nation in Rabat.
(continued)
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France:
Canada-France: The two countries have agreed
in principle to build a uranium enrichment plant
in Canada?probably using cheap hydroelectric power
from Quebec and French gaseous diffusion technology.
Canada uses natural uranium:in its nuclear reactor
program, so the plant would probably produce only
for export., The French see the new plant as a
secure source of enriched uranium and one which
would lessen their dependence on the US as a
supplier.
? Ethiopia:: General Aman twice threatened to
resign over the weekend but has been persuaded to
stay on by members of the Armed Forces Coordinating
Committee. Aman has had differences with members
of the committee over how to respond to the recent
US decision to grant additional credits for military
assistance and how to deal with insurgency in
Eritrea. The coordinating committee probably urged.
Aman to stay because it values him as a unifying
symbol, but it nonetheless considers him essentially
a front man and his relations with the committee
remain tenuous.
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