THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 15 NOVEMBER 1975

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Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
0006014955
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RIPPUB
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T
Document Page Count: 
12
Document Creation Date: 
August 14, 2016
Document Release Date: 
August 24, 2016
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Publication Date: 
November 15, 1975
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 The President's Daily Brief November 15, 1975 2 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 Exempt from general declassification schedule of E.O. 11652 exemption category 513( declassified only on approval of the Director of Central Intelligence Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIATRDP79T00936A012900010013-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy AWrO've'Cl?f-jr?R'elea?s'e-2-0i6/07/34.:-C-Ii-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 November 15, 1975 Table of Contents Portugal: Lisbon was relatively calm yesterday; a lenist demonstration scheduled for Sunday will keep pressure on the government to grant workers' demands. (Page 1) Spanish Sahara: Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania have agreed to govern Spanish Sahara in a joint provisional administration until Spain's withdrawal at the end of February. (Page 2) Angola: The National Union for the Total Indepen- dence of Angola apparently now controls the railroad from Teixeira de Sousa to the coastal rail and port complex of Benguela-Lobito. (Page 3) Vietnam: A North-South conference on reunification is now meeting in Saigon. (Page 4) Notes: Mexico; Pakistan-Bangladesh (Pages 6 and 7 25X1 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized CopyAPP"r-o-veCifi-Sr?Ral-eiie-2-0f6/07/4 7:-dIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 _ _ PORTUGAL Lisbon was relatively calm yesterday after the government agreed to grant a temporary wage increase to construction workers while a permanent scale is being negotiated. The deadline for the perma- nent increase is November 27. A demon- stration scheduled by leftist groups for Sunday will keep pressure on the govern- ment to grant the wopkers' demands. The Socialists and the Popular Democrats were unable to organize an effective counter-demonstra- tion in Lisbon and were limited to pressuring Pres- ident Costa Gomes--with little success--to take strong action against the leftists. Party activ- ists at several locations in the north, however, turned out in large numbers to protest the Lisbon disturbances. In the south, farm workers in Beja cheered a statement by security chief Otelo de Carvalho that he is "with the people." The main themes of the Beja rally were the overthrow of the Azevedo gov- ernment and the restoration of former pro-Communist prime minister Goncalves. ( A party statement issued yesterday took the less radical line, supporting the right of the workers to demand higher wages. It disapproved re- stricting the freedom of movement of government of- ficials. 1 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 25X1 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Z?o-sp-; Approved for-C IA-RDP79T00936A01 2900010013-0 SPANISH SAHARA Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania have agreed to govern Spanish Sahara in a joint provisional administration until Spain's withdrawal. The Spanish informa- tion minister has stated that Spain will be out of the Sahara by February 28. He said that details of the agreement would not be made public in Spain until the Spanish parliament has completed the for- mality?scheduled to start Tuesday--of "decolonizing" the territory. Madrid has apparently abandoned its insistence on a referendum for the area. A Spanish source who talked to US embassy officials said "consulta- tions" will be held with local tribal leaders on the future of the Sahara. The UN role, if any, in the arrangement is un- clear. The agreement is a victory for Morocco's King Hassan, who has long sought to annex at least part of the territory. As co-administrators, Morocco and Mauritania will be able to select Saharan tribal leaders for consultations. The outcome would be a "voluntary" decision to partition the territory, giving Morocco the north- ern region with its rich phosphate deposits and granting Mauritania the southern portion which con- tains iron ore. Both parties will benefit from a profitable fishing industry. Algeria, which favors independence for Span- ish Sahara, can be expected to seek support in the UN to reverse the trilateral agreement. Algiers will argue that "consultations" are not in accord with an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which upheld the Saharans' right to self-determination. Algeria would like to return the Saharan problem to the UN General Assembly. Algiers will create as many problems for Mo- rocco as possible. It will continue to provide arms, training, and possibly some "volunteers" to the Polisario Front, a pro-independence Saharan group, and may also renew its support of Moroccan dissidents. 2 25X1 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 NGO Brazz 16 le K shasa Areas controlled by: ? (MPLA) Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola ? (FNLA) National Front for the Liberation of Angola A (U N I TA ) National Union for the Total Independence of Angola 24 -4 CABI Cabinda Al RE LUANDA uitangando ucala Henrique e Carvalho ATLANTIC OCEAN Lob it Benguel ocarnedes Porto Alexandre SOU H-WEST AFRICA (Intern tional Territory) Miles 20 16 20 BO W 24 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized C-Opy APPrr-o-Ve-cl'fgr-Re'lre-a-ser-2-016/07/14':-6-li-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 ANGOLA Forces of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola cap- tured the key rail city of Teixeira de Sousa on Tuesday The National Union appar- ently now controls the entire length of the railroad, from Teixeira de Sousa to the coastal rail and port complex of Benguela-Lobito. National Union President Jonas Savimbi hopes to reopen the railroad to Zambian and Zairian traf- fic by mid-December or whenever several sections of track have been repaired. We cannot confirm reports--attributed to East European diplomatic sources--that some 400 Soviet "troops" arrived in Luanda on Thursday. Some So- viet military advisers and civilian technicians may well appear at any time, however, in view of the materiel Moscow is providing the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola. It seems likely that Cubans rather than Soviets will pilot any MIGs that the Soviet Union may send to Angola. The Soviets have been using Cubans to support the Popular Movement in the field in order to avoid direct Soviet involvement. 3 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized CopyAPP-r-o-ve-CI-Tz;r?Rel-e-a-S-e-2-01-6/07F14:-C-lik--RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 VIETNAM A North-South conference on reunifi- cation is now meeting in Saigon. The decision to convene this conference in- dicates that Hanoi is now ready to pro- ceed with a formal merger of the two countries. The process could be com- pleted as early as next spring. The joint conference will be a cosmetic exer- cise, giving the appearance of mutual agreement, to what has been a political reality since the collapse of the former government last spring. Vietnam has already experienced de facto reunification under a single party and military structure with Hanoi es- sentially making all the important decisions. Head- ing each of the delegations to the conference are ranking members of the North Vietnamese politburo. According to the official announcement, the conference will formulate plans for a new national assembly and new "common" state organs. The an- nouncement gives the impression that countrywide elections will be held soon for the assembly. Southerners will undoubtedly be appointed to posi- tions in executive ministries and commissions. Following Saigon's fall, most early indications were that a gradual process of reunification would take place over several years. The communists them- selves added to speculation by pressing foreign gov- ernments for diplomatic recognition of the southern Provisional Revolutionary Government, by maintaining that economic aid would have to be provided separ- ately for each state, and by trying last summer to gain separate membership in the UN for both Vietnams. By late summer these signs of a "gradualist" approach to reunification were disappearing. Public statements by Vietnamese leaders began to avoid any suggestion of an independent southern regime of in- definite duration. A promised civilian adminis- tration never materialized, and no foreign state, including North Vietnam's closest allies, was per- mitted to establish diplomatic representation in Saigon. (continued) 4 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14: CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized CopyAWrO-veTTO-r-R.e-lea;e-201-6/07/T4-:-Cli-DP79T00936A012900010013-0 Hanoi apparently decided that any diplomatic or economic benefits to be derived from two Vietnams would be outweighed by the problems flowing from such a strategy. The most fundamental concern to Hanoi, however, is the problem of control of the political process in the south. With the end of the war, the question of the political role to be played by southern elements, heretofore relegated to front groups or the manage- ment of local problems, became a pressing issue for Hanoi. Although Hanoi firmly controls the southern segment of the Lao Dong party, a separate southern regime could, over time, only encourage independent southern tendencies. Hanoi's desire to limit the potential for such growth must have been a major factor behind its decision to move ahead on reuni- fication. There are tentative signs that the North Viet- namese will convene their first party congress in over 15 years sometime early next year in order to put the capstone on the reunification process. The congress will probably be held shortly after the elections for a joint national assembly and after formal reunification has been announced. The congress will probably deal with the question of southern political equities. It seems likely to expand the Politburo and central committee by adding members identified with the southern party apparatus. Such a step will hardly do away with the problem of southern resentment. The absorption of southern cadre into the northern party and government struc- ture is bound to remain a sensitive political issue for years to come. 5 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized C-Opy APPrO-ve3f-Or?Re'le;--se-2-0i6/07r14:-6-14-DP79T00936A012900010013-0 NOTES 25X1 25X1 (continued) 6 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized CopyAPPr-CTive-ci fOr-Relei-se-2-0'16/07/714 DP79T00936A01290001 001 3-0 The Mexican government will use herbicides to destroy opium and marijuana crops for the first time in an eradication campaign that begins today and will last through March 1976. The Mexicans have long declined to use herbi- cides for ecological and political reasons. The decision to go ahead with them reflects Mexico's growing concern over recent criticism in the US Congress and press of its anti-narcotics efforts. This year's destruction campaign is starting early in the hope of destroying the plants before they can be harvested; in some areas, however, growers had planted early, and harvesting has already begun. The Pakistani government appears pleased by General Zia ur-Rahman's overthrow of General Musharraf's four-day-old regime in Bangladesh last week, according to the US embassy in Islamabad. Pakistani officials had viewed Musharraf, who was killed in Zia's countercoup, as sharing the pro- Indian orientation of the late president Mujib, rather than the more pro-Pakistani, pro-Chinese, and pro-West outlook generally attributed to Gen- eral Zia and to former president Mushtaque. The Pakistanis are not being has-Cy, however, in seeking close ties with the new government. At pres- ent, they are waiting to see whether the new regime will send an ambassador to Islamabad. Pakistani offi- cials do not expect India to intervene militarily in Bangladesh in the immediate future. They think India would make such a move only if there is an outbreak of Muslim-Hindu strife in Bangladesh and a flight of Hindus to India. 7 FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0 Top Secret Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012900010013-0