THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 23 SEPTEMBER 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006466853
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 17
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: September 23, 1976

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The President's Daily Brief
September 23, 1976
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E 0 11652
exemption category, 5B( I
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
September 23, 1976
Table of Contents
Lebanon: President-elect Sarkis is scheduled to take the oath
of office today despite threats by some leaders to boycott
the ceremony. (Page 1)
USSR-S,uia-Lebanon: The USSR is reducing criticism of Syria,
displaying more evenhandedness toward the Syrians and Pal-
estinians in statements on Lebanon, and is stressing the
need to resume efforts toward a Middle East settlement.
(Page 3)
Chile: The government will have a hard time ducking charges that
it is responsible for the assassination of former ambassador
Orlando Letelier. (Page 4)
France: Prime Minister Raymond Barre yesterday announced his
economic program designed to lower the French inflation rate
below the double-digit range. (Page 5)
Notes: Saudi Arabia;
nesia; Thailand. truyb t, o,
At Annex
West German
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Yugoslavia; Indo-
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LEBANON: President-
elect Sarkis is sched-
uled to take the oath
of office at noon today
in Syrian-occupied
Shaturah, despite threats
by some leaders?most
notably Prime Minister
Karami and leftist Kamal
Jumblatt?to boycott
the ceremony.
Ryas Sarkis
Speaker of the House Kamal al-Asad
expects between 65 and 70 of the
99 parliamentary deputies to attend.
42
Muslim deputies will refuse to
make the trip. Al-Asad has said
that Sarkis will be sworn in even
in the absence of a quorum, which
is 66 deputies.
Karami's refusal to attend the
ceremony is probably less an at-
tempt to undercut Sarkis than it
is to portray himself as opposed
to Syrian control of Lebanese pol-
itics.
Sarkis' inaugural address is ex-
pected to focus on his plans for
trying to resolve the Lebanese
conflict, the first public expres-
sion of his thoughts on the matter.
Sarkis may remain in Shaturah to
attend another Syrian-Palestinian-
Lebanese meeting scheduled for
tomorrow, but the session may be
postponed.
1
--continued
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Some Christians who
view Sarkis' ascen-
dancy with uncertainty
may be willing to take
action if they come to
believe Sarkis has moved
too far out of line.
//Some high-level Phalangist
and Shamunist officials are also
said to have talked about limiting
the degree of power Sarkis will be
allowed to exercise, at least in
the beginning.
Acting Premier Camille ,Shamun
and his party's deputies
have announced that they will at-
tend the ceremony.
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--continued
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Lebanon
A Palestinian Refugee Camp
Syrian Blockade
Syrian Line of Advance
o Christian Town
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
SYR IA(
C tro led
Nahr al-Barid?r1 Abdah
d d
Al Hirmil
TripoIu
CONTESTED
?Zagharta\u
Chrislian
----ecir'itrolled
,,,...luniyah
/,----__---
/ ?
lADibayah
BEIRUT ,' Aynturah.-
-ATaii Zater? ,-
Mar Elia!A0,4 jis,41.8.3h, -
SabraShatila !11
A\ 8 -al-Beialinah
1 ? A-11._
Arab League
Security Force
+NJ cso__
I lyas
Al Masna
Predominaintly
Muslim
Pdpullted
Leftist Airfield
Sido?-iram?Ayn_al-Hhw'/76?Jazzi
r/1
JA \`---/.,
iMia Mia `-o-i. / (1----
.., Nobatiyap A
r:Marj Uyun
0 i I Khiyam
"--/C1'-' ?
Palestinian Airfield
,./1:1
i W:CstiniantMuslim. '
'' AI Buss Contiplieifj ' ! /
; N.ABurj?al Shamah .-----"Nri
A -- ,
? Rashidiyah ? ' . (
I
Tyr
"
ISRAEL
, \
Palestinian/
Muslim Area
Rashayya
?Ayn At a
I Golan
Heighlts
ivaa
Predominantly
Muslim
Populated
i? fk? lu ,
.Balabakk.
AWavel
Syrian
Controlled
DAMASCUS
SYRIA
0
MILES
20
0 KILOMETERS 20
6201237-76 CIA
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Heavy fighting is con-
tinuing in Beirut.
USSR-SYRIA-LEBANON:
The USSR is reducing
criticism of Syria,
displaying more even-
handedness toward the
Syrians and the Pales-
tinians in public state-
ments regarding Leba-
non, and is stressing
the need to resume ef-
forts toward an overall
Middle East settlement.
There have been outbreaks of in-
tense shelling in the city and
sniper fire in the downtown area
has virtually closed off the cross-
ing point near which Sarkis was
scheduled originally to take his
oath of office. Clashes were par-
ticularly heavy yesterday in the
southern suburbs of Beirut. There
also was fighting in the Mount
Lebanon area and in Tripoli.
An authoritative "Observer" article
in Pravda on September 8 upbraided
"leftist elements" of the PLO along
with Syria for failing to achieve a
cease-fire. Since then, the cen-
tral press has not called for Syr-
ian troop withdrawal.
A Soviet diplomat in Cairo told US
officials this week that Moscow was
urging both the Syrians and the
Palestinians to reach a compromise.
He said the USSR has tried to per-
suade Syrian President Asad to
adopt a more impartial position to-
ward Christians and Muslims in Leb-
anon and was pressing the Palestin-
ians to be more accommodating to-
ward the Syrian leadership.
The Soviet official stated that
the recent visit to Syria of Vlad-
imire Vinogradov, the co-chairman
of the Geneva conference, was
meant to put pressure on Damascus.
Syria's deputy foreign minister
has told a US embassy official,
however, that Vinogradov ?appeared
chiefly interested in relating the
Lebanese crisis to a resumption of
the Geneva conference. If this is
true, Foreign Minister Gromyko is
likely to make such an appeal dur-
ing his address to the UN General
Assembly next week.
--continued
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Soviet economic and
military aid to Syria
continues.
*
CHILE: The Pinochet
government will have a
hard time ducking charges
that it is responsible
for the assassination
Tuesday of former am-
bassador Orlando Lete-
Zier, an active exile
opponent of the junta.
An article in Pravda on Sunday
called for a solution to the Arab-
Israeli crisis as a prerequisite
to ending the Lebanese entangle-
ment. For the past several months
the Soviets had referred to these
priorities in reverse order. The
article also emphasized the "ur-
gency of the speediest convening"
of Geneva.
Soviet arms carriers arrived at
Syrian ports durins Auaust nd
September.
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*
*
Although the identity of the person
or group responsible is unknown,
opponents of the government are
blaming the junta and are pointing
to Letelier's employment by the
Washington-based Institute for
Policy Studies as the most prob-
able reason for his murder. His
studies for the institute report-
edly were influential in persuad-
ing the Netherlands to deny a re-
cent loan to Chile and to undertake
a boycott bf Chilean products--ac-
tions cited by the Chilean govern-
ment in depriving Letelier of his
citizenship earlier this month.
He was also active in lobbying
against US economic and military
aid to the junta.
--continued
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FRANCE: Prime Minis-
ter Raymond Barre yes-
terday announced his
economic program de-
signed to lower the
French inflation rate
below the double-digit
range.
Exiled Chileans have played a prom-
inent role in the campaign to dis-
credit the military government.
The major centers of activity have
been in Italy, France, Sweden, Fin-
land, and the UK. Pockets of ex-
iles are also scattered throughout
other nations in West and East
Europe, as well as the US.
There have been several attempts
this year to form a united opposi-
tion movement, composed of Salvador
Allende's Popular Unity parties and
some social democratic groups, in-
cluding the left wing of the Chris-
tian Democratic Party. A joint
exile organization was founded in
Mexico earlier this year headed by
one of Allende's foreign ministers.
Leftist opponents of the junta,
who have the most to gain from the
incident, are already accusing
Chilean intelligence services of
complicity. The assassination
together with the opening of the
UN General Assembly in New York
will give the junta's enemies a
clear opportunity to focus world
attention on human rights.
The program includes a three-month
freeze on most prices, a moderate
tax increase for higher-income
groups and business, an anti-in-
flation tax on business, and slower
monetary growth. The program does
not mention controls on wages,
which have been rising recently
at an annual rate of 17 percent.
The measures should have a dramatic
short-term impact, holding consumer
price increases near zero during
the last quarter of this year, but
the real test will come early next
year when the price freeze expires.
--continued
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On balance, the new program should
lower the French inflation rate
somewhat next year, but it will
still be high, possibly close to
10 percent. So much inflationary
pressure has been built into the
French system--specifically the
recent rises in wages, money sup-
ply, and prices of imported raw
materials--that a more dramatic
improvement seems unlikely.
--continued
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Saudi Arabia
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*
*
NOTES
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Yugoslav President Tito
appears to be recuper-
ating.
The Indonesian govern-
ment--in announcing an
alleged plot against
President Suharto
*
7l"
w
Last weekend Tito left Belgrade
for a political visit to Slavonia,
a stronghold of partisan war vet-
erans staunchly loyal to him. On
Monday, he received a delegation
of top federal and republic offi-
cials. Informed sources in Bel-
grade announced yesterday that vet-
eran diplomat Averell Harriman will
meet Tito soon.
The original forecast by Yugoslav
officials had been that Tito would
stay in Belgrade--though not hos-
pitalized--for treatment of an
acute liver condition.
* * *
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It is unlikely that a serious con-
spiracy is involved.
Parliamentary elections are sched-
uled for next May, and political
controls aimed at winning a large
government majority must also have
had an influence in the govern-
ment's action yesterday.
8
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Thai Prime Minister
Seni Pramot has told
the National Assembly
that he will tender his
resignation today, ac-
cording to a press re-
port from Bangkok.
* * *
Seni 'S bid to step down apparently
resulted from parliamentary criti-
cism of his decision to allow for-
mer prime minister Thanom to re-
turn to Thailand.
Thanom arrived back in the country
on Sunday to visit his father, who
reportedly is near death. Thanom's
return two years ago set off stu-
dent demonstrations that forced
the government then in power to
expel him again. The unauthorized
visit last month of Thanom's for-
mer deputy, Field Marshal Praphat,
also led to sizable student pro-
tests and some violence.
The Prime Minister may be engaging
in a maneuver to improve his po-
litical position. The absence of
any immediately viable alternative
to Seni appears to be his strong-
est suit.
9
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WEST GERMANY
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