CIA · President's Daily Brief · declassified 2015–2016
19 days in 1974 on which the CIA's brief for the US president names Romania: 20 paragraphs, scanned and transcribed, with the withheld passages marked.
Soviet officials have warned US firms seeking to expand trade with Bloc countries that business ventures in Romania could jeopardize the firms' trade relations with the USSR. Moscow apparently does not want Romania to appear to be benefiting economically from an independent foreign policy because of the possible impact on other East European states.
President's Daily Brief, 25 January 1974, page 11 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
The Romanians are planning to introduce substantial amendments to the Warsaw Pact's proposals at the force reduction talks in Vienna next week.
Bucharest will try to broaden Moscow's concept of notification and verification and will call for expanding both the geographic limits and the scope of military disengagement. The Romanian delegation has already circulated a draft to the Warsaw Pact allies, including the Soviets.
The Soviets have indicated that the Romanian proposals will not be accepted. This will come as no surprise to Bucharest. The Romanians' main purpose is to get their views about European security before the widest possible audience.
Bucharest's proposal is a shortened version of the ten points that Ceausescu believes should govern the conduct of international relations. The draft's call for broadened verification and notification is intended to protect Bucharest from its Pact allies.
President's Daily Brief, 2 February 1974, page 7 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
President Ceausescu is on a tour of the Middle East in an effort to get the Arabs to accept his neutralist policy toward the area and to head off Arab plans to boycott Romanian exports. Romania suffered an Arab boycott after the Middle East war in 1967. A recommendation for new economic sanctions to be imposed against Romania because of its neutral position during the October war awaits action by the Arab League.
Ceausescu arrived in Tripoli yesterday and will later visit Beirut, Damascus, and Baghdad. The Romanian press suggests that Ceausescu will offer limited political and economic concessions, such as support for a Palestinian state and oil-extraction equipment. He will not bow to Arab demands that Bucharest break diplomatic relations with Israel.
President's Daily Brief, 13 February 1974, page 11 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Libya has concluded agreements with Eastern Europe which could raise its direct oil exports to that area to 140,000 barrels per day this year--double the amount shipped in 1973. Poland and Romania signed long-term agreements with Libya this month--and Czechoslovakia reached a five-year agreement--to secure oil on a barter basis. Hungary and Bulgaria arranged last month for relatively small amounts of oil to be delivered this year. These shipments would represent less than 10 percent of Libya's probable oil exports for 1974.
President's Daily Brief, 26 February 1974, page 8 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Romania has decided to cut back industrial growth--now the highest in Eastern Europe--in favor of consumer production and agriculture in its five-year plan for 1976 to 1980, now apparently being drafted. President Ceausescu, who announced this radical change from present policy in a recent interview, obviously sees a political need to improve the lot of the consumer. An economic rationale may be anticipated balance-of-payments problems caused by large imports of machinery and equipment.
President's Daily Brief, 26 February 1974, page 8 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Personnel shifts announced at the Central Committee plenum yesterday are in line with Ceausescu's frequent shifting of party and state leaders to maintain a balance of loyalty and expertise. They do not indicate major changes in foreign or domestic policy. Premier Maurer has been replaced by Manea Manescu, a leading economist of proven loyalty, in a move that tightens Ceausescu's control of the bureaucracy. Others promoted were younger and better-educated than their predecessors and demonstrably loyal to Ceausescu; their past experience suggests an emphasis on increased efficiency in the domestic economy and in foreign trade.
President's Daily Brief, 27 March 1974, page 10 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Canada is becoming a significant exporter of nuclear power reactors. It has sold two of its CANDU nuclear reactors to India, one to Argentina, and one to Pakistan. A second one will probably be sold to Argentina. South Korea has signed a letter of intent to purchase the reactor with an option to buy a second. Romania, Denmark, Iran, Taiwan, and the UK have also indicated an interest in the system.
The CANDU reactor differs from those of US design in using natural rather than enriched uranium as fuel, and in employing "heavy" rather than "light" or ordinary water. The capital cost of a CANDU reactor is slightly higher than a similar sized light water reactor, but over its lifetime the reduced cost of using natural uranium is expected to make up this difference. The CANDU reactors will be even more competitive as the price of enriched uranium increases. A major problem at this time is the shortage of heavy water for these reactors.
The CANDU system proved itself in 1973 with the performance of Canada's Pickering nuclear station. The four reactors at this plant, each with a capacity of 540 megawatts of electricity, operated at about 85 percent of their possible capacity, producing a total of 14 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. The main reason for this high productivity is that the CANDU system can be refueled while still producing electricity. US reactors must be shut down during this operation.
President's Daily Brief, 4 May 1974, page 8 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
The Warsaw Pact exercise, which began this week in Bulgaria, will continue until June 14. Soviet, Bulgarian, and Romanian units are participating, with Romania playing only a limited role.
President's Daily Brief, 6 June 1974, page 12 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
President Anwar Sadat is expected to visit Romania late this month, according to Cairo's Al Ahram. The visit will take place against a background of improving relations. There have been a number of high-level exchanges between the two countries since the October war, and the Romanian media have taken an extremely favorable line toward Egypt. Ceausescu apparently believes support for Cairo will have the effect of diluting Arab resentment over Romania's continued diplomatic relations with Israel.
President's Daily Brief, 10 June 1974, page 5 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Egyptian Foreign Minister Fahmi reportedly has postponed his announced visit to Moscow to arrange an Egyptian-Soviet Summit. Akhbar al-Yawm editor Ali Amin, a leading Cairo columnist, reported on June 15 that the trip would be postponed at least a month because Fahmi intends to visit West Germany, Romania, and the US during July.
President's Daily Brief, 17 June 1974, page 9 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
President Sadat's visit to Bulgaria and Romania from June 27 to July 2 was his first to any of Moscow's Warsaw Pact allies. Bulgaria granted Egypt a $100-million loan for industrial and agricultural projects. In Bucharest, Sadat's party held exploratory talks on Romania's supply of items ranging from small arms to ambulances. Romanian President Ceausescu was particularly pleased to receive Sadat. He regarded the visit as an opportunity to undo some of the bad publicity Romania has received in the Middle East for continuing diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.
President's Daily Brief, 6 July 1974, page 11 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Factory workers set at least one industrial fire in Romania recently, the first confirmed case in some time of serious worker-instigated sabotage. Further incidents could mean that Ceausescu faces some of the most serious popular discontent in his nearly ten years of rule. The regime's main response has been to tighten security at industrial facilities. Ceausescu's emphasis on developing heavy industry at the expense of improved living conditions and the production of consumer goods is an important factor in worker dissatisfaction. Romania's living standard is the lowest in Eastern Europe, except for Albania.
President's Daily Brief, 12 July 1974, page 15 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Prince Sihanouk arrived unexpectedly in Bucharest on August 20 to attend Romania's 30th Anniversary celebrations of its liberation in World War II. An official delegation from Lon Nol's government, in Bucharest for the World Population Conference, includes former prime minister Hang Tun Hak, who in the past has tried unsuccessfully to open channels to Sihanouk. There is no evidence that Sihanouk plans any contacts with Phnom Penh officials, but the Romanians have expressed interest in acting as intermediaries between the two Khmer belligerents and may try to arrange a meeting.
President's Daily Brief, 22 August 1974, page 16 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
There is no evidence that Prince Sihanouk and former Cambodian prime minister Hang Thun Hak were in contact with each other last week when they were both in Bucharest. Official statements on Sihanouk's arrival and departure gave no hint of any unusual development, and Sihanouk's interview with New York Times correspondent Malcolm Browne did not change his position on negotiations.
President's Daily Brief, 28 August 1974, page 15 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
President's Daily Brief, 5 September 1974, page 8 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Delegates convene in Warsaw today for a three-day meeting to make plans for a European conference of Communist parties to be held late this year or early next. The Yugoslavs are attending, thus ending their boycott of such gatherings, where they often have come under fire. They will join the Romanians and some West Europeans in opposing any attacks against the Chinese. The preliminary meeting will try to draw up an agenda for the formal conference, which probably will focus on European security, economic integration, and cooperation.
President's Daily Brief, 16 October 1974, page 11 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Moscow tolerated considerable diversity of view at the meeting last week in Warsaw in order to promote movement toward a more formal conference of European communist parties next year.
In the communiqué, the Warsaw participants expressed the desire that such a conference be held in East Germany before mid-1975. There will be at least one additional preparatory meeting in December or January.
As expected, several key parties--the Italian, Romanian, and Yugoslav, in particular--used the Warsaw meeting to demonstrate that the days of unquestioning subservience and cominformist unity are over. They hammered home the necessity for equality among parties, no matter how small--or big; they also heaped scorn upon the old notion that there is one established center of communist authority. Several of the delegates stressed that each party has a right to voice its position and to have its views taken into account at any multilateral gathering.
The Soviet delegate held his peace, with hardly a grimace. He also avoided criticizing the Chinese, in deference to the several parties that had insisted that absent parties not be attacked.
The Soviets seem to consider the Warsaw meeting a success, if only because it produced some semblance of unity among European communist parties. All but three were represented. Moscow will probably be satisfied if efforts to convene a more formal conference next year go as smoothly. Even if such a conference merely endorses Soviet detente policy toward the West, it will, in Soviet eyes, have been worth the effort.
The Kremlin leaders, to be sure, still nurture the hope that regional meetings will culminate in another international communist conference, but formidable hurdles remain in the way. In any case, the Warsaw meeting makes it clear that if Moscow wants progress toward a world gathering, it will have to put up with the disruptive behavior of maverick parties and softpedal differences with China.
President's Daily Brief, 21 October 1974, page 4 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
Bucharest's maverick style of communism will be endorsed as enduring national policy at Romania's 11th Communist Party Congress, which opens today. The congress will be President Ceausescu's show all the way. By the time the congress is over, one third of the members of all party bodies, including the Central Committee, will probably be newcomers to their posts. This is an effort by Ceausescu to break up regional fiefdoms, inject new blood, and stimulate renewed interest in party activity by the rank-and-file members. The recent Cominformist affair in Yugoslavia probably has increased Ceausescu's desire to ensure a loyal following.
President's Daily Brief, 25 November 1974, page 9 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
President's Daily Brief, 6 December 1974, page 7 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive
The Romanians, who maintain only minimum military involvement in Warsaw Pact activities, now are trying to pare down even that participation. No Warsaw Pact exercises have been held on Romanian soil in over a decade, and only small ground and air staffs have participated in pact exercises elsewhere. Romania's principal involvement lies in naval cooperation in the Black Sea.
President's Daily Brief, 30 December 1974, page 8 of the scan · the document at the CIA · the page at the Internet Archive