The Bulletin (alone) carried a story of the “Ang Bayan” the Communist paper’s editorial charging “an alleged plot of the U.S.-Marcos clique” to undertake senseless bombings and shootouts and to disrupt public meetings of both the Nacionalista and Liberal parties during the electoral campaign period of 1973, farther quoting the communist paper as saying these activities were in preparation for a proclamation of martial law.
What about the front organizations, the demonstrations, the open call to a revolution, the attacks on the Armed Forces in Isabela, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, Cam. [Camarines] Sur, Sorsogon, Samar, Leyte, Iloilo, Capiz, Mindanao, etc.
The communists are schizophrenic. They do not know what they want.
Sen. [Daniel] Inouye of Hawaii, an old friend is here. He is chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign aid which he says is not too popular right now.
I briefed him on the State Department and U.S. Embassy attempt to understate the threat posed by Communism to the Philippines.
Official Gazette for August 28, 1972: THE PRESIDENT received U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, chairman of the foreign affairs subcommittee of the U.S. senate committee on appropriations, following his arrival for a five-day survey of flood-stricken areas in Luzon.
The President gave the senator an intensive briefing on the extent of the damage wrought by the destructive flood which hit the country.
He told the U.S. lawmaker that the Philippine government would impose additional tax burden on its people to finance a. massive relief and rehabilitation program.
Asked about the ideological threat to the country, the President-Assured the visiting senator that “subversion here is under control” and that “the principal problem is still the economic” recovery of the nation.”
Inouye told the President that he was here to survey the devastated areas in order to help the U.S. Congress determine what assistance it could extend this country.
The President also received Dr. Helmut Kohl, prime minister of the state of Rheinland-Pfalz (Central Rhineland-palatinate), West Germany, who conveyed the sympathy of the people of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Filipino people following the destructive floods that hit this country.
The President thanked the German official and the German people, saying that such feeling of sympathy was indeed demonstrated by their donation in the form of medicine.
“I am glad that our peoples are helping each other not only in this particular calamity,” the President told Dr. Kohl. “We have also received some loans from Germany to help us in the development of our country.”
The President also took occasion to congratulate the German people for the outstanding economic development in their country, as well as for hosting the Olympic games which, he said, is a “wonderful occasion” for men engaged in athletics to attain objectives which statesmen failed to attain.
With Dr. Kohl in seeing the President were Dr. Alois Mertes, his executive secretary; and Dr. Horst Weisel, charge d’affaires of the local German embassy.
Later, the President had a series of conferences on various matters, particularly on relief and rehabilitation work, with some officials of the Executive Department.
And gave him luncheon.
Prime Minister Dr. Helmut Kohl of Rheinland-Pfalz of the Federated State of Germany paid a courtesy call on me. He is descended from the Electors of the Rheinland Palatinate and Vice Chairman of the Social Democrats Union.
I felt he is a politician, not a statesman.
Worked out with Bongbong’s barbells this morning.