1. FUERZA DEMOCRATICA POPULAR ( FDP) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
JORGE DAGER TOLD POLITICAL COUNSELOR THIS WEEK THAT HIS PARTY,
INCLUDING 1958 PROVISIONAL PRESIDENT WOLFGANG LARRAZBAL,
WILL SUPPORT AD CANDIDATE CARLOS ANDRES PEREZ ( CAP) IN
ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN. HE SAID THAT LARRAZABAL, WHO HAD
PREVIOUSLY BEEN PRO- COPEI, WAS CONVINCED TO THROW HIS SUPPORT
FOR CARLOS ANDRES PEREZ FOLLOWING SERIES OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH
CAP AND COPEI CANDIDATE LORENZO FERNANDEZ LAST MONTH.
ACCORDING TO DAGER, LARRAZABAL BECAME CONVINCED THAT LORENZO
WAS WEAK AND EVEN DANGEROUS CANDIDATE AND
THAT DESPITE LARRAZABAL' S PERSONAL DISLIKE FOR AD HE FELT THAT
CARLOS ANDRES PEREZ SHOULD AND WOULD BE NEXT PRESIDENT OF
VENEZUELA. DAGER SAID THAT DECISION WOULD PROBABLY BE ANNOUNCED
ON APRIL 15 AND CONVENTION WOULD SUBSEQUENTLY BE CALLED FOR
FDP FORMALLY TO ANNOUNCE ITS SUPPORT FOR CAP AND AGREE TO RUN ON
JOINT TICKETS THROUGHOUT VENEZUELA.
2. DAGER, FORMER ADECO AND FORMER KEY MEMBER OF MIR,
STILL RETAINS CONSIDERABLE SUPPORT AMONG POOR PEOPLE IN
BARRIOS AND IN REGIONS WHERE AD IS WEAK. DAGER SAID RETIRED
ADMIRAL LARRAZABAL WOULD RESIGN FROM HIS PRESENT POST AS
AMBASSADOR TO CANADA AND RETURN TO VENEZUELA TO CAMPAIGN FOR
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CAP. BACKING OF LARRAZABAL AND DAGER COULD BE SIGNIFICANT
BOOST TO CANDIDACY OF CARLOS ANDRES PEREZ WHO IS ALREADY RIDING
HIGH WITH RECENT POLLS INDICATING HIM WELL IN LEAD.
YET SUCH AN ALLIANCE COULD ALSO RESULT IN COPEI SEEKING
SUPPORT FROM URD AND PERHAPS OTHER FORCES ON THE LEFT.
THE PICTURE WILL REMAIN UNCLEAR BUT AN AD- FDP ALLIANCE,
TOGETHER WITH THE RECENT RETURN OF PARTIDO REVOLUCIONARIO
NACIONAL AND POSSIBLE RETURN OF JOSE GONZALEZ
NAVARRO' S CONGRESSO DE TRABAJO TO THE AD FOLD, COULD
FIELD A TEAM DIFFICULT TO BEAT IN DECEMBER 1973.
MCCLINTOCK
CONFIDENTIAL
*** Current Handling Restrictions *** n/a
*** Current Classification *** CONFIDENTIAL