US NSA takes note of Martial Law

From the George Washington University National Security Archive: The United States government notes that Marcos’ martial law declaration, “probably stems from a combination of uncertainty of being able to remain in power beyond 1973 under normal legal arrangements together with the belief that basic reforms could not be accomplished without martial law. While the communist insurgency if left unchecked, might have been able to overthrow the Philippine government in another five years, it clearly does not have that capability at the present time.”