THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 28 JANUARY 1970

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005977268
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: January 28, 1970

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007900230001-5
The President's Daily Brief
28 January 1970
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
28 January 1970
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Soviet leaders reappear after their long absence.
(Page 1)
The Soviets
(Page 3)
Berlin.
The Chinese road in Laos is getting longer. (Page 5)
The southward movement of North Vietnamese is the
heaviest in nearly a year. (Page 6)
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USSR
Brezhnev and, Podgorny reappeared in?public yes-
terday, putting to rest rumors generated by their
prolonged absence. Both Soviet leaders had been out,
of sight since 19 December.
In the past, the senior members of the
Politburo have frequently taken vacations
in January; they apparently spent some
time at Barvikha at this time last year.
It is possible, however, that they delib-
erately cut themselves off from aZZ of-
ficial functions in order to grapple with
some urgent problem. Current economic
difficulties, for example, are pressing
and have wide ramifications fbr both for-
eign and domestic affairs.
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USSR - ARAB STATES
Yasir Arafat, leader of Fatah and the Palestine
Liberation Organization, will visit Moscow some time
this week.
Arafat no doubt has more Soviet military
and economic assistance on his mind, and
he would be unlikely to put his prestige
on the line without some assurance that
,he will not return empty-handed.
Military aid, however,
probabGy Witt sti.L/Y be limited to light
arms, channeled through Arab governments.
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USSR-BERLIN
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
WEST GERMANY - USSR - EASTERN EUROPE
Chancellor Brandt,is sending Egon Bahr, his
closest, foreign policy adviser,.to confer with For-
eign Minister Gromyko in Moscow. Bahr will take over
the:negotiations-that _began in early December on an:
agreement renouncing the use of force, The new talks
are to begin on Friday.
Brandt believes that his Eastern policies have
reached a critical pointipecause Pankow is bending
every effort to discourage other. Warsaw Pact states
from negotiating with_Bonn. Bahr is to investigate
whether there is a real prospect. of long-range suc-,
cess.for these policies. Beyond this, his instruc-
tions have. not yet been disclosed to Bonn's allies.
Bahr's mission apparently is intended .to
undercut Pankow's efforts by reaching an
authoritative agreement with the Soviets
themselves. Moscow can be expected to
hold out. for a- West German acceptance of
the East European status quo. Bonn doubt
less. hopes, however, that the Soviets, will.
not demand full de jure recognition of East
Germany, and Brandt almost certainly would
not agree to such a demand,
Bonn is also pursuing its Eastern policies on
other fronts. Negotiations with Pankow on postal
maters, recessed since November, will be resumed-
on.30.January. The Poles and West Germans are cur-
rently engaged in economic- talks in Bonn.
Political talks with Poland are scheduled to
open in Warsaw on 5 February. West German recogni-
tion of Poland's Oder-Neisse border will be on the
agenda as will a renunciation-of-force agreement.
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BURMA
AREA CHINA
OF
MAP
LAOS
THAILAND
NORTH
VIETNAM
SO
Vi CT
CAMBODIA NAM
Communist Chinese Road Construction in Northern Laos
BURMA
Ssu,mao
-
Meng-la
CHI
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' NORTH
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u Ta) VIETNAM '
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i
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Neua Phohg Saly
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1 (
49
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New road
road
construction
,Muong Sing 412
3?/
..." 1 I Baten?,' 19
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konstruction-----"Kou a i - -.1/4 Muong,,
.../ .- NN --,. 3`2"- I ' ri-- ? ?r?-? moving ahead 11,,,,..." \...
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o's Road built sop'
ept. 68-Apr. 69) .'
Nncreaseu Corn unist / fluong La
321 milit'ary actiyjity J
/ 47
i increase in AAA defenses
) New Chinese radar i ) 4 41:cm I
.../ station in area uon
Sai
/ (
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ilduei/...--New road
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THAILAND ,
/ /.1 ,,!???:-/ -- lad
,/ ....e.--- / Muong Houn _.?,? =.'-'\.\?-
, ?,,,---1,,";eng Va"" ,N. -,:???,,,..'s. . ,?'.4:?,:::\ ~-,*,?,Z.:,?,-, .
\ ,,,, ? \\\\ Mekon_ '
--/ ''',,','"-N..-.N,\*".?,..\\''' \\...``,..,..-_??-N-,-\ ?\ `\.\-'
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Pak Beng' ..,."' \ '\?N.- 'N.,,N(kA, \',..k'
\------, _, .--i,-
/ -%?*,?, - - - - -
;:...,..4.exibang
../1O2
.1,
e,Miles?\
Communist-controlled area
Contested territory
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
LAOS COMMUNIST CHINA ,
The, road that presumably will III* Muong Sal with
Route 19 has been extended some' seven to the
northeast since the first of the year. The rate of
prpgress on this stretch of the road network,.still
remains well below the mile-a-day rate achieved on,
the southwestern leg to, Muong HoOn, however. We
have nothing new on the southwestern leg atthis time.
A recent, increase in antiaircraft' defenses
near Muong La, including a newrChinese.ra,
dar tracking station, suggests that. the
Chinese may be pressing harder to complete
the Mupng La segment. before the monso-on.in
May. The present, rate of construction is
adequatejor 'such a timetabl'e.
in,, the extreme northwest corner of Laos. the Chinese-
have'constructed a limited-weather road across the
Laotian border. The new road appears to be designed
to support Pathet..Lao efforts to consolidate' control
in: this area, where the people are generally hostile,
to. them.
The Pathet Lao's dry season activities in
the northwest, however, appear to be fo-
cused south and west of Nam Tha, where a
number of government, outposts have been
under increased enemy pressure since late,
December. For the moment, government
troops in this areas backed by Lao air-
craft, seem capable of meeting this threat.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NORTH VIETNAM
New battalion-size groups have been entering
theinfiltration,system at the rate of at leastone-
a:day during the past_week So far this month 23
infiltration groups, representing about 10,600 troops,
have been detected on. the move in communications in-
telligence
Analysis of infiltration designators suggests
that nine additional groups entered the pipeline for
a. probable total of 32. This would bring the number
of men sent south thus far in January to approximately
14,000.
The activity of, the past three weeks is the
heaviest, in nearly'a year, and month-end
totals could approach those of January 1969,,
when over 19?000 men started South.
For the first time in several months, replace-
ments are headed for the western, highlands, while
others are going to the Communist military areas in
lower I,Corps and coastal II Corps. More than 31,000-
troops are believed to have started south .since, late
October., and most,, of them havebeen destined for, the,
southern., part of the country, including the Mekong
Delta.
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Top Secret
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