THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 14 MAY 1970

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005977454
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: May 14, 1970

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008300120001-2
The President's Daily Brief
14 May 1970
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
14 May 1970
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
South Vietnam
(Page 1)
The situation in Cambodia is discussed-on Page-2.
There are. signs that the Communists are planning an
above, normal level of logistic operations in the
Laotian Panhandle during the rainy season. (Page 4)
Pre-conference activity suggests that the Djakarta
meeting on Cambodia will be a bland affair. (Page 5)
Speculation about the ouster of Prime Minister Khiem
continues in Saigon circles. (Page 6)
Chancellor Brandt may meet many of East Germany's
demands during his next meeting with Premier Stoph.
(Page 7)
The Israelis appear satisfied with the results of
their raid into southern Lebanon. In Beirut, the
attack has increased the pressures on the government
to build up its military might. (Page 8)
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SOUTH VIETNAM
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Cambodia: Current Situation
Chav
THAILAND
Stung Treng
KOMPONG THOM
Large enemy force
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SOUTH
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CAMBODIA
The government continues to give ground under.
steady Communist pressure. Much of the province of
Kompong Cham east of the Mekong River is now under
Communist control.
"thousands" of well-armed Vietnamese-Communists.have
occupied the vast rubber plantation at.Chup, not far
from Kompong Cham city. Government troops who had
moved onto the east bank of the Mekong during the
loading of Vietnamese repatriates on South Vietnamese
vessels at Kompong Cham were chased back across the
river by heavy enemy assaults. Two government battal-
ions north of the city have also been in trouble in
recent days, and the Communists also appear to be
closing in from the south. The-government blocking
position at Suong has also been overrun.
Farther north, an intercepted army message
claims a large enemy force is moving into the Kratie
Kompong Thom provinces border area, in what would
be the westernmost extension of Communist activity.
In the northeastern province of Ratanakiri, the
local commander of the town of Labansiek claims
that the recent withdrawal of two battalions has
critically weakened government defenses there.
In the south, street fighting is reported in
Takeo town, and government troops have received
South Vietnamese air support. The provincial cap-
ital of Kampot is under continuing pressure and.
fire from the Communists-, who still hold the high
ground around the town. Elsewhere, in Kompong Speu
.Province, an estimated 600 Communist troops attacked-
and. burned a sector command post on 11 May,r
/ A govern-
ment sweep operation southwest of the town has been
hard hit by presumably indigenous Communist ele-
ments.
. On the diplomatic side, both Hanoi and the
Viet Cong have served notice on Phnom Penh that
they are withdrawing their few remaining diplomats
from the Cambodian capital. Unlike Peking, however,
Hanoi still has not announced a formal rupture of.
diplomatic relations. It is not clear why the
North Vietnamese are reluctant to take the last step.
The Lon Nol regime's closer relationship with Saigon.
has already been subjected to some minor strains.
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Laos Panhandle: Rainy Season Logistic Routes
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LAOS - SOUTH VIETNAM
The Communists nowseem prepared to maintain
a higher level of logistic operations in the Laotian
Panhandle this rainy season than was indicated ear-
lier. A recent intercept from a panhandle logistic
authority--probably operating along Route 914-states
that "the 559th Transportation Group is determined- to
continue transporting in the rainy season." The rea-
sons given were the Allied incursion into Cambodia,
the recent bombing of North Vietnam,. and the uncom-
pleted dry season mission.
Other messages from units operating along. Routes
911 and 912 have discussed "the mission of remaining
during the rainy season." The messages urge comple-
tion by 19 May of a petroleum pipeline to the Tche-
pone area. They mention an "Urgent" need for gaso-
line.
In recent weeks intercepts had suggested
the Communists would follow the practice
of last year, confining their limited sum-
mer logistic activity to the western DMZ -
central panhandle area. It now looks as
though operations may be broadened to in-
clude two routes of entry from North Viet-
nam.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CAMBODIA-ASIA
Next weekend's Djakarta conference on Cam-
bodia promises to be a fairly tame affair.
It will, however, give the Lon Nol govern-
ment a needed psychological boost, which
is really about all its sponsors intended.
.The twelve states attending, except for Indo-
nesia and Singapore, are avowedly pro-West, and even
these two countries have important links with the
West.. Of the ten nations that declined to participate,
four are Communist China, North Vietnam, North Korea,
and Mongolia. The other six--Afghanistan, Nepal, India,
Pakistan, Ceylon and Burma--are relatively far from
the scene of the conflict and are strongly nonaligned.
In view of the one-sided complexion of the
conference, most participants seem to favor working
either for a mild set of resolutions to which the
Communists cannot take reasonable exception or sim-
ply for a referral of the Cambodian problem to the
United Nations. Indonesian Foreign Minister Malik
has been thinking in terms of a package, urging re-
storation of peace in Cambodia, maintenance of Cam-
bodian neutrality and independence, and reactivation
of the International Control Commission. Several
powers have suggested considering some kind of fol-
low-up action, such as sending an observer team to
Cambodia, or additional meetings to deal with later
developments.
Reinforcing the tendency toward a bland, low-
keyed meeting are internal pressures in Indonesia
and Japan, two of the prime movers of the conference.
Malik has come under criticism for compromising In-
nonaligned policy not only by becoming in-
volved but by actually sponsoring an essentially
pro-Western meeting. In Japan, Prime Minister Sato
and Foreign Minister Aichi have been criticized for
tacit approval of US actions.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH VIETNAM
Rumors that Prime Minister Khiem may be re-
placed continue to circulate in Saigon. The press
has added to the speculation by publishing a report
that Professor Nguyen Van Bong of the Progressive
Nationalist Movement (PNM), a moderate opposition
party, is being considered as a replacement for
Khiem.
These and other rumors take on added weight
in view of the recent indications of dis-
couragement and indecisiveness at the top'
levels of the Saigon government. A simi-
lar drawn out, rumor-ridden period preceded
former Prime Minister Huong's removal from
office last summer.
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WEST GERMANY = EAST GERMANY
Bonn may present a draft treaty that goes a
long way toward formal recognition of East. Germany
at the meeting between Chancellor Brandt and Premier
Stoph in Kassel on 21 May. A text of the draft "po-
sition paper" was given the Western Allies on 11 May
with an explanation that it is one of several ap-
proaches to the Kassel talks now under consideration.
In the paper, Bonn proposes that West and East
Germany conclude a treaty that "regulates the rela-
tionship between the two states in Germany," improves
communications between their populations, and aids
in the removal of existing discriminations. Under
the treaty, each side would pledge to respect the
"independence and sovereignty," territorial integ-
rity, and. frontiers of the other. Furthermore, the
paper proposes formally to set aside Bonn's long-
standing claim to be the sole representative of the
German people.
Other key points include a provision for the
exchange of plenipotentiaries with the rank of min-
ister, and the admission of both Germanies to the
United Nations. Finally, both states would pledge
to respect the existing agreements by the wartime
Allies regarding Berlin and Germany as a whole.
The major points contained in the German
paper have been surfaced before, but this
is the first time they have all been in-
corporated into a draft treaty to have
full standing under international law.
Such a treaty would go a long way toward
meeting East German conditions, although
the provision regarding reaffirmation of
Allied rights in Berlin would be hard for
Pankow to accept.
It is not yet clear whether Brandt will
adopt this approach at Kassel. Bonn did
not explicitly ask for Allied comments
but obviously is interested in obtaining
reactions before deciding upon what course
to take. /
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Israeli Forces Withdraw from Lebanon
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
IS LEBANON
In a conversation with the American DCM yester-
day, an.Israeli Foreign Ministry official-character-
ized Israel's raid into southern Lebanon as "limited"
and "more or less successful." He said Israel's
purpose in mounting the attack was to dislocate the
fedayeen units and interfere with their logistical
support. The official expressed some surprise over
the degree of fedayeen resistance-, but he reiterated
that Lebanese Army intervention was minimal.
Except for
Syria's abortive air strike into southern Lebanon,
and for some Syrian and Iraqi shelling of an Israeli
position, there was no indication that the Eastern
Arab Comma d was able to mount an intervention o -
eration.
As a result of Tel Aviv's action, Lebanon
may still come under pressure from other
Arab states to allow the stationing of
their troops on its territory as a defense
measure against Israel. Lebanon also may
build up its military establishment and
concentrate even more of its men along
the border with Israel.
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Top Secret
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