THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 27 JULY 1970

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005977589
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: July 27, 1970

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
The President's Daily Brief
27 July 1970
49
Thrs e
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
e ?
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
27 July 1970
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Recent developments in Cambodia are discussed on
Page 1.
Jordan avoided committing itself on the question of
fedayeen adherence to a cease-fire in accepting the
US peace proposal. (Page 3)
South Vietnamese political developments and North
Vietnamese infiltration are discussed on Page 4.
Soviet. Israel
z/z(rage )
\USSR(
(Page 6)
Italy's Emilio Colombo has been asked to form a
center-left cabinet. (Page 6)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
50X1
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
Cambodia: Current Situation
THAILAND /
Samrong'0
0 D P Ano
A N C FIV
?14-
1.
attambang
T H
ietnamese
stroy operati
0?
!Compaq; se
(Sibanoulville)?
GULF
OF
THAILAND
a tgon
TN AM
2
a ?so
? Communist-controlled location
ri7I Communist-controlled
50
MILES
99409..7-70 CIA
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A0085002e0001-6
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CAMBODIA
The Communists continue to concentrate on small-
scale attacks against isolated government positions
rather than embark on any major military engagements.
Action is centered in the flooded region south of the
Tonle Sap between Kompong Chhnang and Kompong Thom
cities. The Communists attacked a village at the
mouth of the Tonle Sap yesterday and reportedly are
infiltrating other villages in the area.
In the east, a 2,500-man South Vietnamese task
force entered Cambodia on 26 July on a search-and-
destroy mission along Route 1 linking Saigon and
Phnom Penh. It has made only light contact with the
enemy.
The Communists have made another attempt to in-
terdict Route 4 linking Phnom Penh with the seaport
of Kompong Som. US Embassy officers, who visited
Kompong Som on 25 July, report that the seaport was
quiet. Despite the city's strategic importance, few
security precautions have been taken. Government of-
ficials claim that the nearest Communist element's are
60 miles down the coast.
1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
50X1
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Under pressure from the government, Sihanouk's
mother, Queen Kossamak, has finally vacated the royal
palace. The move is another step toward the abolish-
ment of the monarchy, to which the Lon Nol government
is all but committed. The monarchy has considerable
potential for serving as a rallying point for the
Cambodian people--particularly in the tradition-
oriented rural areas--but Lon Nol has been under
pressure from "progressive'', elements to declare Cam-
bodia a republic.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
JORDAN
After a day-long cabinet meeting, Foreign Minis-
ter Rifai announced last night that Jordan accepts
the US peace proposal. How the government plans to
enforce fedayeen compliance, however, is not clear;
pro-fedayeen cabinet ministers reportedly held out
for exclusion of the fedayeen from any cease-fire.
By referring to the "lawful and acknowl-
edged right of self-defense and resist-
ance against the occupation" of the armed
Palestinian exiles in Jordan, the reply
left open the possibility of independent
fedayeen action against the Israeli-oc-
cupied west bank of the Jordan River.
Any overt attempt to block off fedayeen
cross-border activity would meet with
stubborn fedayeen resistance and could
re-ignite the near - civil war that raged
for a week in early June. King Husayn
might be willing to clamp down on
eda een to a considerable extent
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
50X1
50X1
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27: CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
New North Vietnamese Infiltration Detected
NORT
filtration groups
ving southward
VIETNAM
Mu Gia
Pass
Quong Khe
ong Hal
hokhe
0
.Q11 61-.2
Dernilitotized Zone
Quang Tri
avanno
Se Bong eng
on Bac
Saravone ,
THAILAND
(.4J54.3
16!,
BYane
VIETN M
Kontum
? CAMBODIA
Stung Tren
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A0085002.50001-6
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH VIETNAM
In a meeting with Saigon newspaper publishers
on 23 July, President Thieu said his country is now
willing to accept an immediate cease-fire that could
be followed by negotiations to reach a political
settlement. Thieu stated, however, that the Commu-
nists would have to stop their infiltration and ter-
rorism first, and that the cease-fire would have to
be internationally supervised.
This is the first time Thieu has publicly
suggested a cease-fire in which both sides
would "stand still wherever they are."
Until now, he has insisted that any cease-
fire must be a part of an over-all peace
settlement negotiated before the cease-
fire could take effect.
Thieu is probably confident that the Com-
munists will reject this proposal as they
did the one last year suggesting elections.
He reportedly advised the publishers that
he doubted the Communists would accept such
a cease-fire because "they hardly have any
place to stay." This comment reflects his
confidence that the government is in a rel-
atively strong position in much of the
countryside despite local Communist resur-
gence in some provinces.
Since 23 July, three new battalion-sized infil-
tration groups totaling some 1,700 troops have been
detected moving south in the lower panhandle of North
Vietnam. They are probably heading for the area
stretching south from Da Nang. A North Vietnamese
intercept late last week claimed that personnel would
be moving south through the Vinh area in the pan-
handle "in great numbers" from 20 July until about
2 August. Other recent intercepts, however, have
indicated that some of these will be only small in-
filtration groups, probably consisting of special-
ists rather than infantry.
This is the largest group noted this month
and only the sixth since the dry season
infiltration cycle tapered off in April.
If the North Vietnamese continue beyond
this limited surge of activity to dispatch
many large groups, it will be in sharp con-
trast to last year, when infiltration re-
mained only a trickle throughout the sum-
mer. These new battalion-sized groups
could reflect enemy intentions to step up
offensive activity in the provinces south
of Da Nang as well.
4
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
USSR-ISRAEL-EGYPT
5
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
50X1
50X1
50X1
50X1
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A068500250001-6
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTES
USSR;7
Italy: President Saragat has asked the re-
spected economist and lawyer Emilio Colombo to try
to form a center-left cabinet and end the most re-
cent of Italy's political crises. Colombo was fi-
nance minister, in the last cabinet of Mariano Rumor
and in seven previous governments. There is no
reason to believe that he will be any more success-
ful in bringing the two Socialist parties together
and in healing the rift in the coalition than his
predecessor Giulio Andreotti, who gave up late last
week.
6
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
-
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6
Top Secret
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008500250001-6