THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 5 DECEMBER 1970

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005977835
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: December 5, 1970

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The President's Daily Brief
5 December 1970
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THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
5 December 1970
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS.
Enemy harassing attacks continue to stymie Cambodian
Government efforts to reopen Routes 6 and 7. (Page 5)
Gomulka's speech on Thursday has thrown light on de-
velopments at the East Berlin summit meeting.
(Page 6)
On Monday, Pakistan will hold its first nationwide
direct election since independence. (Page 8)
At the SALT talks, Semenov has elaborated on his
proposal for a separate ABM agreement. (Page 9)
The increasing number of incidents along the border
may soon provoke Israeli action against Fatah bases
in Lebanon. (Page 9)
The Soviet submarine tender and missile frigate that
rendezvoused north of Puerto Rico were refueled yes-
terday by an oiler. (Page 9)
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USSR
(continued)
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JORDAN - EGYPT - SAUDI ARABIA
(continued)
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Cambodia: Current Situation
!
stung Chinit
(13
CA MBOD '3A
Government rive( convo 213
Kompong
Chhnarig I Wang Ko k c,
S otn-----4-P--r-eY Qtupg0,
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i
NVA
VC 275A/Regt.0 0
-12-- 6 Kompong Chan)4 /-
VC 272 Regt.
ittLyravc
72
Regt.
?Hq., VC 9 Div.
DVC 271 Regt.
NVA 165 Regt.
5
PHNOM PENH
22
43
24'4 13
SA GO
VIETNAM
550644 12-70 CIA
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CAMBODIA
Numerous harassing attacks during the weekcon-
tinued to stymie government efforts to reopenRoute
6?southwest of Skounuand-Route between Prey To-
tung and Kompong Cham city-. These actions have
forced the Cambodians to divert-several battalions -
from the "Chenle- task force that has been stalled
between Skoun and Tang,Kbuk for three months. The
government!s:military'commitmentin the area now ex-
ceeds 30 battalions.
The Communists have managed to keep this
force on the defensive.With about six main.-
force battalions subordinate to the VC 275A
Regiment and the NVA 174th Regiment, and
a smaller number of Cambodian Communist
units: This force was augmented several
days.ago by elements of the VC 272nd-Regi-
ment which moved to the west bank of the
Mekong River, where they are in a position:
tO contest riverine resupply of Kompong.
Cham city.
Although the recent movement of elements
of.the,27.2nd Regiment west of the Mekong
increases the Communists' capability
against numerically superior government
? troops, there is no evidence that the.Com-
munists are ready to abandon their economy
of-foree tactics. The Communists' failure
to mount major ground. assaults against ?the
wall-motivated.but-inexperienced Cambodian
units evidently reflecta a decision to keep
losses to a minimum. It may also indicate
supply shortages and a decision.torhusban&
resource's until later in the dry season,
when stockpiles.may .be replenished from
the Laotian infiltration corridor.
Under present circumstances, the Communists
find it difficult to take ground from the
Cambodians, and government forces find it
as hard to make inroads into Communist-held
territory.
East of Kompong Cham city, the headquarters of
the VC 9th Division and those of three of its subor-
dinate regiments remain located near the Chup rubber
plantation.
The task of these units apparently is still
to serve as a defensive shield against pos-
sible South Vietnamese Army incursions
against enemy base and supply lines in
this area.
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WARSAW PACT
In a speech Thursday, one day after the East
Berlin summit, Polish leader Gomulka said that the
two main concerns at the meeting were formulating
a united policy on negotiations with West Germany
and ratification of the Soviet and Polish treaties
with the Federal Republic. He asserted that the
Pact leaders had taken a "very positive attitude
toward a sensible normalization of relations" with
West Germany, and indicated there is no reason the
East Germans cannot follow the example of Moscow
and Warsaw.
Gomulka also made clear that as far as he is
concerned Pankow does not have a veto over his re-
lations with Bonn. He said that he wanted ratifica-
tion by the Bundestag of the Polish and Soviet
treaties and seemed to imply acceptance of the West
German position that ratification was conditional
on substantial progress in the four-power Berlin
talks and related East-West negotiations.
Gomulka appears to be' apprehensive.that.
the East Germans could block' progress. in
the Berlin talks, and'thus hold up.his
treaty and his plans to' enter into normal
relations' with Bonn
Gomulka has good reasons for his attitude.
According to one of the Eastern European
ambassadors in Moscow, Ulbricht opposed
the idea of holding a summit meeting until
after the East - West German and quadri-
partite Berlin talks were completed. Had
this position been accepted, it is likely
that there would have been no progress in
either forum, since Pankow's demands on
West Germany are clearly unacceptable to
Bonn. It is possible that the extended
harassment of West German autobahn traffic
to and from West Berlin prior to the East
Berlin summit was an East German attempt
to check Moscow's and Warsaw's rapproche-
ments with Bonn, as well as a coordinated
attack on the West German presence in
Berlin.
(continued).
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Gomulka's revelations on the East Berlin
meeting do not suggest that the course of
East-West negotiations will become any.
easier. Tactically, the Communists may
believe it necessary to take a tough posi-
tion in order to make it clear they are
not dealing from weakness. For example,
the East Germans might harass access to
Berlin during President Heinemann's visit
to the western sector of the city early
next week. Pankow's Foreign Ministry al-
ready has formally protested the visit.
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PAKISTAN
On Monday, Pakistanis will,select members of a
constituent assembly in the first nationwide direct
election since independence in 1947- President
Yahya--who took over from Ayub Khan in the coup of
March 1969--called for the election .a year ago as a
step toward restoring Pakistan to civilian rule.
The 313-member assembly has been charged with draft-
ing a new constitution within 120 days and submit-
ting it to Yahya for approval.
Despite apprehension in the military and
sporadic violence during the election cam-
paign, Yahya has remained committed to
holding elections and they should occur
without serious incident.
The Awami League, which advocates greater
autonomy for East Pakistan, should win a
Large majority of the seats in this more
heavily populated wing of the country and-
thus obtain the largest voting bloc in the
assembly. West Pakistan's vote is likely
to be split among a potpourri of leftist,
moderate and religious conservative parties.
Merely holding a nationwide direct election
is an achievement in Pakistan, but the
performance of the constituent assembly is
a more difficult test if the country is to
return to civilian rule. The assembly
could degenerate into petty haggling in
the absence of a dominant national political
party. East ?Pakistan's demand for greater
autonomy will likely be,the most difficult
issue. Although some West Pakistani poli-
ticians are now willing to make concessians
on this, the issue may become entangled in
demands for greater autonomy for some of
the provinces of West Pakistan.
Yahya has said he will call new elections
if this assembly fails to produce an ac-
ceptable constitution. The military, which
remains the most cohesive force in the coun-
try, might convince ?Yahya to act earlier
to dissolve the assembly, if it reaches an,
impasse or if it appears to be significantly
weakening the present powers of the central
government.
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NOTES
SALT: Yesterday, as expected, Semenov elabo-
rated on his 1 December proposal for a separate ABM
agreement and repeated his earlier contention that
this would facilitate the conclusion of a broader
agreement. Except for two key provisions, the So-
viet draft follows the general lines of the NCA-
level alternative of Option E. Semenov labeled as?
superfluous the restrictions on radars and on SAM
upgrade which were part of the US proposal. In keep-
ing with Soviet practice, no numbers were given.
Ambassador Smith's response reiterated the US posi-
tion on the inter-relationship between strategic
defensive and strategic offensive systems.
Israel-Lebanon: The increasing number of in-
cidents along the border may soon provoke Israeli
action against Fatah bases in Lebanon. Israeli
Chief of Staff Bar-Lev yesterday complained to the
US ambassador- that terrorist acts had been averaging
about one a day for the last three weeks. Bar-Lev
said that the Lebanese had informed the Israelis
that the Lebanese Army was controlling the border-
west of the Hasbani River in southern Lebanon, but
had no forces east of the river where Fatah elements
were located. Bar-Lev said that if the rate of in-
cidents continued to rise, Israel would have to re-
act.
USSR-Cuba: The Soviet submarine tender and
missile frigate that rendezvoused north of Puerto
Rico were refueled yesterday by an oiler. In addi-
tion to the Soviet F-class diesel submarine that has
surfaced near the group, there may be a--second' one
in the area, as these submarines usually travel in
pairs. There have been no further reports on the
whereabouts of the rescue tug which had been in-
Cienfuegos and its status is unclear.
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