THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 16 FEBRUARY 1971

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005992483
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: February 16, 1971

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The President's Daily Brief
16 February 1971
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
16 February 1971.
PRINCIP4 DEVELOPMENTS
In northern Laos, additional reinforcements have
arrived at Long Tieng, and the government's position
at Ban Na has come under heavy fire. (Page 1)
Relations between India and Pakistan have greatly
worsened following the destruction of a hijacked
Indian airliner. (Page 3)
On Page 4 we comment on the draft directives for
the Soviets' new five-year plan.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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LAOS
Some 1,400 reinforcements arrived at Long Tieng
yesterday and are being placed both in the town and
along the high :ground from which the Communists
launched Sunday's mortar attack. To the north, the
government's position - at Ban Na has received heavy
enemy fire.
Ban Na, the site of several key artillery
emplacements aimed at interdicting Commu-
nist troop and supply movements southward.
toward the Long Tieng complex, is sur-
rounded by well-entrenched enemy troops;
identified as the 165th Regiment of the
North Vietnamese 312th Division.
other Communist
forces in the area are preparing for fur-
ther combat. These forces include major
elements from the North Vietnamese 316th
Division to the north and northwest of
Long Tieng and Sam Thong, plus the North
Vietnamese 866th Independent Regiment to
the east.
In the Luang Prabang area, government irregulars
have taken advantage of a lull in the fighting to
improve their defenses northeast of the royal cap-
ital. They have succeeded in airlifting a battal-
ion into a position 25 miles north of Luang Prabang,
near an area where a landing attempt failed last
week.
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CAMBODIA - SOUTH VIETNAM
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INDIA-PAKISTAN
Repercussions from the destruction in Pakistan of a
hijacked Indian airliner two weeks ago have brought
the two countries' relations to their lowest point
since the brief war of 1965. Two self-described
"Kashmiri freedom fighters" destroyed the plane in
Lahore on 2 February after releasing the passengers
and crew. Charging the Pakistani Government with
collusion, New Delhi banned all Pakistani flights
across India until compensation was paid. President
Yahya in turn appealed to the US, UK, and USSR to
use their good offices to bring the situation back
to normal.
Each country now claims the other is making threaten-
ing military moves. Yesterday the Pakistani Foreign
Ministry briefed the US Embassy on a series of al-
leged actions by the Indian armed forces, including
the canceling of all army leaves, the sending of
troops into border regions not previously occupied,
and the moving of tanks near the borders.
Indian officials had earlier complained of Pakistani
movements near the West Pakistan - India border.
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The political situation in both countries compli-
cates the picture. Mrs. Gandhi, campaigning for
next month's national elections, is demanding that
Pakistan evacuate the part of Kashmir under its
control, in addition to compensating for the plane
and extraditing the hijackers. West Pakistani poli-
ticians are trying to improve their positions for
the coming meeting of the constituent assembly, and
the government is allowing the hijackers to be
treated as heroes by the populace.
Even as the political leaders seek to get some mile-
age out of the dispute, however, we doubt that ei-
ther country wants a major confrontation at this
time. Officials of both continue quietly to seek
means for defusing the crisis.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
USSR
As summarized by TASS, the draft directives for the
ninth five-year plan, which is to be presented at
the 24th party congress opening on 30 March, reflect
the modest growth expectations contained in most So-
viet pronouncements during the past year. The aver-
age annual rates of increase projected for the in-
dustrial, agricultural and other sectors are only
slightly above those reached under the 1966-1970
plan. With somewhat lower growth rates targeted for
new investment and for the labor force, it seems
likely that the USSR will be hard pressed to surpass
?its overall growth rate of 5.5 percent we believe it
achieved in the latter half of the 1960s.
From the incomplete data available, it appears that
allocation of resources between the principal claim-.
ants--investment and consumption--will follow recent
patterns. Agricultural goals make it clear that the
augmented resources to improve farm production, de-
cided on last year, have not been abandoned. Spe-
cial efforts are pledged to increase the supply of
meat and other quality foods and to improve the soft
goods and consumer durables. The stated intention
to hold the Zine on consumer prices, and even reduce
some, was made with an eye to recent events in Po-
land.
The announcement contains the usual pledge that the
new plan will "ensure the further growth of the So-
viet Union's defense capacity," but provides no clear
indication of the relative share of resources to be
allocated to military purposes. There are enough
references to priorities for defense-related indus-
tries, however, to suggest that the military's .share
will not be materially altered.
The fact that the Central Committee resolution ap-
proving the draft directives appears over Rrezhnev's
signature provides further evidence of his increas-
ing primacy in the leadership as the party congress
approaches. Ever since Stalin's day such documents
have not carried any personal signatures.
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NOTES
Vietnam-Laos: As South Vietnamese troops con-
tinue their deliberate advance into the Laos pan-
handle, allied aircraft operating across the border
are encountering extremely heavy antiaircraft fire.
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USSR-Cuba: The Soviet submarine tender and
nuclear-powered N-class torpedo attack submarine
previously noted south of Haiti (see The President's
Daily Brief, of 11 February) arrived at Cienfuegos
during-ag-Weekend, joining the Soviet rescue tug
and two nuclear submarine support barges already
there. According to Reuters, the Kresta-class
guided-missile cruiser which arrived in Havana on
10 February together with a tanker left yesterday
afternoon, but we have no confirmation of this yet.
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