THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 17 FEBRUARY 1971

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005992485
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: February 17, 1971

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The President's Daily Brief
17 February 1971
49
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
17 February 1971
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
More North Vietnamese forces are moving toward the
area of Laos where the South Vietnamese are oper-
ating. (Page 1)
In northern Laos, there have been only minor clashes
in the past two days. (Page 2)
The latest satellite photography shows the highest
number of MIG-21s ever seen in Communist China.
(Page 4)
Tension remains high between India and Pakistan and
?between East and West Pakistan. (Page 6)
On Page 7, we comment on the decision by Warsaw to
rescind the food price increases.
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25 50 Was
VIETNAM
Mu Gia
Pass
Dong Hoi
Ban Karai
asS
emilitofiled Zone
Lao irregular Phi
operation
23
Se Bong Hien9
,Shau
Valley
Do Nang
THAILAND
VIETNAM
011tUM
CAMBODIA
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LAOS-VIETNAM
Additional Communist forces are moving toward
the area of the South Vietnamese operation in Laos.
North of Route 9, the headquarters of the North Viet-
namese 2nd Division has moved to a position just east
of Tchepone. The 270th Regiment has shifted westward
along the northern edge of the Demilitarized Zone to-
ward the Lao border. South of Route 9, there is evi-
dence that the 29th Regiment has moved from the A
Shau Valley into Laos, a move that would put two en-
emy regiments in positions flanking Route 92.
These continuing movements strongly suggest
that the North Vietnamese intend to counter
the South Vietnamese thrust into Laos. At
the moment, however, contact between South
Vietnamese and Communist infantry forces is
generally light and sporadic. The enemy is
still making heavy use of antiaircraft,
mortar, and artillery fire to harass allied
rear base areas and South Vietnamese field
positions.
The new Lao irregular operation against Commu-
nist supply efforts along Route 23 between Muong
Phine and the Se Bang Hieng River has so far drawn
little enemy reaction. The operation began early
yesterday when a four-battalion irregular task force
was airlifted into an area about eight miles south-
west of Muong Phine.
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Communist shelling'
continues
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Long Tieng
LAOS
THAILAND
? ?Government-held location
("Communist-held location
to
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LAOS
Only minor clashes and scattered contacts have
occurred in the last two days around Long Tieng and
Sam Thong, but Communist shelling of Sam Thong and
Ban Na is continuing. The 165th Regiment of the
North Vietnamese 312th Division, which has been pin-
ning down about 800 troops manning the government
base at Ban Na, has now been joined by at least one
battalion from its companion 209th Regiment, bring-
ing enemy combat strength there to roughly 2,000.
Meanwhile, most of the civilians living in the Long
Tieng Valley have been evacuated to smaller villages
to the south and west. Press reporting on military
and civilian casualties continues to appear exagger-
ated.
In the Luang Prabang area, the ridge positions
northeast of the royal capital that have changed
hands several times have been deserted by government
paratroops that recently reoccupied them. These
troops are now moving back to the city's outskirts.
The paratroops, who do not seem to have
been under immediate attack, have been
protecting government artillery located
nearby at Pak Suong. The artillery will
be pulled back each night to a safer site
until another security unit can be moved
into the area. Elements of the North
Vietnamese 335th Independent Regiment are
still active in the vicinity.
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NORTH VIETNAM
3
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COMMUNIST CHINA
The latest satellite photography shows ten
MIG-21s at the Cheng-tu airframe plant. In addi-
tion, 24 MIG-21s were at other Chinese airfields.
Recent photography also shows seven MIG-21s
and 12 MIG-21 in Albania, the first
time this aircraft has been seen there.
4
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SOUTH VIETNAM
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INDIA-PAKISTAN
Each nation has recalled its high commissioner
for consultations over the hijacking and subsequent
destruction of an Indian airliner by Kashmiri radi-
cals. Officials in both countries insist that the
recall is not permanent. Pakistan remains incensed,
however, over New Delhi's ban against all Pakistani
flights over India, and Indian media have been crit-
ical of Pakistan's attempts to involve third coun-
tries in the dispute. Tension remains high although
most of the Indian press now concedes that troop
movements within East Pakistan are related to domes-
tic politics.
The situation within Pakistan has indeed been
further complicated by Z. A. Bhutto's announcement
that his Pakistan People's Party will not attend the
National Assembly now scheduled to meet on 3 March
to begin writing a new constitution. East Pakistan's
Awami League will have an absolute majority in the
assembly, and Bhutto is concerned that the League
will ram its program for provincial autonomy through
the assembly sessions.
Bhutto has, in effect, given notice that
West Pakistan will not accept a purely
East Pakistani constitution, but the League
may well refuse to deal with him. It hopes
to win enough support from Bhutto's West
Pakistani opponents to make it appear that
the League's constitution has the support
of both sections of the country. Many
East Pakistanis would rather split the
country than settle for anything less than
provincial autonomy, and an apparently
growing number would prefer outright in-
dependence.
East Pakistan's relationship with India
is by no means as hostile as West Paki-
stan's. India's occupation of Kashmir,
for example, does not cause the anguish
in East Pakistan that it does in West
Pakistan. In addition, East Pakistan
enjoys the economic advantage of a brisk
bilateral trade with India.
6
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POLAND
The government's decision to rescind the food price
rise constitutes a significant retreat from its pre-
vious position that food prices would not be further
increased for two years. The price rollback may
have been necessary to prevent a third wave of
strikes. Although the sit-down strike of textile
workers in Lodz was made public, the Polish press
has implied that labor unrest has also existed in
other industrial centers.
Most of the workers in Lodz have now returned to
their jobs, and Premier Jaroszewicz's announcement
of the price cut makes it clear that no further con-
cessions can be expected. To reinforce this point
he linked the government's ability to rescind the
prices with credits from the USSR. Jaroszewicz ap-
pears to be attempting to remind the workers that
the Soviets always collect their debts.
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NOTE
Communist China - Nnrth Vicli-nam?
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