THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 17 NOVEMBER 1971

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005992978
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: November 17, 1971

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The President's Daily Brief
17 November 1971
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THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
17 November 1971
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
In Cambodia, the government has launched several
operations to counter the Communist threat in the
Phnom Penh area. (Page 1)
New flooding in North Vietnam is likely to cause
further heavy losses in the important November rice
crop that was damaged by high waters in August.
(Page 3)
A number of European leaders are increasingly worried
over the deadlocked international monetary situation
and warn of strong pressures for retaliation and
trouble for NATO's military effort unless a settle-
ment is achieved soon. (Page 4)
In Southeast Asia, government moves are, having some
impact on drug Operations in triborder area of
Laos, Burma, and Thailand. (Page 5)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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CAMBODIA Phnom Penh Area
.Kompong ? ,s,,-
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Chhnang
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Tang Kauk.
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55213011-71 CIA
? Government operations
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CAMBODIA
The government has launched several operations
to counter the Communist. threat in the Phnom Penh
area. Five government battalions from operations
southwest of Phnom Penh began a belated move north
from Route 4 to aid troops encircled at Tuol Leap.
The village was overrun by the Communists, however,
before the relief column could reach the stranded
defenders. Another multibrigade force is operating
about 11 miles north of Kompong Speu town, less
than five miles from the last known location of the
North Vietnamese101D Regiment. Closer to Phnom
Penh, eight battalions are on a search-and-destroy
mission west of the capital, while two other bat-
talions are searching for enemy rocket positions
just north of Pochentong Airfield. The airfield,
which was closed to commercial air-traffic on Mon-
day, has since reopened. The daily rocket and mor-
tar shellings have caused little damage.
Reinforcements have also been brought to Phnom
Penh. A Khmer Krom infantry brigade and a squadron
of 15 armored personnel carriers from the Chenla II
front have been positioned on the city's northern
outskirts.
In addition to the Communists' 101D Regiment,
elements of the Phuoc Long Front, including its
52nd Regiment, the 96th Viet Cong Artillery Regi-
ment, and a number of Khmer Communist local force
units are within 30 miles of Phnom Penh.
US air observers report that in some cases
they have constructed concealed bunkers andfox-
holes, indicating an intention to stay in the area..
It is possible that the movement of the
Phuoc Long Front elements closer to Phnom
Penh--last dry season they operated far-
ther to the southwest--is the beginning
of a strategy to counter the government's
efforts to extend its control in the
countryside by threatening the capital.
The Communists might hope to accomplish
this by interdicting Routes 4 and 5, both
of which are within striking distance of
the 52nd and 101D regiments, or by hitting
installations close to Phnom Penh.
(continued)
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The Communists might have difficulty pur-
suing such a course over the entire dry
season, however, because of problems in
supplying forces west of Phnom Penh, the
government's numerical superiority, and
because the open terrain around Phnom Penh
makes them vulnerable to air strikes. In
any case, the movement of Communist main
force regiments west of Phnom Penh is al-
most certainly meant to have a psychologi-
cal impact on the government and the city's
residents, as well as to cause a diversion
of troops from the Chenla II operation.
2
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105
CHINA
Ning-rning
Area of flooding
SECRET
No Foreign Dissem
552119 11-71
22.0ctober
Water receding
,
Rail
, -
; fe.
ri"( 410*,Awir-
"...67.---
ceding 11
magi/ che tuei k
? a.
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NORTH VIETNAM
Photography of 22 October and 2 November shows
that a typhoon has caused new large-scale flooding
in the same general areas of the Red River Delta
that were inundated by rains last August. Many
parts of the area are isolated,_although? the prin-
cipal transportation routes appear intact.
The new flooding will further reduce yields
? and may even cause total crop failures in
fields that had survived the August floods
Considerable effort will be needed to re-
store the irrigation system. Earlier
? photography had shown extensive breaching
of irrigation canals, and a large number
of pumping stations appear to have been
damaged. Reconstruction of these facili-
ties may take up to a year, in which case
the two principal rice crops of 1972 would
be affected. The government is viewing
the, situation with alarm and has called
fo%i the planting of fast growing secondary
crops to make up some of the shortfall in
rice production.
A substantial increase in food imports
from both China and the USSR took place
in October to help offset the losses from
the flooding in August. The loss of even
a part of the November harvest and crop
shortages in 1972 would require in-
creasingly heavy imports.
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INTERNATIONAL MONETARY DEVELOPMENTS
A number of European leaders are increas-
ingly worried over the deadlocked inter-
national monetary situation. They warn
that unless economic differences are re-
solved soon, there will be strong pressures
for retaliation and difficulties for NATO's
military effort. Their concern appears
genuine. At the same time, however, they
clearly hope that by conveying these con-
cerns they will induce the US to make con-
cessions, particularly at the Group of Ten
meeting later this year.
--In Paris, Ambassador Watson notes the French
contention that opinion will turn "decisively"
against, the US if Washington fails to make clear
its terms for settlement. Many officials and busi-
nessmen apparently believe the US is blocking a ne-
gotiated solution and fear it may already be too
late to reach agreement before the issues are po-
liticized in the US and French election campaigns.
The ambassador anticipates that France may move to
protect its own trade position by means of special
export incentives, -a more restricted policy toward
US imports', or moves against US private investment.
--European central bankers meeting: recently in
Basel also voiced their alarm over the lack of prog-
ress. Each stressed that the international economic
uncertainties are damaging their economies, which
are already in recession or facing the imminent
likelihood of one. These men see the stalemate be-
tween the US andFrance over a US gold price in-
crease as the main impediment to a settlement.
--NATO Secretary General Luns fears that US-
European differences will "get out of control" if
left unsettled for four or five months. In partic-
ular, he is concerned that retaliatory measures and
recessionary trends in Europe may lead to a further
reduction in defense budgets and erosion of confi-
dence in the Alliance. He hopes for some discussion
of monetary problems at the NATO ministerial meeting
in early December.
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
The Lao Government has confiscated three tons
of acetic anhydride, a key chemical for conversion
of morphine base into heroin. This seizure consti-
tutes approximately one fourth of the acetic anhy-
dride reportedly shipped into Laos and Thailand
over the past six months.
It?usuaZZy requires one ton of the chemi-
cal to produce one ton of heroin. Short-
ages of refining chemicals have apparently
contributed to a recent slowing down of
heroin processing and marketing in the
triborder area of Laos, Burma, and Thai-
land, and to the closing of some small
refineries. Larger refineries, however,
probably have been less affected because
they can store quantities of chemicals in
excess of day-to-day needs0
traffickers
based in Burma's Shan State, a major opium- and
heroin-producing area, have encountered enough pres-
sure from Thai and Laotian officials to consider
moving their products through Rangoon rather than
the triborder area.
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NOTE
India-Pakistan: The Indian deputy-high.commis-
sioner in Karachi has booked 72 seats on flights to
New Delhi later this week for 30 staff members and
their dependents. The Indians have told US officials
in Karachi that most of those leaving had earlier
received transfer orders, but were unable to depart
because of travel restrictions which had been lifted
only recently. The Indian explanation is plausible.
On the other hand, there is no indication that New
Delhi plans to replace the departing personnel
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