THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 11 DECEMBER 1971

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993024
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: December 11, 1971

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/18 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010200110001-1
The President's Daily Brief
11 December 1971
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
11 December 1971
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
New Delhi has ignored Pakistan's call for a cease-
fire in the East and Indian forces are pressing the
attack on Dacca. (Page 1)
Peking
Indochina. (Page 3)
Another North Vietnamese Army regiment is preparing
to move to South Vietnam. (Page 4)
The USSR
Japan
(Page 4)
The inter-German and inter-Berlin agreements are
be initialed today. (Page 4)
At Annex we discuss the Communist threat to Laos.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
INDIA-PAKISTAN
The Indians are pressing their attack on Dacca.
The Indian forces closest to the capital, those ap-
proaching from the east, control most of the Paki-
stani territory up to the Meghna River. The Indians
have crossed the Meghna at Bhairab Bazar upstream
from Dacca and have advanced to within 36 miles of
the city. They are apparently meeting little re-
sistance and claim that only the many small rivers
in the area are blocking their way. The retreating
Pakistanis are said to have destroyed many bridges.
So far the Pakistani Army in the Dacca area
has not shown much inclination to prepare for a last-
ditch stand.
Some Pakistani troops around Dacca are said to have
been discarding their uniforms and donning civilian
clothes. Some troops have made their way to port
towns below Dacca only to find that Indian domina-
tion of the Bay of Bengal and the main river routes
has closed off the possibility of escape by sea.
Both sides continue to claim successes in the
western front but neither appears to have made any
important gains. In northern Kashmir, the Pakistanis
say they have beaten back Indian counterattacks in
the Kargil and Tithwal areas. They also claim to be
gaining some ground amid heavy fighting in Indian
territory near Chhamb. In the Sialkot sector the
Indians are reported to have the initiative, and
farther south, the Indians claim they have captured
over 1,200 square miles in the sparsely populated
Sind area.
Pakistan has withdrawn a proposal for an im-
mediate cease-fire and the transfer of political
power in East Pakistan, replacing it with another
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offer which does not provide for an immediate polit-
ical settlement. The new proposal, which is being
submitted to UN Secretary General Thant, calls for
an immediate cease-fire in the East and guarantees
for the safety of Pakistani armed forces and other
non-Bengalis in the province. The message to Thant
makes it clear that Pakistan is not proposing a sur-
render by its armed forces. According to Pakistani
Foreign Secretary Sultan Khan, Islamabad would also
accept a cease-fire on the western front, on the
basis of the recently passed UN General Assembly
resolution or under the general terms of a cease-
fire and a stand-fast to be observed by UN repre-
sentatives. Negotiations for settlement of the war,
troop withdrawal, and "satisfaction of Bengali as-
pirations" would follow.
There has been no Indian response as yet,
but at this juncture, with the Indians
so close to a complete victory in the East,
they are unlikely to accept a proposition
that does not include a surrender and an
immediate turnover of power to the Ben-
galis.
Moscow, in an authoritative article in Pravda
yesterday, expressed discomfiture about the results
of the UN General Assembly debate and concern about
the fact that the crisis has brought Peking and
Washington together on a major international issue.
The author attributed the defeat of the Soviet Gen-
eral Assembly resolution to the fact that some coun-
tries--i.e., China and the US--hope to gain from the
conflict while others were merely duped.
Secretary General Thant has agreed to an In-
dian demand that the UN withdraw all of its person-
nel ?from East Pakistan and close its operations
there. Assistant UN Secretary General Henry in
Dacca believes that India made this demand in order
to force the UN to deal with Bangla Desh authorities
by breaking UN ties with Islamabad's officials ?in
the province.
2
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COMMUNIST CHINA - INDOCHINA
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NOTES
North Vietnam: Intercepts indicate that the
North Vietnamese 304th Division is sending one of
its regiments, the 24th, across the DMZ into Quang
Tri Province. Small teams from the regiment have
already conducted reconnaissance below the DMZ, and
the regiment's main elements are scheduled to move
south by next Thursday. We have no evidence that
the rest of the division plans to move at this time.
The 304th frequently rotates its three regiments in
and out of Quang Tri to maintain pressure in this
area, usually in the winter months. This movement
would be in addition to the indications reported
in The President's possibly
Brief of 9 December that
the-770th and the--77TB divisions are going
south.
USSR-Japan:
West Germany - East Germany: According to both
West and East German officials, the way has now been
cleared for initialing the inter-German and inter-
Berlin agreements today. The deadlock in the inter-
Berlin talks concerning visits by West Berliners to
East Berlin and East Germany was resolved yesterday.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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