THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 3 JANUARY 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993058
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: January 3, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/15 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010300010001-1
The President's Daily Brief
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3 January 1972
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
3 January 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
North Vietnamese artillery attacks caused extensive
damage to the irregular complex at Long Tieng in
north Laos this weekend. (Page 1)
Pakistan's denial of a report that it will release
Mujibur Rahman this week may be more indicative of
a change of timing than of a change of plans.
(Page 2)
Neither the UK nor Malta shows any sign of relaxing
its terms to halt a British pull-out, while Malta is
still having only limited success in seeking alter-
nate sources of financing. (Page 3)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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AREA OF
MAIN MAP
Vientiane
LAOS: Plaine des Jarres Area
avannakhet
r?-/
Na Khang
\
6
61
Ban
Gnil@eaksong
Nor" Khe
Bouam Long@
uong
Soul
13 Government
ir operations center
Hill 166
Ban N
Phou ong Ma
ong
Sam T
ha Tam Bleung
Phou Pha Sal
Long Tien
Defensi
Line
ha Dong
Heavy artillery attacks
Ban So
lb
0 20 M i es
'
lb 2.0 Kilometers
552377.1-72 CIA
0 Government-held location
0 Communist-held location r
_
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LAOS
North Vietnamese 130-mm. guns have fired more
than 300 rounds into the Long Tieng complex since
31 December when the Communists launched their first
heavy artillery attacks against the base. All build-
ings and ordnance of the Lao Air Force have been de-
stroyed, and one 105-mm. howitzer has been disabled.
Although the Long Tieng airstrip is still usable,
air operations have been shifted to Ban Son, about
20 miles to the southwest.
US tactical air strikes were flown against the
130-mm. gun firing positions, located just south Of
the Plaine des Jarres, on 31 December and January.
At least three of the guns are believed to have been
damaged. Cloud, cover and haze have hampered subse-
quent air strikes however, and intercepts of 1 Jan-.
Aiary indicate that,the North Vietnamese are trying
to confuse the US pilots by building decoy positions.
They are also bringing up additional 130-mm. ammuni-
tion.
No enemy infantry attack has developed thus
far, and ground activity in. the area remains limited
to scattered clashes. On 31 December, a four-battal-
ion irregular task force, totaling over 1,000 men,
arrived in Long Tieng from Savannakhet. These ir-
regulars, who have been quite effective in south
Laos, are deployed a few miles north of Long. Tieng
at Tha Tam Bleung and Phou Long Mat.
Casualties at Long Tieng have been light.thus
far. Even so, according to the US Embassy in Vien-
tiane, the shelling is. lowering the morale of the
irregulars
In south Laos, government positions about five
miles west of Paksong on the Bolovens Plateau came
under heavy attack on 31 December and were abandoned.
The Lao Army troops manning them dispersed, leaving
behind trucks and three 105-mm. howitzers which
were later destroyed by air strikes. Other Lao
Army units have pulled back to Ban Gnik, an irregu-
lar position on the western edge of the plateau.
Ban Gnik is now the government's forward defense
point.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
PAKISTAN-BANGLADESH-INDIA
Pakistan's repudiation .of a Time corre-
spondent's report to the effect that
Mujibur Rahman would be unconditionally
released on 7 January does not necessarily
mean that President Bhutto has Changed his
mind. It is more, likely that press leaks
of the story have caused Bhutto to recon-
sider his timing. Bhutto may hope the re-
lease of Mujib would ease the atmosphere
for negotiations with India and hasten the.
repatriation of Pakistani priSoners.
The return of Mujib, who is regarded as
Bangladesh's legitimate leader by the vast
majority of the people as well as most po-
litical and guerrilla factions-, would
greatly help the new government to solid-
ify its 'control over the country. The
sheikh's presence would also help bring
under control the current competition for
power among the political factions'.
Although some leftist parties have recently
been rebuffed in their efforts to gain en-
try into the cabinet, pro-Soviet elements
in the ruling Awami League have been gain-
ing-in-influence. Pro-Soviet Prime Minis-
ter Tajuddin Ahmad gained added responsi-
bilities when cabinet portfolios were re-
distributed last week, and Abdus Samad--
who is also considered friendly to Mos-
cow?replaced a pro-West politician as
foreign minister.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh authorities, with In-
dian help, are making progress toward getting the
country back on its feet. Rail and bus service has
resumed in many parts of the country, and telecom-
munications links have been re-established with most
areas. Many shops and banks are also reported to be
back in business, as are most of the facilities at
the country's main port, Chittagong. The Indian
Army has been playing a major role in the restora-
tions of roads, river crossings, and communications.
2
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
MALTA-UK
Prime Minister Mintoff's quick trip to Libya
on Friday appears to have produced only limited
results in the way of alternate financing to that
of the British.
Mintoff was prom?
-
ised some assistance in the form of both grants and
loans, but all discussion of long-term aid was left
to the future. On the same day, Mintoff told Am-
bassador Ellsworth that he would like the British
to stay on if an agreement could be reached, but
that he would prefer Malta to be "independent" if
it is going to have financial troubles.
British forces, under Mintoff's last-minute
extension of their departure deadline until 15
January, have begun dismantling some military equip-
ment. In London, Foreign Office Under Secretary
Wiggin.raised the idea on 1 January of UK-US talks
about future negotiating steps, but said he doubted
any satisfactory and durable agreement could be
reached with Mintoff. He reiterated that the pres-
ent British attitude is to wait and see whether the
imminent prospect of their departure would give the
Maltese Government sober second thoughts.
3
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OSA Class Guided Missile Patrol Boat
Length 128 feet
Maximum speed 40 knots
Missiles 4 single SS-N-2 launchers
rN ^7,
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NOTES
USSR-Cuba: Two Soviet-ocean7going tugs, each
towing an Osa-class guided missile patrol boat with
crew, were sighted on 1 January some 1,100 miles
east of Cuba. If they continue toward the Carib-
bean, it will mark the first, appearance of these
patrol boats in Cuban Waters. The Osa carries four
guided missiles, which have a range of about .20
miles. Currently, the Cubans have 18 of the Komar-
class guided missile patrol. boats, which have only
two missile tubes.
Egypt-Israel-US: Egyptian reaction to press
reports that the US will resume shipment of Phantom
jet fighters to Israel has been limited to a rel-
atively restrained comment by "informed sources" in
an interview with the Middle East News Agency. Al-
though it is unusual for such "sources" to issue a
statement on a Muslim holy day, the comment seemed
pro forma and closed no doors to future diplomatic
moves by the US or Egypt.
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Top Secret
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