THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 27 JANUARY 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993105
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: January 27, 1972

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The President's Daily Brief
27 January 1972
27
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
27 January 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Viet Cong officials in Hanoi have issued an appeal
for a popular uprising in South Vietnam presumably
keyed to the coming Communist offensive. (Page 1)
In Laos, government forces are strengthening their
defenses around Long Tieng. (Page 2)
North Vietnam
Cambodia. (Page 3)
Widespread opposition among black Rhodesians is
threatening to upset the UK-Rhodesia settlement.
(Page 4)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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SOUTH VIETNAM
In an unusual full-dress news conference in
Hanoi on 25 January, Viet Cong representatives is-
sued a "policy statement" calling on the South Viet-
namese to overthrow the Thieu government and drive
out the Americans. As part of the appeal, which
was later broadcast by Radio Hanoi, the Viet Cong
officials reiterated a two-year-old proposal by
their "Provisional Government" offering amnesty to
any South Vietnamese soldier or civilian who would
now support a general uprising. The statement also
offered lenient treatment to civilian officials,
regardless of their previous record, if they will
join the anti-Saigon cause. Commenting on the
statement, Hanoi's official newspaper praised the
amnesty proposal and emphasized that "now is the
time for our entire people to arise and hit the
enemy."
This is the first time since Tet of 1968
that the Communists have formally called
for an uprising in the South. Hanoi un-
doubtedZy hopes that the statement will
intimidate Saigon's forces and the South
Vietnamese population in preparation for
the coming Communist offensive. As in
the past, the Communists may also antici-
pate that this kind of propaganda will
help them get maximum advantage from any
military successes.
Calling for a popular uprising also carries
a propaganda risk for the Communists, how-
ever. Although the enemy's military units
are capable of striking many populated
areas of South Vietnam, it is doubtful
that they have sufficient assets in place
to demonstrate a significant degree of
popular support during the attack. Many
ranking enemy cadres in South Vietnam are
said to be highly dissatisfied with the
way recruitment and political agitation
have been going and are particularly skep-
tical of Communist strength in the cities,
where, according to Communist doctrine,
a "general" uprising must culminate. Thus,
the Communists may be setting themselves
up for a political disappointment that
could cost them some of the credibility
and support, both in South Vietnam and
abroad, that might be generated by a dra-
matic military effort.
1
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LONG TIENG AREA
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LAOS
/-A new fire support base
south of Long Tieng will soon be operational. The
Long Tieng airstrip has been reopened for limited
use by Lao Air Force T-28s and small resupply air-
craft.
These developments should make it possible
for yang. Pao to mount a-more. cohesive and
flexible defense and to begin more aggres-
sive patrol operations aimed at locating
enemy units for air and artillery strikes.
The North Vietnamese have maintained a moderate
level of ground probes and shelling attacks on ir-
regular positions around Long Tieng.
the Communists are continuing to push
ahead with a road from the southwestern edge of the
Plaine des Jarres toward Tha Tam Bleung.
Most North Vietnamese combat units appear to be re-
supplying and refitting; and intercepts from some
:have made reference to receiving replacements. They
could resume. an assault on Long Tieng shortly after
supplies.- are brought in over the new- road.
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CAMBODIA - NORTH VIETNAM
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
UK-RHODESIA
The UK-Rhodesian agreement arrived at last No-
vember called for creation of a commission to study-
the acceptability of the settlement among Rhodesia's
Africans. The commission is now operating under the
chairmanship of Lord Pearce and is encountering evi-
dence of widespread opposition among black Rhodesians
to the preliminary settlement. As expected, most
urban blacks are against the accord, but there are
also early signs that rural Africans are solidly
opposed.
The commission still has about six weeks
of canvassing ahead of it. Unless the pre-
sent trend is reversed soon, which seems
unlikely, Lord Pearce will have no recourse
but to report to London that the agreement
is unacceptable to Rhodesian Africans. In
that case, the settlement, which London
views as a last-ditch effort to prevent
Salisbury from turning to South Africa's
type of apartheid, would be dead.
4
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CAMBODIA
ung Tren
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTES
Indochina: Both aerial observation and sensor-
detection indicate that the North Vietnamese are
sustaining a high level of vehicle activity in the
Laotian panhandle since they began their logistic
push earlier this month. One logistic organization
located in northeast Cambodia near Siem Pang notes,
in an intercept, that it moved 118 tons of supplies
on 15 January and that some 126 tons of 82-mm. mor-
tar ammunition--more than 20,000 rounds--are stored
in its area. The location of the stockpile, one of
the largest of a single type of ammunition ever de-
tected in this part of Cambodia, is such that the
ammunition could be made available fairly rapidly-
to combat units either in South Vaetnam's central
highlands or in the COSVN area farther south.
Warsaw Pact: The statement on European secu-
rity issued at the end of the Warsaw Pact summit
meeting yesterday contained nothing new. There is
no indication that Moscow has formulated a negoti-
ating position or has arrived at a realistic way-
to get talks on force reductions under way. Never-
theless, the statement may well touch off a new
round of pronouncements by Moscow and its allies
professing interest in such talks. The Soviets may
see special merit in this over the next several
weeks as a means of attesting their desire to lessen
tensions in Europe and to take some play away from
President Nixon's visit to Peking.
5
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Top Secret
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