THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 28 FEBRUARY 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993163
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: February 28, 1972

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The President's Daily Brief
28 February 1972
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THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
28 February 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
London and Peking have agreed to raise their diplo-
matic representation to the ambassadorial level.
(Page 1)
North Viptnair
US
(Page 2)
In the Laos fighting, yang Pao's irregulars operating
east of the Plaine des Jarres are encountering stiff
enemy resistance. (Page 3)
Israel is continuing its air and ground attacks
against fedayeen bases in Lebanon. (Page 4)
Additional Communist main-force units in eastern
Cambodia are moving closer to the South Vietnamese
border. (Page 5)
The Thai Army is conducting its largest operation
to date against a major insurgent stronghold in
northern Thailand. (Page 6)
Libyan Deputy Premier Jallud is in Moscow in quest
of more Soviet arms. (Page 7)
Chile
US
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(Page 8)
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CHINA-UK
London and Peking have agreed to raise their
diplomatic representation to the ambassadorial level.
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NORTH VIETNAM - US
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LAOS
yang Pao's irregulars operating east of the
Plaine des Jarres-are'encountering stiff enemy re-
sistance. The North Vietnamese have reacted most
strongly to one task force that had been moving to-
ward the enemy's 130-mm. guns and supply caches on
the southern edge of the Plaine. This force has
been hit hard several times in the past few days
and has retreated deeper into the foothills south-
east and east of the Plaine. The other three task
forces have also been under attack and have made
little forward progress. One of these groups, how-
ever, has occupied high ground overlooking Route 4,
an enemy supply artery east of the Plaine, and is
directing air strikes on trucks and supply areas.
Military activity around Long Tieng and Sam
Thong remains light. , Intercepted messages indicate
that troops of a third North Vietnamese regiment
have moved north from Long Tieng, apparently to de-
fend a major supply.dump near the Plaine. Two other
regiments had moved earlier in response to yang Pao's
operations. Three or four enemy regiments remain in
the area of Long Tieng, however, and aerial observers
report that the Communists are moving great quanti-
ties of supplies into depots south of the Plaine.
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--Armistice line, 1949 and 1950
Israeli-occupied territory
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ISRAEL-LEBANON
Israel is continuing its air and ground attacks
against fedayeen bases in Lebanon. Israeli aircraft
repeatedly attacked the town of Nabatiyah, the site
of a Palestinian refugee camp and a fedayeen regional
headquarters. The Israelis also launched air-sup-
ported infantry and armored strikes against the vil-
lage of Habbariyah near Mt. Hermon where Israeli
bulldozers are clearing an assault road. Israeli
aircraft ranged over central Lebanon as far north
as Bayt ad-Din, about 20 miles southeast of Beirut,
apparently providing air cover. Both fedayeen and
Israeli reports noted exchanges of fire across the
Syrian frontier in the Golan Heights area over the
weekend. Syrian military officials, however, would
not confirm fedayeen reports that Syrian anti-air-
craft units had fired on Israeli planes, according
to Damascus radio.
Reports available to the US Embassy in Beirut
indicated that at least 17 persons died in the air
attacks on Nabatiyah and that another 50 were in-
jured. Some 20,000 refugees from the border areas
were expected to reach coastal cities by Monday
morning.
Israeli officials stated Sunday night that
their forces would withdraw from Lebanon Monday
night when they had completed building access roads
into the border area.
Meanwhile, the Security Council has unanimously
approved a resolution demanding that Israel refrain
from further military ground and air actions against
Lebanon and immediately withdraw its military forces
from Lebanese territory.
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CAMBODIA - SOUTH VIETNAM
Additional Communist main-force units in east-
ern Cambodia are moving closer to the South Vietnam-
ese border. An infantry regiment from both the 7th
and 9th divisions has relocated to the Mimot area,
close to Viet Cong 5th Division elments normally
operating there. The intelligence unit of the 7th
Division, as well as headquarters and intelligence
elements from the 9th, have been detected close to
the border, indicating that the headquarters from
both divisions may already be located there. In
addition, radio direction-finding indicates that the
last 9th Division unit west of the Mekong River--the
271st Regiment--has returned to its base area in the
Chup plantation east of the river.
This is the closest that parts of three
main-force Communist divisions in eastern
Cambodia have been to South Vietnam's Tay
Ninh Province since just before the allied
cross-border operations of May 1970.
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THAILAND
Bangkok is conducting its largest counter-
insurgency operation to. date. The Thai Army has
committed over 12,000 troops against one of the
largest Communist base complexes in northern
ThailancL The Communists are putting up stiff
resistance and have inflicted well.Over 200 cas-
ualties on the Thai forces.
Despite the strong resistance, the gov-
ernment is committed to a major effort
to overrun the insurgent stronghold.
Even if it does so, however, the army
will have to establish a permanent pres-
ence in the area if the operation is to
have lasting value.
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USSR-LIBYA
Libyan Deputy Premier Jallud arrived in Moscow
. on 23 February for a five-day visit in quest of more
Soviet arms./
The Soviets would like another arms agree-
ment with the Libyans, who can pay in hard
currency, but they would want the Libyans
in return to curtail the anti-Soviet po-
lemics that have emanated from Tripoli
for the past year. Qadhafi, nonetheless,
still shows little inclination to temper
his criticism of the Soviets.
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NOTES
South Vietnam: Military activity has dropped
off in South Vietnam in recent days, although Com-
munist harassing attacks continue, Intercepts and
reports from other sources indicate that enemy
forces in a number of provinces are encountering
difficulties from allied bombings and ground sweeps,
but they are continuing to prepare for future at-
tacks.
Malta-UK: Prime Minister Mintoff postponed at
the last.minute talks in London this weekend with
Prime Minister Heath Mintoff called off his trip
after receiving a message from Heath that London
refuses to make further concessions.. In reply,
'Mintoff. renewed a demand that London stand by its
offer to the previous Maltese government of $7.8
Million for improving Malta's drydocks. The UK
told Malta last:summer that this offer had been
withdrawn because of.its new and more generOuS
over-all proposal for a settlement,:
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