THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 15 MARCH 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993193
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: March 15, 1972

Declassified in 'Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T06936A010500140001-5
The President's Daily Brief
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15 March 1972
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
15 March 1972,
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Page 12
/South Vietnam
\ North Vietnam/
In the Laos fighting, a Communist mortar attack
forced an irregular battalion to abandon two defen-
sive positions on Skyline Ridge yesterday. (Page 2)
Soviets
(Page 3)
Ceylonese insurgents are
new campaign of terrorism.
(Page 4)
planning a
Arab media are charging King Husayn with making a
secret deal with Israel. (Page 5)
The East Germans appear to ?be getting in step with
Soviet efforts to help assure Bundestag ratifica-
tion of Bonn's .Eastern treaties. (Page 5)
Chinese
(Page 5)
Finns
I (Page 5)
At An
/Cam-
bodia.
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Communist Divisions Pose Offensive Threat to Vietnam
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CHINA
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552678 3-72 CIA
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NORTH VIETNAM SOUTH VIETNAM
With more than two months to go in the dry sea-
son, North Vietnamese infiltration toward South Viet-
nam and Cambodia already is equal to or greater than
that for any previous year except 1967-68, when a
massive infusion of manpower occurred after the Tet
offensive began. About 40,000 of this season's in-
filtrators are earmarked for the central highlands.
This is the highest number we have ever noted head-
ing for this area, and four times the average sent
there in the past three years. By contrast, the
flow of men to Cambodia and the lower half of South
Vietnam--the COSVN area--is running at about the
same pace as in earlier years.
Since mid-December, nine Communist infantry di-
visions have been involved in movements toward or
into South Vietnam. These include all five of the
divisions based in North Vietnam that have seen corn-
bat in. South Vietnam in the past four years. Three
of these, the 304th, 320th, and 324B, appear to be
headed for the northern half of South Vietnam, and
many, of their subordinate units are now in place.
The 308th has moved from Hanoi to the panhandle
just north of the DMZ, and there is evidence that
the 325th will follow it. Farther south, major
elements of the 2nd Division have returned from
Laos to the central highlands. The 5th, 7th, and
9th divisions in Cambodia have moved toward the
provinces bordering Saigon, the first time that all
three of them have been this far east since April
1970.
The Communist main-force units will have greater
firepower than before. They have moved 130-mm.
field guns into position north of the DMZ, other
heavy guns are being moved into the two northern
provinces of South Vietnam, and 122-mm. field guns
and howitzers have been sent to the central high-
lands and to COSVN. In addition, tanks have been
spotted north of the DMZ, southwest of the DMZ in
Laos, and moving into the central highlands.
Because artillery, armor, and massed troops
are vulnerable to air interdiction, the Communists
also have improved their air defenses in Laos, north
of the DMZ, and in South Vietnam as well. There
has recently been an increase in MIG activity over
southern North Vietnam and adjacent areas of Laos.
1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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LAOS
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552682 3-72 CIA
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LAOS
The situation at Long Tieng has worsened appre-
ciably. A Communist mortar attack forced an irregu-
lar battalion to abandon two defensive positions on
Skyline Ridge yesterday. These positions were
quickly occupied by Communist troops, and efforts
to retake them have failed. Although the remaining
positions on Skyline Ridge have also been shelled,
the irregulars .manning. them have held their ground.
The North Vietnamese are also shelling the Long Tieng
valley. Poor weather conditions have curtailed air
strikes against the enemy gun positions north of the
government, complex..
To the northwest, irregulars holding the three
remaining positions in the Sam Thong area have re-
ported no significant activity since 11 March. In-
tercepted messages, however, suggest that elements
from the North Vietnamese 165th Regiment intend to
move against these positions and are preparing to
bring tanks into Sam Thong from the Tha Tam Bleung
area. From Sam Thong these tanks could move by
road into Long Tieng.
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USSR
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CEYLON
an insurgent group--apparently the same one
thaE attacked the US Embassy a year ago--is planning
another such attack as part of a new campaign of ter-
rorism. The group also plans an assault on air force
headquarters and assassination attempts against ci-
vilian and military leaders.
Ceylonese authorities are giving greater
credence to these reports than they did
to similar signs of'trouble during the
past year. The armed forces and police?
have been placed on alert and other secu-
rity precautions, such as providing guards
for the US Embassy, are being taken.
Although Ceylon's insurgents may well
launch a new wave of terrorism, it is un-
likely that they could mount attacks on
the scale of the island-wide insurgency
that almost toppled the government last
April. Some 14,000 rebels are still being
held in detention camps, and those at
large are not well armed.
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NOTES
Jordan: As King Husayn's proposal for a semi-
autonomous Palestinian state has leaked out, Arab
media have begun to charge him with making a secret
deal with Israel. Arab leaders are not likely to
come out in support of Husayn's proposal, nor are
they likely to try to stem the flood of invective
sure to come against the King, Israel, and the US,
which maintains ties with both of them. In this
atmosphere, prospects for the assassination of the
King are increased.
East Germany - West Germany: The East Germans
appear to be getting in step with Soviet efforts to
help assure Bundestag ratification of Bonn's East-
ern treaties. In a speech last week, East German
party leader Honecker gave the treaties his strong-
est endorsement to date. He referred to them as
the linchpin to European detente and indicated that
ratification would contribute to inter-German rap-
prochement.
China:
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Finland-USSRI
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CAMBODIA
aigort
VI TNAM
0 Principal city (10,000 or over)
En Population over 125 per sq.mi.
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CAMBODIA
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/
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PUK 11-1h PKEVIJEN 1 UNLY
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