THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 17 MARCH 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993197
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: March 17, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/15 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010500160001-3
The President's Daily Brief
17 March 1972
47
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
17 March 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Cambodian politicians are reluctant to serve as
prime minister under Lon Nol. (Page 1) 25X1
Soviet
(Page 2)
The British are making concessions to the Guatema-
lans on British Honduras. (Page 3)
Pakistani President Bhutto has again signaled to
the Indians that he is ready to negotiate. (Page 4)
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CAMBODIA
President Lon Nol is having trouble finding a
prominent civilian to fill the prime ministership.
several politi-
cians have already refused to head .a new cabinet.
Sink Matak, the former prime minister delegate,
has publicly petitioned Lon Nol for permission to
return to private life.
The politicians' reluctance to serve as
prime minister reflects the widespread
fear that the military will dominate the
new government. This fear appears to be
justified.
Once the temperamental Matak cools down,
he may have second thoughts about quitting,
and Lon Nol, who is aware of the need for
Matak's skills, may make an effort to per-
suade him to stay on. If Matak does bow
out, the students and those Buddhist and
intellectual elements who have supported
their protests will claim a victory and
be encouraged to begin agitating on other
issues.
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USSR-MALTA-UK:
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UK-GUATEMALA
The British,/ /
to tell Foreign Minister Herrera that, out of defer-
ence to Guatemala's views, London will not send any
Gurkha troops to British Honduras. Furthermore,
London will raise its total garrison strength in
the colony to less than 600 men rather than 700 to
1,000 as originally planned. British Honduran
Premier Price, meanwhile, is arriving in London on
Monday.
The British presumably intend to tell
Price to shelve his plans for independence
in the near future and to stop making pub-
lic statements that provoke the Guatema-
lans. These British concessions should
ease the situation. President Arana can
be expected to press for further, conces-
sions, but, with few trumps to play, he
may eventually decide to be satisfied
with these adjustments.
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PAKISTAN
President Bhutto has provided an additional
signal to encourage India into early negotiations.
Before leaving for Moscow he told Indian newsmen
that he was willing to. end Pakistan's past policy
of confrontation over Kashmir, leaving the resolu-
tion of the dispute to the local-inhabitants.
Previously, Pakistan has claimed Kashmir
because the majority of its people are
Muslim and has committed itself to help?
ing the Kashmiris fight for theirself-
determination. India has rejected all
past proposals for a plebiscite. Bhutto
may calculate that, by suggesting flexi?
bility oi'vKashmir, he can facilitate the
negotiations he needs to get back Paki-
stan's 90,000 prisoners of war.
(
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Top Secret
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/15 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010500160001-3