THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 20 MARCH 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993201
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: March 20, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/18 : CIA-RDP79T-00936A010500180001-1
The President's Daily Brief
20 March 1972
46
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
20 March 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
The battle for Long Tieng resumed on Saturday.
(Page 1)
Enemy main force units are moving from the mountains
on the Laotian border toward South Vietnamese coastal
targets near Hue. (Page 2)
Son Ngoc Thanh's appointment as prime minister of
Cambodia should ease political tensions. (Page 3)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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LAOS: Plaine des Jarres Area
AREA OF
MAIM MAP
Vienti ne
J
LAOS
Bouam Longo
Nam 103
Ban Ban
Muong
Soui
Sam T
Bleung
Long Tien
13
eha Dong
epha Khao
Ban So
? Government-held location
20 M les I
1
i 0 ? Communist-held location j
Lb 20 Kilometers
552703 3-72 CIA
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LAOS
The anticipated assault on Long Tieng is under
way. North Vietnamese infantry began hitting gov-
ernment defensive positions on Skyline Ridge over-
looking the valley on Saturday. Later on the same
day, they forced the remaining government forces
from Sam Thong.
Yesterday morning the Communists launched heavy
assaults along the length of Skyline Ridge, winning
two government defensive positions by mid-afternoon.
The enemy directed heavy artillery and mortar fire
at the rest of the Long Tieng complex. The govern-
ment is using all available air support to stem the
Communist drive.
North Vietnamese preparations for this as-
sault have been evident for several weeks.
Apparently the Communists' timetable was
set back by logistics problems, aggravated
by government' air strikes and diversionary
ground operations. Given the Communists'
logistics problems, this could be their
last good opportunity to take the Long
Tieng Valley during the current dry season.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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DEMILITARIZED
ZONE
GULF OF TONKIN
Area,iif etiem attacks
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552701 3-72 CIA
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SOUTH VIETNAM
Sharp fighting broke out less than 20 miles
southwest of Hue over the weekend. More than two
Communist battalions, supported by shellings to-
taling some 150 large-caliber rockets and over
1,000 rounds of mortar fire, attacked South Viet-
namese field positions blocking enemy main forces
moving from the mountains toward coastal targets.
According? to the South Vietnamese, Communist
losses in the weekend action totaled 280 killed
and more than 215 weapons lost; the South Viet-
namese lost 27 killed and 83 wounded. The enemy
unit involved in these battles has been identified
as the North Vietnamese 6th Regiment, which moved
eastward from the Laos border during February.
Other Communist main force units appear to be
moving in the same direction.
2
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CAMBODIA
The appointment of Son Ngoc Thanh as prime min-
ister should ease political tensions. President
Lon Nol picked Thanh, who served as prime minister
briefly in 1945, after five other candidates had
turned down the post. The 63-
year-old Thanh's anti-Sihanouk
credentials and his reputation
for honesty should mollify the
restive students and others
who have been agitating against
royalist tendencies and corrup-
tion. Thanh has few enemies
among influential politicians.
His support within the mili-
tary establishment is uncer-
tain, but he has close ties
with the Khmer Krom, the army's
elite fighting force.
Son Ngoc Thanh
Lon Nol evidently intends to keep Thanh on a
short leash. Thanh, who will serve concurrently as
foreign minister, told the press that he accepted
the prime ministership without conditions
//An intercepted
message indicates that although decisions are not
final, military officers will receive several key
ministries and there will be some civilian holdovers.
Thanh's appointment seems to have pre-
cluded any important post for Sink Matak,
with whom the new prime minister has been
at odds for years. The energetic Thanh,
who unlike Sink Matak, is not close to
Lon Nol, could soon become frustrated
with Lon NoZ's restraints and his constant
interference in the government's day-to-
day affairs.
3
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NOTES
Arab States - Jordan: The Confederation of
Arab Republics (Egypt, Syria, and Libya) has re-
jected King Husayn's West Bank proposal, terming
it a unilateral effort to solve a pan-Arab problem.
The confederation statement does not explicitly
charge that Husayn made a secret deal with the
Israelis, but suspicion of such an agreement is
implicit in the document. Palestinian resistance
leaders, meanwhile, continue to denounce the pro-
posal, and on 17 March Fatah radio said an emer-
gency meeting of the Fatah central committee re-
iterated its determination to overthrow Husayn.
China:
4
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Top Secret
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