THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 8 MAY 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993287
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: May 8, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
The President's Daily Brief
1
25X1
8 May 1972
4 6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
8 May 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Communist ground forces in Vietnam carried out two
heavy, assaults in the central highlands over the
weekend and otherwise kept up pressure mainly by
shelling attacks. Communist propaganda continues
highly optimistic over prospects in South Vietnam.
(Page 1)
The Soviets apparently believe.that.sraeli obduracy
precludes-any progress on the Middle East in talks
with the US at this time ? (Page 3);
On the eve,of:the.Bundestag.debate, efforts continue
to formulate a_stateMent.on .the Eastern treaties and
future options,:while strains on party unity in,both.
-camps remain intense. (Page 4)
? FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
25X1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
108
Demilitarized Zone
a Nang
MR 1
H
Di1?114' I
1.14n1Khe Pass
A
Nhon
?=71:
DARL C
4iPhnorn Penq
Mekong
PHT.I0C.
AM
RANH
BINH
BIEN
.1.9A
GO,N.00-.0
.7?MR 3
Gulf of
Thailand
104
553005 5-72
AN
XUYEN
MR 4
16
Capital Special ,Zone
108
110
MR 2
South
China
Sea
SOUTH VIETNAM
MILES
16-
14-
12-
10--
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A610700070001-1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
VIETNAM
The Communists maintained military pressure
over the weekend on the major battlefronts mainly
by shelling attacks, although enemy. ground forces
carried out two heavy assaults in the central high-
lands. North Vietnamese sappers penetrated and
heavily damaged one South Vietnamese strongpoint
north of Pleiku. Northwest of Kontum City, South
Vietnamese forces withstood another strong enemy
assault at Polei Kleng. The enemyis continuing
to move large numbers of troops and heavy equip-
ment toward Hue.
There have been further reports of enemy plans
to step up attacks against Da Nang and in southern
Binh Dinh Province. The Da Nang airfield was shelled
lightly during the weekend. Authorities in the
city are concerned that the enemy may be mixing in,
with the thousands of refugees converging there.
In Binh-Dinh, enemy forces have
been infiltrating into Qui Nhon, the provincial
capital, and there are signs that the enemy intends
to renew pressure in the An Khe Pass to block Route
19--the .main South Vietnamese supply route into the
highlands-.
Farther south, the Communists have been hitting.
An Loc with more than 1,000 rounds of mOrtar and
artillery_fire a day. A prisoner taken over the
weekend says that the commander of the Communist
9th Division has been reprimanded for his failure
to seize'An Loc and that the 5th Division now has
been assigned the mission.
Propaganda from Vietnamese Communist outlets
continues highly optimistic over the prospects in
South Vietnam. Military action is now claimed to
have opened up the possibility of "total victory,"
and is being compared to the battle of Dien Bien
Phu, the anniversary of which the Communists cele-
brated yesterday.
Although the propaganda is intended to
prepare the Communist rank and file for
further intensive military action, we
believe that it also reflects a basically
optimistic assessment of the progress of
the military, campaign after the first
month.
(continued)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Communist propaganda is also devoting increased
attention to exhorting the South Vietnamese populace
to rise up in "insurrection" in su port of the mili-
tary offensive.
According to the North Vietnamese military news-
paper, political agitation and the organization of
liberated areas has now become one of the "most
important" tasks? in the offensive.
2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14: CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
USSR - MIDDLE EAST
Soviet Foreign Ministry spokesman Y. D. Pyrlin
told a US Embassy officer in Moscow on Friday that
the Soviets were not currently devising any new pro-
posals on the Middle East and that he did not expect
much in the way of results on this subject from the
meetings with President Nixon. An influential Egyp-
tian journalist, Mohamad Oda, came away from Moscow
last week with the same impression after talking
with Soviet journalists and academicians.
From the remarks of both PyrZin and Oda,
it appears that the Soviets believe that
Israeli obduracy precludes any progress
on the Middle East at this time. They
may nevertheless wish to come up with
something to lend impetus to the negoti-
ating process in the hope of reviving bi-
lateral Middle East talks with the US and
persuading the Arabs that Moscow is active
in seeking a political settlement.
Moscow may propose a reopening of the Suez
Canal provided that Israel agrees to with-
draw its forces from the east bank and
does not insist on immediate canal transit
rights.
25X1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
WEST GERMANY
As efforts continue to formulate a statement
of the German view that the Eastern treaties do not
preclude a German peace treaty or eventual reunifica-
tion, government and opposition leaders are concen-
trating their energies on maintaining party disci-
pline for the debate and vote scheduled for tomorrow
and Wednesday.
Barzel, in an effort to
regroup his forces, may announce in today's CDU
caucus that he will seek to postpone the debate even
further. The fact that West Berlin deputies can vote
on procedural matters, however, would net Brandt an
additional: two votes in countering any such stalling
tactic.
4
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTE
USSR-Cuba:
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
25X1
25X1
?
Declassified in Part-Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1
Top Secret
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700070001-1