THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 19 MAY 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993307
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: May 19, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T06936A010700170001-0
The President's Daily Brief
19 May 1972
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Top Secret
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010700170001-0
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
19 May 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Soviet
Vietnam
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Military action has remained relatively light
throughout most of South Vietnam, but increased
enemy action in the Mekong Delta appears likely.
(Page 2)
China's People's Daily has carried the complete text
of President Nixon's address of 8 May. (Page 3)
(Page 4)
Chile
North Vietnam.
(Page 5)
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USSR-VIETNAM
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108 110
Demilitarized Zone
tl
MR 1
THAILAND
OUANG'TIN
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.KONTUIYI
Kontum
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Afekong
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:TU "YEN
AM
ANN
PHUOC
LONG
NINH
THUAN
LAM GONG
TAY
NINH
BINH
DUONG
Enemy attack
CHAU
DOC
KIEN
PHONG
AN
GUANO
KMN
TUONG
MAU
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BIEN
MOO
LONG
XHANH
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Gulf of
Thailand
1(1)4
55100 5-72
NH
LONG
KIEN HO
VINH
BINH
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BAC LIEU
AN
XUYEN
MR 4
R3
Capital Special Zone
16-
14-
MR 2
South
China
Sea
12-
10--
SOUTH VIETNAM
MILES
110
1110
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SOUTH VIETNAM
Military action remains relatively, light through-
outmost of South Vietnam. Two skirmishes were re-
ported yesterday near Kontum City, and a government
relief force is continuing to make further progress
toward An Loc.
Government forces continue to counterattack
north and west of Hue
Fighting has increased in the southern Mekong
Delta, where North Vietnamese troops have attacked
and partially overrun a district capital in Kien
Giang Province that is astride the infiltration
route from Cambodia.
During the past month four South
Vietnamese regiments have moved from the delta to
the relief of An Loc. This leaves two government
divisions in the delta and significantly shifts the
balance of opposing forces in the Communists' favor
The South Vietnamese still seem to have
the upper hand in the most heavily popu-
lated regions of the Mekong Delta, but
there are signs that the North Vietnamese
intend to concentrate their main force
units to take advantage of the weakened
South Vietnamese position. Hanoi is now
able to assemble the most powerful striking
force of regular troops it has ever had in
this region. Even though this force is
weak in artillery, and apparently lacks
armor, it is still capable of opening yet
another major battlefront.
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CHINA-US-VIETNAM
The People's Daily of 11 May, which was just
received in Hong Kong, carried the complete text
of President Nixon's address on 8 May. This issue
had featured Peking's first authoritative comment
on the speech; a note at the end of the official
comment directed the readers' attention to the text.
The comment had been broadcast by the Chinese, but
the speech was not.
It is not unprecedented for Chinese media
to carry the text of foreign statements
that are then subjected to criticism,
but in the case of the speech on 8 May
the Chinese have confined their attacks
to the military measures announced and
have not commented on the cease-fire and
withdrawal proposals. People's Daily,
in effect, 'leaves the latter before the
reader without rebuttal. Hanoi will not
be pleased that the article also let
stand without comment the President's
statement that the actions he announced
were not directed against any other na-
tion.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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NORTH VIETNAM
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CH I LE
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTES
West Germany: With opposition leader Barzel
calling for an end to procrastination, Christian
Democratic state leaders decided yesterday not to
delay the vote on the Eastern treaties until 25 or
26 May. Ratification of the treaties is expected
today when the opposition Christian Democrats, de-
spite their 21-20 edge, should allow the treaties
to pass in the Bundesrat by the abstention of one
or more state governments.
USSR-Cuba: The F-class submarine that has been
at Mariel departed early ?this week, marking the first
time in some ten weeks that no Soviet warships have
been in Cuba. The diesel attack submarine was east
of Cape Kennedy on 18 May, apparently headed home.
The Soviet destroyer, submarine tender, and tanker
that left Cuba ahead of the submarine have maintained
a northeasterly heading since entering the Atlantic
early ?this month.
Egypt-Iraq:
France: According to the atomic affairs of-
ficer of the French Foreign Ministry, the 1972 nu-
clear test series is to run from late June to the
end of July at the Pacific test center east of
Tahiti. The officer said the tests are to be low-
yield detonations of 20 kilotons or less, in con-
trast to earlier reports that at least one test
this year would be a high-yield thermonuclear ex-
plosion.
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Top Secret
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