THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 24 JULY 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993427
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: July 24, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDR79T00936A010900230001-1
The President's Daily Brief
24 July 1972
45
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 513(1),(2),(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
24 July 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Soviet surface-to-air missile personnel are appar-
ently part of the forces being returned from Egypt
to the USSR.
(Page 1)
In the Vietnam fighting, enemy activity increased
sharply over the weekend in both Thua Thien and
Quang Tri provinces. (Page 3)
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Vietnam 25X1
(Page 4)
Lao Prime Minister Souvanna Phouma's two-month strug-
gle with rightist elements in the national assembly
may be moving toward a showdown'. (Page 6)
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EGYPT USSR
Soviet surface-to-air missile personnel are ap-
parently part of the forces being returned to the
USSR.
There have been no flights
since President Sadat's announcement of the Soviet
withdrawal]
On the whole, Egyptian military
activity continued at a routine level.
Moscow is still trying to put on the best face
it can. Soviet leaders have sent Egyptian leaders
congratulations on the anniversary of the Egyptian
revolution and have affirmed the closeness of USSR-
Egyptian relations and continued Soviet support.
Soviet television has carried a soothing address by
the Egyptian ambassador in Moscow, and the press
has reported that Soviet advisers were being given
a warm ceremonial send-off in Cairo.
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1108 110
Demilitarized Zone
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ue
0 tpost Checkmate
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AN
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Capital Special Zone
MR 2
South
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SOUTH VIETNAM
190
MILES
16-
14-
12-
10--
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SOUTH VIETNAM
Enemy activity increased sharply during the
weekend. Communist ground and artillery-attacks
near Route? 1 in northern Thua Thien Province on
21 and 22 July resulted in a temporary restriction
of traffic on the road, which is the principal
land link to government units fighting farther
north in Quang Tri Province. There was also heavy
ground fighting around Outpost Checkmate southwest
of Hue, and government positions in this area were
hit by more than 3,300 artillery rounds in a series
of shelling attacks.
these at-
tacks aimed at interdicting Route I are to continue
through the end of the month. Artillery attacks on
Hue and surrounding positions will also continue
through July.
Action has also been heavy around Quang ,Tri
City. 0n22 July a South Vietnamese Marine bat-,
talion was airlifted to a point about six miles
north of the city, where it joined two other ma-
rine battalions. This combined force reports it
has inflicted moderate casualties on enemy forces
in fighting since the airlift. Other marine and
airborne elements have had several clashes with
enemy forces located on the city's outskirts, and
on Friday, airborne troops fought a pitched battle
inside the citadel.
In other developments on the northern front,
the headquarters of the North Vietnamese 325th
Division has moved from North Vietnam into Quang
Tri Province and is now located about 13 miles
west of Quang Tri City. Two ct its subordinate
regiments are already in Quang Tri.
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VI ETNAM
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LAOS
Prime Minister Souvanna Phouma's two-month
struggle with rightist elements in the national as-
sembly may be moving toward a showdown. An earlier
compromise between Souvanna and his critics broke
down when the King refused to invest the prime min-
ister's government until it had received a vote of
confidence from the national assembly elected last
January. The rightists, led by the powerful Sanan-
ikone family, interpret the King's refusal as sup-
porting their contention that, under the Lao consti-
tution, the Souvanna government must resign and pre-
sent a new cabinet for the approval of the new as-
sembly. The Sananikones hope to force Souvanna to
reshuffle his cabinet and in particular, to drop
Finance Minister Sisouk, their archenemy..H They
also hope to force Souvanna formally to resign in
order to undermine his argument that his "coalition"
government was invested by the 1962 Geneva Accords.,
Souvanna is taking a tough stand against the
renewed challenge from the rightists. He has with-
drawn his earlier commitment to reshuffle the cabi-
net and has made it clear that he will not disrupt
the continuity of the government by resigning. The
burden of terminating the government thus falls on
the assembly, and Souvanna appears confident that
the Sananikones lack the votes to force the issue
there.
Souvanna has moved quickly to line? up support.
On Friday he gained the strong backing of top mili-
tary leaders including those in command of troops
in the Vientiane area. These generals and prominent
civilian politicians are now lobbying with assembly
deputies on Souvanna's behalf.
Souvanna!s next move depends on. his'
mate. of his support. in the assembZy./
,.."if the lobbying appears
successful, he could seek assembly ap-
proval of his cabinet as-early-as.Wednes-
day.
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NOTE
USSR: Venus 8, an unmanned Soviet space probe,
entered the atmosphere of Venus on 22 July.
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Top Secret
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