THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 10 AUGUST 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993457
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: August 10, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/18 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011000090001-5
The President's Daily Brief
10 August 1972
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. I 1652
exemption category 58( I
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT S DAILY BRIEF
10 August 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
In South Vietnam, enemy forces have launched several
ground attacks over the past few days in an effort
to regain the initiative in northern Military Re-
gion 1. In the North, recent photography shows
some flooding along the Thuong River and several
breaches in one section of the secondary dike sys-
tem. (Page 1)
Soviet party chief Brezhnev recently addressed
senior party and government officials on the pros-
pects for this year's grain harvest. (Page 3)
The Egyptians are reshuffling their forces to fill
gaps created by the withdrawal of Soviet military
personnel. The Soviet withdrawal continues and may
near completion by the end of the month. (Page 4)
Satellite photography suggests that the Soviets
may be in the process of deactivating some of the
soft sites for the SS-7 ICBM. (Page 5)
Japan
(Page 6)
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Demilitarized Zone
. ue
THL1A MIEN
MR 1
THAILAND
14
Tank
Sap
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CAM BOD
Mekong
C
AM
ANH
LONG
KHANH
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Gulf of
Thailand
104
MR 4
R3
Capital Special Zone
178
110
MR 2
South
China
o
Sea
SOUTH VIETNAM
190
MILES
16-
14--
12-
10-
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
VIETNAM
Communist forces are seeking to regain the
initiative in northern Military Region 1. During
the past few days, enemy forces in Quang Tri and
Thua Thien provinces have launched several ground
attacks on South Vietnamese troops. On Tuesday,
North Vietnamese units launched the second tank-led
assault against South Vietnamese airborne troops
in as many days. The attack was beaten off, and
one of the tanks was destroyed by allied air strikes.
South Vietnamese Marine units in and around
Quang Tri City were also hit yesterday and the day
before by heavy artillery fire. Intercepts indicate
that the enemy artillery regiment responsible for the
shellings has ordered its subordinate units to in-
crease the tempo of the attacks. In addition, the
headquarters of the North Vietnamese 308th Division
has moved out of the western foothills, where the
division has been resting and refitting for the
past several weeks. It is now about one mile west
of Quang Tri City in a position to counter nearby
South Vietnamese Marine units.
Elsewhere in the country, heavy fighting con-
tinues in Bien Hoa Province northeast of Saigon,
where enemy units are reported to be in control of
several villages northeast of the district capital
of Long Thanh. Government territorial forces so
far have suffered heavy casualties, but reinforce-
ments, supported by heavy allied air strikes, have
begun a counterattack.
(continued)
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H n Gai
aiphong
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Aerial photography of North Vietnam on 30 July
shows a small area of flooding about ten miles north
of Hai Duong along the Thuong River. Several
breaches are evident in one section of the second-
ary dike system, and water is overflowing in a num-
ber of other sections. The area, located just south
of the Kep - Hon Gai railroad, is extremely low-
lying and is subject to annual flooding. Nearby
dikes clearly show the marks of repair from last
year's flood, and it seems likely that the observed
breaches were caused partly by the undermining ef-
fects of the 1971 floods.
Hanoi has undertaken to counter the allies'
psychological warfare campaign. This is a rare
occurrence; North Vietnam has seldom chosen to re-
spond directly to allied propaganda. Recently,
the army newspaper published a long directive which
warned the population not to read airdropped leaf-
lets or to listen to foreign broadcasts. For for-
eign consumption, Hanoi is also taking steps to
counter published evidence of North Vietnamese
atrocities in captured areas of South Vietnam.
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USSR
Party chief Brezhnev on Tuesday addressed the
Politburo, Central Committee, and government offi-
cials convened in a conference on the harvest, re-
flecting the leadership's concern that this year's
grain crop will be insufficient to meet both domes-
tic and foreign requirements. Brezhnev's speech
was not published.
The gathering of such an array of VIPs at
the height of the Soviet vacation season
indicates unusual concern over this year's
harvest, which we estimate to be as much
as ten percent less than in 1970 and 1971,
largely because of severe winter weather
and summer drought.
A poor harvest would decideZy set back
Brezhnev's livestock program--designed to
improve the Soviet consumer's diet--which
requires a grain harvest substantially
higher than those of the past two years.
Moreover, we believe that the require-
ments of this program have already lowered
Soviet wheat stocks to a level considered
vital for strategic reserve.
The disappointing harvest prospects will
require the Soviets to buy large amounts
of foreign grain, mainly wheat, for de-
livery during the next year.
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EGYPT-USSR
The Egyptians are reshuffling their forces to
fill gaps created by the withdrawal of Soviet mili-
tary personnel.
The Soviet withdrawal may near completion by
the end of the month.
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USSR
Satellite photography shows activity in prog-
ress at 13 of the 62 soft sites for the SS-7 ICBM
which will render them incapable of launching mis-
siles without a great deal more preparation than
usual.
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JAPAN-US
Japanese media are giving heavy coverage to the suc-
cess of leftist demonstrators who on 6 August pre-
vented US Army tanks destined for Vietnam from being
loaded at Yokohama's pier. Later, workers at the
base where the tanks are overhauled voted not to re-
pair US tanks bound for Vietnam in the future, mark-
ing one of the few times that Japanese workers at
US bases have refused to carry out duties for polit-
ical reasons. Leaders of the Japan Socialist Party,
the largest opposition party, joined with the leader
of Japan's largest trade federation and the leftist
governor of Tokyo in promising similar actions
against US bases on a nationwide scale.
The Tanaka government's freedom to act in such situ-
ations is limited by Socialist strength at the local
government level in areas in which US bases are con-
centrated. As a possible harbinger of things to
come, the Tokyo metropolitan government on 5 August
announced it was refusing to extend its annual con-
tract with the national government to lease to the
US the land occupied by the busy Yokota Air Base in
Tokyo's suburbs. The contract expires in February.
Tokyo government officials threaten to take the
case to court, if necessary.
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NOTE
China:
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