THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 11 SEPTEMBER 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993513
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: September 11, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/08/08 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011100100001-2
The President's Daily Brief
11 September 1972
45.
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 56(1),(2),(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
11 September 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
South Vietnamese forces have launched a major cam-
paign to recapture the citadel in Quang Tri City.
(Page 1)
Relative calm has returned to Phnom Penh after last
week's looting, and government troops have moved to
positions for starting their operation to reopen
the route to the main rice-producing area. (Page 3)
Military action in the Middle East has subsided
\ (Page 4)
The chances that Panama will bring the canal treaty
issue before the UN General Assembly appear reduced.
(Page 5)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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Quang Tri City
1/4 ,
Miles
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ION NHAT ?
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THE
'CITADEL
Marines near Citadel
,
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33 ti
553569 9-72 CIA
Quang Tri ^ ?
My Chanh
defense line '
FSB Baldy
Tien
Phuoc
Bunker complex
captured by govt
?? ?
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
VIETNAM
On Saturday government forces began a major cam-
paign to recapture the citadel in Quang Tri City.
South Vietnamese Marine and Ranger units are encoun-
tering stubborn enemy ground resistance to their
joint effort, but have moved close to the fortress
on two sides. In the southern portion of the city,
paratroopers have pushed the Communists from a heav-
ily fortified bunker complex, cutting a major enemy
supply route into the citadel and clearing the way
for a move against enemy positions along the west
side of the city--the last Communist-controlled cor-
ridor into the citadel.
Intercepts show that Communist forces in the
citadel have been ordered to go on the offensive to
counter the South Vietnamese thrust. According to
one message, ammunition for enemy tanks, evidently
within the fortress, was transported into the city
on Friday. Fresh Communist infantry troops may also
be moving into the area. The headquarters of the
North Vietnamese 325th Division has ended a month-
long stay at a major transshipment point 15 miles
to the northwest and moved closer to the city.
There is some evidence that the Communists
may try to interdict South Vietnamese sup-
ply routes and attack positions near the
My Chanh defense line to the south. Units
of the North Vietnamese 312th Division are
shifting south from the Quang Tri City
area, apparently in coordination with units
from the enemy's 304th Division that are
moving still farther south below the My
Chanh River. A substantial Communist troop
movement is also under way along the west-
ern end of the defense line.
In Quang Tin Province, South Vietnamese regulars
and territorials abandoned Tien Phuoc District capi-
tal Saturday after three days of heavy Communist
shellings and repeated tank-led ground assaults. In
adjacent Quang Nam Province, a headquarters element
of the North Vietnamese 711th Division's 270th Regi-
ment has been detected close to Fire Support Base
Baldy, the government's staging base for the Que
Son Valley campaign.
(continued)
1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
This is another sign that the Communists
may soon resume their offensive against
the coastal lowlands. Similar moves in
the central highlands by the enemy's B-3
Front units could also presage new attacks
in Pleiku Province, notably around the
Plei Mrong Ranger camp.
Ground action remained generally light in other
areas of the country, with mostly sapper raids and
sporadic shellings reported. Explosions at Bien
Hoa air base caused substantial ammunition losses
yesterday, along with light to moderate damage to
nearly 100 aircraft, but casualties were light.
The action may have been the work of enemy saboteurs.
2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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B ttam bang
BAT fAME ANG
on) song Thom
Ponley
PHNO PENH
Neak
Luong
Angtassom.
Takeo
BA IE DE
KOMPONG SOM
553567 9-72
MILES " 25
? ?
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CAMBODIA
Relative calm has returned to Phnom Penh follow-
ing the institution of tight security measures and
the confinement of the military to their barracks. ?
Commercial activity resumed over the weekend, but on
a much reduced scale. On Saturday, the government
distributed about 450 tons of rice from its own
stockpile throughout Phnom Penh and plans to resume
distribution today. In addition to the scheduled
US airlift of 60 tons of rice per day from Saigon,
the Lon Nol government is airlifting about 40 tons
a day from Battambang Province.
The rice situation remains serious, how-
ever. Phnom Penh usually consumes about
400 tons of rice a day; at the present
rate, government stocks will be exhausted
in four to five 'days. The anticipated
arrival of 2,400 tons of rice from Thai-
land within the next ten days should help
alleviate the situation.
Meanwhile, more government forces have been as-
signed to the long-delayed operation to reopen Route
5 leading to Battambang. Elements of two infantry
brigades, supported by armored vehicles, moved to
Kompong Chhnang City over the weekend. Plans call
for them to begin a coordinated drive today against
Communist positions along the highway in the vicin-
ity of the enemy-controlled town of Ponley.
3
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
ISRAEL - ARAB STATES
Military action has subsided following the
Israeli air strikes into Lebanon and Syria and the
subsequent Israeli-Syrian air battle. Israeli air-
craft remained active yesterday in reconnaissance
over Lebanon and southern Syria, but there have been
no further Israeli attacks or Arab responses.
Further Israeli action, however, has been
implied by General Elazar, the Israeli
chief of staff. Over the weekend Elazar
publicly referred to Israel's "continuous
war" against the fedayeen.
Syrian suspicion of US officials traveling in
the area has apparently been heightened by the mili-
tary activity. On Saturday, a US Embassy officer
from Jordan was arrested while crossing through
Syria to Lebanon, and subjected to a two-hour inter-
rogation and search. The Syrians may also be hold-
ing the embassy's assistant defense attach, who
disappeared on Saturday while traveling through
Syria to Beirut.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
PANAMA
The chances that Panama will bring the treaty
issue before the UN General Assembly appear consider-
ably reduced.)
Foreign Minister Tack was
preparing a speech on the canal issue for delivery
at the General Assembly. Last Wednesday Tack told
Ambassador Sayre that he will not attend the session
and that Panama does not intend to raise the issue
in any forum this year in a way that would disturb
bilateral relations. Preliminary agreement later
in the week on purchase of the US-owned power and
light company also alleviated one major issue that
might have spurred General Torrijos to attack the
US.
Torrijos could still order a diplomatic
and propaganda offensive against the US,
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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Top Secret
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