THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 8 JUNE 1973

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993844
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: June 8, 1973

_., ? Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011600010058-5
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The President's Daily Brief
8 June 1973
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011600010058-5
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of ED. 11652
exemption category 513(1),(21.13)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011600010058-5
Declassified in in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011600010058-5
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
8 June 1973
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
In South Vietnam, there is fresh fighting as both
sides are trying to consolidate their control over
territory. (Page 1)
President Thieu's Democracy Party has scored im-
pressively in South Vietnamese village council
elections. (Page 2)
Foreign Minister Zayyat has hinted that there may
be some give in Egypt's position on negotiations
with Israel. (Page 3)
South Africa is going into the business of uranium
enrichment. (Page 4)
A North Vietnamese infiltration group has left for
Laos. (Page 5)
Khmer Communists are having difficulty coordinating
their attacks near Phnom Penh. (Page 5)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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- Demilitarized Zone
Communist
shelling
Gulf' of
Thailand
104
554416 6-73 CIA
Capital Special Zone
SOUTH VIETNAM
MILES
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25X1
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH VIETNAM
? There has been an increase in local military.
actions as both sides move to consolidate positions
before .a .possible delineation of territorial control.
Activity is greatest in the delta provinces,
where Communist and South Vietnamese fordes are vying
for control over portions of long-time enemy bases.
North Vietnamese forces roughly handled a. government
Ranger. battalion in a contested area near the provin-
cial capital of Chuong Thien on June 5, and sporadic
clashes are continuing. Farther north, South Viet--
namese regulars have established a presence in a
Viet Cong. base area in the Kien Tuong - Dinh Tuong.
border region. following several days of stiff Commu-
nist resistance.
North of Saigon, government efforts to reopen
Route 13 between Lai Khe and An Loc have made lim-
ited progress. South Vietnamese military analysts
are concerned that the Communists might counter with
an attack against or near Tay Ninh City within the
next few days.
The Communist "land grab" attacks in key
areas, plans for which have been reported
by a number of sOurces, have not yet ma-
terialized'. .The-delay is presumably re-
lated to the status of the talks in Paris.
Little significant ground action has been re-
ported in the northern half of the country, but Com-
munist shellings have increased somewhat. North
Vietnamese gunners continue to direct artillery and
rocket fire against government clearing efforts in
Kontum Province. Communist mortar barrages and some
ground attacks have occurred along the coast as well
as west of Hue.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH VIETNAM
The Thieu government is continuing its efforts
to strengthen its administrative control at the
grass roots level. Village council elections are
proceeding throughout the country and President
Thieu's Democracy Party has generally scored imprds-
sive victories. In some 200 elections held in the
Mekong Delta, Democracy Party members won about 80
percent of the contests.
The party is undoubtedly benefiting from the
pro-government sentiment since the cease-fire. In
addition, the tight control exercised by local of-
ficials has led numerous independents and opposi-
tion politicians to refuse to run. A few elections.
have been postponed, either because there were not
enough candidates on the ballot or because officials
believed that Viet Cong influence was too strong.
Political figures outside the government
have generally reacted mildly to the De-
mocracy Party's successes. Some leaders
of independent parties that have lost
members to Thieu's new grouping are un-
concerned because they believe the winners
will remain loyal to their original par-
ties. For his part, Thieu presumably
believes that the need to strengthen the
government's position at the local level
is worth the risk of antagonizing his op-
ponents.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
EGYPT
Egyptian Foreign Minister Zayyat, during Wednes-
day's UN debate, said that Egypt would agree to di-
reat negotiations with Israel without preconditions,
were it not for Israel's rejection of a total with-
drawal from the occupied territories. Since the
speech, Egyptian representatives at the UN have been
urging US diplomats not to read too much into Zayyat's
statement.
One way to read the statement would be
that it could indicate some give in Egypt's
position. The statement did not appear in
the prepared text of the speech, but was
added by Zayyat himself prior to delivery.
However, the careful hedging of Zayyat's
words and the cautionary remarks made by
Egypt's delegates to the UN indicate that
the Egyptians at this point do not want
to be considered as committed to direct
negotiations under any formula. Indeed,
qualified as it was, Zayyat's statement
could have been intended merely to back
up his contention that Israel is obstruct-
ing movement toward a settlement.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH AFRICA
The government recently announced plans to be-
gin work on a commercial-sized uranium enrichment
plant. The plant is scheduled for completion in
the early 1980s at a cost of about $785 million,
and would employ a still secret process that South
Africa claims is unique. Pretoria has had little
success in its search for financial assistance from
other countries for the construction of the plant
because of its unwillingness to give out any infor-
mation about the new process.
The South Africans claim that the new method
will be competitive with those already in use by
other countries; analysis of their data would sug-
gest a selling price of about $36.60 per unit as
opposed to the US price of $38.50.
The economic advantages claimed by the
South Africans for their process seem
primarily to be based on low capital,
maintenance, and power costs. A plant
of comparable capacity based on US tech-
nology would cost more than $1 billion,
for example.
South Africa does not now produce enough
uranium to operate the proposed plant at
capacity, but deposits in South-West
Africa should ensure an adequate supply
by the time the plant is built. The coun-
try's entry into the enrichment market
would ease an anticipated world shortage
of enrichment capacity in the 1980s,
A pilot uranium enrichment plant being built
near Pretoria since 1970 is now nearing completion.
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BAIE DE
KOMPONG SOM
554415. 6-73
dr, IP
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTES
Laos: An intercept indicates that an infiltra-
tion group of unknown size was scheduled to leave
North Vietnam for the Plaine des Jarres area yester-
day. This is the first group noted leaving for
northern Laos since last November, but its group
designation number suggests that several more have
already departed undetected.
Cambodia: Khmer Communist forces are maintain--
ing pressure some 12 miles west of Phnom Penh against
a.short stretch of Route 4 between the.villageS-of
Thnal Totung and Ang Snuol. A few miles south Of
Thnal Totung, Communist troops. have cut Route ,26.
An intercept indicates that the Khmer Communists, are.
having difficulty .coordinating.their attacks in the.
vicinity of Route 4, and that some units-assigned
to the operation are still not in. place.., A Mekong
resupply convoy arrived safely in Phnom Penhyester-
day, encountering only minor harassing fire in its
passage up the river from South Vietnam.
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_
Top Secret
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