THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 11 APRIL 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014769
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: April 11, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
April 11, 1975
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5B(1),(2),(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
MP Ph
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
April 11, 1975
Table of Contents
Vietnam: The communists evidently intend to do as
much damage as possible to South Vietnamese
forces without waiting for reinforcements.
(Page 1)
Cambodia: Phnom Penh's outer defenses appear to be
collapsing. (Page -3)
Egypt-PLO: President Sadat conceded little to PLO
chairman Arafat during their meeting in Cairo
this week. (Page 5)
Notes: Sikkim; Turkey (Page 9)
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Demilitarized Zone
Hue
Phu Bai,
Airfield
Da NartkP
MR 1
MR 2
Nha Trang
m Ranh
"Phan Rang
\ Bien,?-r- /' South
.,
c.e, Da"
k9:-Nilt. 1
CON 1W China
7-
Rt N ' MR 3
My-Thio flA'0-- '--. Sea
?Can Tho
Gulf of
Thailand
114
-MR 4
5576:16 4-75 ma
Capital Special Zone
1L.1
Communist controlled
territory
MILES
110
r
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VIETNAM
The communists evidentZy intend to
do as much damage as possible to South
Vietnamese forces without waiting for
more divisions to arrive from the north.
The North Vietnamese may be trying to force
the defenders of Saigon to concentrate east and
west of the capital in order to weaken the de-
fenses to the north where the communist 9th Di-
vision is deployed.
Both sides-appear to regard the ongoing battle
for Xuan Loc on Saigon's eastern flank as critical
and are committing substantial units to this area.
The city was heavily bombarded again yesterday with
artillery and rockets, and the communists are ex--
panding their holdings on the outskirts and strength-
ening their blockade of Route 1 leading to Saigon.
Parts of three North Vietnamese divisions--the
6th, 7th, and the 341st--have been identified in
the action. If the entire 7th Division were com-
mitted to the action, the situation would become
even more critical. The South Vietnamese are com-
mitting all of the 18th Division on this front.
This unit has not earned much respect as a tough
fighting outfit, but with the option of retreat
down Route 1 at least temporarily shut off, it has
incentive to stand and fight.
West and southwest of Saigon, pressure is
building rapidly, and-a second Major :battlefront.
may develop close to the capital.- The South Viet--
namese-now believe -thatTmos.t:of.the North Vietnam?
ese 5th Division and parts-of the 3rd Division are
moving into the western districts-of bothjlau Nghia
and Long.An provinces. Small advance units of-the
North Vietnamese 5th Division have been attacking-
near the Long An Province capital of .Tan An for-the
past two dayse The communists give-.a high priority
to cutting Route 4 south of Saigon,-and recent shifts
of the North Vietnamese 8th Division suggest-that
it could soon-be in-a position to block'Route 4
north of My Tho,- The-.South Vietnamese are shifting
sizable forces in reaction to the growing threat.to
the west.
(continued)
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Recent reporting suggests North Vietnamese
party boss Le Duan may now be visiting communist-
controlled areas of South Vietnam to make a first
hand assessment of the situation.[
Intercepted messages and aerial photography
confirm that the North Vietnamese are strengthening
their air defenses in South Vietnam. Photography
reveals several pieces of SA-2 missile
equipment in northeastern Cambodia near the South
Vietnamese border. Intercepts had earlier indi-
cated that four SA-2 regiments were located near
the Demilitarized Zone and in northern South Viet-
nam. The communists are likely to continue their
buildup of air defenses in the newly "liberated"
areas and may even move SA-2 firing units into the
provinces north of Saigon.
Preliminary information on Prime Minister
Nguyen Ba Can's new cabinet suggests that it will
do little to breathe new life into the anti-communist
resistance. Several appointees are holdovers from
the Khiem cabinet. The new faces are technicians
or political associates of Can with little national
prominence. They all are solidly pro-government.
Several of the most important portfolios--foreign
affairs, defense, interior--have yet to be announced,
possibly because Thieu and Can have not yet agreed
on individuals who are willing to serve0
the full cabinet will be selected by
April 11 and sworn in the next day. The first
working session is scheduled for the 13th, a date
which seems optimistic, since several positions are
still vacant.
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Phnom Penh
Communist
breakthrough
Communist
pressure
Tuol
Leap.
?...
\ Heavy sheiiing
GOertiment
holdings shrink
Continued
)
0
4. pressure_,
C/
*
Einbas
"13
DO/0/4 4-IJ
Statute Miles
-
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CAMBODIA
Phnom Penh's outer defenses appear
to be collapsing. Khmer communist forces
yesterday moved through gaps in the de-
fense line north of Pochentong airport
and attacked government forces from the
rear. Cambodian army commanders are
trying to organize a counterattack, but
US defense attachgs do not believe that
enough troops'are available to push back
the insurgents.
Heavy combat is also continuing northwest of
Pochentong airport where government units have lost
another position within four miles of the airport.
To the west, seesaw fighting persists near Route 4
and the army's main ammunition dump. The communists
have not yet begun to hit airport facilities with
recoilless rifle or mortar fire, but rocket and ar-
tillery attacks have increased.
Some government units on the east bank of the
Mekong River opposite Phnom Penh broke yesterday,
following another day of steady ground attacks.
The Khmer navy has picked up a number of troops
forced into the river, including the acting com-
mander of one of the two government brigades on the
east bank. The communists are firing recoilless
rifles at Phnom Penh's waterfront from newly won
positions on the river. Along the river to the
northeast, government positions upstream from the
main navy headquarters were the targets of intense
shellings early yesterday.
A recent intercepted message reveals, that the
communists have already begun planning for the oc-
cupation of Phnom Penh. Orders have gone out.that
public facilities--which will become the property
of the "People's Revolutionary Government"--are to
be protected and those who "ravage" will be punished.
The communists are clearly worried that wholesale,
chaos will follow the collapse of the government in
Phnom Penh, and the message mentioned the possibil-
ity of evacuating civilians from the city "in order
to stabilize the situation." The message also gave
(continued)
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strict orders for the safekeeping of "foreign na-
tionals, such as Frenchmen and various embassy per?
sonnel," saying that they would be "kept to be used:
to carry out foreign affairs matters in the future."
Acting Cambodian president Saukham Koy-yester-_
day called an emergency session of the cabinet. _
Just before the meeting, Koy indicated to Ambassa-
dor Dean that he would ask Prime Minister Long Boret
to step down. Kay planned to ask Chau- Sau--the
leader of the Democratic Party--to form a new gov-
ernment and arrange immediately a "humanitarian
solution" to the conflict. All of this could come
to naught given the rapidly deteriorating military
situation and the possibility that key government.
leaders may soon leave aboard US evacuation air-
craft. At this point, 148 US citizens and 449 Cam-
bodians and third-country nationals remain on the
US mission's evacuation list.
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EGYPT-PLO
Egypt's President Sadat conceded
little to Palestine Liberation Organiza-
tion chairman Yasir Arafat in Cairo this
week.
the president promised
only that Egypt would continue its efforts
to "guarantee" PLO participation at Geneva.
The two also agreed to work toward anearly
meeting of the ."confrontation forces"--Egypt, Syria,
and the PLO--to coordinate their strategies. Such
a meeting is likely before the Arab summit in June.
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Arafat may have given more in Cairo than he re-
ceived. the PLO must 25X1
attend the Geneva conference if the substance of the
Palestinian problem was to be discussed. 25X1
I the military secretariat of the 25X1
20-member Arab League could speak on behalf of the
Palestinians if the conference considered only an-
other round of military disengagement agreements.
If this is true, Arafat has shifted signifi-
cantly toward the position held by Sadat, who sug-
gested recently that the Arab League could represent
the Palestinians at Geneva. Sadat considers this a
possible way around Israel's objectiohs to negotiat-
ing with the PLO.
Arafat's reported conciliatory stance may have
resulted from a harsh dressing down delivered by
Sadat, first to Arafat's deputy Salah Khalaf and later
to Arafat himself at King Faysal's funeral in Riyadh
late last month.
Sadat derided Arafat's weakness within the PLO and
declared he would refuse to receive any Palestinian
official in Cairo. Only after the intercession of
Algeria's President Boumediene did Sadat agree to
meet Arafat in Cairo.
(continued)
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Sadat has long been dissatisfied with Arafat's
inability to make hard decisions on behalf of the
entire PLO or to force compromises on the organiza-
tion's leadership. Sadat finally lost patience
with Arafat and the PLO early this year when they
began openly attacking Egypt's reliance on US media-
tion.
Despite claims of a healing in the Egypt-PLO
rift, Sadat probably is not confident that he has
won lasting concessions from Arafat. The continued
strain is reflected in the treatment of the Sadat-
Arafat meeting in the Cairo press; which said that
complete harmony on strategy and tactics is always
"a difficult matter" even among those with common
objectives.
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(continued)
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AFONANISTAII
. 57674 4-75
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NOTES
The Indians this weeks, responding to demands
from the dominant political groups in Sikkim, moved
to tighten their grip on the tiny kingdom.
On Wednesday, Indian troops stationed in Sikkim
disarmed and disbanded the 400-man palace guard
loyal to the hereditary ruler. The Sikkimese leg-
islature yesterday voted to abolish the figurehead
monarchy and seek to become an Indian state. The
legislature, controlled by antiroyalists who won a
landslide victory in elections a year ago, now
plans to hold some form of referendum, reportedly
next week, to obtain popular endorsement of its
latest actions. China, which sharply criticized
India's moves in Sikkim last year, is likely to be
even more critical of the Indians for their role
in the latest developments. The developments in
Sikkim will also worry the Nepalese who are uneasy
about India's intentions toward them.
The TuTkIsh, 'National Assembly has completed
its debate on Prime Minister Demirel's new govern-
ment program and has 'scheduled a vote of confidence
for Saturday.
Demirel's chances now appear no better than
even. There have been transfers and defections.
among the political partiessupporting his. right-:
wing Nationalist-Front, and additional party shifts
could change the picture again before the vote is
taken.
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Top Secret
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