THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 15 APRIL 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014772
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: April 15, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
April 15, 1975
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of EO. 11652
exemption category 58( I
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
IP ir ip
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
April 15, 1975
Table: of Contents:
? South Vietnam: The government still holds Xuan Loc,
and a strong defense around Can Tho appears to
be forcing the North Vietnamese to pull back.
(Page 1)
Cambodia: The communists, pressing closer to Phnom
Penh from the northwest, have launched major
attacks southeast of the city in an apparent
final effort to force the government's capit-
ulation. (Page 3)
Egypt: Newly appointed Prime Minister Salim will
be no better able than his predecessor to
solve Egypt's basic economic problems. (Page 4)
Israel: Foreign Minister Allon's two-week visit to
the us is viewed with some misgivings in Is-
rael. (Page 5)
Notes: Turkey-Greece; Israel; Lebanon (Page 6)
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SOUTH
sAipcod?,-?,
Xuan
? Loc
-
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_./
/
Can Tho
CON
SOIl
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O 1,5 3,0 Miles
O 15 it) Kilometers
10 ? -st
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH VIETNAM
The South Vietnamese still hold
Xuan Loc, and their strong defense
around Can Tho appears to be forcing
the North Vietnamese to pull back in
some disorder.
The communists continue to hit Xuan Loc with
artillery fire, but they have been beaten back on
the ground. The South Vietnamese 1st Airborne Brig-
ade has been clearing the southern approaches to the
city with the help of artillery, and a regiment.from
the 5th Division has joined forces clearing the roads
west of the town. One government battalion has been
cut off, however, and a government rescue force is
attempting to reach the isolated unit.
Nearer Saigon, communist gunners last night
and early this morning shelled Bien Hoa airbase. No
casualties were reported, but two runways were dam-
aged and closed temporarily. Communist sappers set
off explosions in a bomb storage area, wounding 29
South Vietnamese personnel, according to preliminary
casualty reports.
In the delta, government units in recent days
have driven attacking communist forces back from
positions threatening populated areas and major
highways. Delta officials think that the North Viet-
namese 4th Division threat to Can Tho City has been
substantially reduced. Although orders from the 4th
Division continue to refer to preparations for battle,
most of the division is pulling back. In some cases,
the withdrawing units have left behind much of their
equipment, ammunition, and food; some units report-
edly broke and ran.
In addition to reopening Route 4 just north of
Can Tho, seven South Vietnamese infantry and armor
battalions have moved into communist-held areas of
Vinh Long Province, driving enemy forces away from
some of the artillery positions used to shell Can
Tho.
Strong communist artillery attacks and the ap-
pearance of tanks just north of Phan Rang suggest
the communists are getting ready, to launch a frontal
attack there soon. Military Region 3 Commander
(continued)
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
General Toan, who is now also responsible for Phan
Rang and Phan Thiet cities, is unhappy with Saigon's
order to withdraw the 2nd Airborne Brigade from Phan
Rang and replace it with a reorganized element of
the 2nd Division. Toan would,like to hold the air-
base, from which air strikes are being launched, but
concedes that without the airborne his troops are no
match for the communists.
The communists fired some 50 rocket and artil-
lery rounds into Tay Ninh City yesterday, damaging
a hospital and destroying an ammunition dump. Only
one regiment of the South Vietnamese 25th Division
remains in the city--the remainder has been deployed
south to protect the roads linking Tay Ninh with
Saigon. The communists currently have enough man-
power left in northern Tay Ninh Province to chal-
lenge the city's defenses, especially since Saigon
has shifted its armored units to the Xuan Loc bat-
tlefront.
communist
plans to carry out attacks from inside Saigon in
the near future. While the communists have the
capability of infiltrating small units such,as sap-
Pers into the capital area, there are no indications
yet of communist main force units moving into posi-
tion for direct attacks on Saigon itself,
"armed, units" are now
infiltrating Saigon but that they will not begin'
their attacks until government units have been de:-
feated in' battles outside.the city. According to,
the source, the communists-hope to get. the South
Vietnamese to commit all of their reserves along
major. approaches. to Saigon, leaving the city with:
few defeneive,forces.
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Koh
Kong
Koh Rong
Dao Phu
Quoc
?
Hon Rai
0
(Ilan Dao
Nam Du
CAMBODIA
Miles
0 50
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CAMBODIA
The Khmer communists, pressing
closer to Phnom Penh from the northwest,
have launched major attacks southeast of
the capital in an apparent final attempt
to force the government's capitulation.
Heavy fighting west and northwest of the capi-
tal is reportedly forcing large numbers of refugees
and some government troops to flee into the city.
Communist forces may be infiltrating into the cap-
ital under cover of the heavy flow of refugees.
Communications, intercepted yesterday indicated -
that the insurgents had gained control of the market
area at the northeast' edge of Pochentpng between the
airfield and Phnom Penh.' A civilian aircraft'at-
tempting to land at the airfield late yesterday re7-
portedly found it and the control tower deserted.
Unconfirmed reports state,that'government forces
early today reopened the road between Phnom Penh'
and Pochentpng and that the airfieldremains-opera-
tional. The communists, for their:part,claimed.
in a radio broadcast today that they:have captured
the airfield.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
EGYPT
In a move intended partly to divert
popular attention from the suspension of
peace negotiations, President Sadat last
night appointed former interior minister
Mamduh Salim as prime minister and said
he would announce members of the new cab-
inet tomorrow.
Salim replaces Abd al-Aziz Hijazi,, who has
been the chief target of public criticism over con-
tinuing economic ills. Hijazi is a competent econ-
omist, but has been overburdened with both respon-
sibilities as prime minister and specific economic
duties and has been unable to speed the process of
economic revitalization.
Manifestations of economic discontent usually!
surface in Egypt during periods of diplomatic stag-.
nation ln:Arab-Istaeli.affairs. Sadat appears in--
tent on. reassuring the Egyptian-people that there
will be no letup in the governments program of
economic development. At the sameitime,-the ap-
pointment of Salim, the former head of Egypt's se-
curity apparatus, will signal malcontents that pub-
lic-disturbances will not be tolerated.
Salim will be no better able than Hijazi-to
solve Egypt's basic-economic problems. He and
Sadat are expected to appoint:a more efficient eco-
nomic team, however,, than. the one'in the outgoing
cabinet. Such-a group conceivably, could overcome
some. of the bureaucratic ineptitude that has ob--
structed economic development,
President Sadatwill,continue to formulate-
and.guide policy. Salim-is a loyal Sadat. partisan
with: apparently little personal: political ambition
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
ISRAEL
Foreign Minister Alton's two-week
visit to the US, which began yesterday,
is viewed with some misgivings in Israel.
Conservatives, including several within the
cabinet, apparently believe the trip, only three
weeks after the suspension of indirect Egyptian-
Israeli negotiations, suggests that TelrAvivls re-
solve to stick to its negotiating demands may be
weakening. the govern-
ment is unnecessarily exposing itself to high-
level US pressure for new Israeli proposals to re7
vive the peace talks with Egypt.
Tel Aviv has emphasized that the basic ration-
ale for Allon's US trip--which includes several
appearances at Jewish fund-raising rallies--is-to
explain and justify Israel's position on negotia-
tions with the Arabs. A major Israeli information
campaign in the US is already under way, and several
prominent Israelis--including ex-foreign minister
Eban and Prime Minister Rabin's wife--left for the
US yesterday to participate. Others, such as former
information minister Yariv and ex-defense minister
Dayan, arrived earlier.
Allop, nevertheless, clearly will seek a
reading from US officials in Washington on the
possible implications for Israel of the current US
policy reassessment. Tel Aviv, in fact, appears
to be awaiting the outcome of Washington's policy
reassessment before making any new moves of its own.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTES
The chances of a serious incident in the
Aegean has eased for the ,moment because Turkey has
called off flights over three
Greek islands.in the eastern Aegean.
Ankara has stopped the
because it now has sufficient information
on Greek armaments, fortifications, and manpower
on Lesbos-?Samos, and Chios Turkish military-lead-
ers-have scheduled a,two- or three-day. planning ses-.
sion- _ that-will in- 25X1
clude thedevelopment_of a strategy.for invading
the three-islands should the Greeks take some ag-
gressive action.' 25X1
Ankara will continue its public complaints about,
the Greek reinforcement ofRhodes and the other
Dodecanese islands, but. 25X1
does not view the arming of these islands 25X1
as a threat to. TUrkey.
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Israel may have-begun series.production of
its "super Mirage" fighter aircraft.
last week that he believed about eight
of the aircraft have already been built. He based
his conclusion on sightings he made of new serial
numbers of Mirage-type aircraft. Yesterday the air-
craft was shown to the public for the first time.
Armed clashes in Lebanon between radical feda-
yeen elements and members of a conservative Lebanese
political group--the Phalanges Party--come at a par-
ticularly bad time for the government of Prime Min-
ister Sulh.
Sulh, who,has been in. office for six months,
had scheduled a parliamentary vote-of,confidence
for today.' The unrest will delay the vote and
could prompt Sulh to resign,: The Phalangistp ad-
vocate strict-Lebanese control-of Palestinianrefu-
gee.camps and have repeatedly clashed with. the feda
yeen. The- leadership of the Palestine Liberation
Organization, while publicly attacking the Phalan7
gists, appears to be helping behind the scenes to
contain the situation,
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