THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 23 DECEMBER 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993693
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: December 23, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011400200001-8
The President's Daily Brief
23 December 1972
45
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Top Secret
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of EX). I 1652
exemption category 511(1),(2).13)
declassified only on approval of
the Dircctor of Central Intelligence
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011400200001-8
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
23 December 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Page 1
Evidence is mounting that Moscow refused Chilean
President Allende the large-scale "bail-out" assist-
ance he was seeking. (Page 3)
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Malta. (Page 4) 25X1
Diminished Communist activity in Cambodia is making
it possible for the government to move badly needed
rice and other goods from the northwest to Phnom
Penh. (Page 5)
Tokyo's measures to reduce its trade surplus are
moving very slowly. (Page 6)
Peking's reaction to a US air attack that damaged
a Chinese merchant ship in Haiphong harbor has been
measured and low-keyed. (Page 7)
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NORTH VIETNAM
(continued)
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CHILE-USSR
Evidence is mounting that Moscow refused Pres-
ident Allende the large-scale "bail-out" assistance
he was seeking.
the Soviets did agree to provide some immediate
help in the form of $25 to $30 million in food-
stuffs, but this is far short of the $300 to $500
million in hard currency credits that Allende
was after.
If Moscow were to provide Allende with
the massive assistance he sought, it
would have entailed major sacrifices at
a time when the Soviet foreign exchange
position is being strained by the need
to finance large grain imports.
Moscow's apparent refusal to bail out
Allende leaves the Chilean economy in
dire straits. The foodstuffs apparently
promised by the Soviets amount to less
than eight percent of Chile's food im-
port needs and will not allow Chile to
avert a major cutback in imports and con-
sumption during 1973.
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MALTA
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CAMBODIA
Diminished Communist activity in recent weeks
is making it possible for the government to move
badly needed rice and other goods from the north-
west to Phnom Penh.
The government garrison in the isolated north-
ern provincial capital of Kompong Thom has been
subjected to a series of shellings and ground
probes since 7 December, but it has recently been
reinforced and does not appear in danger of being
overrun.
Throughout Cambodia, the intensity of
the fighting has dropped significantly
since the withdrawal of most of the Viet-
namese Communist troops to South Vietnam
last spring. The Khmer Communists have
continued to improve their military capa-
bilities, but they do not appear able
to deal any major military setback to
the defense-minded Cambodian Army.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14: CIA-RDP79T00936A011400200001-8
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JAPAN
Tokyo's measures to reduce its trade surplus
are moving very slowly. The program to raise im-
port quota levels has hardly gotten off the ground;
so far there has been agreement on only six of some
32 controlled products. On the export side, the
Japanese have selected some 20 items for restraints
but the date for implementing them has repeatedly
been delayed.
This evident foot-dragging may well stem
from a belief on the part of Japanese
officials that there will be another yen
revaluation in the next few months and
that this will overtake any steps taken
now.
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NOTES
China - US - North Vietnam: Peking's reaction
to a US air attack on 20 December that damaged a
Chinese merchant ship in Haiphong harbor has been
measured and low-keyed. In a brief broadcast of 21
December, the New China News Agency expressed "ex-
treme indignation," but implied that there were no
casualties and little damage. The NCNA asserted
that the Chinese Government is "closely watching the
development of daily expanding US war activities."
This formulation is considerably short of Peking's
statement last June that US air operations "threat-
ened" China's security.
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