THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 11 JULY 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993403
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: July 11, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
The President's Daily Brief
11 July 1972
27
Top Secrei,25x1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T06936A010900110001-4
Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 1652
exemption category 51i( 1),(453/
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
-
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
11 July 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
The advance of South Vietnamese airborne elements
in Quang Tri City is being delayed by enemy artil-
lery attacks. In the northern Mekong Delta, heavy
fighting continues. Meanwhile, Xuan Thuy has ar-
rived in Paris amid indications the Communists will
stick to their standard demands when the talks re-
sume on Thursday. (Page' 1)
Peking appears to be hinting that the time has come
for a negotiated settlement of the war. (Page 2)
Philippine President Marcos has won an important
test in his bid to retain power beyond December
1973. (Page 3)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
3NORTH
VIETNAM
108 110
Demilitarized Zone
''QUAK?A TA@ uang '16
THU'A THIEN
MR 1
THAILAND
QUANO TIN
QUANG
NGAI
'KONTUM
BINH
DINH
PLEIKU
CAMBODIA
PI-IU
YEN
OAR LAC
KHANH
HOA
Ilfekone
QUANG
DUC
TUYEN
BINH
LONG
PHUOC
LONG
NINH
THUAN
LAM GONG
TA.Y
NINH
CHAU
Dec
(?'giEgNG
rea
OEC
KIEN
TUONG
n VINH
LONG
BINH
DUONG
HAU
N GM IA
SI EN
HOA
IG
LONG
KHANH
PHUOC
TUY
DINH
TUONG
51KM HOA
?10
BIEN
IANG
PHONG
DINH
CHUONG
THIEN
Gulf of
Thailand
VINH
BINH
BA XUYEN
BAC LIEU
174
553329 7-72 CIA
AN
XUYEN
MR 4
MNH
TUT
R3
BINH
TM LAN
Capital Special Zone
AM
ANH
MR 2
South
China
Sea
SOUTH VIETNAM
178
190
MILES
16-
14-
12-
10--
110
25X1
Declassified in Pad-- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
VIETNAM
South Vietnamese airborne elements are still
in the southwestern section of QUang Tri City, but
their further advance is being delayed by artillery
attacks by the well-entrenched Communist defenders.
Airborne forces south of the city have also been
subjected to shelling attacks; marine units to the
east; supported by artillery and naval gunfire, re-
portedly destroyed six enemy tanks yesterday.
There is continuing evidence that the Commu-
nists are suffering supply and coordination prob-
lems. A recent intercept from an element of the
North Vietnamese 304th Division showed that the .
unit had failed to prepare attack plans and indi-
cated that it was short of rice, ammunition, - and
infantry weapons. Earlier intercepts show that
other communist units in the Quang Tri area have
been having difficulties supplying artillery am-
munition and in coordinating the use of artillery.
Heavy 'fighting continues in Dinh Tuong Prov-
ince in the northern Mekong Delta. Enemy troops
attacked the district headquarters in Long Dinh,
eight miles west of the provincial capital at My'
Tho. The regional commander believes that this
action, together with the Communists' efforts to
clear the area around their nearby Base Area 470,
is designed to draw. government forces away from
the border areas in Cambodia and to open infiltra-
tion routes to the delta.
Xuan Thuy, North Vietnam's chief negotiator,
arrived in Paris yesterday amid further indications
that the Communists will stick to their standard
negotiating demands when talks resume on Thursday.
At an airport press conference, Thuy condemned US
bombing and reaffirmed Hanoi's commitment to the
Viet Cong's seven points, but he did assert that
the Communists would"gladly examine any new pro-
posals from the US." In other recent statements,.
Communist spokesmen have been adhering to a tough
position on negotiations, calling for an end of
the US bombing and mining, and rejecting the possi-
bility of a cease-fire without.a political solution.
Hanoi announced this morning that Le Duc Tho, chief
adviser to North Vietnam's negotiating team, left
Hanoi today and is en route to Paris.
1
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CHINA-INDOCHINA
Peking appears to be hinting that the time has
come for a negotiated settlement of the war. In a
speech honoring a visiting Yemen (Aden) delegation
on Sunday, Premier Chou En-lai, citing recent de-
velopments in Korea, Japan, and the Indian subcon-
tinent, claimed that the demand for reasonable set-
tlement of mutual disputes had become "an irresist-
ible trend" throughout the world. This emphasis on
reasonableness and mutual accommodation was also
apparent in a New China News Agency article on 6
July commenting on President Nixon's recent press
conference. Although the article stated that it re-
mains to be seen "whether the US Government is pre-
pared to end the Vietnam war through negotiations,"
it did not specify that Washington must follow Hanoi's
scenario to achieve this end.
Chinese propaganda remains critical of US
actions in Indochina and continues to de-
mand a rapid and complete US withdrawal.
Peking's comment on the political issues
remains ambiguous, however. The NCNA
article on the President's news conference,
for example, set forth Hanoi's position on
political questions in reasonable and non-
polemical terms, but carefully refrained
from endorsing the North Vietnamese view.
Chou. En-lai's speech to the visiting
Yemenis hints at a possible change of Chi-
nese thinking on the mechanics of a polit-
ical settlement. Although calling on the
US to end its support for President Thieu,
Cambodian President Lon Nol, and- the "Lao-
tian rightists," Chou pointed out that the
recent Korean agreement and the Indian-
Pakistani accord on partial troop with-
drawals had been reached without the "super-
powers' control and interference." This
indication that Peking sees advantages in
political talks between Hanoi and Saigon
without direct US participation suggests
that China may be urging North Vietnam to
Zook again at the US proposal for an im-
mediate cease-fire followed by. an eventual
political settlement to be worked out
directly by the two Vietnamese parties.
2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
PHILIPPINES
President Marcos has won an important victory
in his campaign to retain political power beyond
December 1973 when his second term expires. Last
Friday the constitutional convention voted to re-
place the presidential system with .a parliamentary
form. This will circumvent the two-term limitation
the current constitution places on the presidency,
? and Marcos believes that he could be more easily
? elected prime minister by the legislature than pres-
ident in a nationwide contest. The President's
forces also defeated efforts to ban Marcos from
holding public office in the future.
The substantial margin of victory in the
crucial vote shows that Marcos remains in
control of the convention despite recent
scandals over the bribing of delegates by
his agents. Although the convention must
still give final approval to the current
working draft, Marcos now should have lit-
tle difficulty in getting the kind of doc-
ument he wants.
The new constitution, because of its close
association with Marcos, still could be
rejected in the required national referen-
dum. There is also no certainty that Mar-
cos' Nacionalista Party will win the.ma-
jority needed to make him prime minister.
3
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTE
Pakistan: Rioting in Karachi and other cities
in Sind Province in the past few days over the dec-
laration of Sindhi as the official provincial lan-
guage has thus far taken more than 40 lives. Secu-
rity forces believe the situation is worsening and
martial law may be declared. Although police offi-
cials do not expect the rioting to spread to other
provinces, the flare-up highlights the potential for
violence inherent in Pakistan's fragmented ethnic
and linguistic make-up, even since the separation
of Bangladesh.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4
Top Secret
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010900110001-4