THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 21 MARCH 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993203
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: March 21, 1972

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010500190001-0
The President's Daily Brief
21 March 1972
Top Secret
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010500190001-0
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A010500190001-0
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
21 March 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Communists remain on the attack near Long
Tieng. (Page 1)
Communist gunners have launched their heaviest at-
tack to date on Phnom Penh. (Page 2)
The Chinese appear to be planning to test fire ICBMs
to the Indian Ocean. (Page 3)
Party chief Brezhnev's statement on foreign policy
is discussed on Page 4.
----\Greeks
I (Page 5)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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LAOS: PLAINE DES JARRES AREA
Miles
0 10
? Government-held location (
sp
? Communist-held location ..(
A Highpoint -------s
,
5
71
Bouam Long.
Task force
advancing
71
L
Nong
Pet
4/7
"
Sam Thon
uong Soui
hang Khay
Irregular
task force j
op an Na
Tha Tam Bleung
14)--
kwio
e ,p
52 ? .."6".96,
Long Tieng
NVA overrun
poions
5527.05 3-72 CIA
?
4:fhou PKa\Sai
r--Pha Donge
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
LAOS
The Communists have captured three of the nine
irregular positions on Skyline Ridge. The remain-
ing irregular position on the western end of the
ridge came under attack today. A North Vietnamese
prisoner claims that plans call for elements of
the 312th Division to assault the western end and
for two regiments of the 316th Division to strike
to the east.
The North Vietnamese also may be preparing to
launch some harassing attacks from the south. Yes-
terday an irregular unit clashed with small numbers
of North Vietnamese troops moving northwest toward
Long Tieng.
To the east, yang Pao's task forces are moving
into positions to threaten the Communists' lines of
communications. Advance elements of a 1,500-man
task force are now about ten miles south of Bouam
Long, while a 1,300-man force is moving toward the
foothills east of the Plaine. The Communists are
trying to counter Vang Pao's offensive with Pathet
Lao and North Vietnamese troops already in this
area, including elements of the 174th Regiment.
Thus far there are no signs that they intend to
divert troops now pressing the attack on Long Tieng.
1
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CAMBODIA
The three-month lull in enemy military action
ended early this morning in Phnom Penh when Commu-
nist gunners launched their heaviest rocket and
mortar attack to date on the city area. The pre-
dawn barrage of over 100 rockets, along with scat-
tered recoilless rifle and mortar rounds, destroyed
one light aircraft and damaged four others at the
Phnom Penh airfield. The airfield itself was only
slightly damaged and has been reopened. Many rocket
rounds impacted between the airfield and downtown
Phnom Penh, starting fires that resulted in consider-
Wale civilian casualties, especially in one neigh-
borhood crowded with refugees.
The shelling, which was apparently timed to
coincide roughly with the ouster of Sihanouk two
years ago on 18 March, was accompanied by a sapper
attack on a military radio station east of the air-
field, which resulted in 25 killed, most of them
civilians. There are presently no signs that Com-
munist main force infantry units, which moved away
from the city last December, are returning to within
striking distance of the capital area. The US Em-
bassy in Phnom Penh points out, however, that the
enemy is capable of other such shelling attacks at
a time of his own choosing.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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China: Preparations for ICBM Testing
552706 3-72 CIA TCS 885938/72
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CHINA
Satellite photography suggests that the Chinese
have plans to launch ICBMs from the Wu-chai launch
complex to the Indian Ocean. Since late 1970, they
have been building six permanent tracking sites
near the Wu-chai rangehead, where they developed
the CSS-2 IRBM. Recent photography shows that at
least two of these sites are located well south of
the CSS-2 flight path from Wu-chai to the regular
impact area at Min-feng, some 1,400 nm to the west.
In addition, work on a large silo has been under
way at Wu-chai since the summer of 1968.
The apparent reason for establishing a
new firing azimuth from the Wu-chai range-
head is to provide additional range be-
yond that available within Chinese bound-
aries. The flight path implied by the
location of the two southerly sites, if
extended to ICBM ranges, passes southwest
across Burma and into the Indian Ocean.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
USSR
Party chief Brezhnev's remarks to a Soviet trade
union congress yesterday suggest that Soviet for-
eign policy may be encountering some domestic crit-
icism. In an uncharacteristic admission, Brezhnev
noted that Soviet policy toward West Germany is
"not a simple question for our country." Brezhnev
personally endorsed recent Soviet media criticism
of West German opposition to ratification of the
Eastern treaties.
While defending Soviet policy toward Bonn, he urged
West Germany to make the "responsible choice" in
favor of cooperation rather than confrontation.
Brezhnev altered the Soviet Zine on the Common Mar-
ket to hint that the Soviet-Zed Council of Mutual
Economic Assistance was ready to take up relations
with it--a stance presumably designed to strengthen
Chancellor Brandt's position on the treaties.1
In Moscow's first authoritative comment on Presi-
dent Nixon's trip to Peking, Brezhnev expressed
suspicion about ?its results. He noted the secrecy
surrounding the trip as an indication that the
Sino-US talks were not restricted to bilateral mat-
ters. In this connection he quoted, scornfully
but without attribution, the President's remark
in Shanghai that "today our two peoples hold in
their hands the future of the whole worZd." He
added that the "subsequent deeds of the US and
China" would show the significance of the talks.
Brezhnev nevertheless pointed to the potential for
improved Soviet-US relations in the coming Moscow
summit meeting. He reaffirmed support for a
"mutually agreeable" SALT agreement, and stated
that it is "expedient" to widen contacts and meet-
ings between Moscow and Washington.
On Sino-Soviet relations Brezhnev seemed a bit de-
fensive, citing several Soviet proposals that await
a reply from Peking.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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GREECE CYPRUS
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NOTE
Cambodia: Lon Nol's new cabinet reflects the
increasing T7litical role of the military establish-
ment. Military men hold several key Ministries,
including interior, defense, commerce, and education..
On the civilian side, the competent information min-
ister from the previous cabinet has stayed on, a
frequent government critic has accepted the justice
portfolio, and most of the rest are holdover tech-
nicians. President Lon Nol has now decided to take
on the title of prime minister as well, in order to
chair cabinet meetings. Son Ngoc Thanh's title,
therefore, will be "first minister," indicating that
he will coordinate rather than direct the work of
other ministers. This underscores the narrow limits
of his authority.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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Top Secret
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