THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 18 MAY 1970

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005977460
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: May 18, 1970

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The President's Daily Brief
18 May 1970
48
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
18 May 1970
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
The situation in Cambodia is discussed on Page 1.
Moscow
(Page 3)
In South Vietnam, the Communists are trying to muster
up another highpoint of military activity towards the
end of May. Meanwhile, the progovernment Buddhist
faction, Quoc Tu, ?is threatening to disband because
of lack of government support in its dispute with the
An Quang sect. (Page 4)
President Balaguer's impressive showing in the Domin-
ican Republic's elections pre-empts any legal attempt
to discredit his victory. (Page 5)
In Barbados, the government is having second thoughts
about hosting the Black Power Conference. (Page 6)
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Cambodia: Current Situation
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CAMBODIA
Kompong Cham city is still in government hands,
but the situation remains bleak in the remainder of
the northeast. According to press accounts, armored
units and Khmer Krom mercenaries pushed through Com-
munist roadblocks south of Kompong Cham yesterday
and with the help of three government battalions al-
ready in the city forced Communist elements to with-
draw. The Khmer Krom, who were sent into Cambodia
from South Vietnam several weeks ago, had previously
played an instrumental role in clearing Communists
from the Neak Luonq area.2
Farther north, Stung Treng is still under. Com-
munist control, although government remnants are
holding the airstrip./
/Beleaguered government forces are holding
on in Lomphat, Labansiek, and Bokheo, but Virachei
town on the Se San River is being abandoned.
No new fighting has been reported in the south.
In an attempt to recapture some of the initiative
Cambodian units are pressing south on Routes 2 and
3 to relieve the pressure around Takeo town.)
(continued)?
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
The 12-nation Djakarta conference on Cambodia
concluded yesterday with a call for a broader inter-
national gathering at a future date'. The communique
designated the foreign ministers of Japan, Malaysia,
and Indonesia to begin "urgent consultations" toward
the convening of such a conference along lines sug-
gested by the UN Secretary General and others. They
are to approach the participants of the 1954 Geneva
conference and all other interested parties. The.
communique followed anticipated lines in calling for
cessation of hostilities in Cambodia forthwith and
withdrawal of all foreign forces, respect. for Cambo-
dia's sovereignty and neutrality, and reactivation
of the International Control Commission. A-sugges-
tion by the Thai foreign minister that the conference
form its own observer team to investigate and report
on developments in threatened countries such as Cam-
bodia was unacceptable to most. conference ,partici-
pants.
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USSR-FRANCE-CAMBODIA
who also said that conversations between the Soviet
and French ambassadors in Phnom Penh last week vir-
tually confirm that the Soviets will not break re-
lations with the Lon Nol government.
All the Soviet officials involved in these
talks are senior Far Eastern specialists
in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Al-
though they do not make policy they would
not engage in these conversations without
instructions from high level policy makers.
The fact that some Communist states, in-
cluding China, have recognized Sihanouk's
government and broken with Phnom Penh
clearly has made Moscow's position of
leadership in the Communist world awkward.
If a western power, such as France, were
to break with Phnom Penh, Moscow's posi-
tion would be even more embarrassing.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH VIETNAM
Intercepted messages and other reports indicate
that the Communists-are,apparently aiming for a more
intense period of military activity towards the end
of May. This surge would be similar to past enemy
"highpoints," and probablywill be directed at the.
pacificationand, Vietnamization-programs. The brunt
of these attackswill probably come in the I and IV
corps. The' Communists- can be expected to take ad-
vantage of the 24-hour allied cease.-fire on 19 May,
a date which this year coincides' withthe birthday
of both Buddha and Ho Chi Minh, to move closer- to
target areas.
mill Corps the enemy appears to hemn a
state of disarray as a result of allied
operations in Cambodia, and the enemy
highpoint in this area may not get under
way. Enemy units around Saigon, for ex-
ample, have not shown signs of prepara-
tion for attacks.
the leader-
ship of the progovernment Buddhist faction, Quoc Tu
is annoyed by the lack of government support they
have received in their dispute with the militant An
Quang Buddhist faction. The Quoc Tu hierarchy is
particularly disturbed by the continued presence of
a number of An Quang monks on its pagoda grounds
and' by. its inability to oust them. The government
has refused to remove the, monks and has cautioned
the Quoc Tu leaders not to use force against them.
As a result, the Quoc Tu claims it,will turn its
national pagoda over to the government, disband its
organizational' structure, and return its leading
monks to their local,pagodas.
By threatening to disband, the Quoc Tu
leadership probably hopes to force the
government to resolve the problem in its
favor. Additionally, they may believe
the government would be loath to allow
the Quoc Tu--which is the official, re-
gime-sanctioned Buddhist church of South
Vietnam--to disband, leaving the mili-
tantly antigovernment An Quang sect prac-
tically unchallenged to influence the
country's largely Buddhist population.
The government can ill afford to lose the
allegiance of any proregime organization,
even such an ineffectual one as the Quoc
Tu Buddhists, ata time when it is under
fire from a wide variety of opposition
elements.
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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Nearly complete returns indicate that Balaguer
received about 56 percent of the total vote, trounc-
ing his closest competitor Vice-President Lora by
about 350,000 votes. Balaguer ran well throughout
the country, even amassing a surprising plurality
in the capital, where he was badly beaten in 1966.
Juan Bosch's major opposition Dominican Revo-
lutionary Party (PRD), which abstained, probably
will say that the small turnout of 1.2 million votes
out of a possible 1.8 million eligible voters demon-
strates its continued strength. Although the PRD's
abstention certainly helped the president, Balaguer's
strong showing in Santo Domingo undercuts such a
stand.
Between now and the inauguration on 16
August, Balaguer may bring some opposition,
figures into the government, as he has done
in the past, and further isolate the PRD.
BaZaguer's popular mandate, added to his
already strong military support, makes it
unlikely that the left will have much suc-
cess should it try to oust him. The cen-
ter and right, as evidenced by the voting,
are generally satisfied with the president's
performance.
5
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BARBADOS
We have a report that the government plans to
bar- the Second Regional Black Power Conference
scheduled for July. Prime Minister Barrow, evi-
dently spurred by the recent disorders in Trinidad,
has taken a strong stand against the violence that
has been associated with black power activities.
He has proposed legislation that would make it a
criminal offense to preach violence or racial hatred.
A growing number of Caribbean leaders are
ready to risk political attack from radi-
cals and are appealing to broader politi-
cal sentiment and the public's desire for
tranquility. This new attitude toward the
- radicals Could, make it difficult for the
Black Power Conference to find a: meeting
place.
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NOTE
Laos: Communist units continue to deploy for
additional attacks in the Bolovens Plateau area.
In the north, Communist troops drove Meo guerrillas
from positions a few miles north of Sam Thong in
the first significant counterattack in weeks. The
enemy is once again in a position to launch rockets
at Long Tieng,
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Top Secret
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