THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 15 MAY 1973

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993823
• 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 15, 1973

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011600010037-8
The President's Daily Brief
15 May 1973
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declassification schedule of E.O. I 1652
exemption category 5B(
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505
Li
May 15, 1973
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EYES ONLY FOR THE PRESIDENT
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THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
15 May 1973
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
The latest Salyut space station has malfunctioned,
and the Soviets apparently have canceled the launch
of cosmonauts who were to man it. (Page 1)
North Vietnam is sending
South Vietnam. (Page 2)
The latest attack on the
(Page 3)
fresh troops to northern
dollar has accelerated.
A Conference on Security and Cooperation in
may get. under way in late June. (Page 4)
Europe
The USSR has invited Iran to join CEMA. (Page 5)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
USSR
The Salyut space station launched on May 10
has malfunctioned. Although the station is still
transmitting signals, US radars show that two of
its four solar panels apparently have not opened
properly. This means that the station would not
be able to generate adequate electricity to operate
with cosmonauts aboard. There is also evidence that
the propulsion system is not working. Soviet sup-
port ships that were in position to monitor a manned
Soyuz mission have already begun to disperse, indi-
cating that the operation has been canceled.
This is the fourth successive failure in
the Soviet manned space station program.
The first Salyut in 1971 had a fire on
board and the three cosmonauts who visited
the station were killed during re-entry.
An attempt last year to launch another
Salyut failed when its booster malfunc-
tioned, and only last month a Salyut space
station disintegrated after only two weeks
in orbit.
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VIETNAM
Two new groups have been detected entering the
infiltration system at Vinh en route to South Viet-
nam. These are the first combat troops noted at the
top of the pipeline since early March. The groups,
bound for the two northernmost provinces, contain
some 1,000 troops.
The numbering sequence used suggests that
some 2,500 other troops are also en route.
In a possible reference to these troops,
an intercepted message on May 10 showed
that 3,500 persons in groups of 500 were
scheduled to transit the Vinh area between
May 10 and 19.
Although there is no indication of the
specific assignment of these troops, some
of them could be replacements for North
Vietnamese units west of Hue. These units
probably have suffered substantial casual-
ties from ground clashes and government
artillery fire along the Bo River Valley.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
INTERNATIONAL MONETARY DEVELOPMENTS
The attack on the dollar accelerated in European
currency markets yesterday, and the dollar is now at
its lowest level relative to the West German, French,
and Swiss currencies since early March. The pound is
higher than at anytime since it was floated last June,
and the free market price of gold topped $100. The
only intervention yesterday in support of the dollar
was in London, where the Bank of England made "light"
purchases.
The cause of this new pressure on the dol-
lar is not clear. European traders cite
political uncertainty in Washington, the
poor performance of the New York Stock
Exchange, worries about the US balance of
payments, and the rising gold price. What-
ever the cause, even a slight pressure on
the dollar can rapidly become major and
self-sustaining. Indeed, key international
banks reported yesterday that multinational
and other companies were accelerating their
sales of dollars.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CSCE
The preparatory talks in Helsinki are likely to wind
up by the end of May, enabling the first stage of
the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
to begin in late June.
The negotiators are trying to complete work on man-
dates defining the conference agenda. A mandate must
be prepared for each of the general agenda categories:
security, economic cooperation, human contacts, and
implementation machinery.
Agreement on the human contacts mandate seems to be
the key remaining problem. The majority of the NATO
allies and most of the neutrals have agreed to have
this mandate take note of the principle of "national
sovereignty," to calm Soviet concern that Eastern
societies might be adversely affected by greater con-
tacts with the West. The Soviets are still holding
out for a reference to "non-interference in internal
affairs," however.
If this impasse can be broken, both sides appear
ready to compromise on the principle of "inviolability
of frontiers" contained in the security mandate. The
Soviets apparently consider this the most important
topic of the conference. The compromise would list
the principle separately, as Moscow wishes, but imply
that it is linked with the "non-use of force" prin-
ciple to satisfy the West.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTE
Iran-CEMA: One of the main purposes of Soviet
Finance Minister Garbuzov's visit to Teheran last
month was to invite Iranian association. CEMA,
the Soviet bloc economic organization.
The Soviets appear to be playing on Iran's
displeasure with the European Communities' restric-
tions on imports from Iran. Even so, the Shah's
government will probably turn them down, on the
grounds that association with CEMA is not likely to
increase Iranian-Communist trade. Last year, the
Indian Government refused a similar bid, but Iraq,
which is being heavily wooed with Soviet aid, has
applied for observer status in the organization,
partly as a means of selling its oil.
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