THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 20 AUGUST 1973

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993907
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: August 20, 1973

Declassified in in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T0093-6-A011700030003-2
The President's Daily Brief
20 August 1973
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011700030003-2
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
? exemption category 513(1).12).13)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
20 August 1973
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Last night's coup attempt in Laos fizzled when
rightist leaders failed to support it. Its main
purpose probably was to sabotage the political ac-
cord being worked out with the Communists. (Page 1)
Except for terrorist incidents in Phnom Penh over
the weekend, Cambodian insurgents in the capital
area generally have been lying low. Intercepted
messages show that a new offensive against the city
is still in the planning stage. (Page 2)
Moscow. (Page 3)
The West Germans have surprised their NATO allies
by circulating a wide-ranging draft declaration on
trans-Atlantic relations. (Page 5)
In North Yemen, President Iryani has submitted his
resignation to the legislature, which must give
approval before it comes into effect. The legisla-
ture is in recess, however, and Iryani's supporters
will have time to drum up support for having him
stay in office. (Page 6)
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LAOS
Last night's coup attempt by exiled former air
force commander Ma fizzled when it failed to get
support from rightist leaders in Vientiane. Accord-
ing to fragmentary reports, Ma's company-sized force
entered Laos from Thailand, captured an airfield
near Vientiane, commandeered a few T-28 aircraft,
and attacked a Lao Army camp on the outskirts of the
capital. After several hours, government forces re-
gained control of the airfield and of Vientiane's
radio station which the rebels had also seized.
Those dissidents not killed or captured have scat-
tered, and General Ma has been executed.
This was not General Ma's first try; he
had to take up residence in Thailand in
October 1966 after a previous attempt to
overturn the Souvanna government. Al-
though the precise origins of last night's
operation are not yet clear, its main pur-
pose probably was to sabotage the politi-
cal accord being worked out with the Com-
munists.
Ma apparently hoped that dissatisfaction
with the terms negotiated by Souvanna
would prompt rightist leaders to rally to
his side. Leading rightist cabinet minis-
ter Sisouk, however, quickly expressed
support for Prime Minister. Souvanna, as
did Lao Army commander General Bounpone
and his deputy.
Although they still want changes in the
draft protocol to implement the February
peace agreement, there are signs of grow-
ing concern among the rightists over
Souvanna's expressed determination to re-
sign if they do not fall into line by late
this month.
General Bounpone visited Souvanna on August 17
and, speaking for a group of leading rightist civil-
ian and military leaders, tried in vain to persuade
him to drop his threat to resign. Bounpone's approach
suggests that the rightists realize that Souvanna's
removal would block any settlement with the Commu-
nists and leave the non-Communist side in an unten-
able military and political position.
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?s, ?
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CAMBODIA
Intercepted messages show that an insurgent
offensive against Phnom Penh is still in the plan-
ning stage. Insurgent battlefield commanders from
the capital area held a strategy session on August
14, and will meet again on August 21. The offensive
itself apparently will be put off until sometime
after that.
Tentative plans call for the rebels to resume
fighting along Routes 2, 3, and 4 and in the Mekong
River corridor below Phnom Penh. The messages sug-
gest the rebels will try to wear down government
strength by attacking the capital's outlying de-
fenses, rather than attempt a sudden, concerted
thrust into the city itself.
Except for terrorist incidents in Phnom Penh
over the weekend, insurgent activity in the area
has been limited to small-scale ground probes and
shellings along the Bassac River five to ten miles
below the city. Forty-five miles northeast of
Phnom Penh, insurgent forces have moved down Route
7 and attacked outposts around the provincial capi-
tal of Kompong Cham. Government reinforcements
have arrived in Kompong Cham to help strengthen
defenses in anticipation of further pressure.
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554533 8-73
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ROMANIA-USSR
(continued)
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EUROPE-US
The West Germans surprised a meeting of NATO's
senior political advisers on August 16 by circulating
a wide-ranging draft declaration on trans-Atlantic
relations. The key provisions of the draft are:
--The presence of US forces in Europe is "in-
dispensable" for maintaining a balance of
power, and the allies should adhere to the
NATO strategy of flexible response and for-
ward defense.
--The US should reaffirm its commitment to
maintain and improve its European forces and
make reductions only within the framework of
mutual reductions with the Warsaw Pact.
--The allies should give priority to the issue
of equitable burden-sharing, particularly
? with regard to US forces in Europe.
--The allies should approve the US-Soviet
agreement on the prevention of nuclear war.
The West Germans had previously expressed
reservations about this agreement. The
other provisions generally reflect stand-
ard German positions, however.
There has been little direct reaction to the
draft thus far. The Italian representative said
that Rome also is developing its ideas for early
submission. The Canadian urged that work on a
declaration begin soon.
The French representative noted that movement
toward a declaration has gone further than Paris had
anticipated, and he expressed doubt that the North
Atlantic Council had the authority to draft such a
document. The British adviser commented that his
government is not committed to a declaration, but
that if one is desired, it would take some time to
prepare.
Further NATO consideration of a draft declara-
tion is scheduled for August 27.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
YEMEN (SANA)
President Iryani has submitted his resignation
to the North Yemeni legislature, which must give
its approval before it comes into effect. The
legislature has just begun a two-month recess, how-
ever, and efforts are already under way among
Iryani's supporters to have the 63-year-old Pres-
ident remain in office.
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The move may in fact be only a tactical
maneuver. Iryani, a political moderate,
may anticipate that he will be prevailed
upon to stay in order to avert a crisis
over the selection of a successor. He
would thereby probably be in a better
position to deal with his political op-
ponents as well as with pressures from
abroad.
Backers of Iryani in the cabinet recently told
US officials in Sana that they fear serious domestic
repercussions if the President's resignation is ac-
cepted. Iryani has the reputation of being the only
Yemeni leader on the scene who is capable of bridging
the country's political and sectarian divisions.
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Top Secret
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