THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 15 MAY 1972

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993299
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: May 15, 1972

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The President's Daily Brief
15 May 1972
27
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
15 May 1972
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Soviet military and political leaders continue to
conduct business as usual. The current status of
Soviet naval and merchant ships near North Vietnam
is discussed on Page 1.
An attack on Kontum City in the central highlands
appears imminent. (Page 3)
Egyptian President Sadat has admitted that mis-
understandings have arisen between Moscow and
Cairo. (Page 5)
The opposition Christian Democrats in West Germany
appear ready to support both the draft all-party
resolution and the Eastern treaties. (Page 6)
Soviets
Egypt. (Page 7)
Cuba
Soviet
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(Page 7)
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LOA!
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?14.1a avostok
CHINA
EAST
CHINA .
SEA
TAIWAN
ONG KONG
Bay of
Bengal
PACIFIC
OCEAN
'Strait of
?" Malacca
INDIAN OCEAN
0 miles 500
553061 5-72
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USSR-VIETNAM
Top Soviet military and political leaders are
still conducting business as usual. Defense Minis-
ter Grechko and the heads of the Soviet Navy and
Air Force arrived in Cairo on Sunday for a four-day
stay, and Moscow has announced that army chief
Pavlovsky left Sunday for a visit to France that is
to last until 19 May. Pravda and Izvestia carry
routine articles by Warsaw Pact commander Yakubovsky
and Pact chief of staff Shtemenko marking the al-
liance's 17th anniversary. According to the TASS
summaries, the articles mention the situation in
Vietnam only briefly.
Several Soviet press reports have recently
conveyed the impression that Soviet seaborne ship-
ments to Vietnam are still proceeding. According
to a domestic broadcast on 12 May, for example, a
Soviet shipping official said that eight ships
carrying non-military cargoes were on their way to
North Vietnam. Broadcasts from Vladivostok have
said that one ship from that port is en route to
Vietnam and that port workers will continue to load
cargo for Haiphong.
(continued)
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Demilitarized Zone
Gulf of
Thailand
104
553064 5-72 CIA
Capital Special Zone
South
China
Sea
SOUTH VIETNAM
MILES
12-
10-
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SOUTH VIETNAM
Communist forces struck government positions
around Kontum City in the central highlands over
the weekend, and an attack on the provincial capital
seems imminent. Early Sunday morning, infantry and
tanks attacked Fire Support Base November, three
miles northwest of Kontum. Failing to take the
base, the Communists bypassed it and engaged other
government positions within two miles of the city.
Two bridges south of Kontum on Route 14 were either
damaged or destroyed by the Communists, probably in
an effort to hinder the movement of supplies and re-
inforcements from Pleiku.
In Military Region 1, an operation by three
South Vietnamese Marine battalions, which were air-
lifted behind enemy lines into southern Quang Tri
Province over the weekend, terminated after less
than 24 hours. It appears to have caused little
damage to enemy units. The Communists, in fact,
were aware that some kind of an attack was coming.
The headquarters of the 304th Division had ordered
its subordinate units last Thursday to prepare de-
fensive positions against a South Vietnamese foray.
Farther south in Military Region 1, intercepts
indicate that a North Vietnamese artillery regiment
and an infantry, regiment are planning attacks against
South Vietnamese positions in Thua Thien Province.
The attacks may be directed against Camp Evans, which
has frequently been mentioned in intercepts as a
likely target.
The Lower House passed President Thieu's re-
quest for emergency powers yesterday by an 81 to 49
vote following a heated debate, but the government
is not sure it can get Senate approval of the meas-
ure.
(continued)
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The influential Nguyen Ngoc Huy, head of the
moderate Progressive Nationalist Movement, has come
out against the bill.
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EGYPT-USSR
President Sadat has again emphasiZed that the
need for Soviet supportin the struggle against,
Israel overshadows any differences that may arise
in Cairo's relationship with Moscow. Speaking be-
fore the National Assembly on Sunday, and with an
eye to Soviet Defense Minister Grechko's current
visit to Cairo, the Egyptian leader accused the US
and Israel of seeking to drive a wedge between
Egypt and the Soviet Union. He.admitted that mis-
understandings had arisen between Cairo and Moscow.,
but emphasized the indispensable nature of Soviet
aid.
5
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WEST GERMANY
The opposition Christian Democrats are expected
to decide during caucuses today and tomorrow to sup-
port both the draft all-party resolution and the
Eastern treaties, despite last-minute doubts raised
last week when the Soviets for a time seemed unwill-
ing to agree to parts of the resolution. The reso-
lution is a unilateral West German interpretation of
the treaties which the Soviets, as the price for
Christian Democratic agreement not to block ratifi-
cation, are supposed to accept without challenge.
Even though conservative resistance to the
treaties is apparently beginning to weaken,
it is doubtful that opposition leader Bar-
zel can convince his divided party to sup-
port ratification en bloc when the Bundes-
tag votes on Wednesday.
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NOTES
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USSR-Egypt-
USSR-Cuba:
Turkey: President Sunay's rejection on Satur-
day. of Prime Minister-Designate Urguplu's proposed
government has deepened the political crisis and
further undermined the Turkish parliamentary system.
Sunay declared that the proposed cabinet was in-
compatible with the military leaders' memorandum
of March 1971 when they ousted the Demirel govern-
ment and insisted on installing an "above parties"
cabinet. The military either dictated or endorsed
Sunay's action, and the failure? of Urguplu's two-
week long effort increases the chance that they
will directly take over the government.
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