THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 6 JANUARY 1973

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993709
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: January 6, 1973

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A011500010005-4
The President's Daily Brief
6 January 1973
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Top Secret
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5B(1).(2).(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
6 January 1973
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Although enemy action in South Vietnam has increased
moderately so far in January, the Communists appar-
ently have not yet issued firm orders for a substan-
tial new military campaign. (Page 1)
President Thieu is sending a delegation of five
senators to Washington next week as part of an ef-
fort to explain his government's position on the
peace talks and to seek continuation of US aid.
(Page 2)
Algeria
(Page 3)
East Germany's newly enhanced international status
is causing Pankow some difficulties. (Page 4)
Soviet preparations are under way for what seems
likely to be an unmanned lunar probe. (Page 5)
In Egypt, most student demonstrators are dispersing.
(Page 5)
Prime Minister Mujib in Bangladesh is evidently
trying to. tone down the anti-US line taken in re-
cent days by several of his key lieutenants.
(Page 5)
The Australian Defense Ministry has announced that
army strength will be reduced by 25 percent pending
completion of a review of the country's defense
program. (Page 6)
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SOUTH VIETNAM
While enemy action has increased moderately so
far in January/, the Communists apparently have not
yet issued firm orders for a substantial new mili-
tary campaign.
The Communists evidently continue to be-
lieve that peace negotiations will be con-
siderably affected by further battle vic-
tories in the South. They seem to be
moving cautiously, however, in deciding
when and where to call for a major new
effort0
provincial
cadre have been urged to accelerate their planning
for major operations, and
the Communist command would try to "strike a
heavy blow" on the battlefield if a cease-fire
agreement was not negotiated soon. Another report
described military action through mid-January as a
"test offensive" to help determine the means of con-
ducting a subsequent effort.
Substantial criticism of recent enemy mil-
itary efforts appears in much of the cov-
ert Communist reporting now being obtained
in the southern half of South Vietnam.
The inability and unwillingness of some
elements to carry out combat orders ade-
quately appears to be a growing problem
for the Communist command in planning the
next stage of fighting.
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SOUTH VIETNAM
President Thieu is sending a delegation of five
pro-government senators to Washington next week
The spokesman of the group arriving next week,
Senator Nguyen Van Ngai, explained that his dele-
gation plans to spend about three weeks in the US
talking with selected US senators, congressmen, and
leading personalities in the media field. His ob-
jective, he went on, is to explain the "valid ra-
tionale" behind the government's position on the
peace talks and to seek to ensure continuation of
US aid.
In mid-December, Thieu was planning to
send a fairly large official delegation
of the National Assembly for these pur-
poses. He has evidently concluded that
a series of smaller groups, traveling
as though on their own initiative, might
be more effective. Former foreign min-
ister Tran Van Do and former ambassador
Bui Diem have already arrived in the US
as the first of Thieu's emissaries.
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ALGERIA
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EAST GERMANY
East Germany's newly enhanced international
status is causing Pankow some difficulties. The
regime expects trouble in making sites available
for foreign missions in East Berlin.
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More important are the claims by Western coun-
tries stemming from Nazi sequestration of allied
property in what is now East Germany during World
War II and from subsequent Communist confiscations.
Pankow's agreement with Finland last November to
discuss "juridical and economic questions dating
from World War II" could also encourage some coun-
tries to pose claims for "war damages." The Is-
raelis, for their part, are contending that when
Israel settled for two thirds of its original de-
mands for reparations from West Germany, it was on
the'basis that the remaining one third would be
sought from East Germany.
The Potsdam agreement, which provided
that the USSR and Poland would obtain
reparations from the Eastern Zone of
Germany and that all other countries
would obtain compensation from the West-
ern Zones, presumably precludes claims
for war damages against East Germany.
Notwithstanding Pankow's apparent agree-
ment to discuss such matters with the
Finns, we doubt the East Germans have
any intention of paying claims for war
damages. Restitution claims are another
matter, however, and this issue may well
serve to slow the pace of normalization
negotiations with a number of countriqs.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTES
USSR: Preparations are under way for what
seems likely to be an unmanned lunar probe.
1 Favorable condi-
tions for launching a spacecraft to the moon will
exist from 8 until 11 January. The most recent
Soviet lunar probe was in February 1972.
Egypt: Most student demonstrators are dis-
persing following the government's order of 3 Jan-
uary closing the universities. Although scattered
protests may occur during the next few days, secu-
rity forces are likely to break up any demonstra-
tions quickly. These forces will remain on guard
when classes resume in three weeks. Support for
the students from other elements of the population
did not materialize. The government had been con-
cerned that laborers or some military personnel
might join the protesters.
Bangladesh: Prime Minister Mujib is evidently
trying to tone down the anti-US line taken in re-
cent days by several of his key lieutenants who had
blamed US as well as Chinese "agents" for growing
anti-government agitation. He told a public rally
on Thursday that his government is obliged to pro-
tect foreign missions and must now pay for the
damage to USIS centers. Nonetheless, at last word
the USIS building in Dacca remains partly occupied
by leftist students. It was taken over on 2 Janu-
ary following a deal whereby the police withdrew
on the students' promise that they would not damage
the building. The government, however, now appears
to have given free rein to its own student support-
ers. On 5 January, they set fire to the headquarters
of a leftist party in Dacca and destroyed the "martyrs'
monument" erected in front of the USIS building to
commemorate the two student demonstrators killed by
police there a few days ago.
(continued)
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Australia: The Defense Ministry has announced
that army strength will be set at 31,000 pending
completion of a detailed review of the five-year
defense program. This represents a reduction of
about 25 percent from the present force level and
takes into account the fact that army strength can-
not be maintained now that the. new government has
ended conscription. The results of the review--
expected sometime this spring--could freeze army
strength at about 31,000. The government has
stated its willingness to maintain defense spending
at current levels, nearly 3.5 percent of the gross
national product.
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