THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 25 MAY 1970

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005977472
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: May 25, 1970

Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A008300210001-2
The President's Daily Brief
25 May 1970
op
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
25 May 1970
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
Cambodian developments are discussed on Page 1.
Allied actions in Cambodia have seriously disrupted
Communist forces that normally operate just west of
Saigon. (Page 3)
Reports of an Israeli buildup on the Lebanon border
are feeding Beirut's apprehensions over further Is-
raeli reprisals. (Page 4)
The Cyprus Government has reacted swiftly to the
latest upsurge of violence in the Greek Cypriot com-
munity. (Page 5)
In southern Laos, government forces have retaken an
important guerrilla base. (Page 6)
The situation in Argentina is touchy following re-
cent student demonstrations. (Page 6)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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Cambodia: Current Situation
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986305-70 CIA
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CAMBODIA
South Vietnamese troops, in their deepest move
into Cambodia to date, continue to clear main roads
in Kompong Cham Province. They also are searching
the southern edge, of the country's major rubber plan-
tation at Chup for elements of the 272nd Viet Cong
Regiment; intercepts indicate that the regiment's
headquarters moved southward from Chup on 22 May.
The US Embassyin Phnom Penh reports that an appar-
ently uncoordinated South Vietnamese air strikeon
Saturday against the Chup plantation may have caused
the lass of almost half ofCambodia's rubber produc-
tion; in addition, 5,000 workers probably will lose
their jobs. West ofChup, Khmer Krom troops are re-
ported to have recaptured the town of Tonle Bet
against stiff enemy resistance.
In the northeastern province of Ratanakiri9 the
Communists again attacked the capital, Lomphat, on
23 May. Reinforcements and supplies for the town
must be airdropped because overland access routes
have been cut. Intercepts indicate that some enemy
forces subordinate to. the North Vietnamese B-3
Front-the Communist command authorityin the cen-
tral highlands of South Vietnam--recently have moved
deeper into Ratanakiri, and enemy elements have been
reconnoitering in areas north of Lomphat. Farther
north, government troops at the Labansiek regional
command post repulsed an attack by an enemy force
of unknown size on 23-24 May. Labansiek, Lomphat
and Bokheo have been under steady Communist pressure
in recent weeks.
Allied sweep operations in the south .have re-
duced enemy attacks there, but large enemy troop
concentrations are reported in Prey Veng Province.
On the coast,- press reports say that South Vietnam-
ese forces have pushed close to the port of'Kompong
Som (Sihanoukville) and have captured a cement fac-
tory near Kampot.
(continued)
1
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Hanoi announced today that Prince Sihanouk
will visit North Vietnam in the near future. The
Foreign Ministry's communique gave no details on
the length of the planned visit or its purpose.
2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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98629 5-70 CIA
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH VIETNAM
Communist forces that normally operate in one
region just west of Saigon have been severely dis-
rupted by allied operations into Cambodia, Reports
from prisoners and defectors captured in this area
indicate that allied attacks caused heavy enemy
losses and left enemy forces in a state of disarray.
One defector claimed several units, including Com-
munist Sub-Region (SR-2) headquarters--at that time
located in Cambodia--were largely destroyed by the
initial South Vietnamese thrust across the border
on 29 April.
Intercepted messages from units in SR-2 confirm
that the enemy's political and military apparatus
has been hit hard. One message estimated that 80
percent of the Communist guerrilla forces in that
area had surrendered.
These losses cannot be made up quickly, and
they almost certainly will put a crimp in
Communist plans to harass allied units
and to counter pacification efforts in the
area west of Saigon. Meanwhile, SR-2 ap-
pears to be realigning its forces on a
makeshift basis. Intercepts show that
three understrength battalions have been
dissolved and their personnel assigned to
two remaining main force battalions. Sev-
eral other units of battalion size have
been broken up to reinforce Communist
local forces.
3
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
ISRAEL-LEBANON
The Lebanese Government is nervously awaiting
further Israeli military action. Beirut officials
are alleging that concentrations of Israeli troops
have appeared on.Lebanon's frontier. Mordechai
Gazit, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official, yes-
terday denied that there was any "buildup," although
he admitted there had been some "reinforcement" fol-
lowing recent incidents.
It is highly unlikely that the shelling
of Lebanese villages will constitute Is-
rael's sole response to Friday's fedayeen
attack on the Israeli school bus. More
retaliation, rather than inducing the Leb-
anese to crack down on the fedayeen, would
only erode further the government's ability
to oppose the fedayeen.
4
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CYPRUS
The government has arrested more than 30 Greek
Cypriots who took part in a raid against a Limassol
police station in the early hours of 23 May. Several
members of the police and an army sergeant were among
those arrested. The raiders are members of the Na-
tional Front, an underground, anti-Communist group
favoring union with Greece. This organization is re-
sponsible for earlier acts of antigovernment terror-
ism/
Despite the government's apparently effec-
tive response to the most recent incidents
the 'potential for renewed violence remains
high as the Greek Cypriot community moves
closer to parliamentary elections scheduled
for 3 July. So far the Turkish Cypriot
community has not been involved in the
squabbles among the rival Greek Cypriot
militant groups.
5
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Laos: Current Situation
BURMA
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THAILAND
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CAMBODIA
'Government
recapture base
98628 5-70 CIA
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NOTES
Laos: Three companies of Laotian irregulars
have recaptured Site 38, an important guerrilla base
on the southeastern rim of the Bolovens Plateau that
had been abandoned to Communist forces two weeks ago.
Elsewhere in the south, the provincial capital of
Saravane came under a light rocket attack, but no
ground fighting has developed in the area. In the
north, North Vietnamese forces overran the remaining
guerrilla outposts near Khang Kho, thus diminishing
the government's threat to enemy positions immedi-
ately south of the Plaine des Jarres.
Argentina: The police, using tear gas and
water cannon, late last week put down violent stu-
dent demonstrations in Rosario and Cordoba commem-
orating last year's riots. One labor group in
Cordoba subsequently declared a "week of resistance"
to culminate in an "active strike" on 29 May. If
other labor groups join the movement, there could
be a replay of last year's serious disturbances that
occurred when students and labor joined forces.
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