THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 28 MAY 1970

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005977478
• 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 28, 1970

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The President's Daily Brief
28 May 1970
26
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
28 May 1970
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
The action in Cambodia has boosted the morale of
South Vietnamese troops. (Page 1)
There has been no major military activity in Laos,
but yang Pao is preparing to retake Ban Na. (Page 2)
Communist activity is increasing in Cambodia, par-
ticularly in the southern region. (Page 3)
Ceylon's leftists win the parliamentary election.
(Page 4)
The Lebanese Government is trying to curb the fed-
ayeen. (Page 5)
West Germany's negotiations with the USSR seem to
be satisfactory from Bonn's point of view. (Page 6)
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH VIETNAM
Several high-level South Vietnamese Army offi-
cers have commented recently that the morale of
their troops has improved as a result of their oper-
ations into Cambodia, and that the units involved
in Cambodia have shown greater aggressiveness than
ever before against the Communists. For exam le
II Corps commander General Lan recently told
these operations have given South Viet-
nam's 47th Regiment a needed shot in the arm.
More than 30,000 South Vietnamese have
been assembled, transported, and resup-
plied in simultaneous and coordinated ac-
tion. They have derived some pride from
their ability to organize such large op-
erations, even with US help. Previously,
some of the units involved returned to
their base camps regularly each night
when conducting their usual operations
in South Vietnam. Whether they can main-
tain their new martial spirit after they
return to more routine missions at home
is open to question.
Meanwhile, according to General Lan, security
conditions have been deteriorating in most II Corps
provinces. He hopes operations in Cambodia, espe-
cially the disruption of Communist logistics, will
help him improve pacification in his own corps area.
He is particularly disappointed in the performance
of the Regional and Popular Forces, which have pri-
mary responsibility for improving territorial se-
curity and containing enemy local and guerrilla
forces. The Communists have made inroads especially
in Kontum and Pleiku provinces, Lan says, since
Vietnamization and the withdrawal of elements of
the US 4th Division, which had provided important
support to pacification there.
\has been attributed largely to the
enemy's new emphasis on rebuilding his
local control structures and on reassert-
ing influence over the rural population.
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Laos: Current Situation
s.
VIETNAM
THAILAND
Communist-controlled territory
Contested territory
100
98702 5-70 CIA
THAILAND
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liakse "
Bolovens ?
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LAOS
yang po has returned to the offensive with a-
three-battalion drive to retake the guerrilla base
of Ban Na. By yesterday evening,' irregular units
had moved to high ground within about four. miles of .
their. objective. Initial - enemy resistance to the
drive was light, but apparently stiffened as the
Meo forces moved northward.
. An, unidentified unit of the North Vietnamese
312th Division, possibly a regiment, has moved about
35 miles southwest from the Plaine des Jarres during
the last three days to within three miles of Sam
Thong. One battalion of the 316th Division also has
moved to within striking distance of Sam Thong. The
concentration- of forces in the area and the pace and
nature of their activities suggest that a major at-
tack is possible in the near future.
In southern Laos , , two headquarters. elements of
the North Vietnamese 565th group left Savannakhet
Province some time after 13 May, and have now joined
the recently arrived 4th battalion of the 565th: group
on the western outskirts of Saravane. Intercepts
have referred to an "N Day" on 31 May,. possibly in-
dicating an attack on the provincial capital. On
26 May the southern region Military commander, Gen-
eral PhasoUk, ordered the evacuation of all civil- .
ians still in Saravane Phasouk has also placed the
Pakse and Souvannakhili garrisons on full alert as
a result of unconfirmed reports of impending harass-
ment.
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Cambodia: Current Situation
Attopeu
attambang
Pan
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0 Communist-controlled location
Communist-controlled
OW Contested or under Communist I
influence
MILES
104
TNAM
tp
98700 5-70 CIA
SOUTH
?12-
CHINA SEA
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
CAMBODIA
Elements of a Communist main force unit have
moved deep into southern Cambodia, according to com-
munications intercepted in the past ten days. These
troops may be attempting to evade ARVN operations,
but it is also possible that their movement may be
associated with Communist plans to organize a spe-
cial combat unit for anti-Cambodian operations in
the southern provinces.
The Communists are still active in areas east
of Kompong Thom city, although no major new attacks
have been reported. Small enemy elements have been
spotted on the outskirts of the city. Perhaps they
were responding to a recent Communist message that
ordered the city be reconnoitered before an attack
against it is launched.
In the south, increasing Communist military
activity is increasing along the border between
Prey Veng and Kandal provinces. One government
unit stated there were no more Cambodians located
in these areas, and requested an air strike on 26
May against a Communist battalion south of Prey
Veng.
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CEYLON
In yesterday's parliamentary elections, the
left-wing coalition led by Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike,
prime minister from 1960-65, unexpectedly crushed the
moderately pro-Western United National Party of Prime
Minister Senanayake. Mrs. Bandaranaike's partners
in the coalition, the Trotskyite Lanka Sama Samaja-
Party and the pro-Moscow wing of the Communist Party
of Ceylon, will participate in the new government.
Causes of the UNP defeat are not yet clear but wide-
spread Unemployment, a rapidly rising cost of living,
Senanayake's action in Cutting the subsidized rice
ration, and coalition charges that the UNP was becom-
ing subservient to the West presumably were factors.
An election manifesto described the new
government's projected policies:. They
include establishing "people's 'committees,"
to supervise the workings of the bureauc-
racy, nationalizing remaining private
banks, and increasing state control over
the import-export trade.
The manifesto indicated there will be an
anti-Western bias in Ceylon's future "non-
aligned" foreign policy. It promised rec-
ognition of East Germany, North Korea,
North Vietnam, and the Provisional Repub-
lic of South Vietnam, as well as suspen-
sion of relations with Israel.
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LEBANON
Following three days of Israeli patrols into
southern Lebanon, Interior Minister Jumblatt an-
nounced yesterday that the cabinet had decided to
attempt to prevent the fedayeen from firing into
Israel from Lebanon. Press sources also report that
beginning on 15 June, the army will be empowered to
fire on fedayeen carrying weapons in any town or
village. President Hilu has asked Arab leaders to
convince the fedayeen that their activities against
Israel are doing more harm to the Lebanese and Arab
cause than they are to Israel.
In a sensitive conversation, President
Hilu's confidant, Michel Khoury, told Am-
bassador Porter that Jumblatt will seek
fedayeen agreement to cease all operations
outside the Mount Hermon area. For its
part, Fatah may have already decided uni-
laterally to restrict its activities to
areas adjacent to Mount Hermon. According
to Khoury, Fatah has also concluded that
cross-border firing has been a tactical
and strategic error. Although Fatah is
the largest fedayeen organization in Leb-
anon, its actions would not necessarily
be followed by the other groups.
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WEST GERMANY - USSR
In a briefing for the three Western Allied for-
eign ministers on the results of the talks between
Foreign Minister Gromyko and Egon Bahr, Foreigri Min-
ister Scheel said in Rome on 25 May that the two
sides have agreed "to regard, ..the borders of all
states in Europe as inviolable" as they exist on the
day an agreement is signed. This includes the Oder-
Neisse line and the East German - West German border.
At the same time, both parties would stipulate that
the agreement does not affect "treaties and agree-
ments concluded earlier by both sides."
Under this draft formulation, the West
Germans may maintain that they have held
to their basic position by avoiding the
use of the word "recognition" demanded by
the Soviets, by preserving postwar treaty
obligations, and by protecting Allied
rights pending a final settlement.
In addition, Scheel said Bonn has hitched its
acceptance of European borders to Soviet agreement
to accept a letter describing the West German right
to pursue reunification by peaceful means. With re-
gard to Bonn's hopes for improving the status of
West Berlin, Scheel said the Soviets had been told
that a Soviet - West German agreement as well as
any agreements that Bonn may negotiate with East
Germany and with Poland would form a single package
with the Four-Power talks on Berlin. He added that
West Germany would not ratify the agreements until
the parties concerned reached a Berlin settlement
satisfactory to both Bonn and the Allies.
The West German cabinet is expected to ap-
prove formal negotiations, and Scheel will
be appointed to go to Moscow perhaps as-
early as June, according to informed ob-
servers.
Moscow probably views the text as bringing
the USSR quite close to its central objec-
tive in the talks--gaining unequivocal and
binding West German recognition of European
borders and the postwar status quo. Since
the draft text is still somewhat ambiguous
in this respect, the Soviets will probably
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haggle further in an effort to close some
loopholes in the language. They may push
for an explicit reference to the East Ger-
man state and will probably.insist'on a
clarification of the relationship between
this agreement and other treaties and agree-
ments in a final draft.
The essence of ScheeZ's message is that
Bonn has not given away anything vital in
the preliminary round and is studiously
looking out for Western Allied rights. Op-
position Christian Democratic spokesmen
disagree strenuously, of course. A popular
test of the government Zine will take place
on 14 June in state elections in North
Rhine - WestphaZia, the Saar, and Lower
Saxony.
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NOTES
USSR-Egypt:
UN-Seabeds: The President's proposal last
week that all nations renounce claims to natural
resources on the ocean floor beyond a depth of 200
meters has generated great interest and generally
favorable comment. Chile and Peru have already
stated their opposition, however, and other Latin
American nations with narrow geologic continental
margins may soon join them. The majority of the
delegates at the UN believe the US initiative has
given a boost to hopes that the UN General Assem-
bly's seabeds committee will make substantial prog-
ress at its August session. The USSR has made no
response yet, but it is unlikely to change its op-
position to having any international regime set up
to govern peaceful uses of the seabeds.
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Top Secret
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