THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 27 JANUARY 1973

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005993727
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: January 27, 1973

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/06/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A01150001,0023-4
The President's Daily Brief
27 January 1973
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
27 January 1973
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENTS
A sharp upsurge in pre-cease-fire Communist attacks
is under way throughout South Vietnam. (Page 1)
During the past week, North Vietnamese resupply
activity reached peak levels in all of Indochina.
(Page 2)
Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations will meet next month to discuss rami-
fications of the Vietnam accord. (Page 3)
Australia
land
New Zea- 25X1
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A Soviet delegation now in the US may be investi-
gating the possibilities for grain purchases for
fiscal year 1974. (Page 5)
Syria
fedayeen
(Page 6)
Laotian Government forces have retaken an important
road junction in the north, but in the south they
are under heavy Communist pressure east of Muong
Phalane. (Page 7)
France's Pompidou and West Germany's Brandt have
discussed the possibility that President Nixon may
visit Europe this year. (Page 7)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTH VIETNAM
Last night, the Communists began a widespread
series of attacks in South Vietnam. As of this morn-
ing, the most serious is an assault on Tay Ninh City,
located northwest of Saigon. Field reports indicate
that several hamlets on the city's southeastern out-
skirts are in enemy hands. The main road to Saigon
has been cut, and the walls of the Cao Dai? religious
sect's headquarters are said to have been breached.
Aerial observers have reported seeing large enemy
forces northeast and northwest of the city, and Com-
munist attacks may come from those directions as
well.
? In Chuong Thien Province in the Mekong Delta,
a district capital has been overrun and a neighbor-
ing one is under heavy attack. The efforts of gov-
ernment troops to slow enemy infiltration from Cam-
bodia into the delta apparently have provoked a num-
ber of battles.
In the central highlands, the enemy has renewed
efforts to cut the road between Kontum and Pleiku
cities. On the coast, heavy ground and artillery
attacks were reported in the northern three districts
of Binh Dinh Province.
Communist gunners are continuing heavy shellings
in Quang Tri Province, just below the Demilitarized
Zone. Yesterday, for example, they fired more than
4,200 rounds into government positions, the heaviest
shelling since the spring offensive. Early this
morning, Da Nang was rocketed twice, resulting in
damage to the air base and the city's power system.
It was the third such attack against Da Nang in two
days.
Some South Vietnamese officials anticipate fight-
ing may continue after the deadline for a cease-fire.
Two province chiefs in Military Region 2 have told
US observers that they will fight as long as neces-
sary after the cease-fire to push out any Communist
units that may have occupied new territory in last-
minute actions. ?
Intercepted messages indicate that some Commu-
nist units have been ordered to observe the cease-
fire. Elements of an artillery battalion responsible
for the rocketing of Da Nang have been told to con-
duct no attacks later than 0800 hours (local time)
on 28 January. A similar message was passed to an
unidentified unit in Binh Dinh Province.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
INDOCHINA
During the past week, North Vietnamese resupply
activity throughout Indochina reached peak levels.
In southern North Vietnam, for example, intercepts
indicate that between 19 and 24 January over 800
vehicles moved south through Vinh. At Dong Hoi,
large formations of vehicles, plus 12 tanks, were
noted moving south. In addition, over 500 tons of
supplies were delivered to the front just south of
the Demilitarized Zone during the first 21 days of
January.
The sharpest increase has been in the Laos
panhandle and northeastern Cambodia. Intercepts
indicate that recently nearly 100 vehicles a day
have been carrying supplies through these areas
bound for South Vietnam's central highlands and for
the COSVN region.
These efforts apparently represent an
attempt by the North Vietnamese to move
as many supplies as possible into South
Vietnam before the restrictions imposed
by the cease-fire agreement go into force.
2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Plans for high-level consultations on the
area's future in the aftermath of the Vietnam cease-
fire are moving,ahead rapidly. On Thursday it was
announced that the foreign ministers of the Asso-
ciation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)--Malay-
sia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and
Thailand--will meet in Kuala Lumpur on 15 February
to discuss ramifications of the settlement. Bang-
kok stated that it would propose convening a summit
meeting of ten nations--the ASEAN countries plus
Burma and the four Indochina states.
Malaysia originally suggested a regional
conference to promote its idea of declar-
ing Southeast Asia a "neutral zone." AZ-
though early soundings in Hanoi and Rangoon
were received coolly, the ASEAN members
are increasingly interested in examining
whether some kind of neutralization could
exclude the region from future great power
competition.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
NEW ZEALAND - AUSTRALIA
4
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USSR-US
A Soviet delegation is in the US touring ports
and meeting with major grain traders to speed up
shipments of grain purchased last year. The Soviets
are upset over the prospect that deliveries may have
to be extended beyond June.
Only about six million of approximately
20 million tons of grain and soybeans
bought in the US for delivery by mid-1973
have been shipped. The delay is largely
due to the late resolution of shipping
terms--not concluded until last November--
resulting in a massive pileup at US grain
elevators and ports. Soviet ports and
rail systems have handled the incoming
grain shipments with little unanticipated
difficulty.
We suspect that the delegation may be in-
vestigating the possibility of new pur-
chases for fiscal year 1974 and at the
same time trying to find out whether ship-
ping problems will continue. Moscow's
winter grain prospects do not Zook good.
The USSR's minister of agriculture has
said he is doing everything possible to
reduce foreign grain purchases, but he
admitted that imports of corn and soybeans
for the livestock feeding program would
be necessary for a long time. Even if
the Soviet Union has a good harvest, Mos-
cow will have to buy some wheat, oats,
and barley.
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
SYR IA-FEDAYEEN
We know the Syrians have been severely
stung by retaliatory Israeli air raids
against military and civilian targets
and believe that this may be dictating
the new caution in Damascus. Neverthe-
less, we do not believe the Syrians will
completely suppress incidents along the
cease-fire Zine.
6
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554040 1-73. CIA
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NOTES
Laos: Government irregulars retook the Sala
Phou Khoun road junction south of Luang Prabang
on 25 January but are now under heavy fire. Ulti-
mately Pathet Lao and dissident neutralist unite
, strung out. along Route 13 may be forced to pull-
:back.' Lao Army commandere hope that their troops
will then be able to reopen other stretches of,Route
13 Elsewhere, heavy Communist attacks along Route
.9 in the central panhandle have forced government
troops to fall back and form a new defensive line
a few miles east of Muong Phalane. Messages be-
tween North Vietnamese units in the area indicate
they are determined to keep pressure on the govern-
ment force defending that town.
France West Germany:? President Pompidou
and Chancellor Brandt used their meeting early this
week largely to celebrate achievements during the
decade since the signing Of the Franco - West German
treaty of cooperation. They agreed that if Presi
dent Nixon visits Western Europe this year he should
meet with European Community leaders, but the two
pointedly disagreed as to which leaders or which
bodies should be included. The two also approved
holding a "constructive dialogue between the US
and the Community--without defining its details-
-
but the French continue to reject the notion that
any dialogue should be institutionalized,
Malta-UK: Prime Minister Mintoff has backed
away from his earlier suggestion that he would ac-
cept the NATO offer of partial compensation for
Malta's losses caused by the sterling float- He
is again threatening to abrogate the base agreement
unless the British abandon their adamant refusal
to discuss the compensation issue. Mintoff',s
latest "suggestion" is that a NATO member acceptable
to both sides be .named to mediate the dispute.
The NATO ambassadors in Malta think this may be a
ploy by Mintoff to promote a personal meeting with
Prime Minister Heath.
(continued)
7
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French Nuclear-Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine
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554046 1-73 CIA
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
India: The two western states of Maharashtra
and Gujarat are experiencing severe food and water
shortages because of drought. Relief projects are
aiding about three million people, but many mil-
lions more in need are receiving rations below the
subsistence level. New Delhi has failed to meet
its quotas on shipments of grain to the deficit
states for the past two months, and even when sched-
uled grain imports begin arriving early in February
supplies are likely to be inadequate. Power cuts
resulting from the water shortage are also causing
heavy losses in Bombay's industrial production.
?France: Le Terrible, France's second nuclear-
powered missile submarine, departed Brest on its
first operational patrol on 18 January. A third
such submarine soon will be ready for sea trials,
a fourth appears likely to be launched later this
year, and construction of a fifth is scheduled to
begin soon afterwards.
8
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