Documents / FOIA release
The CIA's Directorate of Intelligence issued this Weekly Summary, No. 0369/70, on 8 May 1970. It covers events through noon on 7 May. The Far East section deals with the allied operations into Cambodia, Hanoi's cautious response and the government in exile Sihanouk formed in Peking. Other items cover Soviet military aid, the Sino-Soviet talks, Jordan, Dahomey, Guatemala and Brazil, and a special report looks at Cuban support for subversion in Latin America. Many pages are withheld, and the summary contains no UFO material.
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Approved for Release: 2023/03/28 C03154550 SIHANOUK FORMS Hrs GOVERNMENT IN EXILE "The Royal Government of Na- tional Union" organized by Siha- nouk in Peking this week is a blend of experienced politicians and energetic leftists. The new government is nominally under the direction of the "National United Front of Cambodia," which is chaired by Sihanouk, and it prob- ably will continue to function for the time being in the Chinese capital. Penn Nouth, a prominent Cam- bodian politician who has acted as prime minister in past Sihanouk governments, was picked to head the new government. Nouth's po- litical prestige and his loyalty to Sihanouk made him the logical choice for the position, but be— cause of age and poor health he is likely to be only a figure- head. As expected, a number of well—known Cambodian leftists were given key cabinet portfolios, including national defense, in- terior, and information. These individuals, three of whom were leading members of the National Assembly until Sihanouk's l967 purge forced them to flee Phnom Penh, at one time had some fol- lowing among the youth and in- tellectuals in Cambodia. The fact that they were not present for the government's unveiling in Peking suggests they may ei- ther be in Hanoi or with Com— munist forces fighting in Cam- bodia. The Chinese quickly endorsed the new government and then an- nounced the rupture of diplomatic relations with the Lon Nol regime. Although Hanoi and the Viet Cong also have recognized Sihanouk's government, they have stopped short of severing their slim diplomatic ties with Phnom Penh. The Soviet Union has not yet taken a position on Sihanouk's government. In Phnom Penh, meanwhile, the Lon Nol government apparently intends to break diplomatic re- lations with the Provisional Rev- olutionary Government and resume relations with Saigon. The Cam- bodians are also moving to im- prove relations with Thailand, but at a slower pace. On the military front, (see map on page 4) government forces continue to fare badly in their engagements with Communist troops. The Communists are still threaten- ing to cut Phnom Penh's overland access to the southern and eastern provinces. Their reported capture of the capitals of Kratie and Mon- dolkiri provinces were their most significant and bold military moves to date. In addition, they captured the strategic Mekong River ferry crossing at Neak Lu- ong, some 30 miles south of Phnom Penh. Initial efforts by the Cam- bodian Army to retake Neak Luong were unsuccessful. Government troops regained control of the gulf- port town of Kampot, but Communist elements reportedly still had the southern towns of Takeo and Angtas- som surrounded. The Cambodian Army commander of the southern border provinces recently told a South Vietnamese general that morale was low in the Cambodian Army and that he _SE'€'I%EZll Page 6 WEEKLY SUMMARY 8 May 70 Approved for Release: 2023/03/28 C03154550
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 78 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.