THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 15 DECEMBER 1967

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005974173
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: December 15, 1967

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The President's Daily Brief
Top Secret 15 December 1967
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DAILY BRIEF
15 DECEMBER 1967
1. Greece
2. South Vietnam
3, United Kingdom
Papadopoulos and company are in
full control. They seem to be in no
hurry to depose the King formally or
to abolish the monarchy. The new draft
constitution, originally scheduled for
submission today but now postponed "for
a few days," should provide some clues
as to the role the junta expects the
monarchy to play in the future.
The attempted overthrow has had no
noticeable effect so far on the Cyprus
situation. The Greek foreign minister
told the Turks yesterday that Greece
intends to carry out the terms of the
Greek-Turkish agreement.
After a month and a half in office
the new government appears to be pre-
occupied with its own organization and
relationships. The unsettled Thieu-Ky
feud may be partially responsible for
a lack of forward movement.
Complaints are heard about Thieu's
"dilettante" approach to day-to-day prob-
lems. Moreover, Thieu does not seem
to be giving adequate guidance to Prime
Minister Loc, who seems prone to wait
for cues before moving.
One bright spot is Foreign Minis-
ter Do. He has moved professional and
experienced men into critical divisions
of his ministry and plans to visit
Africa to refurbish Saigon's image there.
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4. Soviet Union
5. Czechoslovakia
6. Canada
7. Egypt
There are a number of signs that
Moscow's propaganda and "cultural" appa-
ratus is getting a shake-up; this may
produce some fallout at the Politburo
level. These moves are clearly part of
a running campaign by senior leaders to
break up a clique associated with former
secret police chief Aleksander Shelepin.
There continues to be disagreement
among the Czechoslovak leaders on party
policy and leadership changes which may
involve party boss Novotny. A central
committee session to deal with these
matters has been postponed a week.
Prime Minister Pearson's announce-
ment that he will resign early next
year is not the result of political
pressure. Pearson at 70 merely wants
to bring 40 years of public service to
an end,
Pearson will stay in for the three
or four months it will take the Liberal
Party to choose a successor. Several
cabinet ministers are contenders, but
none has an inside track. The prime
minister has stayed aloof from the ma-
neuvering below him.
Soviet advisers in Egypt are appar-
ently engaged in, or attempting to en-
gage in, the tactical positioning of
Arab troops along the Suez Canal.
a Soviet adviser
this week visited an Iraqi division sta-
tioned along the canal and asked permis-
sion to make changes in the forces' po-
sitions. The Iraqis refused pending
approval by their higher headquarters.
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Top Secret
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Top Secret
FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
'Special Daily Report .on North Vietnam
Top Secret
16
15 December 1967
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OUAI
Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
15 December 1967
I? NOTES ON THE SITUATION
* * *
The Doumer Bridge: The Paul Doumer Bridge is -
apparently unserviceable to rail and vehicle traffic
after air strikes on 14 December.
Photography taken just minutes after the attack
showed that the mile-long span bridging the Red River
at Hanoi was apparently damaged at several points.
However, none of the bridge spans appeared to have
been dropped. The bridge was last attacked on 25 Oc-
tober and two spans were dropped. Photography of
17 November indicated that the bridge had been reopened
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to truck traffic using prefabricated concrete spans
resting on new piers to close the two-span gap.
* * *
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Comments of North Vietnamese Personnel at War
Crimes Tribunal: A European journalist who attended
the War Crimes Tribunal has reported on the unhappi-
ness of two members of the North Vietnamese delegation.
Both the Vietnamese had lived previously for some time
in Europe, and their remarks not only reflected dis-
taste for wartime conditions at home, but probably also
nostalgia for the comforts they enjoyed abroad.
A North Vietnamese photographer said he was not
an ardent Communist and that he wished to live in a
country where there was no war and no "interminable
political discussions." He complained about the hard-
ships of life in Hanoi and the difficulties of working
in the provinces, where he had to carry film on foot
for "months and months," and where the film is often
spoiled by heat and humidity. His thoughts on the
causes of the war, however, were pure Marxist; he
claimed it was caused by the need of the "great Ameri-
can monopolies" for war profits.
Another member of the North Vietnamese delegation
complained that it was necessary to interrupt his work
in Hanoi and descend into a bomb shelter at least
twelve times a day. He said that only the most impor-
tant offices are located underground.
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II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
Nothing significant to report.
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