THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 18 MARCH 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005974333
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: March 18, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
--7-9-17-1-Trt 18 March 1968
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DAILY BRIEF
18 MARCH 1968
I. South Vietnam
2. Czechoslovakia
3. Soviet Union -
Czechoslovakia
The large-scale allied operation
around Saigon, besides inflicting heavy
casualties on the Communists over the
weekend, may have been partly respon-
sible for the withdrawal of large enemy
units from positions close to the city.
Three battalions have stayed behind,
however, perhaps to harass and delay
allied forces.
Party boss Dubcek made a major
speech Saturday fully associating him-
self with the changes that are sweep-
ing Czechoslovakia. However, he also
staked out limits within which reforms
ought to occur. He indicated, for
example, that while the government must
be responsive to popular opinion and
should involve interest groups like the
students and the farmers in decision-
making, the political system must re-
main Communist.
With an obvious eye to the Soviets
Dubcek promised Czechoslovakia would
stand "unshakably" loyal to its Commu-
nist allies, even though it would try
to restore traditional links with the
rest of the world.
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4. Poland
5. Bulgaria -
Soviet Union
The focus of the crisis is shift-
ing from the streets to inner-party
circles. A major effort to purge Jew-
ish and liberal elements from the party-
state apparatus seems to be under way.
It may reach the party hierarchy before
the end of the year when the party con-
gress is scheduled to meet.
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6. Panama
7. West Germany
Robles is trying to get a public
statement out of National Guard Comman-
dant Vallarino and his top aides de-
nouncing the impeachment proceedings
and giving him the guard's full support.
Vallarino, temporizing as usual, is not
expected to give his answer until some
time this week--if then.
Bonn seems to be edging closer to-
ward approval of the draft nuclear non-
proliferation treaty, even though strong
opposition within the government still
remains. One of the harbingers of pos-
sible forward movement on the issue was
Finance Minister Strauss' recent prom-
ise that acceptance of the treaty would
not lead to a break in the government
coalition.
8. Egypt Nasir
9. Cyprus
Thursday, seemed
in no hurry to move the Arab-Israeli im-
passe off dead center. He indicated he
would prefer to live with things as they
are for two or three years rather than
resume hostilities or attempt serious
negotiations. Nasir claimed the internal
situation in the "Arab World" (Egypt is
what he meant) makes any kind of talks
impossible at this time.
After a characteristic bit of last-
minute brinksmanship, President Makarios
has apparently decided to lift the ban
Wednesday on ambassadorial contact with
Turkish Cypriots. His sudden switch
came only after Ambassador Belcher and
his colleagues made it clear that they
intended to keep an appointment to see
the Turkish Cypriot vice president this
Thursday, ban or no ban.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
Top Secret
16
18 March 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
18 March 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
ICC Plane Delayed: The International Control Com-
mission (ICC) plane scheduled to fly from Vientiane to
Hanoi on Friday was cancelled due to a communications
failure. Scheduled to make the flight were US writer
Mary McCarthy and Franz Schurmann, a California profes-
sor. The three North Vietnamese naval prisoners, whom
Hanoi has agreed to allow to be returned to North Viet-
nam via the ICC flight, might also have been aboard
the cancelled flight.
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ouAl
The next ICC flight to Hanoi is on 19 March. Ac-
cording to the US Embassy in Vientiane, Miss McCarthy
and Professor Schurmann hope to take it. The embassy
is also hopeful that the bureaucratic difficulties
with the ICC over the return of the three POWs will
be cleared up so that they may take the flight on the
19th also.
* * *
Danish Ambassador to Visit Hanoi: The Danish
ambassador accredited to Peking is to be the next in
the string of Western ambassadors to visit Hanoi at
the latter's invitation. One Copenhagen newspaper,
commenting on the Danish Government's announcement of
the impending visit, said the ambassador is to seek
Hanoi's reaction to "the proposed Danish-Dutch initia-
tive for a solution of the war." This, presumably,
is a reference to the Dutch scheme for getting various
West European governments to join it in an appeal to
Hanoi to name the date and place for peace talks to
begin.
* * *
North Vietnamese Diplomat Travels to Finland:
Finland appears also to be on the list of selected
Western governments with which Hanoi is attempting
to establish contact. According to the US Embassy in
Moscow, the North Vietnamese ambassador there, who
recently spent several days in Sweden, is now planning
to visit Helsinki. Hanoi's purpose appears to be two-
fold. Initially, it hopes to outline its position on
the war and to receive official or popular support in
the countries visited. Secondly, Hanoi has also been
probing the countries concerned about possible diplo-
matic recognition. Feelers in this regard have al-
ready been put out in Switzerland, Sweden, and Austria.
* * *
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* * *
Hanoi Fetes Visiting French Communist Delegation:
Hanoi turned out an impressive gathering of party lead-
'ers headed by Party First Secretary Le Duan to fete a
French Communist Party delegation which recently visited
North Vietnam. In several speeches, Le Duan stressed
the close relationship between the French and Vietnam-
ese parties and voiced the determination of the Vietnam-
ese people to fight "perseveringly and vigorously" for
a long period to achieve peace. He tied the war in
Vietnam to the struggle of the world revolutionary move-
ment and claimed that the war was in defense of the so-
cialist camp. Le Duan also took note of the broad sup-
port for Vietnam developing in France and singled out
as an example the current collection of goods and funds
for a shipment of supplies to North Vietnam.
* * *
Hanoi Foreign Trade Official in Poland: The Po-
lish press has reported that North Vietnamese Minister
of Foreign Trade Phan Anh has left Poland after three
days of talks with Polish economic officials. No de-
tails were given on the discussions nor any indication
of new trade or aid agreements stemming from the talks.
Prior to arriving in Poland, Anh spent several days in
East Germany attending the Leipzig Fair. He will prob-
ably make stops in other East European countries, in-
cluding the Soviet Union, to discuss aid matters before
returning to Hanoi.
* * *
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JU" I
II, NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
Hanoi Still Silent on New Hampshire Primary: At
last check, Hanoi had not yet reported factually or
commented on the New Hampshire primary or on the presi-
dential hopes of Robert Kennedy.
* * *
Hanoi Reports Alleged Insubordination of US Troops:
In its English language broadcast on 16 March, Hanoi
listed what it claimed were several incidents of insub-
ordination among US forces in the past several weeks.
It reported that one US battalion had refused to board
helicopters to rescue "American and puppet troops" un-
der fire in Saigon. Several alleged antiwar actions
by US servicemen at bases in South Vietnam, as well as
individual cases of desertion, were reported also.
* * *
Antiwar Activity: War protest activity in the
US continues to be regularly reported in the Hanoi
news media. In Hanoi'radio's English language broad-
cast on 16 March, student and faculty protests at
Columbia University were recounted. A statement by
three New York men who recently turned in their draft
cards at the Brooklyn Recruitment Center was also re-
ported in the same broadcast. The men stated, ac-
cording to Hanoi, that the US must be held responsible
for the destruction and massacre of the Vietnamese
people.
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