THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 15 APRIL 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005974381
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: April 15, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
7-1s-r-c-.)14.e.L15 April 1968
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DAILY BRIEF
15 APRIL 1968
1. Vietnam
2. West Germany
There are further indications that
Thieu is getting ready to dump Prime
Minister Loc and replace him with Tran
Van Huong. Huong is a widely respected
southerner and a former presidential
candidate.
* * *
The relative lull in fighting con-
tinues. Communist main-force units are
avoiding engagements and appear to be
concentrating on resupply, redeployment,
and reorganization.
Police in large West German cities
are braced for trouble this morning as
radicals try to convert annual student
peace marches into riots. There are
some signs, however, that student en-
thusiasm is flagging.
West Berlin Communists are openly
egging on the students in that city,
and the East Germans have announced
that West German officials will not be
allowed to transit East Germany en
route to Berlin. This ban is not like-
ly to have much effect as most such of-
ficials fly.
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3. Korea
4. Gold Market
5. Soviet Union
North Korean raiders may stage
more ambushes over the next few days
in hopes of providing discordant back-
ground noise for the Honolulu meeting.
Two American and two South Korean sol-
diers were killed yesterday when am-
bushed near Panmunjom.
Communist transactions on Western gold
markets between the pound's devaluation
in November and the temporary closing
of the London market in March. While
Communist countries bought at least
$200 million in bullion, this repre-
sents only seven percent of total trans-
actions.
Major Communist purchasers were
East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and China.
Motivation appears to be the same as
for other buyers--flight from the pound
and expectation of a rise in price.
The Soviets did not enter the markets
either to buy or sell.
Yesterday the Soviets put their
sixth Soyuz-type space capsule into
earth orbit. All have been unmanned
except for the ill-fated flight of
Komarov in Soyuz 1. If the present
flight is successful, a manned flight
could occur within the next few weeks.
* * *
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FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
1.) Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
2.) North Vietnamese Reflections of U S
Political Attitudes
Top Secret
16
15 April 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
15 April 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
* * *
Guinea Offers Site: The Guinean foreign minis-
ter has offered Conakry or any other town in Guinea
as a site for talks. The offer was made to Ambassa-
dor McIlvaine on Saturday evening.
* * *
French Correspondent on Talks: The French press
agency man in Hanoi has been use before when the
North Vietnamese want to float a story without giving
it official attribution. This may be the case with
a story he filed Sunday commenting that "observers
believe Hanoi will adopt a firmer attitude and set a,
deadline for selection of a place for the first meet-
ing."
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Peking Commentary: Peking's views on prelimin-
ary talks between the US and North Vietnamese were
conveyed in a People's Daily commentary today attack-
ing the President's 31 March proposals. "Peace talks,"
say the Chinese, "are nothing but a strategem for the
US aggressors to gain a respite and a smoke screen to
cover up their scheme of intensifying the war." In
case Hanoi missed that message, the commentary--with
appropriate Mao quotes--concludes with the statement
that only by defeating the US "on the battlefield"
can the Vietnamese attain national liberation and re-
unification.
* * *
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II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
There is nothing of significance to report.
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