THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 17 MAY 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976152
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: May 17, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
Tr-fae& 17 May 1968
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
17 MAY 1968
1. South Vietnam
2, Lebanon-Israel
3. Arab States -
Israel
The enemy continues to step up the
military tempo in the Central Highlands
with mortar attacks and ground probes.
There are signs that Communist forces
in other areas of South Vietnam are
gearing up for further offensive activ-
ity. This might be timed to coincide
with Ho Chi Minh's birthday on 19 May.
The Lebanese are jittery follow-
ing Israel's shelling of a village last
Sunday. For domestic reasons, Lebanon
is reluctant to stop Arab terrorists
based in Syria from transiting Leban-
ese territory. As the Syrians increase
their infiltration activities, Israel's
punitive attacks against Lebanon are
likely to increase.
Gunnar Jarring is back in New York,
where he hopes to arrange talks among
the disputing parties, but the outlook
for his mission remains bleak.
The Egyptians stick to their stand
that they will not negotiate in the
same room with the Israelis. For their
part, the Israelis still insist on face-
to-face talks.
Jarring indicates that if meetings
cannot be arranged within "some weeks,"
he will have to hand the Arab-Israeli
hot potato back to the Security Council.
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. Czechoslovakia.
5. Pakistan -
Soviet Union
While Pakistani defense officials
say the Soviet Union has offered a "few"
SU-7 ground attack aircraft, we think
it doubtful that there is a firm com-
mitment. When Kosygin visited Rawal-
pindi last month, he suggested
that he had met Pakistani re-
quests with only a vague promise.
The Soviets want to protect their
good relations with India. They also
are trying to promote a better atmos-
phere between India and Pakistan. Pro-
viding such military, hardware to Pakis-
tan would hardly seem the way to meet
these goals.
Some dividends would accrue, how-
ever. The Chinese position in Pakis-
tan would be undercut, and the Soviets
would be better able to assure a stiff
Pakistani attitude toward the Peshawar
facility.
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Top Secret
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
r7 May 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
17 May 1968
I? NOTES ON THE SITUATION
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New Charges of Intensified US Bombing: In its
16 May Vietnamee language broadcast to South Viet-
nam, Hanoi made its latest charge of intensified US
bombings in the area south of the 20th parallel.
The broadcast listed a long series of civilian tar-
gets and population centers that the US had "wantonly
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bombed" and noted that this was occurring even
though the US had begun official talks in Paris.
It was claimed, however, that the air defense
network in the southern part of the country has
been highly successful in countering US air ac-
tivity and that the people are determined to keep
on fighting the US "shoulder to shoulder" with
their southern brothers.
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II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
,Hanoi Cites Antiwar Activities by US Service-
men: Hanoi has publicized a long list of antiwar
TETions it claims US servicemen have taken over the
past several months. Broadcast in English on 15
May, the list includes riots, desertions, and sabo-
tage. Some servicemen are even said to have "dis-
abled themselves" to avoid serving in Vietnam.
The broadcast charged that more than 10,000
young Americans had fled abroad rather than be sent
to Vietnam, and that additional thousands were form-
ing antiwar organizations. Particular emphasis was
placed on the claim that many of the protesting
servicemen were Negroes who were also demanding
the practice of racial equality in the service.
One "black soldier" who refused to go to the Far
East to "become cannon fodder" was quoted as say-
ing he should stay in the US to fight for the free-
dom of the Afro-Americans.
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