THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 2 JULY 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976229
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: July 2, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
-"TorSttcr-e-t? 2 July 1968
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
2 JULY 1968
1. Central America
2. Soviet Union -
Egypt
3. Czechoslovakia
Nicaragua is threatening to break
up the Central American Common Market
if the other countries do not ratify,a
tariff measure now pending approval in
various Central American legislatures.
The measure, a 30 Percent external tar-
iff surcharge, is opposed by conserva-
tive business interests President
Somoza meanwhile has unilaterally im-
posed the surcharge, and this is likely
to harden opposition to it among the
other countries.
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There is still some byplay between
Prague and Moscow over the status of
the Warsaw Pact exercise.- Prague is
insisting that the exercise is over, but
Moscow's news agency has retracted an
earlier statement to this effect.
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4. Israel-Egypt
5. Communist China
The Israelis
apparently claim a right to exploita-
tion east of the median line in the
Gulf because of their occupation of the
Sinai Peninsula.
A Standard Oil subsidiary which has
a concession in this area granted by
Egypt before the June war has already
rejected an Israeli offer to cooperate.
If Israel moved ahead on its own there
would be a shrill reaction from Egypt,
and further complications in attempts to
promote a settlement between the two
countries
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Signs are multiplying that the Cul-
tural Revolution is heating up again.
There have been more frequent and nastier
clashes recently between rival Red Guard
groups. The most severe have been in Can-
ton, nearby areas of Kwangtung Province,
and Kwangsi Province, through which runs
the rail line to North Vietnam. Other
supposedly "pacified" provinces show in-
creasing signs of instability as fric-
tions grow between "old and new" officials
and among mass organizations.
There is also .a new rash of poster
attacks against leading officials in Pe-
king. Diplomats in the capital report
continuing attacks against a prominent
politburo member as well as lesser cen-
tral and provincial leaders. Other pos-
?ters have denounced alleged attacks
against Chou En-lai, and some call for
the defense of Mao's wife, whose poli-
tical role has grown in recent months.
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Top Secret
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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
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2 July 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
2 July 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
Sino-Vietnamese Relations: Hanoi yesterday made
a public effort to quell rumors of a serious disinte-
gration of North Vietnamese - Chinese relations in a
special Nhan Dan editorial commemorating the Chinese
Communist Party anniversary. Although the language
used to describe relations between the two countries
is not as effusive as some that Hanoi has used in the
past, the newspaper said that relations were "long-
standing and very intimate," and were "developing vig-
orously and becoming more and more profound and last-
ing." In describing Peking's support for the war,
Hanoi said China had provided "powerful support and
great and precious assistance."
The most unusual aspect of the editorial was the
wish that China's Cultural Revolution should be crowned
with success. Hanoi has made little effort to con-
ceal its distaste for the Cultural Revolution, and it
is unusual to see this kind of a statement in either
public or private commentary. In sum, Hanoi has made
a special effort to please the Chinese.
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:Propaganda on Captured Pilots: Radio Hanoi is
increasing its exploitation of captured American pi-
lots. The text of a statement attributed to Air Force
Colonel John Peter Flynn broadcast over the interna-
tional service in English dwells at length on the gen-
erous medical care he was given by. his North Vietnam-
ese captors; Although there are references to Ameri-
can attacks on North Vietnam, the statement is mostly
nonpolitical, emphasizing the kindness and generosity
of the captors, and designed to convince Western au-
diences that Hanoi's intentions are the best. Such
testimony could be used effectively, for example, at
anti-Vietnam war rallies.
Radio Hanoi beamed another broadcast on 29 June
to American servicemen in South Vietnam. Attributed
to an unidentified American pilot, the statement it-
self is heavy with propaganda, and the language em-
ployed suggests that it may have been written by North
Vietnamese propagandists. The statement stresses the
futility of bombing North Vietnam, asserting that the
air attacks only deepen the resistance of the North
Vietnamese people and block the path to peace.
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Also on 29 June, Hanoi Radio broadcast the names
of seven more US pilots it said had been shot down
over North Vietnam and captured. The broadcast gave
dates of capture, serial, numbers and ranks, in addi-
tion to the names.
Hanoi Radio on Saigon Politics: Hanoi Radio
continues to play up the differences between Thieu
and Ky as foreshadowing political chaos in Saigon.
In a broadcast beamed to South Vietnamese audiences
on 30 June, Hanoi claims that the replacement of
Police Chief Loan, the bombing accident which killed
several high-ranking South Vietnamese officers in
Saigon, and the replacement of corps commanders were
all deliberately staged to undermine Ky's position
and pre-empt his ability to stage a coup. The ar-
ticle concludes that the only recourse left to Ky is
the assassination of Thieu, and strongly implies that
this is a real possibility.
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II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
.ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
There is nothing significant to report today.
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Top Secret
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