THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 9 OCTOBER 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976399
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: October 9, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
Top Secret 9 October 1968
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
9 OCTOBER 1968
1. Czechoslovakia -
Soviet Union
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A new crunch may be coming on
Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovaks are
still struggling to come up with a
mutually satisfactory mix of what they
want and what the Soviets demand.
There is as yet no convincing evidence
that such a formula can be found. The
communiqu?ssued after yesterday's
presidium meeting looks both ways, sug-
gesting that Prague will make the im-
mediate policy changes demanded by Mos-
cow regarding personnel, ideology,
propaganda, censorship, and economic
centralization, and yet emphasizing
that many of Dubcek's liberal policies
will be continued and that there will
be no top-level party purge.
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Deputy Premier Hamouz, 50X1
who is leading a delegation to negoti-
ate a treaty for the indefinite sta-
tioning of Soviet troops. 50X1
President Svoboda, possibly 50X1
engaged in one last effort to persuade
Moscow to soften its demands on Prague 50X1
or face a new political crisis.
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2, South Vietnam
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3. Yugoslavia-Albania
? World Confedera-
tion of Labor
The InternationalTederation of
Christian Trade Unions, which claims
13 million workers--mostly Catholic--
in its federated unions, has "de-
confessionalized" itself to become the
World Confederation of Labor. The
move, under 'consideration for years,
is designed to open the doors to the
millions of Moslem, Buddhist, and
other ."third world" workers who would
not enroll under .a Christian banner.
The organization will now :be bet-
ter position to challenge the.Interna-
tional Confederation of Free Trade
Unions--often regardedas dominated by
the US--and to offer an alternative to
the Communist-led World Federation of
Trade Unions.
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5. NATO
6. Italy
? There is growing interest in
formalizing within NATO a bloc that
could speak for Europe. Kiesinger ap-
pears to be more receptive to the no-
tion of a European caucus in NATO
since his recent frosty meeting with
De Gaulle
Belgian
Foreign Minister Harmel will restate
his own caucus proposal at the 21 Oc-
tober meeting of the Western European
Union, which Hamel regards as the -
logical forum for European interests
within NATO.
The Italian Government plans to
include Communists in the? new delega-
tion it will soon appoint to the par-
liament of the European Communities.
No other Community member includes
Communists in its delegation, though
.all except West Germany have Communists
in their legislatures. Prime Minister
Leone, however, promised to make the
Italian delegation more representative
of the Rome parliament, which is about
one-fourth Communist.
The few Communists who are ex-
pected to join the Italian group ,are
not likely to be disruptive; their
party is at pains to show that it can
work with non-Communists. Leone's
move could confirm the Italian party
in its present position of relative
autonomy within the international Com-
munist movement, a status favorable to
the party's domestic strength.
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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
9 October 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
9 October 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
Support for Hanoi: The antiwar demonstration
planned for London in late October is expected to
be one of the largest on record. The organizer of
the demonstration--a committee of left-wing and
antiwar groups--expects to be able to muster some
100,000 people in London 27 October for a march from
Charing Cross to Hyde Park.
The demonstrations in London are part of a world-
wide effort to dramatize popular support for Hanoi
throughout the Free World during a week of "solidarity
with Vietnam." Hanoi will send official representa-
tives to some of the more im ortant meetin
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II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
There is nothing of significance to report today.
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Top Secret
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