THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 10 OCTOBER 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976401
• 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 10, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
10 October 1968
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
10 OCTOBER 1968
1. South Vietnam
2. Panama
3. Portugal
The Portuguese foreign minister
called in Ambassador Bennett on Monday
to make it "unequivocally clear" that
the policy of the Caetano government
with respect to its overseas territo?
ries "will not change in the slightest."
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4, Brazil
5, Soviet Union -
Finland
6, Soviet Union -
Middle East
7, Jordan-Britain
Bloody student rioting erupted
again in Sao Paulo on Tuesday when a
massive police effort was needed to
break up a demonstration. The embassy
in Rio sustained minor damage in an-
other outburst yesterday. The students
are protesting "dictatorship," police
brutality, and the killing of a fellow
student, in addition to their usual de-
mands for educational reform. More on
the student problem in Latin America
is at Annex.
We presume that Kosygin made his
trip to Finland--announced yesterday--
to warn Kekkonen about the anti-Soviet
sentiment that has developed since the
occupation of Czechoslovakia, Kosygin
certainly was the right man for the
job. He and Kekkonen were the ones
who held a pup tent summit meeting last
summer during a fishing trip to the So-
viet Far East,
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ANNEX
Latin American Students
The anniversary of Che Guevara's arrest and
execution this week has produced only faint rumblings
among the students of Latin America; there has been
no sign of coordinated action throughout the conti-
nent. In Mexico, where the student problem is the
most serious, the agitators have been lying low since
the major violence of a week ago and are now trying
to decide on future strategy. Their demands, however,
are unchanged--disbanding the riot police, freeing all
political prisoners, compensating students hurt in
clashes with security forces, and firing the mayor of
Mexico City,
In Uruguay, the situation has its own national
flavor. The students started rioting to protest against
a government raid on the national university. Later
they changed their tactics and demonstrated against
the government's refusal to lift a state of siege which
had been imposed during the summer. They also joined
with labor to demand an end to a wage freeze. There
were student fatalities as a result of some of these
demonstrations, producing student "martyrs" and in turn
more rioting as the students protested government "bru-
tality." Disorders have eased somewhat recently, but
it is likely that the radical leadership will soon drum
up more demonstrations with more violence.
In Brazil, students have repeatedly asked the gov-
ernment to implement badly needed educational reforms.
Better teachers, better facilities, and an updated
curriculum are high on their list of demands. In re-
sponse, the Costa e Silva government has conducted
numerous studies of the archaic educational system.
So far, however, it has failed to make any changes.
There will eventually be some action, but this is like-
ly to be too little and too late to satisfy the students
?At this point, we have no evidence that the stu-
dent riots in the various Latin American countries are
interrelated or directed from abroad. It is true, how-
ever, that local Communists, Trotskyites, Castroites,
and other extremists on the left have been quick--and
evidently well prepared--to exploit the student griev-
ances.
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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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10 October 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
10 October 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
Hard Line in Paris: In discussing Hanoi's posi-
tion on negotiations
in Paris on 7 October, a North Vietnamese press
spokesman took an extremely hard line.
He said that Hanoi considered the Paris talks a
good propaganda forum and would continue them as long
as they served North Vietnamese purposes. According
to the spokesman, the talks gain time for the Commu-
nist military effort which he called the key element
of Hanoi's strategy.
The North Vietnamese press officer claimed Hanoi
could never agree to restoration of the Demilitarized
Zone since Vietnam was one country and Hanoi had to
fight the Americans "wherever they are." He also re-
stated North Vietnam's position on the bombing halt,
indicating the US had to cease aerial reconnaissance
and naval bombardments as well.
The spokesman repeated that ?Hanoi would not ne-
gotiate with the present Saigon leadership. He said
the National Liberation Front, along with South Viet-
namese elements which call for US withdrawal from
Vietnam, would be the parties to any discussion on a
coalition government.
* * *
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* * *
?Hard Line in Djakarta: Representatives of both
the Liberation Front and the Hanoi government recently
told leftist newsmen in Djakarta that the Communists
plan additional large-scale attacks in South Vietnam.
In the meantime the Communists are concentrating on
keeping the pressure on Danang and Tay Ninh. The cor-
respondents claimed that Hanoi had little hope of
achieving any important US concessions in the Paris
talks, and had now decided to pursue a military vic-
tory in South Vietnam.
These two officials frequently volunteer their
own version of future Communist intentions. Although
they probably do not stray too far from the general
tone of the regime's current line, they are not apt
to be well informed of the details of future military
plans.
-2-
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Pipeline Under Construction: The Communists
are constructing a pipeline system in southern North
Vietnam. Aerial photography of 8 September has lo-
cated an additional two miles of pipeline in Ha Tinh
Province. A total of 32 miles of line has now been
observed in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces since late
July. Much of the pipeline construction appears to
have been done since the bombing halt.
The pipeline has been under heavy air attack
since first located and probably has never been opera-
tional. Nevertheless, the importance attached by the
Communists to the line is suggested by the speedy re-
pair or by-passing of damaged sections.
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II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
There is nothing of significance to report to
day.
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