THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 30 OCTOBER 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976435
• 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 30, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
0 October 1968
23
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? THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
$0 OCTOBER .1968
1. Soviet Union
2. Rumania -
Warsaw Pact
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.The Russian cosmonaut and .his
Soyuz 3 spacecraft were brought down--
apparently successfull --inside the
Soviet Uni
? Rumanian authorities have evi-
dently accepted in principle a Soviet
proposal to hold joint maneuvers in
Rumania sometime next year. Bucharest
is obviously worried about this kind
of involvement and says it will demand
a formal government-to-government ac-
cord spelling out the number of Soviet
troops and when they, will enter and
leave. This is hardly adequate insur-
ance. ?
* * *
The Rumanians and the Soviets con-
tinue to cooperate on some military
matters.
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3. Czechoslovakia
4. Israel
There were anti-Soviet demonstra-
tions in Bratislava last night after
the Czech leaders arrived to witness
the signing of the federalization bill
today. Soviet troops did not inter-
vene, however, and so far the occupa-
tion command seems content to let the
local authorities handle the situation.
More demonstrations in Bratislava are
expected today.
Contacts of the embassy ?in Tel
Aviv say that previous talk of a cabinet
crisis over peace terms has evaporated,
and that they see no spectacular develop-
ments when the cabinet meets to discuss
the problem tomorrow.
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5. Portugal
6. Soviet Union -
Antarctica
The Soviets are continuing their
impressive research activities in Ant-
arctica. The diversity of this effort,
which covers many branches of science
but concentrates on geophysics, rivals
that of any, other country.
The fourteenth annual Soviet Ant-
arctic expedition is now getting under
way with 300 members--100 more than
- last year./
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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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30 October 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
30 October 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
Propaganda: Both Liberation Radio and Hanoi
continue to denounce press rumors that there is some
bargaining going on between Washington and Hanoi
about conditions for a bombing halt. Communist com-
mentaries are still hammering home the theme that
has dominated their propaganda for more than a week--
the relative strength and importance of the Front
compared with Saigon. The Liberation Front commen-
tary on the 28th was harsher in tone and in its de-
nunciation of President Johnson's recent comments, but
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even Nhan Dan said on 29 October that "no beautiful
words can turn the moribund puppets into a force
to reckon with." Both commentaries insisted that the
US stop the bombing without conditions.
In Paris the newly arrived Front representative,
in a brief appearance on French television and radio
on 29 October, laughed at the suggestion that a rep-
resentative of the Front should sit as part of the
Hanoi delegation at the peace talks. The Front exer-
cises real power in South Vietnam, he said, and the
US must deal with it.
* * *
Delegation Has Its Troubles: The delegation
which visited Belgium is the same one which was re-
cently refused entry to the Netherlands. It has in
fact encountered heavy going in more than one coun-
try on its West European tour. In Belgium the dele-
gates met with a labor leader who supported the US po-
sition, and with leaders of a teachers' union who ac-
cused the Front of committing atrocities in South
Vietnam. Their public appearances were dominated by
-2--
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pro-Peking Communists, much to the dismay of the pro-
Soviet Communists who sponsored the visit.
.The delegation left on Sunday for Rome, mutter-
ing about the restrictions the Italian Government was
placing on their activities.
* * *
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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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