THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 16 DECEMBER 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976515
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: December 16, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
ss-e-L94.a
16 December 1968
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.THE'PRESIDENT4S
'DAILY BRIEF
16'121ECEMBER.1968
1. Laos
2. Brazil
The struggle in southern Laos be-
tween North Vietnamese forces and Lao-
tian Government troops for control of
the strategic village of Ban Thateng
continues despite the pounding the Com-
munists have received during the past
two weeks. Vientiane has flown in
fresh troops and supplies to bolster its
forces but they do not appear adequate
to push out the well dug-in North Viet-
namese battalion holding one section of
the village. There are indications,
moreover, that the North Vietnamese are
bringing up reinforcements for yet an-
other assault on government positions.
Regardless of the final outcome, the
battle of Thateng appears likely to be
the costliest engagement the North Viet-
namese have ever fought in Laos.
No widespread overt opposition to
the government's severe repressive meas-
ures has yet been reported, and we be-
lieve active resistance will be slow to
develop. Opponents of the army are
still being rounded up, and the govern-
ment is acting to strip many of them of
their political rights. Leading army
generals appear to be firmly in the sad-
dle and presumably are now directing
government policy. What this will even-
tually mean for Costa e Silva's position
is not yet clear, but he now appears to
be a virtual prisoner of the army.
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3. Panama
4, Thailand
5. Dominican Republic
The National-Guard appears to have
carried out.the occupation of the Uni-
versity of Panama onJ4-.DeceMber:smooth-
ly, -efficiently, and without meeting:any -
. resistance. As partial justification
for the action, the.ruling junta-ha.sTro-
vided.the press with a list of arms al
legedly.discovered in various parts of.
the university. The campus will_remain.
'closed for upwards of six months or .un-
til-new:legislation is passed permitting
the school, in the words of the official
communiqu?"to accomplish fully: its
lofty social commitments-.-"
Government forces are getting the
.worst of it as they-try,to stamp out in-
surgency in.north-central Thailand,, .The
.tenacity, skill, and planning demon-
strated-by, the COmmunist.-led tribal,in-
.
surgents -suggest to .us that veteran ?
.cadres possibly coming from labs, are
ieading:the guerrillas. The present.ef,
fort is the. Most successful launched by
the Communists since insurgency, broke
out in Thailand four years ago and is
having its.psychological effect on the
tribes in the area who are lpsing.confi-
dence in the goVernment's.ability.to re-
establish its control. .
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,6. Yugoslavia-Hungary.
Arrival of a.Hungarian Communist .
Party, delegation to study ecotomic_re-
form measures in Belgrade is the first.
break,inithe almost total isolationof -
the Yugoslav party 'by theTarsaw,-Pact
five since the Czechoslovak crisis.
The 'visit could mark the beginning of
.
a return to normalcy in relatiOns-bp-
tween Tito and the:Pact members', but' .
it could' also be primarily, a. solo,fence-
mending,gesture by -Kadar.
The Hungarians, mindful of their
exposed position among potentially un-
friendly states, have carefully avoided
polemics with Yugoslavia during and
following the Czech invasion. Kadar,
moreover, has long prided himself on
his ability to read smoke signals from
Moscow *and determine what actions are
tolerable to the Kremlin. Whether he
is a stalking horse for Moscow or act-
ing on his own should become clear in
the near future.
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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
16 December 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
16 December 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
* * *
North Vietnam to Release Captured American Pilots:
We have no information to add to the broadcasts from
Hanoi and Moscow monitored on 14 December to the ef-
fect that an unspecified number of US pilots will be
released for Christmas.
*
Hanoi Protests US Demilitarized Zone Activity:
The North Vietnamese Foreign Ministry has condemned
"repeated encroachments" on the Demilitarized Zone
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by the US in a 14 December broadcast in English. The
broadcast claimed the US had "wantonly" 'bombed and
shelled many places in the Demilitarized Zone and
sent troops into the southern half of the zone caus-
ing "heavy losses in lives and property" to the lo-
cal population.
Another 14 December Hanoi broadcast in English
reported that North Vietnamese negotiator Ha Van Lau
had protested to the US in Paris about the DMZ "en-
croachments," as well as US reconnaissance flights
and "bombardments" in "many areas" of North Vietnam,
Such broadcasts appear to be for the record rather
than signaling any new moves'by Hanoi.
II'. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
There is nothing of significance to report today.
-2-
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Top Secret
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