THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 26 DECEMBER 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976531
• 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 26, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
26 December 1968
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
26 DECEMBER 1968
1. Venezuela-Guyana
2. South Vietnam
the Venezuelan military, is getting
ready for an operation against a large
section of Guyana that the Venezuelans
have long coveted. The Venezuelan move
reportedly would come in response to an
"appeal" from the Indians who inhabit
the area.
The Guyanese do not have the means
to resist a Venezuelan incursion. 'They
probably would move as quickly as pos-
sible to secure UN condemnation of the
"aggressors" in Caracas.
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3. Soviet Union
Middle East
4. Italy -
Communist China
The new Italian Government has de-
cided to recognize Peking in the fair-
ly near future, according to Foreign
Minister Nenni. The government will
be implementing a decision which was
announced in principle five years ago.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
1.) Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
.) North Vietnamese Reflections of US
Political Attitudes
Top Secret 50)"
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26 December 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for ?the President's Eyes Only
26 December 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
_Reaction to American. and South Vietnamese State-
:ments: There has been-almost no authoritative Viet-
namese Communist response to recent. US and South ?
Vietnamese statements about separating military and
political problems in the course of negotiations and
leaving the burden of a political settlement to Sai-
gon and .the Liberation Front. Hanoi probably is
acting cautiously in part .to avoid jeopardizing po-
tentially useful openings for the negotiations. At
the same time the Communists are well aware of the
.divisive influence Some recent statements have had
on the allied side, and 'they may feel that anything
they say woUld only serve to closeranks between Sai-
gon and Washington,
. The only significant Communist reaction to Sec-
retary Clifford's television remarks about mutual
troop withdrawals on 15 December has been a Libera-
tion Radio broadcast of 19 December. Avoiding the
substance of the remarks, it simply castigated Clif-
ford.for using "shamelessly deceitful and provoca-
tive arguments.," There has been no reporting in
Communist media on Henry.Kissinger's Foreign Affairs
article concerning Vietnam. .The French news agency
reported. that a Liberation Front Spokesman in Paris
on 19 December "rejected" the idea of separate nego-
tiations on military problems.between North Vietnam
and the United States and political, negotiations be-
tween Saigon and the Liberation Front,-which had been
"suggested successively" by Clifford and Kissinger.
Hanoi's version.of the Front spokesman's remarks
omitted any reference to this subject.
Tran Buu.Kiem, head of the Front delegation in
Paris, "categorically rejected" Vice President.Ky's
statements on television last weekend, according to
an."exclusive interview" by the.French press. agency.
Klein's' interview has been quoted widely in the West-
ern press, but its accuracy is at best ?dubious and
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the Communists clearly do not consider it an authori-
tative release. Kiem allegedly said, for instance,
that the Front does not have the "direct means" to
overthrow the Saigon government and that the Front
would not be opposed to a "peace cabinet" headed by
General "Big" Minh. These comments almost certainly
are distorted and they cast doubt on the reliability
of the rest of the interview. No Communist broad-
casts have carried the statements attributed to Kiem,
and none has so far responded to Ky's remarks on
television.
This gingerly treatment of these issues almost
certainly indicates considerable Hanoi interest.
Some of the general ideas expressed by Secretary Clif-
ford, Kissinger, and even Vice President Ky mesh fair-
ly well with long-standing Communist scenarios for
separate handling of problems concerning North and
South Vietnam and for a political settlement "without
outside interference." Many of the details in these
statements are clearly unacceptable to the Communists,
particularly Ky's suggestion of political negotiations
after North Vietnamese troops have been withdrawn,
but Hanoi probably sees in them at least some poten-
tial for future productive bargaining.
* * *
Giap's Address: General Vo Nguyen Giap delivered
the keynote address at 'a major holiday rally in Hanoi
on 21 December. The ceremonies, attended by Ho Chi
Minh and other, high officials, jointly celebrated the
anniversaries of the establishment of the North Viet-
namese Army in 1944 and the start of the anti-French
resistance in 1946.
In his speech, as broadcast by Radio Hanoi's
international service, Giap presented a generally
optimistic review of the situation but without much
of the bluster and exaggeration commonly used in Com-
munist propaganda. This fairly low-key approach is
Giap's trademark, but at this time it probably also
reflects the leadership's sober assessment of Commu-
nist military prospects and the heavy reliance Hanoi
is placing on its hopes that Washington is interested
in negotiating an early reduction in the US commitment
to the war.
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Giap argued that the bombing halt, and what he
termed US reassessment of its position With a view to-
ward 7de..Ametioanizing" the war, clearly demonstrated
that the Communists are prevailing,. But, citing con-
tinued aerial reconnaissance over the North and a
large military presence inthe South as evidence of .
.US intentions to hang on, Giap urged continued efforts
to press forward along the lines of the party's "cor-
rect" revolutionarywar strategy. He asserted that
past successes Stemmed from that strategy,
Giap described this 'strategy as "combining
armed struggle with political struggle to launch,,.
offensives in all forms," bringing to bear Communist
"moral and political superiority" against US mili-
tary and economic power. On the military front, the
strategy calls for "stepped up big-unit fighting and
...widespread guerrilla warfare at the Same time."
II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
day.
There is nothing of significance to report to-
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