THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF (AFTERNOON) 7 APRIL 1969

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976710
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: April 7, 1969

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP -79T00936.A007000060001-3
The President's Daily Brief
7 April 1969
(Afternoon)
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
8 April 1969
LATE NOTES FOR THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF OF
7 APRIL 1969
I. MAJOR PROBLEMS
MIDDLE EAST
Fighting erupted today between Jordan and Israel as
King Husayn arrives in Washington for an official visit.
Jordanian rockets crashed into Eilat, an Israeli port on the
Gulf of Aqaba, in predawn hours, plunging it into darkness
and sending people rushing to air raid shelters. As a re-
prisal, Israeli jets struck the port of Aqaba at dawn and
silenced the rocket positions, according to Israeli military
spokesmen. It was the first Arab attack on Eilat this year
and the heaviest ever on the town.
Another series of fire fights also began across the
Suez Canal early this morning and the fighting was apparently
still in progress at mid-day local time. (Press, FBIS,
8 Apr) 50X1
VIETNAM
Enemy-initiated incidents as of noon local time today
remained generally low throughout all areas. 50X1
There is nothing significant to report on any other
area.
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EOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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MAJOR PROBLEMS
MIDDLE EAST
Both Israel and Egypt seem to be getting ready for more
fire fights across the Suez Canal.
VIETNAM
Although Thieu's "Six Points"
statement of 7 April in the main offered a restatement of
Saigon's existing policy of "national reconciliation" in ex-
change for Communist military withdrawal, it also subscribed
to the more distant goal of reunification based on free elec-
tions under a system of international inspection and guar-
antees. This "peace platform" is a useful follow-on to his
announcement of 25 March that his government is ready for
private talks with the NLP, and it helps strengthen Saigon's
public position that it is ready for serious negotiations.
Thieu's
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initiatives suggest that he 50X1
is genuinely more confidant that he can deal successfully
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with the Communists in Paris and subsequently in post-set-
tlement political competition, This? is also apparent in
his "exultation, bordering on euphoria" in a conversation
with Ambassador Green on 4 April.'
EUROPE
The appeal issued by the Warsaw Pact countries at their
recent meeting in Budapest .for a European security conference
has revitalized West European interest in detente, with the
Belgians and the Italians taking the lead. Some NATO mem-
bers believe Soviet problems with China may influence MOSCOW
,to make genuine compromises in Europe; others think it would
be poor politics to appear unresponsive even though some of
them are skeptical that the Russians ?are in earnest. Most
of the NATO foreign ministers apparently want an exchange
?of views on the Subject at this week's ministerial meetings.
On the Soviet side, Ambassador Dobrynin mentioned Mos-
cow's interest in the European security conference idea to
Under Secretary Richardson last week. While we think that
the Soviets are interested in turning Western European at-
tention away from Czechoslovakia and...toward detente we
doubt that they plan to make specific proposals for a meet-
ing any time soon.
SOVIET AFFAIRS
Further modifications are under way, in the Moscow ABM
system. Recent satellite photography shows a new wing be-
ing added to one df the two large radar buildings at each
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of the four active complexes.
In addition to the new construction, the photography
shows a large number of missile cannisters at,the ABM sup-
port facility near Moscow,
3
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The situation in Prague and vicinity remained calm over
the weekend and today, which is a holiday. The city was in-
undated with the usual Easter visitors from Western Europe,
especially West Germany. Contrary to Western radio reports,
our embassy did not observe any increase in Czech military
patrols; the military continue t
be mixed with police in
small patrols. Two student peace marches on Sunday were ap-
parently cancelled; political leaders had been trying to talk
the students out of their plans on Saturday.
4
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II, OTHER IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS
RUMANIA - COMMUNIST CHINA
The Rumanians are keeping firmly to their long-stand-
ing policy of neutrality in the Sino-Soviet dispute. The
press has not mentioned the Sino-Soviet border problem since
4 March; last week it published a relatively warm message
from the Rumanian party central committee addressed to the
Chinese party congress and its chairman "Comrade Mao Tse-
tung."
FINLAND
The Finnish Communist Party has been taken over by its
liberal wing. At the Party congress which closed on Sunday
the liberals', who had a majority of the delegates, were able
to enact their version of the party program calling for a
"peaceful transition to socialism" and a multiparty system.
A dispute over the selection of a new central committee
precipitated a walkout by the conservatives; in their absence
the liberals swept the more objectionable ones out of the
leadership. The new 12-member politburo is weighted 9-3
in favor of the liberals. Party secretary Ville Pessi re-
signed after 25 years in office and was replaced by the re-
latively unknown Arvo Aalto.
Such a split could change the political balance in Fin-
land, since the Communists usually control about 20 per cent
of the vote and since 1966 have participated in the center-
left coalition government.
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The Soviets, who were represented at the Congress by
a high-level delegation, were chiefly concerned with pre-
venting a split. Soviet party leaders Brezhnev and Suslov
made this evident in talks with Finnish Party leaders in
Moscow in late March. These talks probably led the Soviets
to accept the inevitability of liberal gains. They are
likely therefore to take a dim view of the conservative
walk-out and will exert their influence to repair the split
and bring the conservatives back.
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Top Secret
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