THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF (MORNING) 14 APRIL 1969

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976720
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: April 14, 1969

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The President's Daily Brief
14 April 1969
(Adorning)
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MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
VIETNAM
Ambassador Zorin put forward
on 11 April
in a conversation:with Ambassador Lodge. According to Zorin
theNLF'call for new people in the Saigon government who
'stand for a. peaceful settlement was no.L.an ultimatum Which
called for 4 US rejection. 2orin went on to acknowledge that
Thieu's Statement on the political role of the Front marked a
difference from his old position. He asserted, however, that-
Thieuls demand for the,dissolution ofthe Front reinforced
Communist suspicions of his intentions
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The comments of Zorin could be taken as a sign that the
Communists have softened their demand for a "peace cabinet"
and are now hinting that all they want is a sign of Thieu's
genuine desire to reach a political settlement with them.
Zorin hinted strongly that
Communist ire is now focused solely on Ky. This, of course,
may be only a ploy by Hanoi to split Thieu and Ky, but it
could also represent a face-saving fall-back position by the
Communists who know that Ky could most easily be sacrificed
by Thieu if need be.
Zorin further stated that both Xuan Thuy and Tran Buu
Klein had told him they are ready for secret talks if the US
"had new proposals to offer." Zorin said Thuy and Klein had
examined the points offered for discussion by the US to date
and had found them unacceptable. From Zorin's remarks it
would appear that the Communists do not now intend to respond
directly to the US initiative Of 22 March but rather will
await another approach by the up.
Zorin, however, made the most explicit suggestion t
date that the North Vietnamese might be interested in tacit
mutual withdrawals as a starter. Zorin said that if the US
should withdraw troops, the North Vietnamese "could reply."
If the US started, said Zorin, "they might do something."
This is vague language and may represent only Zorin's own
opinion, but it is remarkably like the line taken by the
North Vietnamese last summer in regard to the bombing halt,
when DRV spokesmen frequently told us that if we stopped the
bombing they "would know what to d
. II
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of a softening of the
have to deal with the
be made.
the Soviets conveyed the impression
Communist position that the US would
Front before any substantive move could
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Zorin
stated that one way the US could move the talks ahead would
be by "entering into some kind of relationship with the NLF."
the NLF and Hanoi have decided "de-
finitively" never to separate the military and political as-
pects of the problem. Furthermore, they reject categorically
US proposals that military problems be discussed separately
by the US and DRV and political aspects by the ?GVN?and NLF.
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Zorin once again raised with Ambassador Lodge the danger
of Chinese Communist influence on Hanoi. He urged the US to
hurry "before those who do not want peace gain more influence
than those who do."
SOVIET AFFAIRS
Prague's retraction on Saturday of its announcement that
more Soviet troops would enter Czechoslovakia suggests addi-
tional.Concessions to Moscow are forthcoming. It is likely
that the Soviets gave Dubcek a choice between strict and im-
mediate compliance with their demands or a more intensified
occupation, and that the Czechs made a last-minute decision
to fulfill the requirements. Soviet Defense Minister,Grechko
may have carried Czech assurances with him when he returned
to,Moscow yesterday.
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The Russians are said to have insisted that the Czechs
reduce the size of the party's ruling body, the presidium,
which is presently dominated by progressives and moderateS
who support Dubcek. This demand, and Slovak party boss Husak's
scathing attack, by implication, on Dubcek and his colleagues,
suggest: that personnel changes in the party's higher echelons
are on the agenda of 4 central committee plenum beginning on
Thursday.
Husak, a "realist" who aligned himself with the leader-
ship during the recent crisis over anti-Soviet demonstrations,
also hinted the party would no longer temporize, but would re-
assert its authority and control the situation; TASS reported
his remarks in detail.
Meanwhile, workers, students, and other groups are at-
tempting to pressure the authorities not to cave in to the
Russians. The trade unions have reaffirmed their support for
progressive policies and called for greater freedom of the
press. Some youth groups are said again to be threatening to
strike if any popular leaders are removed from the party hier-
archy.
The Czech Defense Ministry announced that Warsaw Pact
antiaircraft exercises would be held today through Wednesday
in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and the USSR, but such
exercises would hardly, serve as a
Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia
planned a year ago
pretext to move additional
especially since they were
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Soviet Ambassador Roshchin at the ENDC meeting in Geneva
has asked for a meeting with Ambassador Smith today to deal
with the question of new members. Roshchin said he saw con-
siderable advantage In settling the issue during the session
now in progress so that the new members could attend when the
session is resumed after a recess in May.
West Germany's recently expressed willingness to defer
its candidacy will remove a major obstacle to the US package
proposal to admit Japan, while preserving an East, West, and
non-aligned balance acceptable to the Soviets. Moscow will
have no difficulty accepting the Netherlands, the NATO nation
most likely to be proposed in place of Bonn.
The US and USSR, co-chairmen of the ENDC, already have
agreed to admit Hungary Mongolia, Argentina, and Tunisia,
in addition to Japan. Once the NATO candidate is accepted,
the remaining obstacle will be Soviet agreement on membership
for Pakistan and Yugoslavia.
Economic nationalism, long a stumbling block tol coopera-
tion among Warsaw Pact nations in their Council for Economic
Mutual Assistance (CEMA) again became apparent at a Polish -
East German conference in East Berlin last week. A high-level
Polish delegation, led by party boss Gomulka, spent two days
in the East German capital. While other matters of common
concern were discussed and a meeting was held with Soviet De-
fense Minister Grechko, who flew in from Prague, economic
cooperation was apparently the prime topic of discussion.
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Erich Honecker, number two man in the East German party
had mentioned "a big economic conference on CEMA matters in
Moscow on 23-24 April" in connection with the Polish visit.
This presumably refers to the oft-postponed CEMA summit meet-
ing to grapple with the organization's future course. If a
top-level meeting is held this month, these recent Polish -
East German talks would suggest that answers to the vexing
problems of CEMA will not be forthcoming.
EUROPE'
There is nothing of significance to report.
MIDDLE EAST
There is nothing of significance to report.
I OTHER IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS
PAKISTAN
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ITALY 7
COMMUNIST CHINA
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PERU,
President Velasco, straining to portray the deferral of
US sanctions as a victory for his government, is basing his
claim on unrealistic hopes for fairly large-scale resumption
of badly needed foreign credits.
Potential foreign lenders are reluctant to move ahead.
Their confidence in Peruvian financial management has been
shaken by recent Wholesale dismissals of competent 'personnel
from the:Peruvian Central Bank, Also, last week Velascos
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finance minister announced inflationary budgetary plans which
are not likely to be in accord with standby commitments with
the International Monetary Fund..
The influential, :ultranationalistic Lima newspaper El
Comercio
meanwhile has called for a delay in dispatch ?to
the US of the promised Peruvian delegation that is to discuss
outstanding US-Peruvian issues. The delegation should not be
sent, said the paper, until "it is clearly demonstrated" that
lines of US public and private credit and loans by "interna-
tional institutions under the influence of the US" have been
"re-established."
COMMUNIST CHINA
There is still no word from Peking on deliberations of
the ninth party congress. A few tentative signs suggest that,
the congress was due to conclude its work over the past week-
end, but the session is still going on. This strengthens our
earlier view that the congress has not gone smoothly.
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