THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 18 AUGUST 1969

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976938
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: August 18, 1969

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
The President's Daily Brief
18 August 1969
19
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
102 134
136 198
V` \pia? Lac!,../ '
.?
....,:
0
/.../Prif Lang Son
Thai ,.. e - .
,
f 4Yen pai Nguyen., \IS; . /...? . -s?-??? Soplp ?I.j.#,..,,dvi?...- N??, .Keli'b '>..7%
Z,tk, *-7,t ?-.1,*
ve. r4 ... ;, ?'?... N Vs -... HANOI?
.4 Nt rt...,:,.. -4
1,..k.,.. ' .
.Nan-n ing
CHINA,
.Ning-ming
Samneua.
14?
BANGKOK
12-
10?
Luang Prabang
VIENTIANE
Udon Thani*
fl?Ls Vinh
?
10.41ef\e';1, Ha Tinh
???
.?
.4 .0441"4.1)
???40711:1, Gits ?
Ilaiphong
Nam)Diph
Thanh Hoa
NORTH
VIETNAM
*Savannakhet
Tchepone.
GULF
OF
TONKIN
Dong Hoi
"'With
Lint
r
")emorcotion Line
Quang
?
tie
THAILAND LAOS
Battambang
GULF OF
(Da Nang
?Saravane
HAINAN
SOUTH
VIETNAM
Quang Ngai
*Qui Nhon
AMBODIA
Loc Ninh
PHNOM PENH
SIAM ?
AVERAGE STRENGTH
OF ENEMY UNITS
VC NVA
Battalion 200-400 300-500
Regiment 1,000-1,500 1,200-2,000
Division 5,000-7,000 5,000-8,000
VIETNAM
0 25 50 75 100 125
MILES
102
Ca
Mau.
Can Tho.
My Tho*
IV CORPS
0?.
Vung Tau
Capital Special Zone
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
1 1
104 106 108
?22
?18
?16
?14
Nha Trang
?12
Cam Ranh
?10
93465 1-69
Declassified in Part - .Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
VIETNAM
Ground action has tapered off
The most significant fighting
over the weekend again centered in the provinces north of
Saigon along the Cambodian border. The enemy probed allied
positions in Tay Ninh and Binh Long provinces, losing 60
troops killed while inflicting only light losses on US and
South Vietnamese forces.
There was new evidence over the weekend that the enemy
is shifting sizable forces from the central highlands south-
ward toward the III Corps area around Saigon. Two regiments
of North Vietnamese--with supporting artillery--have been
located near the boundary between II and III corps. They
may stay there to attack allied outposts, or they might con-
tinue southward to participate in Communist operations closer
in toward Saigon.
NORTH KOREA
The North Koreans still give no indication of the fate
of the three crew members of the downed helicopter. Pyong-
yang radio so far has confined itself to brief statements
confirming that the helicopter has been downed over North
Korean territory. The first statement, broadcast yesterday
at 10:39 a.m. EDT, was strikingly less martial than routine
daily propaganda output. It almost certainly was intended
to be a holding piece to give the regime more time to assess
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27: Clk-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
50X1
50X1
the incident and the US response.
50X1
The North Koreans have not yet answered our request for
a meeting of the Military Armistice Commission on Wednesday.
Pyongyang did not release two pilots captured in a similar
incident in 1963 until a year later when the US submitted an
official "apology."
LAOS
Souvanna Phouma seems about to begin the politically
tricky business of reshuffling the military high command.
He has indicated to his generals that he intends to "pro-
mote" the armed forces commander, General Ouan Rathikoun,
to an important civilian position in the Ministry of De-
fense. He has also told Ambassador Godley that he plans
other sweeping changes.
Souvanna will need some clever footwork. Long-en-
trenched senior officers are already maneuvering to hang
on to their jobs, while their would-be successors jockey
for favored position. The generals, whose political al-
legiance lies with the rightists, may also try to dilute
Souvanna's efforts to strengthen the pro-Souvanna neutralist
faction. Souvanna thinks this is necessary to counter the
Communists' effort to portray their "patriotic neutralists"
as the "true" neutralist representatives in the tripartite
government.
2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
IRELAND
3
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
50X1
50X1
50X1
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9
Top Secret
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/04/27 : CIA-RDP79T00936A007400150001-9