THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05947666
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: April 27, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 30, 2019
• Publication Date: March 13, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
set 13 March 1968
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DAILY BRIEF
13 MARCH 196.8
1. Vietnam
2. Panama
EGRETTU S
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Military activity remains at a low
level in most of South Vietnam. Allied
clearing operations are continuing in
the northern provinces.
Clouds obscured most of the terri-
tory photographed on the OXCART mission
of 8 March, but good coverage was ob-
tained around Khe Sanh.
The photographs showed further de-
velopment of the Laotian road network
to the west of Khe Sanh. In addition
to Route 9, the Communists have built
(over the past several months) two
spurs running east from Route 92. These
roads appear to have advanced about two
miles since January and are now well
within South Vietnamese territory.
All of the routes west of Khe Sanh
appeared to be in serviceable condi-
tion. No vehicles were photographed,
but extensive tracking suggests that
moderate to heavy traffic uses these
roads.
While the stalemate in the assem-
bly drags on, we have a hopeful report
from a sensitive and usually reliable
clandestine source. According to this
source, Robles agreed Monday night to
appoint anew, "nonpolitical" cabinet.
A new cabinet might be announced as
early as today.
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3. Eastern Europe
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Police in Warsaw had to use tear
gas again yesterday to put down demon-
strations, and students in other Po-
lish cities are beginning to voice sup-
port for their colleagues in the capital.
The government is cracking down on
people it thinks instigated the demon-
strations or failed to rein in the dem-
onstrators. Yesterday, for instance,
it fired three high government officials
whose children had been seen leading the
protestors. The official line has be-
gun to take a heavily anti-Semitic slant.
There may be unrest in the labor
movement, too, the government's propa-
ganda to the contrary notwithstanding.
At least, that was what four workers
claimed yesterday when they turned up
at our embassy to ask if they could use
its printing press to print an anti-
regime pamphlet. (This may have been
a provocation; the embassy turned down
their request.)
Labor leaders in Czechoslovakia
are also having their troubles. Prague
radio yesterday announced the resigna-
tions of three of them, including the
head of the central council of trade
unions. This official said he took on
himself part of the blame for various
"shortcomings" in the labor movement.
The union hierarchy has been a Novotny
stronghold.
And in East Germany, the always
jittery Ulbricht government is telling
its local party bosses to "keep an ear
open" for signs of the liberal virus.
According to intercepts, these function-
aries are being urged to exercise "the
highest degree of vigilance" and to
"step in immediately" if anyone gets
out of line.
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4. Egypt-Israel
5. Communist China
6. Defectors
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Both Jarring and the Israelis
think Cairo will soon take its griev-
ances back to the Security Council.
Nasir's domestic troubles prob-
ably are behind his renewed intransi-
gence.) Our embassy in Cairo believes
that the recent student and worker
demonstrations have made Nasir back
away from even indirect talks with
the Israelis. The regime apparently
plans to have another go at diverting
internal public opinion with a noisy
hassle in the UN.
The Chinese have roughly doubled
their fighter aircraft strength on
Hainan Island during March. This
beefing-up is almost certainly related
to Chinese nervousness about US inten-
tions in the wake of the Tet offensive.
US military defectors in Sweden
are not finding life a bed of roses.
Four of them--out of 36 known to have
fled to Sweden--have recently returned
to their units. Unhappiness over manip-
ulation by antiwar groups, as well as
disillusionment with life in Sweden,
apparently was behind the decision to
redefect.
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