NORTH KOREA SEEN ISOLATED ON PLANE INCIDENT

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06759861
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: October 4, 2018
• Case Number: F-2018-00295
• Publication Date: April 25, 1969

Approved for Release: 2018/09/27 C06759861
/527-02-3a
-Secret-
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
EEKLY SU'
41
25 25 April 1969
No. 0367/69
Approved for Release: 2018/09/27 C06759861
Approved for Release: 2018/09/27 C06759861
The WEEKLY WEEKLY SUMMARY, issued every Friday morning by the
Office of Current Intelligence, reports and analyzes significant
developments of the week through noon on Thursday. It fre-
quently includes material coordinated with or prepared by the
Office of Economic Research, the Office of Strategic Research,.
and the Directorate of Science and Technology. Topics requir-
ing more comprehensive treatment and therefore published sep-
arately as Special Reports are listed in the contents pages.
WARNING
The WEEKLY SUMMARY contains classified information af-
fecting the national security of the United States, within the
meaning of Title 18, sections 793 and 794, of the US Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents to or re-
ceipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
The WEEKLY SUMMARY MUST NOT BE RELEASED TO
FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS and must be. handled within the
framework of specific dissemination control provisions of
DCID 1/7.
GROUP 1
Exducled trans automatic
downgrading and
declassification
Approved for Release: 2018/09/27 C06759861
Approved for Release: 2018/09/27 C06759861
C ONTENTS
(Information as of noon EST, 24 April 1969)
Far East
Page
NORTH KOREA SEEN ISOLATED ON PLANE INCIDENT
Since its shootdown of the US reconnaissance plane
on 15 April, North Korea has maintained a cautious
yet defiant attitude.
NORTH KOREAN FOREIGN TRADE PATTERNS UNCHANGED
North Korea's foreign trade continues relatively stag-
nant as Communist economic aid dries up and Pyongyang
concentrates on modernizing its military forces.
�SEGRE=F-
Page i WEEKLY SUMMARY 25 Apr 69
4
6
NR Record
NR Record
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SECRET
FAR EAST
The North Koreans adopted a defensive yet defiant stance in their first
formal pronouncement on the shootdown of the US reconnaissance plane
last week. Pyongyang appears well aware of its weak international position
and fully conscious of the hazards of further provocations against US aircraft
or naval units. Although the North Koreans almost certainly will avoid any
direct challenge to the US task force in the Sea of Japan, they may initiate
some low-risk harassment activity in the DMZ area or guerrilla operations in
the South to demonstrate their defiance.
The North Korean statement attempts, however, to offset the weakness
of Pyongyang's claim that the US plane intruded into its territory by
adopting a defiant stance with regard to any future US intrusions. The North
Koreans seek to cast doubt on US intentions by warning that the US will
exploit any North Korean defensive reaction to another intrusion as a
pretext to "commit full-scale attack" which may lead to another "total war"
in Korea.
The political opposition in Japan attempted to exploit popular concern
that further incidents might lead to Japanese involvement in some new
Korean hostilities. Japanese Government leaders, for their part, condemned
the North Korean action and strongly supported the US position.
Communist military activity in South Vietnam has settled into a pat-
tern of sporadic shelling and brief but occasionally fierce ground battles. The
trend toward disengagement by Communist main forces, first noted in late
March, continues to hold.
Meanwhile, South Vietnamese political groups continue to maneuver in
the wake of President Thieu's announced intention to form a new political
grouping to compete with the Communists. One problem that seems likely
to hamper Thieu's efforts to mold national political unity is the reaction to
the government's heavy-handed treatment or the press. Four more Saigon
newspapers were suspended in the past week; 25 papers have now been
closed since formal press censorship was lifted last May.
Communist China's ninth party congress drew to an end this week with
the election of a new and larger central committee. Mao, Lin Piao, and Chou
Fn-lai continue to occupy the top three positions in China's hierarchy.
Page 1
�TSEGRLET�
WEEKLY SUMMARY
25 Apr 69
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� '4
NORTH KOREA SEEN ISOLATED ON PLANE INCIDENT
Since its shootdown of the
US reconnaissance plane on 15
April, North Korea has maintained
a cautious yet defiant attitude.
Pyongyang's propaganda on
the incident thus far has been
sparse. The elapse of five days
before North Korea responded to
President Nixon's announcement
that reconnaissance flights were
to be resumed--with protection--
reflects the regime's desire
fully to assess US intentions.
The defensive tone of Pyongyang's
statement on 23 April shows that
the North Korean leaders are
well aware of their weak inter-
national position and fully
conscious of the hazards in
further military provocations
at this time.
An incident along the cen-
tral sector of the Demilitarized
Zone on 23 April apparently was
not directly related to Pyong-
yang's reaction to the resump-
tion of US reconnaissance flights.
The North Koreans fired on a UN
command guard post, probably in
order to cover the retreat of
reconnaissance personnel who had
stumbled into a minefield. The
North Koreans presumably were at-
tempting to collect information
on South Korean and US force de-
ployments since the shootdown on
15 April. Similar probes and en-
counters along the Demilitarized
Zone occurred in the period im-
mediately following the Pueblo
seizure. The skirmish was cited
by a Pyongyang domestic service
broadcast as a serious "new provo-
cation" by the US.
The North Koreans have made
a feeble attempt to link the plane
shootdown with the Pueblo affair,
but the weakness of their case, is
evident in their failure to cite
a precise location for the alleged
air intrusion. An elaborate at-
tempt was made to "document" tile
Pueblo's violation of North
Korean waters.
Pyongyang appears anxious to
offset the weakness of its posi-
tion by attempting to play upon
foreign uneasiness regarding US
intentions. Its statement of 23
April sought to cast doubt on qs
intentions by warning that the ;US
would exploit any North Korean.
defensive reaction to another in-
trusion as a pretext to "commit
full-scale attack" which could.
lead to another "total war" in
Korea.
North Korea's international
isolation is underscored by the
fact that only three Communist
states--East Germany, North Viet-
nam, and Cuba--have wholeheart-
edly supported Pyongyang.
Peking on 21 April broke its
week-long silence over the inci-
dent with an official news release
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25 Apr 69
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attacking Moscow's "collusion"
with the US after the shootdown.
The Chinese merely quoted a "news
report" stating that the US plane
had "intruded" into North Korean
airspace but made no mention of
who shot down the plane, avoided
any expression of direct support
for the North Korean action, and
dealt only mildly with the US.
The statement contrasts with Pe-
king's announcement of "firm sup-
port" for Pyongyang following the
seizure of the Pueblo.
Peking's cautious handling
of the incident--underscored by
its silence until President Nixon
set forth the US reaction--is con-
sistent with the Chinese record
of careful avoidance of being drawn
into military conflict with the
US in situations where vital na-
tional interests are not involved.
Soviet reaction has been
restrained. The Russians made
oral statements of concern in Mos-
cow and Washington on 21 April
about US naval deployments but
their low-key reflected a desire
not to add to existing tensions.
Soviet media have given only mild
support to North Korea's position.
Moscow may �intend this to convey
a mild rebuke to Pyongyang.
The South Korean Government,
while favoring a stronger response,
seems to be making a deliberate
effort to stay in step with the
US position. Senior defense of-
Page 5
ficials welcomed the US announce-
ment that the reconnaissance
flights would be resumed and given
protection, and President Pak has
indicated that South Korea will
not take punitive action on its
own against the North. An appar-
ently deliberate effort by the
authorities to moderate public
reaction, however, has not con-
cealed the widespread concern of
many political leaders and private
citizens that Pyongyang will be
encouraged to undertake more such
incidents in the future.
Tokyo has censured Pyongyang's
action and given strong support
for the US position. Opposition
parties, attempting to exploit
popuLar fears that Japan might
become involved in Korean hostili-
ties, have shifted the focus of
their attacks from the plane in-
cident itself to the US naval de-
ployment in the Sea of Japan.
Japanese news media have also re-
acted strongly against the US
naval buildup, charging that the
task force is larger than is
needed.
The Korean episode has pro-
vided an unexpected opportunity
for the Sato government to air its
views on the importance it at-
taches to Japan's security treaty
with the US, which comes up for
review next year. Japanese of-
ficials have emphasized the value
to Japan of America's defense
effcrts in Korea, a point largely
over ooked by the Japanese pub-
lic.
WEEKLY SUMMARY
25 Apr 69
Approved for Release: 2018/09/27 C06759861