CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A011100070001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 7, 2003
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 6, 1968
• Content Type: REPORT

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Central Intelligence Bulletin
STATE review(s) completed.
Secret
39,
6 May 1968
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No. 0148/68
6 May 1968
Central Intelligence Bulletin
CONTENTS
Vietnam: Situation report. (Page 1)
Czechoslovakia-USSR: The leaders of both countries
resolve very little in Moscow talks. (Page 2)
Sweden: Top critic of US returns to the attack.
Page 6)
'Chile: Uneasiness continues in cabinet and army
sigh command. (Page 7)
Honduras: The dispute over the election fraud is
likely to drag on. (Page 8)
Indonesia: Streamlining of national police (Page 9)
USSR-Malta: Oil survey (Page 10)
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C South Vietnam: The widespread but generally
light wave of enemy attacks over the weekend ap-
pears to have been designed to achieve psycholog-
ical rather than military advantages at the onset
of the Paris talks.
Shortly after midnight on 5 May, Saigon time,
the Communists carried out coordinated raids against
more than 125 military bases and government centers
throughout South Vietnam. Most of these actions
were confined to mortar and rocket attacks which
were not followed by ground assaults. Relatively
little property damage and loss of life has been re-
ported.
In Saigon, the enemy did engage in several fire
fights, chiefly at two bridges on Route 1 and in
Precinct Five and the Cholori district. The US Chan-
cery received small-arms and mortar fire, but no
significant damage was reported.
The country-wide enemy attacks were accompanied
by National Liberation Front radiobroadcasts call-
ing for a general uprising in the Saigon area. It
appears that the Communists hoped to strengthen
their claims of widespread popular revolt and pos-
session of the military initiative as negotiations
of under way in Paris.
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Czechoslovakia-USSR: Leaders of the two coun-
tries appear to have resolved very little during
their talks in Moscow on 4 and 5 May.
The joint communique' suggests, however, that
once again the Soviets have accepted ^zechoslovak
assurances that Prague's alliance with Moscow will
remain fundamentally unaltered. The two sides were
said to have expressed a desire to expand friendly
relations on all levels.
There is no sign, however, that the conflicting
viewpoints on "Communist unity" were reconciled. In-
deed, the press polemics between the Czedhoslovaks
and the Poles which went on while the Moscow talks
were in progress suggest that this gap may continue
to widen.
The communique also suggests that: there was
only agreement to disagree on a number of other is-
sues important to both sides. For example, "frank
..views were exchanged" on the roles played by the
two Communist parties in their own countries. The
Soviets have expressed concern that Czechoslovak
Communists might share power with other political
forces, or lose it altogether.
The Czechs appear to have gained no firm com-
mitment on economic aid from the Soviets. Matters
of "economic cooperation," according to the communi-
que, would be referred to experts for examination.
There have been reports that the Czechs went to Mos-
cow seeking a large credit, or at least the possi-
bility of Soviet payment for Czechoslovak goods in
hard currency.
Earlier both sides had denied that Moscow had
cut off grain shipments to Czechoslovakia as a form of
pressure, but some evidence is available that there
may have been a slowdown.
(continued)
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Although the issue was not mentioned in the
communique, Czechoslovakia's participation in War-
saw Pact maneuvers scheduled for. this year also
may have been a worrisome question, at least in
Prague. On 3 May, Czechoslovak Defense Minister
Dzur denied a Western press report that Prague had
refused to let a pact exercise be held on its ter-
ritory. Dzur said that "staff exercises," presum-
ably a joint command post exercise, would indeed
be held in Czechoslovakia this year. Seemingly
concerned about the effect of this announcement on
the population, he implied, however, that large
numbers of pact troops would not be deployed into
Czechoslovakia.
Party Chief Dubcek reportedly is scheduled to
report today on his trip to the Czechoslovak public.
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Sweden: LThe government's
leadincritic of the US recently
returned to the attack,]
cIn a televised speech to a
May Day rally in Stockholm, Edu-
cation Minister Palme avoided
specific criticism of the US role
in Vietnam, but came close to de-
fying a ban imposed two months
ago by party leaders on any fur-
ther efforts on his part to "make"
Swedish foreign policy. The ban
was the result of virulent re-
marks he made against the US at
an anti-Vietnam rally on 21 February ULUI ALMt
LPalme clearly had the US in mind, however, when
he denounced "pressure from a foreign power," and
declared that Swedish neutrality would not be de-
termined "by a foreign ambassador."" He also alluded
to racial disturbances in the US_]
Despite the unpopularity of Palrne's views among
many of the governing Social Democrats, neither the
party leadership nor the opposition parties in this
election year have chosen to challenge him seri-
ously. Popular acceptance of the view that the US
was exerting pressure on Sweden has strengthened his
hand .j
LPrime Minister Erlander and other Social Demo-
cratic leaders have occasionally been embarrassed
by Palme, but they apparently believe any damage
done by his remarks is offset by his popularity with
left-wing and radical elements both within and out-
side the party. Support of these groups may be
vital for Social Democrats in order to keep the
carte in power after the September elections.]
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Chile: Uneasiness continues in the wake of
changes in the cabinet and army high command.
The US Embassy reports that unrest in the mili-
tary is very real and, although there is no evi-
dence of any coup plotting, the conditions for de-
veloping a coup mentality have not been as good for
many years.
The new defense minister, General Tulio Maram-
bio, plans to submit a supplemental military pay
bill to congress within the next two weeks. Failure
to obtain its passage could trigger a wave of mili-
tary resignations and deprive the government of
military support to back up police action against
labor agitation.
The unsettled situation within the military
has put great pressure on the government to obtain
a quick settlement of the teachers' and postal and
telegraph workers' strike. There are indications
that the labor unions are beginning to consider
softening their demands for pay increases in the
fear that the cabinet changes will precipitate
strong-arm tactics by the government. The Communist
Party in particular fears that it would be the prin-
cipal victim of a crackdown on the left, and is
therefore advocating a better deal for the military.
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Honduras: The month-long dispute between the
oppositi n Liberal Party and President Lopez over
the fraudulent municipal elections in March is
likely to continue for some time.
On 1 May Lopez offered to grant the Liberals
control of as many as 40 municipalities in addition
to those they had won in the election, but this was
rejected. The President has stated that he is will-
ing to continue discussions with the liberals at an
unspecified future date provided complete annulment
of the election is not a precondition to further
talks.
The President probably would have made other
conciliatory gestures, but his Minister of the Pres-
idency Ricardo Zuniga, who was responsible for the
massive electoral fraud, apparently persuaded him
not to. As long as Zuniga remains on the scene,
opposition participation in the government is likely
to be minimal. The Liberals probably will try to
reach some compromise with Lopez, however, so that
they will not be completel isolated from the 1971
presidential elections,
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Indonesia: In a move designed to purge and
reorganize the national police, Djakarta has an-
nounced the dismissal of Police Commander Sutjipto,
one of the few remaining significant holdovers from
the Sukarno years. He will be replaced by police
Lt. Gen. Hugeng as commander and police Maj. Gen.
Aziz in the newly created post of vice commander.
Of the two, Aziz is the more capable. Hugeng
is expected to serve as a figurehead, running in-
terference while Aziz works to restore the police
to its traditional nonmilitary role. Indonesia's
national police, especially its 23,000-man mobile bri-
gade combat force, has long played a quasi-military
role which the Suharto government is anxious to
change. The new appointees take over on 15 May.
They probably will move cautiously at first until
they are assured of the strong backing they need
from the government in order to carry out their
mission.
(continued)
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USSR-Malta Moscow has renewed a longstanding
offer to Malta to conduct an offshore oil survey.
According to a representative of a Soviet state
trading company in Malta, the USSR would supply
equipment and 80 experts to undertake the survey at
Malta's expense. Prospects for finding commercially
exploitable petroleum are not rated too high, but a
large Soviet presence in Malta could afford Moscow
favorable publicity.)
Although Soviet economic relations with Malta
have been minimal, two commercial officers from the
Soviet Embassy in Rome visited Malta last month to
seek increased trade. The USSR also sent its first
ship to the Malta drydocks last month for repair,
and although Soviet officials were not impressed
with Maltese skill or efficiency, other Soviet com-
mercial ships may use this facility in the future .1
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