CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A013100010001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 2, 2003
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: February 10, 1969
• Content Type: REPORT

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DIRECTORATE OlE
INTELLIGENCE
Central Intelligence Bulletin
Secret
50
10 February 1969
State Dept. review completed
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No. 0035/69
10 February 1969
Central Intelligence Bulletin
CONTENTS
South Vietnam: Situation report. (Page 1)
East Germany - Berlin: Pankow's new restrictions on
travel to Berlin will have little practical effect on
the West German Federal Assembly meeting next month.
(Page 2)
Czechoslovakia: The government apparently hopes to
put together in "revised" form the remnants of last
spring's "action program." (Page 4)
Israel-Lebanon: Border tensions (Page 6)
Egypt-USSR: Aswan Dam defenses (Page 6)
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[South Vietnam: Ground fighting remained at a
low level on 8-9 February with several hit-and-run
terrorist raids reported.
Enemy sapper teams, however, continued their
terrorist efforts in Saigon and the Communists
shelled a number of allied positions around the
country with mortars and rockets.
Six American civilians employed by an aviation
electronics firm under contract to the US Army were
bushwhacked about 17 miles east of Saigon. In Sai-
gon, Communist sappers hit another Civil Self-Defense
office, wounding two civilians with grenades. These
installations have been hit several times in recent
days.
Elsewhere in 'the city, a cart carrying plastic
explosives blew up near a US officers' billet in
Cholon. South Vietnamese police have reported find-
ing a cache of arms and ammunition near the Phu Tho
race track, a traditional stamping ground for Viet
Cong terrorists. The police also report capturing
a Viet Cong suicide squad which had planned to at-
tack the airfield at Tan Son Nhut. F_ I
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East Germany - Berlin: The new restrictions
Pankow imposed on travel to Berlin by West German
officials will have little practical effect on the
meeting there on 5 March of the West German Fed-
eral Assembly.
The East Germans announced on 8 February that
members and staffs of the West German Federal As-
sembly will not be permitted to travel through
East Germany to Berlin. Pankow also banned travel
by members of the Bundestag defense committee and
all members of the armed forces, and the transport
of the Federal Assembly's working materials. The
ban comes into force on 15 February and remains in
effect until further notice.
The ban on travel by members of the defense
committee and Bundeswehr appears to be gratuitous.
Bonn has already decided not to hold defense com-
mittee meetings in Berlin, and Allied restrictions
prohibit travel to Berlin by uniformed members of
the West German armed forces.
Two days before announcing the ban, the East
Germans sent a note to the West German foreign
office registering their "strongest protest" con-
cerning the meeting. They warned that Bonn would
be held responsible for all consequences, which
remain unspecified.
There have been no indications that Moscow
will sanction any East German harassment in the
air corridors which West German officials usually
use. The East German action doubtless was coor-
dinated with Moscow. Ulbricht has been in the
Soviet Union since mid-January, and Soviet Deputy
Foreign Minister Semenov visited East Berlin last
week to meet with other high-level East German
officials.
(continued)
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The East Germans presumably assume that they
do not risk serious retaliation for imposing the
new travel restrictions. In itself, the ban does
not seem to presage any tougher moves, but the
East Germans have a variety of options for further
actions before the Federal Assembly meeting.
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Czechoslovakia: Premier Cernik's press confer-
ence remarks on 7 February suggest that the Czecho-
slovaks are proceeding with plans to put together a
"revised" reform program.
In terms reminiscent of Czechoslovakia's pre-
invasion period of liberalization, Cernik said the
regime would attempt to make socialism attractive
to the people. He stated that the government in-
tends to promulgate laws permitting, within certain
limits, freedom of speech, expression, and assembly
and association. The government also intends to con-
tinue its work on economic reforms and the problems
emanating from the country's newly implemented fed-
eralization.
The Dubcek leadership frequently has announced
its intention of keeping the "positive features" of
the original action reform program. These reforms,
however, probably will be cloaked in limitations and
restrictions that will render them acceptable to the
Soviets.
The Russians probably have told the Czechoslovaks
that they can implement some of the reforms after
they eliminate "extremist" elements and prove that
they are in complete control of the domestic situa-
tion. Moscow especially wants Prague to curb those
ultraprogressives who attempt to stir up anti-Soviet
demonstrations, and who continue to criticize the
Russians and the Czechoslovak conservatives in the
mass media.
Meanwhile, Czechoslovak progressives appear to
have won at best a temporary victory in their efforts
to prevent a full-scale clampdown on the media. Ac-
cording to several sources of the US Embassy in Prague,
the pro-Soviet conservatives have been expecting a
purge in the press, radio, and television, but only
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a relatively minor reshuffling of personnel has ma-
terialized. Party Secretary Vasil Bilak, a hard-liner
who visited East Berlin between 6-8 February, is said
to have asked the East Germans to persuade their War-
saw Pact allies to wage a new pressure campaign against
progressive Czechoslovak writers and editors, I
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NOTES
Israel-Lebanon: Israeli officials
publicly continue to express concern over an
a eged b ildu of Arab terrorists in southern
Lebanon.
apparent y in the hope a eir
warning of retaliation in the event of terrorist
attacks will be passed on to Beirut. The Lebanese
Government maintains that it is doing its best to
block the terrorists coming in from Syria and Jor-
dan, but because of the difficult terrain, claims
it would take considerably more forces than it has
to clean them out.
Egypt-USSR: Some 300 Soviet engineering corps
personnel reportedly arrived in Egypt in early De-
cember 1968 to build defenses for the Aswan Dam
and an alert system on the Red Sea coast. Their
arrival is in line with a remark reportedly made
by the Soviet ambassador to Egypt to the effect
that the Aswan Dam was "the apple of the Soviet
eye" and that the Russians meant to protect it.
The ambassador's statement followed the Israeli
helicopter-borne commando raid on two bridges and
a Power station on the upper Nile on 31 October.
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