CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A014100100001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 29, 2004
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: July 15, 1969
• Content Type: REPORT

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Central Intelligence Bulletin
Secret
50,
15 July 1969
State Department review completed
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No. 10168/69
15 July 1969
Central Intelligence Bulletin
CONTENTS
South Vietnam: Situation report. (Page 1)
Laos: The government has ended its campaign to
recapture Muong Soui. (Page 2)
Romania-US: Bucharest's cordiality toward the USIA
director reflects anticipation of President Nixon's
visit, (Page 3)
Hungary-US: The Hungarian Government wants to dis-
cuss'a Ue range of bilateral problems. (Page 4)
El Salvador -Honduras: El Salvador has launched
air and ground attacks against Honduras. (Page 5)
Thailand: Foreign Minister Thanat apparently has
decided to relinquish his post. (Page 6)
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USSR-US: Strategic arms talks (Page 9)
Libya: Dissension (Page 9)
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C South Vietnam: Criticism of President Thieu's
offer to let the Communists' National Liberation
Front participate in elections is growing in South
Vietnam.
Some of Thieu's political opponents, led by Sen-
ator Tran Van Don, are assailing the timing of the
speech on the grounds that this made it appear that
Thieu was acting on orders from Washington. In ad-
dition, some northern Catholics from the Greater
Solidarity Force, which belongs to Thieu's new Na-
tional Social Democratic Front, are breaking ranks
to attack his offer as a sign of weakness toward
the Communists.
In an apparent effort to soften such criticism,
Foreign Minister Thanh on 12 July held a press con-
ference in which he seemed to retreat from positions
taken by Thieu. For example, Thanh said that no one
who actually advocates Communism would be allowed
to run for office; this statement in effect contra-
dicts Thieu's offer to let the Liberation Front par-
ticipate in elections. The foreign minister stated,
moreover, that North Vietnamese forces would have to
withdraw north before elections could be conducted.
It is not clear whether Thieu authorized Thanh
to make these points, or whether he merely instructed
the foreign minister to blunt the critics' attacks.
Military action remained light throughout South
Vietnam on 13-14 July; no signific mortar
were reported.
Central Intelligence Bulletin
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4 Laos: The government apparently has terminated
its campaign to recapture Muong Soui.
The two-week operation had made some head-
way but unusually poor flying weather, the reluct-
ance of progovernment neutralist troops to carry out
their part of the offensive, and a recent decline
in the morale of Meo forces apparently convinced
Vang Pao that the chances of taking Muong Soui were
minimal. The government offensive was not vigorous
enough to test Communist intentions but the enemy
appeared determined to defend the base.
With the collapse of the effort Vang Pao presum-
ably will now turn his attention to thwarting what
he believes will be an early enemy drive westward
on Route 7 and then south into northern Vientiane
Province.
Vang Pao calculates that the enemy will move
in this direction in order to isolate his bases at
Long Tieng and Sam Thong. There is no evidence,
however, that the Communists will undertake such
an ambitious campaign during the current rainy
season.
15 Jul 69 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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Romania-US: The Romanians have demonstrated
their keen anticipation of President Nixon's visit
by receiving USIA Director Shakespeare with unusual
.courtesy during his unofficial visit 6-9 July.
In Bucharest as a part of a get-acquainted
swing through various countries of Eastern Europe,
Shakespeare was treated as a celebrity by the For-
eign Office, the State Committees for Art and Radio
and Television, and at various social functions.
First Deputy Foreign Minister Macovescu invited him
back for an official visit. His presence also re-
ceived due notice in the press, in contrast to 1967
when the then USIA director's unofficial visit went
unmentioned.
While such treatment underscores the good state
of Romanian-US relations in the cultural field, it
also is a part of Bucharest's preparation for Pres-
ident Nixon's visit, The Romanians even moved for-
ward in substantive discussions with Shakespeare on
establishing a US library in Romania and exchanging
magazines. The Romanians now seem to be ready to
reach an early agreement on these questions, which
have been in negotiation for some time, probably in
order to clear the way for signing during the Pres-
ident's visit.
The Romanians have not been so forthcoming on
other outstanding questions of interest to the US,
such as the emigration of dual nationals and the
reduction of the tight restrictions on US Embassy
operations. As its major immediate objective, Buch-
arest hopes to get most-favore -
for goods exported to the US.
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Hungary US: The Hungarian Government wants to
discuss a wide range of bilateral problems in an
effort to improve its relations with the US.
On 10 July, Deputy Foreign Minister Szilagyi
presented a comprehensive list of suggested topics
for negotiation to the US ambassador. It spans a
whole range of long-standing problems, including
such key issues as the granting of most-favored-
nation status, the settlement of financial claims,
and the opening of a Hungarian trade office in New
York. Other issues of varying sensitivity--a con-
sular convention, an airline link, a working agree-
ment on cultural cooperation, and the return of the
Hungarian crown jewels--were also proposed for ne-
gotiation. The Hungarians have insisted that the
negotiations be handled confidentially, probably to
avoid domestic rumor-mongering and premature press
speculation.
Szilagyi indicated willingness to act quickly
on lesser issues. The Hungarians, however, are
tough bargainers, and the negotiations will probably
be protracted and lively. An agenda for the first
round of talks has yet to be arranged.
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C El Salvador - Honduras: El Salvador launched
a full---scale attack against its neighbor last night.
Salvadoran aircraft reportedly bombed and
strafed Honduran border positions and the airport
at Tegucigalpa. Both Honduran and Salvadoran mili-
tary officials reported that fighting was breaking
out all along their common border.
An emergency session of the OAS Council has
agreed to the Honduran request for a foreign min-
isters meeting and has also agreed to send a seven-
man fact-finding committee to work with the Central
American mediators. The OAS team, headed by Nica-
raguan Ambassador to Washington Sevilla-Sacasa,
plans to'arrive in Central America today.
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Thailand: Foreign Minister Thanat, one of the
principal architects of Thailand's pro-US foreign
policy, apparently has decided to relinquish his
post.
The Thai Government has circulated an official
note among foreign embassies in Bangkok soliciting
support for Thanat's candidacy for an opening on the
International Court of Justice that will become avail-
able early next year. Thai leaders have also made a
strong pitch for US backing. Although Thanat has
been mentioned in past years as a possible candidate
for the court, this is the first time that his name
has been put forward officially.
It is not entirely clear where the initiative
for Thanat's candidacy originated. Thanat has been
more closely associated with the US than any other
Thai political figure. The fact that former Thai
ambassador to the US Bunchana Attakorn, who is re-
portedly strongly_pro-American, appears to have the
inside track to replace Thanat suggests, however,
that no important changes in Thai foreign policy
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NOTES
E USSR-US: A Soviet Foreign Ministry official
has in is-ated that Moscow is ready to accept the US
proposal for strategic arms limitation talks. Yes-
terday the deputy chief of the American section told
the US Embassy that while he was uncertain on timing,
he thought that 15 August would be a suitable start-
ing date. The Soviets evidently remain flexible re-
garding the site for the talks. The official men-
tioned that Moscow favors Helsinki, Moscow.:and Wash-.
ington in rotation, or Vienna, in that order.
Libya: Anonymous leaflets directly attacking
King Idris have been distributed in Libya in the
past few days. They charge the King with favoring
the influential Shalhi family, which includes Umar
Shalhi, a special adviser to the King, and Colonel
Abd-al-Aziz Shalhi, a power in the army. Colonel
Shalhi is said to have masterminded the recent pur-
chase of a multimillion-dollar air defense missile
system from Britain. According to other reports,
many Libyan Army officers are also unhappy over the
position of the Shalhis, although there is no indi-
cation that their discontent will be transformed
into action.
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