THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 28 NOVEMBER 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976485
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: November 28, 1968

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006600080001-6
The President's Daily Brief.
28 November 1968
23
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
28 NOVEMBER 1968
1.. West Germany
2, Japan
Britain's ratification of the Non-
proliferation Treaty is not going down
very well with the Germans. Their main
complaint is that the British acted
with indecent haste in light of what
the Soviets have done in Czechoslovakia.
The Germans themselves had hoped to
hold off signing or ratifying ?the treaty
until next year, perhaps after the par-
liamentary elections next fall. Now
they may have to act before German pub-
lic opinion is ready and before divi-
sions over the treaty among the Chris-
tian Democrats are ironed out.
In addition to questions of timing,
Bonn still has problems over some of
the treaty's implications. The Czecho-
slovak invasion has made the Germans
more anxious than ever to hold open the
"European option"--control of nuclear
weapons by a European combination. They
also want reassurances that the treaty
will not change NATO strategy and that
West Germany could withdraw from the
Nonproliferation Treaty if NATO ever
broke up.
Sato came through his stiffest
test for reelection as party leader
with .a surprising margin of victory.
This will strengthen his ?hand in
dealing with the Okinawa reversion prob-
lem and a wide range of national secur-
ity issues. Good politician that he
is, Sato now intends to form a new cab-
inet which will better represent all
the party's factions.
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New Soviet Booster Nears First Flight Test
Comparison of Soviet booster
with US Saturn V
335'
SATURN V
Payload Capability
Earth Orbit - 280,000 Ihs
Lunar Mission ? 100,000 lbs
SOVIET
BOOSTER
Payload C a al. jay_
Earth Orbit ? 250.300,000 Ills
Lunar Mission. 80- 95,000 lbs
11
11
55'
363'
33'
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3. Panama
4. Soviet Union
Followers of ousted President
Arnulfo Arias are intent on setting up
a guerrilla movement in the mountains
of western Panama. For some days they
have been filtering in from Costa Rica
and now, together with local recruits,
they may number upwards of 200.
By most standards this is small
stuff. Remote western Panama, however,
is Arias' home territory and a strong-
hold of popular antimilitary sentiment.
It is just possible that this may be
the beginning of a long-term problem
of some magnitude ?for the colonels in
Panama City.
? Arias and his entourage in the US
are lobbying hard from Washington's
Watergate Hotel, Senators Thurmond,
Tower, Kennedy, and Smathers have so
far been among those approached. Arias
seems particularly anxious to get his
views across to people close to Presi-
dent-elect Nixon.
One of Arias' talking points is
that the colonels who threw him out are
Communist influenced. They are surely
no great democrats, but we have no evi-
dence that they have put any Communists
into key positions.
Work is proceeding at the Soviet
moon port at Tyuratam toward the first
flight test of the new space booster,
The hugel3oOster has been .photographed
by satellite on its launch pad three
times since August. A recent satellite
mission, however., showed that it has
been returned to the nearby assembly
and checkout building. .It is difficult
to saywhen the first flight test will
take place--it still could be .several
months away.
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5. South Vietnam
6. Arab States -
Israel
7. Communist China
The next few days may bring some
scattered mortar and rocket attacks in
several areas. The indicators are
most extensive in the western highlands,
but some signs of impending offensive
operations also are appearing in several
parts of I, II, and III Corps.
Jarring leaves for the Middle East
next week for another go at trying to
involve the Israelis, Jordanians, and
Egyptians in talks. None of the inter-
ested parties thinks he will have much
luck. About all they seem to agree on
is that Jarring should persevere.
The Jordanians are particularly
bearish while the semi-official Israeli
press predicts no break in the stale-
mate until the new administration takes
over in Washington.
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Top Secret
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006600080001-6
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4i
Top Secret
FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
1.) Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
) North Vietnamese Reflections of US
Political Attitudes
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16
28 November 1968
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OW\ I
Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
28 November 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
North Vietnamese High Altitude Defenses: Fur-
ther evidence of the importance the North Vietnamese
attach to downing the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft
was reflected in a recent message from a surface-to-
air missile battalion near Hanoi. The unit reported
it had been able to pick up and track the SR-71
while other units had been unable to do so. (This
could be an indication that this unit has been
equipped with the modified radar which the Soviet
Union has introduced in recent months:,) The mis-
sile battalion also reported that all units should
continue to practice because the destruction of the
SR-71 was of extreme importance.
Rice Crop in Trouble: The tenth month rice
crop has ripened a week late this year, according to
a 22 November Nhan Dan article. The article claims
that the main cause for concern is "slack leadership
over farming work by many party and administrative
echelons and village cooperative managerial boards."
Reportedly meetings have been postponed and cadres
sent to help harvest the crop.
The tenth month rice crop normally constitutes
about two-thirds of the average annual 4.5 million
?ton rice harvest. North Vietnam has suffered suc-
cessive shortfalls in its rice crops since 1966.
Cold weather earlier this year caused the late plant-
ing of the tenth month crop--usually harvested by
mid-November--and three tropical storms during late
summer caused widespread flooding in the important
rice growing Red River delta region. There has been
no indication of significant food shortages in North
Vietnam's cities. Imports of foodstuffs have in-
creased steadily during the past few years, however.
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* * *
II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
day.
There is ?nothing of significance to report to-
--2-
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1. ? ?
Top Secret
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