THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 25 MAY 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976166
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: May 25, 1968

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24: CIA-RDP79T00936A006100220001-5
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The President's Daily Brief
-7-077-9ete-r-4 25 May 1968
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
25 MAY 1968
1. France
2. Czechoslovakia
De Gaulle's announcement of a
referendum on reforms has not eased
things--the immediate situation remains
tense and ugly. Rioting has been re-
ported this morning in Paris and in
large provincial cities as well. The
police are getting tougher, and troops
have been placed on alert.
French labor unions reacted to
De Gaulle's statement by urging strikers
to increase pressure on the government.
The strike scene is likely to improve
only if the government comes forward
with concrete reform proposals during
crucial negotiations with labor and
business leaders today.
The interior minister, one of the
key targets of student-labor unrest,
may be looking for someone else to pin
his troubles on. He apparently is con-
sidering a white paper that would make
what Ambassador Shriver calls the "tra-
ditional" accusation that CIA inspired
the student uprisings. Any such docu-
ment would be completely fictional--
there has been absolutely no CIA in-
volvement.
The US Embassy believes the week
ahead may be an important one. The
Central Committee convenes Wednesday
with the possibility of a showdown be-
tween contending factions.
Kosygin returned to Prague yester-
day and may be getting ready to go back
to Moscow. Just how much he actually
has accomplished is uncertain--the
Czechs are saying things designed to
mollify the Soviets, but nothing to sug-
gest surrender.
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3. Israel
4, Cuba-Egypt
5. Haiti
6. Arab States -
Israel
P5-1Slay0
Duvalier sees American skulduggery
behind every real or rumored plot
against himself. The latest invasion
by exiles is no exception. He is con-
vinced the US was involved and is de-
termined to air his case before the UN
Security Council in hopes of embarras-
sing Washington. Meanwhile, the rem-
nants of the vanquished invader band are
headed for the Dominican border.
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7. Communist China
The United States Intelligence
Board on Thursday approved a National
Intelligence Estimate, The Short-Term
Outlook In Communist China. Among
conclusions reached in this estimate:
--The ranks of those alienated by
Mao's Cultural Revolution have grown
even though he broke the back of his
high-level party opposition two years
ago. The Cultural Revolution, in fact,
has been a failure in most respects
and has done great harm to China. In
all likelihood, it will be gradually
phased out.
--Over the next year or so, there
will be many twists and turns, although
the general trend will be toward regain-
ing stability. The military will play
a key role in efforts to rebuild the
political and economic base.
--During this period, China is
likely to be more preoccupied with do-
mestic affairs than with foreign de-
velopments.
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Top Secret
FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
1.) Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
2.) North Vietnamese Reflections of U S
Political Attitudes
Top Secret
16
25 May 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
25 May 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
"Legislature" Meets: With much fanfare, the North
Vietnamese have held their first National Assembly
meeting in two years. Preliminary broadcast announce-
ments yesterday did not specify the date of the meet-
ing, but it was the occasion for the turn-out of vir-
tually the entire leadership and a major speech by
Premier Pham Van Dong which has only begun to come in.
The entire Politburo turned out, with the exception of
Pham Hung and Le Duc Tho (both of whom have been out
of sight for many months and may be in the South) and
Le Thanh Nghi (who is on an aid mission in Europe).
By special invitation of President Ho, the Liberation
Front representative in Hanoi also participated on
the "presidium" of the meeting "during this session."
Only preliminary reports and summaries of the
speeches are available at this time. Both Assembly
President Truong Chinh's opening remarks and Premier
Pham Van Dong's 90-minute speech, however, appear
to be focused on recent developments in the war and
Hanoi's hopes for a successful conclusion of the
struggle. The Premier's speech is entitled, "Forward,
Total Victory Will Be Ours" and has three major divi-
sions: the war in the South, the war in the North,
and foreign support. The early summaries indicate
that the Communists are telling their people that
final victory is within their grasp if they will mo-
bilize for one last push. In reference to the Paris
talks, the Premier apparently used a hard line on the
issue of reciprocity. At the regular news briefing
by the North Vietnamese delegation in Paris yester-
day, however, the North Vietnamese spokesman opened
the briefing by assuring the newsmen that the Pre-
mier's speech did not convey any intention to break
off the talks.
* * *
Hanoi Fetes Visiting American Negro Communist:
Hanoi announced in its English language broadcast on
23 May that James Jackson, described as a "leader of
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the US Communist Party," was in North Vietnam at the
invitation of the Vietnam Journalist Association.
The broadcast noted that Jackson was given a rare
audience with President Ho Chi Minh and was received
by other Hanoi government, party, and trade union
officials, The broadcast also quoted Jackson as
"reaffirming the support of the US Communist Party
and the American people for the Vietnamese people's
struggle against US aggression."
* * *
Economic Aid: North Vietnamese Politburo mem-
ber Le Thanh Nghl--Hanoi's chief economic negotiator--
arrived in Budapest on 23 May, according to the
Hungarian press. For the past three years Nghi has
made the circuit of Communist capitals about every
six months to update economic aid agreements. The
last trip of this type was an extensive two-month
tour in the summer of 1967. The only unusual feature
of the current visit is the lack of publicity when
the delegation passed through Peking and Moscow. Such
visits normally start with well publicized stops in
both places before the delegation goes on to other
countries. The first announcement of the current tour
is the stop in Budapest. Hungary makes only a token
contribution of economic assistance to North Vietnam.
* * *
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Hanoi Reports on the Crisis Situation in France:
The French Press Agency correspondent in Hanoi, in a
dispatch on Thursday, reported that the current crisis
in France is being followed closely by the North Viet-
namese. Publicly, however, the regime has adopted a
cautious position. No official commentary has been
made on the situation, and the first public reference
to it came only in the 23 May issue of the party
daily. The paper stressed the social, rather than
the political aspects of the crisis, and no connec-
tion was made with the Paris talks. The correspon-
dent claimed, however, that many North Vietnamese
were anxiously wondering what impact the situation
would have on the discussions.
* * *
* * *
II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
There is nothing of significance to report .
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