THE PRESIDENT'S INTELLIGENCE CHECKLIST 28 SEPTEMBER 1961

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005959053
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: September 28, 1961

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28 SEPTEMBER 1961 CHECKLIST (COPY)
1. CHINESE COMMUNISTS FACE ANOTHER POOR HARVEST.
THIS YEAR'S GRAIN CROP SEEMS LIKELY TO BE NO BETTER THAN LAST
YEAR'S, GIVING THEM A THIRD SUCCESSIVE POOR HARVEST. WITH MORE
MOUTHS TO FEED, PEIPING MAY BE FORCED TO EXPAND ITS ALREADY SUBSTANTIAL
GRAIN IMPORTS IN THE COMING YEAR IF IT HOPES TO HEAD OFF FURTHER
DAMAGE TO HEALTH, PRODUCTIVITY AND MORALE. 50X1
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2. DE GAULLE VIEWS ALGERIA AS "EXPLOSIVE".
HE TOLD A GROUP OF FRENCH SOCIALIST LEADERS TWO DAYS AGO THAT
. HE WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE NEW EUROPEAN-MOSLEM VIOLENCE IN WHICH
"LARGE NUMBERS" ARE KILLED. HOWEVER, HE IS STILL HOPING FOR A SETTLE-
MENT BY YEAR'S END--PREFERABLY BY SETTING UP A PROVISIONAL ALGERIAN
EXECUTIVE BODY WITH MOSLEM PARTICIPATION, BUT BY PARTITION OF NECESSARY.;
DI GAULLE EVIDENTLY BROUGHT UP WITH THE SOCIALISTS A PLAN, WHICH HE
TOUCHED ON IN HIS 5 SEPTEMBER PRESS CONFERENCE, FOR CREATING A 50,000-
MAN MOSLEM FORCE TO SUPPORT THE TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT.
3. CONGO.
THE UN-PTANGA NEGOTIATIONS IN ELISABETHVILLE ARE STILL IN THE
FEELING-OUT STAGE. THE KATANGANS HAVE NOT YET RELAXED THEIR DEMANDS,
WHICH INCLUDE TOTAL UN WITHDRAWAL. HOWEVER, THE CHIEF UN NEGOTIATOR
NOW PROFESSES OPTIMISM THAT TSHOMBE, WHO YESTERDAY CALLED FOR A MEET50X1inu
? WITH ADOULA, CAN BE BROUGHT AROUND IF HE IS GIVENA HIGH POST IN THE
LEOPOLDVILLE GOVERNMENT.
4. NOTES.
ANOTHER MEETING OF THE THREE LAOTIAN PRINCES NOW SEEMS LIKELY
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BEFORE TOO LONG AS A RESULT OF THE VIENTIANE GROUP'S RELAXATION OF
ITS INSISTENCE ON LUANG PRABANG AS THE SITE. AMBASSADOR BROWN'S MOST
RECENT MEETING WITH PROM FOUND THE LATTER TAKING, FOR THE MOMENT AT
LEAST, A MORE LENIENT VIEW TOWARD A SOUVANNA-HEADED GOVERNMENT.
5. WATCH COMMITTEE CONCLUSIONS--27 SEPTEMBER 1961
NO 51110-SOVIET BLOC COUNTRY INTENDS TO INITIATE DIRECT MILITARY
ACTION IN THE21MMEDIATE FUTURE.
NOTE: THE USSR HAS TAKEN CERTAIN STEPS TO IMPROVE ITS MILITARY
STRENGTH AND PREPAREDNESS WHILE MAINTAINING AN APPEARANCE OF WILLINGNESS
TO NEGOTIATE A SETTLEMENT ON BERLIN.
6. SOUTH VIETNAM.
FURTHER COMMUNIST VIET CONG ATTACKS BY BATTALION-SIZE UNITS PRESENT
THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM WITH AN EXPANDING CHALLENGE AND PROBABLY
FORESHADOW AN INTENSIFIED MILITARY EFFORT BY THE VIET CONG TO UNDERMINE
THE GOVERNMENT.
7. REVOLT ER SYRIA.
EARLY THIS MORNING ELEMENTS OF THE UAR FIRST (SYRIAN) ARMY SEIZED
CONTROL OF THE DAMASCUS RADIO AND THE DAMASCUS AIRPORT AND BROADCAST A
NUMBER OF COMMUNIQUES CLAIMING THAT A NEW "REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT" HAD 4,
TAKEN OVER CONTROL OF ALL SYRIA. BROADCASTS CLAIMED THAT UAR VICE
PRESIDENT AMIR, NASIR'S VICEROY IN SYRIA, AND FIRST ARMY COMMANDER
GENERAL FAYSAL HAD BEEN ARRESTED, AND THAT THECCOUP GROUP, IDENTIFIED
AS THE "SUPREME ARAB REVOLUTIONARY COMMAND OF THE ARMED FORCES," HAD
RECEIVED MESSAGES OF SUPPORT FROM A NUMBER OF FIRST ARMY UNITS.
SUBSEQUENTLY, HOWEVER, THE FIRST ARMY GARRISON AT ALEPPO WAS
BROADCASTING A DENIAL THAT IT HAD GIVEN THE DAMASCUS GROUP ITS SUPPORT,
AND A LATE COMMUNIQUE FROM THE REBEL GROUP IN DAMASCUS SAID THE
"PROBLEM OF THE ARMY" HAD BEENCSEIBMITTED-TO AMR, AND HE HAD TAKEN MEA-
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SURES TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS IN THE "INTERESTS OF THE ARMY AND THE UAR.
WHETHER OR NOT THE DAMASCUS COUP HAS IN FACT BEEN A SHORT-LIVED
ONE, NASIR'S PROBLEMS IN SYRIA ARE NOT OVER. SYRIAN DISCONTENT WITH
EGYPT'S DOMINATION OF THE UAR HAS LONG POSED A THREAT TO NASIR'S
CONTROL OF THE BAR'S NORTHERN REGION. ANY MEDIATION EFFORTS BY AMIR
ARE LIKELY TO END IN SOME CONCESSIONS TO SYRIAN AUTONOMY IF FURTHER
VIOLENCE IS TO BE AVOIDED. 50X1
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THE US CONSULATE GENERAL IN DAMASCUS UNDERSTANDS THAT THE ACTUAL
EXECUTION OF THE COUP WAS CARRIED OUT BY BRIGADIER DUMAN (COMMANDER OF
THE QATANA GARRISON, 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DAMASCUS) AND REPORTED THAT
AS OF 0900 LOCAL TIME THE SITUATION WAS CALM FOLLOWING AN EARLY MORNING
HALF-HOUR FIGHT.
THE GROUP'S PRONOUNCEMENTS HAVE NOT MENTIONED NAS lit BY NAME NOR
DECLARED AN INTENTION TO DISSOLVE THE EGYPTIAN-SYRIAN UNION. ONE
COMMUNIQUE, HOWEVER, STATES THAT THE MOVEMENT HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT BY
"THE STRUGGLING ARAB PEOPLE IN BYRIA AND EGYPT REPEAT AND EGYPT,"
SUGGESTING THE GROUP MAY HAVE HOPED THAT IT WOULD RECEIVE SUPPORT FROM
ITS MILITARY COUNTERPARTS IN EGYPT. THE UAR SECOND (EGYPTIAN) ARMY IS
GENERALLY CONSIDERED WHOLLY LOYAL TO THE NAS IR REGIME.
THE SYRIAN GROUP PROCLAIMED FROM THE BEGINNING THAT THE MOVEMENT
WAS NOT UNDERTAKEN IN THE NAME OF ANY INDIVIDUAL. NO MENTION HAS BEEN
MADE OF UAR VICE PRESIDENT ABD Ale-HAMID SARRAJ, FORMER SYRIAN STRONG
MAN WHOSE RESIGNATION ON 26 SEPTEMBER SET THE STAGE FOR THE REVOLT.
NO SIGNIFICANT REACTIONS HAVE BEEN NOTED AS YET FROM OTHER ARAB
STATES OR ISRAEL. BOTH KING HUSSAYN OF JORDAN AND IRAQI PRIME MINISTER
QAS IM, HOWEVER, WOULD PROBABLY WELCOME THE BLOW THAT NASIR'S PRES755
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WOULD SUFFER FROM A DISSOLUTION OF THE UAR AND WOULD NOT BE ABOVE
RENDERING SUPPORT TO SYRIAN SEPARATISM. ISRAEL/
/IS UNLIKELY TO
INTERFERE UNLESS A SPREAD OF MILITARY ACTIVITY THREATENS ITS SECURITY.
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