THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 24 JUNE 1968

Document Type: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
0005976217
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
T
Document Page Count: 
9
Document Creation Date: 
September 16, 2015
Document Release Date: 
September 16, 2015
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Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
June 24, 1968
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 _ The President's Daily Brief 24 June 1968 23 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 50X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 50x1 THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 24 JUNE 1968 1. South Vietnam 2. Canada The Buddhists have launched a new peace campaign, with militant and mod- erate factions vying for the spotlight. On Saturday, militant leader Thich Tinh Khiet released a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire and casti- gating the North Vietnamese for the shelling of Saigon. Yesterday the mod- erates came out with a somewhat similar statement. This new effort comes ata time when there is increasing discussion among leftist students and politicians about the consequences of continued fighting and the need for a prompt end to the bloodshed. One labor organiza- tion, for example, has petitioned Thieu for an end to what is described as care- less and indiscriminate allied air and artillery strikes. The latest polls give Prime Minis- ter Trudeau's Liberal Party some 46 per- cent of the vote in Tuesday's election. A district-by-district assessment by the embassy, however, shows the Liberals failing narrowly to win a majority and having to continue as a minority govern- ment as they have for the past five years. Trudeau has kept the campaign fo- cused on issues of his choosing--nation- al unity and foreign policy--and has succeeded fairly well in downplaying economic questions on which the Liber- als are most vulnerable. All three major parties support a comprehensive review of Canada's for- eign and defense commitments and favor recognition of Communist China. 50X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 - Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 50)(1 3. Uruguay 4. Spain 5. France ?President Pacheco is finally say- ing that he will crack down on the labor leaders and other agitators re- sponsible for the current wave of dis- orders. It is not clear just what he will do, but it is clear that if the government does not move quickly to alleviate the chaotic economic condi- tions, any measures against the agita- tors will likely produce more violence. Franco and company are showing continuing concern that the political unrest in France and elsewhere may spread their way. Monarchist celebra- tions planned for last Saturday and for today in a number of Spanish cities were abruptly cancelled. In recent months, the government has been quick to ban meetings that might produce political problems. Final tallies just in on the first round of the French elections confirm press reports this morning that De Gaulle has indeed won a strong vote of confi- dence. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 50X1 50X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 . , Top Secret Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 Top Secret FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY .) Special Daily Report on North Vietnam 2.) North Vietnamese Reflections of U S Political Attitudes Top Secret 50X1 16 24 June 1968 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 50x1 Special Daily Report on North Vietnam for the President's Eyes Only 24 June 1968 I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION 50X1 Demonstrations: Vietnamese Communist efforts to promoTT-TeET)EITFWTions in support of their stand in Paris are paying off. on 21 June, 50X1 representatives of the "Stockholm Conference on Vietnam" agreed to organize world-wide demonstrations next month to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Geneva agreements in 1954. 50X1 50X1 * * * Agricultural Conditions: On 3 and 4 June, the press said that ?"great efforts were required to remedy the situation" caused by cold weather and prolonged rain. The weather was said to be affecting not only the harvest of the early rice crop, but also the planting of the more im- portant second crop. This same type of article appeared on 10 June. Other press pieces recently have dealt with lack of fertilizers and shortages of manpower. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 50X1 50X1 50X1 50X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 soxi Propaganda Emphasizes Defections: The well-publi- cized defection of nearly 150 Communist troops just north of Saigon on 19 June seems to have hit the Commu- nists where it hurts. The Liberation Front came back almost the next day with a report of 1,200 South Viet- namese troops who had staged a mass desertion in the delta. No specifics on date and place were supplied, and there is no confirmation from other sources. On the 21st, Hanoi radio broadcast a long commentary in English recounting all the alleged defections that had occurred among South Vietnamese troops since the Tet offensive. It represents a rehash of much of the propa- ganda issued earlier to support Communist claims of ex- tensive popular support for their new front group, the ,2- Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 50X1 50X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 National Alliance. Mass deserk4.ons of southern units or individuals, particularly in I Corps, were continu- ally reported in the aftermath of the Tet fighting. Although the broadcast of the 21st is more specific on dates, unit designations, and places than the Libera- tion Front account on the 19th, it is still difficult to confirm. Much of the reported activity is not ac- tual defections but what .the commentary calls "mutinies and antiwar activities." * * * II, NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF up POLITICAL ATTITUDES ON THE WAR There is nothing of significance to report today. -3- 50X1 50X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3 Top Secret Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006200140001-3