THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 26 NOVEMBER 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976481
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: November 26, 1968

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006600060001-8
The President's Daily Brief
?7"-orSte44gt 26 November 1968
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THE PRESIDENT'S
,DAILY BRIEF
i 26 NOVEMBER 1968
1. France
2. Soviet Union
3. Philippines
French officials and editorial
writers have responded warmly to Presi-
dent Johnson's message supporting De
Gaulle's efforts to save the franc.
Even Yankee-baiting Michel Debr?s
said to have called the President's
move a brilliant one which will make
it harder for the French to be intran-
sigent in their relations with the
United States.
Rumors out of Moscow notwithstand-
ing, it now looks as if the Soviets
will not attempt a flight around the
moon in December. Movements and ac-
tivities of key space support and re-
covery ships,
make early 1969
a more likely period. Soviet announce-
ments on the achievements of the Zond-5
and Zond-6 flights suggest that the next
circumlunar capsule may well be manned.
, Marcos, perhaps concerned that he
has gone too far in abusing his friends,
has lately made some private moves to
assure US officials of his friendship.
He has also dropped public references
to his deliberately engineered dispute.
with Malaysia over Sabah, and has soft-
ened or clarified statements he made to
the Manila Overseas Press Club November
20 about strengthening ties with "so-
cialist countries."
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4. Asia-Pacific
5. South Vietnam
6. Rumania
South Korea's foreign minister
called in Ambassador Porter Saturday
to raise again his government's long-
standing desire for a NATO-like region-
al defense organization. He did not
touch on the essential--and unlikely--
factor of Japanese participation,
though he did acknowledge that a "Paci-
fic-Asia Treaty Organization" would re-
quire US sea and air support. The
South Koreans, and perhaps other non-
Communist Asian governments; probably
intend to press the idea with the next
US administration, if only to guaran-
tee a post-Vietnam American presence
in the Pacific.
Retail prices in Saigon continue
the decline that has been evident since
the high peak just after the Tet offen-
sive. Prices jumped 70 percent in the
single month between January and Febru-
ary, but have now gotten down to only
25 percent above the January level.
Recent declines are apparently a
reflection of larger deliveries of food
from the provinces because of better
road conditions and the relatively low
level of military activity in the delta
and around Saigon.
Bucharest's newspapers and radio-
broadcasts this morning announced the
opening "according to plan" of a War-
saw Pact staff officers' conference in
the city under the direction of pact
commander Yakubovsky. Though billed as
an annual consultation on "problems re-
lated to combat training," the confer-
?ence underscores Rumania's obligations
to the pact. The military situation on
Rumania's borders remains normal.
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7. Egypt
8. Peru
Student dissatisfactionlias again
boiled over into the 'streets, requir-
ing massive and forceful containment
measures by-security forces. -Nasir
'cooled similar outbursts last February
with promises Of political and social'
reforms, but these have proved to be ?
hollow. ? He is not likely to have any ?
better ideas for soothing the present
blow-up,.when and if he.gets. the lid
back on. The discontent afflicting'
Egypt's urbansOciety.-is in ,fact incur-
able under present circumstances.
Unhappily,fOr everyone, these do-
mestic ills make it.even less feasible
:for Egyptian leaders to attempt any
bold Initiatives or risky concessions
-in-foreign affairs,:partiCularly in .re7
gard.to a settlement with. Israel.
,Moderates in 'the cabinet have
grown.increasingly.dissatisfied with
Nelasco's performance and are particu-
larly Opposed to further nationaliza-
tion measures against US companies.
Velasco's radical advisers, however,
want him to take over the rest of the
International Petroleum Company's assets
and cut deeper into the profits from ?
other US firms. Velasco's scheduled re-
tirement.from the army in January could
be the, occasion for a move by the moder-
ates to replace him as president.
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La Serena.
Coquimbe ?
,c,
AREA
V:Ip;ar :so
SEVERELY Ontiago
AFFECTED
Concepcien.
Rio Bio
Puerto Montt
92971 11-68 CIA
CHILE: LOCATION AND
IMPORTANCE OF THE
DROUGHT AREA
IN 1965; THIS AREA ACCOUNTED FOR:
45 percent of the cultivated and fallow land
54 percent of the sown area
86 percent of the irrigated area
31 percent 'of the improved pasture
76 percent of the orchards and vineyards
52 percent of production of wheat
82 percent of production of barley
98 percent of production of corn
100 percent of production of rice
More than 50 percent of production of vegetables
More than 75 percent of production of fruit
34 percent of the cattle
25 percent of the sheep
44 percent of the hogs
39 percent of production of dairy products
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9, Chile
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Chile's worst drought in 44 years
is going to complicate the country's
chronic economic, social, and political
problems. In Santiago, the center of
the drought area, rainfall this year
has been little more than one-fifth the
normal average, and less-than-normal
snowfalls in the Andes mean there will
be little water available during the
rainless summer now approaching. The
area affected accounts for the bulk of
the country's agriculture, industry,
and population.
President Frei's Christian.Demo-
cratic government is counting heavily
on assistance from the United States
and other countries to mitigate the im-
mediate consequences of the disaster,
but a multiplier, effect will be felt
in virtually every: aspect of Chilean
national life for months and years to
come.
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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
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16
26 November 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
26 November 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
. North Vietnam Opens a New Round of Aid Talks
With its Communist Allies: Hanoi's chief foreign
aid.negotiator,,Le Thanh Nghi, left Hanoi.for'Moscow,
according to Hanoi Radio on 25 November. He 'makes- a
tour .of Communist capitals about twice -a year :and. his
last trip was in.June-July. This time he is sched
uled.to negotiate military and economic assistance
for 1969, probably with heavy emphasis on economic
aid. .Hanoi is already seriously considering many of.
the problems of postwar reconstruction, but cannot -
move very far in this direction without extensive
foreign assistance. The North Vietnamese are prob-
ably -anxious to get commitments from their major al-
lies on priority projects as soon as possible.'
Hanoi's Reaction to Loss of US 'Aircraft: Hanoi's
charges about continuing US "acts of force" against
North Vietnam are likely to become harsher and more .
Specific in the wake of. the.loss of three US aircraft
over North Vietnam since Friday.
So far, North Vietnamese broadcasts have crowed
about the shootdowns and the capture of US airmen'
/ A broad-
cast in English to Southeast Asia on Monday, however,
claimed that US aircraft had been dropping leaflets
and "demolition bombs" in the southern part of North
Vietnam.
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Hanoi Has Problems With Younger Generation: The
chief political officer in Hanoi's army has unveiled
some new and unusual disciplinary problems among North
Vietnamese young people. In a long speech addressed
to youth in the military establishment, General Song
Hap recently admitted that young North Vietnamese, ap-
parently in significant numbers, are aping some of the
mod fashions, manners., and ideas of youth in other
parts of the world. .He sounded a note of alarm about
the extent to which these attitudes might be infecting
the general population.
The sternness of Song llao'S lecture, the puritani-
calYtone of his sermonizing, and the implied extent of
youthful dilettantism suggest a genuine concern that
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significant popular.attention has been diverted from
the war effort in.recent months and is perhaps.re- ?
lated:to.general relaxation of tensions in ,the wake
of the bombing restrictions last spring. Song Hao
accused some.youngNietnamese of falling down .in
their public duty--"admiring and fearing" Americans,
doubting-partyleadership,.and losing their "revolu-
tionary zeal and fighting spirit," Equally danger-
ous, he said, is their private conduct which has be-
come "decadent and reactionary" and includes "de-
bauchery,- robbery, cowboy rowdiness and queer dress."
. Since early -slimmer there.have been isolated re-
ports of modishly dressed young men appearing on the
streets of the capital city. The local press. acknowl,
edged.the problem ;and special disciplinary. measures
'have beentaken against anyone caught in such attire..
.TheAmpression conveyed by these reports, however,, was
that the problem .was minor and probably involved a ?
lew.Thai repatriates or other small groups having. re-
cent contact .with Western customs. ?Song Hao's speech
put the problem in different perspective. He.. is ad-
dressing regular armed forces units which presumably .
have little opportunity to escape strict military dis
:cipline. Even,making allowances for North Vietnam's
frequent use of criticism as a device to exhort troops
to .better performance, Song Hao's speech. is unusual.
He did not describe the problems withthe usual cliches
about."bourgeois tendencies'; his charges and his recom-
mendations were specific and forthright, and his target
clearly labeled. -Hanoi seems to.be experiencing_a new
and.relatively serious problem with its young people.
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Cambodia Releases North Vietnamese Prisohers:.
'A semiofficial Cambodian publication has announced
.that the government recently turned, over six North
Vietnamese prisoners to. the Viet Cong representative
An Cambodia. This is the first .time Cambodia' has
publicly described Communist intruders as North Viet-
.namese: .It underlines growing Cambodian.annoyance
.-at Communist incursions.
II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
There is nothing of significance to report today.
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