THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 3 JUNE 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976180
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: June 3, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
--TorSztc-r-gt 3 June 1968
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
3 JUNE 1968
1, France
2. Italy
The situation continued to ease
over the weekend. Militant students
are still trying to generate greater
interest in their campaign against
the government, but non-Communist
labor union leaders are optimistic
about an early back-to-work movement.
The forthcoming parliamentary
electoral campaign, which begins next
Monday, is already diverting atten-
tion from the students and strikers
Some political leaders point to
the spread to Italian cities of stu-
dent violence inspired by the French
crisis as good reason to maintain the
government coalition of Christian
Democrats and Socialists. Nonetheless,
the Socialists' Central Committee has
confirmed the party's decision to with-
draw when Parliament convenes Wednes-
day.
Thus far, disturbances in Italy
do not have a pronounced antigovern-
ment flavor, and there has been little
labor involvement.
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3. Czechoslovakia
4. Jordan
5, Soviet Union -
East Germany
All in all, Dubcek got what he
wanted from the Central Committee ses-
sion that ended Saturday. The most
conspicuous examples of the old con-
servative regime were ousted from the
party, and the groundwork was laid for
removal of the rest. The party's in-
tent to proceed with its liberaliza-
tion program was reaffirmed, although
it was pointed out that the problems
facing the country would take time to
resolve. The plenum set 9 September
as the date for convening an extraor-
dinary party congress which will elect
a new Central Committee.
?King Husayn has begun to crack
down on the terrorists in Jordan. The
fight in Amman last week between his
security forces and a new Syrian-backed
group apparently has persuaded him to
move against other terrorist elements
as well. The question still is how
vigorously he can press the campaign
without pulling back troops from the
cease-fire line with Israel.
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6. United Kingdom -
Common Market
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Top Secret
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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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3 June 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
3 June 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
Hanoi on Bombing Halt: Hanoi has indicated that
it is not demanding a de facto cessation of the bomb-
ing and other acts of war before moving on to other
issues at the Paris talks. At the same time, however,
the North Vietnamese are continuing to insist that
the US must accept the North's terms for the cessa-
tion and are stressing that this bombing halt must be
carried out rapidly.
This clarification of Hanoi's position was spelled
out in an article by the authoritative writer "Commen-
tator" in the party daily, broadcast on 1 June. - In
discussing the bombing question, Commentator used a
new andmore precise formula. He insisted that the US
"must first of all clearly acknowledge its responsi-
bility to put a definitive and unconditional end to
the bombing and all other acts of war on all of North
Vietnam before other problems can be discussed." -Al-
though a more precise reflection of Hanoi',s position,
the new formulation is consistent with the stance
Hanoi has adopted on the bombing question at the Paris
talks. Since the talks started, Communist spokesmen
in both Paris and Hanoi have Consistently argued that
the bombing issue must be "determined"--implying that
they mean settled or arranged but not actually imple-
mented--and then other questions can be taken up. In
the 31 May session of the talks, chief Hanoi spokesman
Xuan Thuy used the "determined" formula several times,
as he has on previous occasions
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Commentary on the French Situation: In a Nhan
Dan article on 1 June, Hanoi modified its previously
cautious approach to the French political crisis
by giving a carefully worded endorsement of the
"working classes' struggle" against the French admin-
istration. Hanoi charged the "monopoly capitalist
class" with an attempt to maintain its privileges
through"fascist" measures, but concluded with its
conviction that the people would wage a "resolute
struggle" to change the present policy and "lay the
foundation for a bright future." In contrast to
commentary from both Moscow and Peking which openly
attacked De Gaulle, Hanoi, in its most substantive
account of the crisis to date, refrained from men-
tioning the General by name.
* * *
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II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
There is nothing of significance to report.
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