THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 26 OCTOBER 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976429
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: October 26, 1968

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006500120001-2
The President's Daily Brief
-7'-T-"Stele-,6.4-26 October 1968
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
26 OCTOBER 1968
Soviet Union
LATE ITEM
The Soviets put up another space?
craft this morning; it is evidently
manned.
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
26 OCTOBER 1968
1. United Kingdom
2. Czechoslovakia
The anti-Vietnam demonstration in
London tomorrow will be large and prob-
ably violent. British police estimate
that as many as 30,000 people will take
part.
Dubcek and company are also plagued
by student problems as the 50th anni-
versary of the first republic approaches.
They are particularly afraid that anti,
.Soviet student demonstrations next Mon-
day will bring reprisals by the occupa-
tion forces. Prague leaders have visited
schools to caution students against
clashes with pro-Soviet groups who in-
tend to parade in the streets. National
Assembly President Smrkovsky:has told
the students: "If you demonstrate, we
all may be sorry,"
Czech young people have remained
staunchly loyal to Dubcek, but this time
they could be taunted by the opposition
into full-scale riots./
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3. Soviet Union
4. France
5.,. Portugal
6. Middle East
The Russians orbited an unmanned
Soyuz spacecraft from Tyuratam yester-
day.
the Soviets
are expected to launch a manned Sovuz
spacecraft
An adviser close to the French de-
fense minister is probing for US inter-
est in greater cooperation in nuclear
defense matters. He has told a US Em-
bassy official that France hopes to
persuade the next US administration to
grant France equality with the UK in
access to nuclear knowledge and equip-
ment. The Frenchman also said that the
possibility of future military coopera-
tion in the NATO context was under study
and was not excluded.
Border incidents and exchanges of
fire are still occurring with regularity
along most of the Arab-Israeli borders.
The Israeli-Jordanian border is the hot-.
test sector, with fire fights breaking
out at the rate of two or three a day.
Clashes on the Israeli-Syrian border
occur less often; there have been two
short fire fights in the past week.
Egyptian-Israeli tensions result-
ing from cross-canal ambushes of Israeli
troops and artillery duels have quieted,
although there are almost daily exchanges
of small arms fire across the canal.
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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 October 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
.26,0ctober 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
The President's Press Conference: Hanoi is keep-
ing up its barrage of propaganda attacks on the US
negotiating position. Yesterday a radio commentary
beamed to South Vietnamese audiences zeroed in on
President Johnson's'24,0ctober press conference. The
press conference proved, said Hanoi, that the US still
refuses to either stop the bombing or recognize the
Liberation Front. Only when the US stops the bombing
unconditionally can discussions of "substantial mat- .
ters" begin, it repeated.
As for press speculation about a possible break-
through in the talks, this was "fabricated news" and
the rumors that Hanoi had accepted a number of US con-
ditions in exchange for a bombing halt are "deceitful
arguments of a psychological warfare nature aimed at
sowing confusion," according to the radio commentary.
According to Hanoi radio toda, Nhan Dan has come
out with a similar statement.
* * *
* * *
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Haiphong Dredging:
the Vietnam-
ese have four dredgers active in the harbor to remove
the silt.
Stockholm Demonstration: A group of Americans
active in the antiwar movement will participate in
a Stockholm rally on 27 October. Their host will be
the American Deserters' Committee. The purpose of
the visit is to demonstrate support for deserters,
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to coordinate and improve deserter activities, and
to counter recent signs of less lenient treatment
of US deserters in Sweden.
* * *
New Zealand Demonstrations: Antiwar demonstra-
tions are planned for Monday in Auckland, Christ-
church, and Wellington. The demonstrations are part
of the world-wide week of protest. In Auckland the
demonstrators plan to march on the US Consulate and
deliver a letter damning the war. Wellington pro-
testers also intend to demonstrate ?at the airport
when Holyoake returns 31 October.
* * *
II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
"GI Protest Week": Hanoi so far has said little
about the protest week organized by US antiwar groups.
The first noted mention was yesterday man interna-
tional-.English language broadcast. This one citedthe
American press as the source for news on several inci-
dents involving servicemen opposed to the war. In
one such incident, anAir Force nurse allegedly passed
out antiwar tracts and, in another, soldiers stationed
at Ft. Lewis, Washington, are supposedly:deserting.
to form protest groups.
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