THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 15 JANUARY 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005974224
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: January 15, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
op Set,ei 15 January 1968
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DAILY BRIEF
15 JANUARY 1968
1. Greece
2. Cyprus
3. Jordan
Makarios sounded almost like a
statesman in his surprise announcement
on Friday calling for new national
elections. He warned Greek Cypriots
that compromise will be necessary since
"what is desirable" is not always "fea-
sible." He seemed to be saying that
his compatriots had best abandon their
goal of union with Greece.
He spoke in a conciliatory way
about the Turkish community and seemed
to be calling for direct talks between
the two communities.
The flexibility and moderation of
this talk is unusual for the capricious
Archbishop and past experience with him
makes us cautious. Still, it is a hope-
ful sign. He, of course, will be the
only real candidate in the elections he
has set for next month.
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4. Laos
5. Japan
6. West Germany
7. West Germany -
Yugoslavia
The Communists have overrun the im-
portant outpost at Nam Bac. It was the
culmination of a ten-month campaign to
reoccupy an area they lost in August
1966 after having controlled it for
nearly a decade. In another develop-
ment, a small enemy force struck the
airfield at the royal capital of Luang
Prabang early today. It was a hit-and-
run raid, possibly aimed at preventing
movement of reinforcements toward Nam
Bac.
These events do not mean that the
Communists have launched a bigger of-
fensive. The loss of Nam Bac is more
a reflection of poor leadership within
the Laotian Army. It may set off a
new round of political maneuvering
within the military for control of the
armed forces.
Police are taking extensive pre-
cautions to cope with the massive
demonstrations expected this week to
protest the arrival of the USS Enter-
prise. The carrier, the first nuclear-
powered surface vessel to visit Japan,
is due in the port of Sasebo on Friday.
Talks get under way this week on
restoration of diplomatic relations
broken more than ten years ago. Both
sides are anxious to take the step de-
spite the many contentious issues that
will remain unsettled between them.
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8. Soviet Union
9. Yugoslavia
10. Cuba
Moscow has again gone out of its
way to reassure its allies that there
are no early prospects for improved
Soviet.- West German relations.[
Tito has launched the long-awaited
purge of party members opposed to his
economic and social reforms. Some 400
people, mostly old ex-partisans and
conservative bureaucrats, have been
ousted from the Belgrade city organiza-
tion.
Party liberals will now move on
completely to dismantle the old politi-
cal machine built by former party sec-
retary Rankovic and to consolidate their
control in preparation for the party
congress scheduled for late this year.
Castro was back in his old viru-
lent style on Friday when he spoke at
the closing of the international "cul-
tural" congress he had sponsored in
Havana. The speech contained his most
violent attack on the US in many months;
he seemed particularly angered at US
efforts to "sabotage" Cuban trade deals
with the West.
The Cuban saved some of his choic-
est words for the pro-Moscow Communist
parties of Latin America. He accused
them of acting like "pseudorevolution-
ary churches" in the "rearguard" of the
anti-imperialist struggle.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
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16
15 January 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
15 January 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
Another Trinh Interview: Remarks attributed to
North Vietnam's foreign minister in a recent, but un-
dated, interview with a Bulgarian correspondent under-
score Hanoi's contention that it has been on record
for nearly a year as willing to talk with the US after
the bombing is stopped. The interview, carried by the
official Bulgarian news agency on 12 January, quotes
Trinh as saying that a year ago he had "clearly
pointed out that there will be talks" between North
Vietnam and the US after a halt in the bombing and
other US acts of war. These are not the words he
used in his original "could" formulation, but instead
are the ones of his less ambiguous statement of 30 De-
cember. The interview probably took place after
30 December, but this is not clear.
The wording in the Bulgarian interview suggests
that while Hanoi is content to have the change in
the Trinh formulation interpreted as an initiative
on its part and thus put the onus on the US for the
next move, it nevertheless wants to make clear that
the substance of its position has not changed.
* * *
Viet Cong Reiterates Tet Cease-fire: In a com-
muniqu?harging that allied forces "deliberately
distorted" Communist policy on holiday cease-fires
and tried to limit their duration, the Viet Cong's
news agency on 12 January restated the Communist de-
cision ordering a seven-day "suspension of military
attacks" during the Lunar New Year festival begin-
ning 27 January. The communiqu?aid there had been
"consistent violations" of the Christmas and New
Year truces, and asserted that the US and its' allies
took advantage of the periods to conduct "mop-up
operations" and to stage air attacks. It warned
that violations of the forthcoming Lunar New Year
truce would be "appropriately punished."
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Query to North Vietnam: Ambassador Goldberg
was informed by Emmet Hughes of Newsweek that on
6 or 7 January Hughes had sent a letter to the North
Vietnamese Foreign Ministry asking for clarification
of Hanoi's statement about its readiness to talk
with the US. The letter contains ten detailed ques-
tions asking about the North Vietnamese terms for
settlement of the conflict. Hughes said he would
inform Ambassador Goldberg if he receives even the
slightest response from Hanoi.
.It is highly unlikely that the North Vietnam-
ese will respond in any detail to Hughes' questions,
although they may, as they have with other recent
queries, repeat the foreign minister's formulation
about being willing to talk if the bombing and other
acts of war are stopped.
* * *
Hanoi Propaganda: North Vietnam's party daily,
Nhan Dan, joined Chinese Communist media yesterday
in coTTeinning the alleged air attacks on Chinese
territory near the Laotian border. The paper said
this was a deliberate provocation against China by
the US and its "Laotian henchmen," and is part of
the US plan of war escalation in Indochina. Other
aspects of this "plan," says the paper, include re-
cent bombings of foreign ships in North Vietnam
ports, strikes near the Chinese border, threats to
invade Cambodia, and stepping up of the war in Laos.
Hanoi's Foreign Ministry also issued a statement
taking this line.
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New French Correspondent; Embassy Paris says
that the French Press Agency will be sending a new
correspondent to Hanoi later in the month. The
man's name is Le Mauff; he is an aeronautics ex-
pert, a specialty which might come in handy in North
Vietnam. Le Mauff gives the impression of being
pro-American. He is clearly anti-Communist.
Le Mauff revealed in talks with the embassy
that not all material filed by his agency from
Hanoi is self-initiated. Some stories are in-
spired by the North Vietnamese. In order to dis-
tinguish between inspired stories and regular re-
ports, a code has been devised between the Press
Agency representative in Hanoi and his home office.
Le Mauff did not explain how the code works.
The new correspondent offered to provide fol-
low-up details on his future articles. He suggested
that this could be arranged through the French
Press Agency's home office.
* * *
Hanoi Again Praises Russell "Tribunal": Hanoi
radio reports that a meeting was held in the North
Vietnamese capital on 11 January to "welcome" the
success of the recent second session of the Russell
"war crimes tribunal" in Denmark. The participants
at the meeting sent a letter of thanks praising the
tribunal for its "comprehensive and deep examina-
tion" of US "war crimes," and said the session was
of great value in exposing US "aggression." The
Vietnamese people, it said, "highly appreciate" the
tribunal as "a valuable suppOrt and encouragement,"
and believe it helped "awaken the conscience of the
American people and other peoples of the world"
against US actions.
* * *
NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
Hanoi on War Protests in US: In a brief round-
up on 13 January, Hanoi radio's international service
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again notes routinely various items connected with
antiwar activities in the US. It claims the prose-
cution of Dr. Spock and others has "aroused strong
indignation" in the US. The item notes comedian
Dick Gregory's hunger strike protesting the war,
and also mentions a Western news report about the
four US sailors from the Intrepid who have been
granted asylum in Sweden.
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