CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A012900030001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 4, 2003
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 8, 1969
• Content Type: REPORT

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Central Intelligence Bulletin
Secret
State Dept. review completed
50
8 January 1969
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No. 0007/69
8 January 1969
Central Intelligence Bulletin
CONTENTS
Vietnam: Situation report. (Page 1)
Guatemala: The opposition has begun to prepare
for the presidential elections in 1970. (Page 3)
Czechoslovakia: Smrkovsky demotion (Page 4)
Lebanon: Cabinet resignation (Page 4)
Chile: Public employees' strike (Page 4)
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Demilitarized Zone
~Q ng Tn
~~Vun$lauI CORPS
Capital Special Zone
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190
MILES
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Vietnam: Except for sharp fighting at allied
initiative southwest of Saigon in Kien Phong Prov-
ince, little military action of significance was
reported in South Vietnam on 6-7 January.
in-
dicate that the Viet Cong are advancing from a bas-
ically village-oriented drive to establish libera-
tion committees to one emphasizing the development
of similar structures at the district and province
levels.
A Liberation Radio broadcast on 21 December
announced the formation of a province-level libera-
tion committee in Quang Ngai. This marks the tenth
province in which the enemy claims to have estab-
lished a so-called "revolutionary administration."
The broadcast also announced the abolition of the
"Quang Ngai puppet administration from provincial
to prefectural and village levels." The Communists
declared that Saigon's provincial administration
is now formally considered "illegal." This latter
claim is a new development in the enemy's attempt
to "legitimize" its local administration.
The broadcast stopped short of claiming legal
governmental status for the liberation committee
but did declare that "the Quang Ngai-People's
Revolutionary Committee from now on will assume
the task of organizing and leading the people."
The broadcast claimed that 134 villages in 12
districts with a total population of over 415,000
have been "liberated" and have taken part in the
establishment of the new administration. Accord-
ing to the hamlet evaluation system, over 500,000
people in Quang Ngai live in either relatively se-
cure or contested hamlets and only about 160,000
are subject to complete Viet Cong control.
(continued)
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In the rest of the country a considerable fall
off in reporting of new lage committees was noted
in December. indicate that this part
of the campaign is to be completed this month.
A Hanoi broadcast on 16 December claimed that
"elections have been held to set up people's revo-
lutionary power in almost all the 44 provinces of
South Vietnam," implying that the,village-level or-
ganization is nearing completion. If this is the
case, public claims of district and provincial ad-
ministrations can probably be expected to prolif-
erate in the near future. (Map)
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Guatemala.: After many months of political
inactivity, the opposition has begun preparing for
the presidential elections in 1970.
The leftist-oriented Christian Democrats have
named their slate, and Ambassador to Nicaragua
Colonel Carlos Arana expects to be named soon as
standard bearer of the rightist National Libera-
tion Movement.
Arana recently told the US ambassador to Nic-
aragua that he expects a coalition of "all the
forces to the right" to be announced soon, and that
if this happens he will resign his post at the end
of this month and return to Guatemala to prepare
for his campaign.
Prior to March 1968, Arana was commander of
the powerful army brigade in the guerrilla-infested
northeastern Department of Zacapa. He is a force-
ful leader and was largely responsible for the
success of the army's counterinsurgency campaign
of late 1966 and 1967.
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[Czechoslovakia: The party presidium has re-
commended that National Assembly President Smr-
kovsky step down to the newly created post of
first vice president of parliament. The presidium
is probably hoping that this appointment will be
considered only a slight change in Smrkovsky's
political standing and ease tensions that have
centered on the future status of the top leader-
ship's only remaining progressive. Deputy Premier
Peter Colotka, a Slovak moderate and an expert in
le-;al and constitutional affairs, has been nomi-
nated by the presidium to assume the post of pres-
ident when a new federal parliament is assembled.
Lebanon: Political leaders are going through
the usual political maneuvers required in times of
crisis to damp growing public criticism. Prime
Minister Yafi has orally offered his cabinet's res-
ignation in the aftermath of the Israeli attack
on Beirut airport. Squabbling in the cabinet over
who was responsible for the airport debacle appar-
ently has brought the cabinet's work to a stand-
still. The formation of a national coalition cab-
inet representing all political parties is likely;
this move would serve to spread the blame should
the Israelis strike Lebanon again.
Chile: The Communist-dominated Chilean Work-
ers Central has called a 48-hour strike of public
employees on 8-9 January to demand higher cost-of-
living wage increases. This strike will be the
first major one since Christian Democratic and
Radical labor unions were incorporated into the
Workers Central in November. Whatever the size
of the turnout, the problem of wages for govern-
ment employees is certain to be an issue in the
campaign n for the congressional ections in March. 3
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Secret
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