THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 11 APRIL 1966

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005968252
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: April 11, 1966

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A004400240001-2
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
11 APRIL 1966
-M15'1-&ESP?c-E.1_
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DAILY BRIEF
11 APRIL 1966
1. South Vietnam
The pause in antigovernment demon-
strations lasted through the day, but
there are reports of activity planned
for tomorrow in Hue and Saigon.
The newly installed commander in
the northern provinces, General Dinh,
professes optimism that he can reassert
control over disaffected military units
and re-establish government authority in
Hue and Da Nang. As his contribution to
easing the tension, he is removing the
two remaining marine battalions from Da
Nang. It is not yet clear what if any-
thing opposition elements will contribute,
although they are toning down their anti-
American statements.
The government still intends to con-
vene a national political conference in
Saigon tomorrow. As of now, it has no
clear idea how many of the 150-170 in-
vitees will show up. The radical Tri
Quang ,crowd is encouraging a boycott,
Tam Chau, the relatively moderate
but ineffective Buddhist leader, is re-
portedly stepping aside. Tam admits that
he has lost control and that "extremists"
are now calling the shots.
General Khang continues to tell us
of a group of officers who think stronger
measures should be taken against the
Buddhists and talk in terms of a "house-
cleaning." Khang, as commander of troops
in the Saigon area, is of course in a
key spot.
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2. Indonesia
3. Pakistan
A country-wide harassment of ethnic
Chinese is being condoned and sometimes
covertly supported by the military, ap-
parently as a way of getting at Peking.
The Chinese, long envied and hated
for their virtual economic stranglehold
over large portions of the population,
are having their schools, shops, and as-
sociations penalized or confiscated. If
continued, this tactic is almost sure to
produce another wave of serious anti-
Chinese rioting, and rob the country of
people who could be of help in recon-
structing the economy.
Meanwhile, the new rulers must spend
much time and energy in lengthy meetings
with Sukarno, before doing what they have
already decided to do.
Last week, for instance, the for-
eign and economic ministers had to go
to the palace and gently but firmly tell
Sukarno there was absolutely no money
for one of his chief dreams--an "emerg-
ing nations" conference in Djakarta--
and that construction would end on the
partly completed buildings. They left
the president profoundly depressed.
Civilian and military officials con-
tinue to make noises about accepting "a
comprehensive" offer of military assist-
ance from Peking, if the West does not
come up with the hardware to relieve what
they consider Pakistan's severe shortages.
Although the Chinese have supplied
some tanks, and possibly aircraft, we
have no evidence they are developing a
large assistance program for Pakistan.
The Chinese have only a limited capabil-
ity to maintain ?a modern military estab-
lishment in China, let alone Pakistan.
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4. France
5, Rhodesia
The government and the Gaullist
party have launched a major propaganda
campaign in support of De Gaulle's moves
against NATO and US bases.
So far, they have had some success
in convincing the public that reduction
of ties with the alliance's organization
does not mean loss of its protection.
De Gaulle has astutely played upon the
pride and nationalism of the French as
well as their far greater interest in
local issues. He answers opposition
charges that he has broken with France's
allies by pointing out that France has
not withdrawn from the alliance.
The opposition will challenge the
government when the National Assembly
opens its foreign policy debate Wednes-
day, but the expected censure motion has
almost no chance of succeeding.
The UN's approval for London to
use force in preventing tankers from
reaching Beira may have opened a hornets'
nest, since it classifies circumvention
of the oil embargo as "a threat to the
peace." Some African states may now
seize this precedent to press for manda-
tory sanctions against Portugal and
South Africa, who are letting in through
other routes enough oil to sustain the
Rhodesian economy even if Britain suc-
ceeds in keeping tankers out of Beira.
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6. Dominican Republic
7. Haiti
Bosch, yielding to "pressures,"
has accepted his party's nomination
for the election on 1 June. He appears
confident of repeating his 1962 victory,
He will probably still occasionally
threaten to withdraw, however, as he did
in 1962, both for publicity and as a tac-
tic to extract the most favorable condi-
tions from the provisional government.
If elected, he might abdicate in favor
of his moderate running mate Antonio
Guzman.
There is a growing feeling of con-
cern in Santo Domingo that the anniver-
sary of last year's revolution on 24
April may bring disturbances that could
shatter the political peace, although
our embassy has no hard information sug-
gesting that either the extreme right
or left plans to create serious incidents.
Although superficially calm over
the weekend, Haiti is said to be like a
tinderbox./
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