THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 17 MAY 1966

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005968315
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: May 17, 1966

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A004500090001-8
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
17 MAY 1966
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70-P-SE-G-R-E-1._ 23
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DAILY BRIEF
17 MAY 1966
1. South Vietnam
The standoff continues, but clashes
between opposing South Vietnamese troops
in the I Corps area could occur without
warning. Ky sent more combat police to
Da Nang today and intends to send a
Ranger battalion there tomorrow to re-
place one of doubtful loyalty.
A column of Saigon troops moved up
the road from Da Nang toward Hue, appar-
ently only, to block the road at a pass
some ten miles from Da Nang. But the
possibility of a move on to Hue was
treated as a certainty, by the Hue radio
which called on all units today to pre-
pare to defend the city.
General Cao, Ky's new I Corps com-
mander, made a number of efforts during
the day to bring under his control the
rebellious troops in the corps area.
First Division commander Nhuan refused
to see him when he went to Hue. Cao's
tactics, thus far, seem carefully de-
signed to avoid undue provocation.
Buddhist leader Tri Quang also seems
to be counseling moderation among his
followers. He seems to have headed off
an angry anti-US demonstration after the
incident in Hue when a US helicopter
gunner killed the South Vietnamese lieu-
tenant who had fired at General Cao's
helicopter. Later, he told the US vice
consul that "I have saved American lives
this morning."
A Hue radiobroadcast subsequently
featured the "tragic massacre" of Hue
citizens at the airport, but blamed this
"criminal act" solely on the"bloodthirsty
Thieu-Ky clique."
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2. France
3. Communist China
4. Communist China
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Peking radio announced today that
China is publicizing photographs of the
missile remains and jettisoned fuel
tanks from the US plane that shot down
the Chinese fighter near the North Viet-
namese border last Thursday. These, of
course, could be faked, but it does carry
the Chinese propaganda on this incident
another notch higher.
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Nanking
ankou
48935
HONG KONG (U.K.)
MACAO
(Port.)
100 200
MILES
SO U T I-1
SEA ?
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5. Communist China
6, Syria
7. Canada,.
The Chinese may be improving their 50X1
surface-to-air missile defenses in South
China.
The three-month-old radical Baath
military regime has not developed any
firm power base. Some key military units
are still not giving it full support,
and factionalism among the coup group
itself appears to be increasing. An open
conflict among the military leaders could
break out at any time.
Prime Minister Pearson, who beat
down the opposition in a close censure
vote early this month, may soon be faced
with a crisis of confidence within his
own Liberal Party.
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8. Dominican Republic In a ten-minute speech this after-
noon, Bosch gave the government an ulti-
matum of 48 hours to end what he described
yesterday as tile "panorama of mounting
violence" against his followers. This
is probably a Bosch ploy to get back in
the headlines and to justify his reluc-
tance to campaign in person. However,
if he becomes convinced that he will not
win, there is a good chance of his using
this claim of violence to withdraw.
9. Congo
The financial talks between the
Congolese and Belgians, which opened
in Brussels last week, promise to be
long and difficult. Mobutu is deter-
mined to show that he runs the Congo,
and his large delegation appears rbady
to call into question Belgium's whole
position in the country.
Specifically, the delegation is bent
on renegotiating the settlement the
Tshombe government made concerning the
interlocked Belgian-Congolese public and
private debt servicing--a dreadful can
of worms dating back to preindependence
days.
The Belgians are not prepared to
reopen this question. Concerned, however,
about the vulnerability of the 35,000
Belgians and the country's large invest-
ment in the Congo, they probably will be
civil to the Congolese and hope that
Mobutu will soon cool down.
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Air
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TOP SECRET
TOP SECRET
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