THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 8 JANUARY 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005974212
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: January 8, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
Top Secret 8 January 1968
23
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DAILY BRIEF
8 JANUARY 1968
1. North Vietnam
2. South Vietnam
3. Congo
The two suspected coastal defense
missile sites south of Thanh Hoa were
struck repeatedly by US aircraft on
5 and 6 January. There is no firm evi-
dence from photography or pilot reports,
however, that either site was occupied
at the time of the attacks.
Ambassador McBride senses new
trouble between the Congolese and the
Belgians in the near future. He says
the Congolese are becoming highly agi-
tated over the Belgian position on the
mercenary question.
Steps are being taken to get the
Belgian press to cool its treatment of
the issue and to head off a crisis by
keeping President Mobutu somewhere near
the degree of flexibility he seemed ?to
have in his talks with Vice President
Humphrey.
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4. Czechoslovakia
5. Cyprus
The selection of Alexander Dubcek
to replace Novotny as party chief may
have been a last-minute compromise.
publicity spread had al-
ready been prepared on planning chief
Cernik.
Cernik, who had been considered
the leading contender for Novotny's ,
mantle, now seems a good bet to replace
Lenart as premier when parliament meets
Wednesday.
Although Dubcek, as a last-minute
choice, is probably on shaky ground,
his position is believed to have been
strengthened by the expansion of the
party presidium from ten to fourteen
men. The four new men are relative
newcomers to the national political
scene, but they will give the presidium
greater regional balance and some much
needed experience in key economic prob-
lem areas.
A likely victim of further leader-
ship changes is conservative ideology
chief Hendrych. He tried to hop on
the anti-Novotny bandwagon last month
but was told it was too late and that
in any case his record was against him.
Three of the five Greek ships
which arrived last Wednesday have now
left again with some 1,500 troops and
180 vehicles, including 18 tanks and
11 scout cars. With what is expected
to be taken out on the other two ships
shortly, Ambassador Belcher now thinks
that 7,000 "illegals" will be pulled
out by the 23 January deadline. He
thinks it may be time to start needling
Ankara about withdrawal of Turkish "il-
legals."
The Turkish Cypriot press is try-
ing to belittle the extent of the Greek
withdrawal. In any event, the Turks are
likely to hold to their claim that there
are a lot more than 7,000 Greek "il-
legals" on the island.
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6. Brazil-Peru-France
France seems close to completing
long-pending sales of Mirage super-
sonic jet aircraft to Brazil and Peru.
The Brazilian Government has not
yet made a final decision, but the
air ministry has recommended purchase
of the Mirages instead of our F-5s.
It cites the ten-year payment terms
and the possibility of exchanging cof-
fee and other products as plus factors
for the Mirages./
For its part, Peru is going ahead
with its plans to buy 12 Mirages
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Tot Secret
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Top Secret
FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
Top Secret
16
8 January 1968
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? Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
8 January 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
French Views on Hanoi's Negotiating Posture:
Etiene Manac'h, the Director of Asian Affairs for
the French Foreign Ministry, told an embassy officer
in Paris Saturday that Mai Van Bo, Hanoi's represen-
tative in Paris, had confirmed to him on 3 January
the "official nature" of Trinh's statement. Manac'h
claimed Bo intended this confirmation to be passed
to US authorities. Manac'h went on to say that the
Trinh statement in no way changes the French govern-
ment's understanding of Hanoi's position; Paris al-
ready knew that Hanoi was ready to enter into talks'
if bombing were halted unconditionally.
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JU" I
* * *
Reports
on the living and working conditions ot the North
Vietnamese people continue to come in
The most recent add to the
growing body of evidence that Hanoi has engaged in
an extensive relocation of industry, particularly
in the heavily bombed areas of the southern prov-
inces.
One report gives details of the organization
of civilian bomb damage crews. The peacetime regu-
lation that each adult donate 25 days of labor to
state projects each year was broadened in 1965 to
a requirement that all adults under 45 respond to
unlimited calls for work anywhere for any length
of time. Only after the first 25 days of such
duty does the state begin to supply the workers'
food.
A medical technician who worked in a hospital
in the northwestern part of the country for ten
years reports that the young Vietnamese-educated
-2-
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medical doctors are not nearly as well trained as
the older French-educated ones in his hospital.
He also reports that political considerations
severely hampered the administration of his hospital.
* * *
II. .NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
,ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
There is nothing of significance to report.
CS
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