THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 23 AUGUST 1968

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1961-1969
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976319
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: September 16, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2015
• Publication Date: August 23, 1968

- Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015/07/24 : CIA-RDP79T00936A006300310001-3
The President's Daily Brief
23 August 1968
23
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
23 AUGUST 1968
Czechoslovakia -
Soviet Union
Israel-Jordan
LATE ITEMS
A small Israeli force struck Jor-
dan in the area south of the Dead Sea
early this morning. The area, near
Petra, has been the scene of previous
Israeli :attacks against Arab terror-
ist bases. This new 'blow will ,in-
crease sympathy for the terrorists and
further undermine King Husayn's posi-
tion.
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THE PRESIDENT'S
DAILY BRIEF
23 AUGUST 1968
1. Czechoslovakia -
Soviet Union
The Soviets have not yet wrung
acknowledgment of their authority from
the Czechoslovak people. So far, the
Czechs have refrained from large-scale
violence against their occupiers, but
in other ways they are manifesting
their refusal to knuckle under,1
The Soviets have not felt able to
announce the formation of a new,
"trustworthy" government', apparently
estimating that the imposition of a
narrowly-based regime would provoke ac-
tive resistance.
A special congress of the Czech
Communist Party has called for an un-
limited general strike, to start today,
unless the Soviets begin talks on a
withdrawal of forces and the release
of arrested leaders.
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2. Rumania -
Soviet Union
3. Soviet Union
4, South Vietnam
Rumanian Embassy officials in Bonn
and Washington have expressed fears of
a possible Soviet invasion of their
country. Ceausescu is reported to have
announced yesterday that "we are now in
a state of full mobilization." The pre-
vious day he announced the establishment
of "armed guards of workers, peasants,
and intellectuals" to defend national
independence./
Beginning with Tet, major Commu-
nist offensives have had serious and
lasting effects on the economy
Recession in the cities stems from
a widespread undermining .of business and
consumer confidence. Afraid and uncer7
tain, people just are not buying.
Rural incomes are declining be-
cause of the difficulty and cost of
getting through to markets, particularly
Saigon. For example, rice production
in the Delta is up, but deliveries to
Saigon are well below what they were at
this time last year. There also has
been a sharp drop in the price farmers
are getting for their products.
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5. Turkey
-6. Southern Yemen
Some of the anti-US Turkish press
has begun carping about the projected
US Navy courtesy call at Izmir, sched-
uled for'27 August.- 9 September.
Turkish authorities appear determined
to maintain order and avoid a repeti-
tion of the kind of attacks made last
month by leftists on US Navy personnel
in Istanbul,
The return from exile of left-wing
'leaders may presage a new orientation
of tile? National Liberation Front gov-
?ernment. The left-wing party leaders
fled the country last spring after
they failed to impose their policies.
The following months of "moderation,"
however, did not pay off for the gov-
ernment in air support from Yemen or
Egypt, or pilots from the Soviet Union.
If the regime does turn left, it may
be courting trouble again.with the
conservative army.
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Top Secret
FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
1.) Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
2.) North Vietnamese Reflections of U S
Political Attitudes
Top Secret
16
23 August 1968
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Special Daily .Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
23 August 1968
I. .NOTES ON THE SITUATION
More on Flooding: A Western traveler to Hanoi
reports indications of considerable flooding around
the North Vietnamese capital. He says the road be-
tween the city and Gia Lam airport is impassable
because of flooding,and residents have mentioned
deaths and damage caused by rising waters. The
source noted increased helicopter activity, doubt-
less connected with flood relief work. He said
that the International Control Commission flight
from Laos was unable to land at Gia Lam last Friday
because of the flooding. This latter point is con-
firmed by recent communications intercepts which
show that aircraft have been hastily evacuated from
Gia Lam by helicopter and that use of the air base
has been sharply curtailed. The ICC flight has been
unable to land in its last three attempts, undoubtedly
because of flood problems.
Hanoi Interest in Czechoslovakia.: The North
Vietnamese want to keep their toes on the latest So-
viet line about Czechoslovakia,
,More MIG-21s: Analysis of photography taken on
26.July shows three more MIG-21 jet fighters in North
Vietnam. Camouflaged and dispersed near Phuc Yen air-
field, these additional aircraft bring the MIG-21
count in the country to at least 28 first-line fight-
ers. Three additional MIG-21s are there, but their
operating condition appears questionable.
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II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
There is nothing of significance to report today.
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c.?
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