THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 14 MARCH 1969

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005976669
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: March 14, 1969

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The President's Daily Brief
14 March 1969
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TOP SECRET
-Mr
TOP SECRET
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
15 March 1969
LATE NOTES FOR THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF OF
14 MARCH 1969
MAJOR PROBLEMS
VIETNAM
During last night and early today in Vietnam enemy-
initiated activity picked up markedly in the II and IV
Corps areas, and there was also a relatively high level
of action in the III Corps provinces surrounding Saigon.
Mortars and rockets hit about 70 allied bases and towns,
including four 122-mm. rockets fired into Hue; only light
damage was inflicted there and no casualties were re-
ported. This upsurge in enemy activity may represent
another phase of his over-all timetable, as a document cap-
tured on 14 March called for another "highpoint" to begin
at midnight 14 March (11:00 AM yesterday EST).
MIDDLE EAST
For the second straight day, the Suez Canal area re-
mains quiet as of 0700 EST, but sporadic firing continues
across the Jordan River. (Press)
EUROPE
Both Chancellor Kiesinger and President De Gaulle at-
tempted to put a good light on their two-day meeting which
ended yesterday, and indeed our embassy in Paris thinks
the talks may have cleared some of the "bad air" from
French-German relations. As expected, they covered a wide
'range of topics but reached few agreements except the need
to study closely such problems as extension of the Common
Market. On WEU, De Gaulle confirmed the French boycott of
,the council and said WEU was a matter of no interest to
France. On the Soames affair, he said the British version
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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was the "opposite" of what he told Soames. The General
also indicated that France does not intend to withdraw
from the Atlantic Alliance and has no objection to the
stationing of US troops in West Germany.
SOVIET AFFAIRS
There is nothing of significance to report.
II. OTHER IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS
SOVIET UNION - COMMUNIST CHINA
TASS claims that mass demonstrations continued out-
side the Soviet Embassy in Peking today with loudspeakers
blaring anti-Soviet propaganda into the mission compound.
(Press)
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
I ? MAJOR PROBLcIlS
VIETNAM
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The level of fighting declined even further through-
out much of the country on 14 March. There are no reports
of new terrorist incidents in either Saigon, Hue, or Da
Nang. The Communists launched another sharp ground attack
just south of the Demilitarized Zone, however, killing 10
US Marines and wounding 40 at a cost of 23 enemy dead.
South Vietnamese units are also reported to be in coritact
with a large enemy unit northeast of Saigon near Xuan Loc,
but complete casualties figures are not yet available.
We are unable to confirm a French press report that
the USSR claims Peking has closed its borders to all So-
viet rail shipments for North Vietnam.
at least 260 tons
of Soviet explosives, most of which are probably destined
for North Vietnam military consignees, are currently mov-
ing on the Chinese rail system.
Rail transit through China is used to deliver all So-
viet military equipment to Vietnam, but most of the nearly
one million tons of ordinary supplies going to North Viet-
nam from the USSR each year move by sea. Some industrial
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equipment and Vehicles, however, 'have also been delivered
by rail.
MIDDLE EAST
The Suez Canal was quiet today, but UN observers re-
ported yesterday that the Israelis were "beefing up" their
forces in the canal area. We suspect Tel Aviv is getting
ready for extensive retaliation if the Egyptians start
shooting again. The most likely targets would be Egyptian
artillery emplacements on the canal. We think Tel Aviv
would go after them with aircraft on the theory that a
cross-canal operation on the ground would be too costly,
but the Israelis may be thinking of combining an air strike
against the guns with a helicopter-commando raid against
some strategic target deep inside Egypt.
SOVIET AFFAIRS
There will be a major Warsaw Pact meeting next Monday
and Tuesday in Budapest. The roster of the Soviet delega-
tion includes Brezhnev, Premier Kosygin, Foreign Minister
Gromyko, and Defense Minister Grechko. The Warsaw Pact
Commander, Marshal Yakubovsky and the Chief of Staff of
the Joint Armed Forces are also traveling to Budapest. It
is expected that the other Pact members, including Rumania,
will send delegations of similar rank. The participants
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are expected to discuss European security and the "high
command" of the Pact. Other likely topics include Pact
maneuvers and transit of Pact forces through the territories
of member countries.
Also on Monday, representatives of at least sixty
Communist parties are scheduled to meet in Moscow to draw
up final plans for the "World Communist Conference" which
the Soviets hope to stage in May.
EUROPE
There is nothing significant to report.
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II. OTHER IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS
There are signs
KOREA
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the
North Koreans are preparing to step up incidents along the
Demilitarized Zone--undoubtedly in response to the current
US - South Korean military exercises. Pyongyang's main pur-
pose in instigating incidents probably is to reinforce its
propaganda claim that the exercises are a serious threat to
peace.
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Top Secret
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