THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05974151
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: April 26, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 30, 2019
• Publication Date: December 2, 1967

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The President's Daily Brief
2P December 1967
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DAILY BRIEF
2 DECEMBER 1967
1. Cyprus
2. Greece
3. Soviet Union
Egypt
At last word, Makarios was still
stubbornly holding out against the
proposals accepted by Greece and
Turkey. Mr. Vance began another ses-
sion with the difficult Archbishop at
about 2:30 AM this morning.
The aftermath of the Cyprus crisis
may well have an unsettling effect on
the domestic political scene. Many
Greeks, when they become aware of the
facts, will regard withdrawal of their
troops from Cyprus as capitulation
under Turkish threat. The junta will
have a hard time explaining its actions
in a way that does not damage its stand-,
ing.
Disagreement is evident even within
the junta itself over the handling of
the crisis; there may be a call for
scapegoats.
Former Prime Minister Karamanlis,
still popular in conservative circles,
has seized the opportunity to blast the
junta publicly from his safehaven in
Paris.
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4. Israel - Egypt
5. Soviet Union
. Canada
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The Israelis are continuing ag-
gressive air patrols in the Suez area
despite the loss of one of their
planes yesterday. Any more shootdowns
might well prompt them to strike at
Egyptian antiaircraft batteries.
Soviet propagandists took a few
days to settle on an "explanation" for
Secretary McNamara's job change. Now,
the line is emerging that the "super-
hawks" have won a victory in Washington
and will henceforth exert much greater
influence on Vietnam policy.
As one broadcast said, "prepara-
tions for a tougher policy in Vietnam
require tougher measures by the White-
House, and replacement of the main
figure in the Pentagon is one of them."
Rene Levesque has announced that
he will form a political party dedi-
cated to making Quebec a sovereign -
state. This gives the Quebec separat-
ists an important shot in the arm, for
they now have the popular, dynamic
leader they had always lacked. Levesque;
a former TV commentator and an experi-
enced politician, is widely and favor,-
ably known in Quebec, even among those
who have not favored the extremist
views he is now pushing.
It was Levesque's program for
Quebec, incidentally, that De Gaulle
endorsed in his press conference this
week.
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7. West Europe
8. Bolivia
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Britain's European allies are
furious over De Gaulle's latest move
�to blackball Britain from the Common
Market. This was obvious during Tues-
day's meeting of the European Parlia-
ment in Strasbourg. Agreement was
general there that De Gaulle has raised
the ante for British entry and that
"something" should be done to keep him
from calling the tune.
The men in Strasbourg are acutely
aware, however, that the crisis De
Gaulle is forcing on the Community
could seriously disrupt it. The op-
position to De Gaulle still lacks organ-
ization and its strength will depend on
whether or not Kiesinger is willing to
stand up .to De Gaulle.
The government is rapidly ap-
proaching bankruptcy. Bolivia has
built up a $25 million dollar deficit
so far in this fiscal year. Cash re-
sources may well be gone by February.
This predicament stems from poor
management and from the drain of the,
war against guerrillas. A Bolivian
delegation is in the US now trying to
turn up help.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
2 December 1967
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
* * *
* * *
Stokely Carmichael's Publicity Agent in Sweden:
The Swedish police have informed the US Embassy in
Stockholm that an American citizen--one Sherman
Adams--is, among other things, Carmichael's publicity
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agent in Sweden. According to the police, Adams
is a "student" at Uppsala University, but does very
little studying and spends most of his time em-
ployed as a "naked model." Furthermore, say the
police, Adams has a poor reputation and is consid-
ered "undesirable."
* * *
II. :NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
Hanoi Comments on the American Political Scene:
A recently received article from the 9 September
issue of the North Vietnamese periodical Propaganda
and Training offers an unusually detailed insight
into Hanoi's view of the American political scene.
The article, entitled "Inside the American Ruling
Groups," commences with a standard Communist inter-
pretation of the manner in which the "monopoly
capitalist groups" control American politics. It
names President Johnson as a member of the "Southern
States-Texas group" which is closely connected with
the "Wall Street Morgan-Rockefeller bloc." Con-
tinuing in this vein, the article points out that
there is no difference between the Republican and
Democratic parties because both represent "the
great monopoly capitalistic groups ruling the US."
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The article admits that there are differences on
the domestic scene between the two political bodies
but goes on to underscore that on foreign policy
issues the lines of the two parties resemble each
other.
The most interesting section of the article
concerns an interpretation of the "Hawk and Dove"
factions in the US. The article claims that the
hawk faction consists essentially of a number of
"ultra rightists" such as "Nixon, Goldwater,
Dirksen, Ford, and the Pentagon generals." In ad-
dition such "senators" as Stennis, Rivers, Zablocki,
McKee, and Dodd are included in this group. The
hawks, according to Hanoi, advocate stronger es-
calation, intensifying "the destructive war against
the North (considering this one of the important
methods for subduing Hanoi)," and bringing addi-
tional troops into the South. They also demand
assaults against the North, oppose, a halt to the
bombing, will not recognize the South Vietnamese
Liberation Front, and will not agree to withdraw
troops.
The dove faction, according to the article,
consists essentially of a "number of liberals in
the leadership circles" such as Senators Mansfield,
Fulbright, Robert Kennedy, Morse, Gruening, Church,
and McGovern. These senators are said to oppose
the "escalation activities" which could lead to a
direct confrontation with China and the Soviet
Union. They also advocate a suitable negotiated
solution which will "maintain South Vietnam within
the American circle of influence." Specifically,
the article declared that the doves oppose expand-
ing the targets to be struck in North Vietnam, op-
pose the mining of Haiphong, resist the landing of
troops in North Vietnam, endorse de-escalation by
both sides and recognition of the Liberation Front.
In comparing the two blocs, the article con-
cluded that the hawks are the strongest at present.
They are said to dominate the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, and the military, appropriations, and secu-
rity committees of Congress, and to control the
CIA. Their stand, the article maintains, is ba-
sically the same as that of the President, Dean
Rusk, and "Walter" Rostow.
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* * *
Further Hanoi-Comment on McNamara: .The Hanoi
daily Nhan Dan claims that Secretary McNamara's:
"dismiggli"-ig an "open acknowledgment of the heavy
failures" of the US in Vietnam, according to a
1 December Hanoi International Service broadcast
in English. Nhan Dan asserts that Secretary
McNamara has Vg-eii "disgraced", at a time when the
Vietnam war is "most fierce" and claims that Presi-
dent Johnson wanted to hold McNamara fully respon-
sible for-US defeats. The article asserts, how-
ever, that the President "must bear all the respon-
-sibility" for the war and that he is "dreaming of
some victories" to serve as,a political asset in
next year's election. The Nhan Dan article closes
by predicting that further WgZ1.11-f-Ton will not
"turn the tide" and will only lead to heavier-US
defeats.
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