THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Tet Declassified
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05974236
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: April 26, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 30, 2019
• Publication Date: January 22, 1968

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The President's Daily Brief
et 22 January 1968
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DAILY BRIEF
22 JANUARY 1968
1. Brazil
2. Venezuela
3. Ecuador
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4. Israel
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T>E�P CRET
Costa e Silva flatly told Ambassa-
dor Tuthill on Friday that Brazil will
buy F-5s, not Mirages. The Brazilian
President seemed to feel sure his plans
would not be affected by recent US
legislation.
The government suspects a coup
may be attempted within the next few
days. The plotters--a group of right-
wing military officers and civilians--
are being carefully watched by secur-
ity officers, however, and their
chances for success are slim.
Carlos J. Arosemena,
anti-American cousin of Ecuador's
President, has declared his support for
the presidential candidacy of Jose
Valesco. Elections are in June.
The two men have been bitter ene-
mies--in fact, Carlos ousted Velasco
from the presidency in 1961 before him-
self being thrown out by the military.
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5. West Berlin
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6. Australia
Gorton is smack in the middle of
one of Australia's worst labor disputes
in 20 years. All mail truck drivers
have gone on strike. The government is
willing to discuss wage demands, but
wants the mail moving first. The union
refuses to drive until it gets what it
wants. So far, the press is giving
Gorton good marks for his firm stand.
His prestige could be damaged, however,
if the strike is not settled shortly.
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To ecret
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Top-Stcret
FOR THE PRESIDENT'S EYES ONLY
Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
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}op-Secret
22 January 1968
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Special Daily Report on North Vietnam
for the President's Eyes Only
22 January 1968
I. NOTES ON THE SITUATION
Hanoi on State of the Union Address: The authori-
tative "Commentator" had an editorial in Sunday's
party daily Nhan Dan which, in effect, rejected the
San Antonio 7757EuTT�as a means of working toward set-
tlement of the war. According to a summary of the
article broadcast in English by Hanoi radio's inter-
national service, "Commentator" went on at length
about President Johnson's references to Vietnam in
the State of the Union message. He began by declaring
that the Vietnam problem is clearly weighing more
and more heavily on US life and that, for this reason,
President Johnson was obliged to talk about ways to
bring about an end to the fighting. The President,
however, "only beat around the bush, repeating his
San Antonio formula," the editorial declared.
The San Antonio formula, the editorial said,
"is but a habitual US trick to put on the same foot-
ing the aggressor and the victim of aggression and
to force the Vietnamese people to give up struggling
in the face of continued US aggression." The "war-
like objectives" of the "US imperialists" are laid
bare not only by the "very insolent conditions" laid
down in the San Antonio formula, but also by the con-
tinued US military buildup in South Vietnam and by
stepped up US air raids over North Vietnam.
"Commentator" then referred to the President's
"empty promises" to the American people in other
parts of the Stateof the Union message. These, "Com-
mentator" charged, will do no good and the "restless-
ness" of the American people will grow. All the po-
litical, racial, economic, and international problems
faced by the people of the US are caused mainly by
the Vietnam war, he declared, and President Johnson's
"awkward words are but sheer falsification of truth
and an affront to the people at home."
In conclusion, "Commentator" charged that "re-
cent words and acts of the US imperialists" point
merely to continuation of their "war of aggression"
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as they make "more and more insolent conditions" for
a settlement. The Vietnamese "people," the editorial
concludes, remain resolved to fight on.
* * *
Viet Cong Broadcast on State of the Union Mes-
sage: The Liberation radio's first mention of the
TaTggage came in a broadcast in Vietnamese to South
Vietnam on Friday. Fully half the broadcast was de-
voted to an attempt to refute the President's "boasts"
about the progress of the war. The broadcast then
asserted in general terms that the President's refer-
ences to peace served simply as a facade for further
expansion of the war. There was no mention of pos-
sible US - North Vietnamese talks and the broadcast
completely ignored the San Antonio formula.
The program concluded with assertions that "it
is obvious" that the Vietnam war has "upset the US
economy, has shaken the position of the US dollar,
and has caused 'a certain restlessness' in the US,
the words Johnson used to describe the spreading
antiwar movement in the US."
* * *
* * *
Hanoi Continues to Circulate Bo's Interview:
On Saturday, Hanoi rebroadcast to its office in Ran-
goon the entire Mai Van Bo interview of 16 January
with the French newsman./
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* * *
* * *
A New Appraisal of North Vietnam's Manpower
Situation: A fresh CIA appraisal leads to the same
general conclusion--that reserves are adequate to
meet current demands and that Hanoi could support
a military mobilization effort higher than present
levels. The drains on manpower during the past
three years have admittedly been sufficient to
bring about some tightening in overall manpower
availabilities. Hanoi has acknowledged manpower
problems and responded by an increasing use of
women in the labor force.
A comparison of the manpower situation in both
North and South Vietnam is revealing. South Viet-
nam effectively controls a much smaller population,
yet it has been able to maintain full-time military
forces nearly 1.5 times the size that North Viet-
nam maintains. If North Vietnam were to call into
_3_
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full-time military service the same share of its
population as has South Vietnam, the North Vietnam-
ese military force would be more than double its
present size.
* * *
Rumanian Ambassador's Comments: The Rumanian
ambassador to Paris, who is now leaving his post,
commented during his farewell call at the US Em-
bassy that the United States is really winning in
Vietnam. The ambassador went on to say that Hanoi's
delegation in Paris no longer tries to hide its
concern over the pressure Peking has been exerting
on Hanoi because of North Vietnam's alleged moves
toward peace.
The Rumanian's statement must be tempered by
his inclination to be somewhat imaginative when he
is expressing his views.
* * *
II. NORTH VIETNAMESE REFLECTIONS OF US POLITICAL
ATTITUDES ON THE WAR
Viet Cong Broadcast Quotes Governor Romney:
On Saturday, the Liberation radio quoted excerpts
from the Governor's comments about the State of the
Union message as an example of the "stream of
strong criticism among many circles in the US and
the West" regarding Vietnam policy. The same broad-
cast carried critical fragments from leading Brit-
ish and French newspapers.
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