CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A011100050001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 21, 2003
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 3, 1968
• Content Type: REPORT

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Central Intelligence Bulletin
DIA review(s) completed.
Secret
3
3 May 1968
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No. 0146/68
3 May 1968
Central Intelligence Bulletin
CONTENTS
South Vietnam: Situation report. (Page 1)
Laos: The Communists appear to be continuing their
offensive. (Page 3)
Communist China: Peking puts on a show of unity on
May Day but violence has been renewed. (Page 4)
South Korea: The government majority and the
opposition head toward another confrontation in
the National Assembly. (Page.5)
Argentina-UK: The British are negotiating to hold
an army exercise in Argentina. (Page 6)
Malaysia-USSR: Minister in Moscow (Page 8)
Austria-Czechoslovakia: Improved relations (Page 8)
Latin America: May Day violence (Page 9)
Cuba: Raul Castro speech (Page 9)
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1 NORTH
VIETNAM
\.
D. rdI teal Zen.
Deng Ha Qua" Tri
A Shaw
valley
t
RTla Nang
SOUTH VIETNAM
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C South Vietnam: Heavy fighting persists in the
northern part of South Vietnam, and there are more
signs of upcoming Communist offensive action around
Saigon.
A sharp engagement occurred on 1 May just north
of Hue, where Communist forces were trying to break
out of an allied encirclement. Near Dong Ha on the
northern border, elements of two regiments from the
North Vietnamese 320th Division have mounted a se-
ries of attacks which could be intended to put for-
ward allied positions near the Demilitarized Zone
in jeopardy.
Allied operations in the A Shau Valley continue
to meet only sporadic enemy resistance and to un-
cover large caches of supplies. These operations
may inhibit future Communist offensive activities
in the northern coastal plains, but it seems likely
the enemy has already moved sizable amounts of weap-
ons and supplies into forward positions.
[Further signs of Communist preparations for
large-scale attacks in the III Corps area around
Saigon are being picked up. A Communist agent cap-
tured in Saigon on 1 May reportedly carried messages
implying that an attack was just around the corner.
One message discussed a planning session to begin
on 2 May for forces located around the capital.1
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Muong ? Phou .J
Son? Pha Thi
? Government-held location
? Communist-held location
Communise-controlled territory
Contested territory
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Laos: [There are signs the Communists intend
to continue their offensive.]
an'north Laos, the Communists appear to be pre-
paring for a long-expected offensive against the
important government guerrilla base at Na Khang.
Within the past week, outlying defensive positions
have been probed by the enemy, and the base itself
has come under some occasional heavy weapons fire.
The government has moved reinforcements to the base,
and there are now 2,000 troops defending the area J
LNa Khang is the only major guerrilla base still
intact in northeastern Laos and its loss would se-
verely hamper government operations there. It has
also played a vital role in search and rescue mis-
sions for US pilots whose planes have gone down in
Laos and North Vietnam j
~A government attempt to reoccupy the Muong Son
area has met with stiff enemy resistance. The gov-
ernment had hoped to re-establish its presence in
the area and replace radar facilities lost at Phou
Pha Thi in March. In contrast to past practice,
however, the Communists show every indication that
they intend to hold on to the newly won territory J
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Communist China: Peking attempted to display
'inity on May Day but there is evidence of renewed
~_iolence in some provinces`?
Scores of leaders appeared at the evening rally
for May Day. This was the first major turnout since
7 March and the biggest in a half year. All of the
important politburo members who have been out of
sight since the ouster of acting Chef of Staff Yang
'-'henq-wu appeared in their appropriate ranking. So,
too, did all Cultural Revolution group leaders, many
inactive members of the hierarchy, and large numbers
of the military.
The commanders of seven of the 13 military re-
gions and military and political leaders from half
the provinces were also present. Manly of them repre-
sented troubled areas where provincial revolutionary
committees are still being hammered together. Pre-
sumably, discussions are currently under way in the
capital to seek agreed leadership lineups for these
provinces.
Ir-
[In some provinces, perhaps reflecting conflict-
ing views at the center, violence appears to be on
the rise. There are reports of roswin armed con-
r ict in a number of areas.
*Because of the shortage of time for preparation of this item, the analytic
interpretation presented here ha been produced by the Central Intelli-
gence Agency without the participation of the Defense Intelligence
Agency. Department of Defense.
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South Korea: The government majority and the
opposition appear headed toward another confronta-
tion in the National Assembly.
The majority Democratic-Republican Party is un-
der administration instructions to pass legislation
strengthening the legal basis for the new regional
militia forces before the assembly session ends this
month. The opposition New Democratic Party report-
edly intends to boycott the assembly if the majority
presses ahead with the legislation, thereby obliging
the majority to pass the measure unilaterally.
The opposition is against the legislation be-
cause it fears, with some justification, that the
administration will use the new force for partisan
political purposes preparatory to the national elec-
tions in 1971.
The opposition's stand would normally win con-
siderable support among politically informed Ko-
reans. In this instance, however, the administra-
tionprobably will suffer little criticism if it
proceeds carefully. The opposition's failure to of-
fer any reasonable alternative to the measure at a
time.when the public is greadly concerned over in-
creasing North Korean terrorism and sabotage leaves
it open to char es of evadin responsibilit.
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Argentina-UK: LGreat Britain is negotiating to
hold an army training exercise in Argentina next
year._
The British say that this and other overseas
exercises are intended to increase army proficiency
under varying environmental conditions and give a
boost to recruiting, which has fallen off with the
reduction of British overseas posts. The US de-
fense attache in London comments, however, that the
ultimate objective of this type of training is to
increase opportunities for weapons sales in Latin
America.]
Lpresent plans call for a battalion of British
troops to be airlifted to Argentina, but it is not
yet clear whether a joint exercise with the Argen-
tine Army is contemplated. In return, Argentine
military personnel would attend various British
army schools.,
LLatin America has increasingly been turning to
the UK and France for military equipment since the
United States has begun to reduce military assist-
ance programs and restrict arms sales in the area.
Argentina, Brazil, and Chile have been shopping in
Britain for ships and aircraft, and an army exer-
cise could present an opportunity to sell ground
force equipment.
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Austria-Czechoslovakia: The Austrian Govern-
ment is contemplating several gestures toward im-
proving its relations with Czechoslovakia. These
include raising diplomatic representation from
legation to embassy level and encouraging greater
cultural and commercial exchanges. The Austrians
see such steps as a part of their effort to "build
bridges" toward Eastern Europe and to show support
for the Czech reform.
Foreign Minister Waldheim reportedly hopes to
elicit a favorable Czech response to Austria's
latest proposals to settle Austrian property claims
dating from World War II. The Austrians have been
encouraged by statements from some Czech leaders
urging better relations with "neutral" Austria
I~Salaysia-USSR: Abdul Razak, Malaysia's deputy
prime minister an defense minister, arrived in Mos-
cow yesterday in response to a Soviet invitation.
Razak's trip marks the first visit to Moscow
by a top-level Malaysian official since the two
countries agreed to establish diplomatic relations
last year. For Malaysia, improvement of the re-
lationship is important because the USSR is the
largest customer for Malaysian rubber. On the part
of the Soviets, it reflects a desire to strengthen
ties with Malaysia and other parts of Southeast
Asia where the USSR has not previously been active.
(continued)
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Latin America: [May Day demonstrations pro-
duced violence only in Uruguay and Brazil. Large
crowds of rioters roamed through Montevideo, throw-
ing rocks at the US Embassy and breaking store
windows. Police were forced to use tear gas to
break up crowds. Charging "police brutality,"
the Communists have reportedly called for a gen-
eral strike to begin this afternoon. In Sao Paulo,
Brazil, extremist students and workers broke up a
labor rally and physically attacked the governor.
The violence there may deepen the existing split
between the generally moderate workers and the ex-
tremist student and union leaders.
Cuba: Fidel Castro for the second year in a
row yielded center stage during Cuba's May Day cel-
ebration. His brother Raul was the main speaker at
a rally in Camaguey. With Fidel looking on, Raul
concentrated on domestic issues and appealed to the
people to increase agricultural production. Raul
reiterated the Castro thesis of armed revolution
in Latin America and intimated that Che Guevara's
defeat in Bolivia was merely a temporar setback
for Latin American revolutionaries.
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The United States Intelligence Board on 2 May
1968 approved the following national intelligence
estimate:
NIE 64.2-68 "Consequences of Civil
Strife in Nigeria"
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