CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A014300130002-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 29, 2004
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: August 18, 1969
• Content Type: REPORT

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Central Intelligence Bulletin
Secret
50
JCS review(s) completed. 18 August 1969
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O'L
No. 0197/69
18 August 1969
Central Intelligence Bulletin
CONTENTS
Vietnam: Situation report. (Page 1)
North Korea: Pyongyang has confirmed the downing of
a US helicopter in North Korea. (Page 3)
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Lebanon: Fedayeen gains (Page 10)
Mali: Officers arrested (Page 10)
Chile: Presidential candidate (Page 10)
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Division: VC 5,000-7,000
NVA 5,0008,000
AVERAGE STRENGTH
OF ENEMY UNITS
VIETNAM Battalion: VC 200- 400
,j DemilitarizedZone
Regiment: VC 1,000-1,500
NVA 1,200-2,000
SOUTH VIETNAM
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C Vietnam: Ground action has tapered off F- I 25X1
The most significant fighting over the weekend
again centered in the provinces north of Saigon along
the Cambodian border. The enemy probed allied field
positions in Tay Dinh and Binh Long provinces, losing
some 60 troops killed while inflicting only light
casualties on well-entrenched US and South Vietnamese
forces. To the north in Quang Ngai Province South
Vietnamese irregulars fought two sharp battles that
left 27 Communists and 15 government troops dead.
Communist shellings continued at a moderate level
throughout the country.
Special efforts in recent months to beef up
North Vietnam's local military establishment are
now coming to light. Several recent translations
from June issues of the army newspaper reflect such
a drive; it was also a theme in a speech last month
by Defense Minister Giap. The campaign appears to
be aimed primarily at ensuring a steady flow of qual-
ified manpower into the regular armed forces.
Hanoi probably is trying to repair damage to
its local-level military forces caused by the enor-
mous demands levied on them in the past two years,
primarily because of heavy troop infiltration to
South Vietnam. A cutback in the infiltration effort
this spring may have been intended in part to pro-
vide a breathing spell to refurbish grass roots
sources of military manpower. The Communists may be
preparing for the contingency of renewed large-scale
infiltration in the coming months. F 25X1
18 Aug 69 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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U ijongbu f
KowBrv
~AYbneh'On
Yeitow SOUTH
Sea KOREA
vum-ni
'EMItITARIZED
ZONE
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"Ghiha-ri
Munsan-ni
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C North Korea: Pyongyang radio has confirmed that
North Korean ground forces shot down a US Army heli-
copter which inadvertently violated North Korean air-
space.
The brief announcement came at 11:39 p.m. Korean
time (10:39 a.m. EDT) on 17 August, more than 12
hours after the incident. No mention was made of the
fate of the three personnel on board the helicopter
when it was forced down about 1.5 miles within North
Korean territory along the western end of the Demil-
itarized Zone. While the statement labeled the in-
cident "another wanton violation" of the armistice
agreement, it was strikingly less martial than routine
daily propaganda and almost: certainly is designed as
a noncommittal "filler" to give the regime more time
in which to assess the incident and the US response.
The senior US member of the Military Armistice
Commission has officially notified the North Korean
representative of the missing helicopter and has
requested assistance in returning it and its person-
nel. A meeting of the commission has been proposed
for Wednesday.
The North Koreans did not release two pilots
captured in a similar incident in 1963 until a year
later when the US submitted an official "apology."
18 Aug 69
Central Intelligence Bulletin 3
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NOTES
Lebanon: Israel's raid on Mount Hermon on 11
August has brought the Lebanese Government closer to
accepting the fedayeen's demand that they be allowed
to operate without government restrictions. Lebanon
told the UN Security Council that it could not ac-
cept responsibility for the actions of Palestinians
resident in its territory. The raid has also made
it increasingly difficult for Christians to oppose
Muslim demands for greater hostility against Israel
without appearing to be pro-Israeli. If this trend
in the government and among the people continues, it
will be more difficult for President Hilu to maintain
opposition to the fedayeen, and Lebanon will become
increasingly involved in Israeli--Arab incidents.
Mali: The military government reportedly has
moved against a coup plot. Several military of-
ficers have been arrested, some of whom apparently
are supporters of Modibo Keita, the leftist presi-
dent who was ousted last November. There is no
firm evidence that there was any plot, but the gov-
ernment continues to be beset by strong personal
and regio4al rivalries and serious economic diffi-
culties.
Chile: The Christian Democratic Party has nomi-
nated Radomiro Tomic, a former ambassador to Washing-
ton, as its candidate for the 1970 presidential elec-
tion. Tomic had hoped for support from the Communist
and Socialist parties but this has not materialized.
He may, however, pitch his campaign toward leftist
voters; he has criticized the recently negotiated
nationalization agreement with a large US copper com-
pany as being too slow. Despite this, party spokes-
men have told the press that Tomic does not plan to
alter Chile's current copper policy.
18 Aug 69 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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