CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A014400070001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 11, 2003
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 26, 1969
• Content Type: REPORT

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Central Intelligence Bulletin
Secret
5 O26 August 1969
State Dept. review completed
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No. 0204/69
26 August 1969
Central Intelligence Bulletin
CONTENTS
South Vietnam: Situation report. (Page 1)
Arms Control: Two resolutions on CBW will be pre-
sented at Geneva today. (Page 2)
Communist China: Peking has underscored its frustra-
tion over persistent internal disorder.. (Page 3)
Bolivia: A bill to nationalize gas reserves is
causing problems for President Siles. (Page 5)
Afghanistan: The national elections are not expected
to alter significantly the slow-moving parliament.
(Page 7)
India: political struggle (Page 8)
Zambia: Party leadership (Page 8)
Cyprus: National Front pressure (Page 8)
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NORTH
VIETNAM
SOUTH VIETNAM
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MILES
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AVERAGE STRENGTH
OF ENEMY UNITS
Battalion: VC 200- 400
NVA 300- 500
Demilitarized Zan*
Regiment: VC 1,0001,500
NVA 1,200 2,000
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South Vietnam: Military activity picked up
over the last two days.
In I Corps action US forces killed some.74
enemy troops in Quang Tin Province, the scene of
heavy fighting for several days last week. One US
soldier was killed and 49 were wounded in the battle.
To the north, in Quang Nam Province., another US unit
came under heavy enemy fire, losing 11 men killed
and 41 wounded.
Elsewhere, US sweep forces killed 85 Communist
troops in three sharp skirmishes 25 to 35 miles north
of Saigon. Viet Cong forces in the delta set off .a
series of explosions when they mortared a South
Vietnamese ammunition convoy traveling through My
Tho city. Four South Vietnamese died and 44 were
wounded.
I continue to depict
enemy p ats or another series o attacks, possibly
similar to the widespread actions of 11-12 August.
The attacks may be scheduled. for 2 September to
.mark the 24th anniversary of Hanoi's declaration
of independence from France. This is North Viet-
nam's most.celebrated holiday.
26 Aug 69
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Arms Control: Two draft resolutions on chem-
ical and biological warfare (CBW) will be presented
at the Geneva disarmament talks today.
These initiatives, by Sweden and Canada, re-
flect a desire to simplify the many existing in-
ternational documents and diverging interpretations
on the subject. Stockholm's draft treats chemical
warfare and biological warfare together. It cites
"a customary rule of international law'" prohibiting
CBW usage, including nonlethal gases, in interna-
tional armed conflicts. The Canadian proposal re-
fers to the need for greater restrictions on CBW,
also including nonlethal gases, and calls upon all
states to accede to the Geneva Protocol of 1925.
The Swedish and Canadian proposals will obtain
wider support at Geneva than the British draft con-
vention on biological warfare presented last month.
The UK contends that biological warfare merits sep-
arate treatment. It seeks to avoid the key chemical
warfare question of whether tear gases and other
nonlethal substances are permissible under the
Geneva Protocol and international custom.
Moscow has already attacked the UK proposal
and has taken the position that the Swedish and
Canadian drafts unnecessarily restate the Geneva
Protocol of 1925. Moscow has said the Protocol is
comprehensive regarding the nonuse of CBW and bans
nonlethal gases. The USSR.wants the Geneva talks
to concentrate now on controlling weapons produc-
tion. A member of the Soviet disarmament delega-
tion recently remarked that Moscow is now working
on the subject of control, but could not say whether
a formal initiative was being planned.
26 Aug 69 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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Communist China: Peking's latest policy pro-
nouncement underscores the regime's frustration over
persistent internal disorder and opposition to its
domestic programs.
On 24 August, Peking broadcast a joint editorial
by the three major party and military journals that
lashed out at those who distort Mao's policies and
directives issued by the central committee. The
editorial insisted that the only way to overcome
such "erroneous tendencies" is to intensify a complex
campaign initiated in September 1968 which involves,
among other things, "rehabilitating" many former
government and party-cadres who were severely crit-
icized during the Cultural Revolution.
Disputes over which officials are to occupy
positions of authority and what policies they are
to implement underlie much of the political disunity
and sporadic. factional violence besetting many of
China's provinces. In recent weeks wide publicity
has been given a tough central committee directive
aimed at cracking down on unruly factionalists op-
posing cadre rehabilitationand attacking incumbent
provincial authorities. The latest editorial also
warns that "dictatorship" will be exercised over
"criminal gangs" who disrupt public order.
Peking's latest injunctions appear to be an
outgrowth of high party deliberations. They are
couched in convoluted formulations, however, which
suggest that differing concerns persist within .
central leadership councils. In part, the editorial
reflects arguments by more radically oriented ele-
ments that not all of the tasks of the Cultural
Revolution have been completed. It also reflects
the views of those who believe the immediate need
is to restore internal order.
Despite the strong language used to highlight
the regime's impatience with the lack of response
to its injunctions, Peking still appears to be
groping for solutions to combat the problems con-
fronting it.
26 Aug 69 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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Bolivia: The legislation introduced in the
Senate to nationalize all gas reserves has again
put President Siles under considerable pressure.
The Senate gave preliminary approval to the
bill on 22 August. The bill, which is aimed at
the US-owned Gulf Oil Company, was then sent back
to committee for study and will be voted on again
later. This will give the government time to try
to sidetrack or kill the legislation before it
comes up for a final vote.
President Siles told the US ambassador that
the surprise legislation has placed his admini-
stration in jeopardy. He said that he could not
support a bill that was potentially so harmful
to Bolivia's economic development. On the other
hand, to oppose the bill which has much national-
istic appeal would be to destroy his carefully
cultivated popular support, particularly with
students and labor. Siles is also concerned that
this situation could provide the military with a
suitable pretext for removing him from office.
26 Aug 69
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Afghanistan: The national elections that be-
gin today and will continue until mid-September are
not expected to alter significantly the slow-moving,
parochial character of the Afghan parliament.
Most of the candidates are local religious,
tribal, and village leaders--as were those elected
in 1965 in the country's first democratic elections.
They have little concern for government except when
their own interests are affected. Personalities
outweigh issues throughout the country and most
voters are being influenced by their conservative
local leaders. Although many of these provincial
elders ignored the 1965 campaign, they have come to
realize the increasing potential of parliament and
are actively involved in this year's electioneering.
Afghanistan's nascent political parties, which
are still not legally recognized, have played only
a minor role in the campaign. Recent government
action against several outspoken political groups
has probably deterred more overt party activity.
Nevertheless, the pro-Communist party has been
propagandizing the countryside and, although still
a small minority, could constitute the largest
single group in the new parliament.
Intervention in the campaign by the government
and royal family has thus far been selective and
reasonably discreet. The government has not re-
peated its 1965 role of encouraging a large number
of candidates to run and openly supporting them.
26 Aug 69 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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India: Prime Minister Gandhi has won another
round i her struggle with old guard Congress Party
leaders. Their attempt to censure Mrs. Gandhi for
supporting victorious presidential candidate V.V.
Giri fizzled yesterday when the party central working
committee decided to take no action on the matter.
A split among party bosses appears to have left
Mrs. Gandhi's strong antagonists without a majority.
Open intraparty conflict may subside, at least tem-
porarily. It is likely to surface again, however,
as the party bosses fight a rear-guard action against
Mrs. Gandhi's efforts to affirm her control of the
government and to reduce her oonents' hold on the
party organization.
Zambia: President Kaunda has assumed personal
control over Zambia's dominant party in an effort
to avert tribal conflict. Kaunda's assumption of
emergency powers in accordance with party statutes
is his answer to a bitter power struggle in the
leadership which is widening a split alon tribal
and regional lines.
Cyprus: The pro-enosis National Front, which
recent- ttempted to assassinate the director of
the Cypriot Public Information Office, has now
denounced officials of the Cyprus Broadcasting
Corporation for advocating an independent Cyprus.
The editor of a weekly newspaper has reportedly
been threatened for espousing the same cause. Pres-
ident Makarios' temporizing response to these tac-
tics has aroused anger among many of his own sup-
porters, who favor direct police action against
the National Front.
26 Aug 69 Central Intelligence Bulletin
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