PUEBLO SITREP NO. 25 (AS OF 5 PM EST)

Created: 1/31/1968

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Directorate of Intelligence8

INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM

Pueblo Sit rep No. As Of 5EStl

Korea has indicated it maywilling to discuss the Pueblo issue with thePanmunjon. Kimember ofof the central committee of Northparty, said today in Pyongyang thata precedent for the treatment of similar cases

(as the Pueblo incident) at the Korean Military Armistice Commission." "Itim continued, "if the US imperialists think that they can solve the incident of the intrusion of the Pueblo into the territorial waters of our country by military threats or by the method of aggressive war or through illegal discussion at the United He added, however, that "it will be astory if they want to solve this question by method of the previous practice."

The precedent Kim mentions probably refers to negotiations at Panmunjonhichin the release of two US helicopter pilots downed in North Korea.

According to preliminary reports, theRowan wasollisionovietship2 PM this afternoon. The Rowan was accompanying the Ranger task group aboutiles off the South Korean coast. The Soviet ship,0 tons Kapitan Vlslobokoy, was en route

to Odessa from Vladivostok when the collision There is no information yet on the extent of the damage suffered by either ship.