1) I concur regarding the downtube damage. The bike has been run into a wall or a parked car and then re-straightened. You can ride it for awhile, but eventually that downtube will rupture on you. (Been there ... done that with a Reynolds 531 frame
).
2) I vote for late 1960s, based on the graphics. The early 1970s Peugeots had the more familiar black-and-gold banding on the downtube. The "Peugeot" font on the seat tube is the old style from the 1950s and 1960s.
3) They did in fact import numerous white Peugeots of all quality and price levels. When I worked at a Peugeot/Nishiki dealership in the early 1970s, most customers wanted a white UO-8 or U0-18 mixte. For the PA-10,
PR-10, and PX-10, we stocked and sold white bikes exclusively.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069