The Boiling National Cauldron

Difficult Obstacles, Beyond Congress
Control, Face Israel in U.S. Capital

Friday, February 8, 1957 -- THE DETROIT

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

WASHINGTON — B o i l i n g
c a ul d r o n s on international
fronts inevitably re-echo first
in our nation's capital, which
may well be called the hub
of the world. That is why a
Washington dateline is, in our
time, • inseparable from the
United Nations. Especially in
relation to Israel, Washington-
UN would be the correct iden-
tification for political news
sources.
The events at the UN are,
as a matter of course, seriously
influencing the thinking here.
The entire Middle East issue is
so seriously affected by the
Israel-Arab conflict that it is
impossible to separate the re-
lated events. Even Secretary of
State John Foster Dulles, who
has insisted that it would not
be advantageous to inject an
Arab-Israel peace plan into the
Eisenhower Doctrine, has testi-
fied at last that the President's
Middle East plan will insure
security for Israel.
* * *
There is a greater interest in
Israel among members of both
Houses of Congress than most
people imagine. And if there is
not too much audible friend-
ship in view of the pressure
upon Israel by the United States
delegation at the United Na-
tions to yield to adopted reso-
lutions and to evacuate stra-
tegic areas—there is plenty of
admiration and respect.
Wherever you turn, you hear
the comment: "If only the Brit-
ish and the French had stayed
out of the recent operations
and had let Israel finish the
job none at the Suez Canal!
We would have had no Nasser
to worry about by this time."
Several Congressm en went
so far as to deplore the failure
Israel to "reach Cairo." To
them, the showdown would
have come quickest in that
fashion.
Most interesting of all were
the comments made to me by
people close to four very
prominent Republican Sen-
ators. They expressed the
view — apparently echoing
the sentiments of • their chiefs
—that David Ben 7 Gurion was
pursuing the proper policy in
being firm in his demands in
behalf of his country. Their
views are that "Israel would
be in one hell-of-a-spot if
Ben-Gurion weren't tough.
He has to be tough if he is
to get any semblance of jus-
tice for his people."
* * *
But a prominent Democratic
leader,_ Israel's good friend,
Paul Douglas, the U.S. Senator
f r o m Illinois,
on the other
hand, felt that
Ben-Gurion
should "give a
little," should
make some
concessions. He
was concerned
lest Menachem
Begin, the
Herut leader,
Sen. Douglas should gain
ground in Israel, and he was
upset by the possibilities of
negative reactions to the im-
pending visit in this country,
the latter part of this month,
by Herut's leader. .
In the meantime, King Saud,
of Saudi Arabia, got all the
glory here. The streets were
decorated and the public build-
ings bedecked with the Saudi
Arabian emblem grouped to-
gether with the American Flag
and the three-starred District
of Columbia banner. There
were 14 military bands to greet
him on his arrival, a miltary
parade and a lot of noise.
President Eisenhower rebuked
Mayor Wagner of New York
for his action in failing to give
Saud an official welcome, but
Detroit's Congressman Louis C.

•

Rabaut said there were many
who shared with him the view
that Wagner was a most cour-
ageous American to have re-
fused to dignify the visit of an
anti-Catholic and an • anti-
Semite.
When Saud failed to visit
the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel
on his visit in Annapolis, a
Navy officer explained that it
is because Saud "abhors any-
thing Christian," which brought
the reply from the Saudi Arab-
ian Ambassador that "Moslems
abhor no religion."
(In Baltimore, speaking at the
closing rally of the Israel His-
tadrut Campaign, Sunday night,
Keldin was
Governor The-
odore R. Mc-
jocular a b out
his meeting
with Saud, a t
Annapolis, the
day before. He
said: "I had
m y Menorah
pin on, and I
had m y yar-
mulka i n my
pocket. I a 1-
most pulled it
right out, b y
accident." Gov-
ernor McKel- Gov. McKeldin
din expressed the view that
Israel should retain her forces
in the Gaza Strip and in the
Sinai Peninsula for her self-
protection and that "we should
insist that the UN bring in
neutral troops" before the pres-
ent forces are withdrawn. Gov-
ernor McKeldin is one of the
leading friends of Israel who
has access to the White House
and who is close to the present
administration. He revealed at
the Baltimore Histadrut meet-
ing•that he was unable to obtain
a visa to go to Israel in April,
when he was scheduled to break
ground on a new building and
to receive an honorary degree).
(Leonard Lyons ,tells in his
column, The Lyons Den, that
when King Saud was last in
New York he brought $50,000
worth of watches and carried a
roll of $1,000. Lyons states: "At
the Straus-Gold fabric shop
near Grand St., he bought silk
and satin spreads for his harem
and for the Royal Court. These
were carefully wrapped, for
shipping, in newspapers col-
lected from all the • neighbor-
hood stores—all Yiddish dailies
—and sent on to Saudi Arabia.")
(James T. Duce, vice-presi-
dent of the Arabian-American
Oil Co., was dinner host to a
party of 24 in Saud's honor, in
Washington, Feb. 3).
*. * *
The Jewish angle having
been injected into the discus-
sion, it is worth making note
of several facts:
1. Marquis Childs revealed in
his syndicated column: "Ac-
cording to a report which dip-
lomats here credit, word came
back from the King (when
Saud was invited by Eisen-
hower) that he would expect
President Eisenhower to greet
him as he arrived at Washing-
ton's National Airport. If this
were not done, it would be an
affront which the King could
not suffer."
-
Since there is talk of an
impending visit here by Nas-
ser, it is fair to ask whether
the Egyptian dictator will be
accorded similar honors. It
is fair also to ask whether
Berk-Gurion will be granted
equal courtesy of a visit with
our President to review Is-
rael's problems.
2. Commenting editorially on
/visits by foreign statesmen and
the possible visit by Tito, the
New York Times stated: "They
do not necessarily mean that
our Government or our people
fully approve or even partially
approve of all the visitor stands

for. They do mean that the
makers of our foreign policy
believe this nation stands to
gain from the presence of the
visitor in this country." The ed-
itorial added:
"In the nature of our society
the Government cannot and
should not try to dictate to our
people their behavior. But it is
also the sign of a mature de-
mocracy that its people' will
exercise the self-restraint which
is always an implicit condition
of a workable democracy. The
national security, after all, is
the security of all of us, and a
guest of the President of the
United States is in a real sense
the guest of all of us."
3. Walter LippMan, writing
"Concering Official Visits,"
stated: "Official visits should
be treated as official visits, and
on the strict understanding that
their purpose is official busi-
ness—with the popular demon-
strations, if any, entirely inci-
dental and indeed unorganized."
But the popular demonstra-
tion in Washington was not
incidenta.1 and was indeed or-
ganized: Government employees
were given an hour off at noon
on Wednesday to line the side-
walks on the official route of
the Eisenhower-Saud
parade, to
9.
provide a demonstration for the
anti-Jewish and anti-Christian
guest.
* * *
The saddest implication in the
Arab-Israel issue is the utter
futility of all efforts, in Con-
gress, to press for peace in the
Middle East and to force a firm
stand against the threats to
"drive Israel into the sea."
Many statements have been is-
sued in Israel's behalf. Resolu-
tions are being introduced in
Congress. But they are value-
less.
Power, relating to foreign
affairs, are vested in the
President. It is generally con-
ceeded that his Doctrine calls
for affirmation of powers he
already possesses and that, in
fact, the plan approved by
the House and now being de-
bated in the Senate, is based
on superfluous propositions.
Next to the President, basic
'powers affecting Israel rest
in the State Department. So
f a r, neither the President
nor the State Department
have shown the slightest de-
sire to go all out in an effort
to get the Arabs to sit down
for peace talks with the
Israelis, and the State De-
partment's directives to its
representative at the United
Nations, Henry Cabot Lodge,
Jr., have been all but friendly
to Israel.
That's how the cards stack up
—and those who are dealing
them are able, unfortunately, to
point to their actions as having
been inherited and carried over
from the two previous admin-
istrations.
* * *
Many Senators are having
their say in the matter. Senator
Ellemder of Louisiana has em-
phasized the need for an Israel-
Arab solution as a prerequisite
to peace in the entire area.
Senators Mike Mansfield (Mon-
tana) and William Fulbright
(Arkansas) have incorporated
references to the Arab-Israel
problems in resolutions now on
the Senate Docket.
Eight Senators (Jacob Jav-
its, N.Y.; J. Glenn, Beall, Md.;
Paul H. Douglas, Ill.; Hubert
H. Humphrey, Minn.; Irving
Ives, N.Y.; William Langer,
N.D.; Richard H. Neuberger,
Ore., and John Sparkman,
Ala.) are co-sponsors of a
resolution which calls upon
the United States to strive for
guarantees in the UN against
the resumption of border
raids on Israel. Its fate is ex-
pected to be that of other
similar resolutions—either to

be transformed into lip serv-
ice or to be pigeonholed.
The most disillusioned man
in the Senate is Wayne Morse
of Oregon. He condemns "fine-
sounding language" and he ac-
cuses his fellow-Democrats as
lacking in courage to face is-
sues. He is pessimistic about the
future and is outraged by the
"powerful reactionary forces"
which stand in the way of ,pro-
viding the necessary protection
for Israel.
Senator Alexander Wiley, of
Wisconsin, ranking Republican
member of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, implored
Jews "not to lose faith." "Your
faith has moved mountains in
the past and will again," he
declared.
"Israel is a lighthouse on the
shores of the Mediterranean,"
said Senator Wiley, "and its
flame will never be extinguish-
ed."

Sen. McNamara Rep. Griffiths

duce the Arabs to recognize
that Israel is here to stay.
"Surely," he said, "the Arabs
must have learned the lessons
of the wars of 1948 and 1956
to know that Israel will not
be driven into the sea."
* * *
Senator Knowland intimated
that the unfreezing of assist-
ance funds to Israel and the
removal of the ban on travel
to the country will depend
upon the manner in which Is-
rael accepts UN decisions, pend-
ing and now being acted upon.
Senator Douglas ridiculed all
reports of additional sanctions
to be imposed on Israel. He
regretted the ban on U.S. aid
and on travel to that country.
Michigan's Senator Pat Mc-
Namara was disturbed by the
enforcement of the ban on
travel. He was more optimistic
Sen. Wiley -
Sen. Morse
about the outcome of negotia-
In principle, there is unani- tions between Israel and the
mous affirmation that Israel is U.S. delegates at the UN and
recognized by our Government he expressed the hope that
as an entity that is here to stay.
Minority Leader William F.
Knowland (R., Calif.) stated
emphatically, in an interview
with this correspondent, that it
is the policy of our Government
that "Israel is not to be liqui-
dated," that Israel's independ-
ence is to be guaranteed. But
he stood firmly by the position
of Ambassador Lodge at the
UN that before there is any
further action in Israel's behalf,
Israeli troops must evacuate
their occupied positions.
Rep. Dingell _Rep. Diggs
"The misfortune is that the
UN did not take firm steps in the imposition of penalties upon
1951, to back Israel' would soon be removed.
up the Securi-
These were also the senti-
ty Council res- ments of Michigan's Congress-
olution which woman Martha Griffiths and
demanded that Congressmen Louis C. Rabaut,
Egypt should Charles Diggs and John D.
not discrimin- Dingell.
ate against Is-
* * *
raeli shipping
(U.S. Senator Charles E. Pot-
in the Suez," he ter, of Michigan, posed the
added. "There problem for us, on the ban on
should have travel to Israel, Pr-
been action with the State
when the first Department.
Israeli ships He informs us:
Sen. Knowland was turned "N o definite
back by the Egyptians."
prediction can
Senator Knowland said the be made as to
first step must be the establish- when the cur-
ment of a neutrality belt in the r e n t restric-
contested areas in order to as- tions will b e
sure an end to infiltrations in lifted, but
the Arab-Israel borders. He every assur-
was pessimistic about possibili- ance was forth-- Sen. Potter
coming that at the earliest pos-
ties of an early peace.
Another point of a disturbing sible time, conditions permitting,
nature, made by Senator Know- travel permission will be re-
land, was in reply to the ques- sumed).
(Congressman Dingell, in his
tion whether exiled Egyptian
Jews might be admitted to this speech on the Eisenhower Doc-
country under the liberalized trine, emphasized the need to
immigration act. He answered solve the Middle East problems
that the status of Egyptian by establishing peace between
Jews has not been established Israel and her neighbors.
(Only the isolationist, voted
as yet and that there is being
applied to them by Egypt the against • the Eisenhower plan.
rule that was enforced in this Clare Hoffman—Republican-
country, after Pearl Harbor, was the only Michigan Con-
when many innocent Japanese gressman to vote against the
in this country were treated bill).
like enemy aliens for security
An addendum about. civil
: Congressman Diggs
reasons.
Interestingly enough, a lead- seemed. optimistic about future
ing Democratic Senator, Paul inter-racial relations. He felt
H. Douglas of Illinois, also that a lot of progress has been
spoke of the need for "a UN made and will continue to be
neutrality belt" as the means made to end racial tensions.
of assuring stability on the But visitors in the nations' cap-
Israel-Arab borders.
ital will find it difficult to
But Senator Douglas opposed share his optimism, When you
anything like "an intervening see signs everywhere: "Rent
period" between Israel's evacu- Colored," and taxicab drivers
ation of the contested zones keep telling you that Negroes
and the guarantees needed to have taken over the town, that
assure the Jewish State's secur- people won't live with them,
ity. He said both must go to- that whites have fled to the
gether to assure Israel's safety. suburbs, that Washington is
"There must be no return now 60 per cent Negro, you
to the status quo ante," S _ en- begin to wonder how far we
ator Douglas emphasized.
have gone on the road to elim-
He said the United States inating racial antagonisms. We
must use its influence to
are far, far from the mil•enium.

