Drew Pearson in Israel Third Article in Series
Ben-Gurion at 79 More Vigorous Than Eshkol;
He Still Works and Plans for Israel's Future
By DREW PEARSON
TEL AVIV — The most amazing
man in the Near East today re-
mains David Ben-Gurion, who led
r.srael through its most dynamic
)eriod of growth and who, at the
age of 79, is more vigorous than
the man who recently defeated
him, Levi Eshkol.
Today Prime Minister-Designate
Eshkol has suffered a heart attack
followed by influ-
enza, and has
been so harassed
over the job of
forming a new
Cabinet that
there is serious
doubt he can ever
serve actively as k
prime minister.
Meanwhile,
when I saw Ben-
Gurion for two _Pearson
lengthy TV interviews, I found him
just as energetic as when I inter-
viewed him nine years earlier at
his desert home on the edge of the
Negev.
My appointment was for 8:30
a.m. Mrs. Ben-Gurion was in the
hospital and, since the Ben-
Gurions do not have a servant, his
administrative assistant-had boiled
coffee and an egg. I asked Ben-
Gurion why the ex-prime minister
of Israel did not have a servant.
"As' a former prime minister,"
he said, "I am no better than
anyone else. We all work together
here, and there are very few
servants. We are able to take
care of ourselves."
"How do you stay so young?
Do you still stand on your head
every day?
"I walk every day — for at
least an hour and a half," Ben-
Gurion replied. "Walking is the
best exercise. Standing on the
head was recommended by my
doctor to make the blood flow into
the head and clear it up. I don't
do it as much as I used to. I'm
too busy."
Inveterate Reader
Our interview took place in the
upstairs library of Ben-Gurion's
Tel Aviv home where he has
three rooms entirely devoted to
books. In one room there are
Greek books.
Ben-Gurion reads from the or-
iginal Greek. "Translations," he
says, "always detract from the
original work." He has read both
Plato and Aristotle in the Greek
and once searched all over Europe
for certain volumes of Aristotle.
Another room is devoted to books
t Hebrew and a third is devoted
books on Asia, Africa and poli-
-ics. On its shelves I noted the
wartime memoirs of Lloyd George,
of Prince von Bulow, Admiral von
Tirpitz, Trygve Lie's "In the
Cause of Peace," Admiral Leahy's
"I Was There," and Eisenhower's
"Crusade in Europe."
"When do you get a chance to
read?" I asked.
"I read in bed after I have
finished my work."
"Eisenhower used to do that," I
volunteered, "but he complained
that he always read himself to
sleep."
"He was such a nice man," said
Ben-Gurion, "but he never should
have been President. I met his
Chief of Staff, Gen. Bedell Smith
—a very shrewd man. He was then
head of Central Intelligence. He
told me, "Our intelligence had no
idea that you would get French
and British support when Israel
went into Suez."
"It was one of the best kept
secrets in the world," added the
man who had conceived the 1956
operation against Suez. "Only a
few people knew it. The Egyptians
thought we were going to hit
toward Jordan."
I bragged by telling Ben-Gurion
that on Sept. 16, 1956, I had pre-
dicted the Suez operation, and that
France and Britian would support
Israel in it. But I did not remind
him that in September I had asked
him about the Suez campaign and
he had denied vigorously it was
going to happen. It took place Oct.
29.
Ben-Gurion had initiated the
drive toward Suez because of the
Russian arms being sent to Egypt
presumably in preparation for an
attack against Israel. In view of
the present Russian arms build-up
in Egypt, some Israelis wonder
whether they should not take the
initiative again.
Ben-Gurion did not comment on
this. But the entire drift of his con-
versation was toward the import-
ance of peace in the Near East.
Peace Is Important
"We should double our popula-
tion within the next ten years," he
said. "By that time we should have
at least four million."
"But where are you going to
put so many people in such a
tiny country?" I asked.
"When the Americans bought
the island of Manhattan over 300
years ago, nobody thought it would
ever hold two million people, but
it has," replied the man who
dreams big.
"Our future is in the Negev," he
continued, referring to the vast
desert area bordering on Egypt
and Jordan, between the Red Sea
and the Dead Sea.
"This was the crossroads be-
tween Asia, Europe and Africa in
the days of our forefathers and
it can be so again. Here there are
important minerals, and great in-
dustrial possibilities. You don't
need a lot of space when you have
an industrial country. Western
Europe has proved this. And our'
future lies with industry."
"Where are you going to get
the water for so many new peo-
ple?"
"We are already bringing water
down to the Negev from the Yar-
kon River near Tel Aviv," he said,
referring to the very small river—
most Americans would call it a
creek — whose water the Israelis
hoard and use so carefully. "In
addition, we are bringing some
water south from the Sea of Gal-
ilee. However, I think our real
future lies with desalinization of
sea water through cheap atomic
energy. We are working on this
and should develop it."
"What is the chief danger fac-
ing Israel?' I asked, expecting him
to say it was the hostility of the
surrounding Arabs.
"Levantinism," he said, refer-
ring to the trading countries of
the eastern Mediterranean gen-
erally called "the Levant."
"We must not go in for pure
commercialism. We must make
World's First Bladder Flushing Device
Successfully Used in Israeli Hospital
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire •
_to The' Jewish News) •
TEL AVIV—A urinary bladder
flushing , device, "the first . of its
kind, has been successfully used
in the maternity ward at Tel Has-
homer Hospital and has aroused
considerable interest in medical
circles abroad, hospital officials
said Tuesday.
Details of the new device, the
first capable of both flushing and
drainage of urinary bladders au-
tomatically, were disclosed at a
press conference by Prof. Erwin
Rabau, the maternity ward direc-
tor, and its two inventors, Dr. Mor-
dechai Diskin and Dr. Annon
David. Dr. David said that an au-
tomatic device capable of both
functions had long been needed.
He said it had also been used
successfully with male patients.
Israel Offers to Trade
Films With USSR
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, February 11, 1966-7
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
TEL AVIV—Israel is ready to
give the Soviet Union the right of
unlimited export of Soviet films
to Israel if the Soviet Union will
and education. That is one reason permit the import of Israeli films,
I have been promoting 'the Uni- the foreign ministry informed the
versity of the Desert' at Stay Bo- Soviet Embassy here Tuesday.
In a note in which the offer
kair. We have only made a start,
made, Israel said the proposal
but we shall persevere. Education was
was
in line with its desire to ex-
is one of the most important uni-
fying forces for this country and pand cultural relations with the
I hope to build a great university Soviet Union. Israel has granted
such rights to the United States
on the edge of the desert."
and other Western countries.
Ben-Gurion rose from his litter-
ed desk, where he sat in front of a
bust of John F. Kennedy, and
went out for a walk in the after-
noon sunshine.
BE SMART—
ET KoBLIN
this country a center of culture
Michigan's income is approxi-
mately two-thirds of that of the
entire continent of Africa; equal
to about one-half of all of South
America; and two-thirds of all the
Scandinavian nations.
S NEAKY
ADS
MURRY NOBLIN 006
18039 WyoliiiNG • UN. 1-.5600
NOBODY UNDERSELLS
WOODY PONTIAC
"AND DON'T EVER FORGET IT!"
COME ON OVER—WILL YOU?
WE WANT TO SELL YOU A NEW PONTIAC!
UNITED BRANDS • DETROIT, U. S. A. • 42 PROOF
TWINBROOK 1-1600
JOS. CAMPAU at CARPENTER
Half Mile South of Davison
what makes brand
the unswitchable
unsiactiame?
VEGETARIAN
MANI)FACTUREO IN
ElY
HAHEINZ Co,PITTSBURGii,NI
Your family!
Why? Because families like yours which use vegetarian beans
wouldn't buy any kind but Heinz. As you know well, switching from
one brand of a product to another is almost the style these days.Then
how come the unswitchability of H.V. B.? Is it the*©seal that makes
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the popularity of H.V. B. with the children? Or the confidence
in the name Heinz? Maybe it's all four reasons! Could be!
*THE C) KOSHER SAIL:—The C) on the label is the official symbol of approval and endorsement of
THE UNION OF ORTHODOX JEWISH CONGREGATIONS OF AMERICA.