I
President Kennedy's 'Sixth Fleet Pledge' Exposed as Legend
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News)
JERUSALEM—Prime Minister Levi Eshkol set the record straight
Monday on one important aspect of United States-Israel relations about
which a new historical legend had grown. Responding to a question in
the Knesset, the Prime Minister stated categorically that the late President
HE JEWISH NEWS
Israel Pressured
While Arabs
Are Threatening
Polish Guilt
Can Not Be
Whitewashed
Editorials
Page 4
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John Kennedy had not promised Israel that the U.S. Sixth Fleet would
intervene if Israel's existence were threatened. It had been widely ve-
lieved that President Kennedy had made this promise in exchange for an
Israeli promise that Israel would not produce nuclear weapons.
1=)
–r E=z c i –r
A Weekly Review
MI CHIGAN
of Jewish Events
Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper — Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle
VOL, LI I I, NO. 19
27
July 26, 1968-17100 W. 7 Mile Rd., Detroit 48235—VE 8-9364
Misrepresentations
of U.S. Jewry
Role in M. E.
Many Jews
Among World's
Chief Justices
Commentary
Page 2
$7.00 Per Year; This Issue 20c
Disarray of International
Law' in Airliner's Hijacking
Raises Worldwide Indignation
Amendment to. Give Israel
Phantoms Creates Congress
Rift With Administration
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The State Department was reported to
be seeking to persuade the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to
eliminate a House-approved amendment to the foreign aid bill
specifying that the President sell F-4 Phantom jet fighter-bombers
to Israel.
Israel has been trying to obtain 50 of the supersonic jets since
last January to offset the Soviet supply of modern military jets to the
Arab states to replace losses in the June Six-Day War.
If the amendment is not eliminated in the Senate committee, it
will remain part of the bill to be acted on by the full Senate. Some
Senate committee members told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that
they would resist pressures to eliminate the amendment. One Senator
said he had heard that the White House opposed the amendment and
considered it an attempt to force President Johnson's hand while he
reportedly was withholding the Phantoms to exert subtle pressure
on Israel. The President was said to want Israel to adopt a less
"rigid" position on peace negotiations. He also was said to feel that
authorization of the sale of jets to Israel might jeopardize his pursuit
of a Middle East detente with the Soviet Union.
Meanwhile, Walt W. Rostow, the President's top adviser on
. foreign policy, disclosed in an official White House letter that United
States policy on the Phantom matter was linked to American efforts
to promote a peace settlement in the Middle East. In a letter to Sen.
Hugh Scott, Pennsylvania Republican, who has pressed the adminis-
tration to provide the Phantoms to Israel, Rostow indicated that the
question remained under review in keeping with the communique
Issued on talks between Israeli Premier Levi Eshkol and Johnson last
January at the LBJ ranch.
Rostow emphasized that the "overriding objective" of the U.S.
in the Middle East remained "achievement of a durable peace which
will benefit all the people of that area." He added that "we recognize
the importance of relating our arms policy to pursuit of that objec-
(Continued on Page 11)
Legality of U. S. Aid to Cairo
School Questioned by Grfuening
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News)
WASHINGTON—Senator Ernest Gruening, Alaska Democrat,
protested Tuesday against United States government financial aid
to "the so-called American University in Cairo" and questioned its
legality. He maintained that such aid
was prohibited by an act of Congress.
"The university is controlled by the
government of Egypt" and is "American
only in the sense that it is supported by
U.S. funds," he asserted.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate,
Sen. Gruening said such support violates
the prohibition against furnishing aid to
"countries severing relations with the
U.S. Our economic assistance merely
allowed President Nasser to divert his
own resources to building up his military
forces for a srike against Israel."
Egypt broke diplomatic ties with
the U.S. during the Six-Day War.
Gruening asked the federal General
Accounting Office to determine whether
disbursement made to the university in
Cairo "should not be disallowed and a
claim processed against Egypt."
Sen. Gruening
During the 1968 fiscal year the Cairo university received $200,000
in appropriated funds and the equivalent of $1,000,000 in U.S.-owned
Egyptian pounds from the Agency for International Development.
•
Released Priest-Passenger Reports
Terrorist, Tasting Pilot's Blood,
Gloated: 'Israeli Blood Tastes Good'
Branded as piracy, condemned as a "disarray of international law," the hijacking
of the El Al Israel Airliner by Arab terrorists after midnight Monday was condemned
by international agencies, newspapers in the major capitals of the world and by statesmen
of many ranks.
Originating in Rome for a flight to Lydda, the Boeing 707 was forced to proceed
to Algiers. In addition to the 10 crew members, the passengers included eight Italians,
11 Israelis, one Dane, two from Colombia, one Indian, two Iranians, one from Cameroon,
two from Libya and one American.
Algeria is detaining 11 Israelis and the 10 crew members.
JTA reports from Washington that the Algerian government newspaper El Moujahid
Wednesday praised the hijacking of the El AI Airliner as a "bold exploit"; denounced
Israel for seeking UN intercession and said the Israel complaints were "not valid" and
aimed at "stirring up international opinion."
The terrorists who seized the plane were lauded for carrying out a "legitimate ac-
tion."
Algiers authorities admitted that 11 Israeli passengers and 10 crew members were
placed in detention but would not say where they were confined nor what future might
be in store for them.
JTA reports from London that leading newspapers joined Wednesday in con-
demnation of the hijacking and strongly advised the Algerian government to release the
plane and the Israeli passengers and crew.
In Geneva, the International Air Transport Association, representing the worl d's
major carriers, issued a call to all governments to take strong measures to prevent
hijacking of airliners. Israel had earlier appealed to the IATA and to the International
Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency, for assistance in securing release
of the Boeing 707 liner and hostages. The IATA appeal was supported by the Lon-
don Daily Mail which editorially denounced piracy and revealed that Interpol, the
(Continued on Page 40)
Israel Aids Biafrans Wtih Food, Medicines;
American Jewish Committee Plans Relief
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Israel sent five tons of food and medical supplies to Biafra, the besieged eastern
province of Nigeria where thousands of civilians are reported to be suffering from starvation and -dis-
ease. The aid cargo was flown by an El Al plane to Geneva where it was turned over to the Inter-
national Red Cross.
X-ray equipment, antibiotics, bandages and stretchers were gifts from Israel but most of the
food represented a donation by the Argentine Embassy here. The Argentinians turned over two and
a half tons of flour to the Magen David Adorn, Isr ael's national red cross. The flour was used to bake
a variety of bread that is popular in Argentina. The flour was originally intended for the Argentine
pavilion at last month's international trade fair here but it arrived late.
*
*
*
Jewish
Relief Committee to mobilize food and
a
MILWAUKEE (JTA)—Plans to establish
other urgent aid for Biafra, the breakaway eastern province of Nigeria where starvation is rampant,
was announced here by Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum, national director of inter-religious affairs of the
American Jewish Committee, with headquarters in New York.
Rabbi Tanenbaum told an audience at a Marquette University summer institute that steps are
being taken to help organize a group of Jewish rabbinic and lay leaders in an ad hoc body to mobilize
food and medical supplies, as well as financial resources "to aid on a humanitarian basis the helpless
victims of starvation and civil war between the Federal Government of Nigeria and Biafra."
Rabbi Tanenbaum stressed that the effort was being made without any judgments on the polit-
ical issues between Nigeria and Biafra. But, he said, "more than enough is already known about the
agonizing hunger, human tragedies and large-scale deaths amounting to genocide to allow us to remain
a
silent and inactive one more hour." Rabbi Tanenbaum said that he had begun conversations with
number of Jewish men who are food producers and manufacturers of medicine. He said they were
anxious to make contributions through an organized Jewish agency.