Deny Rumors LBJ Decided Not to Sell Phantoms
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A
White House spokesman, comment-
ing on contradictory press and tele-
visiori reports on President John-
son's plans concerning the sale of
F-4 Phantom jets to Israel, said
Sunday that the "status .quo" on
the Israeli request remained un-
changed and that no decision or
announcements on the request was
expected now.
This was the reaction from
spokesman Lloyd Hackler to a re-
port in the New York Times that
President Johnson had decided not
to sell the supersonic warplanes to
Israel in the near future and a
mysterious report that the National
Broadcasting Corporation's televi-
sion network had carried a report
that Johnson had decided to go
ahead with the sale of the jets,
which Israel requested more than
six months ago. The status quo re-
ferred to President Johnson's con-
tinued silence on the request and
his failure to refer to it during an
unscheduled appearance at the
Baai Brith triennial convention
here after both Democratic Presi-
dential nominee Hubert H. Hum :
phrey and Republican nominee .
Richard Nixon—in separate ap-
pearances at the same convention
—called for prompt sale of the
Phantoms to Israel.
(Officials in Jerusalem denied
any knowledge of the decision of
the President, as reported by the
Times. The officials told the JTA
that, to the best of their knowledge,
the President had, reserved free-
dom of action on the Israeli request
and that there had been no change
in that position.)
The mystery of the purported
NBC report was compounded by
a statement by the NBC to the
JTA that it had not carried any
such report on either its radio
or television networks. Hackler
said he had heard of the NBC
television report but not that he
himself had' heard it
The first Jewish reaction to the
Times story was a telegram sent to -
the President by the Mizrachi Wo-
men's Organization expressing
"profound diimay" over the re-
ported "decision." The telegram
said that in "the still volatile Mid-
dle East," the President's "report-
ed action" might be mistaken "as
a signal of approval of Arab in-
transigence." The appeal urged the
President "to correct or clarify
these reports" and to "sustain the
stated intention of both Democratic
and. Republican parties" whose
1968 platforms urge the sale of the '
planes to Israel without delay.
The Times report quoted "ad-
ministration sources" on the Presi-
dent's purported decision and said
also that "international events"
and "pl essures from Zionist groups
in the midst of °a Presidential cam-
paign" might "bring a reversal of
Mr. Johnson's decision." According
to the Times' sources, the main
reason for the alleged Presidential ,
-decision against acting on the Is-
raeli request was that the Presi-
dent wanted to discuss prospects
for an Arab-Israeli settlement and
a limitation on anus. deliveries to
the Middle East with Soviet leaders
if a much-discussed summit confer-
ence should develop before Mr.
Johnson leaves office on Jan. 20.
The sources were quoted as say-
ing that an immediate Phantom jet
sale to Israel would reduce chances
of such a summit meeting and for
arms limitations. Another cited
reason was that the Johnson admin-
istration did not want to increase
tensions in the Middle East while
there was a chance that Dr. Gun-
nar V. Jarring, the special United
Nations envoy, might manage to ar-
range talks between Israel and the
Arab states. The President also
was reported as allegedly unwill-
ing to give up the diplomatic lever-
age inherent in the Israeli request
as long as he could use it to bring
about Israeli-Arab talks.
In his unscheduled speech at
the convention of the Zionist
Organization of America, Vice
President Hubert H. Humphrey
put new emphasis on arms con-
trol and on the nuclear non-pro- -
liferation treaty which he urged
• ,6
Israel to sign, He spoke after
the convention adopted a resolu-
tion requesting President John-
son to authorize the Phantoms
"immediately and without any
further delay." Some of the dele-
gates had threatened to stage a
demonstration in front of the
White House to dramatize the
issue.
The Vice President said that just
as Israel must have the Phantom
jets and a balance of power, it was
also in the interest of Israel, the
Arabs, the United States and ev-
erybody else "to prevent the spread
of nuclear weapons." He said the
issue of the Phantoms and the non-
proliferation treaty- were "inter-re-
lated." His linking of the two is-
sues sent news men to question
Norman Sherman, his press aide,
who said it was his impression that
ultimate approval of the sale of the
Phantoms was not contingent on
Israeli adherence to the treaty. He
said such a quid pro quo.was "not
intended" although he .pointed out
that the Vice President considered
both matters very important. •
The Vice President said that
"Those who drag their feet on
this treaty, those who respond
out of emotion or political self-
interest, do a great disservice to
the national interests of the
United States. They increase
the danger of nuclear holocaust
for all mankind." He added ‘that
"Soviet - aggression in Czech-
oslovakia and the power politics
of Eastern Europe • should not
divert us from the overwhelming
imperative of our times—stop-
ing the spread of nuclear wea-
pons:"
Humphrey linked his advocacy of
aid to Israel with the fact that "So-
viet arms are pouring into" the
Arab states and Arab leaders are
speaking in new aggressive tones.
He drew a parallel between the
peace talks he envisaged for Is-
rael with the present negotiations
in Paris on Vietnam. The Vice
President also condemned Arab
terrorism and likened it to Com-
munist "wars of national liberty."
(The New York Times said Mon-
day that Humphrey - apparently
acknowledged that "high officials
of the State Department and per-
haps President Johnson himself,"
favored a delay in selling the Phan-
toms to Israel until efforts to nego-
tiate a halt in the arms race are
exhausted. The paper said Hum-
phrey "did not refer to the attitude
of the administration but he made
very clear at the outset" that "he
was speaking for himself. That dif-
ferences in the administration
were very much on his mind was
also evident from many of his other
remarks.")
Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin of
Israel told the ZOA convention
that Israel was "prepared for
arms limitations" but he stressed
that "first comes peace. When
peace will prevail, there will be
no need for our defense. ,What
we do need • is hardware. All
those whe are interested in peace
in the Middle East and not to ap-
pease the aggressors will draw,
I hope, the right conclusion."
Two Congressmen, Rep. Charles
M. Mathias, Maryland Republican,
and Roman Pucinski, Illinois Demo-
,cr-at, urged President+ Jolinson *to
release the Phantoms to Israel.
Rep. Pucinski said President John-
son should help Israel join the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO), warning of the "heavy
war clouds" over the Middle East.
Secretary of State Dean Rusk
reportedly told a closed meeting of
the House Foreign Affairs Com-
mittee that Israel's military estab-
lishment was, in effect, unready to
absorb the Phantoms, it was learn-
ed by, JTA from authoritative
Washington sources.
Rusk said he saw no crisis re-
A woman is like your shadow;
follow her, she flies; fly from her,
she follows. —Chamfort
If youth but knew, and' age were
able.
quiring immediate action on the gave the impression this would not
Phantoms and that a production happen in the near future.
Sen. Jacob K. Javits, New
problem existed because the super-
York Republican, voicing "a feel-
sonic jets were used in large num-
ing of frustration" over the delay
bers in Vietnam. In response to
of the administration in provid-
questions, he was understood to
ing Phantom jets to Israel, told
have indicated that Israel might
eventually obtain the Phantoms but
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THE CONFESSION OF RABBINISI OF NAHARWAN
From the Yom Kippur Liturgy
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Mit
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
26—Friday, September 20, 1968
LORD OF THE . UNIVERSE:
Justice in Thy court is not like that in the courts of men. For this is
human practice; when one summons his fellow to court or before a judge,
if the accused denies the charge, he may escape the penalty; if he con-
fesses to it, he is declared guilty. Not so, however, the justice of Thy
court: if a man denies, woe to him and woe to his soul; if he confesses
and forsakes his evil ways, Thou art compassionate to him.
BILTMORE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY
Builders and Developers of Somerset Park Apartments and Fashion Center
22100 Greenfield, Oak Park, Michigan 48237
ilinimmumummumminimumummumumuimmummimmumommuommumummummummammummummolimmummumumummumuimmummiumuummummuma
LE SHONO TOVO
DEPARTMENT OF MICHIGAN
JEWISH WAR VETERANS
OF THE UNITED STATES & LADIES AUXILIARY
Sincerely Wish a New Year of Continuous Peace
and Happiness to the Entire Jewish Community.
DETROIT POST NO. 135
PFC. JOSEPH L. BALE POST NO. 474
Leonard L. Radner, Commander
Minnie Hart, Auxiliary President
Murray Weiss, Commander
CHARLES SHAPIRO POST NO. 510
JONES POST NO. 190
Meyer Feldman, Commander
Alice Katzman, Auxiliary President
LT. ELI LEVIN POST NO. 230
LT. ROY F. GREEN POST NO. 529
Morris Cutler, Commander
Morris Singer, Commander
Bernice Silver, Auxiliary President
FLINT POST NO. 231
YETZ-COHEN POST NO. 530
Hermon Cohen, Commander
Carmen Rochwal, Auxiliary President
-
LT. RAYMOND ZUSSMAN POST NO. 333
Arnold Wagner,. Commander
Elsie Greene, Auxiliary President
SGT. MORTON A. SILVERMAN POST
No. 418
Harry Hoffman, Commander
Betty Spinner, Auxiliary President
SHOLOM POST NO. 537
Arthur Kutnick, Commander
Esther Goldman, Auxiliary President
HARVEY DATER POST NO. 559
Sidney Lantz, Commander
Charlotte Pasmanter, Auxiliary President
(Lansing)
BLOCH-ROSE POST NO. 420
OAK PARK POST NO. 716
Bernard B. Friedland, Commander
Burt Chassin, Commander
Henry Cahn, Commander
Dolores Greenspan, Auxiliary President
ROBERT J. RAFELSON POST NO. 431
PFC. DORAN GOLDFARB TRI-CITY POST
NO. 727 (Saginaw)
Gerry Feldman, Auxiliary President
Bernard Schwartz, Commander
Evelyn Schwartz, Auxiliary President
Dr. Lewis [merman, Commander
DR LEONARD SCHREIBER
DEPARTMENT COMMANDER
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LORD OF THE UNIVERSE:
Not for myself alone do I offer up my prayer and make confession, but
for myself and for Thy congregation here before Thee — even though
I am not worthy and do not have the innocence to make confession for
myself, all the more so for others! But it is Thy nature to be long-suffer-
ink, it is Thy practice to forego wrath, it is Thy habit to show pity to
Thy creatures — especially to those who turn back to Thee, who confess
before Thee, and abandon and repent of their transgressions, rather than
conceal them. For so it is written, He that covereth his transgressions
shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain
mercy, and deliver his soul from the torment of Gehenna.
.
Joseph Jones, Commander
Ruth Schreiber, Auxiliary President
-_-
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ELEANORE SILK
DEPARTMENT PRESIDENT
JOHN NEMON
JWV MEMORIAL HOME ASSOCIATION
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