Iran's 'Flirtation' With Egypt; 'History of Second World War' !Describes
No Problem for Israel Yet Wingate's Role With the Chindits, `S.N.S.'

—

countries. Zahadi studied at a Jew-
Sir Basil H. Liddell Hart (1895- effort—are described here. Of spe- on the subject. He also empha-
ish school—an "Alliance" school in
1970)
was the acknowledged au- cial interest is this footnote about sized with evident pride, at that
Herndon, where the graves of Mor-
time, that he was a distant
thority
on military matters, and Wingate:
dehai and Queen Esther are. Prime
"He came to see me several
cousin of T. E. Lawrence—al-
matic relations between Iran and Minister Abas Huweida (a member his 'History of the Second World times to discuss the training of
though he later tended to dis-
Egypt had been disrupted, after of the Bahai sect, who was born in War," published by Putnam, pro- the `S.N.S.' — 'Special Night
parage Lawrence when he him-
Abdel Nasser had criticized the Haifa); the chief of staff, General vides the major information about Squads'—that he had been al-
self became famous. At Win-
policy of the Shah in recognizing Ishem; the secretary of the Shah's
lowed to organize in the spring,
gate's request I wrote to Win-
the state of Israel and supporting bureau, Assadula Alem; and the the struggle as it affected the en- from young and picked members
ston Churchill about him, to ef-
the royalists. in Yemen.
chairman of the Iranian oil com- tire world.
of the underground Jewish force,
fect an introduction."
The Shah demanded from Nasser panies, Dr. Menutshir Agbal, were
As history this rates highest the Hagana, to tackle the Arab
This is a valuable addendum to
that he publicly repudiate this for upholding friendly relations consideration in studying the events armed bands which had been the important Wingate story.
criticism, but Nasser refused. The with Israel and with the Arab that affected nearly all of man- causing much trouble in. Pal-
This "History of the Second
Shah started friendly relations with countries.
kind.
estine. He told me how he had World War" is one of the very
Israel and many Israeli experts
Iran has no official diplomatic
Those who had been uprooted been applying my tactical ideas important volumes on the tragic
went to Iran to help to develop the relations with Israel, but the Iran- from Eastern Europe will find in in such guerrilla-type operations, years—perhaps the most descrip-
country in agriculture, economy ' ian population is aware of the these columns recollections of and gave me a set of his papers tive of the world conflict. —P.S.
and other fields. Iran even bought massive help which Israeli experts communities which were at one
Uzi machine guns. When King have given to Iran in several time the centers of learning and of
Faisal of Saudi Arabia visited fields.
Jewish creative ideas. Slonim, Symbolism in Doctorow's 'Book of Daniel'
Iran intends renewing diplo- Berdichev, Cracow, Warsaw, Smo-
Teheran, the honorary guard turned
A Review by Jack Siegel
when the children are being shuf-
up with Uzi guns, but when Egyp- matic relations also with Leba- lensk, Minsk, Dvinsk, Kielse, Ba-
(A Seven Arts Feature)
fled around, when they visit their
tian Foreign Minister Mahmoud non. Relations were broken. off ranovichi—these were cities whence
This is not a biblical novel. "The parents in jail, when the neigh-
two
years
'go,
when
Lebanon
Riad arrived in Teheran, they were
stemmed Jewish leadership and Book of Daniel" (Random House)
refused to return to Iran Iranian where the Jewish theological and by E. L. Doctorow probes an alt- borhood turns ugly, that you are
changed for American guns.
grabbed in the very gederim
The negotiations between Egypt General Taimar Bahtiar, who social forces produced teachers, neu story in the form of the Rosen-
and Iran for reopening diplomatic led strong opposition against the rabbis, leaders in Jewish ranks. bergs, who were tried, convicted (guts). The fictional characters do
relations lasted a long time and Shah and appealed to Iranian All are gone, yet the record of and electrocuted for espionage in not conceal their attachment to
were difficult. After the death of farmers to resist the agrarian a world war brings nostalgic the 1950s. The tale is told mainly Communist causes. At a time when
there was still some good will
Nasser, the Shah adopted a more reform. He called on several thoughts about them.
from the eyes of one of the chil- towards the Soviet Union for its
moderate attitude toward Egypt. tribes to revolt. When he did not
role in the war against fascism,
There is an important chapter dren, the son Daniel.
Iran and Egypt renewed their succeed in his campaign, he fled
It is not an easy book to read. this comes now as a sudden shock.
on
"The Chindits," "a name
diplomatic relations. Egypt sent to Lebanon and Iraq, where he
taken by its initiator, Orde Win- Technically, it is innovative, moves But the whole country was being
one of its outstanding diplomats, was murdered by unknown peo-
gate, from a mythical beast, back and forth in tenses and from shocked then by Joe McCarthy and
-"former Vice Foreign Minister Mah- ple during a hunt in the woods.
the
Chinthe, half lion and half the third to first person.
here, too, in retrospect, we won-
moud Anwar, to Teheran, and Iran
Diplomatic relations between
When viewed from the vantage der ho
eagle,"
that calls attention again
w we could have been fooled
delegated to Cairo its former am- Iran and Syria were broken off
point of the present, the story is and frightened by him.
bassador in Washington, Kussery three years ago after the Syrian to one of the famous personali-
almost macabre. It is as hard to
Yet, and perhaps this is the
Kusservani. A new "flirtation" de- government had accused Iranian ties of the last war.
believe today, for instance, as it salient aspect of the story, the
veloped between the two countries. agents of being active in espionage
The author related about Win- is for young Germans to under-
A delegation of Iranian industrial- for Israel in Damascus.
gate: "In the autumn of 1938 Orde stand their parents' participation promise of terror in the country
ists visited Egypt and received an
The Shah of Persia intends to Wingate, then a captain on leave in the Hitler madness, as well as still exists. Against this, we must
order for 1,000 buses and 100 invite Egyptian President Sadat for from Palestine, had met, and
be on the alert. We must not, as
ships. The chairman of the Egyp- an official visit to Teheran on the made a strong impression on, a to re-live the infamous Peekskill Jews, be a party to the circus and
experience
when
a
concert
organ-
tian National Council, Laviv Shu- occasion of the celebrations com- number of influential people—as
if we find ourselves in the lion's
keir, visited Teheran, and the Iran- memorating the establishment of he had earlier that year on Gen- ized to hear Paul Robeson turned den then we must, like Daniel,
ian minister of health came to the Iranian empire 2,500 years ago. eral (Sir Archibald) Wavell, then into an orgy of violence with the have faith in our convictions and
police and local inhabitants join-
Egypt.
mesmerize the lion. We must not
Most certainly 'the Shah also will the commander in Palestine, and ing against the picknickers.
There are talks about inaugu- be invited to visit Egypt.
Brigadier John Evetts, who was
turn against ourselves. Perhaps
rating flights between Iran and
The Iranian government recently in charge of the northern area. But
that
is the symbolic significance
This is not to say the Rosenbergs
Egypt, an exchange of students, discussed the questions of relations on returning to Palestine in De-
of the book.
were
either
innocent
or
guilty,
furthering cultural relations and with China. The Shah's sister visit- cember he found that his political
;+ opening a common pipe line be- ed Peking and was cordially re- activities in Zionist circles had or were the fictional people, the Humiliations, Realities Make
tween Suez and Alexandria.
ceived.
made him such an object of sus- Isaacsons. The Rosenbergs went to This Skillfully Woven Novel
their death proclaiming their in-
It turned out that Israel was
During his stay in Teheran, picion in British official quarters
In many respects E. L. Doc-
not the reason for the new "flir- Egyptian Foreign Minister Mah- that Wavell's successor, General nocence when by a simple declara-
tation" between Egypt and Iran, moud Riad requested the Shah to Haining—who had originally ap- tion of guilt they could have, as did torow's "The Book of Daniel" is
but Iranian interests in the exert his influence on President proved the `S.N.S.' organization— their brother, or Dr. Mindish in unusual as a compilation of his-
Persian Gulf.
Nixon to induce Israel to withdraw had decided to remove him from the book, save their skins but, like torical data. Those who recall the
At the end of the year, Great its forces from the occupied terri- control of it and appoint him to an Cain, march around the rest of "Peekskill Incident" which re-
Britain intends to withdraw from tories. In spite of the new "flirta- innocuous job at his own head- their lives with a mark on their volved around the concert that was
forehead.
given by Paul Robeson will read
this oil-rich area.
tion" between Cairo and Teheran, quarters . . ."
_In the time it happened, the Doctorow as factual.
Iranian Foreign Minister Arda- relations between Iran and Israel
Wingate's activities as a hero McCarthy era, when civil liberties
That incident alone registers
shir Zahadi has for a long time have remained correct, but it is and in the Chindits' operation, in
advocated an improvement in rela- not clear at the moment how they which he organized jungle fight- were being ambushed one by one value for this novel. No matter
tions between Iran and the Arab will develop in the future.
ers—losing his life in that war and the benign general sat in the how repelled a reader might be by
White House, hysteria clouded the Communist aura of this novel,
many judgments. the expose of McCarthyism and of
The judge in the book, as in real the witch hunts the description
life, is Jewish. In the book, as one of the case that became such a
supposes it was in real life, the tragic case because all the actors
man-in-the-judge suffered from in- in the drama were Jews, the au-
By Shlomo Kodesh
tangible tortures in deciding to thor's dedication to his topic (how
sentence by death. Pratically the he warns the reader in a special
Released by: TARBUTH FOUNDATION
FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF HEBREW CULTURE
whole cast in the real narrative note to take him seriously!)—there
A UNIFORM AND A JEWISH HEART
was Jewish, and one wonders is a sort of fanaticism about Doc-
9
n'.71 0170
Cast: A driver and a traffic cop. Scene: On the road between
whether the production was so torow's theme.
iTliorrz )7.1? : 01,71,t,
tr`?,111: r; vj?
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
staged to circus a serious flaw in
The very theme can drive one to
Cop:
Mister, your documents, please.
the progression of the United madness—and the story com-
.ntiR??
States as a nation of ideals.
Driver: Why? "What is my crime?... What have I done wrong? Where
mences with madness, the Daniel
did
!Pnri
'17,7gY nb15 n7K9ri rli? 1 'F7/P na ?me;
I break the law?
Lewis' visit to Dan's sister Susan,
Cop:
At the traffic circle, mister. You passed a truck at the circle and
nK ripa .1?"pr opn nx fry1:11
Tilt??? nbp).:
,=Inbz
Doctorow, who comes to the who is in a mental institution.
crossed the white line. You endangered your life. You almost col-
trade with good credentials (a
lided with the truck. That is a very grave offense.
*•?'"
'7:447? el.”?
In a sense there is some sac-
former editor of a publishing
Driver: You're wrong. I didn't pass at the traffic circle. I passed before the
19 app ,;.957 zn,nri
'nape.31zu?
house) makes the point that the rilege in the resort to the biblielit
te7
circle and before the white line.
Cop:
You have the right to present your arguments in court. Now give
Soviet's obtaining of atom secrets, theme, to the Mene, Mene Teke!
ile,p!
ry,;? rri31,7b Ivy'?
tV:
me your documents: driver's license, car registration and certificate
whether
or not by spying, evened Upharsin idea from the Book of
of insurance.
.rnu?n n-run:u
,r$1171
the forces in the world and saved Daniel on which this theme is
Driver: All right. You say I passed, I won't argue with you. Maybe I
° P?
.74! r-T?2rT K5 'T9PFrf ibim nett •1?
touched the white line a bit. You know how it is just before
it from physical holocaust. It did based.
Shabbat. I was hurrying home.
Some of the Yiddish could stand
- 71/17 71 '17'7 7?
z"1 y
rq,tt
not save the children from trau-
Cop:
What a waste of time! Why all these unnecessary arguments? I am
n?ry?
?n,ln:br) r.1711V.171 717?'? .jars 517 5?r1 : -tem
mas; in the book the daughter correcting —vershtey is an ex-
waiting for the documents.
becomes mad and is ultimately ample.
Driver: I am really very sorry; I acted foolishly. One does foolish things.
.s5 n59 .ni,ntri b•iviv .rnt:1 ,rrtpi inns» rot ,uj!
Forgive me.
The historical merits are coin-
destroyed.
Cop:
Listen, mister, you're wasting our time. Do you have the documents
ri5 rrt ix riirrr -i
.11m rtx qpn nritt
Daniel, the son, goes on a dream- mendable, including the American'
,17)] nelv
or don't you?
hegira to find the man who "mus- experiences, the Russian back-..•
Driver: What a question! Here is the driver's license, the car registration
1:35114
=?7;1 fail ,rro;iyi
riy; ntq471
and the certificate of insurance. But is it forbidden by law for a
sered" (informed) on his father. grounds of the era during which.
citizen to seek pity from a policeman?
crlprn tip'? phri 'p 5v n -int -nox ortn
Yet,
and again in retrospect, Doc- the Rosenbergs were on trial and
Cop:
Pity? Do you take pity on yourself? On your family? And did you
1r.:1 '71/
?:1nnav? 5v ?71??1, '71? Orrn rinK
torow
points out that the legalities so many smarted from the hurnili-
?D•7]-1
think of the truck driver and of his family? It's not always that
"God watches
- - -r b•rtnb
fools."
of the case hinged on the discredit- ations of all Jews being involved in
te? ?izirip57? 5r irtt73;-T
Driver: It's terrible! The devil only knows what idiocy got into me. I always
ing of the witness, which inherent- an espionage case.
,nrr;:ip vai3
run
no??? /11UF'
'Vr1 It271i31 10'y
drive with care. I even got the "Careful Driver Award - once.
ly assumed some truth to his
So it all ends with the exeCti,
7T1r,
nn
I don't know what happened to me.
'3'N
ntib 117DM f3WD
story. Instead, the author claims, tions—a part of history into which
Cop:
All right. I see that you are really sorry. This time I'll excuse you
lryix lain •Ixi 95 muse oytirt .rinx3 u-Inrn rInxt
;mi."
the defense should have pro- Doctorow has linked the KKK of
and let you go with a warning. I don't want to spoil your Sabbath
rest. Shabbat shalom.
"p",,,7?
claimed the squealer's innocence that era, the Debs background, the
Driver: Thank you very much. A Jewish heart is still left (remains) even
of the spy charge.
Sacco-Vanzetti case. From these
57 0^17] nun a1
../1;7
tri? - ) n - pn
under the police uniform. I've learned my lesson and will remember
it. Shabbat shalom and good luck.
viewpoints this is a most skillfully
!zln 571 D15t5' n?r;
There are moments in the book woven novel.
—P.S.

By MOSHE RON
Jewish News Special Israel
Correspondent
TEL AVIV—For 10 years diplo-

,

A Conversation Series

OVCI-

Excerpted from the book "Israel With A Smile", published by Tarbuth Foundation, 515 Park Ave., N. Y. C. 10022

40 Friday, July 2, 1971

—

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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