Historic Records Point to LB•I's Courageous
Role as Israel's Protector Against USSR Threat -
BY JOSEPH POLAKOFF
JTA Washington Bureau
White House. Kosygin was
on the Hot Line with a
"grave communication in
which the Soviet leader ac-
cused Israel of ignoring the
UN resolutions, spoke of
"independent decisions," for-
saw "grave catastrophe" if
Israel did not cease military
action, and threatened that
Russia would take military
action.
President Johnson asked
Robert S. McNamara, then
secretary of defense, for the
precise location of the sixth
fleet. When secretary McNa-
mara replied it was about
300 miles west of Syria and
10-12 hours sailing time from
that coast, President John-
son ordered the American
warships to move immediate-
ly to within 50 miles of the
Syrian coast, breaking pre-
vious Navy orders to the fleet
to stay 100 miles away.
"The Soviets had made a
decision. I had to respond,"
President Johnson wrote.
"The United States was pre-
pared to resist Soviet intru-
sion in the Middle East."
President Johnson's decision
that historic morning insur-
ed that the Soviet Union and
the United States would both
stay out of the conflict with
their own forces. It was also
a clear signal to Moscow that
this was an assurance for Is-
rael that no power would
Intervene.
When the Six-Day War be-
gan, the State Department
issued a statement that the
U.S. would remain "neutral
in word, thought and deed."
But President Johnson's
views laid to rest any hint
that he would allow Israel to
flounder. In the United Na-
tions debate, U.S. Ambassa-
dor Arthur Goldberg, acting
for the U.S. under President
Johnson's instructions, play-
ed a significant role in shap-
ing the UN resolution 242
that was finally adopted on
WASHINGTON (JTA) —
Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th
President who died Monday
at his ranch in Johnson City
Tex., is remembered here
for blocking threatened So-
viet military intervention
against Israel in the Six-Day
War in 1967 and preserving
Israel's rights to safe bor-
ders in the debate that fol-
lowed in the United Nations.
During his presidency from
Nov. 22, 1963, after Presi-
dent John F. Kennedy's as-
sassination, to inauguration
day in 1969, no doubt existed
in the Jewish community of
his support for Israel's sur-
vival and of scrupulous fair-
ness to American Jews in his
programing of progress in
social legislation.
"He was a man who nei-
ther knew nor felt any dis-
tinction of race, religion or
color," former Supreme Court
Justice Abe Fortas told the
Jewish !Telegraphic Agency.
"He was a man who valued
people as individuals, valued
them for their quality of
heart and mind. He liked and
trusted Jewish people be-
cause he found in those peo-
ple the same concern for
human value that he himself
cherished,"
David Ginsburg, the Wash-
ington lawyer whose counsel-
ing brought him perhaps
closer to President Johnson
on Jewish matters than any-
one, appraised him to JTA
in this way:
"The American people
have lost a friend who con-
tributed more than any other
President in American his-
tory to futherance of domes-
tic peace and prosperity. Is-
rael has lost a friend who
was unique in the history of
that young state."
Israel Foreign Minister
Abba Eban paid tribute to
Mr. Johnson saying he "was
friendly and understanding to
Israel even before he became
president.
"During his presidency, he
understood the need to
BONN (JTA) — A judicial
strengthen Israel against the
dangers which ensnared it source in Hamburg said that
and it was he who approved the city intends to speed up
the sale of Patton tanks and its trials of Nazi war crimi-
Phantom planes to the state nals.
Justice Hans-Joachim See-
of Israel."
Eban said Mr. Johnson ler said that seven courts
thereby "established the prin- will be assigned to deal ex-
ciple of the balance of power clusively with Nazi criminals
as the first guarantee of the during the nect few years.
advancement of peace in the
He said that M years after
Middle East . . . whenever the war, "This chapter must
an Israeli thinks about the be closed as quickly as possi-
security of his country and its ble, for legal and political
citizens, he must remember reasons."
the vital role played by Lyn-
The move followed protests
don Johnson."
in Hamburg over the long
President Johnson mani- time required for justice to
fested support for Israel in be done. It also followed a
other ways. He encouraged letter from Nazi hunter Si-
Congress to vote substan- mon Wiesenthal in Vienna to
tial financial assistance to Chancellor Willy Brandt
Israe I. He demonstrated which pointed out that 68
adroitness and courage in
trials involving 2,000 alleged
blocking the threat to Israel Nazi war criminals are still
on June 10, 1967, when So-
pending.
viet Premier Aleksei N.
Four former members of
Kosygin was on the Hot Line
from the Kremlin to the the notorious Nazi execution
squad,
Einsatzgruppe D have
White House with threats of
the use of Soviet force against gone on trial in Munich for
abetting the murder of about
Israel.
In his memoirs published 4,000 Jewish men, women and
children
in southern Russia
in 1971 — "The Vantage
Point, Perspectives of the in summer 1941.
More than 40 witnesses will
Presidency 1963-1969" —
President Johnson recalled be called to testify in the
trial,
which is expected to
that on that June morning
in the Six-Day War "new last until the end of Febru-
word" came from Moscow ary.
The defendants are Erich
that threw "chill" in to the
Nov. 22, 1967 — and con-
tinues as the basis for Ameri-
can policies on the Middle
East.
On June 20. 1967, during
an emergency General As-
sembly debate initiated by
the Soviet Union over Is-
rael's conquest of Arab ter-
ritory, Ambassador Goldberg
referred to the five principles
for peace in the Middle East
enunciated the day before
by President Johnson in his
address to the National
Foreign Policy Conference
for Educators. In his address,
Johnson said these princi-
ples were: 'The recognized
right of national life, justice
for the refugees, innocent
maritime passage, limits of
the wasteful and destructive
arms race" and "political
and territorial integrity for
all."
While the UN Assembly
was in session, President
Johnson and Premier Kosy-
gin met In Glassboro, N.J.,
on the Middle East crisis.
Johnson suggested to Rosy-
gin that the U.S. and USSR
inform each other of any
plans for arms shipment into
the area. Nothing came of
the suggestion, however, as
the Russians poured arms in-
to Egypt to replace its Sax-
Day War losses and the U.S.
resumed arms shipments to
Israel.
It was at President John-
son's meeting with the late
Premier Levi Eshkol of Is-
rael at his Texas ranch, Jan.
7-8, 1968, during Mr. Esh-
kol's official visit to this
country, that agreement on
the U.S. shipment of Phan-
tom Jets to Israel was reach-
ed. President Johnson's ini-
tial commitment was for two
dozen of the supersonic air-
craft and more were pro-
grammed for long term de-
livery which is still being
carried out.
President Zalman Shazar
Hamburg to Speed Trials
of Nazi War Criminals
Hoch, 61, a business sales-
man; Hans Discar, 61, an en-
gineer; Otto Ernst Prast, 59,
an industrial consultant; and
Wilhelm Spiekermann, 60, a
sales agent. Prast and Discar
are also accused of direct
murder in one instance.
The retria lof former Nazi
court Judge Heinz-Hugo Hoff-
mann, 56, began in Nurem-
berg last week.
Hoffmann, accused of mur-
dering former Nuremberg
Jewish community chairman
Leo Katzenbach, was assist-
ant to Nazi Judge Oswald
Rothaug at Katzenbach's
trial in 1942 in Nuremberg.
Katzenbach was tried for
having had intimate relations
with a 32-year-old "Aryan,"
Irene Seller. He was sen-
tenced to death and hanged
in Munich on June 3, 1942.
In 1968, Hoffmann was
tried for manslaughter and
sentenced to two years' im-
prisonment.
The federal criminal court
in Karlsruhe later quashed
the sentence, however, and
ordered a retrial.
As I would not be a slave,
so I would not be a master.
This expresses my idea of
democracy. — Abraham Lin-
coln.
Classifieds Get Quick Results
of Israel was at the LBJ
ranch in 1966.
Although Johnson never
visited Israel, he kept him-
self well informed on the
Jewish state and its needs.
One of his most dramatic
utterances before a Jewish
audience was made on Feb.
6, 1964, when addressing the
annual dinner of the Weiz-
mann Scientific Institute in
New York, he urged the use
of nuclear power for water
development in the Middle
East.
An associate of President
Johnson recalled to the JTA
a remark by the President
after the 1967 Middle East
crisis had abated: "I want
to see that little country out
there flying its Blue and
White Flag high," Johnson
was quoted as saying.
Jewish political support for
Mr. Johnson was phenomen-
al. In the 1964 election he is
believed to have received at
least 90 per cent of the Jew-
ish vote — considered the
highest percentage of any
presidential candidate in his-
tory. Mr. Johnson stood out
for his liberalism while his
opponent, Sen. Barry Gold-
water, was regarded as a
hawk on the Vietnam war.
It was a tragic paradox of
history, however, that John-
son, the architect of the
Great Society at home, was
also the architect of Ameri-
ca's massive involvement in
the Vietnam war.
Throughout his political
career which covered the
range from congressman to
senator, to vice President
and President, Mr. Johnson
had Jews among his closest
confidants. This was especial-
ly evident during his presi-
dency. Besides appointing
Mr. Fortas to the Supreme
Court and nominating him to
be chief justice, and his se-
lection of Arthur Goldberg
to be his ambassador at the
UN at an especially difficult
time in that area, President
Johnson named Wilbur Cohen
as Secretary of Health, Edu-
cation and Welfare, Sheldon
Z. Kaplan as Commissioner
Revenue and
of Internal
Emanuel Cohen as chairman
of the Securities and Ex-
change Commission.
Eugene Rostow was his
undersecretary for economic
affairs in the State Depart-
ment and his brother, Prof.
Walt W. Rostow, was his
national security advisor at
the end of his presidency.
Lee C. White, who was on his
White House staff, became
chairman of the Federal
Power Commission, Leonard
Mark, who was the lawyer
for the Johnson familys tele-
vision interests, became di-
rector of the U.S. Informa-
tion Agency.
Mr. Ginsburg, his intimate
personal advisor and counse-
lor, was named executive di-
rector of the National Advis-
ory Commission on Civil Dis-
orders, familiarly known as
the Kerner Commission.
Dr. Henry A. Kissinger,
then a professor of govern-
ment at Harvard, entered the
international scene as Presi-
dent Johnson's emissary to
Paris in 1968 when negotia-
tions were underway with the
North Vietnamese to end the
American bombing of North
Vietnam.
In congressional affairs,
two of Johnson's closest as-
sociates were Sen. Abraham
Ribicoff (D. Conn) and Rep.
Emanuel Celler, the Demo-
Shazar will rest in the U.S.
crat from Brooklyn who re- after attending the Johnson
tired from the Congress less rites. Many Israelis came to
than a month ago after serv- the U. Embassy in Tel Aviv
ing in it for nearly 50 years. to sign the official condol-
• • •
ences book.
WORLDWIDE TRIBUTES
Friday, Jan. 26, 1973-35
From all parts of the globe,
messages of tribute to the THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
memory of President John-
son are pouring in. addressed
J. J. CLARKE STUDIO
to Lady Bird Johnson and
Pc7xr
the Johnson family and to
Formals • Can! !si • Cafe,/ Col •
newspapers.
ma'
All major American Jewish
3223 W Mcbrichols
organizations, Israel's lead-
N.
M, .land
cam szr-41•1
ers and officials, Johnson's
former associates in this
country and his many sup-
The Best To Toss
porters, expressed gratitude
for his many services to
America, to humanity and in
behalf of Israel.
In behalf of the Jewish
Community Council of De-
troit, its president, Hubert J.
MI %If
Sidlow, issued a statement of
11111 111 I
tribute to Johnson's "legacy
Of IV %%WS •
of faith and confidence in the
BIG •ANOS OR
American dream."
SMALL COSMOS
Israel's President Shazar
represented Israel at funeral
services for President John-
son Thursday. Ile departed
on an El Al flight accom-
Creative Party Planning
panied by Avraham Harman,
president of the Hebrew Uni-
Inclvdtng
versity, who was Israel's am-
Candy Centerpieces
bassador to the United States
during the Johnson adminis-
I'. r..
Part.
tration, and Epharim Evron,
a...-.
deputy director of the foreign
la.
sssss . anti l'art.
minister who is a former Is-
trre...ar,... I ar ail Of I
raeli minister to Washington.
Others accompanying the
president include his military
aide de camp, Lt. Col. Yis-
646-6138
rael Yarkoni, and his per-
sonal physician.
HAL
GORDON
642-5520
MARCIA MASSERMAN
WEDDINGS
BAR MITZVAS
PORTRAITS
Candids by
I. A. ROSEN
photographer
LET ME HELP YOU RECALL YOUR
"SIMCHA"
WITH A PHOTO
GRAPHIC RECORD YOU WILL
BE PROUD TO SHARE WITH TOUR
RELATIVES AND FRIENDS .
577-1884
FREE 11-14 COLOR PHOTO with each booking
ATTENTION...ALL
FUND-RAISING
CHAIRMEN
TWO HOUSEHOLD
ITEMS OF THE
FINEST QUALITY
ARE BEING IMPORTED
FROM ISRAEL
TO BE SOLD EXCLUSIVELY
THROUGH ORGANIZATIONS
AS A FUND-RAISING VEHICLE.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT
MAX SOSIN
557-7220
4