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Friday, July 2, 1976
THE DETROITJEWISH NEWS
The Washington Post and Spiro T. Agnew's New Book:
A History of Statements and Writing Labelled Anti-Semitic
By JOSEPH POLAKOFF
(Copyright 1976, JTA, Inc.)
WASHINGTON — Anger
within Washington's Jewish
community of 120,000
against the Washington
Post's news treatment and
commentaries about Middle
East events and its manifest
welcome of "public" division
among American 'Jews, to-
ward Jerusalem's policy
was reaching high heat
when along came Spiro T.
Agnew's novel and inter-
views that piled irony upon
irony and created special de-
lights for anti-liberals, anti-
Semites and all those who
would- like to see Israel
squelched.
The Post's policy came
under protest from spokes-
men of major Jewish organ-
izations and others who saw
the Post deliberately select-
ing and emphasizing those
parts of news events that
darken Israel's image and
create an impression of
American Jewry publicly, at
least, breaking up from
solid support for the Jewish
state.
At the same time, the
critics saw the Post omit-
ting or burying information
that would tend to bolster
Israel's morale while point-
ing up developments that
tended to encourage Arab
politicians and the PLO,
that America is turning
away from Israel.
The Post's treatment
reached the point where
Israel Ambassador Chaim
Herzog protested formally
against the Post's charac-
terization of his remarks
at the UN Security Coun-
cil regarding Israeli settle-
ments as marking an Is-
raeli-U.S. "clash." The
Post had made the "clash"
a top, front-page story.
Faced by intense criticism,
the Post finally edged back
some, suggesting in a com-
mentary that the U.S.
should urge the Arab
states to recognize Israel.
In assessing the feeling
against the Post, Benjamin
Bradlee, Post executive edi-
tor, seemed to indicate that
the Post's viewpoint has
wide Jewish support, too.
"We ,had Nahum Goldmann
in here," Bradlee noted, re-
ferring to a visit of the
World Jewish Congress
president, who has long
been at odds with successive
Israeli governments.
The Post also had support
in statements like that of
Sen. Jacob K. Javits' warn-
ing to Israel on the issue of
West Bank settlements, the
opposition to Israeli policy
by 100 rabbis and others in
New York; the Social Action
Commission of the United
American Hebrew Congre-
gations, and Breira's drive
for its support among Jew-
ish Americans of "alterna-
tives" to Israeli policies.
It was not seen as mere
coincidence that Sen.
George S. McGovern (D-
S.D.), who favored Breira
with a full-blown descrip-
tion of it in the Congres-
sional Record, scheduled
just at this time a series of with NBC's Barbara Wal-
five hearings on the Arab- ters that blew up the dirty
Israeli conflict to get Sena- storm, that he has been
against support for Israel
torial perspectives.
Ironic, too, is that televi- and pro-Arab all along. He
sion companies that Ag- pointed out that when he
new attacked have given made his trip to the Middle
him such wide exposure. East as Vice President he
Disturbed by the quality of avoided Israel as a tell-
some of the interviewers' tale sign of his views but
questioning of Agnew, he could not express his
Hyman Bookbinder of the feelings at the time for
American Jewish Commit- pragmatic political rea-
tee suggested that inter- sons.
Agnew's insensitivity was
viewers should "do their
homework" before taking indicated by Hyman Book-
binder of the American Jew-
on Agnew.
Ivan M. Schaeffer, of the ish Committee. He recalled
American Jewish Congress Agnew telling a group of
in Washington, specifically Jewish leaders "literally six
wondered why WTTG,TV times" in a 45-minute get-
had ,to offer its 50-minute acquainted meeting after he
interview twice in three had become Vice President
days. Asked about this by that "some of my best
JTA, Vice-president and friends are Jews" but "he
program director Stanley did not know what those
Rudnick explained that the words meant to us."
In another example of his
first show was for a day-
time audience and the sec- traits, Gold recalls that
ond for night-time viewers. Agnew on June 13, 1972,
More deeply disturbing to received "with no reluctance
some observers than the whatever" a plaque shaped
Post's methodology or Ag- ,like a mezuzah from the
new's exposure is that they Religious Zionists of Amer-
seem to be part of a trend ica. The same Agnew a year
that was considered un- earlier, Gold pointed out,
thinkable a half-dozen years had accepted from his host
in Saudi Arabia, King
ago.
Lust for money, venge- Faisal, a copy of the Prgto-
fullness, latent anti-Semi- cols of the' Elders of Zion.
If Agnew's motivations
tism, hypocrisy, and in-
sensitivity are among are uncertain, the quality of
explanations for Spiro T. his novel is definite. "De-
Agnew's anti-Semitic at- spite all the speculation to
the contrary," says Christo-
tacks.
This is the same Agnew pher Lehmann-Haupt in
whom Jews helped become The New York Times,
Governor of Maryland from "Agnew appears to have
where he leaped to the Vice written it all by himself. In
Presidency and came within fact, it is an insult to the
sight of occupancy of the writing profession to sug-
White House itself. Je.ws gest that anyone was paid to
were among his most impor- help perpetrate this bilge."
Most troublesome about
tant associates while he was
in office at Annapolis and Agnewism to students of
later in Washington. He is American history over the
also the same Agnew who, past 50 years is that there
after his disgrace, engaged exists within the Ameri-
in the lucrative business re- can people a large and
lated to Arabs and now says appreciative audience for
he always thought U.S. pol- the demagoguery that Ag-
icy towards Israel was new now minifests.
As for the Washington
wrong.
A measure of the range of Post, Sen. McGovern's Sen-
views is the difference in the ate Foreign Relations sub-
opinions of Victor Gold, committee's hearing on Ar-
Agnew's press man for ab-Israeli problems was
three years when he was particularly notable for re-
Vice President, and William vealing a particular instance
Safire, a former White of the Post's methodology in
House speechwriter for its critical campaign against
Richard Nixon and a col- Israeli policy and the secret
league of Agnew in his hey- liaison it had with the State
day. Safire, now a New Department in seeking to
York Times columnist, says elevate PLO chief Yasir Ar-
"the Ted Agnew of 1970 was afat to respectability as a
neither anti-Zionist nor an- "moderate."
Under a three-column,
ti-Jewish." What "turned
him around" is his "embit- two-line head May 20, the
tered" reaction to Jewish Post reported "Recent Sen-
businessmen in Baltimore ate Visitors Call Arabs
who became state witnesses Flexible, Israel Rigid." In its
against him in Maryland's story, the Post said those
political scandals and forced Senators "described Arab
him to resign the vice presi- leaders as relatively flexible
on crucial points of an even-
dency in disgrace.
Gold contends Agnew's tual agreement, including
"re4dering of variations on the right of Israel to exist,
a theme by the Grand Klea- but most of the Senators de-
gle has nothing to do with scribed Israeli leaders as
mere ideological conviction" intransigent."
Checking the Post's ac-
but "it has to do with selling
Spiro Agnew, high bidder count, the Jewish Tele-
take all, until a better offer graphic Agency was told
by aides of six of the seven
comes along, of course."
Agnew himself, how- Senators in the hearing
ever, said in his interview that the account was exag-
gerated, distorted, parti-
cularized or an inadequate
summation of the proceed-
ings.
Later, examining the
17,000-word transcript of
the hearing to prepare its
own account, JTA found not
only that the aide's assess-
ments were sound but that
The Post ignored elements
of prime importance._
Four Senators — Has-
kell, Stevenson, Javits,
and Abourezk — did in-
deed criticize Israel on the
settlements and Percy im-
plied it by noting the
Post's "stinging" editorial
and other media criticism.
But no one described Is-
rael either as "rigid" or
"intransigent." Case
heartily refused to criti-
cize Israeli action to de-
fend herself, as he put it,
in the absence of Arab
agreements to let her live
in peace.
Sen. Stevenson exposed
the State Department's liai-
son with the Post on a
buildup of Arafat as "rea-
sonable and moderate."
After telling the Senators
that he had received a
"moderate" expression from
Arafat in their conversation
in February, Stevenson
said: "I was very reluctant
when I came back to say
publicly what Arafat had
told me. I did not do so. I
told the State Department,
knowing that if I were to
say this publicly it would be
instantly repudiated . . .
But the report was leaked
. . . it was an accurate re-
port . . . in the Washington
Post (that) indicated a far
more flexible and moderate
position on the part of the
present PLO leadership
than on the part of any
other leadership . . . The
subsequent repudiation (by
the PLO) was necessitated
by internal divisions and the
threat which he personally
faces."
The Post gave top billing
on its front page at that
time to the "moderate" Ara-
fat's statement he gave to
Stevenson, who, inciden-
tally found "no moderates
in the Israeli government or
among the Arabs."
It is noteworthy that
Stevenson applied "flexible"
to Arafat compared with
other Arabs, not Israel.
Omission is a tactic in
MATURE
the Post's methodology on
entire developments, when
it suits its purpose. When
the AFL-CIO, for exam-
ple, endorsed Israeli policy
at a Washington dinner
with 1700 delegates and
guests honoring Gol
Meir, the Post ignored
But, in another example,
had space to complain that
the American Jewish
Committee had "lobbied"
the media for its confer-
...,
ence.
The Post's current 11, 31.
dling of Jewish affairs
comes as no surprise to
readers over the years.
From the time the Jackson-
Vanik amendment was in
the legislative process, the
Post followed the line of the
Nixon Administration by
opposing the measure, play-
ing up opposition to it and
the usual omission or down-
play of support.
In a survey some three
(Continued on Page 48)
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