THE JEWISH NEWS
The Latest UN
Prejudicial
Act Against
Israel, and
the Lame Ducks
Editorials
Page 4
A Weekly Review
of Jewish Events
VOL. LXX, No. 12 41,D 9 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833
$10.00 Per Year ; This Issue
Social Barriers
and 5 O'Clock
Anti-Semitism
•
Saul Bellow
and the Glory
of Jerusalem
Commentary
Page 2
November 26, 1976
'Talk With Me Personally' Rabin
Replies to Sadat 'Peace Gesture'
1948 Officials' Rift
in U.S. Recognition
of Israel Revealed
By JOSEPH POLAKOFF
WASHINGTON (JTA) —
Previously unpublished
documents on American government policy related to
the Middle East in 1948 appear to establish Clark M.
Clifford, then President Truman's special counsel, as a
strong man in the White House who persuaded the
President not to relax his determination to uphold the
United Nations partition of Palestine and recognize
Israel as a sovereign Jewish state despite the virtu-
ally unanimous opposition of the American toreign
affairs establishment.
The documents covering 1,197 pages were re-
leased Saturday by the State Department as part of its
Foreign Relations Series that has been published con-
tinuously since 1861 as the official record of U.S.
foreign policy.
The volume of memoranda, messages, reports and
instruction of the utmost secrecy begins in the aftermath
of the partition resolution adopted by the UN General
Assembly Nov. 29, 1947 and continues through the fol-
lowing year that saw Israel born, but the attempts within
the Administration to stifle it continue right up to Tru-
man's astounding election victory in November, 1948.
The publication includes material that the State
Department said has only recently become available
in the Truman Library in Indepen-
dence, Missouri and "elsewhere."
The bitterness of the opposition
to Clifford may be measured by
Secretary of State George C. Mar-
shall's words to the President on
May 12, 1948 — three days before
Truman's recognition of Israel. In
his top secret memorandum on the
White House meeting that day,
Marshall wrote he warned Truman
that Clifford's counsel was
TRUMAN
"wrong." He added: "I- said bluntly
that if the President was to follow
Mr. Clifford's advice and if in the
election I were to vote, I would vote
against the President."
Five months later, on Oct. 30,
Acting Secretary of State Robert
Lovett in an "eyes only, personal"
message to Marshall in London,
forecast a "substantial" majority
for New York Gov. Thomas Dewey
against Truman in the impending
election.
MARSHALL
(Continued on Page 6)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Premier Yitzhak Rabin of Israel made a personal appeal to President
Anwar Sadat of Egypt Sunday for direct peace talks with Israel.
"I have heard what you have had to say to others," he told Sadat, speaking at a closing dinner
at the Knesset of the World Union for Progressive Judaism jubilee conference. "Now, what do you
have to say to me?"
"We are listening to them (the Arabs) very carefully," Rabin said, reacting to the Arab peace
offensive of recent weeks. "We noted that the word 'peace' is mentioned quite a lot. This in itself is
encouraging. What is not encouraging is that the word is never addressed to us."
Rabin said (to Sadat), "You have explained your willingness to make peace with American
Senators, Congressmen and other visitors, you have talked about peace with NBC, CBS and ABC
— if you are serious about peace let us negotiate. Please, let me hear from you."
Rabin said that no peace formula devised outside the region could take the place of the formula
that must be devised inside the region.
"On the contrary," he said, "outside initiative of this kind could prove fatal to the peace
process itself." He said Israel was very willing to join in the renewal of the Geneva conference on
an overall peace settlement.
Rabin praised the Reform Movement for establishing the first Kibutz, Yahel, in the Arava. It
is there along the almost empty Jordan Valley that the eastern line of Israel's development and
defense must run, he said.
At the United Nations last Thursday, Israeli Ambassador Chaim
Herzog immediate) accepted a Jordan challenge to immediately begin
peace negotiations. The Jordanian challenge, however, was conditioned
on Israel's accpetance of the restoration of "the inalienable rights" of
Palestinians.
Rabin predicted
over the weekend that
Egypt would initiate a
campaign next year for
an overall settlement in
the Middle East on
Cairo's terms. Rabin
said this will not pre-
NEW YORK — In response to a protest by
vent Israel from initiat-
the American Jewish Congress, Alitalia Airlines
ing her own proposals
has agreed to discontinue a brochure promoting
since the government
its Middle East tour program that conspicuously
has already adopted an
YITZHAK RABIN
avoids mention of Israel.
overall concept for
The airline acted after the AJCongress had
achieving peace.
Alitalia Will Correct
Booklet 'Anomalies'
charged that the brochure was "offensive" and
that the omission of any reference to Israel was
"deliberate."
In a letter to Alitalia, associate executive
director Phil Baum wrote: "We are distressed to
note that nowhere in this booklet do you acknow-
ledge the fact of the existence of the state of
Israel, though indeed that country is the focal
point of much of your touring in the area.
"To underscore the deliberate nature of this
offensive omission, the brochure includes a map
naming all of the countries surrounding the
Mediterranean — Italy, Greece, Turkey, Syria,
Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. And yet we are given
to understand by your map that Jerusalem and
Haifa are situated in an entity called `Holyland.'
(Continued on Page 10)
The Premier said he did
not foresee "real" politi-
cal moves in the Mideast
before next spring. He
said Sadat's "peace offen-
sive" was primarily a
propaganda and not a
political move. But Rabin
added that Egypt's peace
initiative in 1977 would
come with the passive
and perhaps the active
support of Syria, Jordan
and Saudi Arabia.
Rabin said Sadat ex-
pressed his readiness for
(Continued on Page 18)
ANWAR SADAT
Eban Upholds 'Freedom of Choice' Principle for Russian Jews
By ABBA EBAN
Zionism has an absolute obligation to the interests of every Jew, in
rectitude or in error, for better or for worse. The obligation is transcen-
dent and all-embracing. It springs to our conscience from the depths of
our tragic history. And it is sustained by memories too poignant to
discard.
Aliya is a unique and translatable idea. But it is totally incompat-
ible with any concept of coercion. If it lacks the voluntary impulse it
becomes devoid of its nobility. Nor is there much prospect of durabil-
ity in a sojourn in Israel engendered by the pressure of deprivation
imposed by a docile but reluctant American Jewish decision. The
moral implication is intolerable.
Former Israel Foreign Minister
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israelis and American Jews alike believe
that Jews who emigrate from the Soviet Union to the United States
with Israeli visas do great disservice to the central interests of the
Jewish people. They exchange the idea of a Jewish homeland for the
opportunistic notion of individual welfare. They bring discredit on
the powerful historic theme in the name.of which their deliverance
was secured. They reward the state of Israel for their own redemption
by reducing the dignity and authenticity of the very statehood which
has served them in their ordeal. Every resource of persuasion and
incentive should be put to work to bring this moral paradox to an end.
Yet with all the severity of this judgment I hope that American
Jewish organizations will reject any advice to withold aid and com-
passion from Soviet Jews who reach a free haven anywhere in the
world. The deepest issues of Jewish fraternity are here at issue. Since
our Jewish relationship is fraternal it imposes an unconditional sol-
idarity.
ABBA EBAN
American Jews who have shown an infinitely smaller tendency
towards aliya than Soviet Jewry have no right to compel Soviet Jews
to fulfill an obligation that American Jews ignore with such totality.
The American Jewish kettle is not entitled to call the Soviet Jewish
(Continued on Page 12)