.7" Realistic Wilsonian Theories Reviewed: Covenants Under Scrutiny Without Resort to Public Fanfare THE JEWISH NEWS Commentary, Page 2 of Jewish Events A Weekly Review Formulas for Politicians Necessity for Homework When Tackling Foreign Issues Editorial, Page 4 VOL. LXXIII, No. 24 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833 $12.00 Per Year: This Issue 30. August 18, 1978 Story of 'Altalena' Revives Interest in B-G Begin Clash Editor's Note: The Altalena incident has become an inerasable chapter in the history of Israel's rebirth. It is the name of the boat that was purch- ased by the American League for a Free Palestine, in the cru- cial years before Palestine's partition and the rebirth of Is- rael. It was loaded with ammunition shipped to pre-Israel Palestine for the arm- ing of the Irgun, the Revisionist Zionist party that was vigor- ously opposed by David Ben-Gurion and the dominant Jewish political force in Zionist ranks. The YITZFIAK BEN-AMI story of the Altalena and the suspicion of it is described in what could be called an official interpretation of what had occurred in the biography of Ben-Gurion by Robert St. John. It relates how the first Israeli prime minister suspected the Irgun munitions shipment as being aimed at tak- ing over the emerging new government of Israel. 'A lengthy account of the Altalena episode and the Irgun involvement also appears in "Terror Out of Zion: The Shock Troops of Israeli Independence," by J. Bowyer Bell, which has just been reissued as a paperback by Avon Books. Ben-Gurion's ordering the ship sunk, which many described as brothers shooting brothers, is portrayed by St. John as a brilliant move by Ben-Gurion to protect the hegemony of the new and reborn Jewish state. It was also judged as a possible coup by the Begin partisans in the book "0 Jerusalem," written by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. The 30th anniversary of the sinking of the Irgun munitions-carrying ship the Altalena, a full account of which is given here for the first time by one of the Irgun leaders, Yitzhak Ben-Ami, who traveled on the ship with Menahem Begin, clarifies the issue for the first time. At the observance of the 30th anniversary of the sinking of the boat, at a rally of survivors of that incident in Jabotinsky Hall in Tel Aviv, on June 24, 1978, Menahem Begin, who was especially selected for accusation in the Altalena affair, commented to the effect that "we had waited these centuries for the rebirth of the Jewish state, why would we want to seek its destruction at birth in quest for power?" (Continued on Page 5) Onlookers watch with sadness as the Attain= burns. Begin in Status Quo Attitude for Summit Israel will take no new peace plan to Camp David, Premier Menahem Begin said JERUSALEM (JTA) Tuesday, following a meeting with members of the Knesset Security and Foreign Affairs Committee in his office. Begin said the present plan was "good" and this is the plan that would be brought to Camp David. However, Begin added, a team of experts was now preparing possible Israeli replies to the various questions and proposals likely to come up during the Camp David summit. In Washington three leading members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said they expected "positive" and "concrete" results would emanate from the Middle East summit at Camp David next month. — Sens. Frank Church (D-Idaho), Richard Stone (D-Fla.), and Charles Percy (R-Ill.) commented to reporters after hearing Secretary of State Cyrus Vance describe his recent discussions with Israeli Premier Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. At the same time, the forthcoming trilateral Mideast summit conference took on a new coloration last Friday. Saudi Arabia, in a turnabout of its opposition to Egyptian-Israeli negotiations, has now publicly endorsed the meeting at Camp David which begins Sept. 5, and President Carter, in a newspaper report that the White House did not deny, was personally quoted as having said he called the summit because he feared another Arab-initiated war against Israel. Although the Carter Administration sought to put the conference details under cloak of secrecy and urged quiet by all parties as intense diplomatic and security preparations were rushed, the State De- WASHINGTON (JTA) — The House of partment warmly welcomed the Saudi endorsement of the summit Representatives Monday approved a re- that also carried continuing Saudi criticism of Israeli "intransi- cord foreign aid money bill of $7.17 bill- gence." ion and sent it to the Senate with funding Presidential News Secretary Jody Powell said the President's intact for Israel and Egypt and nothing summit invitation to Egyptian President Sadat and Israeli Premier for Syria. Begin was "not based on any particular event" and would make "no Funds were approved for Lebanon and comment" on Egypt's reported military buildup that presumably led Jordan, but they face slight cuts under an to the summit. Powell said the President's initiative resulted from "a amendment reducing military aid except for Israel. The appropriations legislation very careful analysis of the situation." adopted by a vote of 223 to 167 reduced by Meanwhile, in a rare case of inter-party cooperation, Foreign U.S. Israel Aid Remains Intact more than a billion dollars the total wanted by President Carter, who had asked for $8.4 billion. The House specifically exempted Israel from reductions in the military and supporting assistance economic categories and Egypt was exempted from a cut in economic aid as was Jordan. Under the bill, Israel is to get $1 billion in military aid and $785 million in economic (Continued on Page 10) Minister Moshe Dayan recently initiated discussions with lead- ing Labor Party Knesset members Yitzhak Rabin and Abba Eban over anticipated developments at the upcoming Camp David talks between Israeli Premier Begin, Egyptian Presi- dent Sadat and President Carter. The sessions are apparently directed at ensuring the Labor Align- ment's support for the government's position on the summit confer- ence which is that it will be an arena for the leadership and top (Continued on Page ) Chronicled Altalena Story Exonerates Begin stroyed at Tel Aviv by the newly formed army of the state of Israel. Seventeen of its men were killed, both at Kfar Vitkin and Tel Aviv. The weapons that it car- ried were destroyed (except for a small quantity of light weapons, unloaded on the beach at Kfar Vitkin on June 21). What happened in bet- ween? From the moment we sailed from France, till five days later, we were not able have undoubtedly affected to receive any messages the future borders of the from the transmitters in state and the fate of France or in Israel. They were to be our guiding Jerusalem. beacons and source of in- On June 22, 1948 the Al- struction and information. For information we talena was bombarded from (Continued on Page 5) the shore, burned and de- By YrTZHAII BEN-AMI The Altalena had on board 820 men and 120 wo- men, mostly members of the European units of the Ir- gun, as well as volunteers from a dozen countries. It carried over 5,000 rifles, 500 machine guns and sub- machine guns, five armored carriers, aerial bombs and millions of rounds of am- munition. These supplies, if they would have reached the soldiers of the newly- formed Israeli army, would Catalog of Activities Fall 1978' at the Jewish Community Center MENAHEM BEGIN DAVID BEN-GURION Complete schedule of programming listed in special 8-page pull-out section, between pages 29 and 36 in this issue.