44,
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
,Margh 5, 1982
Kissinger, Nixon and the Jews
JO °
GOLDENBERG
PHOTOGRAPHY
646-8484
Southfield Rd. at 13 Mile
(Editor's note: The fol-
lowing article is re-
printed from the March 1
Time magazine. It forms
part of former Secretary
of State Henry Kissing-
er's autobiography
which is currently ap-,
pealing in Time.)
By HENRY KISSINGER
My relationship with Ni-
xon, never easy, was par-
ticularly complex with re-
spect to the Middle East.
Nixon was convinced that
he owed nothing to Jewish
votes and that he could not
increase his Jewish support
regardless of what he did.
Deep down, he wanted to
impose a comprehensive
Middle East settlement.
In October 1972, - 1 for-
warded to Nixon a
memorandum from Secre-
tary of Defense Melvin
Laird urging secret contacts
with Egypt to take advan-
tage of Sadat's expulsion of
the Soviets and to move
closer to the Arab position.
Nixon sent me the memo
with a note: "K — I Jean to
Laird's view. The conduct of
the American Jewish com-
munity on the Soviet fivsa
problem clearly indicateds
they put Jewish interests
,
FINE PEARLS & SEMI-PRECIOUS BEADS
Ali sizes & shapes & colors
Earrings • Bracelets • Strands
SALE
40-50%
OFF
ENTIRE STOCK*
*(except special orders & repairs)
6346 Orchard Lk. Dr. #208 West Bloomfield
855-3340, in the Howard Bldg., N. of Maple Rd.
Across from Orchard Mall, next to English Gardens
VISA
Mon.-Fri. 9;30 to 5:30, Sat. 10-4
MASTER
CHARGE
MAKE IT THIS
WHY THIS?
Eliminate the 'incon-
venience of setting up
the movie projector
and preserve the qual-
ity of your films.
Transfer your precious
home movies (16 - 8
MM or Super 8) onto
BETA or V.H.S. Video
Tapes
VIDEO PROTECTION SERVICE
352-8878
FREE pick-up
and delivery
Best Kept Secret In Town!
25% OFF*
WALLPAPER
AT
WINDOW SHADE CO
See Our Fine Showroom
For All Your Decorative Needs
Thousands of patterns:
Marimekko - Bob Mitchell
Shumacher - David and Dash
Strahan - Van Lull - Katienback
grasscloth - Whimsical Walls
and many nursery and children's
books to choose from .. .
*No Freight Charges
Green Bros. at Old Orchard
6663 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield —
626-2400
HENRY KISSINGER
above U.S. concerns. This
we cannot do."
Such comments illustrate
our strange relationship.
Nixon shared many of the
prejudices of the uprooted
California lower middle
class from which he came.
He believed that Jews
formed a powerful cohesive
group; that they were pre-
dominantly liberal; that
they put • Israel's interests
above all else; that they
were more sympathetic to
the Soviet Union than other
ethnic groups were; that
their control of the media
made them dangerous ad-
versaries; that Israel had to
be forced into a peace set-
tlement and could not be
allowed to jeopardize our
Arab relations.
None of this kept him
from having. cordial rela-
tions with many Jews or
from elevating them to ke'y
positions. His prejudices
would break forth in com-
mands reflecting the emo-
tionof the moment.
I did not keep track of how
often I was told to cut off all
aid to Israel in retaliation
for the actions of some way-
ward Jewish members of
Cong'ress; Senator Jacob
Javits seemed to have a spe-
cial ability to get under Ni-
xon's skin.
Yet in every crisis Nixon
stood by Israel more firmly
than almost any other
President save Harry Tru-
man. He admired Israeli
guts. Though convinced
that Israel's occupation of
Arab territories
strengthened anti-Western
radical forces, he under-
stood that the reverse was
not true; pressuring Israel
in concert with .radical
forces was more likely to
further Soviet than West-
ern interests.
By a different route,
Nixon came to the same
conclusion as I: the Ameri-
can national interest re-
quired a demonstration of
Soviet and radical inability
to achieve Arab objectives,
and no progress could be
made until at least moder-
ate Arabs were willing to
make a peace of genuine
compromise.
I started at the other end
of the emotional spectrum.
Though not practicing my
religion, I could never forget
that 13 members of my fam-
ily had died in Nazi concen-
tration camps. I had no
stomach for encouraging
another Holocaust by well-
.
The disappointment of
manhood succeeds the de-
lusion of youth.
—Disraeli
intentioned policies .that
might get out of control.
Yet, like Nixon, I had to
subordinate my emotional
preferences to my percep-
tion of the national interest.
Given the historical suspi-
cions toward my religion, I
had a special obligation to
do so.
Occasionally it proved
painful. But Israel's secu-
rity could be preserved only
by anchoring it to .a
strategic interest of the
U.S., not to the sentiments
of individuals. On this basis
the Communist-baiter from
Southern California and the
refugee from Nazi Germany
joined to break the deadlock
of Middle East diplomacy.
WJC Names
Frieda Lewis
got
FRIEDA LEWIS
NEW YORK — The
World Jewish Congress has
named Frieda Lewis as
North American chairman
of its International Com-
mission on Anti-Semitism.
Mrs. Lewis is national
president of Hadassah.
MAGICIAN
Exciting
entertainment for
your organization.
club or private party.
Stage Shows
Close up magic
Audience
Participation
Mel Eisenberg
547-2464
MENTA
RICHARD NIXON
See "THE LEADER" Today
Morris
Buick
IS THE GUY
IS THE BUY
OPEN MON. & THURS. 'Ill 9 P.M.
WHERE EVERY DAY
IS SALE DAY
W 7 Mile At Lodge X-Way
342-7100 .
Up 50 (7 0 Off
To
All Name Brand
Verticals
and
Horizontals
• LEVOLOR
• BALI
• DEL-MAR
No measurement charge. • FLEXALUM
No Freight charge
• GRABER
in most cases.
• LOUVER DRAPE
Installation available.
• CARPETING
Make the most of your windows with our rea-
sonably priced vertical blinds . . . horizontals
. . . window shades . . . woven woods-. . . shut-
ters for your windows.
—
• IT
"Work with a professional"
The Great Cover -Up
540-2244
Operators on call 7 days