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Jewish Community Center, Allentown, PA, May 18, 1969

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The original documents are located in Box D27, folder "Jewish Community Center, Allentown, PA, May 18, 1969" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box D27 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, ALLENTOWN, PA. 8 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 18, 1969. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE FATE OF ISRAEL IS LINKED WITH THE NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS OF THE UNITED STATES. CONCERN HAS BEEN EXPRESSED THAT THE SOVIET UNION AND FRANCE MAY "PREVAIL" AT THE CURRENT BIG FOUR TALKS ON THE MIDDLE EAST. I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT YOUR GOVERNMENT WILL NOT PERMIT THIS TO HAPPEN. ISRAEL MAY ENTER ITS 21st ANNIVERSARY CONFIDENT OF ITS MANHOOD. ISRAEL'S RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT AND COURAGE MAKES THE STATE WORTHY OF THAT STATUS. ISRAEL CAN FEEL CERTAIN THAT AMERICANS ARE AWARE OF HER DEDICATION TO FREEDOM AND OF THE BASIC AFFINITY LINKING ISRAEL WITH THE UNITED STATES. FORD I JOIN WITH THOSE WHO ARE CONCERNED LIBRARY -2- ABOUT OVERALL SOVIET DESIGNS ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND MEDITERRANEAN. WE ARE AWARE OF THE UNPRECEDENTED Stat/acteal snawelt SOVIET NAVAL BUILD-UP IN THAT REGION. WE Martine KNOW THAT THE RUSSIANS ARE TRYING TO EXERT PRESSURES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AT A TIME WHEN WE ARE PREOCCUPIED IN THE FAR EAST. YOUR GOVERNMENT IS NOT NAIVE. NOR ARE THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. WE HAVE NO ILLUSIONS ABOUT SOVIET POLICY AND THE ATTEMPTS BY THE KREMLIN TO CREATE A SPHERE OF INFLUENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST THAT WOULD UNDERMINE VITAL AMERICAN SECURITY INTERESTS AND THREATEN THE ENTIRE SOUTHERN FLANK OF NATO. THE GAME BEING PLAYED BY THE RUSSIANS, EXPLOITING ARAB HOSTILITY AGAINST ISRAEL, IS TRANSPARENT. IT IS MY STRONG CONVICTION THAT AMERICAN POLICY WILL NOT SEEK TO "IMPOSE" A SETTLEMENT AS A RESULT OF THE PRESENT BIG -3- FOUR CONFERENCE OR OUTSIDE THE CONTEXT OF SUCH TALKS. PRESIDENT NIXON HAS PLEDGED THAT Nassais nile ISRAEL'S VITAL INTERESTS WILL BE PRESERVED AND THAT WITHDRAWAL CAN OCCUR ONLY BY CONSENT OF THE PARTIES DIRECTLY CONCERNED, BASED UPON A PEACE AGREEMENT THAT ESTABLISHES RECOGNIZED, DEFENSIBLE, AND JUST BOUNDARIES. AMERICAN PARTICIPATION IN THE BIG FOUR CONFERENCE IS CONSISTENT WITH EFFORTS TO TEST THE SOVIET UNION'S PROFESSED DESIRE TO PRESERVE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND TO AVOID A NUCLEAR CONFRONTATION WITH THE U.S. BUT NO ACCORD WILL BE PURCHASED AT THE EXPENSE OF ISRAEL. AS I HAVE SAID, WE ARE WELL AWARE OF SOVIET AIMS AND ATTITUDES. WE ARE ALSO MINDFUL OF THE CONTINUING BRUTAL SUPPRESSION OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA, DENOUNCED JUST RECENTLY BY PRESIDENT NIXON. -4- THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS AWARE THAT THE SOVIET-MADE MIG's THAT TREACHEROUSLY ATTACKED AN UNARMED U.S. RECONNAISSANCE PLANE IN INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE OFF THE KOREAN COAST WERE THE SAME KIND OF AIRCRAFT THE SOVIETS HAVE SUPPLIED TO THE RADICAL ARAB STATES. OUR GOVERNMENT MUST THEREFORE CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THE MILITARY COMBAT AND DETERRENT CAPACITIES OF ISRAEL THROUGH THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE SUPPLY OF PHANTOM JETS AND OTHER MILITARY HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS. I AM PLEASEDOTO NOTE THAT ISRAELI AIR AND GROUND CREWS TO MAN THE PHANTOMS ARE PRESENTLY RECEIVING SPECIAL TRAINING AT A U.S. AIR FORCE BASE IN CALIFORNIA. THE PHAN PHANTOMS WILL BE READY FOR SHIPMENT AT A TIME COINCIDING WITH THE COMPLETION OF TRAINING -- A MATTER OF MONTHS. MANY OF THE PHANTOMS WILL BE IN SERVICE IN ISRAEL -5- BEFORE THE END OF 1969. WE RECOGNIZE ISRAEL'S ISOLATED GEOGRAPHIC POSITION, SURROUNDED AS SHE IS BY ENEMIES. HEREVERY LIFE DEPENDS ON AIRPOWER AND CIVILIAN AIR LINKS WITH THE FREE WORLD. WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE ATTACKS EARLIER THIS YEAR ON ISRAELI AIRLINERS BY ARAB TERRORISTS ARMED WITH RUSSIAN WEAPONS, AND THEN THE CRIMINAL ATTACK BY COMMUNIST NORTH KOREAN MIG-21's ON AN UNARMED AMERICAN PLANE IN INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE, YOU ARE COMPELLED TO ASK: ARE THE RUSSIANS SINCERELY SEEKING A RELAXATION OF TENSIONS OR ARE THEY SECRETLY GLEEFUL OVER ATTACKS ON FREE WORLD NATIONS BY FANATICS AND FOURTH-RATE DESPOTS? WE HAVE HEARD THE KREMLIN PROFESS GREAT CONCERN ABOUT MTDDLE EASTERN PEACE. FORD BUT WE HAVE WATCHED THEM POUR NAVAL FORCES -6- INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN. WE HAVE HEARD THEM DEMAND AMERICAN WITHDRAWAL. WE HAVE WATCHED THEM BUILD UP THE WAR POTENTIAL OF RADICAL AND IRRESPONSIBLE ARAB STATES THAT REFUSE TO ENTER INTO REAL PEACE NEGOTIATIONS WITH ISRAEL. MOSCOW IS ATTEMPTING TO ACHIEVE INDIRECTLY WHAT COMMUNIST AND ARAB PRESSURE HAS FAILED TO ACCOMPLISH BY MILITARY MEANS AND THREATS. THEY HAVE SOUGHT TO ROLL BACK THE ISRAELIS FROM THE CEASE-FIRE LINES OF JUNE, 1967, WITHOUT A MEANINGFUL PEACE SETTLEMENT. THUS THEY WOULD KEEP THE SORE OPEN, RESTORE THE INTOLERABLE SITUATION THAT EXISTED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE OUTBREAK OF THE SIX-DAY WAR, AND EXPLOIT ANY PULLBACK BY ISRAEL AS A DEFEAT FOR FREE WORLD INTERESTS. THE SOVIET UNION HAS NOT CLARIFIED HER POLICY TO MY SATISFACTION. INDEED, THE -7- SOVIETS SEEM TO HAVE A VARIETY OF POLICIES, TO SUIT THEIR CONVENIENCE. THEY HAVE ONE POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, ANOTHER IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA, AND YET ANOTHER IN NORTH KOREA. IN NORTH KOREA THEY HELP US ONE WEEK TO SEARCH FOR POSSIBLE SURVIVORS OF THE PLANE SHOT DOWN BY THE MIG's THEY PROVIDED. THEN, THE VERY NEXT WEEK, THEY PROTEST BECAUSE WE SEND A NAVAL FORCE TO PROTECT OUR RECONNAISSANCE FLIGHTS AND OUR RIGHT TO USE INTERNATIONAL WATERS AND AIRSPACE. AN ASSESSMENT MUST BE MADE AT AMERICAN- SOVIET BILATERAL TALKS ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND AT THE BIG FOUR MEETINGS. IT IS WHETHER MOSCOW IS SINCERE IN SEEKING A REDUCTION OF TENSIONS, OR WHETHER RUSSIA IS TRYING TO EXPLOIT THE FEAR OF WAR IN THE HOPE OF TURNING A COMPLEX SITUATION TO HER ADVANTAGE. NOT ONLY THE SOVIET UNION BUT ALSO IBRARV -8- COMMUNIST CHINA IS FISHING IN THE TROUBLED WATERS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. ARAB TERRORISTS ARE BEING TRAINED IN PEKING. CHINESE "BUTTON" MINES, MORTARS, ROCKETS, AND OTHER WEAPONS USED AGAINST U.S. FORCES IN VIET NAM HAVE EMERGED IN THE ARAB GUERRILLA ASSAULTS AGAINST ISRAEL. ARAB GUERR'LLLA LEADERS HAVE OPENLY PROCLAIMED THAT THEY WILL REJECT ANY PEACE SETTLEMENT THAT MIGHT BE REACHED BY THE BIG FOUR OR SIGNED BY KING HUSSEIN OR PRESIDENT NASSER. CITING CHAIRMAN MAO OF COMMUNIST CHINA AS THEIR INSPIRATION, THE ARAB TERRORISTS HAVE PROCLAIMED A SO-CALLED WAR OF NATIONAL LIBERATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEIR AIM IS THE LIQUIDATION OF ISRAEL. THE FATAH TERRORISTS CALL THEMSELVES THE VIET CONG OF THE MIDDLE EAST. BUT THE FATAH IS BASICALLY A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION AND NOT REALLY A GUERRILLA ARMY. THE SIZE -9- AND TERRAIN OF ISRAEL ARE SUCH THAT 10 HELICOPTERS CAN KEEP THE ENTIRE COUNTRY UNDER SURVEILLANCE. ANOTHER WAY TO PUT IT IS "THERE'S NO HIDING PLACE DOWN THERE." THIS IS NOT SAID TO MINIMIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FATAH BUT SIMPLY TO PLACE IT IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE. Q IS PEACE POSSIBLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST? ARE THERE ANY AREAS OF POSSIBLE AGREEMENT? I HAVE EXPLORED THESE QUESTIONS DILIGENTLY. I HAVE REACHED SOME CONCLUSIONS. THE TWO SUPERPOWERS -- THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION -- DO NOT RUN THE WORLD ANY LONGER. THERE CAN BE NO IMPOSED SETTLEMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST, NO MATTER WHAT MIGHT BE AGREED UPON IN THE BIG FOUR TALKS. I CAN ASSURE YOU THERE WILL BE NO IMPOSED SETTLEMENT. THERE ARE THOSE WHO SAY THERE IS NO -10- ANSWER TO THE PROBLEMS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY THROW UP THEIR HANDS AND SAY THERE WILL NEVER BE PEACE THERE. I REFUSE TO DESCEND WITH THEM INTO THAT VALE OF DESPAIR. THE ISRAELIS ARE A WONDERFULLY BRAVE AND DETERMINED PEOPLE. AND SO THE RUSSIANS MUST RECOGNIZE THAT THEY ARE NOT ACHIEVING WHAT THEY WANT IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THE SOVIETS HAVE TO ASK THEMSELVES.. HOW MANY TIMES DO WE GO THROUGH ANOTHER SOVIET-ARAB FIASCO LIKE THE SIX-DAY WAR? THEY ALSO HAVE TO ASK THEMSELVES DO WE WANT TO RISK A NUCLEAR CONFRONTATION WITH THE UNITED STATES? AND SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT OUT OF THE FOUR-POWER TALKS ON THE MIDDLE EAST WILL COME A FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH THE ARAB STATES WILL BE WILLING TO OPERATE TO REACH A PEACE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL. OF THIS I CAN ASSURE YOU -- ISRAEL WILL NOT BE SOLD OUT BY THE NIXON SERALD -11- ADMINISTRATION. THERE WILL BE NO MUNICH IN THE MIDDLE EAST. ISRAEL WILL NOT BECOME ANOTHER CZECHOSLOVAKIA. LET ME REITERATE THAT THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IDENTIFIES WITH YOUR CONCERNS. WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE GROWTH OF ISRAEL-AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP. WE SHARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FREEDOM AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. END : : Office Copy A SPEECH BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH. REPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA 8 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 18, 1969 FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY I firmly believe that the fate of Israel is linked with the national security interests of the United States. Concern has been expressed that the Soviet Union and France may "prevail" at the current Big Four talks on the Middle East. I can assure you that your government will not permit this to happen. Israel may enter its 21st anniversary confident of its manhood. Israel's record of achievement and courage makes the state worthy of that status. Israel can feel certain that Americans are aware of her dedication to freedom and of the basic affinity linking Israel with the United States. I join with those who are concerned about overall Soviet designs on the Middle East and Mediterranean. We are aware of the unprecedented Soviet naval build-up in that region. We know that the Russians are trying to exert pressures in the Mediterranean at a time when we are preoccupied in the Far East. Your government is not naive. Nor are the members of Congress. We have no illusions about Soviet policy and the attempts by the Kremlin to create a sphere of influence in the Middle East that would undermine vital American security interests and threaten the entire southern flank of NATO. The game being played by the Russians, exploiting Arab hostility against Israel, is transparent. It is my strong conviction that American policy will not seek to impose" a settlement as a result of the present Big Four Conference or outside the context of such talks. President Nixon has pledged that Israel's vital interests will be preserved and that withdrawal can occur only by consent of the parties directly concerned, based upon a peace agreement that establishes recognized, defensible, and just boundaries. American participation in the Big Four Conference is consistent with efforts to test the Soviet Union's professed desire to preserve peace in the (more) FORD GERAL -2- Middle East and to avoid a nuclear confrontation with the U.S. But no accord will be purchased at the expense of Israel. As I have said, we are well aware of Soviet aims and attitudes. We are also mindful of the continuing brutal suppression of Czechoslovakia, denounced just recently by President Nixon. The U.S. Government is aware that the Soviet-made MIG's that treacherously attacked an unarmed U.S. reconnaissance plane in international airspace off the Korean coast were the same kind of aircraft the Soviets have supplied to the radical Arab states. Our Government must therefore continue to maintain the military combat and deterrent capacities of Israel through the earliest possible supply of Phantom jets and other military hardware requirements. I am pleased to note that Israeli air and ground crews to man the Phantoms are presently receiving special training at a U.S. Air Force Base in California. The Phantoms will be ready for shipment at a time coinciding with the completion of training -- a matter of months. Many of the Phantoms will be in service in Israel before the end of 1969. We recognize Israel's isolated geographic position, surrounded as she is by enemies. Her very life depends on airpower and civilian air links with the free world. When you consider the attacks earlier this year on Israeli airliners by Arab terrorists armed with Russian weapons, and then the criminal attack by Communist North Korean MIG-21's on an unarmed American plane in international airspace, you are compelled to ask: Are the Russians sincerely seeking a relaxation of tensions or are they secretly gleeful over attacks on Free World nations by fanatics and fourth-rate despots? We have heard the Kremlin profess great concern about Middle Eastern peace. But we have watched them pour naval forces into the Mediterranean. We have heard them demand American withdrawal. We have watched them build up the war potential of radical and irresponsible Arab States that refuse to enter into real peace negotiations with Israel. Moscow is attempting to achieve indirectly what Communist and Aarb pressure has failed to accomplish by military means and threats. They have sought to roll back the Israelis from the cease-fire lines of June, 1967, without a meaningful peace settlement. Thus they would keep the sore open, restore the intolerable situation that existed immediately before the outbreak of the Six-Day (more) -3- War, and exploit any pullback by Israel as a defeat for Free World interests, The Soviet Union has not clarified her policy to my satisfaction. Indeed, the Soviets seem to have a variety of policies, to suit their convenience. They have one policy in the Middle East, another in Czechoslovakia, and yet another in North Korea. In North Korea they help us one week to search for possible survivors of the plane shot down by the MIG's they provided. Then, the very next week, they protest because we send a Naval force to protect our reconnaissance flights and our right to use international waters and airspace. An assessment must be made at American-Soviet bilateral talks on the Middle East and at the Big Four meetings. It is whether Moscow is sincere in seeking a reduction of tensions, or whether Russia is trying to exploit the fear of war in the hope of turning a complex situation to her advantage. Not only the Soviet Union but also Communist China is fishing in the troubled waters of the Middle East. Arab terrorists are being trained in Peking. Chinese "button" mines, mortars, rockets, and other weapons used against U.S. forces in Viet Nam have emerged in the Arab guerrilla assaults against Israel. Arab guerrilla leaders have openly proclaimed that they will reject any peace settlement that might be reached by the Big Four or signed by King Hussein or President Nasser. Citing Chairman Mao of Communist China as their inspiration, the Arab terrorists have proclaimed a so-called war of national liberation in the Middle East. Their aim is the liquidation of Israel. The Fatah terrorists call themselves the Viet Cong of the Middle East. But the Fatah is basically a terrorist organization and not really a guerrilla army. The size and terrain of Israel are such that 10 helicopters can keep the entire country under surveillance. Another way to put it is "there's no hiding place down there." This is not said to minimize the importance of the Fatah but simply to place it in proper perspective. Is peace possible in the Middle East? Are there any areas of possible agreement? I have explored these questions diligently. I have reached some conclusions. The two superpowers -- the United States and the Soviet Union -- do not run the world any longer. There can be no imposed settlement in the Middle East, no matter what (more) -4- might be agreed upon in the Big Four talks. I can assure you there will be no imposed settlement. There are those who say there is no answer to the problems of the Middle East. They throw up their hands and say there will never be peace there. I refuse to descend with them into that vale of despair. The Israelis are a wonderfully brave and determined people. And so the Russians must recognize that they are not achieving what they want in the Middle East. The Soviets have to ask themselves how many times do we go through another Soviet-Arab fiasco like the six-day war? They also have to ask themselves do we want to risk a nuclear confrontation with the United States? And so it is possible that out of the Four-Power Talks on the Middle East will come a framework within which the Arab states will be willing to operate to reach a peace agreement with Israel. Of this I can assure you -- Israel will not be sold out by the Nixon Administration. There will be no Munich in the Middle East. Israel will not become another Czechoslovakia. Let me reiterate that the Republican leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives identifies with your concerns. We are committed to the growth of Israel-American friendship. We share your aspirations for the preservation of freedom and justice for all. ### n office Copy A SPEECH BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH. REPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA 8 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 18, 1969 FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY I firmly believe that the fate of Israel is linked with the national security interests of the United States. Concern has been expressed that the Soviet Union and France may "prevail" at the current Big Four talks on the Middle East. I can assure you that your government will not permit this to happen. Israel may enter its 21st anniversary confident of its manhood. Israel's record of achievement and courage makes the state worthy of that status. Israel can feel certain that Americans are aware of her dedication to freedom and of the basic affinity linking Israel with the United States. I join with those who are concerned about overall Soviet designs on the Middle East and Mediterranean. We are aware of the unprecedented Soviet naval build-up in that region. We know that the Russians are trying to exert pressures in the Mediterranean at a time when we are preoccupied in the Far East. Your government is not naive. Nor are the members of Congress. We have no illusions about Soviet policy and the attempts by the Kremlin to create a sphere of influence in the Middle East that would undermine vital American security interests and threaten the entire southern flank of NATO. The game being played by the Russians, exploiting Arab hostility against Israel, is transparent. It is my strong conviction that American policy will not seek to impose" a settlement as a result of the present Big Four Conference or outside the context of such talks. President Nixon has pledged that Israel's vital interests will be preserved and that withdrawal can occur only by consent of the parties directly concerned, based upon a peace agreement that establishes recognized, defensible, and just boundaries. American participation in the Big Four Conference is consistent with efforts to test the Soviet Union's professed desire to preserve peace in the (more) -2- Middle East and to avoid a nuclear confrontation with the U.S. But no accord will be purchased at the expense of Israel. As I have said, we are well aware of Soviet aims and attitudes. We are also mindful of the continuing brutal suppression of Czechoslovakia, denounced just recently by President Nixon. The U.S. Government is aware that the Soviet-made MIG's that treacherously attacked an unarmed U.S. reconnaissance plane in international airspace off the Korean coast were the same kind of aircraft the Soviets have supplied to the radical Arab states. Our Government must therefore continue to maintain the military combat and deterrent capacities of Israel through the earliest possible supply of Phantom jets and other military hardware requirements. I am pleased to note that Israeli air and ground crews to man the Phantoms are presently receiving special training at a U.S. Air Force Base in California. The Phantoms will be ready for shipment at a time coinciding with the completion of training -- a matter of months. Many of the Phantoms will be in service in Israel before the end of 1969. We recognize Israel's isolated geographic position, surrounded as she is by enemies. Her very life depends on airpower and civilian air links with the free world. When you consider the attacks earlier this year on Israeli airliners by Arab terrorists armed with Russian weapons, and then the criminal attack by Communist North Korean MIG-21's on an unarmed American plane in international airspace, you are compelled to ask: Are the Russians sincerely seeking a relaxation of tensions or are they secretly gleeful over attacks on Free World nations by fanatics and fourth-rate despots? We have heard the Kremlin profess great concern about Middle Eastern peace. But we have watched them pour naval forces into the Mediterranean. We have heard them demand American withdrawal. We have watched them build up the war potential of radical and irresponsible Arab States that refuse to enter into real peace negotiations with Israel. Moscow is attempting to achieve indirectly what Communist and Aarb pressure has failed to accomplish by military means and threats. They have sought to roll back the Israelis from the cease-fire lines of June, 1967, without a meaningful peace settlement. Thus they would keep the sore open, restore the intolerable situation that existed immediately before the outbreak of the Six-Day (more) -3- War, and exploit any pullback by Israel as a defeat for Free World interests. The Soviet Union has not clarified her policy to my satisfaction. Indeed, the Soviets seem to have a variety of policies, to suit their convenience. They have one policy in the Middle East, another in Czechoslovakia, and yet another in North Korea. In North Korea they help us one week to search for possible survivors of the plane shot down by the MIG's they provided. Then, the very next week, they protest because we send a Naval force to protect our reconnaissance flights and our right to use international waters and airspace. An assessment must be made at American-Soviet bilateral talks on the Middle East and at the Big Four meetings. It is whether Moscow is sincere in seeking a reduction of tensions, or whether Russia is trying to exploit the fear of war in the hope of turning a complex situation to her advantage. Not only the Soviet Union but also Communist China is fishing in the troubled waters of the Middle East. Arab terrorists are being trained in Peking. Chinese "button" mines, mortars, rockets, and other weapons used against U.S. forces in Viet Nam have emerged in the Arab guerrilla assaults against Israel. Arab guerrilla leaders have openly proclaimed that they will reject any peace settlement that might be reached by the Big Four or signed by King Hussein or President Nasser. Citing Chairman Mao of Communist China as their inspiration, the Arab terrorists have proclaimed a so-called war of national liberation in the Middle East. Their aim is the liquidation of Israel. The Fatah terrorists call themselves the Viet Cong of the Middle East. But the Fatah is basically a terrorist organization and not really a guerrilla army. The size and terrain of Israel are such that 10 helicopters can keep the entire country under surveillance. Another way to put it is "there's no hiding place down there." This is not said to minimize the importance of the Fatah but simply to place it in proper perspective. Is peace possible in the Middle East? Are there any areas of possible agreement? I have explored these questions diligently. I have reached some conclusions. The two superpowers -- the United States and the Soviet Union -- do not run the world any longer. There can be no imposed settlement in the Middle East, no matter what (more) -4- might be agreed upon in the Big Four talks. I can assure you there will be no imposed settlement. There are those who say there is no answer to the problems of the Middle East. They throw up their hands and say there will never be peace there. I refuse to descend with them into that vale of despair. The Israelis are a wonderfully brave and determined people. And so the Russians must recognize that they are not achieving what they want in the Middle East. The Soviets have to ask themselves how many times do we go through another Soviet-Arab fiasco like the six-day war? They also have to ask themselves do we want to risk a nuclear confrontation with the United States? And so it is possible that out of the Four-Power Talks on the Middle East will come a framework within which the Arab states will be willing to operate to reach a peace agreement with Israel. Of this I can assure you -- Israel will not be sold out by the Nixon Administration. There will be no Munich in the Middle East. Israel will not become another Czechoslovakia. Let me reiterate that the Republican leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives identifies with your concerns. We are committed to the growth of Israel-American friendship. We share your aspirations for the preservation of freedom and justice for all. # # #

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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D27, folder \"Jewish Community Center,\nAllentown, PA, May 18, 1969\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and\nSpeech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDigitized from Box D27 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nJEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, ALLENTOWN, PA.\n8 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 18, 1969.\nI FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE FATE OF\nISRAEL IS LINKED WITH THE NATIONAL SECURITY\nINTERESTS OF THE UNITED STATES.\nCONCERN HAS BEEN EXPRESSED THAT THE\nSOVIET UNION AND FRANCE MAY \"PREVAIL\" AT\nTHE CURRENT BIG FOUR TALKS ON THE MIDDLE\nEAST. I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT YOUR GOVERNMENT\nWILL NOT PERMIT THIS TO HAPPEN.\nISRAEL MAY ENTER ITS 21st ANNIVERSARY\nCONFIDENT OF ITS MANHOOD. ISRAEL'S RECORD\nOF ACHIEVEMENT AND COURAGE MAKES THE STATE\nWORTHY OF THAT STATUS. ISRAEL CAN FEEL\nCERTAIN THAT AMERICANS ARE AWARE OF HER\nDEDICATION TO FREEDOM AND OF THE BASIC\nAFFINITY LINKING ISRAEL WITH THE UNITED\nSTATES.\nFORD\nI JOIN WITH THOSE WHO ARE CONCERNED\nLIBRARY\n-2-\nABOUT OVERALL SOVIET DESIGNS ON THE\nMIDDLE EAST AND MEDITERRANEAN.\nWE ARE AWARE OF THE UNPRECEDENTED\nStat/acteal snawelt\nSOVIET NAVAL BUILD-UP IN THAT REGION. WE\nMartine\nKNOW THAT THE RUSSIANS ARE TRYING TO EXERT\nPRESSURES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AT A TIME\nWHEN WE ARE PREOCCUPIED IN THE FAR EAST.\nYOUR GOVERNMENT IS NOT NAIVE. NOR\nARE THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.\nWE HAVE NO ILLUSIONS ABOUT SOVIET\nPOLICY AND THE ATTEMPTS BY THE KREMLIN TO\nCREATE A SPHERE OF INFLUENCE IN THE MIDDLE\nEAST THAT WOULD UNDERMINE VITAL AMERICAN\nSECURITY INTERESTS AND THREATEN THE ENTIRE\nSOUTHERN FLANK OF NATO. THE GAME BEING\nPLAYED BY THE RUSSIANS, EXPLOITING ARAB\nHOSTILITY AGAINST ISRAEL, IS TRANSPARENT.\nIT IS MY STRONG CONVICTION THAT\nAMERICAN POLICY WILL NOT SEEK TO \"IMPOSE\"\nA SETTLEMENT AS A RESULT OF THE PRESENT BIG\n-3-\nFOUR CONFERENCE OR OUTSIDE THE CONTEXT OF\nSUCH TALKS.\nPRESIDENT NIXON HAS PLEDGED THAT\nNassais\nnile\nISRAEL'S VITAL INTERESTS WILL BE PRESERVED\nAND THAT WITHDRAWAL CAN OCCUR ONLY BY CONSENT\nOF THE PARTIES DIRECTLY CONCERNED, BASED\nUPON A PEACE AGREEMENT THAT ESTABLISHES\nRECOGNIZED, DEFENSIBLE, AND JUST BOUNDARIES.\nAMERICAN PARTICIPATION IN THE BIG\nFOUR CONFERENCE IS CONSISTENT WITH EFFORTS\nTO TEST THE SOVIET UNION'S PROFESSED DESIRE\nTO PRESERVE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND\nTO AVOID A NUCLEAR CONFRONTATION WITH THE\nU.S.\nBUT NO ACCORD WILL BE PURCHASED AT\nTHE EXPENSE OF ISRAEL.\nAS I HAVE SAID, WE ARE WELL AWARE\nOF SOVIET AIMS AND ATTITUDES. WE ARE ALSO\nMINDFUL OF THE CONTINUING BRUTAL SUPPRESSION\nOF CZECHOSLOVAKIA, DENOUNCED JUST RECENTLY\nBY PRESIDENT NIXON.\n-4-\nTHE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS AWARE THAT\nTHE SOVIET-MADE MIG's THAT TREACHEROUSLY\nATTACKED AN UNARMED U.S. RECONNAISSANCE\nPLANE IN INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE OFF THE\nKOREAN COAST WERE THE SAME KIND OF AIRCRAFT\nTHE SOVIETS HAVE SUPPLIED TO THE RADICAL\nARAB STATES.\nOUR GOVERNMENT MUST THEREFORE\nCONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THE MILITARY COMBAT\nAND DETERRENT CAPACITIES OF ISRAEL THROUGH\nTHE EARLIEST POSSIBLE SUPPLY OF PHANTOM\nJETS AND OTHER MILITARY HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS.\nI AM PLEASEDOTO NOTE THAT ISRAELI AIR AND\nGROUND CREWS TO MAN THE PHANTOMS ARE\nPRESENTLY RECEIVING SPECIAL TRAINING AT A\nU.S. AIR FORCE BASE IN CALIFORNIA. THE PHAN\nPHANTOMS WILL BE READY FOR SHIPMENT AT A\nTIME COINCIDING WITH THE COMPLETION OF\nTRAINING -- A MATTER OF MONTHS. MANY OF\nTHE PHANTOMS WILL BE IN SERVICE IN ISRAEL\n-5-\nBEFORE THE END OF 1969.\nWE RECOGNIZE ISRAEL'S ISOLATED\nGEOGRAPHIC POSITION, SURROUNDED AS SHE IS\nBY ENEMIES. HEREVERY LIFE DEPENDS ON\nAIRPOWER AND CIVILIAN AIR LINKS WITH THE\nFREE WORLD.\nWHEN YOU CONSIDER THE ATTACKS EARLIER\nTHIS YEAR ON ISRAELI AIRLINERS BY ARAB\nTERRORISTS ARMED WITH RUSSIAN WEAPONS, AND\nTHEN THE CRIMINAL ATTACK BY COMMUNIST NORTH\nKOREAN MIG-21's ON AN UNARMED AMERICAN\nPLANE IN INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE, YOU ARE\nCOMPELLED TO ASK: ARE THE RUSSIANS\nSINCERELY SEEKING A RELAXATION OF TENSIONS\nOR ARE THEY SECRETLY GLEEFUL OVER ATTACKS\nON FREE WORLD NATIONS BY FANATICS AND\nFOURTH-RATE DESPOTS?\nWE HAVE HEARD THE KREMLIN PROFESS\nGREAT CONCERN ABOUT MTDDLE EASTERN PEACE. FORD\nBUT WE HAVE WATCHED THEM POUR NAVAL FORCES\n-6-\nINTO THE MEDITERRANEAN. WE HAVE HEARD\nTHEM DEMAND AMERICAN WITHDRAWAL. WE HAVE\nWATCHED THEM BUILD UP THE WAR POTENTIAL OF\nRADICAL AND IRRESPONSIBLE ARAB STATES THAT\nREFUSE TO ENTER INTO REAL PEACE NEGOTIATIONS\nWITH ISRAEL.\nMOSCOW IS ATTEMPTING TO ACHIEVE\nINDIRECTLY WHAT COMMUNIST AND ARAB PRESSURE\nHAS FAILED TO ACCOMPLISH BY MILITARY MEANS\nAND THREATS. THEY HAVE SOUGHT TO ROLL BACK\nTHE ISRAELIS FROM THE CEASE-FIRE LINES OF\nJUNE, 1967, WITHOUT A MEANINGFUL PEACE\nSETTLEMENT. THUS THEY WOULD KEEP THE SORE\nOPEN, RESTORE THE INTOLERABLE SITUATION THAT\nEXISTED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE OUTBREAK OF\nTHE SIX-DAY WAR, AND EXPLOIT ANY PULLBACK\nBY ISRAEL AS A DEFEAT FOR FREE WORLD\nINTERESTS.\nTHE SOVIET UNION HAS NOT CLARIFIED\nHER POLICY TO MY SATISFACTION. INDEED, THE\n-7-\nSOVIETS SEEM TO HAVE A VARIETY OF POLICIES,\nTO SUIT THEIR CONVENIENCE. THEY HAVE ONE\nPOLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, ANOTHER IN\nCZECHOSLOVAKIA, AND YET ANOTHER IN NORTH\nKOREA. IN NORTH KOREA THEY HELP US ONE\nWEEK TO SEARCH FOR POSSIBLE SURVIVORS OF\nTHE PLANE SHOT DOWN BY THE MIG's THEY\nPROVIDED. THEN, THE VERY NEXT WEEK, THEY\nPROTEST BECAUSE WE SEND A NAVAL FORCE TO\nPROTECT OUR RECONNAISSANCE FLIGHTS AND OUR\nRIGHT TO USE INTERNATIONAL WATERS AND\nAIRSPACE.\nAN ASSESSMENT MUST BE MADE AT AMERICAN-\nSOVIET BILATERAL TALKS ON THE MIDDLE EAST\nAND AT THE BIG FOUR MEETINGS. IT IS WHETHER\nMOSCOW IS SINCERE IN SEEKING A REDUCTION OF\nTENSIONS, OR WHETHER RUSSIA IS TRYING TO\nEXPLOIT THE FEAR OF WAR IN THE HOPE OF\nTURNING A COMPLEX SITUATION TO HER ADVANTAGE.\nNOT ONLY THE SOVIET UNION BUT ALSO\nIBRARV\n-8-\nCOMMUNIST CHINA IS FISHING IN THE TROUBLED\nWATERS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. ARAB TERRORISTS\nARE BEING TRAINED IN PEKING. CHINESE\n\"BUTTON\" MINES, MORTARS, ROCKETS, AND OTHER\nWEAPONS USED AGAINST U.S. FORCES IN\nVIET NAM HAVE EMERGED IN THE ARAB GUERRILLA\nASSAULTS AGAINST ISRAEL. ARAB GUERR'LLLA\nLEADERS HAVE OPENLY PROCLAIMED THAT THEY\nWILL REJECT ANY PEACE SETTLEMENT THAT MIGHT\nBE REACHED BY THE BIG FOUR OR SIGNED BY\nKING HUSSEIN OR PRESIDENT NASSER.\nCITING CHAIRMAN MAO OF COMMUNIST\nCHINA AS THEIR INSPIRATION, THE ARAB\nTERRORISTS HAVE PROCLAIMED A SO-CALLED WAR\nOF NATIONAL LIBERATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST.\nTHEIR AIM IS THE LIQUIDATION OF ISRAEL.\nTHE FATAH TERRORISTS CALL THEMSELVES\nTHE VIET CONG OF THE MIDDLE EAST. BUT THE\nFATAH IS BASICALLY A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION\nAND NOT REALLY A GUERRILLA ARMY. THE SIZE\n-9-\nAND TERRAIN OF ISRAEL ARE SUCH THAT\n10 HELICOPTERS CAN KEEP THE ENTIRE COUNTRY\nUNDER SURVEILLANCE. ANOTHER WAY TO PUT IT\nIS \"THERE'S NO HIDING PLACE DOWN THERE.\"\nTHIS IS NOT SAID TO MINIMIZE THE\nIMPORTANCE OF THE FATAH BUT SIMPLY TO PLACE\nIT IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE.\nQ\nIS PEACE POSSIBLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST?\nARE THERE ANY AREAS OF POSSIBLE AGREEMENT?\nI HAVE EXPLORED THESE QUESTIONS\nDILIGENTLY. I HAVE REACHED SOME CONCLUSIONS.\nTHE TWO SUPERPOWERS -- THE UNITED\nSTATES AND THE SOVIET UNION -- DO NOT RUN\nTHE WORLD ANY LONGER.\nTHERE CAN BE NO IMPOSED SETTLEMENT\nIN THE MIDDLE EAST, NO MATTER WHAT MIGHT BE\nAGREED UPON IN THE BIG FOUR TALKS. I CAN\nASSURE YOU THERE WILL BE NO IMPOSED\nSETTLEMENT.\nTHERE ARE THOSE WHO SAY THERE IS NO\n-10-\nANSWER TO THE PROBLEMS OF THE MIDDLE EAST.\nTHEY THROW UP THEIR HANDS AND SAY THERE WILL\nNEVER BE PEACE THERE. I REFUSE TO DESCEND\nWITH THEM INTO THAT VALE OF DESPAIR.\nTHE ISRAELIS ARE A WONDERFULLY BRAVE\nAND DETERMINED PEOPLE. AND SO THE RUSSIANS\nMUST RECOGNIZE THAT THEY ARE NOT ACHIEVING\nWHAT THEY WANT IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THE\nSOVIETS HAVE TO ASK THEMSELVES.. HOW MANY\nTIMES DO WE GO THROUGH ANOTHER SOVIET-ARAB\nFIASCO LIKE THE SIX-DAY WAR? THEY ALSO HAVE\nTO ASK THEMSELVES DO WE WANT TO RISK A\nNUCLEAR CONFRONTATION WITH THE UNITED STATES?\nAND SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT OUT OF\nTHE FOUR-POWER TALKS ON THE MIDDLE EAST WILL\nCOME A FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH THE ARAB\nSTATES WILL BE WILLING TO OPERATE TO REACH\nA PEACE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL.\nOF THIS I CAN ASSURE YOU -- ISRAEL\nWILL NOT BE SOLD OUT BY THE NIXON\nSERALD\n-11-\nADMINISTRATION. THERE WILL BE NO MUNICH\nIN THE MIDDLE EAST. ISRAEL WILL NOT BECOME\nANOTHER CZECHOSLOVAKIA.\nLET ME REITERATE THAT THE REPUBLICAN\nLEADERSHIP OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\nIDENTIFIES WITH YOUR CONCERNS. WE ARE\nCOMMITTED TO THE GROWTH OF ISRAEL-AMERICAN\nFRIENDSHIP. WE SHARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS FOR\nTHE PRESERVATION OF FREEDOM AND JUSTICE FOR\nALL.\nEND : :\nOffice Copy\nA SPEECH BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.\nREPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\nAT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER\nALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA\n8 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 18, 1969\nFOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY\nI firmly believe that the fate of Israel is linked with the national\nsecurity interests of the United States.\nConcern has been expressed that the Soviet Union and France may \"prevail\"\nat the current Big Four talks on the Middle East. I can assure you that your\ngovernment will not permit this to happen.\nIsrael may enter its 21st anniversary confident of its manhood. Israel's\nrecord of achievement and courage makes the state worthy of that status. Israel\ncan feel certain that Americans are aware of her dedication to freedom and of the\nbasic affinity linking Israel with the United States.\nI join with those who are concerned about overall Soviet designs on the\nMiddle East and Mediterranean.\nWe are aware of the unprecedented Soviet naval build-up in that region.\nWe know that the Russians are trying to exert pressures in the Mediterranean\nat a time when we are preoccupied in the Far East.\nYour government is not naive. Nor are the members of Congress.\nWe have no illusions about Soviet policy and the attempts by the Kremlin\nto create a sphere of influence in the Middle East that would undermine vital\nAmerican security interests and threaten the entire southern flank of NATO. The\ngame being played by the Russians, exploiting Arab hostility against Israel, is\ntransparent.\nIt is my strong conviction that American policy will not seek to impose\"\na settlement as a result of the present Big Four Conference or outside the\ncontext of such talks.\nPresident Nixon has pledged that Israel's vital interests will be\npreserved and that withdrawal can occur only by consent of the parties directly\nconcerned, based upon a peace agreement that establishes recognized, defensible,\nand just boundaries.\nAmerican participation in the Big Four Conference is consistent with\nefforts to test the Soviet Union's professed desire to preserve peace in the\n(more)\nFORD\nGERAL\n-2-\nMiddle East and to avoid a nuclear confrontation with the U.S. But no accord\nwill be purchased at the expense of Israel.\nAs I have said, we are well aware of Soviet aims and attitudes. We are\nalso mindful of the continuing brutal suppression of Czechoslovakia, denounced\njust recently by President Nixon.\nThe U.S. Government is aware that the Soviet-made MIG's that treacherously\nattacked an unarmed U.S. reconnaissance plane in international airspace off the\nKorean coast were the same kind of aircraft the Soviets have supplied to the\nradical Arab states.\nOur Government must therefore continue to maintain the military combat and\ndeterrent capacities of Israel through the earliest possible supply of Phantom\njets and other military hardware requirements. I am pleased to note that Israeli\nair and ground crews to man the Phantoms are presently receiving special training\nat a U.S. Air Force Base in California. The Phantoms will be ready for shipment\nat a time coinciding with the completion of training -- a matter of months. Many\nof the Phantoms will be in service in Israel before the end of 1969.\nWe recognize Israel's isolated geographic position, surrounded as she is\nby enemies. Her very life depends on airpower and civilian air links with the\nfree world.\nWhen you consider the attacks earlier this year on Israeli airliners by\nArab terrorists armed with Russian weapons, and then the criminal attack by\nCommunist North Korean MIG-21's on an unarmed American plane in international\nairspace, you are compelled to ask: Are the Russians sincerely seeking a\nrelaxation of tensions or are they secretly gleeful over attacks on Free World\nnations by fanatics and fourth-rate despots?\nWe have heard the Kremlin profess great concern about Middle Eastern peace.\nBut we have watched them pour naval forces into the Mediterranean. We have heard\nthem demand American withdrawal. We have watched them build up the war potential\nof radical and irresponsible Arab States that refuse to enter into real peace\nnegotiations with Israel.\nMoscow is attempting to achieve indirectly what Communist and Aarb\npressure has failed to accomplish by military means and threats. They have\nsought to roll back the Israelis from the cease-fire lines of June, 1967, without\na meaningful peace settlement. Thus they would keep the sore open, restore the\nintolerable situation that existed immediately before the outbreak of the Six-Day\n(more)\n-3-\nWar, and exploit any pullback by Israel as a defeat for Free World interests,\nThe Soviet Union has not clarified her policy to my satisfaction. Indeed,\nthe Soviets seem to have a variety of policies, to suit their convenience. They\nhave one policy in the Middle East, another in Czechoslovakia, and yet another\nin North Korea. In North Korea they help us one week to search for possible\nsurvivors of the plane shot down by the MIG's they provided. Then, the very next\nweek, they protest because we send a Naval force to protect our reconnaissance\nflights and our right to use international waters and airspace.\nAn assessment must be made at American-Soviet bilateral talks on the\nMiddle East and at the Big Four meetings. It is whether Moscow is sincere in\nseeking a reduction of tensions, or whether Russia is trying to exploit the fear\nof war in the hope of turning a complex situation to her advantage.\nNot only the Soviet Union but also Communist China is fishing in the\ntroubled waters of the Middle East. Arab terrorists are being trained in Peking.\nChinese \"button\" mines, mortars, rockets, and other weapons used against U.S.\nforces in Viet Nam have emerged in the Arab guerrilla assaults against Israel.\nArab guerrilla leaders have openly proclaimed that they will reject any peace\nsettlement that might be reached by the Big Four or signed by King Hussein or\nPresident Nasser.\nCiting Chairman Mao of Communist China as their inspiration, the Arab\nterrorists have proclaimed a so-called war of national liberation in the Middle\nEast. Their aim is the liquidation of Israel.\nThe Fatah terrorists call themselves the Viet Cong of the Middle East.\nBut the Fatah is basically a terrorist organization and not really a guerrilla\narmy. The size and terrain of Israel are such that 10 helicopters can keep the\nentire country under surveillance. Another way to put it is \"there's no hiding\nplace down there.\"\nThis is not said to minimize the importance of the Fatah but simply to\nplace it in proper perspective.\nIs peace possible in the Middle East? Are there any areas of possible\nagreement?\nI have explored these questions diligently. I have reached some conclusions.\nThe two superpowers -- the United States and the Soviet Union -- do not\nrun the world any longer.\nThere can be no imposed settlement in the Middle East, no matter what\n(more)\n-4-\nmight be agreed upon in the Big Four talks. I can assure you there will be no\nimposed settlement.\nThere are those who say there is no answer to the problems of the Middle\nEast. They throw up their hands and say there will never be peace there. I\nrefuse to descend with them into that vale of despair.\nThe Israelis are a wonderfully brave and determined people. And so the\nRussians must recognize that they are not achieving what they want in the Middle\nEast. The Soviets have to ask themselves how many times do we go through another\nSoviet-Arab fiasco like the six-day war? They also have to ask themselves\ndo\nwe want to risk a nuclear confrontation with the United States?\nAnd so it is possible that out of the Four-Power Talks on the Middle East\nwill come a framework within which the Arab states will be willing to operate to\nreach a peace agreement with Israel.\nOf this I can assure you -- Israel will not be sold out by the Nixon\nAdministration. There will be no Munich in the Middle East. Israel will not\nbecome another Czechoslovakia.\nLet me reiterate that the Republican leadership of the U.S. House of\nRepresentatives identifies with your concerns. We are committed to the growth\nof Israel-American friendship. We share your aspirations for the preservation\nof freedom and justice for all.\n###\nn office Copy\nA SPEECH BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.\nREPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\nAT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER\nALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA\n8 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 18, 1969\nFOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY\nI firmly believe that the fate of Israel is linked with the national\nsecurity interests of the United States.\nConcern has been expressed that the Soviet Union and France may \"prevail\"\nat the current Big Four talks on the Middle East. I can assure you that your\ngovernment will not permit this to happen.\nIsrael may enter its 21st anniversary confident of its manhood. Israel's\nrecord of achievement and courage makes the state worthy of that status. Israel\ncan feel certain that Americans are aware of her dedication to freedom and of the\nbasic affinity linking Israel with the United States.\nI join with those who are concerned about overall Soviet designs on the\nMiddle East and Mediterranean.\nWe are aware of the unprecedented Soviet naval build-up in that region.\nWe know that the Russians are trying to exert pressures in the Mediterranean\nat a time when we are preoccupied in the Far East.\nYour government is not naive. Nor are the members of Congress.\nWe have no illusions about Soviet policy and the attempts by the Kremlin\nto create a sphere of influence in the Middle East that would undermine vital\nAmerican security interests and threaten the entire southern flank of NATO. The\ngame being played by the Russians, exploiting Arab hostility against Israel, is\ntransparent.\nIt is my strong conviction that American policy will not seek to impose\"\na settlement as a result of the present Big Four Conference or outside the\ncontext of such talks.\nPresident Nixon has pledged that Israel's vital interests will be\npreserved and that withdrawal can occur only by consent of the parties directly\nconcerned, based upon a peace agreement that establishes recognized, defensible,\nand just boundaries.\nAmerican participation in the Big Four Conference is consistent with\nefforts to test the Soviet Union's professed desire to preserve peace in the\n(more)\n-2-\nMiddle East and to avoid a nuclear confrontation with the U.S. But no accord\nwill be purchased at the expense of Israel.\nAs I have said, we are well aware of Soviet aims and attitudes. We are\nalso mindful of the continuing brutal suppression of Czechoslovakia, denounced\njust recently by President Nixon.\nThe U.S. Government is aware that the Soviet-made MIG's that treacherously\nattacked an unarmed U.S. reconnaissance plane in international airspace off the\nKorean coast were the same kind of aircraft the Soviets have supplied to the\nradical Arab states.\nOur Government must therefore continue to maintain the military combat and\ndeterrent capacities of Israel through the earliest possible supply of Phantom\njets and other military hardware requirements. I am pleased to note that Israeli\nair and ground crews to man the Phantoms are presently receiving special training\nat a U.S. Air Force Base in California. The Phantoms will be ready for shipment\nat a time coinciding with the completion of training -- a matter of months. Many\nof the Phantoms will be in service in Israel before the end of 1969.\nWe recognize Israel's isolated geographic position, surrounded as she is\nby enemies. Her very life depends on airpower and civilian air links with the\nfree world.\nWhen you consider the attacks earlier this year on Israeli airliners by\nArab terrorists armed with Russian weapons, and then the criminal attack by\nCommunist North Korean MIG-21's on an unarmed American plane in international\nairspace, you are compelled to ask: Are the Russians sincerely seeking a\nrelaxation of tensions or are they secretly gleeful over attacks on Free World\nnations by fanatics and fourth-rate despots?\nWe have heard the Kremlin profess great concern about Middle Eastern peace.\nBut we have watched them pour naval forces into the Mediterranean. We have heard\nthem demand American withdrawal. We have watched them build up the war potential\nof radical and irresponsible Arab States that refuse to enter into real peace\nnegotiations with Israel.\nMoscow is attempting to achieve indirectly what Communist and Aarb\npressure has failed to accomplish by military means and threats. They have\nsought to roll back the Israelis from the cease-fire lines of June, 1967, without\na meaningful peace settlement. Thus they would keep the sore open, restore the\nintolerable situation that existed immediately before the outbreak of the Six-Day\n(more)\n-3-\nWar, and exploit any pullback by Israel as a defeat for Free World interests.\nThe Soviet Union has not clarified her policy to my satisfaction. Indeed,\nthe Soviets seem to have a variety of policies, to suit their convenience. They\nhave one policy in the Middle East, another in Czechoslovakia, and yet another\nin North Korea. In North Korea they help us one week to search for possible\nsurvivors of the plane shot down by the MIG's they provided. Then, the very next\nweek, they protest because we send a Naval force to protect our reconnaissance\nflights and our right to use international waters and airspace.\nAn assessment must be made at American-Soviet bilateral talks on the\nMiddle East and at the Big Four meetings. It is whether Moscow is sincere in\nseeking a reduction of tensions, or whether Russia is trying to exploit the fear\nof war in the hope of turning a complex situation to her advantage.\nNot only the Soviet Union but also Communist China is fishing in the\ntroubled waters of the Middle East. Arab terrorists are being trained in Peking.\nChinese \"button\" mines, mortars, rockets, and other weapons used against U.S.\nforces in Viet Nam have emerged in the Arab guerrilla assaults against Israel.\nArab guerrilla leaders have openly proclaimed that they will reject any peace\nsettlement that might be reached by the Big Four or signed by King Hussein or\nPresident Nasser.\nCiting Chairman Mao of Communist China as their inspiration, the Arab\nterrorists have proclaimed a so-called war of national liberation in the Middle\nEast. Their aim is the liquidation of Israel.\nThe Fatah terrorists call themselves the Viet Cong of the Middle East.\nBut the Fatah is basically a terrorist organization and not really a guerrilla\narmy. The size and terrain of Israel are such that 10 helicopters can keep the\nentire country under surveillance. Another way to put it is \"there's no hiding\nplace down there.\"\nThis is not said to minimize the importance of the Fatah but simply to\nplace it in proper perspective.\nIs peace possible in the Middle East? Are there any areas of possible\nagreement?\nI have explored these questions diligently. I have reached some conclusions.\nThe two superpowers -- the United States and the Soviet Union -- do not\nrun the world any longer.\nThere can be no imposed settlement in the Middle East, no matter what\n(more)\n-4-\nmight be agreed upon in the Big Four talks. I can assure you there will be no\nimposed settlement.\nThere are those who say there is no answer to the problems of the Middle\nEast. They throw up their hands and say there will never be peace there. I\nrefuse to descend with them into that vale of despair.\nThe Israelis are a wonderfully brave and determined people. And so the\nRussians must recognize that they are not achieving what they want in the Middle\nEast. The Soviets have to ask themselves how many times do we go through another\nSoviet-Arab fiasco like the six-day war? They also have to ask themselves\ndo\nwe want to risk a nuclear confrontation with the United States?\nAnd so it is possible that out of the Four-Power Talks on the Middle East\nwill come a framework within which the Arab states will be willing to operate to\nreach a peace agreement with Israel.\nOf this I can assure you -- Israel will not be sold out by the Nixon\nAdministration. There will be no Munich in the Middle East. Israel will not\nbecome another Czechoslovakia.\nLet me reiterate that the Republican leadership of the U.S. House of\nRepresentatives identifies with your concerns. We are committed to the growth\nof Israel-American friendship. We share your aspirations for the preservation\nof freedom and justice for all.\n# # #"
}