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September 13, 1974 - Ford, Kissinger, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
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1552787
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document
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September 13, 1974 - Ford, Kissinger, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
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Memoranda of Conversations (Nixon and Ford Administrations)
Ford Administration Memoranda of Conversations
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Israel
Soviet Union
Foreign aid
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Middle East conflicts
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13
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1974-09-13
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1974
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13
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1974-09-13
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9
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1974
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File scanned from the National Security Adviser's Memoranda of Conversation Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
SEGRET/NODIS
DECLASSIFIED
E.O. 12058 SEC.3.6
06-03 #2 State Rev 3/9/04
DOD Ltr 10/3/06
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
BY in NARA DATE 5/11/07
PARTICIPANTS:
Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel
Ambassador Simcha Dinitz, Ambassador to the U.S.
President Gerald R. Ford
Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State and
Assistant to the President for National Security
Affairs
Lt. General Brent Scowcroft, Deputy Assistant to
the President for National Security Affairs
DATE AND TIME:
Friday, September 13, 1974
12:15 p.m.
PLACE:
The Oval Office
The White House
Rabin: I want to give you a letter from those people who have relatives in
the Soviet Union. I was asked to do this.
President: We are working hard and are making headway.
Rabin: Presidents Taft and Teddy Roosevelt visited Tsarist Russia about
the stories about discrimination there.
President: I notice here the Zalmonson case. She has been released.
We would like help on the Trade Bill.
Rabin: I had a meeting with the Senators. I kept out of it, and said we
couldn't speak to the trade bill.
FORD
SECRET/NODIS
R
GERALD
LIBRARY
TOP SECRET XGDS (3)
CLASSIFIED BY: HENRY A. KISSINGER
SECRET/NODIS
2
Kissinger: The Soviet Union won't accept a positive renewal each year.
President: If Dinitz could help. We want a bill.
Rabin: Jackson and Javits said they were on the verge of agreement.
President: Not exactly. We need some help.
I understand that you and Secretary Kissinger have discussed the
[mili tary aid] list I proposed. It is because I feel so strongly about your
security that I have your higher items of priority here and the money
wanted. It is a reflection of my attitude.
Rabin: We all appreciate the time you have taken. Without your decision
we wouldn't have gotten this. There were certain other items
President: Henry is going to check it out. We will do what we can.
Rabin: We didn't stress the F-4's, the big difficult items. It is mostly
ammunition and other general equipment. We face very sophisticated
systems much more than in Vietnam. We think we need your advanced
technology to offset the advanced technology of the Soviet Union, which is
going to our neighbors.
President: There is the laser item which you consider high-priority.
One item caught my eye -- 50 additional tanks. I will make that without
further reference. We will check out the report.
Rabin: It is difficult to find the right words to express our need for the
right weapons to defend ourselves.
Dinitz: We really appreciate it. We have been working for years on this.
President: We think it is essential that we affirm progress with respect
both to Egypt and Jordan.
Rabin: We are ready to enter every effort to move toward a political
settlement, which would not be just a military settlement but a step
toward peace. We are ready -- vis-a-vis Egypt or Jordan. We prefer
Egypt. The difference between Egypt and Jordan is we haven't found a
basis with Jordan on which we can move. I believe the preferred move
FORD
&
SEGRET/NODIS
GERALD
LIBRARY
SECRET/NODIS
3
is with Egypt. Egypt is the Arab leader and it is good to go there first.
But Egypt can't be alone, and we understand it would be immediately
followed by Jordan. What we seek from them is non-belligerency,
demilitarization, and time to change the infrastructure, so we can defend
on the new line.
Kissinger: I don't think non-belligerency is attainable. But you can ask
for it.
President: Kissinger will be there from about October 8-14. If he could
get something.
Rabin: We will do our best to work with Secretary Kissinger.
President: Can I have a good strong commitment that you will work with
him? We both have a strong interest to keep the momentum going.
Rabin: We will do our best to move at that time.
I understand the issue of the final borders won't be discussed.
Kissinger: We have not discussed final borders at all [with the Arabs].
They have not raised it. And we haven't. We have discussed interim
steps, but neither I nor the President have talked final steps. At the
time of the Syrian disengagement, I said we would not push Israel off the
Golan.
President: I reaffirm that commitment.
Rabin: Thank you very much. I commanded at the Golan for three years;
it was an intolerable situation.
Kissinger: For us to keep this process going, we need some ambiguity,
you know. We take the position that it is unrealistic to discuss final borders.
If Israel could avoid saying what they will never do with the Syrians, we
would be better off.
Rabin: I never mentioned a line, just that we wouldn't leave.
Kissinger: Even that.
FORD
a
SEGRET/NODIS
GERALD
LIBRARY
SEGRET /NODIS
4
President: My feeling is we have made progress, and I appreciate the
opportunity to meet with you. It has been fruitful.
Rabin: Thank you. We appreciate it and know that without you we
wouldn't have gotten this decision.
Kissinger: What do we say to the press? The less said about quantities
the better.
Dinitz: We can just say the principle of our ongoing relationship has been
reaffirmed.
Kissinger: The ongoing relationship was reaffirmed.
Dinitz: In a concrete way.
Kissinger: It was continued with concrete decisions.
President: The ongoing relationship was reaffirmed with concrete results
SECRET/NODIS
GERALD A FORD LIBRARY
2
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
Presidential Libraries Withdrawal Sheet
WITHDRAWAL ID 017660
REASON FOR WITHDRAWAL
....
National security restriction
TYPE OF MATERIAL
Note
DESCRIPTION
Scowcroft's notes from September 13,
1974 meeting with Rabin, Ford, and
Kissinger
CREATION DATE
09/13/1974
VOLUME
3 pages
COLLECTION/SERIES/FOLDER ID
031400225
COLLECTION TITLE
National Security Adviser. Memoranda of
Conversations
BOX NUMBER
5
FOLDER TITLE
September 13, 1974 - Ford, Kissinger,
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
DATE WITHDRAWN
03/31/2004
WITHDRAWING ARCHIVIST
GG