Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Senator Herbert Lehman, Mr. Edelstine, and Stuart Rockwell

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s/s 8460 301 80 MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION eaf March 10, 1950 SUBJECT: Near Eastern Armaments Situation PARTICIPANTS S - The Secretary Senator Herbert Lehman of New York Mr. Edelstine, Legislative Assistant to Senator Lehman ANE - Mr. Rockwell COPIES TO: Amembassy, Tel Aviv Amlegation, Amman Amembassy; London Amlegation; Damascus Amembassy, Baghdad Amlegation, Beirut Amembassy, Cairo Consulate General, Amembassy; Moscow Jerusalem Amembassy, Jidda DRN, MD, CIA, UNU NEA (2), ANE (2), NEA/P, SMDA, BNA and UNA I received the Senator and Mr. Edelstine at the Senator's request. We discussed the question of the British shipment of arms to the Arab states, and particularly to Egypt, for approximately one-half hour. The Senator opened the conversation by stating that Great Britain was now shipping heavy military equipment to Egypt and the other Arab states. He said that the military balance in the Near East had thereby been disturbed, and that Israel for its own security was now forced to spend precious dollars to acquire arms to defend itself. The Senator added that he was sincerely alarmed by the situation, not only because Israel was being forced to spend for military equip- ment money which could much better be used within Israel, but because the security of Israel was so seriously threatened. I said DECLASSIFIED OECRET E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 State Dept. Guideline, June 12, 1979 F.R.OR U.S. 1950 VOL. V pap 799 By NLT- IVC NARS, Date 2-20-11