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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States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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.
# # #