784A.5/5–2550
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (McGhee) to the Acting Secretary of State 1
Subject: Arms Exports to Israel and the Arab States.
Discussion:
The Department has under consideration a number of requests from the Israeli, Egyptian and Syrian Governments for the acquisition in the United States of arms, ammunition and implements of war. The Israelis have located some of these arms in the hands of commercial suppliers and have made formal application for export licenses for such items. Other items which were listed in a note from the Israeli Ambassador, dated February 13, 1950,2 obviously can be supplied only from U.S. Government stocks.
The Department has referred, upon receipt, each export application for combat items to the Department of Defense requesting that Department’s views as to whether the particular request comes within the limitations imposed by the President’s policy for limiting arms exports to the Near East to those deemed necessary for the maintenance of internal law and order and reasonable requirements of self-defense. Applications for non-combat material such as civil aircraft, coastal vessels and ammunition and half-tracks for civilian end-use have generally been approved without reference to the Department of Defense.
The recommendations of the Department of Defense in all cases referred to it where the Israeli Government was the recipient have been for denial of the export applications. The reverse has been true for all recommendations concerning arms for the Arab states. The Department of Defense is of the opinion that the military position of Israel is so strong that additional arms for that state are not justified.
Because of the position of the Department of Defense on the Israeli requests it has not been possible to approve any of the items which are listed in the enclosure to the attached letter to the Secretary of Defense. (Tab A)3 The Department believes that this position should be reconsidered and that limited amounts of the arms requested should be permitted to go to the Arab states and Israel.
[Page 892]Recommendations:
It is recommended that you sign the attached letter (Tab A) to the Secretary of Defense.
[Here follow the concurrence of the Munitions Division and the listing of the attachment.]