289. Editorial Note
In response to the instructions in telegram 254 to Tel Aviv, Document 285, Ambassador Lawson met with Prime Minister Ben Gurion on the evening of October 1. On the key question of Israel’s response to a movement of token Iraqi troops into Jordan, Ben Gurion said: “If Iraq sends troops to other side of Jordan River, we will do nothing. If they send to our borders, that is different.”
In discussing the proposed Iraqi troop movements with Ben Gurion, Lawson emphasized: (1) the stabilizing effect of the troops on the Jordanian Government, which in turn would help stabilize the Jordanian-Israeli border; (2) the non-aggressive character and purpose of the troops; (3) the remoteness of the troops from the Israeli border and the nonparticipation of the troops in border activities; and (4) the assumption that the troops would bear only light defensive arms. In addition, Lawson stressed U.S. confidence in Ben Gurion’s earlier declaration that Israel would not start a war and the U.S. belief in the futility of reprisal raids, given the fact that Jordanian leaders were anxious to control the border and that the incursions were the result of forces beyond Jordanian control. In reply, Ben Gurion commented that many people doubted whether Jordan was viable. He added, however, that as long as Jordan existed and as long as it did not make war on Israel, Israel would leave it alone. Ben Gurion also noted that Iraqi movements provoked particular concern in Israel as there was no armistice agreement with Iraq. In regard to reprisals, the Prime Minister acknowledged that they were no solution to the border problem, but maintained that they provided a deterrent and that border conditions would be worse without them. In conclusion, Ben Gurion inquired as to the status of the Export-Import Bank loan and expressed his personal interest in the matter. (Telegrams 91 from Jerusalem, October 1; Department of State, Central Files, 684A.85/10–156; and 306 from Tel Aviv, October 2; ibid., 684A.85/10–256)