312. Memorandum From Arthur H. Dean to the Secretary of State1
Following my conversation with you Friday evening2 I relayed the information which you had given to me to Ambassador Eban Saturday morning, namely that the Exim Bank probably would not make the loan in the full amount requested but was studying the matter and would probably send a team of experts there shortly and would be making a public announcement to that effect in a few days.
Ambassador Eban appeared quite disappointed and said that plans were all in order for Prime Minister Ben Gurion to make his announcement in the Israeli Parliament on the 15th of October. He again urged that everything possible be done to expedite the paper work with respect to the release of arms in the United States; that everything possible be done to make sure that release of arms by other countries to Israel was going forward without any hitches and that every effort be made to expedite the Exim Bank decision.
As you know, I do not consider that it would be proper for me to recommend that you take any particular action in this matter. But if the United States Government officials have come to the conclusion, as I assume that they have, that they wish these other countries to release arms to Israel and that they wish to help the Israelis with an Exim loan on the internal water development, I would like to emphasize that the time is getting very short in which to work out all the details in order that the expected statement of the Prime Minister that there are no present differences of opinion between the Government of the United States and the Government of Israel on this question of arms can be made on October 15 so that it can be placed on all the wire services.
I noticed that both the Vice President and Senator Kefauver made speeches on this question before a Zionist Congress in Washington yesterday, and, although I did not hear it, I saw an announcement that there was to be a radio address on WRCA yesterday at 12:15 by a Bernard Katzen, sponsored by the Republican Committee, who was to discuss both “Dulles and Israel”. Since I think it would [Page 665] not be feasible to do anything after about the middle of this week which Ambassador Eban could cable to his Government, if you are interested in having this announcement made, I would think it essential that all important decisions be arrived at just as soon as possible this week.
I have made it clear to Ambassador Eban that I am not making any recommendations in these matters and I am merely transmitting our discussions.
Respectfully submitted,
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Israeli Relations 1951–1957. Transmitted to Dulles under cover of a note from Dean which reads in part: “I enclose a memorandum with respect to my conversation with Ambassador Eban on Saturday morning [October 6], which I think is self-explanatory. If there is anything further that you want me to do on this matter, please let me know.”↩
- October 5. No account of this conversation has been found in the Eisenhower Library or Department of State files.↩