111. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State1
978. Following personal message from Ben Gurion to Secretary Dulles telephoned to Embassy from Jerusalem this afternoon with appeal for urgent transmission (unessential words omitted).
“At this eleventh hour and in order avoid fateful misunderstanding between our two peoples, I wish to appeal to you personally to obtain postponement of UN discussions and to arrange for committee of representatives of few impartial states to proceed forthwith to Israel and, if necessary, also to Egypt in order to try to reach agreed settlement of outstanding questions of Sharm-el-Sheikh and Gaza.
I fully appreciate your position and that of President. At same time, I ask you in all earnestness to sense deep feeling of our entire people that withdrawal under present circumstances will spell disaster for us. If UN, supported by US, seeks by sanctions to compel us to do so an historic injustice will have been committed and what may be fatal blow will have been struck at moral foundations of the international organization. For UN to take this course is to adopt double standard of morality. For Israel to surrender would be, we feel, fraught with most serious consequences. I must repeat that it is Egypt which has maintained aggression against Israel since May 15, 1948, and which declares its intentions so to continue.
In light of exchange of views which has taken place between yourself and Ambassador Eban in past week, I have strong hope that steps I suggest might bring about agreed and just solution. If this hope is not realized, all that will be involved is short delay in attempt to save Israel and UN from most tragic development. I nave instructed Ambassador Eban to return immediately for consultation.”
I am seeing Ben Gurion in Jerusalem at his request at five this afternoon for general discussion situation.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/2–1857. Confidential; Niact. Received at 3:17 p.m. Also sent to USUN. A copy in the Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, International File, bears the marginal notation by Goodpaster dated February 19: “President has seen”.↩