94. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South African Affairs (Jones) to the Director of the Office of Near Eastern Affairs (Meyer)1
SUBJECT
- Israel’s Water Problem
Mr. Dillon invited me to come to his office following the Secretary’s staff meeting today. He raised with me the following:
The recent call of Mr. Eshkol2 upon him had been the occasion for an impassioned plea for the United States to do something about water for Israel.
Dillon said “we cannot hold to our present policy indefinitely”. Dillon continued that he has two specific things in mind: the first was the Beit Shean conduit and the second was a DLF project to help “some phase” of the 108 inch pipe project to use excess ground water in Galilee.
Dillon said that he was aware that the Israeli Government had sent us a note and that a negative reply in draft was being worked on by NE. He thought this reply should be “looked at carefully” in the light of the necessity for doing something about water for Israel. He said that one way or another we should make it known to the GOI there is no “political objection to these two projects”.
Dillon said that he has in mind the trouble likely to break out at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue if we go ahead with the Suez Canal loan without something corresponding for Israel. The ETA of the Suez Canal loan was, Dillon thought, about November 15. If about the same time we could promise the Israelis favorable action with regard to part of their water plans one action would balance off the other.
The action rests with NE and NEA.
Note: Please consider carefully, and if you agree, draft a telegram to Cairo, rptd info Tel Aviv and Amman outlining what we propose to do on these two problems.
Please also reexamine our reply3 to the GOI note.