144. Memorandum for the Record by the Deputy Director for Plans, Central Intelligence Agency (Helms)1
Washington, February 9, 1965, 6 p.m.
SUBJECT
- White House Meeting on Arms to Jordan
PRESENT WERE
- The President and the Vice President
- Messrs. Ball, Harriman, and Jernegan for State
- Mr. Vance and Admiral MacDonald for the Department of Defense
- Messrs. Bundy, Komer, Feldman (part time were Messrs. Valenti and Reedy) for the White House
- Mr. Richard Helms for CIA
- 1.
- This meeting, scheduled for 4:30 on Tuesday, 9 February, convened in the Cabinet Room at 6:00 P.M. It adjourned at 6:30. The President was absent from the Room for about ten minutes, the Vice President came to the meeting ten minutes late.
- 2.
- Acting Secretary Ball opened the discussion with a detailed description of the recommendations made by Assistant Secretary Talbot in a cable from Amman (EmbTel-444).2 He also outlined a recommendation for a compensating deal with the Israelis. There was general agreement on his recommendation except for Mr. Feldman who expressed his opposition on the grounds that the Israelis would not accept the United States “package.” It was clear that neither the President nor the Vice President liked Acting Secretary Ball’s proposal either, but their opposition appeared to stem from troubles which they anticipated having with the Congress.
- 3.
- The meeting ended inconclusively. The President did authorize the sending of an emissary to Tel Aviv. (It was later decided that Mr. Komer would be the President’s representative for this purpose.)3
RH
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Job 80–B01285A, DCI Files, DCI (Helms) Memos for the Record, 1 Jan. 1965–31 Dec. 1972. Secret. Prepared on February 12.↩
- See footnote 2, Document 143.↩
- Notes of telephone conversations on February 10 between Ball and Jernegan and Ball and Harriman indicate that Komer was to go immediately to Israel and that Harriman was to follow a week or so later. (Johnson Library, Ball Papers, Jordan)↩