Office of the Historian

69. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense McNamara to President Johnson1

Washington, February 6, 1968.

You have asked that I inform you of “the latest date on which the President could make a decision to supply Israel with Phantom aircraft of appropriate configuration to be delivered to Israel beginning in January 1970.”

If your decision is made on or before December 31, 1968, we can begin the delivery of Phantoms to Israel in January 1970. The Israeli request was for 50 aircraft. We would plan to deliver them at the rate of approximately 4 per month.

Robert S. McNamara
  1. Source: Johnson Library, White House Central File, Meeting Notes File, Briefing Papers for Tuesday Luncheon, February 6, 1968. Secret.↩