81. Editorial Note

President Nixon used the occasion of a visit to White House by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan on December 11, 1970, to define one of his administration’s fundamental objectives in the Middle East. During a conversation in the Oval Office that began at 3:30 p.m.:

“President Nixon stated that his policy had been, from the outset, to counterbalance Soviet power in the Middle East. He was confident that the Arabs alone would be no match for Israel’s military. For this reason, it was his concern that the Soviets recognize that the U.S. would guarantee Israel’s survival. He had followed this policy since the first days of his Administration, both in public and in private contacts with the Soviets.

“The President added that U.S. actions during the Jordan crisis were designed to demonstrate this point. The movement of the Sixth Fleet was ordered to convey to the Soviet Union that the U.S. would not stand idly by in this situation. The President also complimented the Israeli Government for the readiness measures which they took and which were also an operative factor in de-escalating the situation.”

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Nixon made it clear later in the conversation that he expected that U.S. economic and military support for Israel would provide the security to enable Israel to participate in good faith in the effort to find a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli dispute:

“President Nixon stated that he would never mislead the Prime Minister or the people of Israel. He intended to be forthright and honest and make no promises that he would not deliver or provide any assurances that he would not keep. He stated that from time to time friends would disagree on particulars but that the essence of international friendship was mutual trust. He trusted Prime Minister Meir and anticipated that she shared this trust in him.

“The President added that it was quite evident to him that the American people anticipated that Israel would move to the conference table under the auspices of Jarring. He pointed out that this was expected in light of the $500 million assistance being provided by this government which he hoped would soon be approved by the Congress. He stated that it was important that the youth of Israel be permitted to apply their great talents, ingenuity and industry to peaceful pursuits and that for this reason the time was right to enter into the talks. He pointed out further that Israel at this time could move with an air of confidence since the military balance would be re-established through the current aid package and since the overall international environment dictated such a move. He emphasized that all responsible U.S. officials were of one mind on this.” (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Memoranda for the President, November 1-January 17, 1971)