Office of the Historian

150. Minutes of an Ad Hoc Special Review Group Meeting1

Washington, August 12, 1970, 11:35 a.m.–12:25 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • Middle East

PARTICIPATION

  • Chairman—Henry A. Kissinger
  • State
  • U. Alexis Johnson
  • Joseph J. Sisco
  • Alfred L. Atherton, Jr.
  • Defense
  • David Packard
  • Robert J.Pranger
  • CIA
  • Richard Helms
  • David H. Blee
  • JCS
  • Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
  • LTG Richard T. Knowles
  • NSC Staff
  • Harold H. Saunders
  • Jeanne W. Davis

SUMMARY OF DECISIONS

It was decided:

1. to proceed with delivery of the weapons promised Israel before the ceasefire as quickly as possible;

[Page 505]

2. to undertake a study of the objectives of the equipment Israel is requesting and what we are prepared to support;2

3. to consider any new Israeli requests in the framework of these objectives, subjecting them to technical evaluation by Defense, integrating the political factors in the IG and resolving any differences in the Special Review Group, if necessary;

4. to investigate the possibility of linking military assistance for Cambodia, and possibly Korea, with Israel in presentation to the Congress;

5. State to prepare a rough scenario for the Jarring negotiations,3 if possible before the President leaves for San Clemente;

6. to meet next week4 to consider the financial issues and the question of the strategy we should be prepared to support for the Israelis.

[Omitted here are the minutes of the meeting.]

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–111, Senior Review Group, SRG Minutes Originals 1970. Secret; Nodis. All brackets are in the original except those indicating text omitted by the editors. The meeting was held in the White House Situation Room.↩
  2. The Department of Defense study, “Options for U.S. Arms Assistance to Israel,” in response to NSSM 98, is ibid., Box H–173, National Security Study Memoranda. NSSM 98 is printed as Document 148.↩
  3. The options paper, “Next Steps on the Middle East,” is in the National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–047, Senior Review Group Meetings, Senior Review Group—Middle East 8/12/70.↩
  4. See Document 153.↩