43. Memorandum of a Conversation, Washington, October 21, 19581
SUBJECT
- Middle East
- Aid to Israel
PARTICIPANTS
- Israeli Foreign Minister Golda Meir
- Israeli Minister Herzog
- Deputy Under Secretary Robert Murphy
At the invitation of Minister Herzog, I spent thirty minutes at his home last evening to meet his Foreign Minister. Mrs. Meir commenced the conversation by inquiring what was happening in the world, and I teased her a little by asking whether she was especially interested in events in Milwaukee, her former residence, or the Far East.
After considerable conversation in the lighter vein, we returned to the point of her serious inquiry. This related to our thinking concerning the Middle East and our estimate of that situation. I know of no person who is more dedicated to a cause than Mrs. Meir in her devotion to Israel. Nothing else seems to matter. It was obvious that she wished to elicit as much information as possible from me regarding my recent trip to the Middle East and our views on conditions in a number of countries, especially the United Arab Republic, Jordan, and Iraq. It was obvious from our exchange of views that she continues apprehensive concerning the possible disappearance of the present regime in Jordan. She expressed the usual complete distrust of Nasser, the United Arab Republic generally, pro-Nasser elements in Jordan, as well as in Iraq.
Her primary concern at the moment appears to relate to the acquisition by Israel of additional heavy armament. She expressed particular disappointment over Israeli failure to obtain American Patton [Page 104] tanks, referring to the Israeli hope that they might have obtained Patton tanks via France under a formula by which France would have released used equipment to Israel and the United States would have replaced it in France. Failing that, she expressed some satisfaction over the prospect of obtaining financial assistance from the United States, some of it in the form of PL 480. This would relieve the financial burden, thus enabling Israel to purchase approximately 58 Centurion tanks from the United Kingdom.
Mrs. Meir pressed me several times for an opinion whether I thought that a move against Jordan by the United Arab Republic in some form, no doubt a subversive action looking to the overthrow of the present regime, might be imminent. I suggested that she probably had a more intimate feel of the situation than I, however from what I knew of the current situation I doubted personally very much that such an action might be imminent. I also referred to Mr. Nasser’s statement to me that in plots such as the one he was engaged in which led to the overthrow of Farouk secrecy is usually well maintained, just as it was in the case of Baghdad.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 780.00/10–2158. Secret. Drafted and initialed by Murphy.↩