195. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson1

Mr. President:

Herewith a plea from Mrs. Krim.2

When I talked to Abe Feinberg and gave him your points, his response was much the same: he couldn’t be more loyal, but the average U.S. Zionist doesn’t understand.

One thing to consider is letting it be known how intensively you worked on the Russians. Without going into any details whatsoever—and never mentioning the hot line—I suggested the importance of your role in the outcome to: Max Frankel, Joe Kraft, and Joe Alsop today.

Lord knows what they’ll say tomorrow!!

Walt
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, Vol. 3. No classification marking. A handwritten notation on the memorandum indicates it was received at 4:07 p.m., and seen by the President.
  2. An unsigned summary of a message from Mathilde Krim, June 7, is attached. It states that there was still resentment in the Jewish community over the McCloskey statement; there were reports of anti-American feelings in Israel because Israelis felt they had won the war not with the United States but in spite of it; and there was danger that a rally the next day in Lafayette Square would be an anti-Johnson, rather than a pro-Israel demonstration. Mathilde and Arthur Krim recommended a Presidential statement saying that the United States would not resume relations with Nasser’s government and calling for a peace conference to establish a peace based on recognition of Israel by the Arab nations as a member of the community of nations in the Middle East. A similar message from Mathilde Krim had been sent to the President in a 1:25 p.m. memorandum from Marvin Watson. (Ibid., Appointment File, June 1967, Middle East Crisis) The President read portions of it to Rusk during a 2:42 p.m. telephone conversation. (Ibid., President’s Daily Diary) Arthur and Mathilde Krim were friends of the President and leading Democratic Party activists.