Secretary of State John Foster Dulles today told the Senate Appropriations Committee on the Mutual Security Program that it is “essential for our security that Arab-Israel tensions be lessened and that the economy of the area be strengthened and stabilized. “
Mr. Dulles told the Senators that “our basic problem in this vitally important region is to improve the attitude of the Moslem states toward the Western democracies, including the United States, because our prestige in the area has been steadily declining since the war. “
In connection with the Arab-Israel area, Mr. Dulles said: “In order to attain our objectives, we must put greater emphasis on a regional approach to the problems of the area. For this reason, we have prepared a ‘single package’ program, designed to lay emphasis on the need for the countries of the region to cooperate with each other and to marshal their resources collectively, whenever feasible. ” (See criticism of Mr. Dulles’ policy on page 5.)
The State Department, Mr. Dulles revealed, is requesting “a limited military assistance program” for the Arab states and Israel. He said “it will contribute to internal security, will aid in promoting plans for peace between the Arab nations and Israel, and will assist in establishing a regional defense organization.” He failed to explain exactly how the shipment of arms would promote “plans for peace between the Arab nations and Israel,” but said the military program “should make a significant contribution to the achievement of our basic objectives.”
“Because of the nature of the problems in this region, the program must necessarily place greater emphasis on technical assistance and economic aid, “Mr. Dulles stated. “The program calls for continuance at present levels of existing programs for technical assistance, maintenance of programs for refugees, and special regional economic assistance. We consider these programs, although relatively small in dollar cost, to be vitally important in terms of their contribution to our security. “
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
