The White House today referred all questions about the Phantoms to the State Department, where officials made it clear that more was involved in negotiations than simply drawing up a sales contract. One official said that the sale of Phantoms to Israel would represent a significant new Involvement by the U.S. in Israel’s security requirements and that it was reasonable to seek some “quid pro quo,” which he did not define. It was believed that a deal over the Phantoms might involve Israeli concessions on the question of direct talks with the Arabs; adherence to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which Israel has not signed; restraint on reprisal actions involving Jordan; and other points important to the State Department.
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.
