American-born Israeli Pilot Identified As Jeffrey Peer of Columbus, Ohio

The American-born Israeli pilot who was captured by the Egyptians when his plane was shot down over the Suez Canal was Jeffrey Peer (the Egyptians gave his name as Isaac Peer), born in Columbus, Ohio in 1943, and last issued a U.S. passport in May, 1960, sources here said today. According to sources, Peer “apparently acquired” Israeli nationality in 1961, changed his first name to “Yishack,” and entered the Israeli Army in that year. It was said that Peer did not hold a U.S. passport and would be considered an alien if he sought to travel to the U.S. Israeli Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin met this morning with Joseph J. Sisco. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. No details of their meeting was available, but it was believed Mr. Rabin was seeking details of Egypt’s response to the U.S. Middle East peace proposal. He also met briefly with Secretary of State William P. Rogers at the Secretary’s request. Later, Mr. Rogers met for 30 minutes with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly F. Dobrynin. Mr. Dobrynin later met with Mr. Sisco. Ambassador Dobrynin and Mr. Rogers were said to have discussed the Russian reaction to the U.S. peace initiative.

(In London communist diplomatic sources said the Soviet counter-proposal included a large portion of the American plan and a revised version of the plan offered by the Russians last January. The Russian plan called for a detailed package plan, to be accepted by the Arabs and Israel, signed and sealed by them and guaranteed by the Big Four Powers before Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory. Diplomatic sources said the Soviet revised plan calls for, in part: a truce of undetermined length; the demilitarization of Sinai and the Canal strip, the Gaza strip and Sharm El Sheikh; the return to Syria of the Golan Heights which would be demilitarized and supervised by an international body; the return of East Jerusalem to Jordan with international safeguards for access to holy places; the ceding of the West Bank of the Jordan to the Palestinians; and aid in resettlement and the return of some Palestinians to Israel.)