Mcgovern Says His Support of Israel Not an Instrument of Cold War Politics Calls for Delay on Treati

Sen. George McGovern declared here today that his “long commitment” to support of Israel was “not simply an instrument of cold war politics” and that the commitment did not begin with the Soviet buildup in Arab countries and would not end when the Soviet presence ended. The Democratic nominee for President spoke at a special meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

He had been invited so that he could present “in his own words his views on subjects of particular interest to the Jewish community of the United States,” according to Jacob Stein, chairman of the Presidents’ Conference. Stein said a similar invitation had been extended to President Nixon. A number of Jewish leaders have criticized McGovern on Israel and on such domestic issues as quotas in hiring for members of minorities.

After his formal address, in which he repeated many of the statements he had made on those issues, he responded to questions submitted on cards by members of the audience, which were read to him by Stein.

OPPOSES REDUCTION OF U.S. MILITARY STRENGTH

McGovern said he opposed the Middle East peace formula offered by Secretary of State William P. Rogers, which calls for Israeli withdrawal with only minor alterations. He reminded his audience that two years ago the Presidents’ Conference sponsored an advertisement accusing the Nixon administration of a “drift” toward an imposed peace in the Middle East and added he was one of the Congressmen who signed that protest.

He asserted that the Nixon administration’s criticism of other countries for harboring Arab terrorists was undermined by the continued US involvement in the Vietnam war. He said: “How can we expect to be a moral force in the Middle East when we are continuing the greatest moral and political disaster of this country?”

McGovern was asked how the US would be able to continue to assure its commitments to Israel’s security if he, as President, brought about a reduction in the US armed power. He said his proposal for a major reduction in US military spending was not aimed at the nation’s military strength but was a proposal for “elimination of duplication and waste which is a fact of life” in the military establishment.

NOT FOR PERCENTAGE QUOTAS

He traced what he repeatedly termed his “moral commitment” to Israel’s security back to 1957 when he entered the Congress. He said that, on Jan. 31, 1957, he declared in Congress that “America will be ill-advised” if it strengthened the hands of those opposed to Israel. On the issue of quotas in employment, he said “I am not for percentage quotas,” and emphasized that the Democratic Party guidelines for selection of delegates to the convention which nominated him “did not require percentage quotas.”

McGovern said that “the basic consideration for government service should be the ability of the applicant” but he also contended that efforts should be made, in that context, to give members of all minority groups “a fair shot.” He reiterated his stand, announced earlier in the week, in support of aid to parents of children in non-public schools, adding that he would support tax credits for such parents if that approach was constitutional.

Speaking about the problems of Soviet Jews, particularly the recently imposed heavy exit fees for Russian Jews seeking to emigrate, McGovern characterized the fees “a slave tax.” He urged Nixon to delay presentation of treaties required for expanded Soviet-American trade until he was assured the high fees would be cancelled.

Noting that a number of Senators and Representatives opposed approval of the required treaties while the high exit fees remained in effect, McGovern said he supported Sen. Abraham Ribicoff’s (D. Conn.) amendment to withhold giving the Soviet Union most-favored-nation status until the Soviets drop “their ransom-like exit fees.” He also declared he opposed granting that status to the Soviet Union as long as the Soviets supplied the Arab terrorists with weapons.

Stein also said, when he introduced McGovern, that the Presidents’ Conference provides a unified platform by which American Jewry can express its-views on all international affairs as the most all-embracing coalition of the world’s largest Jewish community. “It is, of course, non-partisan in the political sense.”