Cyrus Vance’s resignation as Secretary of State and his temporary replacement by Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher is not expected to result in any change in President Carter’s policies, either toward Israel itself, the Camp David accords or any other factors related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
This was indicated today by Hodding Carter the State Department’s chief spokesman and a close friend of Vance. Asked by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency what impact Vance’s resignation will have on foreign policy matters generally and on the Arab-Israeli situation in particular, he replied: “My own strong sense is that the main currents of policy in every area will be the same.”
However, some speculation among White House sources indicated today the possibility that Carter may install an internationally recognized foreign affairs specialist as Vance’s permanent replacement in order to enhance the Administration’s position in the aftermath of the disastrous failure to rescue the American hostages in Teheran and the deterioration of support for the U.S. in Western Europe.
KISSINGER, JACKSON POSSIBLE SUCCESSORS
It was even suggested by these sources that Carter may reach into the Republican Party and invite former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to assume the post vacated by Vance, despite the fact that Kissinger and the Carter Administration have differed sharply on many foreign policy issues. Another possible successor to Vance mentioned by these sources is Sen. Henry Jackson (D. Wash.), who has also differed strongly with Carter on policy toward the Soviet Union.
For the time being, Congressional sources feel, the Administration’s policy on Arab-Israeli matters will remain unchanged with such key figures as Assistant Secretary of State for Near East and South Asian Affairs Harold Saunders continuing to be in charge of day-to-day operations in the Middle East.
Robert Hunter, a Middle East specialist in the National Security Council, will also continue to function in that area, and Zbigniew Brzezinski the President’s National Security Advisor, who has consistently taken a tougher position toward Israel than Vance, will continue to advise the President.
The overall consensus among observers here is that Carter maintains close supervision over Middle Eastern affairs and that he will continue his present course with respect to the autonomy negotiations between Egypt and Israel and the Camp David formula for a settlement.
Brzezinski is understood to have urged stronger measures than Vance to wrest concessions from Israel to quicken the pace toward a comprehensive agreement in the Middle East. Vance’s role in U.S. Middle East strategy was seen to have been deteriorating. He was regarded as the representative of White House policy, not its initiator.
Although Vance accepted responsibility, in his appearances before the Senate and House, for the “foul-ups” that led to the U.S. vote for the United Nations Security Council’s anti-Israel resolution last March 1, members of both houses of Congress indicated that the true responsibility lay with the White House, not with Vance. Vance also was credited with having done more than any other advisor to the President in helping him achieve the Camp David agreements.
Vance had a cordial working relationship with representatives of the Israeli government here and with leaders of the American Jewish community, even though he presented the Administration’s positions on such matters as the inadmissibility of Israel’s control over all of Jerusalem, the settlements issue and Israel’s activities in south Lebanon.
Christopher, for his part, has not been intimately associated with Middle East affairs since he concentrated on other foreign policy matters. Vance carried the burden of responsibility for the Middle East. Nevertheless, Christopher did have a principal role in the showdown in the Senate two years ago when he testified on behalf of the Administration’s proposal to sell F-15 warplanes to Saudi Arabia as part of a military assistance package for Israel and Egypt.
In his letter of resignation to the President, dated April 21, well before the abortive rescue mission in Iran took place. Vance listed the Camp David accords and the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty as among the principal foreign policy achievements under Carter’s leadership. Carter accepted his resignation this morning, but did so coldly. His letter to Vance was addressed not to “My Dear Secretary,” the usual salutation in such cases, but to “Secretary of State Cyrus Vance.” He accepted the resignation with “regret.”
RELATIONSHIP WITH JEWISH COMMUNITY
In his relationship with the Jewish community, Vance took the unusual step, during his first year in office, of inviting members of the American Jewish press to meet with him at the State Department to discuss U.S.-Israeli relations. He was accessible to members of the American Jewish community, either in groups or as individuals, and directed his subordinates to act likewise.
On such matters as Soviet Jewry, Vance was consistently supportive diplomatically and in his appearances before Congress. At one point, ‘Eugene Gold, former chairman of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, said the State Department could not do any more than it was doing on behalf of Soviet Jews.
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.
