A friendly “invasion” of some 7000 officers and men of the U.S. Sixth Fleet filled the streets of Haifa, Israel’s largest port city, today as the huge aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy and her flotilla of escorts dropped anchor in the boy. The ships arrived early this morning on a 10-day goodwill visit.
As the thousands of sailors went on shore leave, Rear Admiral Crawford Easterling, commander of Operational Task Force 60 of the Sixth Fleet, paid a courtesy call on Mayor Avraham Gurel at the Haifa City Hall. They exchanged souvenirs. The Admiral said the visit by the American naval force had a two-fold purpose: to provide rest and relaxation for the ships’ crews and to stress the friendship between the U.S. and Israel.
With thousands of exuberant American sailors exploring this city of a quarter million, local police and U.S. Navy shore patrols joined forces to ensure good order and decorum.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
