Aide, State Dept. Say Johnson Has Made No Decision on Phantom Jets for Israel

President Johnson has made no decision, one way or the other, on the sale of F-4 Phantom jet fighter-bomber planes to Israel, George Christian. White House press secretary, declared today. He denied a report published in the New York Times that the President had decided against sale of the planes which Israel seeks to bolster its deterrent strength.

The White House spokesman said President Johnson is adhering to the policy announced jointly with Prime Minister Levi Eshkol of Israel last January. At that time Mr. Johnson promised to keep Israel’s military defense capability under “active and sympathetic examination and review in the light of all relevant factors, including the shipment of military equipment by others into the area.” White House sources said it would be correct to state that the status quo with respect to the Israeli application remained unchanged and that nothing new has occurred.

State Department sources said today that the sale of the Phantoms to Israel remained “under study” and that no decision was expected for some time. They noted an address last night by Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey before the Zionist Organization of America in which he advocated the prompt sale of the jets and urged Israel to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. They said that while the Department did not consider sale of the jets directly conditional on the treaty, the pact was a basic item in American diplomacy and arms control philosophy. A Department spokesman said that Israel had been urged to sign the treaty.

SAYS SUPPLY OF PHANTOMS. ADHERENCE TO NON-PROLIFERATION PACT ARE ‘INTER-RELATED’

Mr. Humphrey, who had sent a message to the ZOA convention here reiterating his position on the provision of the planes to Israel, made an unscheduled appearance there last night. He told the delegates he believed sale of the planes to Israel was justified and was necessary. The Vice President, however, put new emphasis on arms control and on the nuclear non-proliferation treaty which he urged Israel to sign. He spoke after the convention adopted a resolution requesting President Johnson to authorize the Phantoms “immediately and without any further delay.” Some of the delegates had threatened to stage a demonstration in front of the White House to dramatize the issue.

The Vice President said that just as Israel must have the Phantom jets and a balance of power, it was also in the interest of Israel, the Arabs, the United States and everybody else “to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.” He said the issue of the Phantoms and the non-proliferation treaty were “inter-related.” His linking of the two issues sent newsmen to question Norman Sherman, his press aide, who said it was his impression that ultimate approval of the sale of the Phantoms was not contingent on Israeli adherence to the threaty. He said such a quid pro quo was “not intended” although he pointed out that the Vice President considered both matters very important.

NON-PROLIFERATION AN ‘OVERWHELMING IMPERATIVE; HUMPHREY ASSERTS

The Vice President said that “those who drag their feet on this treaty, those who respond out of emotion or political self-interest, do a great disservice to the national interests of the United States. They increase the danger of nuclear holocaust for all mankind.” He added that “Soviet aggression in Czechoslovakia and the power politics of Eastern Europe should not divert us from the overwhelming imperative of our times – stopping the spread of nuclear weapons.”

Mr. Humphrey linked his advocacy of aid to Israel with the fact that “Soviet arms are pouring into” the Arab States and Arab leaders are speaking in new aggressive tones. He drew a parallel between the peace talks he envisaged for Israel with the present negotiations in Paris on Vietnam. The Vice President also condemned Arab terrorism and likened it to Communist “wars of national liberty.”

(The New York Times said Monday that Mr. Humphrey apparently acknowledged that “high officials of the State Department and perhaps President Johnson himself.” favored a delay in selling the Phantoms to Israel until efforts to negotiate a halt in the arms race are exhausted. The paper said Mr. Humphrey “did not refer to the attitude of the Administration but he made very clear at the outset” that “he was speaking for himself. That differences in the Administration were very much on his mind was also evident from many of his other remarks.”)

Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin of Israel told the ZOA convention that Israel was “prepared for arms limitations” but he stressed that “first comes peace. When peace will prevail, there will be no need for arms limitations.” Gen. Rabin declared that ‘we are prepared to do everything which is needed for our defense. What we do need is hardware. All those who are interested in peace in the Middle East and not to appease the aggressors will draw, I hope, the right conclusion.”

Two Congressmen, Rep. Charles M. Mathias, Maryland Republican, and Roman Pucinski, Illinois Democrat, urged President Johnson today to release the Phantoms to Israel. Rep. Pucinski said President Johnson should help Israel join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), warning of the “heavy war clouds” over the Middle East.