Arthur J. Goldberg, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, told a press conference here today that the planned visit by Secretary of State Dean Rusk to Egypt had not yet been confirmed.
He was also asked about the American supply of Patton tanks to Israel, and replied that it was known that, from time to time, the United States very reluctantly has supplied certain quantities of arms to Middle East countries, specifically Jordan and, more recently, Israel.
He said that Soviet arms supplies to the Middle East had created an imbalance and, because of this, the United States had decided to make the tanks available to Israel. He added: “We regret this very much because the countries concerned could well use their resources to much better purpose.”
He said that the United States was ready to enter into an agreement with any country to stop arms supplies to the Middle East but that, as yet, this has proved impossible.
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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.
