There Is a growing feeling here In some circles that the Soviet repudiation of the 1972 trade agreement was Intended to accomplish two things among, perhaps, others. The first was to destroy Sen. Henry M. Jackson (D.Wash.) as a potential presidential candidate. The second was to advance President Ford and Secretary of State Henry A.Kis-singer by putting the blame on Jackson and “internal affairs” and not saying anything about Kissinger’s assurances in his Oct. 18 letter to Jackson which Ford also approved.
Some here go so far as to say that the Soviet attack on Jackson was designed with the help of some Americans knowledgeable in the high politics of the presidential campaign that Is emerging. Similarly, it is being said that Soviet Communist Party Secretary Leonid I. Brezhnev’s cancellation of his visit to Egypt, Syria and Iraq is a charade also done with the foreknowledge of Washington to accomplish the objective of pressuring Israel.
CHARADE FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PURPOSES
The “break” in Egyptian-Soviet relations would appear as the big opportunity for Israel to withdraw and for Egypt, Jordan and Syria to advance into the areas held by the Israelis. This is supported by the circumstances that Soviet advisors are still in Egypt, and the great feat by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in “chasing” the Russians out of Egypt two years ago found the Russians supplying Egypt with materiel for the Yom Kippur War.
It Is further believed that Sadat Is engaging in a charade for psychological purposes in saying that he is for step-by-step negotiations and peace with Israel, Why, It is being asked, was the interview in Le Monde of Paris not published in full in the Arabic press In the Middle East? Also why was the Interview begun by an aide whispering in Sadat’s ear and Sadat exclaiming fiercely that he had enough of the fedayeen and terrorists?
This exclamation started the Interview that Le. Monde actually published, and It fit well into the fact that Sadat will visit France this week and France Is irritated with the Palestinian because of the two terrorist Incidents at Orly Airport. Thus, the theatricalism of both the Brezhnev cancellation and the Sadat Interview are seen as elements woven together as part of a psychological campaign to mislead Israeli officialdom and public opinion and, of course, Western opinion that will accept the words and actions as being sincere.
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