Israel Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion today spent more than two hours with President Eisenhower discussing various aspects of the Israel situation. The meeting was extremely long, even for a session with a Prime Minister, it was noted.
While the two leading statesmen were in session, members of the American Nazi Party, with swastika bands on their arms, and about 50 Arabs picketed the White House. Police and secret service squads dispersed the anti-Israel demonstration. The pickets bore anti-Israel and anti-Jewish signs.
Mr. Ben-Gurion issued a formal statement after his meeting with the President. He evaded questions about the Suez Canal issue, arms supply, and whether he would meet in America with German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. In response to questions, he said he was encouraged when he met Mr. Eisenhower as a general in 1945 and he was encouraged to meet him today as President. “Can a man not be encouraged?” he asked. He said that “whenever a man of peace meets President Eisenhower, he is encouraged.”
The prepared statement issued by Mr. Ben-Gurion declared: “This was the first opportunity I have had of seeing President Eisenhower since I last saw him in Frankfurt in 1945 immediately after the liberation of Europe. I was able to express to him the gratitude which is felt towards President Eisenhower in my country by those whom the armies under his command liberated 15 years ago from the Jaws of death.
“We had private and informal talks and I was very interested to learn from the President of his recent visits in various countries and of his impressions. Our talks touched on many world problems and, of course, we dicussed United States-Israel relations in their broad scope.”
Mr. Ben-Gurion presented the President with a gift album showing how the survivors of the concentration camps became free citizens of Israel. The album depicts the movement of DP’s from Germany to Israel and their integration into the life of the State. The silver emblem of Israel adorned the cover of the album. Its pages were of parchment.
Secretary of State Christian Herter was stricken ill of a digestive upset today and was unable to participate in the White House meeting. Undersecretary of State C. Douglas Dillon sat in instead of the Secretary. Israel Ambassador Avraham Harman and Lewis Jones, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs also participated.
STATE DEPARTMENT TENDERS LUNCHEON IN HONOR OF MR. BEN-GURION
Later, Mr. Ben-Gurion had a lengthy meeting with Undersecretary Dillon at the State Department after which the Israeli Prime Minister said that he had found a great deal of identity of views on many essential things. Asked if he wanted a reaffirmation of the 1950 Tripartite Declaration which guarantees the present Arab Israel borders, Mr. Ben-Gurion told newspapermen: “I am not a great believer in statements; I believe in deeds.”
The State Department tendered a luncheon in honor of Mr. Ben-Gurion at Blair House. Among those attending were Chief Justice Earl Warren; Treasury Secretary Robert Anderson; Agriculture Secretary Ezra Benson; Labor Secretary James P. Mitchell; Allen Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency; James Riddleberger, director of the International Cooperation Administration; Eric Johnston, one-time Presidential trouble-shooter; General Curtis Le May, Vice-Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force, and John N. Irwin, assistant Chief of Defense for International Security Affairs.
Senator Albert Goze, chairman of the Near Eastern Subcommmittee, made known that his body would meet informally tomorrow with Mr. Ben-Gurion. The Tennessee Democrat said that Senators wanted to hear Ben-Gurion’s views and question him. He indicated that all 16 members of the Foreign Relations Committee have been invited to attend the session.
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