Brown Opposed to U.S. Mideast Bases

Defense Secretary Harold Brown said yesterday that he was opposed to American bases in the Middle East as a means of helping U.S. allies and interests in the area. Appearing on the CBS television program “Face the Nation,” Brown was questioned. by a Pentagon reporter about the possibilities of U.S. establishing military bases in the area, as has been suggested by Administration sources since the Iranian crisis began. The suggestions include the U.S. takeover of the air bases in Sinai that Israel will evacuate in 1981 and turn over to Egypt.

The reporter asked Brown: “If we do put bases in the Middle East, if we do concentrate forces there in any way, what countries, what are the likely candidate countries, and secondly, could a NATO of the Middle East develop out of this? Could we have some formal ties to Saudi Arabia, let’s say, and other Middle East countries that are friendly to the U.S.?” According to the transcript of the broadcast, the Defense Secretary replied;

“I don’t want to talk about bases in particular countries because I don’t believe that American bases as such in that area are the right way to go. A number of those countries in the area themselves can maintain bases which in an emergency, in which they asked our help, we could then come in and use, Nor do I see formal alliances. I believe that the history of those (alliances) does not suggest that this is the right way to go. I think we need to improve our relationships and our military cooperation with the moderate states in the area and there are a substantial number of those,” Brown did not mention any country by name.