Crisis in Lebanon Believed to Have Figured in Allon-rumsfeld Meeting

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon, meeting for 65 minutes this morning at the Pentagon, were believed to have included in their talks a discussion of the deteriorating situation in Lebanon in relation to the general situation in the Middle East.

Official sources, both U.S. and Israel, declined to affirm specifically that the Lebanon crisis had been considered by the two officials. Nevertheless, their cautiously-worded statement indicated that the meeting went beyond Israel’s military requirements.

William Greener, the new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, said that Rumsfeld and Allon “discussed a wide range of issues of mutual concern. including the current state of defense assistance” between Israel and the United States, and “the Middle East situation in general.”

Rumsfeld, Greener said, “felt the meeting was most worthwhile.” Greener said it was “inappropriate to discuss the specifics of the meeting.” but he said. “I can say they did not dealt in detail with specific items of hardware.” The latter presumably related to Israel’s desire for F-15 and F-16 warplanes and the rate of delivery to Israel. Israeli sources said that “a very broad political and strategic discussion” was held “in a very friendly” atmosphere.

IMPORTANCE OF MEETING INDICATED

The attendance of high-ranking State and Defense Department officials at the Rumsfeld-Allon meeting indicated the importance attached to it by the United States. Present were Joseph Sisco, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs; William Clements Deputy Secretary of Defense Gen. Howard Fish, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Security Assistance Operations; Amos Jordan, Assistant Defense Secretary for International Security Affairs; James Noyes, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near Eastern Security Affairs; and Malcolm Toon, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel,

With Allon were Israeli Ambassador Simcha Dinitz; Maj. Gen. Avraham Adan, Israeli military attache; Joseph Ciechmover, director of the Israeli Defense Ministry mission in the United States; Haim Baron, director of the Foreign Minister’s office; and Ephraim Evron, deputy director.

The meeting with Rumsfeld preceded a second session that Allon is having with Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger late today at the State Department. Last night, Kissinger gave a dinner for Allon at which about 120 guests were present, including Israeli and American journalists and high U.S. and Israeli government officials and members of Congress. Allon also met with Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller and CIO-AFL President George Meany.

Sen. Frank Church (D.Idaho) was among the Congressional leaders who visited with Allon today. Allon is to meet with members of the Overseas Press Club at lunch tomorrow and appear on television afterwards. Allon will be host for a dinner for Kissinger and other high officials tonight at Dinitz’ residence.