Details on Soviet Supply of Arms to Arab States Reported in Senate

Details of a massive flow of Soviet arms into Arab states were revealed today in a Senate speech by Senator Jacob K. Javits, New York Republican. He told the Senate he had obtained Administration statistics revealing that about three-fourths of all Soviet bloc military assistance to non-Communist states–$580,000,000 out of a total of $780,000,000–went to the United Arab Republic, Iraq, and Yemen, from 1955 to 1959.

The largest recipient of Soviet arms is the UAR in the amount of $443,000,000. Iraq received $120,000,000 in arms, while Yemen got $17,000,000 worth. New advanced planes, tanks, and other modern weapons are pouring into Egypt in a “huge Soviet build-up,” said Sen. Javits. He stressed that “these alarming statistics” were disclosed to him by the Administration in its summary presentation of the Mutual Security program for fiscal year 1961.

He also called attention to Soviet economic penetration of the Arab countries through aid totaling $696,000,000. Of this sum $515,000,000 went to the United Arab Republic. He warned that the UAR was adopting a more aggressive policy against Israel, and threatening peace. He urged that the United States assist Israel to maintain a balance of power.

Senator Javits called for a reaffirmation of the 1950 Anglo-French-American Tripartite Declaration, and a decision by the Three Powers on action if the declaration has to be invoked for aggression. The alternative, he said, is to give Israel the military equipment to maintain its own defenses. He said the Soviet Union applies pressure in the Near East whenever such pressure seems attractive to its global strategy. “It ought to be made clear that such moves will not be profitable,” he stated.

The Senator charged that the UAR now has 12 modern Soviet submarines in operation, threatening the Eastern Mediterranean. He said intelligence reports indicated crews of the UAR submarines include Soviet-bloc naval personnel.