Ford Reiterates Belief That War in the Mideast is Highly Likely

For the second time in less than a week. President Ford has expressed his belief that there is a high likelihood of war in the Middle East. His latest statement was made yesterday in a year-end interview with UPI in Vail, Colorado where the President and his family are on a Christmas holiday. Last Monday, syndicated columnist Joseph Alsop reported that Ford considers there is a high chance of renewed war in the Mideast within hardly more than half a year.

Ford’s latest warning came when he was asked by UPI to comment on Alsop’s earlier disclosure. “I firmly believe, unless there is some movement on a step-by-step basis (toward) peace in the Middle East, there’s a high degree, there’s a high likelihood of war,” he told UPI. Declaring he was encouraged despite rising tensions in the area, Ford said: “I think all parties recognize another war would be a real tragedy, both in lives lost and the financial cost. I think Its consequences could be very serious.”

Asked what he planned to do about the situation, the President stated: “Keep on working, trying to get Israelis and Arabs to expand the disengagement efforts that were successful in 1973 and 1974, to broaden the agreements (between) the Israelis and the Arab nations. If we keep working on it, and get some success, I think we can prevent another bloody conflict….”

SPECULATION ON U.S. MIDEAST INTERVENTION

Ford also stated that it would be “inappropriate” to comment on recurring reports that there is a National Security Council contingency plan for the United States to take over some Arab oilfields, or help Israel to do so, if there is another Arab oil embargo. There had been some reports that the Pentagon was thinking in terms of a military intervention against the Arabs in case of a new oil embargo to protect U.S. “vital interests.”

On Dec. 17, the Defense Department denied reports that American troops were being trained to take over Mideast oilfields in the event of another embargo. Department spokesman William Beecher insisted that “there has been no change in the training of any of the services of any kind” to warrant this speculation. He declined to comment on any contingency plans or to say if the Department considered as feasible a U.S. military takeover of oilfields. Beecher referred to a statement by Defense Secretary James Schlesinger that the U.S. was not contemplating any military action of any kind in the Mideast.

The speculation arose when the U.S. army’s magazine, “Soldiers,” reported in November on a helicopter assault training exercise near Fort Riley, Kansas, on a target named “Petrolandia.” The Defense Department stated subsequently that the name was due to an unfortunate typographical error and the proper name should have been “Patrolandia.” On Dec. 18, White House press secretary Ron Nessen charged that talk of U.S. military intervention in the Mideast was irresponsible.

Nevertheless, unofficial talk in certain high circles in Washington has been that U.S. Marines would attempt a takeover of Libya’s vulnerable oil fields. A takeover of the Persian Gulf oil fields is seen as impractical because the wells and pipelines are highly vulnerable to sabotage.

Alsop, in his column, had stated that Ford felt that another Mideast war will have shocking consequences, ranging from re-imposition of an oil embargo to the emergence of a measure of serious anti-Semitism in the U.S. Alsop also reported, “Because of Vietnam, he (Ford) does not think the American people will stand for an active role (in the Mideast) unless the Soviets intervene first. But in that event, he plainly feels that our own military intervention cannot be excluded.” Nessen refused to comment on Alsop’s report last week. He said the conversation between Alsop and Ford had been off the record.