Humphrey Specifies He Supports Sale of Phantom Jets to Israel

Vice President Hubert Humphrey reiterated today his advocacy of continued United States military aid to Israel and said that it should include the sale of “supersonic planes such as the Phantom jets” which Prime Minister Levi Eshkol requested of President Johnson seven months ago. The Vice President, a candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination, voiced his support of Phantoms for Israel in response to a telegram sent to him by the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee here. The telegram asked Mr. Humphrey if he was in a position to amplify his statement of July 11 in which he said he favored continued military assistance to Israel, including Jet planes. His statement at the time did not specify any type of Jet planes. The United States has sold Israel Skyhawk jet fighters which are sub-sonic.

In his message today, Vice President Humphrey declared that “a stable peace in the Middle East is a must” and said that he favored “active diplomatic efforts to convince Israel’s neighbors to pursue a general settlement.” He warned that “the cause of peace will not be served by the pursuit of military preponderance by the Arab states through arms deliveries from the Soviet Union.”

“Until permanent peace is achieved and the arms race ended,” Mr. Humphrey said, “continued U.S. military assistance to Israel is Justified. This assistance should include supersonic planes such as Phantom jets. But the real answer lies in agreed disarmament. It is in the interests of all the people of the Middle East to engage actively in negotiated agreements among the nations of the region.”