The possibility that the United States may openly provide arms to Israel, to make up for West Germany’s cancelation of such shipments, was seen here today as W. Averell Harriman, U. S. Under Secretary of State and Washington’s special envoy, left here late tonight after completing five days of highly-secret conferences with Israel’s topmost governmental leaders, headed by Prime Minister Levi Eshkol. He flew to Kabul, Afghanistan, and will then go to India.
While the black-out on official announcements about the talks continued in effect as it has since Mr. Harriman opened his conversations here and at Tel Aviv last Thursday–informed circles stated that progress seems to have been achieved concerning Israel’s request for “non-secret” supplies of arms from the U. S. A.
(Reports from Cairo today said Egypt has been mobilizing troops and conducting military maneuvers in the Gaza Strip area bordering Israel, and has called into active service several thousand army reservists. The report stated that the Gaza Strip has been sealed off against any visits by foreigners.)
The conferences with Mr. Harriman continued today right up to his departure, and a Joint communique was being drafted by both sides. It was predicted that the communistic would not go beyond generalities, since Mr. Harriman had come here without a clear mandate from the Johnson Administration for entering into hard commitments.
During his talks, not only with Premier Eshkol but also with Foreign Minister Golda Meir and Deputy Defense Minister Shimon Peres, Mr. Harriman is known to have shown understanding of Israel’s position on most of the major issues under consideration. Regarding open American arms supplies to Israel, the talks are believed to have built a positive framework within which further conferences would be held in Washington, with the possible participation of both Mrs. Meir and Mr. Peres.
The United States, it was learned here, seems to feel that it is able to prevent the Arabs from encroaching upon Israel’s Jordan water rights, but the Israelis believe that the very threat by the Arabs, and their promise of early moves toward Jordan River diversion, are in themselves issues that must be halted in their early stages. However, on a wide range of other problems pertaining to the Middle East, and Israel’s constructive role in the area, there appeared to be no divergence between the basic thinking of the American and the Israeli Governments, as revealed during the Harriman-Eshkol talks.
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