Israeli officials said to day that they have obtained clarification of President Eisenhower’s recent press conference remarks on the Eisenhower Doctrine that reassured them on U.S. commitments to Israel.
The President last week interpreted the Eisenhower Doctrine’s so-called “Mansfield Amendment “under which the United States could militarily intervene in defense of Near Eastern states even if such states are attacked by non-communist powers. In the event of non-communist aggression, the President said there were “probably certain actions” that the United States might be able to take to aid a friendly Near Eastern government which he described as “one with which we have associations like military assistance and so forth.”
The United States maintains “military assistance” arrangements to furnish arms to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. It has no military assistance association with Israel. Doubt was, therefore, expressed as to whether the President interpreted the “Mansfield Amendment” as applying to Israel under present circumstances.
Israeli officials said the clarification they obtained on U. S. commitments generally “has elicited that the exchange between the United States and Israel fully stands and that nothing to the contrary has ever been remotely hinted at by any responsible quarters, nor is there anything in President Eisenhower’s press statement of May 28 which can by the most far-fetched interpretation be held to offset the obligations of the United States to Israel under the Middle East resolution and other statements of policy.”
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