Senator Jacob K. Javits, New York Republican, announced today he will seek retention of an anti-discrimination clause, involving the rights of American Jews in Arab States and freedom of navigation in international waterways, that Chairman J. W. Fulbright of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee wants deleted from the Mutual Security Bill pending before Congress.
The State Department, through Assistant Secretary of State Philipps Talbot, agreed with Sen. Fulbright last week on dropping the clause. The passage facing elimination is a declaration supporting “freedom of navigation in international waterways, and recognition of the right of all private persons to travel and pursue their lawful activities without discrimination as to race or religion.”
It was contained in a preamble to the operative parts of the bill and replaced a stronger anti-discrimination measure contained in the last Mutual Security Appropriations Act. It would replace Section 108 of legislation for the fiscal year which ended June 30.
Senator Javits commented today that “the expression of policy contained in the Mutual Security Bill on discrimination against Americans abroad and on the principle of free navigation are important and truly represent American policy. I will do my utmost to see that a reaffirmation of policy along these lines is included in this year’s Mutual Security (foreign aid) Bill.”
AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS ASKS RESTORATION OF CLAUSE
The American Jewish Congress appealed to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to retain the provision. In a telegram to Senator Fulbright, the Congress said it was “distressed” by information that the anti-bias clause had been dropped by the Committee during its consideration of the bill.
It referred to President Kennedy’s announced goal of linking American foreign aid allocations to programs of economic reform and social justice among the recipient counties and said that “such a policy, which we wholeheartedly support, is incongruous with a foreign aid program that appeases Arab bigotry against American citizens and that condones Arab economic warfare against another recipient of the same overseas aid program–Israel.”
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