President Johnson today received at the White House an Egyptian parliamentary delegation visiting the United States as official guests of the Government, headed by Anwar Sadat, president of the Egyptian General Assembly, Mr. Johnson reportedly discussed with Mr. Sadat, among other issues, the concern of the Egyptian Government over possible Israeli development of nuclear weapons.
(Press dispatches received in London from Cairo today reported that Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser has threatened in an address that Egypt would launch a “preventive” war if Israel begins efforts to develop nuclear weapons. In the same address, Nasser was reported also to have attacked the United States, saying that Washington showed “a policy antagonistic to Arab nations and the Arab people.” Diplomats in London and Cairo were reported believing that Nasser was alluding to the recent supply of Patton tanks to Israel by the United States.)
The Egyptian delegation met, after seeing the President, with Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and was tendered a luncheon by Mr. Rusk. State Department sources said that reassurances were given Mr. Sadat that America would use all her influence to press Israel to desist from nuclear weapon development. America’s opposition to nuclear proliferation was reiterated.
State Department officials also said it was reasonable to assume that President Nasser’s latest anti-American outburst was mentioned in the course of discussions.
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