Sen. George McGovern declared here today that “I repudiate and reject the alleged endorsement” of his candidacy for the Presidency issued by M. T. Mehdi of New York, secretary-general of the Action Committee on American-Arab Relations. Sen. McGovern said he did not seek the support of the Arab propagandist’s organization “and refuse to accept it.”
The Senator added that Mehdi “well knows that my views on the Middle East are diametrically opposed to his. I therefore regard his “endorsement” as a cynical attempt – by him or by someone whose bidding he does – to embarrass me and discredit me with Americans of all creeds who believe as I do that the cornerstone of American policy in the Middle East must be the survival of an Israel that is militarily secure and economically sound.”
The Senator added, in his statement, that “the votes I have cast and the statements I have made on Israel are a matter of public record. Mr. Mehdi cannot be ignorant of them. I can only conclude therefore that this ‘endorsement’ is a calculated attempt to drive voters concerned for Israel’s security into the Republican camp an obvious device to win support for Richard Nixon.” He added that “I do not believe that Israel’s friends in this country will be fooled by so blatant an attempt to deceive them.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
