The four battling candidates for the Democratic Mayoral nomination found an issue on which they could agree. They agreed yesterday that proposed American arms sales to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait would cause nothing but more trouble in the Mideast. Abraham D. Beame, the City Controller, declared “It’s a very dangerous action that discourages peaceful negotiations and endangers the preservation of a cease-fire.” Beame called on President Nixon and the State Department to cancel the proposed sale.
Albert Blumenthal, Assemblyman from the West Side of Manhattan, said: “We must remain united in our responsibility and commitment to assist Israel in protecting itself from attack. It’s outrageous and deplorable for our country to provide arms to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.”
Rep. Herman Badillo stated: “The reported sale of arms to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia will not help the cause of peace in the Middle East.” Rep. Mario Biaggi said: “The sale of arms by our country to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait is outrageous and intolerable. It imperils the very delicate cease-fire that now exits in that troubled part of the world and I, for one, urge President Nixon not to go through with it.”
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.
