Israel’s Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion arrived here this afternoon by plane from Montreal after completing a four-day official visit to Canada. Upon landing at International Airport here he said that he is looking forward to his meeting with President Kennedy on Tuesday and that he intends to meet also with leaders of American Jewish organizations.
Following his arrival, Mr. Ben-Gurion conferred with Dag Hammarskjold, United Nations Secretary General at the latter’s residence on Park Avenue. He was accompanied by Ambassador Michael S. Comay, head of the Israel delegation to the United Nations. The conference lasted two hours during which the Prime Minister and the UN Secretary General reviewed general international problems, including the Middle East, but did not touch upon any specific issues at present concerning Israel.
Flanked by uniformed representatives of the Canadian Government, Mr. Ben-Gurion stepped off the Canadian Government airplane vigorous as ever. He was officially welcomed by a special representative of Mayor Robert Wagner and greeted by Avraham Harman, Israel’s Ambassador in Washington, and Ambassador Comay. Present at the airport to greet him were also Arieh Eshel, deputy head of the Israel delegation to the United Nations; Israel Consul General Dr. Binyamin Eliav; Dr. Joseph J. Schwartz, executive vice-president of the Israel Bond Organization and Ralph Goldman, executive vice-president of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.
Twenty children representing two Hebrew schools in New York, welcomed Mr. Ben-Gurion in Hebrew and presented him with bouquets of flowers. In the party greeting him were also former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Ogden Reid with Mrs.Reid and one of their sons. After stepping off the plane, the Prime Minister made the following statement:
“I have just completed a visit of four days to Canada as the guest of the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada. During my visit, I had most interesting and useful talks on various international questions including the Middle East, with Mr. Diefenbaker and other leading figures. I was deeply moved by the warmth of the reception tendered to me and by the friendship I felt on the part of all segments of the population toward Israel.
“I shall be spending a few days in the United States. I always enjoy visiting this great land both because of its leadership in the family of freedom and because of the close ties of friendship between our two peoples.
“I am looking forward to my meeting with President Kennedy. I first met the President on the occasion of his visit to Israel in 1951. Last year in Washington I had the pleasure of renewing our acquaintance.
“I shall be visiting Philadelphia and will address there a national conference of the Israel Bond Organization. This evening I shall be meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations. In the course of my visit I shall be meeting with various American personalities and with leaders of Jewish organizations in the United States.”
After delivering his prepared statement, Mr. Ben-Gurion was asked by reporters whether he “expects trouble in the Middle East. ” His reply was “Why trouble?”
PROGRAM OF BEN-GURION’S ACTIVITIES IN NEW YORK ANNOUNCED
Tomorrow morning, Mr. Ben-Gurion will be visited at his Waldorf Astoria suite here by Mayor Wagner. Later, he will be driven to Philadelphia for a ceremony in front of the Liberty Bell at Independence Hall, and in the evening he will deliver a major address before the Board of Governors of the Israel Bond Organization who will meet at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Ben-Gurion will confer with President Kennedy at the latter’s apartment at the Carlyle Hotel here. Wednesday he will be the guest of honor at a diplomatic luncheon to be given at the United Nations by Mr. Comay who has invited to the event all those heads of permanent UN missions of Governments that have relations with Israel. Wednesday night he will address leaders of the United Jewish Appeal.
During his visit here, Mr. Ben-Gurion will meet with many leaders of the American Jewish community. On his agenda also are visits from Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, Adlai E. Stevenson, U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations; Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and various other noted Americans.
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