Premier Meir Flies to United States for Crucial Talks with Nixon

Premier Golda Meir flew to the United States today for a round of talks with President Nixon and other top Administration officials in a period of severe strain between the two governments over many issues of Israel’s security. (Mrs. Meir was scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Airport at about 7 p.m. New York time under strict security precautions.) The talks will follow Israel’s withdrawal from the Middle East peace talks at the United Nations, an Egyptian declaration that the Nixon-sponsored peace initiative has been “killed” by promises of additional U.S. economic and military aid to Israel, and the continued detention of some 54 hostages by Arab guerrillas in King Hussein’s seething kingdom.

Mrs. Meir is scheduled to meet with the President on Friday. While no official agenda for her talks with Mr. Nixon and other officials, including Secretary of State William P. Rogers, has been published, the talks are expected to cover Israel’s insistence that it cannot return to the Jarring talks until all illegally-placed Egyptian missiles are removed from the Suez Canal truce zone. She reportedly will suggest that if this is not a feasible objective for the Nixon Administration to pursue, then Israel may consider a new cease-fire agreement, with possible pullbacks on both sides of the canal zone. She is also expected to raise with Administration officials Israel’s new military needs created by the Soviet-backed Egyptian violations. The security measures included special checks of personnel coming and going from Lydda Airport as Mrs. Meir arrived for her flight. All vehicles were searched by army and police explosives experts. Special budges were issued to people permitted to attend the Premier’s departure.