Rep. Bertram L. Podell. New York Democrat, today asked congressional leaders not to honor President Pompidou of France by inviting him to address a special joint session of Congress when the French president visits Washington next month. Citing the latest actions of the Pompidou government in setting up an air force training center for the Arabs at the former U.S. Wheelus Airbase in Libya and the massive supply of jets to anti-Israel elements, the congressman said he would “boycott such a special session.”
The congressman made known that he and other members of Congress just returned from Paris and were “distressed by the unfriendly and inhospitable treatment” accorded them by the Pompidou government. He said, “I see no reason why this Congress should pay homage to a foreign president who is undermining world peace through prejudiced policies.” Rep. Podell said that “President Pompidou has shown contempt for President Nixon’s efforts to reduce regional tensions and I do not understand why the administration is inviting him.” He said that Mr. Pompidou made a “mockery” of Big Four pretensions of peace-making. He said the latest disclosures that the French air force will turn Wheelus base into a training center for Arab air forces was “an affront to the American people” who built the base and paid for it. Americans were shocked by “irresponsible” French arms shipments and “French policy calculated to woo Arabs at the expense of the United States and Israel,” he said.
REP. CRAMER SEEKS REVERSAL OF FRENCH ARMS POLICY
Rep. William C. Cramer, of Florida, disclosed that he will ask President Nixon to seek a reversal of the “dangerous new French policy of pouring arms into leftist Arab states” when President Pompidou of France visits the White House in February. Rep. Cramer, a member of the Republican Congressional leadership group that visits the White House weekly for conferences with the President, deplored the “one-sided” sale of French jets to Arab states. He said “France has an overwhelming moral obligation to heed American concern about world peace in view of the U.S. aid to France in two world wars, unpaid billions in war debts, and present pursuit of our assistance in stabilizing the franc.” Cramer said that France had become a “merchant of death” and announced that he would ask Mr. Nixon to tell Mr. Pompidou the U.S. deplores the new French role and will respond by providing more U.S. Phantom jets to Israel to prevent an imbalance.
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.
