Sen. Irving M. Ives, of New York, said today in a statement on the Senate floor that the British are arming the Arabs while the State Department “persists in interfering” with Israel’s efforts to buy munitions here for self-defense.
The Senator said that Israel should be given a chance to buy the munitions she needs from the U.S. “I insist it is only equitable and realistic for our State Department to adopt a more affirmative position on this question than it has demonstrated thus far. Arms must be made available to Israel just as they are being placed at the disposal of the Arab states,” he stated.
At the same time it was learned that Senate Majority Leader Scott Lucas received the assurances of the State Department that this government will carefully observe the situation involving the current Near East arms race. San. Lucas had previously asked that the Department review its position.
The State Department also assured Sen. Alexander Wiley of Wisconsin that it does not believe that “serious measures are being taken in preparation for renewal of hostilities” in the Near East. Sen. Wiley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had written Secretary of State Dean Acheson of his desire for continued peace in the Near East.
U.S. Army Chief of Staff General J. Lawton Collins left today for a trip to the Middle East. He plans to stop at Cairo with his staff and to visit other Near and Middle Eastern nations.
Arab diplomats angrily withdrew during the week-end from the annual conference of the Middle East Institute, complaining that they would not share the speakers platform with Israel Embassy officials. Moshe Yuval, Israel First Secretary, and Moshe Keren, Counselor, continued to participate until the end of the parley.
The Arabs explained that they could not sit with representatives of the Israel Government because such action might be taken to indicate that they concede the legal existence of Israel. The Middle East Institute is a private, non-profit organization concerned with informing government officials, businessmen and educators about the economics, history, culture, industry and current affairs of that part of the world.
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