Soviet Union Warns That U.S. Aid to Israel Will Increase Russian Aid to Arabs

The Soviet Union hinted strongly yesterday that the delivery of additional American aircraft to Israel would lead to increased Russian aid to the Arabs. The warning was contained in an article by Tass, the official Soviet news agency, which accused the U.S. of using the resumed American-Soviet bilateral talks on the Mideast as a means to “blackmail” Moscow to remove its forces from Egypt. The Tass article, signed by Yevgeny Primaki, said “Some people in America would like to use these contacts as a political screen to camouflage their attempts to delay a political settlement of the Middle East conflict.” It accused the American press of threatening the immediate sale of 125 Phantom and Skyhawk fighter-bombers to Israel if the USSR does not make concessions to the American side in the talks. The bilateral discussions were resumed Tuesday after a six-week hiatus when Secretary of State William P. Rogers met with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly F. Dobrynin.

“Don’t those who try to blackmail the Soviet Union understand that this method has never worked?” the Tass article asked. “As to the threat to provide Israel with additional planes, the United States is not the only state on which the balance of military forces in the Middle East depends,” Tass warned. The article said the Soviet Union “has given support and will continue giving support to the just struggle of Arab countries for the liquidation of the aftermath of the Middle East aggression.” It noted that “It is becoming more evident that the Israeli Air Force cannot Intrude freely into the inland areas of the United Arab Republic.” The article made no mention of Israel’s claims that Soviet pilots have taken over the defense of central Egypt but it accused Premier Golda Meir of spreading “undisguised lies” in order to secure more U.S. aid.