Secretary of State Dean Rusk this weekend received a formal request from Sen. Hugh Scott, Pennsylvania Republican, to investigate the “harrassment” by Arab diplomats in Washington of Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, wife of the Vice President, because she served as honorary chairman of an Israel Bond function.
Sen. Scott held that the Arab action was beyond the realm of protocol and propriety. He said in a letter to Mr. Rusk that “our government officials and their families should not be subject to such harassment from a representative of a foreign government.”
The Senator referred specifically to a letter from Najdat Safwat, Iraqi Embassy Charge d’Affaires, which denounced Mrs. Johnson’s participation in the pro-Israel celebration. He told the Secretary of State, “I urge specifically that you investigate the matter with a view to determining whether the Iraqi official has not overstepped the boundaries of proper conduct rightfully expected of such officials.” State Department officials said the matter would be taken under study but noted that no formal complaint had been made by Vice President Johnson.
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