State Dept. Bent on Arming Arabs; Members of Congress Dissatisfied

A group of six Senators and about 35 representatives today released the text of a letter from Under Secretary of State Walter Bedell Smith and simultaneously issued a statement of “regret that we do not find assurance in the letter that arms will not be furnished to the Arab states. “

The members of Congress had met with Secretary Smith and other State Department officials to express concern over proposals to furnish arms to Arab League states. The Department was asked to avoid such a policy, which was characterized as a threat to peace.

Commenting on the Smith letter today, the Congressmen said they had pointed out that the Arab states have shown no desire to make peace with Israel. Moreover, since the original letter to the Department of State was written on February 8, developments in the Near East have again revealed the instability and volatile character of government in that area, and this has heightened our concern that U. S. arms may be used not to defend the Near East against Communism, but for a renewal of warfare against Israel. “

In his letter justifying the shipment of arms to the Arabs, Secretary Smith quoted Secretary John Foster Dulles as saying: “We are confronted today by possibilities of creating strength. The voluntary steps now being taken toward mutual cooperation by certain Near and Middle Eastern states located close to the Soviet Union merit our support. We must make use of these historic opportunities as they occur, or see them pass by with incalculable consequences for our own security.

“The setting within which we must build defensive strength is unlikely ever to be perfect, ” Mr. Dulles continued. “Certain area disputes may well remain unsettled for many years, while the Soviet threat continues to grow. It is our conviction, furthermore, that building area defense will not obstruct the solution of these disputes but instead by fostering internal stability and appreciation of common danger will contribute to a reduction of tensions. “

Secretary Smith, summarizing the main points made by the Department in its discussions of Arab arms aid with Congressmen, said: “The present dangerous weakness in the defensive capabilities of the Near East constitutes a direct threat to the security of the United States and of the free world. In insisting upon such (arms aid) undertakings in every instance, the United States Government will continue to concern itself with relative military strengths in this area until such time as tensions between Israel and the Arab states have been sufficiently reduced to give promise of a lasting peace in the area. Any military aid which the United States may consider extending to states in this area will not shift the balance of strength so as to imperil the existence of any one nation. “

The tripartite declaration of May 25, 1950, was cited by Secretary Smith as an assurance that Israel had no real cause for concern over the arming of certain Arab states.