State Dept. Opposed to Senate Action on Arab Blockade; Backs Fulbright

The State Department today registered support of efforts by Chairman J. W. Fulbright, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to eliminate from the Mutual Security Bill an amendment critical of the Arab’s anti-Israel blockade.

Speaking for the State Department, Undersecretary Douglas Dillon warned that the so-called Douglas amendment might play into the hands of Communist efforts to exacerbate Middle Eastern tensions to penetrate the area. Mr. Dillon said the State Department fully concurs that the Douglas amendment would make elimination of the Arab boycott more difficult and “would play into the hands of the Soviet bloc which seeks to exacerbate Middle Eastern tensions to further its penetration of the area.”

Mr. Dillon said the Arab boycott was an outgrowth of the entire Palestine problem. and the situation in which “nearly 1,000,000 refugees are not able to return to their homes.” The Undersecretary stressed that settlement of Arab-Israel differences would come not through “coercion” from outside. (By the time this Bulletin went to press, the Fulbright amendment had not yet reached the floor of the Senate.)

Mr. Dillon revealed to Sen. Fulbright that the State Department made available to American Embassies, in countries which would be affected, the text of the House-adopted amendment against the Arab boycott, which is similar to the Douglas amendment. He said that “in a unanimous expression of opinion, our field posts from Morocco to Iraq reported that the adoption of such an amendment would clearly not be in the interests of the United States, or, for that matter, of Israel.”

SAYS DOUGLAS AMENDMENT WOULD BE CONSIDERED FAVORITISM TO ISRAEL

The Undersecretary said the Douglas amendment would be interpreted as demonstrating favoritism for Israel, rendering reduction of tension more difficult. He said it would be seen as an attempt to tie strings to American aid, making it “an instrument of political coercion.” He charged that “considerable” inaccurate information on Suez transit was being circulated by proponents of the Douglas amendment. He said that the truth was that “not a single American ship has thus far been denied passage through the Canal” because of trading with Israel.

Mr. Dillon said that Arab counter-picketing arising from the Cleopatra incident, was “not unnatural” and meant that at least 20 American ships with 1,000 seamen would be affected within the next month. He warned also that. for every Arab ship picketed in the United States. 30 American ships would be subjected to Arab picketing.

Emphasizing that the Douglas amendment would cause “repercussions” on vital American interests in ten Arab countries and areas of Asia and Africa, he asserted that “widespread sympathy” for the Arab viewpoint exists in these countries. He said it “ill behooves” America “to incur Arab resentment” by appearing to place “Strings” on American aid.

Mr. Dillon reviewed American assistance to Israel in the past, and said the Douglas amendment would only stir up difficulties to Israel’s detriment. He said the State Department has confidence in efforts of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold to solve existing problems under discussion.