The State Department announced today that Bernard Katzen, special consultant to Secretary Dulles, has been asked to proceed to Israel to observe the program for the expenditure of certain funds in Israeli currency which have accrued to the United States as a result of the operation of the informational media guaranty program in Israel.
Some time ago Mr. Katzen was sent by Mr. Dulles on an earlier mission to Israel for the purpose of recommending projects for which these funds might be expended to further the common interest of the United States and Israel. Upon completion of the mission, Mr. Katzen reported to Secretary Dulles and made certain recommendations for a number of educational, scientific and cultural projects.
These recommendations were accepted by the Department of State. The necessary appropriation was authorized by Congress although subsequently members of Congress questioned the manner in which Mr. Katzen operated and charged him with working for political ends. As a result of the furor in Congress the informational media program from which Israel had benefitted was temporarily suspended for an investigation.
The State Department said today that the American Embassy in Israel was currently engaged in the implementation of the recommended projects. Mr Katzen will remain in Israel about three weeks. He will then submit his observations and comments to the Department in Washington.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
