Talk of U.S. Naval Base at Haifa Seen Blown out of Proportion

Talk of a possible U.S. naval base in Haifa has blown far out of proportion the realities of such an establishment coming to pass, both United States and Israeli sources agreed here. Some major newspapers prominently reported scraps of information from the meeting Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan held with the House International Relations Committee Sept. 20 with the implication that it was Dayan’s idea.

Rep. Clement Zablocki (D. Wis.), the Committee chairman, angered by leaks from the closed door meeting, demanded silence from all those present but it is known, since the initial leakage occurred, that it was not Dayan who brought up the subject, but “one or more Congressmen,” attending, a Capital source told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Dayan, the source said, was responding to initial questioning about such a possibility when he reportedly commented that if the U.S. sought a base for its Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, Israel would be ready to cooperate to show its dependability as an ally.

The State and Defense Department both said no serious considerations are being given to such a base. The Israeli Embassy, noting Dayan was responding to a hypothetical question, said Israel has never asked for military support from any country and will not ask for it. Israel’s policy opposes foreign interests or military personnel fighting for Israel, a spokesman said.

The Haifa idea is understood to have arisen from an eight-point plan for an Arab-Israeli peace settlement offered by Rep. Paul Findley (R.III.), who had attended the meeting with Dayan. An aide said Findley did not mention Haifa but pointed out the best way for the U.S. to fulfill its security guarantee for a peace settlement would be to establish a base in Israel. Findley, one of a handful of Congressmen who has been consistently critical of Israel over the years, is circulating his proposal widely, including all the embassies in Washington.