Former President Truman, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and Walter Reuther, vice-president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations, issued a joint plea last night for an immediate United States treaty with Israel and any Arab state that wanted it, guaranteeing their borders against aggression, and for immediate U. S. supply of defensive arms to Israel to offset Communist arms shipments to Egypt.
The statement was issued by Mrs. Roosevelt at her home here and carried her signature and that of Mr. Truman. Mr. Reuther has approved the statement by telephone and will sign it as soon as it reaches him by mail. Mrs. Roosevelt said the statement was issued in behalf of the three signatories as non-Jewish Americans interested in preserving the peace of the Middle East, and not in behalf of any organization.
The statement called for immediate incorporation of the guarantees of the Tripartite Declaration of 1950 into treaties “offered on equal terms to Israel and the Arab lands. Because of Soviet intervention,” it continued, “such treaties can no longer be conditioned on either acceptance by both sides or by mutual agreement in regard to border changes; since conditions would, if imposed, only delay the enactment of treaties that are essential to maintaining peace in this area.
Insisting that the United States must counteract every effort by the Soviet Union to upset the present precarious balance of power” in the Middle East, the joint statement added. “This requires that the United States should now provide the defensive arms needed by Israel to protect itself against any aggression made possible or incited by the introduction of Communist arms.”
It also urged the United States to make clear that any change in the status quo (in the Middle East) by force will not be recognized or tolerated. It rejected the idea of “gnawing” at or “rolling back” the borders of Israel, underscoring that no part of its present territory was ever part of Egypt or Jordan. Additionally, it declared that Israel cannot economically or politically afford to admit more than a small number” of Arab refugees and pointed out that there are more than enough suitable areas for the resettlement of the Arab refugees in the Middle East, stressing the United States declared willingness to assist financially such a program.
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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.
