U.S. Arms Sales to Arabs Denounced

Joseph Churba, former intelligence advisor to the U.S. Air Force on the Middle East, denounced projected American arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries as “a dubious and irresponsible legacy passed on to President-elect Carter.” He said the sales were based on a series of false presumptions by the Pentagon.

Churba resigned from his Air Force post last month after he was denied future access to intelligence material. The denial followed his outspoken criticism of Air Force Gen. George S. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs for Brown’s assertion in a press interview that Israel was a military burden on the U.S. Churba made his remarks in an address Sunday to the national executive committee of the Zionist Organization of America.

According to Churba. “There is no sound military reason for the U.S. to sell Saudi Arabia these new weapons systems.” He said “the emphasis on enormous quantities of … missiles is explicitly designed as a response to Israeli air power and a means of establishing an offensive capability-against Israeli cities.” He suggested that the sale of 1650 “Maverick” missiles might prompt the Arabs to consider a first strike against Israel and tempt the Israelis to consider a preemptive attack.

Churba claimed there was a “tilt” against Israel in the Pentagon which was based on false assumptions. One of these, he said, was that Israel retains an indefinite qualitative superiority over the Arabs and therefore does not need new weapons. A second is that the Arabs are incapable of assimilating sophisticated weapons which “was proven grossly wrong in the 1973 fighting.” A third assumption. “no less faulty.” is that the Saudis and Kuwaitis would not transfer their missiles to Israel’s immediate neighbors and a fourth is that if the U.S. does not sell the weapons, the Saudis could buy their equivalents elsewhere.