The “active concern” of the United States Government for the welfare of Israel was emphasized here tonight by Edward B. Lawson, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, in a recorded message to the annual dinner of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. More than 500 bankers, industrialists and business leaders attended the affair.
Ambassador Lawson, who is due to arrive in Washington within a few days for consultations on the Arab-Israel issue. referred to President Eisenhower’s call for “the courage to be patient,” and said he believed Israel would abide by this kind of courage. “It is in all good faith and conviction that I say to you now,” the Ambassador added, “that I believe Israel will choose the way of reason and steadiness and patience, and that in this choice she will find a certain reward.”
Nathan Strauss III, president of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, presented awards of merit to the chief executives of five American companies participating in the development of Israel’s oil resources. The awards were presented to the Israel-American Oil Corporation; Israel Mediterranean Petroleum, Inc. and Pan-Israel Oil Company, Inc. Friedland Israel Oil Venture.
Meir Sherman, Israel Minister for Economic Affairs in the United States, who was the guest speaker at the dinner, praised the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce for its work and called American businessmen trading with or investing in Israel “far-sighted. He described the rise in economic relations between the two countries and laid stress on the 40 percent increase in one year in the number of American tourists visiting Israel. Exports, imports, tourist travel, investments-all increased in 1955, he said.
Secretary of Commerce Sinclair Weeks, in a message to the dinner, disclosed that in 1955, U.S. exports to Israel rose to $90,000,000 as compared with $76,000,000 in 1954, at the same time, Israel exports to the U.S. increased from $13,700,000 in 1954 to $17,000,000 in 1955. He said this trend “in our trade relations with Israel is a healthy sign, and added that the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce “has played an extremely active role in fostering and creating conditions conductive to expanded trade between the two countries.” A message from the Israel Minister of Commerce and Industry, Pinchas Sapir, also hailed the growth of economic relations between the two countries.
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