Thirteen Senators and a number of members of the House today attacked the Administration’s policy of supporting Egypt and indicated they would back a measure to sever aid to the Nasser regime.
Members of Congress of both parties, on the occasion of tributes to Israeli Independence Day, broke into open rebellion against State Department policies in the Near East. The State Department was taken to task for allowing Nasser’s Soviet arms and German missile technology to be indirectly financed by increased American aid. There was criticism of the Department’s failure to press for Arab-Israel peace and for appeasement by the Administration policy makers of Egypt’s new aggressive tendencies.
Senator Jacob K. Javits, New York Republican, led a two-hour debate in the Senate during which assistant Democratic leader Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota conceded that even he was dissatisfied with concessions to Nasser. Sen. Humphrey made known he would go along with an amendment to place restrictions on U.S. aid to Nasser. Such an amendment was filed today by Rep. Halpern in the House.
COLLECTIVE DEFENSE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL SUGGESTED
senator Javits proposed that to stop the mounting war danger and foreclose Communist exploitation, the United States “in concert with the United Kingdom, France, and other interested nations should offer to join in a collective defense agreement with Israel and any other Middle East state willing to join and carry out its obligations–for the preservation of peace and security in the Middle East, guaranteeing military assistance and cooperation to prevent or thwart any effort to alter its boundaries by force.”
This agreement was envisaged as to include, if necessary, any means needed to repel aggression pending a more comprehensive system of regional security in the Middle East area. Such an agreement, said Sen. Javits, would be essentially similar to the mutual defense treaty of 1952 with the Philippines.
Senator Ernest Gruening, Alaska Democrat, denounced the lack of American response to Nasser’s “infiltration and subversion” of neighboring states. He said that the time for “noble declarations” was past and that the Nasser “police state” must be denied further American funds. Sen. Gruening named various Nazis, including war criminals, who are in Egypt working toward the destruction of Israel.
Senator Thomas H. Kuchel, California Republican, said a statement of policy was inadequate, citing the need for action to stem Nasser’s proliferation of missiles as a hazard to world peace. Sen. John Sherman Cooper of Kentucky, a Republican who served as Ambassador to India, voiced doubts about the aiding of Nasser even though he had himself served as a diplomat.
Other Senators who spoke out today against the Nasser regime, favoring measures to safeguard Israeli security and world peace, included Sen. Salton stall of Massachusetts; Sen. Case of New Jersey, Sen. Keating of New York, Sen. Pastore of Rhode Island, Sen. Hart of Michigan, Sen. Douglas of Illinois, Sen. Scott of Pennsylvania, and Sen. Morse of Oregon.
MEASURE TO BAN AID TO EGYPT REFERRED TO FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
In the House, Rep. Halpern called for an “action program” to prevent war and introduced legislation to give effect to demands for severance of aid to Nasser. He stressed the need for an Israel-American Mutual Security pact to prevent the “explosion that could occur if Jordan collapsed under Nasser’s terrorist pressures.”
Rep. Halpern told the House that lacking a commitment by the United States “I do not see how we could expect Israel to quietly await the final blow as Nasser establishes rocket launching pads on all of Israel’s extended borders–if Jordan collapses.” He said that perhaps in concert with Britain and France or through some sub-NATO or centro structure “we should offer a definite, iron bound security guarantee to Israel or any other Near Eastern state willing to pursue a peaceful and non-aggressive policy.”
Denouncing the flow of $250, 000, 000 from the United States to Nasser in 1962, Rep. Halpern introduced an amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act to ban further aid to the United Arab Republic because of Nasser’s acquisition of Soviet arms and proliferation of the rocket race. His amendment was referred by the Speaker of the House to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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