White House Says Ford Will Consider Senators’ Letter

The White House said today that President Ford will “consider the letter” sent to him by 76 Senators from 46 states calling for a firm recommitment of U.S. military and economic assistance to Israel. Presidential Press Secretary Ron Nessen told reporters that “the President believes it is valuable to have a wide range of views” and that the President “welcomes all suggestions from all sources” in his consideration of the reassessment of U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Nessen said, in reply to a question, that the President had not asked for the letter from the Senators. He said, “Of course, the U.S. is dedicated to the survival of a free and independent Israel,” adding that “the best assurance” for Israel and other countries in the Middle East is peace.

Nessen said Ford did not plan to meet with the Senators who signed the letter and that he has already been in consultation with members of both Houses of Congress on the Middle East. Asked if Ford or his advisors felt that the letter might prove awkward, difficult or a handicap in the President’s meeting with President Anwar Sadat of Egypt in Salzburg, Austria June 1-2; Nessen replied emphatically, “No.”

The White House spokesman strongly denied that the Administration’s delay in presenting its foreign aid program to Congress was “directed at anyone or holding out the prospect of using American aid in a punitive” way. He was responding to charges made by several Senators at a press conference on Capitol Hill this morning –all of them signers of the letter to Ford–that the delay was a form of pressure on Israel.

REVIEW DUE THIS SUMMER

Nessen told the reporters at the White House that the new aid levels for Israel and other Middle Eastern countries have not yet been determined. He said American aid “will be determined on the basis of our interests and our commitment to the survival of Israel,”

Nessen supplied the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s reporter with a copy of a letter Ford sent to Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller, as President of the Senate, and to House Speaker Carl Albert (D.Okla) on May 15 which stated in part that “the review of our policy in the Middle East which I initiated last month will not be complete until later this summer, I have therefore also omitted specific requests for assistance to the four major Middle East aid recipients until this review is completed,” The letter did not name the four recipients but they are known to be Israel, Egypt, Syria and Jordan.

Nessen said the reassessment was not expected to be completed until the summer. He said it consisted of consultations with members of Congress, outside groups, private organizations and individuals, American ambassadors to Middle Eastern countries and the still ongoing study by the National Security Council being conducted under the direction of Undersecretary of State Joseph J. Sisco.

SENATORS EXPLAIN LETTER’S PURPOSE

More than half a dozen Senators who signed the letter to President Ford briefed newsmen at the Capitol as to their purpose in sending their communication urging a re-affirmation of U.S. support for Israel. Sen. Jacob K. Javits (R.NY), the original sponsor of the letter, summed up the views of his fellow legislators when he said that “if Israel’s people feel secure, they will be more relaxed on concessions rather than being up light.

Sen. Birch Bayh (D.Ind.) declared that “It is imperative to let everybody know” that “American support for Israel is undiminished” and that there should be “no miscalculation,” Sen. Richard Stone (D.Fla.), one of the 10 freshmen Senators who signed the letter, said “By supporting Israel we make chances for peace greater and the need felt by Israel for (defensible) borders less severe.”

Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey (D.Minn.) said the letter represented the “firm determination by the Senate that reassessment will not mean U.S. retreat, capitulation or weakening of our assistance to Israel.” It was Humphrey who charged that the delay in submitting the Administration a foreign aid program was “a means of pressure on Israel” and said “it won’t be condoned.” Humphrey said that hearings on foreign aid would begin June 17 whether or not the Senate receives a program from the President by then.

Twenty-three Senators who did not sign the letter included Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D.Mont.) who expressed concern that it might lead to a confrontation between the Administration and Congress and Sen. Charles Percy (R.III.). The latter sent a separate letter to Ford saying that while he concurred with his 76 colleagues, he felt that the views of all parties in the Middle East should be considered.