Civic, Labor and Church Leaders Urge U.S. Reaffirmation of Direct Israel-arab Talks

Outstanding Michigan civic, labor and church leaders have signed a declaration urging President Nixon and Secretary of State Rogers to “remove any doubt about our government’s current position by reaffirming America’s original policy of support of direct negotiations” between Israel and the Arab states for settlement of their conflict. The declaration also took the position that the only role of the Big Powers was to encourage direct negotiations. Among those signing the statement were Walter Reuther, president of the United Mine Workers; Rt. Rev. Walter J. Schoenherr, Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese; Bishop Dwight E. Loder of the Detroit Conference of the United Methodist Church; August Scholle, president of the Michigan AFL-CIO, and James Watts, president of the Michigan NAACP. The declaration was circulated by the Jewish Community Council of Detroit, assisted by the Jewish Labor Committee.