A 17-man delegation of the United States Air Force and U.S. Army engineers technicians arrived in Israel today for a 13-day visit to survey the technical aspects of the construction of two new air bases for Israel in the Negev. They will replace the bases in Sinai that Israel will abandon when it withdraws from that territory under the terms of the Camp David agreements. Brig. Gen. Paul Harton, who is heading the American team, said they will not make a financial evaluation but deal with technical, operational and constructional problems.
The Air Force technicians will inspect locations suggested by Israel Air Force experts. It was learned that one of the potential sites is at Tel Malhah, east of Beersheba. The engineers will concern themselves with the actual construction problems. A higher-level military mission from the Pentagon was also to have arrived in Israel today for discussions of its long-term arms supplies needs from the U.S. That mission and a similar one to Egypt was postponed last week. No reason was given.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
