Sixty-seven Senators sponsored a resolution today urging President Nixon to maintain a continued flow of Phantom warplanes and other military equipment to help Israel” the Egyptian and Syrian “aggressors.” Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey (D.Minn.) introduced the resolution on behalf of himself and Senators Henry M. Jackson (D.Wash.), Abraham Ribicoff (D.Conn.) and Jacob K. Javits (R. NY).
Seven others had joined them Tuesday afternoon in sending a “dear colleague” letter to other Senators and by this morning more than two-thirds of the Senate’s membership had signed the resolution. This was considered an unusual number on such short notice. Other Senators were expected to join in approval.
The resolution, expressing “the sense of the Senate,” noted that the President is “supporting a strong and secure Israel as essential to the interests of the United States” and pointed to the “unprovoked attack” on Israel, shattering the 1967 cease-fire. It also noted that Israel had refrained from having acted preemptively in its own defense and that the Soviet Union heavily armed Egypt and Syria for them to start this war and is continuing its massive airlift to them.
(The State Department said today it had noted reports that Soviet surface ships are now in use to transport equipment to Egypt and Syria.)
“The prudent course, the safest course is to carry on the effort to supply Israel with a view to ending this war decisively and by supporting a return to the cease-fire lines and positions held before the current hostilities,” the-resolution stated. Among the sponsors was Senate Republican Leader Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania, indicating the White House had no objections to the resolution.
Meanwhile at the Pentagon, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was informed that the U.S. weapons put down in Israel will exceed $2 billion in cost were they to be replaced in U.S. arsenals. However, JTA was told that the actual cost to the U.S. Treasury has not been determined since it is not yet known how Israel will pay for the weapons and whether the U.S. will decide to provide some of it to Israel as a grant. Israel has always purchased its equipment from the U.S. and is staggering under heavy tax burdens to meet repayment costs.
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.
