Dayan: Would Not Be Ashamed to Seek U.S. Aid in Event Soviets Launch Attack

Defense Minister Moshe Dayan said tonight that if the Soviet Union were to launch an attack on Israel, “there is only one power in the world that would be able to check the Soviets, namely the United States, and I would not be ashamed of asking the United States for military aid.” But he added that he did not expect such an attack. In a nationwide television interview, Gen. Dayan said that Israel and the U.S. maintained good relations and that Washington “has not disapproved” of Israel’s withdrawal from the Jarring talks over the issue of Egyptian truce violations. Gen. Dayan repeated his controversial proposal, which has been rejected by Deputy Premier Yigal Allon, for a “maximum troop reduction along the Suez Canal zone” as part of a newly negotiated cease-fire. He added that Israel was not strong enough to reject imposed borders.