Prof, Morgenthau Sees Peril for Israel in Return to ’67 Borders

Prof. Hans Morgenthau, the political scientist, warned yesterday that Israel’s existence would be endangered if it were forced to return to its pre-June, 1967 borders. He said that under the guise of correcting an injustice to the Palestinians, the Arab states consider withdrawal the first stage toward Israel’s destruction.

Dr. Morgenthau, a professor on the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research, addressed the opening session of a two-day colloquium on the Middle East for Secondary School Curriculum Planners at the City University, New York Graduate Center. The colloquium is attended by educators from across the country.

Referring to proposals that if Israel withdrew to its 1967 lines it would receive either a U.S. guarantee of protection or UN troops patrolling the new borders, Morgenthau said such proposals “have public relations value” but “little value” to the security of Israel. He said that an American decision to come to Israel’s aid might come too late. The U.S. would also have to consider whether intervention would lead to a direct confrontation with the Soviet Union and the start of World War III, he said.

CITES FOUR BASIC U.S. INTERESTS

Morgenthau said the four basic U.S. interests in the Middle East were to prevent the Soviet Union from gaining the dominant position in that region; the survival of Israel; good relations with the Arab states; and the preservation of peace in the area. He said that Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger has seen more clearly than any of his predecessors that the U.S. faces a dilemma between its support of Israel and its desire for good relations with the Arabs. He observed that Kissinger has made a dramatic change in U.S. policy from one of all-out support of Israel to “even-handedness” which requires U.S. pressure for Israeli concessions to satisfy Arab aspirations. Morgenthau said there can be no simple solution to the problems of the Middle