Republican Presidential front-runner Ronald Reagan announced Friday the names of 68 foreign policy and defense advisors, including 11 known Jews and others well known for their support for a secure Israel. None of those named, according to observers here, are known to be inimical to U.S. support for Israel and many are strongly pro-Israel.
The announcement said that these advisors will provide policy and research guidance on a wide range of national issues. Their work will be coordinated in Washington and Los Angeles by senior advisors. The groups will meet periodically with Reagan, his advisors, and independently, the announcement said. Their work also will be coordinated with the activities of Reagan’s campaign chairman, Sen. Paul Laxalt, (R. Nevada) and Representatives Jack Kemp (R. NY) and Tom Evens (R. Del.).
Others in the coordinating group are William Casey, campaign manager, Edwin Meese, campaign chief of staff; and Richard Allen, senior policy advisor. Among the Jewish advisors were Kenneth Adolman, former assistant to the Defense Secretary; Dr. Nathan Glazer, of Harvard University; Dr. Rita Hauser, former U.S. representative to the UN Commission on Human rights; Dr. Edward Lutwak, of Georgetown University; Dr. Uri Ra’anan, of Tufts University; Laurence Silberman, former Ambassador to Yugoslavia and former acting Attorney General; Dr. Aharon Wildavsky, of California University; Dr. Joseph Churba, president of the Institute for International Security; Walter Hahn, defense analyst; Charles Kupperman, defense analyst; and Seymour Weiss, former Ambassador to the Bahamas.
Weiss and Dr. John Lehman, who is also one of the advisors, are top officers of a consulting firm which include Richard Perle, former aide to Sen. Henry Jackson (D. Wash.). Hauser had been a member of the steering committee in former Texas Gov. John Connally’s campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination, which she resigned after Connally’s controversial Middle East statement.
Observers also commented that the list of Reagan’s advisors includes a wide range of strategists and political observers on international political affairs. From the standpoint of support for Israel and Soviet Jewish emigration, the list includes some notable champions of both causes. Kemp and Evans and Laxalt have often spoken out for Soviet Jewry and Israel, Congressional sources reported.
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.
