The State Department today issued an unusual communique which indicated rejection of the Israel Government’s protest against the recently expressed views of Assistant Secretary of State Henry A. Byroade concerning immigration into Israel.
The communique was distributed following a meeting at the State Department today of Israel Ambassador Abba Eban, Minister Plenipotentiary Reuven Shiloah and Mr. Byroade. Mr. Eban, according to the State Department communique, “called upon Assistant Secretary Byroade today to protest officially certain remarks made by Mr. Byroade in an address at Philadelphia on May 1. The Israeli protest centered around the portion of that address on immigration into Israel.”
Mr. Byroade, the State Department said, “explained to the Ambassador that he had felt impelled to speak frankly on what seemed to be some of the underlying causes of the Arab-Israeli dispute because it seemed to be increasingly affecting the security of the Middle East–and, hence, that of the United States. He said he felt the American people were entitled to such information, particularly in view of the new evidence of Russian intentions in the Middle East which had not heretofore been highlighted for the American people.”
“Mr. Eban,” the communique stated, “was informed by Mr. Byroade that he regretted the Israeli Government had interpreted his remarks on the subject of immigration as an intervention in Israel’s internal affairs. It seemed to him that it had overlooked the basic point in that portion of the speech, which was that the Arab world does have a fear of Israeli expansionism at some future date to meet the needs of an expanded citizenry. The fact that such a fear existed reached the Department daily in its many reports from all over the Middle East and was confirmed by frequent first-hand observation in the field of visiting Department of State personnel.”
The communique added that “Mr. Byroade pointed out that an analysis of his speech would reveal that the course of action Israel might choose to lay at rest this type of fear of the Arabs was not specified–and he hoped that serious attention would still be given by the Government of Israel to finding a solution to the problem raised. The address merely stated that assurances by the great powers should be supplemented by Israel herself finding some way to lay at rest this concern of her neighbors and thus remove this spectre of fear–which he had said did not seem to him to be based upon reality–from minds in the Middle East. It called upon wise statesmanship to find a way of such accomplishment.”
EBAN TO DELIVER FORMAL PROTEST TO SECRETARY DULLES
Ambassador Eban made known after talking with Mr. Byroade that he will call on Secretary of State John Foster Dulles next week to pursue the matter further by delivering a formal protest on behalf of the Government of Israel. Mr. Eban said the purpose of today’s 45-minute meeting with Mr. Byroade was to familiarize him with the nature and details of Israel’s objections. The meeting today was regarded by the Israel Government as a preparatory move because it was not thought appropriate to meet with Secretary Dulles without first discussing the matter with Mr. Byroade.
Mr. Eban did not present a note today. He said that he did review with Mr. Byroade some phases of the Philadelphia speech and that Israel objects to certain portions of the speech.
State Department action in quickly publishing a communique reporting what Mr. Byroade said to the Ambassador was viewed by correspondents as an extremely ununsual step since the normal courtesy and protocol is such that the Department allows the various Ambassadors who call at the Department to make whatever statements they see fit without such immediate rebuttal. State Department spokesman Lincoln White was asked about the Departure from the normal custom. He replied that it was caused by the “enormous publicity” surrounding the issue.
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.
