Memorandum Threatening To Stop Arms Shipments to Israel Unless Operations in Jordan Are Halted
(November 15, 1966)
In this memorandum, President Johnson asks his staff to make it clear that the U.S. opposed Israel's anti-terror
operations in Jordan. Johnson
was told that the Israelis needed to have clear that if they repeated
their incursion into Jordan, the U.S. would begin to stop arms shipments
to them and the President agreed.
Memorandum for the Record/1/
Washington, November 15, 1966.
SUBJECT
Israeli/Jordan Flare-up
At the meeting of November 15 with the President, Secretary
Rusk, and Mr. Rostow,/2/ the subject of Israel's massive conventional
intrusion into Jordan was discussed.
The President asked Bob Komer to get in touch with
Mr. Feinberg and Ambassador Harman to make clear in no uncertain terms
our objections to the steps the GOI has taken.
Bob indicated that this in itself would do little good
unless we made clear in these conversations that if the Israelis did
this again, our military pipeline would begin to dry up.
The President agreed.
H
/1/Source: Johnson Library, National Security File,
Files of Harold Saunders, Israel, 4/1/66-12/31/66. No classification
marking. Prepared by Howard Wriggins on November 16.
/2/According to the President's Daily Diary, Rusk and
Rostow met with the President at 1 p.m. At 1:05 p.m. they were joined
by McNamara. They had lunch at 2:05 p.m., joined by Bill Moyers and
Komer, until 3:40 p.m. Several subjects, not including Israel and Jordan,
were on the agenda for discussion at lunch. (Ibid.)
Sources: Foreign
Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, V. 18, Arab-Israeli
Dispute 1964-1967. DC: GPO,
2000. |