Introductory Letter to Israeli PM Eshkol
(January 2, 1964)
Dear Mr. Prime Minister:
The visit to Israel of my good friend, Sargent Shriver,
Director of the Peace Corps, provides an occasion for
me to renew the frank and friendly exchange between
our two governments.1
I am of course familiar with the correspondence between
President Kennedy and yourself as well as former Prime
Minister Ben-Gurion. I too value greatly the close and
candid relationship that exists between our two governments.
This must continue, so I look forward to establishing
the same high degree of mutual understanding as existed
during the administrations of our predecessors.
Among the major problems which we will have to consider
in the near future is that of the Jordan waters, on
which we stand behind you in your right of withdrawal
in accordance with the Unified Plan.2 Also high on our agenda is the assurance of Israel's
future security, in ways which will stabilize rather
than upset the situation in the area. We are much concerned,
too, with finding a satisfactory way to settle the refugee
problem, as a prerequisite to Arab-Israeli peace. You
may be sure that we are giving these questions our earnest
attention and hope to exchange views fully and frankly
with your government on the best means of handling them.
I hope to write you again soon in response to your letter
of November 43 on Israel's
security problems.
Meanwhile, I want to assure you that I stand fully
by President Kennedy's public declaration on May 8,
1963,4 that we are determined
to defend the security of all states in the Near East,
as well as our other public and private assurances of
support for the safety of Israel. There will be no change
in the policy of the United States Government on this
issue.
I hope I may look forward to the pleasure of meeting
you sometime in the not too distant future to talk things
over face to face.5
Sincerely,
Lyndon B. Johnson
1Shriver delivered the President's
letter to Prime Minister Eshkol on January 7. Their
conversation is summarized in telegram 751 from Tel
Aviv, January 8. (Ibid.) A January 29 memorandum from
Robert W. Komer of the NSC Staff refers to an invitation
conveyed by Shriver to Eshkol to visit Washington. (Johnson
Library, National Security File, Country File, Israel).
2The Unified Plan, or Johnston
Plan, developed in 1953-1955 negotiations with the riparian
states of the Jordan River Basin conducted by Presidential
emissary Eric Johnston, had never received formal acceptance.
For information about the Plan and U.S. policy concerning
it, see Foreign Relations, 1961-1963, vol. XVII, Document
8, and vol. XVIII, Documents 352 and 355.
3For information concerning
Eshkol's November 4 letter to Kennedy, see ibid., Document
356.
4For text of the statement
that President Kennedy made during a press conference
on May 8, 1963, see Public Papers of the Presidents
of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1963, p. 373.
5Eshkol replied in a letter
of January 22 that he looked forward to meeting Johnson,
that he valued Johnson's statement on the U.S.-Israel
relationship, that he hoped for an early reply to his
November 4 letter, and that he was encouraged by Johnson's
assurance of U.S. support of Israel's withdrawal of
Jordan waters in accordance with the Unified Plan. (Johnson
Library, National Security File, Special Head of State
Correspondence File, Israel).
Sources: Public Papers of the President |