DECLASSIFIED Authority W aw Attaahx$mt EYES WW Hay It 1953 T8 c aorge Sana The White Hausa mm 911mm 13 Exacutivg Sacretany I am attaching fer ynur i faraatian twa-cepiaa f'a latter from Frima iniatar Ban Gari uf I$raal ta tha Presi ent tinted may 12 19539 The signed-ariginal and reanmmendatiana regarding repxy will fellas Attaahment Capiea- 5 a xgaar t mu mmnt Ah ' JW at mm 9 Step-fit of - - yak pa m- THE PF 33 Ierusalem 12 May 190 near Mr resident Your reply to my letter of 26 April was transmitted to me by your Ambassador on 5 May I appreciate-your suggestion to keep in close contact You know that even before the establishment of Israel we owed much to-the United States But we certainly owe a great deal to you personally because of yon sincere concern for Israel security your pledge regarding the Jordan Water eject your decision to supply the HaWk missiles and for other manifestations friendship It is rather for this reason frankly that I felt somewhat disappoi ed when I read your mes sage though again I found in it renewed expression c you sincere concern for Israel Allow me first of all to mention a few points that will explain the anxieties I which preoccupy me I have always regarded Nasser with a good measure of respect I believe that he is an unusual type of perhaps unique in the entire Arab world He appears to be a man exerting charm and certainly shows intelligence In his book The Philosophy of the Revolution Nasser described his three aspirations Ta oecome the leader of all the Arab peoples of the Moslem peoples and of peoples of Africa As a realist he understands now that the two latter are not Within his reach Africa will not accept his domination although he has yet entirely given up his ambition to bring Africa under his leadership But he par J 9 a may realizes now that the able leaders of the new African countriesy in bet E the as and the ii Vest of the continent will never accept nis rule Likewise he n 1 1 qu be well aware that the Moslenz ceantries or Pat istan Index sia lan and will not submit to his guidance E3111 Nasser perseveres in his ambitien to become the ruler of the Arab peopies and 2 hi 3 faith that Providence has chosen hi1 for that role In his awn counts tne agest and probably the most advanced of the Arab countries this aspiratioi he not encountered significant opposition Though there may be a few 11111911111111 1111 1 10 1 re dissatisried with the dictatoria1 regime or a number of discontent officers the Army as a whole and the Egyptia asses 01 low Nasser Since he is so pOpular and powerf he is probably the only Arab leader who bald afford to take a bold step and make peace with israel But unfortunately he has to pursue that course de not think he really believes thatlsrael is an imperialist base and that the 1' lliS't movement is a world danger But he knows that this is a usefui andpopniar slogan with which he can incite the masses who donot even know what imperial is but save been told that this is some terrible and dangerous bogeyJ a label which can be affixed at one time to Britain r at another time tc the Soviet Union more often to the United States - and at all times to Israel 1-1501 do I believe that he really thinks that the Liberation of Palestine is a 1112 1 al economic or historic necessity for the Arab peopEes who possess larger rritories than the United States and in whose history Pale 1e has never player cant part 1 fter all it should net be tee difficult for him to understand 1an 31 1 iieance wn ch he Land of Israel has had throughout history and at the presen Rim- 2 11c Authoritym 3 for the Iewish people and to some extent for the Christian peoples as well Eur A he thows'thet Liie 2 Liberation of Palestine is an exciting slogan pe tie Onl r- ose Common to all Arab politiciansl lie seems to feel confident that it he can 1 ove oome Israel he will secure his role as tne uncontested leader of all the as as and thus fulfil his highest ambition to establish his domination over them 1 if i have never met Nasser personally but I have met scores of people who have telked to him I have noticed that he is capable of telling every one what he would like to hear For example he told two distinguished-American visitors that not more than sixty thousand refugees would want to return to Israel if they were given a free choice but his own peeple he tells that all the refugees must return to the stolen countryu from which they were expelled z although he knows - as well as I do - that the majority of the refugees had left the country before the establish- meat Of Israel at the demand of the Arab leadersg' in order to facilitate the conquest of Israel by the invading armies He has shown a remarkable ability to play Opposing forces one against the other He thinks that he can replace American aid with Russian aid and vice verse r or to sennre both at one and the same time he is not afraid to antagonize the Soviet 431 by putting some Egyptian communists in jail nor does he feel that he wOuld lose American aid while accusing the United States of imperialism or confiscating private property or even abusing in his propaganda the motives for which the aid was granted I quite agree that at the moment the weak spot in the Middle Ea ats is Jordan King is young and courageous but he is 'opposed by many people of the West nk Hussein also has enemies in Syria and Iraq mainly Iordanian exiles who i DECLASSIFIED - 4 2 Mb L SJ m4 fled the country because of their su r ver sive activities against his regime His Q people are exposedeve ry day to a barrage of die prop anda from Loire 1 masons and Baghdad stirring them up to revolt against the King He has survived a 11 31 0 attempts at assassination but there is aiways a danger that one single -ci 1-31 1 put an end to his life and regime Bourgui be has openly accus iNass 11 o plot as his assassination King Hussein accused Nasser of being rospas11 the murder of the Iordanian Prime lv iinister 11-11111 1111111 in 319 61 lam not in possession of any particular evidence but in light of past events one cannot dis 1 1ss rte Dossibility that what was done to his grandfather T ing Abdallahy could be done- 10 Rim As a result of such an act a regime is liable to come to power in Iordan that will join up with Egypt and submit to the orders of Nasser and his army A Jordanian dictator may emerge subservient to Nasser Whatever it may be a situation would be created where tanks and guns under Nasser 3 command or direction would be deployed a few yards away from our Jerusalem and in the centre of the o'onntr Qalqiliya or Tulkarem ten or 11111111 miles from our sea coast and our country could be cut in two instantly have lived for decades together with Arabs worked with Arab labourers is he fields and stsdi ed with Arab students in Constantinople before the irst Worid War I negotiated with many honest Arab leaders in the years 1934-1937 when was Chairman or The Zionist Executive in Ierusalem I had talks with leaders of Lebanon '1 and Egypt and with representatives of Ibn Saud before the Second World has save heard during that War Arab aders praising Hitler as he iiberator of 21a grind and praying for his success DECLASSIFIED Authoritlej- i7 51 5 3 Knowing them i am convinced that they are capable of following the Nazi is-in fact adopting the Na'tionainocialist ideology of the - example - a se a of his aims was the werldwide extermination of the Iewish people 9w have that a similar thing might happen to jaws in lsrael if Nasser succeeded Li 1 snow that it is difficult for civilized people to visualize such a thing - even er they have witnessed what had happened to us during the Second ifforld War i dc net assrme that this could happen today or tomorrow I am not so young Ti it may not happen in my lifetime But I cannot dismiss the possibility anymirey any teat this may occur if the situation in the Middle East remains as it is and the Jul nu eaders continue to insist on and pursue their policy of belligerency against Lsraeit And it does not matter whether it will or will not happen-during my lifetime As a few I know the history of my people and carry with me the memories of all it has endured over a period of three thousand years and the effort it has cost to accomplish what has been achieved in this country'in recent generations We did not do it only for the sake of those who have already arrived in Israel but for the survival of Iewry as such Mr President my people have the right to exist - hoth in Israel and wherever they may live and this existence is in danger What i saying'to you does not come out of a momentary passion but comes from the he t of a man who sees with open eyes what is happening and the way things are A5 i sing I am confident that such a caismit which mi ht hefali the remnant of I - r its own land is he inevitable and that it can be prevented The safest way ts prevent it i would be if it were possible to have 4 r ll 0 United State ano the Soviet Union issue a joint deola tion that an y oo1 in te Middle 3a st that refuses to rec nize the 1erritorial integri1 31 1 rein 1 1 1 wire in peace txrith any other country in the Ilwiiodle East in conformity with its oblige -ions as a member of the iivould receive no financial political and 13 aid from the two powers it is not Arab unity that endangers l'srael today cri in the near fut are but the dogma that Israel must be wiped out which the 11 irab r11 lers have implanted in the minds of their peoples The United States and he oviet Union if they were able to set jointly could compel the Arab countries - and first of all Egypt to abandon tr- belliger noy practiced by economic boycott the blockade or the Suez Canal political warfare and-hate propaganda and to cease the r military preparations to destroy Israel Even if the present plan of Federation fail and it might fail this time - the danger will not have 31 od for Egypt 1 jria and Ira remain united in their aim to vanquish Israel Even Egypt alone co 1 ianger and its threat grows year by Year A Two Power Deola ation accompanied by effective measures could change this situation For Egypt - and it is Egypt that counts - could not develop its war economy without the supply of as armaments and other assistance from abroad i feel quite certain that a unilateral declaration would not achieve our commonly desired effect to deter Egypt and'the other Arab States from aggression The l riw partite Declaration of 1950 was of no value and a reaffirmation of such a declaraciofi does not meet the situation As you said yourself on 25 August 1960 The Tripartite Declaration is too uncertain of execution and effect to be a useful shield 1 Me With countries so close to one another in a sensitive ter sion ridden 1 1a 1 ULILLJA 13 31111 - W it undid -- Li delay of only a few days in interns ional reaction to aggression might well be fatal to a natiorfs freedom and indeed to the peace of the entire world 3 it is true that I had some doubt aL eady indicated in my previous letter 1 WV ether a joint declaration would be feasible at the present time I repeat at the present timegb ei'cause do not believe that' he tension between the Soviet Union n as United 8 Hates which has recently increased must necessarily last for a tine P04 it 1 Accepting your judgment that joint action by the two great Powers is not dossit e 1 there is another way to deter Egypt effectively from persevering in its policy of belligerency against Israel Mr Presidentyi believe and suggest that the following measures would be most as r1duc1ve to ensure the maintenance of peace and security in the Middle East area i is vital to avert the danger emanating from a change in the regime in jeridan provoked either by the assassination or the abdication of King Hussein any othez event that would impose a regime subserVient to Nasser If however the present regime should collapsegrthe only way to avert the danger to Israel is by the complete demilitarization cf the area of the West Bank under suitable international supervision 2 A conclusion of a Bilateral Security Agreement between the United States of America and Israeli with which allies of the United States be invited to as seciate themselves 3 You stated the other day in your Press Conference that to limit the Near 5 'EIast arms race was one of the important objectives of American policy in the Middle East But as long as there is no American Soviet agreement on the limitation of the arms race in the Middle East massive modern Soviet armaments - DECLASSIFIED 11 11 15 in the area is them Q1 1Q Unth 1 11-1lean m Ju 1u 11 PEIShww11wz1 1311 5313 - 1Q11Q QQ Q11 75 11 23 11 st Qm1 31 1 111 11 '1 Q y 331 we 1Q Q1 perQslum 11 11 hQ Sign 111411211 1331 1111 1 111 11 1 11 11 '1 QQ y QpperQ 1Q 11Q1QupQ1v Qf 1 1- 163 hQ' QQ S1ufa110 5311 2 111101113981 1 11 11 Q11 131101111 Q111Q1 1 QQ1QQ1 grQQ y Q1131 13 11 25 113 1 1 '1 1 11-11 13 1Q 81 11 13 1111 3111 11 1 1 1 ZLCVEB J111511fecelved hQ 111111 1151111111163 - 1 11 13 31 11 1- QQB 39111113711111 1 1 QgQin in 1 15 61 as meI-Q 1 11 31 1' 11% 1111 111131311811 T111811 1Q11gh 15 3er QQ Qr hQ initthlon Qf 51 15-13 11 W111iQh1 11I the llerty 01 11 11 118 1111 1111 - - QQ 1 1331121181 yQu Q1111 hls poi-11 111 4 l 11111101un I 9 mu 5 a have theught it my duty is convey to you in all candou What I this about the present situation in the Middle Easi and i119 dangers in stoe for my pen i feel sure that they can be averted hy the adaption of effective measures Zed by the United States of Z imericaa to which Providence has given world- 1m- Beeclership in 'E hiS fateful time Yeurs very sincerely 1 1 7 rm 1 a f 394 -- I 1 I Ben-Gurion His Excellency Mr john F Kennedy Presizient of the United States of America Wae igtong 13 0 1 U i This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu