Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XVIII, Arab-Israeli Dispute, 1964–1967

397. Memorandum for the Record¹

Washington, March 17, 1967.

In conversation with Mr. Abe Feinberg yesterday² the President indicated:

1. That before we moved on the Israel package, we would like a date set for a visit to Dimona.

2. Without making it explicitly contingent, he referred to the failure of Eshkol to respond to the President’s letter of March May 21, 1965 recommending accepting IAEA safeguards.

3. He indicated some of the headings of a possible Israeli package, pointing out that unresolved disagreements existed within the government.

4. He said he would get to it after Guam.³

5. He instructed me to assure that State, Defense, and AID came closer together on an agreed package.

Mr. Feinberg said that he had strongly made the case that Israel could not expect U.S. grants in the military field; that the APC’s were extremely important to give a sense of security in the face of continuing Syrian raids and incidents; he pressed hard for feed grains rather than wheat in the PL 480 program.

WR

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Israel, Vol. VI. Confidential. Prepared by Rostow. Copies were sent to the State Department and to Wriggins.
2. The President met with Feinberg and Rostow from 1:20 to 1:46 p.m. (Ibid., President’s Daily Diary)
3. President Johnson met with South Vietnamese officials on Guam March 20–21.