יומנים > יומן - מלא 09/09/1948
[Thursday,] September 9, 1948
It's reported that the first ten "Spits" [Spitfire fighter planes] will be ready within ten days. The Mexican ship arrived, was examined by UN inspectors, and allowed to enter. Tonight unloading will begin.
Two days ago 1,600 conscripts set out on the [ship] Pan York [from Cyprus, evidently]. Peter Hoffman [a seaman with the Palmach naval service] is in charge.
- In the morning [David] Donesky [sp.] from South Africa (chairman of the Emergency Committee) came to see me: They'll continue to help with funding and merchandise and instruments (airplanes). In [Cecil] Margo's view it's hard to train pilots in the country; it should be done in Rome and in South Africa. Their government is helping train private pilots, and they want to make use of this assistance.
Donesky also visited Rome - they'll train 40 pilots there with government assistance. In Donesky's view it's still better to do the training in the country. In any event South African Jews are prepared to take on the entire financial burden - P£ 300,000 for training 250 trainees. Harold Green thinks the training should take place in the country.
They want to establish a company in Africa for air transport by the Zionists. They have 4-5 Dakota [planes], 1 Anson. I agreed that South African Jews assume patronage for the training. A transport company needs to be discussed with the appropriate institutions.
Donesky suggests that we not have men from GAHAL [overseas recruitment; should be MAHAL - overseas volunteers] and demanded that the treatment of a pilot differ from that of a soldier. Need to arrange tours for volunteers in the country, so that they know what they're fighting for. In Donesky's view it's not necessary to send a military emissary to South Africa. Donesky will report on the situation. Among the South African volunteers there are those who are joining ETZEL - some of them are excellent men. There are about 50 of them.
- Aharon and Ephraim Katchalski [Katzir] came to see me. With the money that I gave Ephraim in New York ($ 50,000) they bought 4 radars for the Air Force, for a total of $ 10,000. They've already arrived in the country. Chemical materials $ 10,000; most of it has already arrived. 70 (infrared) sniperscopes $ 10,000, 35 were seized by the Egyptians, 15 arrived, 20 are en route. They've arranged a course on radars in America (20 trainees), $ 10,000.
We discussed the status of the science corps. Aharon suggests giving everyone equal rank - sergeants, but on the condition that they not salute any officer and they not be saluted. There shouldn't be different ranks within the science corps - because "superiority" shifts from one man to another - depending on the activity. The entire science corps will be entitled to eat with officers. Only the technical staff [personnel] will be governed by the same rules as other soldiers.
They proposed establishing three institutes:
A) For weapons construction (development of the mortar, the cannon, etc.). This requires draftsmen, physicists, technicians.
B) For explosives (research).
C) For the development of rockets.
Our men in America are developing the bazooka, and they've transferred the entire factory for this industry over here. This is an anti-tank weapon. In two months we'll have our own bazooka. A simple bazooka - its range is 250 meters. Super-bazooka - a kilometer.
M-2 is already operational; its range is 600 meters. This is a PIAT cannon [which fires a hollow-charge rocket]. The bazooka factory cost $ 140,000. It's already on the way. [Dr. Chaim] Pekeris demands the money immediately - $ 100,000. Felix Bergmann, brother of [Dr. Ernst David] Bergmann from Rehovot, is waiting in Haifa for the factory. They're already arranging a space for him.
They've prepared a 7-kilogram rocket, range - 8,000 meters, at an angle [inclination] of 7"; it's possible to make one of 30 kilos also. There's enough cordite for 5,000 rockets of 7 kilos each (this requires 11 tons of cordite).
The budget for the institutes - currently being calculated in the committee. It's imperative that the institutes be underground, in the Givati [should be: Givatayim] tunnel.
Aharon proposes opening a military laboratory. They're asking him to go to America for six months - in my view he doesn't need to go now, before the end of the war.
- [Mordechai] Shenhavi came to see me at the Kirya and explained the program for Yad Vashem. There are thoughts about locating it in Ramat Rahel. Clearly if it's going to be done at all - then only in Jerusalem or its surroundings.
- At 2:30 I convened all the newspaper editors in the country - to explain to them that the war is not yet over, and that the hardest tests are still, perhaps, ahead of us, because the Arabs are building up their soldiers: they're sending a reinforcement of men and weapons and entrenching themselves, and conscripting inhabitants of the country for the war and for work.
In the Yishuv there's no anxiety over the situation, there's no life of austerity, no willingness to bear the burden. There's a sense of well-being, that we've established a state and achieved victory and overcome chaos. But we're far from being secure - and we mustn't dismiss the enemy's strength or desire to win. [Ya'akov] Dori and [Yigael] Yadin added details about the Arabs' preparedness and were asked questions by the editors. [Gershom] Schocken [from Haaretz] the about the political situation, about negotiations with Abdallah. [Yosef] Haftman [from Haboker] - about the Zionist General Council mess, which is a distraction. [Isaac] Rembah [Hamashkif] - about the need for an internal truce, why 5 detainees were held, searches among ETZEL and LEHI, combing operations. [Moshe] Zak [Hamashkif] - why there's no liaison officer [for the press], the newspaper doesn't know what to print and what not to print. [Ya'akov] Amit [Al Hamishmar] wondered where the censorship draws the line between news items and ideas. [Yitzhak] Ziv-Av [Haboker] complains that there are too many young people in the Romano House [center of military offices], [and] manpower is also being wasted in the Kirya. Israel Finkelstein [Haaretz] complains about the prohibition on writing by soldiers. [Eliahu] Amikam [Mivrak] complains about the Sheikh Munis search. [Shabtai] Daniel (Hatzofeh) - need education to raise the army's morale. Complains about the court-martial of the religious [soldiers who refused to cook on Shabbat].
I answered the questions and noted that this war is also a battle waged by the Jewish people against the entire world, and also against the history of galut [condition of exile, diaspora], and if this sentiment exists among the newspaper editors, then they will know what to write and what not to write.
- I dined with Abba Eban. He agrees that [we] should submit an application to be admitted to the UN - although it's possible that they won't admit us. Without an application they definitely won't admit us. He also understands that it might be necessary to resume the war - and they won't rush to invoke sanctions, though an effort should be made to obscure who violated the truce. In England there's no change in the government (that is, Bevin), although among the English public there's a bit of a shift.
- Ayala Zaks [sp.], who's returning to Canada, [came to see me].