יומנים > יומן - מלא 08/11/1948
Monday, November 8, 1948
A gathering [discussion] of [Mapai] members - civilians and soldiers (Karkovy [Yosef Kariv], [Haim] Ben-Asher, Elhanan [Yishai], [Moshe] Netzer, Ahuvia [Malkin], [Yehiel] Duvdevani): nearly all the high-ranking commanders are Mapam members; the Palmach commanders are Mapam, except for two. All the army's flaws are blamed on B.G. During the world war, it was soldiers [Jewish volunteers from Mandatory Palestine] rather than commanders who were influential; in this army - only commanders. The soldier asks about his future: housing, settlement, vocational training, labor law, continuing education - and there's need for a statement by the prime minister in this regard. We're going to release the army's poor performers - this should be done quickly. The soldier should receive an additional 1½ lira [P£] per month. The [General] Staff should explain the rules of conduct. - [He] demands 5 people from the army (including [Shimon] Peres).
The army's newspaper arrives late, on Monday, and not in the amount agreed upon. Newspapers in foreign languages (Bulgarian, Hungarian, English) and mandatory Hebrew lessons are needed.
Ziama [Aran] - Mapam commanders use military vehicles for transport by their party representatives [and] convey their people from various locations to other locations under military pretexts. There's a need for hasbara [explanation, public relations] regarding NAHAL, for B.G. to meet with the front commanders.
Ben-Asher - the main thing is rehabilitation. [We] cannot presume that there will be halutzi [Zionist pioneering] settlement. Only the [immigrant] Yemenites are able to go straight to Tarshiha. [We] need a rehabilitation office in the Ministry of Defense. Need P£ 1 million as a deposit for rehabilitation. Need statistics about the soldiers - their vocations, desires for the future, etc. It needs to be explained that the practice in the army is not the final word. The defense minister needs to appear before the commanders to explain foreign policy.
Karkovy [Kariv] - the weak point is GAHAL [foreign recruitment] - they don't know the situation in the country, they arrive as communists from their own country etc. There are about 20,000 GAHAL [members] in the army. To soldiers it appears that the entire law only protects the commander, not the soldier. The committee appointed by the defense minister agreed unanimously that officers are prohibited from participating in the election war, [the 1949 elections] unless he [the officer] receives a two-month leave and wears civilian [clothing].
[Yeshayahu (Isaiah)] Avrech - Front C [the Central (Merkaz) Front] - the army is not interested in disbanding Palmach. There's a serious matter regarding garrison - it feels inferior and oppressed. Mapam is engaging in demagogic activity: no cannons - it's Mapai's fault. B.G. as defense minister needs to speak before the camps.
Tchernetsky [Ze'ev Aharon] - in charge of GAHAL: they're learning Hebrew, integrating, the movement's members are taking care of them. The GAHAL department issues a weekly bulletin in Bulgarian, Hungarian, Romanian, French. A twice-weekly [newspaper] has come out (P.P. [Palestine Post] doesn't reach GAHAL). There's a seminar at Rutenberg House [on Mount Carmel] - every 10 days 100 people for a different language. Another house [venue] was received for another 100 people. From now on there will be one just for Yiddish [and] one for the other languages. [He] wants
Beit Berl for Anglo-Saxons [English speakers]. There's a unit for liaison with GAHAL members, but no transportation for them (3 vehicles are needed).
Elik [Shomroni] - the main thing -organizational pincer [?]. A cell in each unit. Many are not classified: immigrants and new recruits. Mapam members see themselves as emissaries and they're aggressive - our members remain silent and defensive, and usually [the Mapai member] doesn't identify and doesn't project influence over anyone. The reverse holds for an ETZEL, Mapam member or a communist. Our members who are commanders of a specific rank should be convened and an operational apparatus established.
- Sherman (handles transport of kosher things [i.e., procurements by permit]). [The following] were purchased: 6 P-61 (Mustang) [fighter-bombers], 3 of them are already on the way (will arrive in 2-3 weeks). Another 18 [Harvard] training aircraft were purchased, 12 of which have already been shipped (some of which arrived already). It might be possible to buy 20 Mitchell (fighter bomber aircraft) from Mexico. A large number of airplane parts were purchased. For the Navy 3 frigates were purchased, a deposit fee of 60,000 was paid (the total price is 450,000), [they're] about to send 2 L.C.I. (landing craft, infantry).
Since June, 22 ships have arrived with kosher things - about 5,000 tons, for which about 3 million was paid, they're worth about 10 million. These include signal parts [signal equipment] (aside from radar). Two shipments of high-octane fuel were sent from Mexico (16,000 barrels, 830,000 gallons).
Activity in America has become difficult. In Teddy [Kollek]'s view 150 FBI personnel are working on [monitoring] our people (not at our expense [?]). $1 million is needed: for signal-land parts [equipment] (half a million), signal parts for the Navy and Air [Force] (a quarter million), and airplane parts (a quarter million).
The state of finances: there's a decision [to allocate] half of the South American funds - for defense. According to Teddy's report there's $ 550,000 there, which was already transferred to Hammer, and Hammer already withdrew it; there's another 2½ million dollars there in local currency.
Teddy is handling finances on behalf of the Defense Ministry - the finance minister is ignoring this fact and gave a letter to Morgenthau, and Teddy doesn't know about it.
- Shmulik [Admon, Artillery Corps commander]: There are 34 C. [cannons] being kept in a depot - because there are no men for them. Need a thousand men - 250 can be women.
- In the afternoon [Avraham] Zabrasky came to see me. There's disorder in the defense economy [finances and logistics]. [It] receives a million per week. But expends more: they already owe suppliers two million. Need to have a thorough assessment of procurements abroad. It finances 112,000 people (including garrison and [cooperative] settlements), need to make reductions, but no one's listening.
- Mutia [sp.] [Braverman, presumably] and Natan Alterman came to see me regarding the Palmach. Disbanding the Palmach [military] staff means disbanding the Palmach values - Hebrew, working the land, viewing the war as a necessity, objecting to looting and theft, curbing urges, instilling respect for spiritual values - without a staff the sparks will go out. After clarification it became evident that in Alterman's view there's a "transcendent staff" that has nothing to do with the concrete staff that's being disbanded, and (it seems to me) that he understood the problem.
- [Aharon] Hoter-Yishai and Shaul [Avigur] came to see me regarding LEHI. About 220 LEHI men were arrested. About 35 fled (Shaul says: more), about 15 of whom reported to the army for duty. 110 were released, about another 110 are in detention.
Those released [from detention] who are of draft age were conscripted to the army, [those who are] of a young age - to GADNA [Youth Battalions], other age[s] - signed a declaration. Another 50 detainees will be released. About 60 men will remain. Some of them, about 25, will be put on trial for being LEHI members. The 35 leaders will remain. They suggest implementing the article in the Mandate law regarding a committee of 3 that assesses the detainees once every three months in accordance with Article 111 [Administrative Detention and Its Extension]. I agree to such a committee. Hoter-Yishai objects to trials. I didn't accept his opinion; Friedman-Yellin [Natan Yellin-Mor] should be put on trial.
Shaul proposes abolishing the tribunal for deserters [established by the recruitment center] - to honor past verdicts, but from now on to send deserters to a regular court. This is fitting.
Ya'akov [Dori] consulted with me on modifications in the [General] Staff. The G [General Staff?] is not complete. The MTM [Special Operations Division?] is not satisfactory; he thinks that [Monty] Green should take charge of this division. Yigael [Yadin] should be in charge of the entire G, that is, the Training Bureau, Operations Department, and MTM [Special Operations Division?]. In place of Yigael in the Operations Department - [Mordechai] Makleff. The changes will be implemented after the battles. He's also dissatisfied with the rankings. There are too many lieutenant colonels. There's a rank missing - and therefore it's necessary to add a top rank, so that someone like Yigael (and maybe front commanders too) will be different in rank from other Staff members. Shlomo Shamir needs to replace Dan [Even, Eastern Front] - who was disappointing and is unsuitable. I told him that if these measures seem right to him, then this is what should be done, although I have doubts about the addition of a rank - which would create at least as many new problems as it would dispose of old ones.
- [Moshe] Prager, who returned from America, came to see me and told me what he thinks about the situation, about me, and the like. I explained the difficulties of our situation and why [we] cannot count on miracles nor rely on one individual in matters of war.
The Altalena incident raised the prestige of the state among American Jewry, including among ETZEL supporters. The Jewish population has gathered around the state.