יומנים > יומן - מלא 03/08/1948

Tuesday, August 3, 1948

At the Staff we clarified the army's state of armament. According to Yosef [Avidar], we're short 25,000 rifles, 500 [heavy] machine [gun]s, there are enough [light] machine guns, we're short 50 120 mm mortars. There are 250 3" [81 mm] mortars at work, 2" [52 mm] mortars under production, we're short shells. 6" mortars [about 160 mm] - 24 are being repaired, 25 new ones are being made. What's primarily missing - large M-2 (400 meter range) PIATs. Lederer [Zvi Dar] is handling the production of 150 such PIATs. Need to summon Sasha Goldberg, Lederer, and Vilenchuk to discuss possibilities for expediting. There's also the problem of M-3 - 800 meter range.

         The army (Hayish) has enough rifles. Garrison force - only the 10,000 rifles we bought that haven't yet arrived. Yosef thinks we need to buy another 10,000 rifles (during the warfighting we lost about 2,500 rifles). The standard per battalion for rifles is 406, 39 [light] machine guns, 279 Stens, 4-6 [heavy] machine [gun]s, 4-6 3" mortars, 18 2" mortars.

         We summoned Grozovski [Yehuda Gur] and Vilenchuk: M-2 are not being made yet, in contrast to what Shkolnik reported about Lederer already handling this. The order is for 300, right now there's only enough material for 150 such PIATs; the necessary tools [production machines] are already being produced, and this week, Vilenchuk believes, they'll start production; over the course of 6 weeks "there'll be a decent amount" - he can't say how much.

         I discussed the question of a deputy chief of staff, inspector general, head of Personnel Department with Shlomo [Shamir]. For inspector general Yigael proposes either Zvi [Ayalon] or Shlomo.

         Reuven [Shiloah] raises the question of our [international] political activity. [Egyptian Prime Minister] Nuqrashi Pasha is in contact with the Mufti, and they could be dangerous. He proposes convening [Abba] Eban, [Eliahu] Sasson, and members of the [Political] Department [i.e., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs] for a few days. This is desirable - but right now Eban needs to check whether there is a possibility that the Security Council will set an end date for the truce, because it seems that the most dangerous enemy at the moment is an endless truce. It places a question mark [casts doubt] on global recognition of the state's existence, places UN officials in charge of us, [and] allows the Arabs to plan and choose their own time to attack us.

         Along with Yigael [Yadin] I decided on a series of actions against Egypt.

         - In the afternoon a meeting with the committee of ministers (Bentov, Bernstein, Kaplan) and [Moshe] Zadok on the MLB. A committee of [the ministries of] finance, labor, and industry submitted its conclusions to us: 1) Anyone confined to work because he is essential - won't be sent to the army. 2) The committee of three will re-review those who have been discharged, and anyone who can be replaced - will be conscripted. 3) Those confined [to work] will train half a day per week. 4) Examine the workers in the army - who can be replaced by elderly people (cooks, office workers, and the like). 5) Anyone confined [to work] who can be replaced for a time - will be replaced for a month, and the confined [worker] will join the army.

         I summarized: A Personnel Department representative (Senia [Shimon] Sirkin) and the Ministry of Labor and Shkolnik [Eshkol] will prepare a plan for the speedy review of all those released [from military service] up to age 30 - over the course of 7-10 days.

         I raised the question of the Burma Road - which needs to be paved before winter arrives. We agreed that engineers would be sent to formulate a plan for the road and assess the budget.

         - [Eliezer] Hoofien reports that financing the army is only possible if treasury bonds are issued. During the past month treasury bonds were issued at a rate of a million per week. By the 12th of this month the rate will increase to 6 million. The bank bonds ruling that will be issued on August 12 will enable the financing of treasury bonds in an amount that will depend on the turnover of bank bonds. The estimated limit of this possibility is 12 million. An optimistic assessment is 15 million, based on the possibility [of receiving] another 6 or 9 million in addition to this 6 to 12 million per month.

         - In the evening a [Mapai] Secretariat meeting.