יומנים > יומן - מלא 03/02/1948

Tuesday, February 3, 1948

Hammer telegraphs that revenues from the special appeal during the months of October, November, December were 1,100,000; January 300,000. All the income through the end of January was 3.5 million.

       - In the meantime they're announcing by way of Gad Meknes that HaIhud HaEzrahi is preparing for an upheaval. They'll demand: Six members of the NH [National Headquarters, comprising: 2 from the Histadrut, 2 from HaIhud HaEzrahi, one from HaPo'el HaMizrachi, and the Chief of National Headquarters] will participate in the [Defense] Committee and serve as its executive. Also Yaakovson has resigned - because of HaIhud HaEzrahi's stance on the secessionists, given that if an arrangement is reached, HaIhud HaEzrahi and the secessionists will be side-by-side. He has no language in common with Ariav and Sapir, and he sees no possibility of representing them - but he won't state this reason publicly.

       - At a meeting with Bar-Kochba [Meirovitz] and Zeev Hayam, Zeev Hayam was tasked with approaching Italy to explore possibilities for purchasing fast motorboats, landing crafts, and torpedo boats.

       Abba [Khoushy] will return on Thursday (in two days). So far the Palmach has been handling all naval issues.

       - Shkolnik [Levi Eshkol] and [Abraham] Zabrasky: They propose [Dov] Shafrir for the Medical Department, [Yitzhak] Mitrani [sp.] and [Aryeh] Weinberg [sp.] - to carry out purchases. [Avraham] Haft had a heart attack and is in the hospital. For Kofer HaYishuv he proposes Shalom Zak [sp.]. [Aharon] Becker has remained on the procurement committee. Kozlowski [Pinchas Sapir] wants to focus on production (with Shevah [Slavin]); he's also being proposed for Logistics (with Yosef R. [Avidar]); for the Welfare Committee - they're proposing Reuven Shenkar [sp.] (from a loan fund).

       [We] need to order copper for 15 million bullets.

       Yisrael [Galili] asks:

       A) What's [happening with] the mine laying in Lebanon? - At present I'm hesitating even more than before.

       B) Dan [Laner, commander of Palmach's 1st Battalion] wants to steal [British] equipment.

       C) It's been suggested that [we] sever the railway between Acre and Lebanon - There's no need to hurry.

       D) Y. G. [Yitzhak Gruenbaum] asked Y. G. [Yisrael Galili] to admit his son into the Haganah.

       - Shlomo Rabinovitz [Shamir] arrived in the country tonight; he left on Friday and brought with him Col. [David] Marcus (calls himself Michael [nicknamed Mickey] Stone). Yehuda [Arazi] is in Paris. He bought 200 (or 120) bazookas and a thousand rounds for $ 20,000. In Switzerland he invested [deposited] money towards the purchase in Canada, for Portugal [supposedly].

       Income from the "Cooperative" [apparently a code name for the "trustees" of Friends of the Haganah in the US] $ 2,632,000 gross during 1947 (in December alone 1,007,000). From the first day 4 million gross (deducting 10% expenses). They've collected tents, blankets, etc. If there's help from here - they'll collect goods at [a value of] 8 million. Golda wants to get a loan of 25 million from the [National Jewish] Welfare Boards. There's a chance they'll get the money.

       Manpower recruitment: There are pilots. In Canada they want to organize a [voluntary] Canadian battalion.