יומנים > יומן - מלא 20/02/1948
[Friday,] February 20, 1948
I summoned Shlomo G. [Gur] regarding production. The flamethrowers [projects] concluded on February 5.
Work plans were submitted to Vilenchuk on February 15, but nothing happened - Vilenchuk is apparently claiming that he didn't receive the order from Rochel [Avidar]. I called for Ya'akov [Dori] - he inquired with Yosef [Avidar], who claims that he delivered the order to Vilenchuk at the start of the week. In S. Gur's opinion, 1,000 can be produced in six weeks. The PIAT [Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank] (capable of blasting 60 centimeters of concrete) isn't making progress either. Vilenchuk needs to produce the projector [PIAT]. Vilenchuk was provided with all the plans for shells [PIAT bombs]. It's possible to produce 1,000 shells per month.
- I told Aharon [Katzir] what Dr. Meir said about Prof. [Alfred] Alfred Klopstock [renowned immunologist] (proposes Botulinum secretion). He'll see him. The university people, according to Fekete and Rakah, got together and selected Prof. Rakah as liaison officer and will recruit all the scientific personnel. They're demanding that Aharon go to Prague, London, and New York to recruit scientific personnel and investigate scientific problems (armored glass, radar, chemistry, etc.). I authorized this. 70 students have been recruited in Tel Aviv (in Tel Haim [Giv'at Hemed] near Giv'at Rambam, an area of 22 dunam). [Aharon] proposes as commander [Prof.] Yosef Krasniansky [sp.] [Karni], an engineer, company commander in Haifa. Ya'akov [Dori] thinks he's not suitable.
Vilenchuk claims he didn't get the order, and after clarifying the matter with Yosef R. [Avidar], Ya'akov [Dori], and Vilenchuk there is hope that the project will finally get underway. Vilenchuk promised to produce a weekly activity report every Friday.
The landmines are being produced. There are already 2,000, and they're already about to be activated. The [anti-]personnel [mines] will be ready in two weeks as well. They'll produce 6,000 per week. It's hard to get the chemical material for smoke bombs, but by mid-March there will be 10,000 bombs. [We're] missing TEN [tetraeritrit nitrate, explosive material] for the primary.
In the meantime it turned out that Vilenchuk sent Dov Kroll [sp.] to buy generators in Haifa, and he [Kroll] brought them to [his kibbutz] Kefar Giladi. I sent an order to the Galilee commander to take them immediately - by any means necessary.
- I summoned Yosef Tress. He's coordinator of naval training in the Agency, a graduate of the naval school in Haifa, worked three years at sea. He proposes establishing a naval staff, but only one person seems suitable to him - Zeev Hayam, although in his opinion he's more a man of vision than a man of action. Among the naval forces in the country, he notes [Moshe] Avramsky [sp.] (a captain, pilot [navigator] at Haifa Port, 40 years old), [Eliezer] Hodorov - captain, a difficult person; Shmuel Tankus, a good instructor; Israel Laskov (Haim's brother), a good seaman (works at Ogen). Avraham Zakai, Yosef Tress.
He advises bringing Commander Zeligman [sp.] from England. Used to serve escorting [convoys of] Corvettes. Yosef Tabenkin has no naval experience.
- Zvi Lashchiner [Ayalon] promised me that the [People's] Guard would be set up over the course of 4-7 days: two companies in Tel Aviv, one company in Ramat Gan, and one in Petah Tikva. Each company has 30 rifles, five men to each rifle.
- Stern [Arie Oron] came from Italy and is going back there. Nahum [Shadmi] asked
"procurement" for equipment for training. They refused.
I asked: How much will the equipment cost? - $ 7,500.
I promised to instruct Pozner to provide Nahum with this sum.
- A yeshiva student in South Africa reports that Rabbi Rabinovitz [sp.] and Aryeh Pincus will arrive in Lod on February 22 (Sunday) and he asks that I see Pincus before I see Rabinovitz.
- Munya [Mardor] said that he gave Nahum [Shadmi] equipment a week ago: 30 German rifles, one [light] machine gun, 5 submachine guns, 10 detonators, explosives.
- Dr. [Ernst David] Bergmann came to see me. A group of scientists who are due to come to the Weizmann Institute are prepared to contribute to defense. There are prominent experts in America who want to help. He specifically mentioned Prof. Pizeh [sp.] from Harvard (a chemist) and Prof. Mark from Brooklyn (a physical chemist); both have been here [and] are friends of ours. They have contacts in Washington from the war years, and can produce a lot of important military and naval material. There's also Dale Pollak [sp.] in New York (New Hampshire), a prominent expert on transport [should be: communication]. Many come to him for small things and he helps, but the impression isn't good. He's prepared to come here - if we cover just the travel expenses - and give us a plan for transport [communication].
He (Bergmann) spoke yesterday with Aharon [Katzir] - about our needs. When I asked him about armored glass he said that he could get the formula within a week and promised to telegraph. He should be summoned along with Aharon and Yohanan [Ratner].