יומנים > יומן - מלא 13/12/1948
Monday, December 13, 1948
[Aryeh] Bahir and [Yehiel] Duvdevani propose a conference of Zionist-Socialist soldiers; one elected representative per ten, about ten days before the elections (on January 10). We were concerned to hear about changes to the system [in the military formations] - the cancellation [i.e., reduction in numbers, see below] of the districts: Meir Sharvit (Tel Aviv), Ya'akov Lublini [sp.] [Haifa], Yitzhak Levi (Jerusalem), Emanuel Nishri [Orlansky] [sp.] (the south), Binyamin Goldstein [Tzur] (Tichon [Central District]) - are our [party] members. Bentz (Ben-Tzion Bernstein [Inbar]), Galilee District commander (fanatical Mapamnik [Mapam member]), Israel Libertovski (NP [no party], friend of Eliahu Cohen [Ben-Hur]), Yehezkel Panet (Emek) unknown. At the head of two Yiftah battalions are two of our commanders - [Asaf] Simhoni and [Moshe] Netzer. It's astonishing that to date Yiftah hasn't had a brigade commander from among our members.
- Manpower as of December 2, 1948: total 96,674, aside from 4,106 ill and wounded, 121 prisoners, 129 in discharge camp. 628 missing, 1,230 deserters, 957 POWs, 3,081 fallen, in total 106,926. The standard is 117,679, shortfall 25,257. The 96,674 are divided [as follows]: Hayish [Field Corps] 27,375 (standard 35,457, sh. [shortfall] 8,082), garrison 14,056 (st. [standard] 16,035, sh. 1,979), artillery 3,958 (st. 7,005), mortars 919 (st. 1,603), engineering 2,688 (st. 3,269), signal 1,980 (st. 2,652), paratroopers 286 (st. 547), minorities 366, Personnel Department services 14,687, Logistics Department services 12,497, Operations Department services 1,213, miscellaneous 2,993 (total 83,718, standard 105,679, shortfall 22,661), Air Force 6,504 (7500), Navy 2,900 (st. 7,500), in intake [facilities] and training camps 2,427, in transit camps 709, in training and transit 3,136, production division 809, R.M. [reshima mekubetzet? i.e., collective list, a military unit without a manpower standard (quota) that comprises soldiers temporarily not being counted in other units as part of those units' standard] 307, total 96,674.
Brigade 1 - 2,062 (st. 2,985), 2 - 1,761 (2,985), 7 - 1,969, 9 - 1,750 (Front A - 7,673), Front B - 3,036, 4 - 2,010, 6 - 1,867, 10 - 2,510; 5 - 3,273 (st. 3,779), 10 - 2,510 (st. 2,985); 11 - 2,844; 12 - 2,129 (Front D - 8,527), 8 - 1,588 (st. 1,610).
[Ya'akov] Dori tasked Haim Laskov, Fred Harris [pseudonym], and Mundak [Pasternak - Moshe Bar-Tikva] with addressing the matter of the brigade and the district in Jerusalem and the matter of reduced brigades [whose manpower has dwindled]. The committee's conclusion: not to maintain brigades that are not full, but instead to cut [a few brigades] and fill [the remaining ones]. Dori thinks that from the entire Hayish and garrison it's possible to form 14 brigades - from 12 Hayish just 9, and from 8 garrison - just 5; the brigade will be composed of 3 infantry battalions and a patrol company, each battalion [will be composed] of three infantry companies and one auxiliary weapons company (anti-tank cannons, mortars, and heavy machine [gun]s); the front will have available to it - an artillery unit. Brigade 8 will be a brigade of tank crewman under national command [subordinate to the General Staff].
[The commanders who were proposed for the 14 brigades:]
Brigade 1 - Commander Nahum Spiegel [Golan]. Ya'akov assumes he'll stay, or go to the Training Bureau and be replaced by Zvi(ka) Hurwitz [Gilat]. [Brigade] 2 - Zvi Herman (will stay or be replaced by Mordechai Makleff). 3 - Bentz Friedan [Ziv] [sp.] will stay. 4 - Michael Ben-Gal, will stay. 5 - Shimon Avidan, will transfer to General Staff, to be replaced by Yitzhak Pundak (or Yaacov Prulov [Peri]). 6 - Moshe Dayan, will stay. 7 - Binyamin Ben-David [Dunkelman], will stay. 8 - Yitzhak Sadeh, will stay, or his deputy Shaul Yaffe [sp.]. 9 - Yitzhak Pundak, to be replaced by Yaacov Prulov. 10 - (Harel) - Yosef Tabenkin will stay. 11 - Yiftah - Shmuel [Mulah] Cohen will stay. 12 - [Negev] Nahum Sarig, to be replaced by Mishal Schechter [Shacham]. [For the garrison battalions:] [For Brigade] 13 - Emanuel Nishri. [For Brigade] 14 - Binyamin Tzur.
District commanders until now: Galilee - Bentz Bernstein [Inbar], Valley - Yehezkel Panet, Haifa - Ya'akov Lublini [sp.], Tichon [Central District] - Binyamin Tzur [Goldstein], Tel Aviv - Meir Sharvit, Shfela [central plain] - Emanuel Nishri, Negev - Israel Libertovski, Jerusalem - Yitzhak Levi.
Under Ya'akov's new proposal: Galilee - Bentz Bernstein. Valley - Yehezkel Panet, Haifa - Alex Tchernowitz [Tsur], Tichon - Ya'akov Lublini [sp.], Tel Aviv - Meir Sharvit, Shfela - Avraham Negev, Negev - Israel Libertovski, Jerusalem - Yitzhak Levi.
Garrison manpower: Galilee District 1,806, Valley 1,266, Haifa 1,385, Tichon 2,011, Tel Aviv 2,193, Jerusalem 2,893, Shfela 1,184, Negev 293; Sdom region 514, Battalion 141 - 566, garrison total 14,056.
Services: city officers 368, WC [Women's Corps] 728 camps - medical service 5,588, Elisha 146, Shekem 830, religious service 100, legal 172, M.P. [military police] 1,216, Red Cross liaison 20, welfare [and] culture 575; housing 1,845, supplies 1,033, equipment 1,435, armament 1,423, transport 5,598, fuel 639, for ''aliya [?], post 73, transportation and transport oversight 127 (total for logistical services 12,497); mapping and photography service 367, press liaison 58, intelligence 788 - total Operations Department 1,213; Training Department 692, physical training 117, General Staff payments 251, military government 51, science corps 472, Gadna [Youth Battalions] 552, Gadna training camp 253, General Staff base 561, production 28, monthly magazine 12, Jerusalem consulate 4 - total miscellaneous 2,993.
- [Issachar] Sitkov came to see me: [Ta'as, the domestic weapons manufacturing industry] has things that need to be fixed, although there's a lot that's positive. There's no representative administration for Ta'as. As long as [Levi] Eshkol was there, things were fine. Now Hillel Cohen has come, he's getting more of a grip on things, but it's not yet quite right. Need a work plan [to determine] what to produce. Right now there's no one to decide this.
- In the afternoon [US Ambassador] J. McDonald came to see me. He'd returned from Paris yesterday. Israel's delegation [to the UN General Assembly] has garnered a great deal of respect, according to him. [John Foster] Dulles praised Moshe [Sharett] and Aubrey [Abba Eban]. [People] listened to their remarks. The Arabs' remarks were directed at their own people, and were tiresome for the UN audience. They kept repeating the Zionists' atrocities. Dulles, who was standing in for [US Secretary of State] Marshall after the latter's departure, and who might become secretary of state, even though - or perhaps because - he's a Republican, told McDonald: This year I discovered three things: A) It became clear what the real balance of powers is in the Near East - the futility of the Arabs and the military might of the Jews. B) British guidance is not reliable; they've been wrong in all their assumptions and predictions. C) It's necessary to work with the British, but America should set the tone.
When the Anglo-American proposal failed, they turned to the Eretz-Israeli delegation to help them get the proposal accepted.
The response of the government here to the Security Council resolution was meticulous and successful and surprised everyone; they understood that [we're] evading a response - but it was impossible to argue against. England failed in its efforts to paint Israel as the aggressor. Israel remained with the Galilee and the Negev - McDonald advised the president to appoint someone tough [as the US delegate to the Conciliation Commission, evidently] - he proposed 3 generals and 3 others. Among the generals was [John] Hildring.
- [Prof.] Torczyner [Naftali Tur-Sinai] and Dr. [Shmuel] Eisenstadt [from the Language Committee] came: They want to establish an Academy [for the Hebrew language]. The Language Committee will meet at the end of Hanukkah, on the 2nd of Tevet (January 3), and decide on its dissolution in order to establish an academy, and it will continue until then, although its members will resign. They propose that eight members of the Language Committee (there are 36 members in the Language Committee) will be among the electors and will also themselves be members of the Academy. The government, the Zionist Executive, and the University will also participate in the elections. It seems to me that the Constituent Assembly [the Knesset to be elected through general elections] needs to decide on the establishment of the Academy. Tur-Sinai agrees with this. In the meantime they request a budget of 38,000 per year, or 3,000 per month. How much do they request from the government? 20,000 per year. They agreed to 1,500 per month. I asked them for their expenses over the course of the two years, and what they'll do for the next six months.
- Shimon Wasserman: Once again raises the matter of planning for Ta'as and the army after the war.
- [Charles] Zimmerman - vice-president to [International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) President David] Dubinsky [American labor leaders] - came to see me. He'd seen, heard, met with Mapam's C.C. [Central Committee]. The thing that worries him is the "pro-Soviet" danger.
- [General] Staff: The [planned] action against the Egyptians came up against transport and engineering problems. It's necessary to build a supplies base of 1,200 tons for the forces in Halutza [west of Revivim] who will be operating against the Egyptians - 4-5 battalions. It will be difficult to maintain communication between the corps - Air Force, artillery, and infantry. We'll need to place an iron foundation on sandy areas - to get over the dunes. If the rain stops tonight, it will only be possible to start the action on Saturday or Sunday [December 17-18]. The action against ''Auja might require 4 days.
In the meantime 48 cannons arrived (including 12 120 mm mortars).
Yosef Avidar - the cash held by [Avraham] Zabar isn't enough for food (the battle rations are running out, and in a month or two we'll be approaching catastrophe), for spare parts for vehicles (the workshops don't want to work for us). There are major problems with housing - because of lack of money, windows weren't covered, electrical appliances were lacking. Essential equipment is not there. It's possible to obtain between one and two million per year in America - if the treasury promises to pay it back in dollars.
The departure of [Aryeh] Weinberg [who returned to Bank Leumi] wrecked the procurement committee's credit. [Aharon] Becker also has one foot out - because they're taking him to the [Histadrut] Executive Committee. [Yosef] Yaakovson by himself is not enough.
- [Pinchas] Kozlowski: [We] owe $2.2 million (1 million to the Czechs, 1.2 to Italy and Switzerland) - aside from the $700,000 debt that Kaplan owes Czechoslovakia. In order to release 25 "Spits" [Spitfire planes] (10 [will arrive] in packed crates, 15 by air), the Czechs must be paid $0.4 million. Italy must immediately be paid $0.25 million, and there's another pressing debt of $ 0.35 million. Granovski [Dr. Avraham Granot of the KKL (the Jewish National Fund)] is prepared to provide $1 million now and a million at the start of January - if this money is not taken as a donation, but as payment for government land. I'll speak with Granovski about this, although I don't agree with his position.
- Reuven [Shiloah] insists that I meet with Cardinal McMahon, emissary of [Cardinal] Spellman [of the US] and the Vatican, who came to the country. Okay.
Shiloah proposes on behalf of the Eastern Department and [Haj Taher] Karaman [former deputy mayor of Haifa] that Arabic petitions be arranged to release Arabs from elections, because their families are scattered [elsewhere] and could be targets of revenge. This doesn't seem right to me - it would help the PCP [the Communists] to run on behalf of the Arab people.
- The tools [cannons] that have arrived and are being unloaded: 6 105 mm C. [cannons], 6,000 shells, 6 37 mm C. with half (?) the ammunition; 12 50 mm C., half the ammunition, 12 47 mm C., ditto. 12 120 mm mortars, 2,000 shells. 25,000 shells for 65 mm C. Various instruments for cannons, in total 565 tons. Additional ammunition for cannons and mortars is en route.
- I summoned [Moshe Haim] Shapira and told him that if what he proposed in his memorandum wasn't intended as elections [propaganda], then he made a big mistake. The time has not come to decide on matters of religion and state. He apologized, [saying] that there's a lot of pressure, and they're afraid of Herut, which has spoken to the Mizrahi communities and the devout, and if it weren't for the religious ticket would draw many votes. He asked about a way out [of the crisis]. I told him: The way out - only through the affirmative; to help with the import of kosher meat. He suggested earmarking all the dollars only for kosher meat. I said that it's impossible to agree to "only." I suggested that he speak with [Minister of Trade Peretz] Bernstein and reach an agreement with him.