יומנים > יומן - מלא 02/05/1948
May 2, 1948
I returned to Tel Aviv this morning.
- Shlomo Rabinovitz [Shamir] came from Gesher and from a meeting with Colonel [Desmond Goldie] and Major [Charles] Cocker of the Arab Legion; he also toured the Syrian border by air. He saw nothing during the tour-he flew from south of Mishmar Hayarden 10 kilometers east into Syria, north as far as Banyas, and back to Manara-and saw neither armies nor vehicles, neither on the road nor in the villages.
Gesher wasn't badly damaged, although the people there are in bad spirits because they have a sense of helplessness, [being unable] to respond with appropriate weapons. The damage can be repaired within a week.
The talk with the Legion [''s officers] took place in the home of [Avraham] Daskal [manager of the plant] in Naharayim. Nahum Spiegel [Golan] (the Golani [Brigade] operations officer) also attended. The talk lasted an hour and a quarter. [The officers] insisted that the talks should continue, at the northern Dead Sea or in Kalandiya [near Jerusalem] if possible. They spoke in the name of Glubb Pasha [the British general who commanded the Legion], they wanted to establish contact in order to head off war and, for this purpose-future contact. They asked whether we intended to occupy the whole country. Partition is a fact, they said. Shlomo's answer: borders are for statesmen to worry about. As military men, they [our forces] are capable of occupying the whole country. A question was also asked about Jaffa-whether occupying it alludes to a wish to occupy the whole country. The answer was that Jaffa has been attacking transport to Jerusalem and is interfering with it.
They asked about Jerusalem-How should a clash in this city be prevented? Goldie asked: After Haifa, will we storm Jerusalem?-The answer: Jerusalem is a Hebrew city and insofar as the road to it and its Jewish suburbs is open, there's no need for a clash.
They said they understood this. The Legion doesn't want to clash with us, but what should they do in order not to look like traitors or impediments to the Arab cause? Shlomo asked: What's the policy?
They talked about the matter vaguely. They noted that the Jews had emerged victorious in the first round; Arab morale collapsed faster than they had thought. They added that they didn't wish to fight us and wanted to avoid a confrontation. They asked whether this was likely to happen. Shlomo answered that insofar as the Legion refrains from fighting, won't give cover to Arab aggression, and stays put-there's no reason we will fight. The Gesher case shouldn't be considered a political policy, they said.
They admire our guys and disdain the Arabs; in their opinion, only the Bedouin are trustworthy. Goldie remarked that the Iraqis won't send an army because [the regime] in Iraq might fall apart.
- I invited [Samuel] Vilenchuk. It is urgently necessary to move more quickly in manufacturing the PIAT and its shells, 6" mortars, and flamethrowers. Vilenchuk thinks it can be done if three conditions are met: (1) excuse skilled workers from induction, (2) have them work 10 hours instead of 8, (3) transfer workers from other workshops. He is going to see what can be done to speed up the production in Haifa.
Command ordered 250 PIATs. Fifty will be prepared this week and 50 more next week. They ordered 50,000 shells. Now they're turning out 100 per day, two weeks from now-1,000 per day, but he's not sure there will be enough cordite [explosives]. It can be attained only abroad.
- [Yosef] Yaakovson proposes requisitioning the Surveyors' House [on Yehuda Halevi Street in Tel Aviv] to house [the Ministry of] Defense. It has 3,000 square meters of space and large halls that can be turned into 150 rooms. I agreed. [This was not done.]
- I visited Sarona [the Kirya in Tel Aviv] to see the office of the prime minister [of the provisional government]. The Germans know how to build a prettier colony than we ourselves built. Such houses aren't built in our settlements.
- I invited Yisrael [Galili] this morning. I told him that before the yod-gimmel ["the 13," the provisional government or People's Administration] and the sheloshim vesheva ["the 37," the People's Council] meet, I have to put defense affairs into final order per decision of the Executive. I found the joint meeting with his party edifying and concluded that a clear definition of powers is needed. The post of Chief of National Headquarters has been abolished and I want him to continue working with me, and I suggested to him that he present me with a proposal concerning the division of powers. I gave him only two rules:
(1) I reject Ben- Aharon's theory of a party or labor army in theory and in practice. I oppose his basic postulate on principle; first, when there's war, it's a disaster. What's needed is maximum national mobilization and effort, not a political-party appeal. (Yisrael remarked that he disagreed with Ben-Aharon about this.)
(2) As manager [minister] of defense, I will give the staff its orders.
Yisrael promised to present me with his proposals in writing within a few hours. He didn't bring [them either then] or to the meeting that we set up this evening.
- Only Yigael [Yadin] and Lehrer [Moshe Tzadok] attended the consultation I scheduled for this evening about the distribution of forces and equipment against the risk of an invasion. As of May 1, according to Lehrer, our forces have grown to these magnitudes:
"Bulgarian" [Brigade] 4448, 714 additional from intake, total 5162; in the Negev 1061-grand total 6223. For Golani: 2072 artillery, 835 garrison, intake 332, total 3239. For Carmeli 1667 artillery, 501 garrison, 264 intake, total 2432, for Alex-2029 artillery, 1088 garrison, 4 intake, total 3121. For Kiriati- 851 artillery, 424 garrison, 421 intake, total 1696, for Givati 2689 artillery, 554 garrison, 57 intake, total 3300. For Etsiyyoni 1869 artillery, 459 garrison, 86 intake, 2414 total. Grand [total] 16686 artillery corps, 3861 garrison, 1878 intake, total 22425.
Apart from this, the Chief of General Staff has 49 (departments, --- [אה"צ] 243 + 28 = 281 total. Operations Department 28, Air Service [ש.א.] 385 + 61 --- [ח]s.[]
Artillery 476 + 137; engineers 131 + 15; signal 220 + 4.
Personnel Department 60, --- ש.כ. 28 + 12; --- ש.ד. 10. ---- מופ. 2; []
Military Police 151; detainees 16; prisoners 16; Women's Corps ח"ן national 16, underground 18
Logistics Department 1034; equipment and supplies 89 + 6; armaments 71 + 1; transport 792 + 28
Personnel Department 46 + 1, --- [אכס] 27, --- [עלומים] 24: []
Total, departments 530, services 2451 in addition to 293 intake-grand total 3274, with previous 25,699.
Palmach 6,223; six Field Corps- 16,686; garrison 3,861; intake 1,878 = [Field Corps, garrison, and intake together] 22,425; in staff departments, training facilities, corps, and services 3,274;
All-inclusive [not incl. Palmach]: 25,699.