יומנים > יומן - מלא 01/03/1948
Monday, March 1, 1948
Baruch [Rabinov] reported on the number of conscripts (January through February 20 approximately).
January
February
End of February
North
1,500 Hayish
2,000
600 Hayish
Center
795 "
1,200
600
South
533
1,200
400
2,828
4,400
1,600
Jerusalem
(850 Hayish
(1,000 Garrison
1,500 Hayish
---------------
14,150
--------
15750
Tel Aviv
1,379 Hayish and Garrison
1300
Haifa
450 Garrison
450 Garrison
11 subdistricts (Garrison)
1,335 Garrison
1,400 Garrison (of which 602 for road security, 733 for reinforcement in the settlements)
Palmach
3,200
4,100
10,042
14,150
Until February 15 they were paid under the old arrangement, since then - under the new arrangement, but they're complaining that 35 [grush] per day is not enough. All the soldiers in the Negev receive their salaries through the Palmach. Those with families account for about 25% of the conscripts, and this percentage will rise.
Personal equipment costs P£ 19.060, housing equipment per person 19.940, upkeep 16.680 (food and clothing 10.5, laundry 0.1, medical assistance 0.48, cigarettes etc. 2.00, culture 0.2, two days of leave 0.7; food and clothing during leave 0.7, salary P£ 2).
In January upkeep rose by P£ 1.2 per day, in February (including the family) P£ 1.
In January there were 784 in the apparatus [Haganah career personnel]. Their salaries [totaled] P£ 32,500. In February 850 men; in March the number will decline - because the workers will be conscripted and receive a conscript's salary.
- From December to March the following courses were held:
10-31 December: a course for trainers - 41 men, cost P£ 725.
15 February to 31 March - 260 platoon commanders (Netanya) P£ 9,900.
18 January - 15 February: 150 platoon commanders - P£ 3,400; another 200 squad commanders and another 200 squad commanders (costs P£ 8,200).
2-15 February: 55 explosives experts - P£ 890. 12-19 February: 55 explosives experts - P£ 600. 22-29 February: 55 explosives experts - P£ 650.
1-20 February: 45 snipers - P£ 1,280.
29 February - 22 March: 45 snipers - P£ 1,280.
24 February - 23 March: 45 weaponeers - P£ 1,700.
18 February - 10 March: 35 intelligence officers - P£ 1,100.
26 February - 21 March: 100 squad commanders - P£ 2,100, and another 200 squad commanders during this time, P£ 2,100.
23 February - 10 March: heavy machine [gun]s - P£ 420.
There are additional courses for Signal and Gadna.
From now on the squad commander courses will take place in the brigades, and will cost less. Investments for courses (maps, binoculars, etc.) P£ 10,000; setting up the camps P£ 15,000, total for the courses P£ 59,445 (we'll continue the review this evening).
- David Bernstein, Fritz [Peretz] Bernstein's son, came to see me: he took part in the 1938 riots, was in the army (R.E. [Royal Engineers]), is interested in psychological warfare. He gave me a written plan. He writes English poems. Uptight.
- On the advice of [Ya'akov] Riptin, [Israel] Feinmesser, labor director at Solel Boneh and HaKibbutz HaArtzi (kibbutz movement). Two years ago he visited Ta'as; he knows many of the workers there and believes that order and skilled labor are lacking. Output is poor (only Stens and a small quantity of explosives). The workers are unmatched in their devotion, there are scientists, there are many workshops in the workers' settlements - and there's no output. There's some sort of organizational dysfunction. At each location they're trying to make ammunition by themselves - landmines etc. Afula produced a Turkish cannon. There's no coordination between purchasers and producers. No planning, no organization, no coordination. [We] need a committee of two for oversight.
- At eleven a consultation with [Nahum] Warlinski [sp.], [Aharon] Becker, and [Jacob] Efter [director general of HaMashbir HaMerkazi, the main wholesale supplier for consumers' cooperatives and labor settlements] regarding supplies for the military and the Yishuv. They're currently introducing a system of centralized distribution. [We] need a month's supply of iron [emergency rations] for 20,000 people (P£ 7 per person).
[Aharon] Becker: [We] need 21 tons of sugar, 360 tons of flour, 20 tons of oil per month. This we have. It's hard to get preserved meat (need 48 tons, received only 20 tons), condensed milk, sardines, cured fish, legumes, dried fruit. Imports have to be confiscated. There are troublemakers.
In-country production provides cigarettes, matches, toothpaste, soap, shoe polish, jams. Some in the country are profiteering from flour (bakers!) and meat (butchers!).
Some of the foreign supplies are subject to international supervision (sugar, flour, oil, rice).
Warlinski: The country provides 50% of the Yishuv's food, but it's hard to get food for animals: [we] need 90,000 tons of concentrated food and 44,000 tons of seeds. Agriculture [the agricultural sector] has stocks for 2½ months.
The Yishuv consumes 100,000 tons of wheat or flour per year. We're growing 24,000 tons of seeds. These days potatoes are being planted (there are enough seeds) and starting in May we'll have potatoes. For now they're being brought in from Holland. Milk production will increase in the summer. Over the course of seven months the animals will require 50,000 tons of concentrated food, 24,000 tons of seeds. [We're] consuming 2,000 tons of potatoes per month.
Negotiations are being conducted (by HaMashbir and the Chamber of Commerce) with [the] Steel [Brothers, government suppliers] to provide goods in the amount of 5 million pounds to the Jewish state after May 15 through the end of 1948.
Legumes, meat and fish preserves, condensed milk, cheese, dried fruit, and flour (but not wheat, oil, rice, seeds, sugar) are available on the global free market. I asked Efter provide me with a complete list of the Jewish consumption of food, how much is brought in, from where, the value of the import, and its weight.
- At 3:30 I had a visit from de la Cherielle [sp.], secretary of the French legation in Moscow who came here two weeks ago to set up a French consulate. He speaks Russian. The situation in Moscow is improving slightly, but as before there's a housing crunch, problems with food and a shortage among the masses [public]. It's inconceivable that the Russians would want a war - the devastation is extensive, Stalingrad hasn't been [re]built, and the same is true for other places.
- Continuing with Rabinov and Kiki [Mordechai Kikayon, Haganah Treasurer]. The overdue [payments] to brigades is P£ 157,000 (against 372,000). For equipment the money goes to Rochel [Avidar] and Moshe Bar-Ilan [in charge of equipment services in the Logistics Department], and for vehicles and armoring - to Boganov [Israel Barnea].
The budget for March: Upkeep of corps (20,000) 481,000 upkeep (including family, beds), upkeep of vehicles, gasoline, and repairs - 35,000, reinforcement of 2,000 men in the settlements 10,000; signal - 3,000. Air fleet [blank space]; training (courses) 15,000, Ta'as 35,000; production 75,000, SHAI 14,000, [?] 2,800, in-country purchases 36,000, youth, arrangements, National Headquarters Staff - subdistrict staff, garrison training 60,000, in total 766,800. Investments: personal equipment and housing 300,000; vehicles 200,000, medical services 25,000, signal 10,000, air fleet [blank space]; fortifications 250,000, in total 785,000.
- Ze'evik [Grodzinski, worked in procurement] [sp.] arrived from Italy. Once again there are complications with Ehud [Avriel]'s shipment. The English are watching the shipment.
- [Moshe] Swirsky came to see me. Claimed that I'd summoned him (apparently this is what Yisrael [Galili] told him). He wants to know my opinion regarding the Defense Committee. Without my endorsement he won't be appointed to the [Defense Committee's budgetary] subcommittee [to which he was nominated].
I responded with a question: What role does he envision for the subcommittee? - He said: A) To decide on the budget from time to time. B) To assess whether an expense is in line with the budgetary framework.
I pointed out to him that role A is within the purview of the entire Committee, and should not be relegated to the subcommittee. Role B, in contrast, should be expanded - not just the assessment he mentioned, but an economic assessment, whether the budgetary funds are being expended well.