יומנים > יומן - מלא 31/03/1948

March 31, 1948

Nehemia [Argov], who went to Haifa at the demand of Yohanan [Ratner], reported the following to me: personal grievances: they called him when they needed him-and threw him out afterward. None of his proposals in the past six months was taken seriously. Therefore-either he doesn't know how to persuade or his way of thinking isn't accepted. If they call on him just for show-they ought to tell him. They should consider beforehand whether he's suitable. He spoke with young and veteran members (Why? Good God!). Someone told him: [Moshe] Sneh called him in in order to get rid of Ya'akov [Dori], Yisrael [Galili] wanted to exploit him against the extreme demands of young officers, B.G. urges him to give the Palmach a beating. There's also the problem of the Technion and [Shlomo] Kaplansky: He can't be removed just by giving an order. Either Ben-Gurion or Galili should approach Kaplansky-in Haifa. His departure may disrupt the studies of 70 students at the Faculty of Architecture. Studies will be over in another four weeks. He's the only man at the faculty in Haifa (Nehemia remarks: he teaches only three days. He already taught this week. On Friday he returns to Haifa and he'll teach next week, too. That leaves two weeks, meaning six days, and someone can be invited in his stead). There's a family problem: a wife and two children. They've already suffered enough. He wants to know whether they're calling him in for two months or six months. If it's two-he'll live with his family in the hotel. If it's six, an apartment will be needed. Either way, he has to move his family. A personal problem: five times he began to work at the "organization" [the Haganah] and stopped. No one looked out for him. His situation depends on his wife's situation (she teaches gymnastics) and an additional job that he's got, because his salary from the Technion isn't enough. Nehemia promised to make him one of his patients [= to handle his affairs]. Nehemia added a remark of his own: Unfortunately, Ratner passed the comments onto several others, making them widely known. - [Dale] Pollack, the American radio [communication] expert who was invited to Eretz[-Israel], visited me. He praises the communication method but we're short on material. The acquisition in America will also hardly suffice even if we're frugal. I suggested that he should immediately draw up another list that will satisfy all our needs and we'll try to procure it. He doubts that they'll let him export in one piece, because these goods might be considered war[-purposed]. Maybe they can be exported disassembled. I advised [him] to put together a full list of technicians so that each of them can be used when necessary. I told him that we've got an association of engineers and technicians. In his opinion, this country hasn't got any experts in applied chemistry and physics, although it does have some at the theoretical level. I advised him to meet with the Technion people and determine together with them whether new courses should be arranged. Either way, I advise [him] to organize electronics manufacturing; he told me in the name of Chaim Pekeris that in America they're furious with the [Weizmann] Institute in Rehovot for not helping with the war effort. I told him that their anger is groundless because Dr. [Ernst David] Bergmann is helping out and is participating on the committee of scholars. Pollack will spend another two weeks in the country. He has to return to America because he's a government employee. He's willing to consider an offer to settle here. His brother-in-law is Avraham Dusher [sp?]. For F.P. red phosphorus is needed (half a ton per ton of F.P. Aharon-it costs P£ 500 to manufacture a ton) and chlorate (2 tons per ton of F.P, because half of it "escapes" from the molecule; it costs P£ 150 per ton). They've made only 35 kilograms so far. The factory will begin to operate this week. They have enough material for 20 tons. I propose buying raw material for 150 tons (namely, 75 tons of F.P.-it will cost P£ 37,500, 300 tons of chlorate will cost P£ 45,000). It can be obtained in almost all European countries. Less costly in Italy; shipping is easier, too. Aharon [Katzir] complains about delays in setting up the science workers' camp. An order of priorities in establishing it has to be given ("Studio," 24 Dov Hoz Street, between Gordon and Mapu). - Dr. [A.N.] Pollack, the Arab affairs expert, believes that since we are facing [outside] invaders, they won't care if we impair the economy of the Arabs of Eretz-Israel. On the contrary; it will increase the number of inductees. In his opinion, sabotage in enemy countries should be planned: Iraq, Egypt, Syria (irrigation dams in Egypt and Iraq, central cotton and date warehouses in Iraq; in the Syrian economy, he does not envision targets as easy as these)-if we arrive at a collision with these countries. Oil pipelines outside of Eretz-Israel should be hit. In particular, supplies to the gangs should be impeded. So it's necessary to find out from whom the gang members are being paid, in what currency, what kings of supplies they have, where it comes from. If it's Eretz-Israel money-we need to withdraw from that currency and create financial chaos in the Arab zone. If it's money from the neighboring countries-to cause inflation. Overall, to strive to transfer Eretz-Israel money to the Arabs. One should assume that the Arabs will counterfeit coins-it's worth looking into how to preempt that. There should be an office for "control of trading with the enemy" and propaganda among the fellahin about land adjustments, write-off of debts, and so on. - Gad [Meknes] and Josh [Palmon] met yesterday with Madlul Bek, an Iraqi, rais in the army of Fawzi al-Qawuqji [commander of the Hittin battalion, which had deployed across from the Sharon region]. The meeting took place in Tira [north of Ramat Hakovesh]. The road was guarded by hundreds of men armed with rifles, submachine guns, [and] a French machine gun. They met as Ramat Hakovesh was being fired on. With Madlul was Salim a-Atsil, a staff officer of Fawzi's They asked to be taken to Fawzi at once, but our people frowned on that due to lack of time. The question arose of whether they're at war with us or not. If not-provocations should be avoided. They admitted that the matter [of the attack on] Tirat Zvi went beyond the bounds of a provocation. If there's no war-the borders between Jews and Arabs should be settled. Incidents should be avoided and those guilty should be punished. If there's a war-it should be conducted on the basis of international rules. Tomorrow they need to meet with Fawzi. Josh wants us to agree [at the meeting with Qawuqji] to a temporary truce and to arrange relations. Gad opposes their talking about "politics." I said they should conduct the talk under the following assumptions: 1) We did not and do not want war. 2) They waged war-the very entry of foreign armed forces to this country is a declaration of war. 3) No undertaking on our part is possible when it ties our hands against repelling armed gangs the moment we consider this necessary. 4) By and large, we are ready for a temporary truce. 5) Even political discussion should not be avoided, but it should be made clear in whose name they are speaking and the content of his offer. No commitment to anything political should be made. 6) We opt for a direct agreement between Jews and Arabs; warmongering among us by a third party should be thwarted. - Shkolnik [Eshkol], [Aryeh] Bahir, and Arthur [Asher Ben-Natan]: several comrades consulted yesterday and came to the conclusion that Haganah National Command has become obsolete. Instead, there should be 4-5 people: the Chief of General Staff, Yisrael [Galili], Shaul [Avigur], Shkolnik, Yosef Yizraeli, Israel Rokach [or Yosef] Sapir, and [someone from] Hapo'el Hamizrachi. It's a proposal to put a "house" in order, not to put a war in order. - In the evening, the staff people visited me to work through several questions. I said there's one urgent question right now-the war for transport to Jerusalem, and the manpower that Yigael [Yadin] is preparing-400-500 [men]-aren't enough. This is the decisive war now. The fall of Jewish Jerusalem may deal the Yishuv a death blow, and the Arabs understand this and will invest massive forces in cutting off transportation, and all men who are not definitely needed along the Mediterranean, in Tel Aviv, and in the south should be taken, along with their weapons, and sent to the Hulda-Bab el-Wad-Jerusalem road with occasional reinforcements, the brigade commanders should be summoned at once, the finest people should be mobilized, and this should happen at once-day and night. We immediately we returned to the office to organize the operation. - The first plane (200 ["Czech" rifles) + 40 Maglar [MG-34 machine guns] + 150,000 [9.2 mm rounds] landed safely tonight.