יומנים > יומן - מלא 30/07/1948

Friday, July 30, 1948

Need young forces for the Signal [Corps] (men and women) - 800 personnel. Zadok demands the conscription of young women born in 1930 and 1921-1922. This will provide 5,000 young women. I asked Zadok why he's sending ETZEL men to the Air Force. He said that the opposite is true: The Air Force is asking for certain people in Intake, and it turns out that ETZEL men are being systematically requested. The Air Force personnel officer is not an ETZEL man, but apparently someone is asking the personnel officer for ETZEL. They're looking into the matter now.

         - I met with [Joe] Schwartz [European director of the Joint Distribution Committee]. He's prepared to help with ''aliya. Linder hasn't yet fully accepted the state, but [Edward] Warburg, [Herbert] Lehman, and others are now loyal and doing everything they can.

         - Kolodny [Moshe Kol] - [the diary entry was interrupted; apparently they discussed youth ''aliya].

         - [Haim] Ben-Asher (Brigade Zayin [the 7th Brigade]) [brigade cultural officer]: The commander is complaining that men aren't being sent to him. In Battalion 71 he has 487 men, the standard is 747; in Battalion 72 - 489, the standard is 747; in Battalion 73 - 564 men, the standard is 624; 7 engineers, the standard is 64; in total 1,547, the standard is 2,182, a shortfall of 635.

         I asked whether he wants to concentrate French speakers in Brigade Zayin [the 7th Brigade]. Ben-Asher thinks this will create problems, but it's worthwhile, although Battalion 72 has 120 men who are distinctly ETZEL, including a platoon and a half from the Altalena ship. Ben-Asher requests the concentration of Anglo-Saxons [people from English-speaking countries] in this brigade. I referred to Zadok on this matter. Ben-Asher proposes adding an Anglo-Saxon artillery company to the brigade. I'll discuss this with Shlomo Shamir. He's also asking for 200 Eretz-Israeli youth pioneers, and he wants to produce an English newspaper for the soldiers and people from abroad, and to recruit 7-8 people towards this end [volunteers from abroad (MAHAL) were concentrated in the 7th Brigade].

         - Margo proposes Hai Issachar [Yissacharov] as deputy for the Air Force, and Monty [Green] - as inspector general. I agreed and formulated the appointment for Hai.

         - The Committee of Five with Staff members Zadok and Yadin. 21,000 men and women are needed. The immigrant centers have 7,000 people, not conscription material. By August 15 about 3,000 immigrants [suitable] for conscription will arrive (among others).

         - In the afternoon I left for Haifa [to see Ya'akov Dori].