יומנים > יומן - מלא 30/03/1949

Wednesday, March 30, 1949 Kozlowski, Shaul, Peres, Peri. They’re primarily buying in Italy now (aside from cannons) at a price equal to 10% of the value [?]. Slavin was in Italy, visited warehouses, and made a list of purchases. They propose buying merchandise at $3.8 million, which includes the $1.8 million purchase decided upon earlier. Recently [the following] were imported[:] 1,059 tons of TNT, ballistite 67 tons, half-track parts 161 tons, airplane parts for [P?]-51 80 tons, aerial bombs 151 tons. [The following] arrived from Yoram[:] 14 Spitfires, 2 Norsemen, 1 BT-13, in total 17 airplanes. 25,000 mechanisms, 54,000 bullets and rounds, 15,000 [primers?] etc. 180 tons, total in tons 1,700. Shaul requests that an additional $12 million be authorized for procurement in 1949, in addition to the 12 million that was approved. So far they’ve made commitments of 12 million, and paid 3 million; so far goods worth P£ 6 million have been transferred to the country. 24 75 mm C. [cannons] with 50,000 shells are due to arrive – within 14 days. Peri: We were supposed to receive $6 million from KKL [the Jewish National Fund], and from South America 6. From KKL [they] received $ 3.4 [?] million; need to receive the remainder from KKL and ensure the South America income, and it will be necessary to add another 12 million. – Meeting with the Ministry of Labor: Ya’akov, Yigael, Dolik, Zabar [Zabrasky?], Schreiber, Peri, Shaul. Again an argument between the “army” and the “economy.” A stenographic record was made. Schreiber proposes P£ 10,000,000 for army expenses (excluding procurement and vehicles) for April-June; from July through the end of the year (1949) there will be, according to the Finance [Ministry], 9 million, 1.5 million per month. If a soldier costs P£ 60 per month – then this is an army of 25,000 men (excluding procurement and vehicles), including Ta’as [weapons manufacturing]. They estimate that 14,000 men will be discharged in April and 2,000 conscripted, in May – 17,000 will be discharged, 2,000 conscripted; in June 17,000 will be discharged, 2,000 conscripted; that is, over the course of three months 48,000 will be discharged, 6,000 conscripted, a decrease of 42,000 men. In March the budget will be P£ 4.7 million. Gurion: A discharged soldier receives P£ 30 on average; there will be 2,000 disabled and war-afflicted, each will receive P£ 30 per month; 2,000 families of fallen soldiers, each family P£ 50 per month; payments to discharged soldiers with no employment over the course of 8 weeks – assuming that 10% will require these payments – P£ 200,000 per month (currently 1,500 are receiving unemployment wages). Support for students – 1,200 individuals – P£ 30,000 per month; vocational training for 2,000 individuals P£ 50,000 per month; for GAHAL [foreign recruitment] and MAHAL [volunteers from abroad] members a special grant: P£ 10 for an unmarried person, 20 for a married person, P£ 5 for each child, up to a maximum of P£ 40; they account for 20% of the army, will constitute an expense of P£ 60,000 per month. Loans for rehabilitation for the disabled and widows P£ 30,000 per month (P£ 600 per family), loans for rehabilitation up to P£ 300 per discharged soldier, P£ 300,000 per month. Housing and accommodation – P£ 0.5 million (for 20% of the army). Administrative expenses of P£ 100,000 per month. If 48,000 are discharged, in Gurion’s opinion, 40% will be integrated into the existing economy, 60% will require an arrangement. In March he spent P£ 175,000 on discharged soldiers, in February 100,000, in January 75,000. In April he’ll spend a minimum of a quarter million – not counting housing and constructive loans. Under Gurion’s plan, we’ll spend P£ 1,430,000 per month on discharged soldiers, which is completely absurd. For soldiers and families we’d owe P£ 3,250,000 (just for families – P£ 1 million). – Meeting with Sheetrit and Sahar. I said that we must clarify: 1) the effectiveness of the army, its cleanliness, securing the public’s trust and support, 2) relations between the minister of police and the inspector. – Yehezkel: Need to release from the police 1,000 of those who were received in intake. Of the long-standing ones, 100 [1,000?] will be dismissed, 600 experienced policemen will remain; of the new [ones] we’ll need to accept another 2,000 men (1,000 of them as against those dismissed, 1,000 additional). Yehezkel arranged with Ya’akov to receive a thousand men from the army aged 25-30. – In the afternoon Knesset. – At 8 p.m. – construction workers. The discussion didn’t add much. I asked them to give me a proposal for 9 names, from whom I would select three for a committee to examine construction problems. I also asked for an expert opinion from the construction workers’ coordinator regarding the questions I’d raised.