יומנים > יומן - מלא 28/05/1948
Friday, May 28, 1948
Tonight's bombardment never took place. The Messerschmitts didn't take off this morning. It's not yet clear why. Beit Susin was taken without resistance.
Last night a large airplane arrived bringing bombs and [airplane] propellers. Only about 20% of the ship cargo was unloaded tonight, because there were potatoes [large quantities of overripe potatoes were used to camouflage the weapons and explosives]. 20 workers were sent to the ship to help with tonight's unloading.
Moshe Inbar: The question of foreign press publications: We agreed [that] we need a better censor for newspapers and telegrams (Nahumi), journalists with the brigades [chief "military correspondents"], a press person with the staff (Ezra Helmer [Omer]).
- Eisenstadt [Avigdor Eshet] on pipelines and oil centers: The [British] army has 1,000 tons of oil in Hawassa [near Haifa] in iron containers. Our fuel supervisor held negotiations about buying the fuel. Unrefined fuel is being removed from the refineries and loaded on ships. Some has gone to Tripoli [in Lebanon] for refining, some to France, someone to England.
The question: Whether to stop the flow of oil [from Iraq] to Haifa? There's refined petroleum, some was taken to Tripoli. Should we disrupt this or not? Iraqi and Transjordanian planes [planes in the service of these countries, and on their way there] are continuing to come to Haifa. Small, Rapid [type of plane]. Sometimes they take fuel. Disrupt or not? The refineries in Tripoli [Lebanon] have expanded their work. Raw material [crude oil] is being sent to France; refined to Transjordan, Iraq, Syria.
[Should we] sabotage [the refined fuel] or not? The scientists have material that will corrupt lubricating oil and gasoline. Egypt has a refinery in the Suez. Moshe [Sharett] is in favor of bombing Tripoli.
- Tonight [operations] will continue in Rosh HaNikra, Bint al-Jbeil, Zar'in, Lajjun, Tira (in the center), Rosh Ha'Ayin. Action was supposed to be taken during the night against an Egyptian concentration in Majdal. No news from the Negev.
According to Aharon [Remez]: At 1 a.m. the "Knives" [Messerschmitts] were not armed, the bombs weren't ready, and we don't have an expert. The bombs were missing something (Yehuda Giladi is the air force's weaponeer). The Czech experts weren't able to load the cannons - it's a new type of cannon.
The "[Flying] Fortresses" in Ekron [Tel Nof] weren't taken care of, for lack of a tractor. Ekron is missing an electric generator. The bombs are being taken care of, and the experts say that tonight they'll be ready. Another plane will be ready tonight. The Ekron field must be secured: 2 anti-air cannons should be stationed there (Ekron has 6 [heavy] machine guns - need another 4), we need 120 workers per day for digging and camouflage.
When will you know whether the "Knives" will be operable tomorrow? - Today at 7 p.m.
Who's responsible? For planning: Hyman Shechtman [Shamir], for operations - Dan Tolkowsky, for intelligence - Moshe Horvitz, for security - Shraga Yanovsky. Who's in charge of security for the airfields? In Tel Aviv [Sde Dov] - Kiriati, in Ekron - Givati. [He] appointed a commander for Ekron - Ya'akov Frank. Comes under the command of the air force. It was decided: Every airfield will have an infantry company under the command of the air force (in Tel Aviv, Ekron, Ramat David). They requested weapons from Logistics, and are seeking company commanders. In charge of weapons - Yehuda Giladi (there's also someone in Prague, to learn the subject).
Stone [David Marcus] came. They carried out a raid in Gaza, to the airfield. Sabotaged cannons. Gaza can be conquered and held with the force of 1,500 men. Our army is excellent, the Egyptians have weaponry - and it should be taken from them. He [Stone] was sent to Latrun - to expedite the conquest of Latrun and liberation of Jerusalem. With the agreement of Yisrael [Galili] and Yigael [Yadin], I appointed Stone commander of the Jerusalem front and he's in charge of Harel [Yitzhak Rabin], David [Shaltiel], and Shlomo [Shamir].
- Meeting with [Eliezer] Kaplan and the army's finance people. Purchases and orders have been suspended, although Zabrasky received 2-2.5 million in cash during May. Kaplan claimed that he requested an assessment of needs - and didn't get it. He approached Zabrasky - and Zabrasky claims that he approached everybody and didn't receive anything. Kaplan claims that the budget depends on four things: Golda's efforts [in the US], taxes (300,000 coming in monthly), loans (we received 2.7 million instead of 5), and income from abroad. Kaplan is demanding a budget by Tuesday, and by Sunday - the urgent needs for [the next] two weeks. Defense representatives [are] in the finance office (Shkolnik [Eshkol]'s people, Shvilim, [Baruch] Rabinov).
[Rabbi] I. M. Levin and his deputy Landau raised the concerns of Haredi Jews who say that we're planning a Stalingrad [siege] in Jerusalem. I explained the situation as it exists - which is a cause for serious concern, but there's a basis for hoping that we'll overcome it and liberate Jerusalem.
- Meeting with Ya'akov [Dori], Yisrael [Galili], Shkolnik [Eshkol] regarding Yisrael's work. I said that there's no place for the Haganah National Headquarters or the Chief of National Headquarters, and that the Chief of National Headquarters role is actually the manager [minister] of defense role and we don't need two; as long as the Chief of Staff is not working [because of illness] - I will fill his place to a given extent; however, Yisrael's work - on the team and as a member - is essential in my view, and we will work together.
Yisrael asserted that command and brigades' operations are in my purview, but there are outlets of operational matters that I won't be able to handle, and he wants to carry them out on my behalf. We agreed that the three of us would continue to work together until Ya'akov returns - and when the three of us meet we'll delegate the work; we'll also make some changes in the meeting of [Staff] departments.
In response to Ya'akov's claim that he and other members feel that "their toes are being stepped on" but that they have to accept this graciously, I commented that I've identified two shortcomings among Staff members: the first is a general human trait: there are "cliquish" relations, and second - they don't know how to differentiate what's essential from what isn't essential; and the grievance I have towards myself is not that I intervened unnecessarily, but on the contrary, that - against my will - I accepted the opinion of the departments and those in charge of operations, even though it was clear to me that they were wrong in their assessment of what was essential and what wasn't, and I won't be able to come to terms with this in every case.
- Katriel [Katz]: There's an "uprising" among journalists. Herzl Berger resigned as "spokesman" because he has nothing to say. The other journalists are angry that they're being fed communiqués [official statements]. I requested a meeting with [Ze'ev] Sherf and Moshe [presumably Pearlman] [to ask] that they find some sort of arrangement for a functional relationship with the press.
- A delegation of General Zionists: [Shmuel] Rappaport, Binyamin Tymkowicz [sp.], Idov Cohen. They're demanding that we bring Yitzhak [Gruenbaum] and his wife (he won't travel without her; their entire family is in Tel Aviv) [from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv]. Their position as a party has further worsened since [Peretz] Bernstein fell ill yesterday and has been hospitalized (I didn't know this until now). I told them that a flight at this time would be dangerous, and we specifically won't take the responsibility for bringing his wife here under these circumstances. Early next week I might be able to tell them if a convoy from Jerusalem is looking likely.
- Globman [Akiva Govrin]: Talks are underway between the party [Mapai] (Sprintzak, Lubianker [Lavon], Isserzon [On], Namir) and Mapam. They should be stopped. Members of the [Histadrut] Executive Committee need to go to factories and boost war production. We need a law to enlist manpower.
- At a meeting with Yisrael [Galili] and Shkolnik [Eshkol]: Morning meetings from 9 to 11. Yigael [Yadin] and Yohanan [Ratner] will also participate, and if necessary - the department manager. On Monday at 9 a.m. all the commanders. Once a week a meeting with the departments. Defense Committee meetings on Tuesday at 4. At seven in the evening a meeting of the three [BG, Yisrael Galili, Levi Shkolnik].