יומנים > יומן - מלא 26/02/1948
Thursday, February 26, 1948 (Moshe enters the brit) [the brit milah (circumcision ritual) of Ben-Gurion's grandson, Moshe Ben-Eliezer]
[Haim] Ben-Menahem [sp.] returned: Eliahu Sacharoff met in Paris with a chemicals expert who's willing to come here, and will be a blessing for chemical production.
Regarding SHAI in Europe, Shaul [Avigur] decided after November 29 that the Mossad [le-''Aliya Bet] would not handle SHAI. In Paris he had 3 Eretz-Israelis, in Italy 2, in Austria - 3 locals. There was also a local apparatus (2 in Marseilles, 2 in Italy, 2 in Austria, another 3 partial assistants) - all this and the contacts cost $ 2,500. They made contacts at ports, in the police, and in governmental circles. They worked with the French to prevent the armament of Arabs in North Africa. In Rome they discovered an office for recruiting fighters for Eretz Israel Arabs - from among Muslims, Germans, and others from war criminals' concentration camps, who, with Egypt's and Syria's help, are getting certificates and being sent to Alexandria by ship. The name of the office is the Moslem Relief Service [its president is Bahri Urman Emir]. Ben-Menahem's substitute in Paris is Shmuel Rosenfeld - a Palmach platoon commander, French subject. He has contacts with the other countries. At present there's no sabotage force in Europe. In Ben-Menahem's view, the [intelligence] service should engage in war against assistance to the Arabs, British espionage, etc. ($ 5,000 abroad). Golda committed to the continuation of the service, but Kaplan insisted that the budget be provided by the Political Department (Ben-Menahem's visa expires on March 4).
- Pinhas [?] leaves for America tomorrow. I clarified the procurement needs with him. Equipment for land, sea, and air, which will require up to $ 18 million, if not more, and that everything depends on the timely acquisition of equipment.
- In the evening a meeting of the [Mapai] Political Committee: on the Government Council, the secessionists, fundraising.