יומנים > יומן - מלא 23/01/1948

Friday, 23 January 1948

At 8:15 Dr. Barth came to see me. It's been decided unanimously (although he disagrees) to have a fundraising campaign of 2½ million, in the hope of raising 1¾ or 2 million. He doesn't believe that such an effort is feasible - but he didn't vote against it.

       I demanded that he provide P£ 15,000 for the Jerusalem Committee, and the matter was submitted to a committee of six: 2 from the [Jewish] Agency, 2 from the General Council, 2 from the UJA presidency.

       - I summoned Yitzhak [Sadeh] for nine and suggested that he work in the oversight office that's next to me, along with Fritz [Eshet], in the military department. From the outset he objected for two reasons: 1) He's not a [suitable] partner for Fritz. 2) He's preoccupied at the moment with the problem of armoring  and wants to focus on one job. He also doesn't believe that things can be repaired in this Staff. After further clarifications he agreed.

       - At 9:30 Vilenchuk: He made all the arrangements to establish a chlorates factory in Haifa. In another month he'll start production, and in six weeks he'll begin normal production of 7 to 10 tons per month. This will cost up to P£ 12,000. I'll give him the money today. He saw Novomeysky. Aside from the large generator, he has a rectifier - which is needed for electrolytic processes. He's prepared to turn it over. I asked that he immediately begin producing mines - here and in Haifa. He's prepared to begin, and in any event during the first week of production will make up to 1,000 [mines]. He promised [to submit] a budget on Sunday [January 25].

       - At ten I saw Kaplan. He proposed to the Anglo-Palestine Bank and banking consortium that they provide funding of P£ 1.5 million for security purposes A-B. Half for security A [recruits and equipment], the rest for roads, wounded [evidently should be: fortifications], armoring; and 1.5 million for purchases (camps, vehicles). There's no more open opposition, but there still isn't agreement; Barth asks: What will happen in two months? Kaplan said that then they'll receive money from America, and maybe we'll supply our own money [from the Jewish state].

       - Raanan Weitz calls for an increase in chlorates production. 20,000 are needed. Solel Boneh is interested in this.

       - The Economic Committee is running into problems of unions, as usual. Barth committed to providing a quarter million against the credit of 1.5 million.

       - Shimon [Peres], Elhanan [Yishai], and Asher [Ben-Natan] brought me a budget [for mobilization to Eilat]: a one-time expenditure of P£ 135,000; monthly expenditure for 600 men - P£ 12,400 (food and clothing 3,600, minor supplies 1,800, fuel 7,000), but this budget is missing: armament, air transport. The Staff departments are refusing to give them information.

       - [Yisrael] Barzilai received the [recommendation] letters from [Polish consul] Loc. He has important acquaintances in Poland. He'll leave on Sunday and stay in Prague 8 days. In Barzilai's opinion, [procurement] should be discussed with his countrymen [Poland] in any event, because he believes that they'll offer better terms.

       - I gave Yisrael [Galili] my plan for an oversight office. He strongly recommends [Saadia] Shoshani as Shkolnik [Eshkol]'s partner. On the matter of purchases, there's a proposal (or agreement) by Natanel that Kozlowski [Pinchas Sapir] and Max Tischler [sp.] coordinate purchasing.

       Someone conveyed a message that in Australia they're willing to sell 40,000 rifles at P£ 4, on the condition that it not go to England's enemies. This was conveyed to a merchant who's going there to check it out (how would it arrive here without the English knowing?)

       - Yigael [Yadin], Yosef [Avidar], and Yohanan [Ratner] decided to order 20,000 landmines, 30,000 anti-personnel mines, 5,000 anti-vehicle mines.

       - Yitzhak [Sadeh] proposes the following plan for the Negev: To establish three stations in the ''Arava: 1. Kurnub [Mamshit]. 2. ''Ein Husub [Hatzeva]. 3. On the road to Eilat. 70 men for each station, 40 of them infantry to be stationed there, 30 mobile guard; 2-3 armored vehicles at each station, a base for fuel, food, water, [wireless] radio, airfield. For Eilat - 24 armored vehicles. 10 men in each vehicle, aside from another 240 infantry. A ship will bring the heavy equipment via Suez to the gulf. The light [equipment] will be brought by vehicle. In all 690 men will be needed.

       For the rest of the Negev (starting from Be'er Tuvia) 50 armored vehicles will be needed, 10 men in each vehicle, as a mobile guard. Each vehicle will cost P£ 1,100. To fight the gangs he proposes special strike forces.

       - Yosef Yizraeli proposes establishing two special battalions: a Ha'Arava (Negev) battalion of 600 men, half in Sdom and half in Bet Eshel, and a naval battalion. For the naval battalion he proposes recruiting Zeev Hayam, Shlomo Lisbona [sp.] (of Zebulun [water sports association], Commander Miller (an Englishman), Yosef Ben-Porat (formerly the Haifa city commander, now with Kedma [a vessel belonging to the shipping company Zim]), Shmuel Tankus (HaPo'el). According to him there's no coordination among the Staff departments, and the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.

       - Ziama [Aran] proposes tasking Hillel Cohen [of Solel Boneh] with armoring [vehicles]. According to him there's a lot of anger in the Histadrut's Emergency Committee (Shkolnik, [Ya'akov] Riptin, Bebe [Idelson], Idov Cohen, [Haim] Gvati, Berl Raptor) over the lack of speed. They're right. The machinery of the "Organization" hasn't been adapted to burning needs (this time - really burning).

       - At six a message from Jerusalem that instructions were received from London to cancel the sale to us of 21 airplanes. The poor things are too late: Yesterday all the airplanes were transferred to us. Bevin is standing guard! Will they go so far as to confiscate our property - anytime it might protect the Yishuv?

       - At 8 p.m. Zabrasky: About 100,000 in our account. He's about to receive 25,000 from Kofer HaYishuv [a tax imposed by the General Council], another 100,000 from England. Credit with Barth - a quarter million.

       Kaplan gave him the following financial statement: 6 million loan from the factories trust, 2 million loan from Canada, 0.8 million loan for security (from the "5 million" plan). He gave Allon 0.3 million, Ehud and Munya 1.2, Ehud separately 0.5, transferred after he returned to the country - for America $135,000 (for vehicles), $100,000 (?) for England for airplanes, in total $2.335 thousand. From regular income (?) 3 million, of this he spent 1.1 million [and] 1.9 million remain. [We're] about to receive 2.5 million from the Joint, against this he already received half a million, the rest at the end of February.

       In ''Ein Shemer there's a camp for 2,000 men [and an airfield]. It's about to be sold for P£ 10,000. Baruch Rabinov wants us to buy half the camp for 5,000 pounds.

       Bar-Kochba [Meirovitz] suggests buying a dual engine plane for P£ 4,000.