יומנים > יומן - מלא 16/03/1949
[Wednesday,] March 16, 1949
[Moshe] Surdin came to see me - nuclear physics researcher in France. A graduate of the [Herzliya] Gymnasium. The laboratory cost the French 3 billion francs, it's run by 3-4 leading scientists, [and it has] 150 engineers and another 300-400 employees. It requires chemical, electrical, and technological industries. The main issue is people, of course.
- A delegation of newspaper editors: Heftman, Assaf, Danzikorn [sp.]. They're inviting [me] to the national conference of journalists on April 5 (Nissan 6, Tuesday), at 3:45 p.m. There are about 250 members (people making a living this way). They want a political lecture. They're pleased with the transfer of the intelligence bureau to the prime minister, but complain about the prioritization of foreign press. Press conferences shouldn't be conducted jointly - it's better to have domestic press and foreign press separate. They also want a journalists' law. Is there such a thing abroad? I asked for proposed legislation alongside such legislation from abroad - if it exists.
They want to establish Beit Sokolov - they have a plot of land and P£ 15,000. They want government assistance. Here I refused - and they accepted my reasons. There's sooner and [there's] later.
Government meeting. This time the discussion wasn't slow as with the provisional government. Two long-winded [former members] were absent - there was also less wrangling. If the government's ability to act improves as well - that would be good.
- [General] Staff meeting: Ya'akov, Zadok, Yigael, David, Yosef - on the [military] discharge plan. I concluded that it's necessary to have a mixed committee - military and civilian - to develop a discharge plan. For the committee I'll propose: Yigael, Zadok, David, Y. Shapira, D. Horowitz, and Dov Yosef. In the meantime 10 battalions will be disbanded (Infantry and Armored Corps will comprise 11 brigades), and counting the services it will be possible to discharge about 10,000 men.
- [Attorney Aharon] Hoter-Yishai gave me his conclusions from the inquiry into the trial of [Meir] Tobianski. It turns out that there was no basis for accusing him of espionage; at most he spoke without caution, but there's no basis for thinking that he was serving the enemy or intended to give it information against the Haganah.
- Billy Rose from New York came to see me. He thinks that fundraising won't be so successful this year: Jewish businesses (sewing, films, perfumes, and so on) have actually suffered. And we require money and money and money. But there are many wealthy Jews who have fortunes. [We] need to rouse them to invest in the country - through appropriate advertisements. He's willing to open such an office in N.Y. in coordination with our people here. They'll publicize the potential of Israel's economy in the most prominent press. If they succeed in drawing the interest of Baruch (Bernard) - things will be fine. B. Baruch is 78 and doesn't know whether he himself will travel to the country (I told him that Montefiore, at age 101, came to the country for the fifth time, when there were no trains or automobiles). He gave me a list of wealthy people, such as Harry Warner, Harold Lasker, Danny Orenstein, and others. I told him - do it!