יומנים > יומן - מלא 10/12/1947

[Wednesday,] December 10, 1947

I wrote to Moshe [Sharett] that most of my associates and I accept his position regarding the two ships [not] setting sail from Romania, but the situation facing Romania's Jews, the immigrants whose businesses were demolished, the state of the Zionist movement and relations with the authorities will deteriorate if we don't find a way for the 15,000 to make ''aliya by permit. Shaike [Dan] or Zeev [Schind] will soon leave for Washington for this purpose.

       - [Tel Aviv Mayor Israel] Rokach, [Yosef] Yaakovson, and Yisrael [Galili]. A few days ago [William] Fuller [commissioner for the Lod (Lydda) district, which included Jaffa and Tel Aviv] and Flanagan [Lod district police superintendent] told Rokach that the [people's] guard will consist of guards, not sworn in, without the authority of a noter [British-appointed auxiliary policeman] or a policeman, and they won't go beyond the Tel Aviv boundaries. Jaffa's Jewish neighborhoods will not be included in the Jews' territory; in the city [Tel Aviv] Jewish police will remain, in outer areas - British-Arab police.

       Rokach wants the municipality to be in contact with the force [the people's guard], and the same for the committee of four mayors. We arranged for Golda and Rokach to meet with [British First Secretary] Gurney to go over the points of dispute (the neighborhoods and an Arab-British police). I described for Rokach the conversations that had taken place between us and the government regarding the [people's] guard.

       - Zabrasky [came]: Indirect taxes - everyone's prepared to accept them willingly if an instruction is issued. They require an order from the institutions. I requested a taxation plan soon.

       - [Dr. Yousef] Haikal, mayor of Jaffa, flew to Cairo. Possibly - to obtain permission for a cease-fire between Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Unofficially it's reported that the Arab Higher Committee agreed to this - on the condition that it not appear in the press.

       - Ian [Yaacov Yannai]: the extent to which our signal [system] is protected, and how to establish special signal [communication] with the [Jewish] Agency at both ends [i.e., in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv]. I asked that he contact [Ze'ev] Sherf regarding workers. [We] want the signal to operate from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. [The English] are listening in on [our] signal, but haven't yet deciphered it.

       - Globman [Akiva Govrin]: There's no public hasbara [explanation, public relations]. The press is obstructive. There's no mental preparedness for failures. The Agency's prestige should be elevated as if it's a government. The Gentiles' assessment of Jewish power and of our ability to stand firm for a long time is depreciating. The Agency and the Haganah need to produce educational messages. The Jews have an unstable temperament. They disparage their own strength - and are capable of glorifying ETZEL.

       In preparation for statehood it's necessary to unite Mizrachi and HaPo'el HaMizrachi. Two years ago we [Mapai] didn't do enough. Negotiations between the two should be renewed. It's necessary to enact a trade union law, and to establish a single employment bureau for Jews and Arabs. To transfer Kupat Holim [the healthcare network] to the state - or to subsidize [healthcare]. The party shouldn't focus on unification - but instead establish a bloc [alignment of parties]. Those who aren't organized [affiliated] in the Histadrut should be organized. [We] should issue a monthly publication and assemble intellectuals, a brains trust, around it (with [Haim] Ben-Asher). Given that party members would have a place in HaKibbutz [HaMeuchad, a kibbutz movement] (and they won't be able to shift to the offensive), Kibbutz Ayelet [HaShahar] should be strengthened. This will be the party kibbutz.

       - [Aryeh] Shenkar: The fundraising campaign and the mobilization [fund?] are going well - Kofer HaYishuv [the Yishuv's defense fund] should be established [i.e., direct taxation should be reinstated?]. For matters involving manufacturing, the Association of Manufacturers building is at your disposal. He proposes the engineer Wirgin [sp.] (worked in War Supply [the British government supplies division]) for our pursuits.

       - I tasked Kozlowski [Pinchas Sapir] with looking into what was written [in the press] regarding the "camp" purchased in France - where misappropriations supposedly took place.

       - David [Shaltiel] and Isser [Be'eri]: [Yosef] Teitelbaum was killed while carrying out a mission for SHAI [Information Service, i.e., intelligence]. [We] know the identity of the Arabs (3) who killed him - it's possible that they were also Yehoshua Globerman's murderers.

       Five kilometers from [Kibbutz] Gvulot there was a reconnaissance unit. They encountered an Arab mob, which also included the Arab policemen. Our men tossed two bombs. The mob shot at them. Four of our men and one woman were killed - only one got away.

       Two days ago the Haganah responded with an attack in Wadi Rushmiyya [an Arab neighborhood in Haifa] - and Arabs fled from there in droves. They went to Nablus and Jenin. Wadi Rushmiyya was evacuated. It's quiet in the north, but tension is high.

       SHAI exceeded its budget by 3,000 for the month. They opened new listening stations. Each station requires two men. Three new stations were opened. In November they spent P£ 3,520 beyond the approved budget. I said I'd give them an additional P£ 3,000 this month - if I have the money.

       Shaul [Avigur]: worried about the East [i.e., ''aliya from Eastern European countries and Russia, which he oversaw]. SHAI abroad [was discussed]. Nahum [Shadmi]'s project [i.e., the Haganah in Europe] is useful - but he requires other people. ''Aliya - won't be carried out by [Chaim] Barlas and [Haim Moshe] Shapira [of the Jewish Agency Aliya Department]. The Mossad [le-''Aliya Bet] personnel will handle ''aliya: this requires our own ships.

       I listed the flaws that I found in the Organization [Haganah] for Shaul: Lack of equipment. The Organization was treated like an end in itself rather than a means, and its role was overlooked. They turned the Organization into a political party rather than an army that serves the people; there's a great deal of inertia within it. They don't disclose what they don't know. For this reason there's fear of army personnel [former soldiers in the British army] and experts.