Final_Judgment

[44] Final Judgment 105
President Kennedy, referring to U.S.-Israeli relations, "Our relationship is a
two-way street." 95
NO 'EXCLUSIVE FRIENDS'
Phillips Talbot, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs,
who was present at the Kennedy-Meir conference prepared a memorandum
for the State Department summarizing that meeting. According to the
memorandum, summarized by Stephen Green in his monumental study,
Taking Sides: America's Secret Relations With a Militant Israel:
"The United States, the President said, has a special relationship with
Israel in the Middle East really comparable only to that which it has with
Britain over a wide range of world affairs. But for us to play properly the
role we are called upon to play, we cannot afford the luxury of identifying
Israel, or Pakistan, or certain other countries, as our exclusive friends." 96
According to Green, the thrust of Kennedy's message to Israel was this:
"The best way for the United States to effectively serve Israel's national
security interests, Kennedy said, was to maintain and develop America's
associations with the other nations of the region. [America's] influence
could then be brought to bear as needed in particular disputes to ensure that
Israel's essential interests were not compromised." 97
"'If we pulled out of the Arab Middle East and maintained our ties only
with Israel this would not be in Israel's interest,' Kennedy said." 98
FOUR PROBLEMS WITH ISRAEL
The American President cited four areas causing a strain in U.S.-Israel
relations: 1) Israel's diversion—from the Arab States—of the Jordan River
waters; 2) Israel's retaliatory raids against Arab forces in border areas; 3)
Israel's pivotal role in the Palestinian refugee problem; and 4) Israel's
insistence that the United States sell advanced Hawk missiles to Israel. 99
The President outlined to Mrs. Meir what has come to be called the
Kennedy Doctrine. Kennedy told Meir that U.S. interests and Israel's
interests were not always the same. The Talbot memorandum described
Kennedy's forthright stance:
"We know," [said Kennedy] "that Israel faces enormous security
problems, but we do too. We came almost to a direct confrontation with
the Soviet Union last spring and again recently in Cuba . . . Because we
have taken on wide security responsibilities we always have the potential of
becoming involved in a major crisis not of our own making . . .
AMERICA'S NEEDS IMPORTANT
"Our security problems are, therefore, just as great as Israel's. We have
to concern ourself with the whole Middle East. We would like Israeli
recognition that this partnership which we have with it produces strains for
the United States in the Middle East . . . when Israel takes such action as it