Six Days of War

by Michael B. Oren

  20. BGA, Diary, June 1, 1967. Haber, Ha-Yom Tifrotz Milhama, pp. 200-201. MPA, Meeting of the Executive Committee, June 1, 1967. Teveth, Moshe Dayan, pp. 564-65 (Dayan quote). Gluska, Imut bein ha-Mateh ha-Klali u-bein Memshelet Eshkol bi-Tkufat ha-Hamtana, pp. 29-33. Rabin, Memoirs, p. 94. Golda Meir, My Life (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1975), pp. 362-63. Amos Perlmutter, The Life and Times of Menachem Begin (New York: Doubleday, 1987), p. 283. Gawrych, The Albatross of Decisive Victory, p. 19. Nakdimon, Likrat Sh’at ha-Efes, pp. 61-81, 102. Baron, Hotam Ishi, pp. 29-30. MPA, Party Secretariat Protocols, 2/24/66/88: June 1, 1967.

  21. Teveth, Moshe Dayan, pp. 570-71. Rabin, Memoirs, p. 94. Haber, Ha-Yom Tifrotz Milhama, p. 184. Mayzel, Ha-Ma’arakha al ha-Golan, pp. 241-43. Dayan, My Life, pp. 340-41. Ze’evi quote from Michael Shashar, Sihot im Rehavam - Gandhi - Ze’evi (Tel Aviv: Yediot Ahronot, 1992), p. 165.

  22. PRO PREM 13 1622: The Second Arab-Israel War, 1967: The Preliminaries (Hadow), July 6, 1967 (“terrier at a rat hole”); FCO17/498: Israel - Political Affairs: Tel Aviv to Foreign Ministry, June 3, 1967.

  23. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Conflict, box 20: United States Policy and Diplomacy in the Middle East Crisis, May 15-June 10, 1967, pp. 69-70, 81-88. USNA, POL ARAB-ISR, box 1789: Rusk to Certain Embassies, May 28, 1967; Rusk to Tel Aviv, May 31, 1967; Chronology of U.S. Consultations with Other Governments on the Middle East Crisis, May 15-June 10, 1967. Johnson, The Vantage Point, p. 294.

  24. LBJ, National Security file, National Security Council History, Middle East Crisis 2, box 17: Walt Rostow to the President, May 30, 1967; Walt Rostow to the President - Report from Barbour, May 28, 1967; Memos to the President (W. Rostow), box 16: Rostow to the President - Conversation with Evron, May 31, 1967. Rabin quote from Rabin, Memoirs, pp. 95-96.

  25. LBJ, National Security file, Memos to the President (W. Rostow), box 16: Rusk to the President, May 30, 1967; History of the Middle East Crisis, box 19: State Department Activities Report, June 1, 1967; Joint Chiefs of Staff - Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense, June 2, 1967, box 18: Department of State Circular, May 30, 1967; NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, box 17: The President in the Middle East Crisis, Dec. 19, 1968 (Rostow quote). USNA, META Agenda, Actions, Minutes, box 15: Memorandum for the Middle East Control Group, May 31, 1967 (“appeal to vanity”). Oral history interview with Walt Whitman Rostow, July 27, 1999. Oral history interview with Robert McNamara, Feb. 11, 2000. Johnson, The Vantage Point, p. 295 (Rusk and McNamara memorandum). Rusk, As I Saw It, pp. 384-85. Klinghoffer, Vietnam, Jews and the Middle East, pp. 109-11. Wheeler quote in Parker, The Six Day War, p. 218.

  26. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Crisis, box 17: Saunders to Rostow, May 30, 1967; box 20: United States Policy and Diplomacy in the Middle East Crisis, May 15-June 10, 1967, pp. 61-62, 93-95; NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, box 18: Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense, June 2, 1967; Pearson to Johnson, June 2, 1967; box 17: The President in the Middle East Crisis, Dec. 19, 1968 (President’s diary quote). USNA, Middle East Crisis files, 1967, box 2: The Department of State to Canberra, June 2, 1967, box 13: Memorandum for Mr. Battle (Deane Hinton), June 4, 1967 (“The Belgians are waffling”); History of MADEC (Hinton), June 9, 1967. NAC, RG 25, box 10050: Political Affairs-Canada’s Foreign Policy Trends and Relations-Israel: Tel Aviv to Ottawa, May 28, 1967. Parker, The Politics of Miscalculation in the Middle East, p. 54. Johnson, The Vantage Point, p.296.

  27. PRO, FO 17/497: Israel - Political Affairs: Draft Paper for Cabinet - Middle East Crisis: May 28, 1967; PREM 13 1618: Middle East: Memorandum by the Foreign Secretary, May 28, 1967; Note on a Meeting between the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, May 28, 1967; CAB 128/42 33rd Conclusions; 128/42 35th Conclusions. USNA, Middle East Crisis files, 1967, box 1: Chronology of U.S.-Jordanian Consultations on the Middle East, June 1, 1967; box 2: London to the Department of State, June 1, 1967. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Conflict, box 20: United States Policy and Diplomacy in the Middle East Crisis, May 15-June 10, 1967, pp. 93-95; Middle East Crisis 2, box 17: Wilson to Johnson, May 27, 1967; NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, box 21: White House Situation Room to the President, May 30, 1967 (“going soft”); London to the Secretary of State, June 3, 1967 (“digging in its heels”).

  28. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Crisis, box 17: Joint Chiefs of Staff: Military Actions - Straits of Tiran, June 2, 1967. USNA, POL ARAB-ISR, box 1789: First report of Working Group of Economic Vulnerabilities, May 31, 1967. PRO, FO 39/380: Gulf of Aqaba—Political Organization and Guidelines, June 2, 1967; PREM 13 1618: The Middle East Crisis: Annex A—International Action to open the Straits of Tiran, May 28, 1967; FO17/497: Israel-Political Affairs: Draft Paper for Cabinet-Middle East Crisis, June 2, 1967.

  29. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Crisis, box 17: Memorandum for WWR, June 1, 1967; box 18, Joint Chiefs of Staff: Military Actions—Straits of Tiran, May 24, 1967; NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, box 17: London to the Secretary of State, May 28, 1967. Rusk, As I Saw It, p. 365.

  30. LBJ, box 1-10, the USS Liberty: Department of Defense Press Release, June 8, 1967; box 19: CINCUSNAVEUR Order, May 30, 1967; box 18: Joint Chiefs of Staff: Military Actions—Straits of Tiran, May 25, 1967; box 104/107: The National Military Command Center: Attack on the USS Liberty, June 9, 1967.

  31. USNA, Pol ARAB-ISR, box 1789: Cairo to the Department of State, May 27, 1967, and LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Crisis, box 17: Cairo to the Department of State, May 26, 1967; Damascus to the Department of State, May 26, 1967; Amman to the Department of State, June 3, 1967; Amman to the Secretary of State, June 4, 1967; box 20: United States Policy and Diplomacy in the Middle East Crisis, May 15- June 10, 1967, pp. 71-73 (Porter quote). See also LBJ, National Security file, NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, box 17: Cairo to the Secretary of State, May 28, 1967; Amman to the Secretary of State, June 2, 1967; Beirut to the Secretary of State, May 29, 1967. Parker, The Politics of Miscalculation in the Middle East, pp. 53, 233.

  32. USNA, POL ARAB-ISR, box 1789; Rusk to Harmel, May 28, 1967; Arab-Israeli Crisis, Minutes of the Control Group, box 17: 5th Meeting of Control Group, May 28, 1967 (“full speed ahead”); box 13: Summary of MEDAC: Middle East Sitrep as of June 1, 1967. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Conflict, box 18: Memo for the President: Today’s Security Council Meeting, May 31, 1967; NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, box 17: Secretary of State to Ambassador Goldberg, May 30, 1967; box 23: Circular to Arab Capitals (Rusk), June 3, 1967; box 21: Arab-Israeli Situation Report, June 2, 1967; Arab-Israeli Situation Report, June 3, 1967; Chronology of the Soviet Delay on the Security Council Meetings (J. Baker), June 6, 1967; White House Situation Room to the President, May 30, 1967; Memorandum to the President: Security Council Meeting, June 3, 1967 (“drowned Vietnam in blood”). Rikhye, Sinai Blunder, pp. 82-84. Lall, The UN and the Middle East Crisis, pp. 40-43. Rusk response to Middle East ambassadors in Parker, The Politics of Miscalculation in the Middle East, pp. 121-22.

  33. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Crisis, box 17: Johnson to Kosygin, May 28, 1967; Rusk to Gromyko, May 28, 1967; box 20: Nathaniel Davis, Memorandum for Mr. Rostow, May 29, 1967.

  34. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Conflict, box 18: Text of Cable from Mr. Yost, June 1, 1967; box 20: United States Policy and Diplomacy in the Middle East Crisis, May 15-June 10, 1967, pp. 88-92. Mahmoud Riad, Mudhakkirat Mahmoud Riad 1, 1948-1976: al-Bahth ‘an al-Salam fi al-Sharq al-Awsat (Beirut: al-Mu’assasa al-’Arabiyya lil-Dirasa wal-Nashr, 1987), p. 312. Imam, ‘Abd al-Nasir—Kayfa Hakama Misr, p. 366. Parker, The Politics of Miscalculation in the Middle East, pp. 56, 233-39. Rouleau et Lacouture, Israel et les Arabes le 3e Combat, p. 83.

  35. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Conflict, box 17: W. Rostow to the President, May 23, 1967; Rusk to Cairo, May 29, 1967; Anderson to the President,
June 1, 1967; box 20: United States Policy and Diplomacy in the Middle East Crisis, May 15-June 10, 1967, pp. 88-89; NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, box 17: The President in the Middle East Crisis, Dec. 19, 1968; box 18: Scenario: June 4-11, June 3, 1967; box 23: Cairo to the Secretary of State, June 4, 1967. USNA, Middle East Crisis files, 1967, box 17: Eighth Control Group Meeting, June 3, 1967; Ninth Control Group Meeting, June 4, 1967. PRO, FCO/39/261 UAR - Relations with the US: Washington to Foreign Ministry, June 4, 1967. Imam, ‘Abd al-Nasir—Kayfa Hakama Misr, pp. 366-37. Heikal, Al-Infijar, pp. 680-84. Parker, The Politics of Miscalculation in the Middle East, pp. 235-41.

  36. USNA, Middle East Crisis files, Maritime Declaration, box 13: Memorandum of Conversation, June 2, 1967; box 2: Grey to Rusk, June 2, 1967. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Crisis, box 17: Memorandum for WWR, June 1, 1967; Miscellaneous Reports, box 15: Battle to Rusk, June 2, 1967; NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, box 23: Tel Aviv to the Secretary of State, June 4, 1967 (Barbour quote); Circular to All American Diplomatic Posts, June 2, 1967 (Rusk quote).

  37. Oral history interview with Meir Amit, Feb. 9, 1999; all quotes from Amit’s Report on Visit to the United States, June 4, 1967, access to which was furnished during the interview. ISA, 6444/5 North America, telegrams. Ministry to Embassies, Head of the Mossad to the Mossad, June 1, 1967; Head of the Mossad to the Mossad, June 2, 1967. LBJ, National Security file, NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, box 18: Walt Rostow to the President, June 2, 1967. Oral history interview with Robert McNamara, Feb. 11, 2000. Quandt, Peace Process, pp. 43-45. Parker, The Six Day War, pp. 124-25; 136. Amit, “Ha-Derekh le-Sheshet ha-Yamim.”

  38. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Conflict, box 20: United States Policy and Diplomacy in the Middle East Crisis, May 15-June 10, 1967, pp. 96-97.

  39. Oral history interview with Shlomo Merom, Dec. 7, 1999. Eshkol quote from Dayan, My Life, p. 338.

  40. PRO, FCO 17/506: Israel-Political Affairs (External): Tel Aviv to Foreign Ministry, June 2, 1967. Teveth, Moshe Dayan, pp. 67, 104 (“a liar, a braggart”), 134, 440-41, 556-57. Amit, Rosh be-Rosh, pp. 85-87. Rafael quotes from Rafael, Destination Peace, p. 283, and http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/Dayan.html. See also Moshe Dayan, Avnei Derekh (Tel Aviv: Yediot Ahronot, 1976) pp. 39-40.

  41. Gal quote in Yisrael Harel, Sha’ar ha-Arayot—Ha-Krav al Yerushalayim be-Havayat Lobamei Hativat ha-Tzanbanim (Tel Aviv: Ma’arkhot, n.d.), p. 209. Baron, Hotam Ishi, pp. 28-29, 43-44. Haber, Ha-Yom Tifrotz Milbama, pp. 203, 249. Dayan, My Life, pp. 338-39.

  42. LBJ, National Security file, Middle East Crisis, box 18: W. Rostow to the President, June 2, 1967; NSC Histories, Middle East Crisis, box 17: The President in the Middle East Crisis, Dec. 19, 1968 (Rostow quote). USNA, Middle East Crisis files, 1967, box 17: Ninth Control Group Meeting, June 3, 1967. ISA, 4091/23, Foreign Ministry files, Exchange of Messages Before the War: Kosygin to Eshkol, June 2, 1967; 7919/1, Levi Eshkol files, Diplomatic Telegrams: U.S.A.: Geva to Rabin, May 26, 1967; Evron to Levavi, May 27, 1967; Evron to Bitan, May 29, 1967. PRO, FO 17/489, Israel - Political Affairs: Foreign Ministry to Washington, June 2, 1967. Oral history interview with Avraham Liff, Sept. 13, 1999. Oral history interview with Shlomo Merom, Dec. 7, 1999. Quandt, Peace Process, pp. 46-47.

  43. USNA, Summary of MEDAC, box 13: Middle East Sitrep as of June 1 (Eban quote). Baron, Hotam Ishi, pp. 28-29. Gluska, Imut bein ha-Mateh ha-Klali u-bein Memshelet Eshkol bi-Tkufat ha-Hamtana, pp. 38-44. Mayzel, Ha-Ma’arakha al ha-Golan, pp. 48-50. Haber, Ha-Yom Tifrotz Milhama, pp. 206-12. Dayan, My Life, pp. 338-39. Yariv, Ha’arakha Zebira, pp. 57-58. Bartov, Dado, p. 94. Rabin, Memoirs, pp. 96-97. Sharon, Warrior, pp. 185-86.

  44. ISA, 7919/1, Levi Eshkol files, Diplomatic Telegrams: U.S.A.: Harman to Bitan, May 24, 1967; Rafael to Eban, June 4, 1967. Haber, Ha-Yom Tifrotz Milbama, p. 203. Dayan, My Life, pp. 340-41. Rabin, Memoirs, p.97. Baron, Hotam Ishi, p. 35. Fortas quote from Eban, Personal Witness, p. 405. Quandt, Peace Process, p. 47, and Laura Kalman, Abe Fortas: A Biography (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1990), pp. 300-301. A different version of the quote appears in Parker, The Politics of Miscalculation in the Middle East, pp. 119-20. Goldberg quote from Parker, The Six Day War, pp. 149-50 and in Rafael, Destination Peace, pp. 153-54.

  45. Baron, Hotam Ishi, pp. 36-39. David Rozner, “H-5 be-Yuni 1967 be-Kahir,”Bamabane 35 (May 1968), p. 20. Dupuy, Elusive Victory, p. 244. Churchill and Churchill, The Six Day War, pp. 97-98. Dayan, My Life, p. 341. Oral history interview with Israel Tal, Aug. 23, 1999. Dayan’s comments to reporters in PRO, FO 17/489, Israel-Political Affairs: Tel Aviv to Foreign Ministry, June 3, 1967, and Hadow’s reactions in PREM 13 1619, The Middle East Crisis: Tel Aviv to Foreign, Ministry, June 3, 1967, and PREM 13 1622, The Second Arab-Israel War, 1967: The Preliminaries, July 6, 1967.

  46. Dayan remarks to General Staff, Zak, Hussein Ose Shalom, p. 109. Dayan conversation with Elazar in Bartov, Dado, pp. 93-96; in Dayan, My Life, p. 348; and in Baron, Hatam Ishi, pp. 47-48. See also AD, Interview with Ephraim Reiner, June 20, 1996. Mayzel, Ha-Ma‘arakha al ha-Golan, pp. 46-47 (Rabin quote), 102, 115-23, 154-63, 174-83. Yehezkel Hame‘iri, Mi-Shnei Evrei ha-Rama (Tel Aviv: Levin-Epstein, 1970), p. 41. Rabin, Memoirs, p. 103. Dayan conversation with Narkiss in Narkiss, Soldier of Jerusalem, p. 204. See also IDF, 901/67/1, Central Command: The Six-Day War, Concluding Report 1, p. 142. Rabinovich, The Battle for Jerusalem, p. 60. Mayzel, Ha-Ma‘arakha al ha-Golan, pp. 51-52. Zak, Hussein Ose Shalom, p. 109. Oral history interview with Rehavam Ze’evi, Sept. 9, 2001.

  47. LBJ, National Security file, History of the Middle East Conflict, box 20: United States Policy and diplomacy in the Middle East Crisis, May 15-June 10, 967, pp. 97-98; box 18: Johnson to Eshkol, June 3, 1967; Intelligence Information Cable: France, June 3, 1967. IS, 7920/2, Levi Eshkol Papers, Diplomatic Telegrams, France: Meroz to Eban, June 3, 1967. Mansoor, Arab World entry for June 2, De Gaulle-Eytan conversation in Gilboa, Shesh Shanim, Shisha Yamim, p. 143, Haber, Ha-Yom Tifrotz Milhama, p. 214.

  48. Dayan, My Life, p. 342, Haber, Ha-Yom Tifrotz Milhama, pp. 216-18. Amit, Report on Visit to the United States, June 4, 1967. Information on the Dolphin in ISA, 7919/1, Levi Eshkol files, diplomatic Telegrams: U.S.A.: Bitan to Evron, May 24,1967, and in PRO, PREM 13 1619: The Middle East Crisis-Summary of telegrams, June 3, 1967.

  49. Dayan, My Life, pp. 343-47. Haber, Ha-Yam Tifrotz Milhama, p. 221. Zorach Warhaftig, Hamishim Shana ve-Shana: Pirkei Zikhronot (Jerusalem: Yad Shapira, 1998), pp. 178-82.

  50. Mazhar, I‘tirafat Qadat Harb Yunyu, pp. 181-82. Fawzi, Harb al-Thalath Sanawat, pp. 122-30. Imam, Nasir wa-‘Amer, pp. 143-49. ‘Abd al-Hamid, Al-Mushir was-Ana, p. 125. Murtagi, al-Fariq Murtagi Yarwi al-Haqa‘iq, p. 109. Heikal, Al-Infijar, p. 699. ElSadat, In Search of Identity, p. 174. Parket, The Politics of Miscalculation in the Middle East, p. 57. Nasser-Sidqi conversation in Al-Sabbagh, Mudhakkirat Qadat al-‘Askariyya al-Misrriyya, 2, pp. 5-6; see also 4, pp. 13-19, and 5, pp. 22-23. BBC, Daily Report, Middle East, Africa and West Europe, No 196, B4. Interview with General Hudud in al-Hawadith (Lebanon), Sept. 8, 1972-cited in Yariv, Ha‘arakha Sehira, p. 155.

  51. Al-Baghadadi, Mudhakkirat, p. 274. Al-Sabbagh, Mudhakkirat Qadat al-‘Askariyya al-Misriyya 4, p. 19; 5, pp. 21-23. PRO, FCO/39/286 UAR-Economic Affairs: Foreign Office to Washington, June 3, 1967; PREM 13 1619, The Middle East Crisis: Foreign Office to Washington, June 3, 1967. Farid, Nasser, p. 20. Mahjoub, Democracy on Trial, p. 114. Ben D. Mor, “Nasser’s Decision-Making in the 1967 Middle East Crisis: A Rational-choice Explanation,”Journal of Peace Research 28, no. 4 (1991), pp. 359-75. Nasser’s interviews with the British press appear in Mansoor, Arab World, entry for June 3.

  52. PRO. FCO 17/494, Israel-Political Affairs: Cairo to Fopreign Office, June 2, 1967 (Tesh quote); FCO 39/233 UAR Internal Political Situation: Canadian Embassy, Cairo to Foreign Office, June 2, 1967. USNA, Central Policy files, 1967-1969. POL 2 UAR, box 2553: Alexandria to the Department of State, May 31, 1967; LBJ, National
Security file, History of the Middle East Conflict, box 20: United States Policy and Diplomacy in the Middle East Crisis, May 15-June 10, 1967, pp. 82-83. UN, DAG 1/5.2.2.1.2-2, Middle East: El Kony to the Secretary-Genera, June 2, 1967. Nasser qutoe in BBC, Daily Report, Middle East, Africa, and Western Eruope, No. B4. See also Stephens, Nasser, p. 480.