As I have frequently stated I so dislike those po-Israel people who in their rush to write they do not do "Due Diligence" and verify the truth of what they say or PUBLISH!
There are many of those whom I have chastised for their mistakes. who think of me as an cantankerous old coot.
As a truthful historian one must relay the documented truth!
As a JOURNALIST, one must maintain journalist integrity-by doing "Due Diligence", which regretfully we see now is a thing of the past.
By relaying incorrect or false information it merely plays into the arsenal of mendacious lies of the backers of the "Landless refugee decendants of the eunuchs of the Great Nachba".
In an article ,that I read recently the writer relayed the nefarious claim that President Richard M. Nixon helped Israel in 1973 because of: "A Promise To His Mother".
This statement is incorrect.
It is an undocumented assertion that President Nixon aided Israel in 1973 primarily because of a promise he had made to his mother. This statement is not supported by any historical evidence. (Bovine Excrement)
Richard Nixon's personal sentiments and background are often discussed in relation to his presidency but here is ABSOLUTELY NO historical evidence to support this statement!
Historians and analyses of the Yom Kippur War and of Nixon's foreign policy point out that there were several key geopolitical and strategic motivations for the massive U.S. airlift of military supplies- (known as Operation Nickel Grass) to Israel.
- The most significant factor was the Cold War conflict with the Soviet Union, who was heavily arming and supporting Egypt and Syria.
- A decisive Arab victory, especially with Soviet backing, would have greatly enhanced Soviet influence in the Middle East and been a major strategic blow to the U.S. and its position against communism.
- US President Nixon and his then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger saw the Arab-Israeli conflict as a proxy war between the superpowers.
- Preventing Israel's Defeat (and Potential Nuclear Escalation) was a major consideration.
In the Yom Kippur War of 1973 Israel suffered significant initial losses. There were credible fears that if the tide of the war didn't turn, Israel might face a catastrophic defeat, potentially even leading to a desperate use of its undeclared nuclear capabilities. US President Nixon was determined to prevent Israel's collapse.
Nixon and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger believed that an Israeli victory, or at least a strong negotiating position, would be necessary to bring about meaningful peace talks between Israel and the Arab states. They aimed to establish a new diplomatic order in the Middle East that would be favorable to U.S. interests.
As an ally, the U.S. had a vested interest in demonstrating its commitment to Israel thereby maintaining U.S. Credibility. By abandoning Israel in its hour of need would have severely damaged U.S. credibility with allies worldwide.
The Nixon administration was still heavily dealing with the utter fiasco from the aftermath of the US actions in Viet Nam and the US Administrion strove to avoid yet another geopolitical disaster.
US President Nixon and his then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were in their commitment to avoid another prolonged and costly military quagmire, as well as to prevent a situation that could escalate directly into a U.S.-Soviet confrontation.
Here is an exerpt from a book published by the Insight Team of the London Sunday Times, page 376-Regarding Nickel Grass:
"In this struggle, the U.S. resupply effort was now crucial, as the Egyptians realized. "We could see the effects of American aid after October 16," Egypt's deputy premier, Mohammed Abdel Hatem, said afterward. "From October 6-16, there was a marked decline in the effectiveness of the Israeli Air Force. They began with 3,000 sorties a day and declined to about 1,500 on October 16 [the day Sharon crossed]. But after October 16, the number of daily sorties increased sharply once more."
New tanks were arriving as well. At first, the giant U.S. C-5A Galaxy transports landed only at Lod Airport; but as the airlift got under way through the week of October 14-20, some Galaxies carrying M-48 and M-60 tanks landed in Sinai itself, at the airstrip at El Arish. This got the tanks to the front a few hours."
While Nixon's personal views on Jews and Israel were complex and at times contradictory (with some evidence of anti-Semitic remarks in private).
His decision-making during the Yom Kippur War was overwhelmingly driven by strategic national interests within the context of the Cold War.
There is no widely accepted historical account that attributes his decision to a promise made to his mother. FACT!!
In his article the author also stated that; "Prime Minister Golda Meir was in a state of shock."
Golda was NOT in anyway in "Shock". I know because when I had made aliyah in 1974 I was fortunate to meet and speak with Golda. She relayed to me how her "top" advisers -she OVER relied on Moshe Dayan- counseled her not to worry, saying they would have adequate notice before any war broke out.
Shock? No! If anything she was deeply and emotionally sorrowful over the terrible price in lives we have paid for our homeland
What angered her the most was the betrayal of "Court Jew" Henry Kissenger.
As Golda was a politician and party member and had never served in the military. She "over relied" on those "Generals" who were subservient to her.
and as I once contributed to Wikkipedia I wrote:
"In the days leading up to the Yom Kippur War, Israeli intelligence could not conclusively determine that an attack was imminent.
However, on 5 October 1973, Meir received information that Syrian forces were massing on the Golan Heights. Golda was alarmed by the reports, and believed that the situation was similar to what preceded the Six-Day War.
The advice of the "Generals" made sense at the time; after the Six Day War, since most of those in the Israeli intelligence community considered the Arabs unprepared to launch another attack.
Consequently, although the Knesset passed a resolution granting her power to demand a full-scale call-up of the military (instead of the typical cabinet decision), Meir did not mobilize Israel's forces early.
Soon, though, the threat of war became very clear. Six hours before the outbreak of hostilities, Meir met with Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan and General David Elazar. Dayan continued to argue that war was unlikely and favored calling up the air force and only two divisions. Army Chief of Staff Elazar advocated a full-scale army mobilization and the launch of a full-scale preemptive strike on Syrian forces."
On October 6, Meir approved full-scale mobilizing but rejected a preemptive strike, citing concerns that Israel might be perceived as initiating hostilities.
Take special note of this:
"She had made it a priority to inform Washington of her decision. U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger later confirmed Meir's assessment by stating that if Israel had launched a preemptive strike, Israel would not have received the backing of the United States."
Golda was distraught after her telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Henry Kissenger. She realised that an Israel pre-emptive strike may save many Israeli lives but she also knew that Israel would be dependent on access to crucial foreign aid and military support, in particular from the United States, in the resulting conflict.
In the continuation of the article that I mentioned the writer blithely stated:
"Israel, with less than 200 tanks facing an enemy with 1400 tanks was totally ill-equipped to counter an onslaught of this magnitude."
As a historian and IDF veteran I wish to correct the article with the true facts!!!
In October 1973, at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had a diverse tank inventory of some 1200, primarily consisting of modernized Western-made tanks.
The main types of tanks in the IDF's possession were:
These British-made main battle tanks were heavily modified by Israel, receiving a new powerpack (Continental AVDS-1790-2A diesel engine and Allison CD850-6 transmission) and a 105mm L7 gun.
These upgraded versions were known as "Sho't Kal" (Alef, Bet, Gimel, Dalet sub-variants). The Sho't Meteor, an earlier upgrade with the original Rolls-Royce Meteor engine but also armed with the 105mm gun, also saw some combat. By the start of the war, 293 Centurion tanks were operational.
These American-made tanks were upgraded by Israel, primarily by replacing their original 90mm gun with the 105mm L7 gun and receiving other improvements such as new engines and transmissions. These were known as "Magach-3."
M60/M60A1 Patton (Magach-6):
Newer American-made tanks that were also in Israeli service, sometimes referred to as "Magach-6."
In terms of numbers, documented sources indicate that Israel had approximately 540 of the modified M48A3 (Magach-3) and M60A1 (Magach-6) tanks as well as Centurions, 293 were operational at the beginning of the war.
TRUE DOCUMENTED FACTS!
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