Six Days (54 page)

Read Six Days Online

Authors: Jeremy Bowen

BOOK: Six Days
4.22Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

Introduction

‘The biggest Palestinian attack': Israeli government website,
www.mfa.gov.il/mfa
.

‘An investigation by': Human Rights Watch report on Jenin,
www.hrw.org
.

‘Lyndon Baines Johnson': Memo for the Record, 7 June 1967, NSC, Box 18.

‘Four days after the war': Notes of NSC Special Committee meeting, 14 June 1967, NSC, Box 19.

Pre-war

‘so bone-tired': Uzi Narkiss,
The Liberation of Jerusalem,
p. 17.

‘from guilt that Jerusalem': ibid., p. 14.

‘a multitude of inhabitants', ‘the inhabitants of the town became panic-stricken' and ‘Nobody will ever know': Morris, pp. 203–10.

‘could not leave Lod's': David Horovitz (ed.),
Yitzhak Rabin,
p. 26.

‘In Deir Yassin': Morris, pp. 113–15; see also Salim Tamari (ed.),
Jerusalem, 1948.

‘He concentrated on the rapes': interview with Hazem Nusseibeh, Amman, May 2002.

‘A meeting was arranged': Dan Kurzman,
Soldier of Peace,
pp. 148–53.

For details of Abdullah's assassination, see Roland Dallas,
King Hussein,
pp. 1–3; Peter Snow,
Hussein,
pp. 33–5.

For secret contacts between Abdullah and the Israelis, see Avi Shlaim,
The Politics of Partition.

‘Despite lessons from his driver': Yitzhak Rabin,
The Rabin Memoirs,
pp. 32–3.

‘But both sides, blaming each other': see Itamar Rabinovich,
The Road Not Taken.

‘From around 1952': interview with Meir Pa'il, Tel Aviv, 3 May 2002.

‘Nasser's followers': PRO/FCO 17/456, 9 July 1968: Saunders (Baghdad) to Eastern Dept, FCO.

‘As a young officer': interview with General Abd al-Muhsin Kamil Murtagi, Cairo, 14 December 2002.

‘Officers regarded Amer': interview with General Salahadeen Hadidi, Cairo, 12 December 2002.

‘Amer and his cronies': Anthony Nutting,
Nasser,
pp. 262–3.

‘The last straw': Patrick Seale,
The Struggle for Syria,
p. 42.

‘The Syrian officer class': Seale,
Asad of Syria,
pp. 24–40.

‘If the same conditions': PRO/FCO 371/186923, 25 January 1966: annual report on Syrian armed forces.

‘Colonel Rowan-Hamilton': ibid.

‘The Syrian army': see Galia Golan,
Soviet Policies in the Middle East from World War Two to Gorbachev.

‘Its aggressive behaviour': Shlaim,
The Iron Wall,
p. 235.

‘Service on this front': ibid., p. 229.

‘“We will throw them into the sea”': PRO/FCO 371/186923, 25 January 1966: annual report on Syrian armed forces.

‘totally inadequate': Israeli–Arab confrontation, National Military Command Center, May 1967, NSF, Box 104.

‘the hopelessness of it all': PRO/FCO 371/186382, 15 October 1966: Evans (Damascus) to FCO.

because of Israeli provocations': Shlaim, p. 235.

‘Lads, let's sing a bit': Teveth,
Tanks of Tammuz,
p. 54.

‘How many Syrian tanks': ibid., p. 56.

‘Using the Syrian border': ibid., p. 59; interview with Israel Tal, Tel Aviv, 6 May 2002; Patrick Wright,
Tank,
pp. 343–5.

‘over 50 per cent':
Maariv,
7 April 1972, quoted at
www.searchforjustice.org
, 4 November 2002.

‘no amount of pseudo-legality': PRO/FCO 17/576, 5 January 1967: briefing on demilitarised zones.

‘General Odd Bull': Bull, p. 55; John Gee, ‘The Borders Between Syria and Israel',
www.caabu.org
.

‘strange names like de Gaulle's nose': Van Creveld, p. 170.

‘This is our home':
Yediot Aharonot,
14 April 1967, quoted in Bondy, p. 337; PRO/FCO 17/473, 10 January 1967.

‘It went this way':
Yediot Aharonot,
27 April 1967.

‘Along the Syrian border': Dayan quotes from Shlaim, pp. 235–6 and AP report, 11 May 1997,
www.codoh.com
.

‘A small team of Palestinians': Sayigh, p. 107.

‘Other groups appeared': Hirst, pp. 276–8.

‘the military punch': PRO/FCO 371/186838/R109/207, 19 October 1966.

‘He installed Ahmed Shukairy': Kerr, p. 115.

‘large-scale operation': PRO/PREM 13/1617, 17/18 October 1966: Hadow (Tel Aviv) to FCO.

‘early in November': Tessler, pp. 367, 378.

‘It was bigger': Pollack, p. 295.

‘The major and his men': PRO/FCO 371/186838, 3 November 1966: Hadow (Tel Aviv) to FCO.

‘Nobody had died': PRO/FCO 371 186840, 21 December 1966: Dispatch No. 56 to SoSFA, George Brown.

‘Their plan was': PRO/FCO 371/186839, 21 December 1966: Defence Attaché Amman's report on Samua and Defence Attaché Tel Aviv's report attached to PRO/FCO 371 186840, Dispatch No. 56 to SoSFA, George Brown.

‘dazed and frightened': Bishop's account is in PRO/FCO 371/186838.

‘He had been having secret meetings': Amman Cables 1456, 1457, 11 December 1966, NSF, Box 146.

‘a quite extraordinary revelation': Memo from Walt Rostow to LBJ, 12 December 1966, NSF, Box 146.

‘The King concluded': PRO/FCO 371/186839, Ambassador Adams to London.

‘He told the diplomats': US Current Intelligence Bulletin, 15 November 1966 – filed in PRO/FCO 371/186839.

‘he summoned all the ambassadors': PRO/FCO 371/186839, 17 November 1966.

‘The United States was so concerned': Memo from Rostow to Johnson, 15 November 1966, NSF Country File: Israel, Box 140.

‘The US airlifted': Memo from Robert McNamara to Johnson, 17 April 1967, NSF Country File: Israel, Box 140; Memo from Amos Jordan to Rostow, 1 December 1966, NSF, Box 146.

‘The CIA believed': CIA Memo for the Director: ‘The Jordan Regime, Its Prospects and the Consequences of Its Demise', 13 December 1966, NSF, Box 146.

‘The people of Samua': PRO/FCO 371/186839, 15 November 1966, US Embassy Amman to SoSFA.

‘What do they expect':
Washington Post,
15 November 1966, quoted in Neff, p. 42.

‘A senior security official': Amman Cable 1456, 12 December 1966.

‘army officers':
Washington Post,
15 November 1966, quoted in Neff, p. 42.

‘Hussein's troubles': PRO/FCO 371/186839/272, 17 November 1966: Tesh (Cairo) to FCO.

‘Damascus was relieved': PRO/FCO 371/186839/266, 16 November 1967: Evans (Damascus) to FCO.

‘Even if the Syrian government': PRO/FCO 17/473, 21 January 1967: Damascus to FCO.

‘Let the Israelis shoot at us': ibid.

‘on 7 April': details of kibbutz in
Yediot Aharonot,
14 April 1967, quoted in Bondy, pp. 337–42.

Account of battle: PRO/FCO 17/474: Report of ground/air action on Israeli/Syrian border on 7 April 1967, from Defence and Military Attaché's office, Tel Aviv, 11 April 1967; also PRO/FCO 17/473: Syria/Israel, account of incident from Eastern Department; attack on Sqoufiye reported by UNTSO; PRO/FCO 17/473, 10 April 1967.

‘a stunned awe': PRO/FCO 17/473, 12 April 1967.

‘Israel basked': PRO/FCO 17/473, 10 April 1967.

‘Are you out of your minds?': Weizman, p. 197.

‘The British government': PRO/FCO 17/498, 14 August 1967.

‘The CIA picked up': President's Daily Brief, 13 May 1967, NSC, Box 19.

‘contemplating an attack': text of article from
al-Ahram
read out on Cairo Radio Home Service, 0500 GMT, 13 May 1967, SWB, Vol. 2453–78.

‘A high Israeli source':
MER,
p. 187.

‘took the threats and warnings': ibid, p. 179.

‘There were some': Brecher, p. 359.

‘The message received': Riad, p. 17.

‘the Israeli leaders had announced': Nasser speech, 22 May 1967, quoted in Brecher, p. 359.

‘The Egyptians claimed': NSF, Paris Cable 18806, 23 May 1967, Box 104.

‘Atassi, the head of state': Nutting, p. 397.

‘the foster child state of bandits': Syrian propaganda from Damascus Cable 1163, 22 May 1967, NSF, Box 104.

‘the Russians pricked the Egyptian donkey': PRO/FCO 17/498, 14 August 1967.

‘They told me': Sadat, p. 172; Parker,
The Politics of Miscalculation in the Middle East,
p. 5; Heikal,
Sphinx,
pp. 174–5.

‘By the evening': Gamasy, p. 21.

‘The Soviets seem': NSF, Moscow 5078, 23 May 1967, Box 104.

‘The Soviets wanted': interview with Amin Howedi, Cairo, 14 December 2002; Lior, p. 150; Golan, pp. 58–62; the most comprehensive discussion of the Soviet warning is in Parker, pp. 3–35.

‘A “medium level”': CIA to White House Situation Room; Soviet official's comments on Soviet policy in the Middle Eastern war, date sanitised, NSC, Box 18.

‘I think this is difficult': comments of Gregoriy Petrovich Kapustyan, Soviet first secretary in Kuwait and KGB officer in CIA Intelligence Information Cable, 25 May 1967; Soviet intelligence officer's comment on the current Arab–Israeli crisis, NSF, Box 105.

‘Soviet advice to the Syrians': Memo, ‘Terrorist Origins of the Crisis', Saunders to Bundy, dated ‘Sometime prior to June 19th 1967', NSC, Box 17.

‘It is probable': Memo for Rostow from Nathaniel Davis, 2 June 1967, NSC, Box 20.

‘the sad capital city': Amos Oz,
Seventh Day,
pp. 215–16.

‘General Bull':
MER,
Vol. 3, 1967.

‘a clear violation': President's Daily Brief, 13 May 1967, NSC, Box 19.

‘battle order number one': document captured by Israel, quoted in
MER,
p. 185.

‘astonished and alarmed': Gamasy, pp. 21–2.

‘I did not': quoted in Gamasy, p. 23.

‘Training, never a religion': interview with Hadidi.

‘we incurred heavy losses': interview with General Abdel Moneim Khalil, Cairo, 13 December 2002.

‘By 1967 the Egyptian High Command': Field Marshal Abdel Ghani el-Gamasy,
The October War,
pp. 37–8.

‘Nasser is going': President's Daily Brief, 16 May 1967, NSC, Box 19.

‘defensive-deterrent in character': PRO/Telegram No. 301, Tel Aviv to FCO, 17 May 1967.

‘We cannot leave the south': Lior, p. 148.

‘Outside the stadium': Michael Bar Zohar,
Embassies in Crisis,
pp. 16–18.

‘As soon as he could': interview with General Yeshayahu Gavish, Tel Aviv, 21 November 2002.

‘In just over a decade': Rikhye, p. 14.

‘Egypt promised': Brian Urquart, quoted in Parker,
Six-Day War,
p. 87.

‘To your information': Rikhye, p. 16.

‘They were being': General Mohamed Fawzi in
Al-Ahram Weekly
online, 5–11 June 1997.

‘war would be inevitable': Rikhye, p. 17.

‘General, what's the occasion?': ibid., p. 21.

‘willy-nilly be dragged in': PRO/FCO 17/479, 17 May 1967: Damascus to FCO.

‘slogan of the unity': PRO/FCO 17/479, 19 May 1967: Damascus to FCO.

‘On 17 May': Tel Aviv Cable 3641, 18 May 1967, NSC, Box 22.

‘before taking any unilateral action': PRO/FCO 17/479, 16 May 1967: Tel Aviv to FCO.

‘But other high-ranking': PRO/Tel Aviv to FCO, 19 May 1967.

‘in the strongest terms': message to PM Eshkol, 17 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘A long-delayed': ‘The President in the Middle East Crisis', 19 December 1968, NSC, Box 17.

‘one scrofulous room': PRO/FCO 8/39, 18 November 1967: Parsons, British Political Agency, Bahrain to Balfour-Paul, British Political Residency, Bahrain.

‘By 1959': Albert Hourani,
A History of the Arab Peoples,
p. 393; also Winston Burdett,
Encounter With the Middle East,
p. 23.

‘The wire services': wire service reports, 22 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘if we come through': letter and draft of letter, 22 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘through sweaty, heaving, arm-flinging bodies': Rikhye, p. 64.

‘On the evening': and other details of the Nasser-U Thant dinner, Rikhye, pp. 63–79.

‘out to kill him': USUN 5496, 27 May 1967, NSF, Box 105.

‘General Yariv': Bar Zohar, p. 72.

‘decisive day': Press review, 23 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘within ninety minutes': Amos Elon, p. 7.

‘The message passed down': interview with General Shmuel Eyal, Head of Personnel IDF, Rishon le Zion, 27 November, 2002.

‘I was leaning': Henry (ed.),
The Seventh Day,
p. 32.

‘One persistent 63-year-old': Elon,
A Blood-Dimmed Tide,
p. 7.

‘refusal to panic': Bar Zohar, p. 78.

‘rapacious animals': Ruth Bondy, Dvar Hashavua, 2 June 1967, quoted in
Mission Survival,
p. 30.

‘You have brought this state': account of his collapse in Rabin, pp. 58–65.

‘At about eight': Weizman, pp. 202–3.

‘a crushing burden': Leah Rabin, p. 107.

‘he was alone': Horovitz (ed.), pp. 40–1.

‘Abdel Moneim Khalil': interview with General Abdel Moneim Khalil, Cairo, 13 December 2002.

‘with the same deep chasm': Field bulletin quoted in
Mission Survival.

‘Fifteen years of hard work': interview with Meir Pa'il, 4 May 2002; also Martin Van Creveld,
The Sword and the Olive.

‘by the superior training': PRO/FCO 17/576: ‘Annual Report on the Israeli Army', 27 January 1967.

‘militarily unchallengeable': ‘Israeli–Arab confrontation, May 1967', NSF, Box 104.

‘The British estimates': PRO/CAB 158/66, 17 April 1967: ‘A comparison of the Armed Forces of Israel and those of certain Arab states up to the end of 1967', JIC.

Other books

The Lights of Tenth Street by Shaunti Feldhahn
The Three Rs by Ashe Barker
An Awfully Big Adventure by Beryl Bainbridge
Zealot by Donna Lettow
Echoes of Mercy: A Novel by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Bradbury, Ray - SSC 11 by The Machineries of Joy (v2.1)
Delta Force Desire by C.J. Miller