From Our Archives

In 1957 the Post reported that Eisenhower told the press that action should not be taken in Syria.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
50 YEARS AGO On August 22, 1957, The Jerusalem Post reported that US President Eisenhower told the press that the situation in Syria was one which at present did not justify any kind of action at all under his Middle East doctrine for defending the region against Communist aggression. But the US Sixth Fleet, engaged in maneuvers in the western Mediterranean, was ready to move eastward if necessary. The US had protested against the placing of a Syrian security detachment around the US Embassy in Damascus. Syrians were searched when entering the embassy and "all sorts of obstructions went on." However, the New York stocks recovered after the "Syrian slump." Britain criticized the US stand on the Syrian-Soviet Union embrace for proving to be largely inadequate when dealing with this, one of the most trying situations in the Middle East, since the Suez Canal crisis. Eisenhower was "tremendously disappointed" that the US Congress failed to pass parts of his foreign and domestic legislative proposals. Due to the existence of the black market in eggs and heavy shortages, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had reintroduced egg rationing throughout Israel. Fresh disputes delayed the start of work at the Ata textile plant. The 102 day-long strike had ended after both the management and the workers had agreed on arbitration in the matter of efficiency and the dismissal of redundant workers, but a new dispute began after the management refused to take back two of the workers. The Histadrut claimed that the dismissal of these two workers was not included in the agreement, but the management argued that it was not ready to take them back, because they were both charged with excessive violence. The management agreed to take back temporarily 25 other workers who were to be charged in court with violence. 25 YEARS AGO On August 22, 1982, The Jerusalem Post reported that the cabinet met to hear reports on the departure for Syria of the first PLO contingent from west Beirut. The cabinet had also discussed two major problems which had emerged from the Lebanese war: the declared aim of removing Syrian troops from Lebanon and persistent indications that the US was readying an initiative for an overall solution of the Palestinian problem. Defense Minister Ariel Sharon had announced, after the first contingent of PLO troops left for Syria and thousands of terrorists waited at the Beirut port wharf for embarkation for Cyprus on their way to Jordan and Iraq, that all such developments signified "a great victory" for Israel. - Alexander Zvielli