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MEIR, GOLDA

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MEIR, GOLDA
(1898 - 1978) Prime Minister of Israel who led the nation in the October, 1973 war against the Arabs. Fine content T.L.S. as Minister of Labor, 1p. 8vo., Jerusalem, Mar. 21, 1954, a forceful letter in Hebrew to Meir Argov, Israeli Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman, lambasting President Dwight D. Eisenhower's role in the Cold War! In part: "…I do not see any lessening of the gap between the blocs nor any thawing of the Cold War between great powers, despite the declaration of Foreign Minister [John Foster] Dulles. It is unnecessary to explain the Soviet system of government, even under a new leadership. On the other hand, President Eisenhower is also not a forceful man and does not take a sufficiently decisive stance…on Europe's problems. This may be the result of America's democratic system…Therefore, any lessening of the gap…more than being political, seems to me to be psychological…". The Eisenhower administration sought to deter Soviet hostilities by a nuclear missive buildup and strategy of retaliation as a deterrent. As Secretary of State under Eisenhower, Dulles sought (unsuccessfully) to liberate "captive nations" from the communist bloc. He forged mutual defense pacts to meet the Sino-Soviet challenge, including the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization in 1954, wherein the United States came to the aid of Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand in the event of Communist aggression. Meir's criticisms aside, two years later, he would advance the Eisenhower Doctrine, by which the U.S. asserted its right to aid any country in the area threatened by Communist aggression. A fine example written in Meir's sharp style.