Ezra Taft Benson and the State of Israel - Brandeis Institutional ...

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States.” 133Indeed, a Gallup poll that year revealed that over 60 percent of Americansopposed any direct U.S. intervention to maintain order in Palestine, and 72 percentthought the U.N. should handle things. 134 Americans agreed that the Jews needed someplace to go, and around two-thirds supported the idea of a Jewish state, 135 but the overallmood was certainly one of equivocation. This was complicated by the reality thatAmerican support of Israel in the Middle East made for difficult relations with Israel'simportant, oil-rich Arab neighbors.Thus, when Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the White House in 1953, heimmediately found himself caught between opposing aims in the Middle East. Thedifficulties posed by those opposing forces would distinguish Eisenhower'sadministration as one of attempted neutrality and manifest ambivalence regarding mattersin the Middle East. Like much of the American populace, his Christian upbringing ledhim to view the Jews as God's chosen people, 136 and Eisenhower was deeply affected bythe atrocities he witnessed in Europe after World War II. After visiting some of theconcentration camps and witnessing firsthand the Jewish suffering, he wrote to his wifeMamie, “I never dreamed that such cruelty, bestiality and savagery could really exist inthis world! It was horrible.” 137General Eisenhower attempted to help alleviate some ofthat suffering by helping remaining Jews learn to farm on land requisitioned from theGerman people, and expanding educational and cultural programs in Hebrew in order to133134135136137Grose, Israel in the Mind of America, 213.Grose, Israel in the Mind of America, 213.Oren, Power, Faith and Fantasy, 483.Gary Scott Smith, Faith and the Presidency: From George Washington to George W. Bush (Oxford:University Press, 2006), 243.Isaac Alteras, Eisenhower and Israel: U.S.-Israel Relations, 1953-1969 (Gainesville, Florida:University Press of Florida, 1993), 28.46
prepare them for the transition from Europe to Palestine. 138 Yet, as President, Eisenhowerremained stubbornly neutral, 139 at least from the Israeli perspective. Israelis rejoiced inthe fact that Eisenhower's commitment to Israel's right to exist did not waver, 140 but notedthat the “special relationship” they had enjoyed with President Truman had beendowngraded to a “friendly impartiality.” 141This difference in attitude between Truman and Eisenhower can certainly beattributed to various factors, but two stand out in particular. The first is the contrast inthe relationship between the State Department and the Executive. Eisenhower was muchmore closely linked with his Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, than Truman hadbeen with George C. Marshall or Dean Acheson. In fact, the pair is described as “twomen who thought like one.” 142Dulles recognized the great strategic importance of theMiddle East, not just for its access to oil, but for its political importance in keeping thatoil out of the hands of the hated Soviets. 143 The second is largely related to the first:Eisenhower's desire, like Dulles, to keep the Soviets out of the Middle East. Dulles andEisenhower hoped to gain greater Arab cooperation against the Soviets by “publiclydownplaying the relationship with the Jewish state while at the same time maintaining themoral commitment to [Israel's] existence.” 144 This required a delicate balancing act thatwould mark much of Eisenhower's presidency. In the end, Eisenhower would remainloyal to Israel's existence. Indeed, although both men were infuriated at Israel, along138 Alteras, Eisenhower and Israel, 29.139 Alteras, Eisenhower and Israel, 36.140 Alteras, Eisenhower and Israel, 22.141 Alteras, Eisenhower and Israel, 21.142Cited in Alteras, Eisenhower and Israel, 21.143 Alteras, Eisenhower and Israel, 21.144 Alteras, Eisenhower and Israel, 21.47
Page 2 and 3: AcknowledgementsI am indebted to Pr
Page 4 and 5: Table of ContentsIntroduction - 1Ch
Page 6 and 7: elationship in any depth.In researc
Page 8 and 9: friendships with various Israeli le
Page 10 and 11: Joseph Smith taught that Latter-day
Page 12 and 13: Gentiles, and it will be again inha
Page 14 and 15: for their long suffering. Yet, he,
Page 16 and 17: focus on both the fulfillment of pr
Page 18 and 19: Smith and Brigham Young, as previou
Page 20 and 21: Smith, the members of the group “
Page 22 and 23: Jews.'” 46Benjamin further descri
Page 24 and 25: Chapter 2: Benson's Religious Leade
Page 26 and 27: audiences. The first, called, “Je
Page 28 and 29: Benson's sense of kinship for the J
Page 30 and 31: eturn of the Jews to the land of Pa
Page 32 and 33: general mention of his efforts at s
Page 34 and 35: Or perhaps it did not aid in his ap
Page 36 and 37: about Jews and Israel, throughout t
Page 38 and 39: and Peter Grose describe the frustr
Page 40 and 41: Israel's victory in the Six Day War
Page 42 and 43: the Messiah. Indeed, both Benson an
Page 44 and 45: those visits, as opposed to those o
Page 46 and 47: U.S. agricultural products on credi
Page 48 and 49: The American public, though divided
Page 52 and 53: with Britain and France, for their
Page 54 and 55: many Americans that Israel was now,
Page 56 and 57: those experiences to give validity
Page 58 and 59: Benson, “I want you to pray to Go
Page 60 and 61: gathering. Some of those themes inc
Page 62 and 63: Ben Gurion and Levi Eshkol, both of
Page 64 and 65: sending “two Mormon Books,” and
Page 66 and 67: Yet Ben Gurion's next letter, dated
Page 68 and 69: on this occasion with Shimon Peres
Page 70 and 71: cultivate land for crops in the 194
Page 72 and 73: attitude in the Synagogue Light art
Page 74 and 75: United States, his views on Israel
Page 76 and 77: eminded the host that he had not be
Page 78 and 79: Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
Page 80 and 81: "Though Thy servant is now far from
Page 82 and 83: BibliographyAlteras, Isaac. Eisenho
Page 84 and 85: Madsen, Truman G. “Mormon Attitud

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