Begin may trust Reagan but does not trust America
[Letter to President Reagan, published in the Holland Sentinel, 28 February 1983]
Sir:
Today I read in the newspaper that you have pledged that "this administration is prepared to take all necessary measures to guarantee the security of Israel's northern border in the aftermath of the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army."
Sir, I would indeed be very surprised if Mr. Begin accepted your offer, for this very simple reason: He may trust you personally, but he has no reasons to trust America. Mr. Begin was in Poland during World War II. In the Atlantic Charter, Mr. Roosevelt, the President of the U.S.A., declared that Poland's eastern boundary would be restored to what it had been before the war. And what happened? Yalta, with the result that Poland "as Poland" no longer exists. Mr. President, I do not want to offend you, but who can believe America today?
[Editor's note: There followed a discussion of the pre-war German enclave in East Prussia as a contributing cause of World War II and of a possible Palestinian entity on the West Bank as a source of future trouble.]
In this particular situation, it is a pity that you, a 100 percent honest American, have to pay for Mr. Roosevelt's mistakes and betrayals. I think that it would be very beneficial for both sides if you could understand Mr. Begin's way of thinking and not feel personally offended: he is an Israeli patriot and an anti-Communist. Whoever replaces him as Prime Minister at a future date will be only an appeaser like everyone else — even like America itself.
I think that you can count on Mr. Begin in more respects than Mr. Begin can count on America. (I am not referring to you personally, Sir.) Mr. Begin's successor may be much easier to handle — but think twice about what is best for America's security — and I am not referring only to Arabian oil! As a matter of fact, it could be that Israel is "our" oil watchman! America could easily finish Mr. Begin — but think twice before you do that.