Diary Entry - 01/30/1985
Key Facts
President Reagan meets with Minister of Defense of the State of Israel Yitzhak Rabin to discuss the sale of American military equipment to Israel.
President Reagan meets with US Representative to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick to discuss her returning to academia.
F.M. Rabin of Israel came in. I was able to tell him we are asking Congress for $1.8 bil. in Foreign Mil. Sales for his country—a sizeable increase. I tried to impress on him why we feel we must sell weapons to the moderate Arab States if we are to ever bring them around to making permanent peace with Israel. It isn’t an easy sell even when I tell them we’ll never let Israel lose it’s qualitative edge.
Did a Q&A with a bi-partisan roomful of Sen’s. on the Arms talks, MX etc. I hope we’re making them realize we cant unilaterally disarm & hope to persuade the Soviets to enter into arms reductions talks.
Jeanne Kirkpatrick came in—this was D-day. She didn’t feel she could do the job I wanted her to take & wants to return to academia. She has a lifetime endowed chair at Georgetown U. Sorry to see her go & the conservatives who worry that I’ll go soft will lose a lot of sleep.
