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in there, which is: ‘It is in the national interest of the United States to protect the security of Israel as well as a moral imperative.”’ I always use that in all my responses to the hate mail I get on this subject.
So they bring in the second letter. In the second letter he in effect apologizes for the statement, “They took their land away,” and he puts in this line that “it's in the national interest of the United States to provide for the security of Israel as well as a moral imperative.” But there's nothing in there about the PLO. So I said, “The PLO, what about that?”
He said, “Well, we've taken it up with Kissinger, and they just will not let us put that in.” So I said, “Then I'm not voting for him”. And they said, “Well, we've gone as far as we can go. We just hope you change your mind,” and so forth. And that was it.
Somehow or other I have three letters from Rockefeller on this subject. I just can't remember each letter, but there are three letters on this. Then I think about it and say, “I have pushed him as far as I can push him, and at this point I want to be able to have some entre to him, so I lose that if after having pushed him here, I now vote against him. Everybody else is going to vote against him from the New York delegation of any consequence,” and so I decide I'm going to vote for him. This is the day of the vote, mind you. So at about 4:30 in the afternoon as I'm entering
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