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Direct Talks. In Washington, Mrs. Meir repeated the negotiation terms on which the Israelis insist: either direct talks with the Arabs or none at all. She is especially adamant in her refusal to recognize any effort by the Soviet Union to arrange peace terms. This puts her at odds with the Nixon Administration, which believes that the Russians—as equippers of the Arabs —must play a part in peace as in war. Thus, when Secretary of State William Rogers met on two occasions last week with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, the Middle East was high on their agenda. Moscow now seems to realize that it is unrealistic simply to demand Israeli withdrawal from the conquered Arab lands. Any withdrawal terms will have to be part of a package that includes a binding declaration of peace from the Arabs. The Rogers-Gromyko talks also proved that there are wide differences on other items of the package, including final boundaries, the disposition of Jerusalem and the Palestinian refugee question.
At week's end, while Gromyko and Rogers agreed to talk further, Golda Meir prepared for a sentimental journey. After visits to New York and Los Angeles, she would return to Milwaukee, where she taught school before moving to Jerusalem in 1921. Even in Milwaukee, Middle East tensions will be apparent. With the Premier will be the largest security force to escort a foreign dignitary since Nikita Khrushchev visited the U.S. in 1959.