Brown's Bomb

"They own. you know, the banks in this country, the newspapers. Just look at where the Jewish money is."

That heedless remark, evoking the cliches of hoary antiSemitism, was the worst-aimed bomb of four-star Air Force General George S. Brown's 33-year military career. When it exploded last week, President Ford called Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, into the Oval Office for a ten-minute reprimand. New York Republican Senator Jacob Javits demanded an investigation. Democratic Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin called for Brown's resignation.

Brown, 56, a former bomber pilot, is known for firm opinions and candor in expressing them. His troubles originated at a student forum at Duke University Law School on Oct. 10. During a 40-minute period of questions and answers in the student lounge, he was asked if the U.S. had considered using force against oil-producing nations in the Middle East. "I don't know," he said, responding rather cautiously at first. "I hope not. We have no plans to."

Too Casual. Then abruptly he went off on another tack and got into trouble. "It would be almost as bad as Seven Days in May," he said, referring to the novel in which the military seizes power. "You can conjure a situation where there is another oil embargo and people in this country are not only inconvenienced and uncomfortable, but suffer. They get tough-minded enough to set down the Jewish influence in this country and break that lobby."

Speaking of the lobby, Brown said: "It's so strong you wouldn't believe now. We have the Israelis coming to us for equipment. We say we can't possibly get the Congress to support that. They say, 'Don't worry about the Congress. We will take care of the Congress.' Now this is somebody from another country, but they can do it." Brown then implied that the strength of the lobby was rooted in the influence of Jewish-owned banks and newspapers.

When the Washington Post picked up the exchange from the weekly Durham (N.C.) Anvil last week, the White House, Pentagon and Congress were deluged with letters and telegrams of outraged protest. The embarrassed Brown issued a statement apologizing for his "unfounded and all-too-casual remarks," insisting that they "certainly do not represent my convictions." White House Press Secretary Ron Nessen quoted Ford as calling Brown's comments "illadvised and poorly handled." Defense Secretary James Schlesinger termed the remarks "unfortunate."

In his apology, Brown recognized the fact that Jews, like any other American interest group, have a right to lobby for their positions and that such lobbying is part of the legitimate "pressures [that] lie at the very heart of democracy." No one can dispute that, for very understandable reasons, Jews in the U.S. are frequently passionate and vigorous on Israel's behalf--though that support is not always automatic. Through good organization, Jews are often effective beyond their mere numbers in the U.S. population. Where Brown went wrong was in ascribing this influence to the simplistic notion that Jews control U.S. newspapers and banks and use them to further Jewish interests. According to Washington Post Correspondent Stephen D. Isaacs' recently published book, Jews and American Politics, Jews head the corporations that own all three national television networks. But Jews are the principal stockholders or owners of only 3.1% of the more than 1,700 U.S. newspapers, or about 8% of the country's total daily newspaper circulation. Of the American Society of Newspaper Editors' 800 members, fewer than 20 are Jewish, though they include some of the editors of three of the most important newspapers: the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.

Last Bastions. Jews have played a prominent role in private investment banking throughout U.S. history. Many of the houses that they founded survive, though seldom as predominantly Jewish concerns. The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith reports that less than 1% of the directors and top officers of U.S. commercial and savings banks are Jews. Indeed, Jews view the industry as one of the last bastions of discrimination against them. What Brown overlooked is that Congress's attitude toward Israel reflects not only Jewish opinion but the more general American public's traditional support of Israel in its struggle with the Arab states.

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