BR TO CONSTANCE MALLESON, 14 MAY 1963
BRACERS 19907. ALS. McMaster
Edited by S. Turcon. Reviewed by K. Blackwell

<letterhead>
Plas Penrhyn,
Penrhyndeudraeth,
Merioneth.1^, 2
May 14, 1963

Dearest Colette

A thousand thanks for the sweet lovely roses,3 which arrived in excellent condition and are still blooming beautifully. It is very dear of you to keep on sending them.

I have been as busy as in 1916, with very similar work. Everybody has something tiresome to say. Ben Gurion says “admirable, but why save the Arabs?”4  Nasser says “admirable, but why save the Jews?”5 And so the march towardsa the abyss goes on.

Much love, dear Colette.
Your
B.

• 1

  [document] Document 200911.

• 2

  [envelope] The Lady Constance Malleson | Sundborn | Sweden. Pmk: PORTMADOC | 3 PM | 15 MAY | 1963 | CAERNARVONSHIRE

• 3

  sweet lovely roses See BRACERS 19235, n.10.

• 4

  Ben Gurion says “admirable, but why save the Arabs?” David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973), the Prime Minister of Israel. He was to resign in June 1963. In his letter of 6 May 1963 (BRACERS 64998), Ben-Gurion appreciates BR’s concern about events in the Middle East but states there are no grounds for a comparison between the conflict in the Middle East and the East–West conflict between America and Russia. Ben-Gurion also notes that the Israeli Government is “in favour of a general disarmament in Israel and the Arab countries under mutual supervision”. He feels that the danger in the Middle East is not nuclear but conventional arms.

• 5

  Nasser says “admirable, but why save the Jews?” Gamel Abdel Nasser (1918–1970), President of Egypt from 1954 until his death. He aligned Egypt with the Soviet Union. BR also wrote the same letter to Nasser that he wrote to Ben-Gurion on nuclear control. Nasser’s reply is not extant in the RA. Both letters from BR are dated 8 April 1963 (BRACERS 65206 and 64980).

Textual Notes

• a

  towards BR wrote towars in error for either toward or towards.