Letter, Walter Ulbricht to the General Secretary of the CPSU, Comrade Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

                                                                                                                        Highly Confidential!^[1]

To the General Secretary of the Central Committee

of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

Comrade Leonid Ilyich B r e z h n e v

================================

Dear Comrade Leonid!

The Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED has discussed your proposals and deliberations you outlined at the meeting of 7 October 1969 in Berlin. We are agreeing with your proposals. After Israel is continuing the war and^[2] making systematic efforts, in accordance with the United States and the West German Federal Republic, to wear down the Arab states, it is necessary to conduct comprehensive international political activity and to lead a war of attrition against the Israeli forces in the occupied territories.

1. We are in favor of the joint decoration of the representatives from the communist and workers parties of the socialist countries, where it is stated that in the occupied Arab territory Israel is conducting a policy of colonial exploitation, repression, and use of violence against the Arab population. We are demanding the implementation of the [November 1967] decision by the [United Nations] Security Council and the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the occupied territories.

2. We are considering it important that he states that the Warsaw Treaty shall turn to the governments and people of the Arab countries to explain to them our position regarding the situation in the Middle East and the need to achieve an uniform approach of the Arab states. The heads for agitation, radio, and television of the socialist countries should coordinate regularly about the implementation of this comprehensive campaign.

3. It would be appropriate to send a short letter to all state leaderships represented in the United Nations. It should request them to contribute to the implementation of the Security Council Decision from 22 November 1967.

4. During the closed session of the 3rd National Congress of the Arab Socialist Union, the UAR [United Arab Republic; Egypt] Minister of War, General [Mohamed] Fawzi, declared: “The current tactics of the armed forces of the UAR is to counter the Blitzkrieg strategy of Israel with a plan of a long-term calculated war of attrition”. Unfortunately, at this congress there was not much said about the practical measures of domestic preparation and solidification in the Arab countries involved. It will be necessary to discuss with leading personalities of the involved Arab countries what domestic measures are possible and required.

5. The implementation of the war of attrition, as passed by the Arab Socialist Union, does require the superiority of the air forces of the UAR and Syria as well as the immediate reinforcement of defense measures in Upper Egypt (Assuan Dam, electricity hubs, and others). The support for the Arab forces in the implementation of their war of attrition through volunteers from the socialist countries is necessary. However, this does require thorough internal preparations. Therefore it is not appropriate to talk in advance publicly about volunteers before certain command tasks have been fulfilled. The deployment of volunteers as pilots, tank commanders, and special forces (fighters with comprehensive special qualification) would have to be prepared by special officers.

In light of the importance of the struggle in the Middle East, it would be appropriate to immediately implement points #1 through #3 by coordination between the Secretaries of the Central Committees and the Deputy Foreign Ministers. After that, a  consultation of the First Secretaries and the Chairmen of the Council of Ministers concerning points # 4 and #5 would be necessary. 

With communist greetings!

Walter Ulbricht

Berlin, … October 1969

[Translated by Bernd Schaefer, April 2021]