British Government Repossesses Two Chieftain Tanks It Lent Israel for Testing

The British Government has repossessed the two mighty Chieftain tanks it lent Israel for testing in the desert. The tanks, the heaviest and most powerful in the British armory, have been extensively modified by the Israelis in the light of their experience with them in the desert and under conditions resembling those of actual combat. Israel has been eager to buy the British tanks to offset the heavy Soviet armor with which the Egyptian Army is equipped, but the British Foreign Office has refused to approve the sale. Its argument has been that to sell the tanks to Israel could upset the military balance in the Middle East. The Foreign Office is still considering the possibility of permitting sale of the leviathans to Libya. Commenting on the disclosure that the two tanks had been reclaimed from Israel, observers said today that the action was a political gesture intended to emphasize Britain’s sincerity in maintaining an embargo on the sale of arms to the Middle East area of hostilities.