Typed Letter Signed, in Hebrew, to Moshe Dayan, Chief of Staff, Israel Defense Forces

In this significant communiqué to General Moshe Dayan, Ben-Gurion, in his capacity as Minister of Defense, imparts what he views as the mission of TzaHa"L (Israel Defense Force): To defend the security of the State of Israel. To serve as a front-line, educating and building the nation, as well as reclaiming the deserts. To act as a force in the homogenizing of the new immigrants into a unified people. Moshe Dayan (1915-1981), the celebrated hero of Israel's wars, became Commander-in-Chief in December 1953, a post he held until January 1958. See EJ, Vol. V, cols. 1372-4