Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Abba Eban (center) with Israeli PM David Ben-Gurion and U.S. President Harry Truman (1951). Photo: wiki commons.

972Mag – Mike Wallace, the legendary host of 60 minutes who passed away on Saturday, interviewed in 1958 Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Abba Eban. It’s an interesting viewing: Eban was the original Mr. Hasbara, unmatched in his mastery of languages and ability to relate to audiences around the world. Many of his talking points, readers may notice, are repeated by Israeli spokespeople to this day, though one cannot really compare Mr. Eban’s cool style with any of his rather vulgar successors. (the cigarette commercials are also a lot of fun.)

Between the lines, you also get a sense of the difference between 1958 Israel – considered the weaker party in the Middle East, without nuclear weapons – and present-day Israel, one of the worlds leading military powers, with a much larger territory, booming economy and (according to foreign sources) second-strike capabilities.

Watch Mike Wallace’s interview with Aban, below.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x8l9d3g_8Q&feature=player_embedded#!