Rusk Concerned About Israel's Nuclear Capability
(February 23, 1967)
This telegram expresses the State Department's desire
to see the Dimona facility and determine whether Israel has nuclear weapons capability.
142711. From Secretary to Ambassador Barbour. Your
A-478/2/ describing conversations with two Israeli contacts suggests
Israel could be much closer to nuclear weapons capability than we had
supposed. We are requesting urgent assessment these and other recent
reports by Washington intelligence community. While we will reserve
judgment pending outcome that assessment, potential implication these
reports makes it even more pressing to obtain response from Eshkol on
our request for visit to Dimona. You will recall that on January 16
he promised invitation would be forthcoming "within a few weeks."/3/
You should inform Prime Minister that highest levels of USG are aware
you requested GOI agreement to visit as long ago as November and are
frankly disturbed at lack of GOI response. We hope Prime Minister will
be able set date for visit in very near future.
/2/Airgram A-478 from Tel Aviv, February 7, is filed
as an attachment to a February 22 memorandum from Handley to Rusk, which
summarized reports suggesting that Israel's nuclear program might be
moving at a faster pace than previously indicated. (Ibid.) A February
17 memorandum from Davies to Bunker, outlining NEA views on the Israeli
desalting project, states, "Some recent intelligence reports suggest
that Israel may be constructing a chemical separation facility and proceeding
so far in the production of bomb components that assembly of a nuclear
weapon could be completed in 6-8 weeks." It states, however, that
pending a fuller assessment, NEA was inclined to view these reports
with reservations. (Ibid., E 11-3 ISR) In a March 9 letter to Davies,
Barbour commented, "I was pleased to see the NEA paper's cautious
appraisal of recent alarming reports on Israel's nuclear activities
and intentions. Such caution is well placed. Moreover, my own impressions
from such information as is available to us is that Dimona is not running
at full blast." (Ibid.)
/3/Barbour reported this conversation in telegram 2371
from Tel Aviv, January 16. (Ibid.)
Rusk
Source: National Archives and Records Administration,
RG 59, Central Files 1967-69, AE 11-2 ISR. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by
Sterner; cleared by Davies, Atherton, Handley, and Wriggins, and in
substance by Trevithick and Rochlin; and approved and initialed by Rusk.
Sources: Foreign
Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, V. 18, Arab-Israeli
Dispute 1964-1967. DC: GPO,
2000. |