Letter to Israeli PM Ben-Gurion
Regarding Visit to Dimona
(May 18, 1963)
This is a telegram from the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel transmitting the text of a letter from President Kennedy to Israeli Prime Minister Ben Gurion on arrangements to visit Dimona.
Verbatim text. You should deliver following letter from President to Prime
Minister Ben-Gurion:
"Dear Mr. Prime Minister:
"I welcome your letter of May 12 and am giving it careful study.
"Meanwhile, I have received from Ambassador Barbour a report of
his conversation with you on May 14 regarding the arrangements for visiting
the Dimona reactor. I should like to add some personal comments on that
subject.
"I am sure you will agree that there is no more urgent business
for the whole world than the control of nuclear weapons. We both recognized
this when we talked together two years ago, and I emphasized it again
when I met with Mrs. Meir just after Christmas. The dangers in the proliferation
of national nuclear weapons systems are so obvious that I am sure I
need not repeat them here.
"It is because of our preoccupation with this problem that my
Government has sought to arrange with you for periodic visits to Dimona.
When we spoke together in May 1961 you said that we might make whatever
use we wished of the information resulting from the first visit of American
scientists to Dimona and that you would agree to further visits by neutrals
as well. I had assumed from Mrs. Meir's comment that there would be
no problem between us on this.
"We are concerned with the disturbing effects on world stability
which would accompany the development of a nuclear weapons capability
by Israel. I cannot imagine that the Arabs would refrain from turning
to the Soviet Union for assistance if Israel were to develop a nuclear
weapons capability--with all the consequences this would hold. But the
problem is much larger than its impact on the Middle East. Development
of a nuclear weapons capability by Israel would almost certainly lead
other larger countries, that have so far refrained from such development,
to feel that they must follow suit.
"As I made clear in my press conference of May 8, we have a deep
commitment to the security of Israel. In addition this country supports
Israel in a wide variety of other ways which are well known to both
of us. [4-1/2 lines of source text not declassified]
"I can well appreciate your concern for developments in the UAR.
But I see no present or imminent nuclear threat to Israel from there.
I am assured that our intelligence on this question is good and that
the Egyptians do not presently have any installation comparable to Dimona,
nor any facilities potentially capable of nuclear weapons production.
But, of course, if you have information that would support a contrary
conclusion, I should like to receive it from you through Ambassador
Barbour. We have the capacity to check it.
"I trust this message will convey the sense of urgency and the
perspective in which I view your Government's early assent to the proposal
first put to you by Ambassador Barbour on April 2.
"Sincerely,
"John F. Kennedy"
Rusk
Sources: Foreign
Relations of the United States, 1961-1963: Near East, 1962-1963,
V. XVIII. DC: GPO,
2000. |