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Former U.S. president Richard Nixon. (AP Archives)
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Last update - 19:55 29/11/2007
Report: Nixon feared Israeli nukes would spur arms race
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Richard Nixon 

Israel's alleged possession of nuclear weapons and its potential to set off an arms race in the Middle East were a source of concern to the Nixon administration in 1969, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing newly released documents.

"The Israelis, who are one of the few peoples whose survival is genuinely threatened, are probably more likely than almost any other country to actually use their nuclear weapons," Henry Kissinger, who served as President Richard Nixon's national security adviser, warned in a July 19, 1969 memorandum.

The U.S. National Archives on Wednesday released documents from the Nixon Presidential Library, according to the Times report. By law, classified documents are to be reviewed for possible release after 25 years.
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The memoranda reveal the dilemmas with which the administration wrestled vis-a-vis Israel's nuclear weapons program, long considered to be a sore point in the U.S.-Israel alliance.

Moreover, it showed concern on the part of Kissinger that Israel may have systematically stolen material from the U.S. for its nuclear development.

"This is one program on which the Israelis have persistently deceived us," Kissinger wrote, "and may even have stolen from us."

"There is circumstantial evidence that some fissionable material available for Israel's weapons development was illegally obtained from the United States about 1965," Kissinger wrote, dismissing inspections as a possible solution since, "we could never cover all conceivable Israeli hiding places."

Kissinger even suggested possibly withholding the sale of Phantom fighter jets to Israel as a way of compelling Jerusalem to yield on the nuclear issue, the Times said.

"Israel will not take us seriously on the nuclear issue unless they believe we are prepared to withhold something they very much need," Kissinger wrote.

"On the other hand, if we withhold the Phantoms and they make this fact public in the United States, enormous political pressure will be mounted on us," the former national security adviser wrote. "We will be in an indefensible position if we cannot state why we are withholding the planes. Yet if we explain our position publicly, we will be the ones to make Israel's possession of nuclear weapons public with all the international consequences this entails."

The documents also detail Mideast policy proposals that the administration had raised, among them enlisting the Saudis to aid in peacemaking efforts as well as backing a Kurdish rebellion in Iraq, according to the Times.

Link to original New York Times article:
  • New York Times: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal Vexed Nixon

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      1.   Israel = Terrorist State with WMD`s (illegal NUKES) 13:28  |  ()() 29/11/07
      2.   Jews are a superior nation 13:47  |  Brod 29/11/07
      3.   Nukes 13:56  |  Max 29/11/07
      4.   Israel responsible with Nukes 14:16  |  george 29/11/07
      5.   1945 14:20  |  ROB OF MELBOURNE AUS 29/11/07
      6.   ISRAEL STOLE THE KNOW HOW .. AND WANTS TO PREVENT IRAN TECHNOLOGY 14:24  |  TrippleJump 29/11/07
      7.   Don`t tell me that Nixon was paranoid! 14:36  |  Mark 29/11/07
      8.   George - Nukes are worthless to Israel 14:40  |  spyguy 29/11/07
      9.   Prevent Iran form having nukes ! 14:45  |  Vitaly 29/11/07
      10.   Easier to blame Nixon 14:45  |  Chris Linthwaite 29/11/07
      11.   HE WAS "THAT` CROOK AFTER ALL 14:51  |  indrajaya 29/11/07
      12.   If America didnt get nukes first the Soviets would have done 14:51  |  zionist forever 29/11/07
      13.   1 14:57  |  zionist forever 29/11/07
      14.   # 11, I SHOULD SAY "WASN`T" NOT "WAS" 15:05  |  indrajaya 29/11/07
      15.   8 Spygoy, everyone knows they are only deterrents 15:20  |  The Equalizer 29/11/07
      16.   Kissinger Advised Nixon to Possibly Nuke Vietnam 15:26  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 29/11/07
      17.   Israel is terrorist state,Arabs Peace loving people 15:36  |  Jacob 29/11/07
      18.   "The Israeli Wiseguys" 15:40  |  Stephen 29/11/07
      19.   IRAN will drop a nuke on Berlin 15:40  |  Jacob 29/11/07
      20.   I beg to differ spyguy 15:45  |  joki 29/11/07
      21.   Brod what sort of American are you? 15:53  |  American Patriot 29/11/07
      22.   read the hatred in all the responses 16:00  |  more nukes 29/11/07
      23.   Brod #2 16:09  |  Roman 29/11/07
      24.   Who got Nixon? 16:22  |  Ethel 29/11/07
      25.   American Patriot? #21 16:25  |  Brod 29/11/07
      26.   Nixon was a good president 16:31  |  Ethel 29/11/07
      27.   Roman #23 16:51  |  Brod 29/11/07
      28.   Jews re superior 17:00  |  inamullah 29/11/07
      29.   i am never surprised 17:38  |  yossi 29/11/07
      30.   Will Kissinger end up in a Israeli jail? 17:47  |  Leser 29/11/07
      31.   Kissinger was categorically against Israel 17:57  |  Jake 29/11/07
      32.   To Roman #23, who commanded the legions of Titus? A JEW! 18:19  |  Jake 29/11/07
      33.   # 31, JAKE (ON KISSINGER) 18:19  |  indrajaya 29/11/07
      34.   TRIPPLEJUMP 18:38  |  gaoni 29/11/07
      35.   To Roman, #23, continued 18:40  |  Jake 29/11/07
      36.   Kissinger????? 18:43  |  Shmuelshachor 29/11/07
      37.   American Patriot, what sort of American are you? Israel shares 18:47  |  Steve-NYC 29/11/07
      38.   Racist Jewish superiority and exceptionality 18:51  |  Steve 29/11/07
      39.   !#11 YOU ARE SCAREY NOT FUNNY 19:01  |  TOBIA 29/11/07
      40.   JFK 19:05  |  Dav 29/11/07
      41.   To Roman (Part 3) 19:10  |  Jake 29/11/07
      42.   Interesting how things turned out 19:19  |  MichaelF 29/11/07
      43.   Ethel of Chicago - Nixon Destroyed Himself 19:24  |  Mark of Lewiston 29/11/07
      44.   Indrajaya, enough of your legends 19:24  |  Jake 29/11/07
      45.   Inamullah #28 19:31  |  Brod 29/11/07
      46.   MichaelF, #42, I never thought about that 19:33  |  Jake 29/11/07
      47.   re #2 "Jews are a superior nation" 19:35  |  Colin Wright 29/11/07
      48.   Nixon feared Israeli nukes would spur arms race 19:45  |  David Schwartz 29/11/07
      49.   Every nation thinks they are superior... 19:52  |  Jewboy 29/11/07
      50.   Stole , illegal etc etc. 20:14  |  Joe 29/11/07
      51.   #49Jewboy 20:22  |  tbora 29/11/07
      52.   Choose your loyalty 20:29  |  American Patriot 29/11/07
      53.   #4 George 20:33  |  the Prof 29/11/07
      54.   #40 Dav re JFK 21:05  |  mich 29/11/07
      55.   To Vitaly 21:26  |  Persian Kitty 29/11/07
      56.   Tweedledolf &Tweedledelusional 21:27  |  Global Citizen 29/11/07
      57.   #47 colin 21:31  |  larry from maine 29/11/07
      58.   tbora, did you even read the article? 21:38  |  Jake 29/11/07
      59.   Israeli Nukes 21:48  |  Andy 29/11/07
      60.   jews and nuclear weapons 22:05  |  Jehiel Chaleff 29/11/07
      61.   #1 About Uebermenschen 22:06  |  American 29/11/07
      62.   #2 Brod : About Uebermenschen 22:10  |  American 29/11/07
      63.   Mark of Lewiston - Nixon 22:16  |  Mark Lincoln 29/11/07
      64.   Do not be silly Tripple Jump 22:22  |  Mark Lincoln 29/11/07
      65.   #45 Brod, forgot about Chinese Jews ? 22:24  |  American 29/11/07
      66.   # 2 dream on 22:42  |  Kris 29/11/07
      67.   American Patriot? #52 22:46  |  Brod 29/11/07
      68.   Jake - Wrong 22:52  |  Me Me Me! 29/11/07
      69.   Jake 22:56  |  Me Me Me! 29/11/07
      70.   Response 23:06  |  susanpalmer76@yahoo. 29/11/07
      71.   Why are they illegal? 23:11  |  susanpalmer76@yahoo 29/11/07
      72.   To Brod re American Patriot 23:38  |  Persian Kitty 29/11/07
      73.   Me Me Me, putting the cart before the horse 23:57  |  Jake 29/11/07
      74.   Me Me Me, RE: Jews in their "caves in Palestine" 00:19  |  Jake 30/11/07
      75.   #52 DONT QUESTION LOYALTY OF THE JEWS 01:05  |  tobia 30/11/07
      76.   # 44, JAKE 01:22  |  indrajaya 30/11/07
      77.   Andy , and now back to reality 01:22  |  Jake 30/11/07
      78.   # 44, JAKE 01:35  |  indrajaya 30/11/07
      79.   Israels alleged nukes 01:38  |  Sabra 30/11/07
      80.   Spyguy 01:43  |  Sabra 30/11/07
      81.