DECLASSIFIED Authority PAGE DI STATE 846986 ORIGIN REA-11 INFO OCT-DO AF-ID ADS-DD ACDA-IQ CIAE-DO NSAE-OD EB-DS NRC-DZ DOOE-OD DOE-17 SS-IS CEO-DI PM-DS SAS-D2 NSCE-DO SSO-DD 122 DRAFTEO BY APPROVED BY Isuas Isuss Isuss Isu93 1DD29D 2292371 51 0 2291312 FEB 89 FM SECSTATE NASHDC T0 AHEHBASSY PRETORIA IMMEDIATE AHCONSUL CAPE TOWN IMMEDIAIE ANEHBASSY TEL AVIV IMMEDIATE INFO AMENBASSY AMMAM IMMEDIATE AHEMBASSY CAIRO IMMEDIATE AMEHSASSY DAMAscus IMHEDIAIE AMEMBASSY JIDDA IMMEDIATE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE STATE 046385 CAPE TONH FOR EMBASSY E D 12065 TAGS MNUC IS 1 ILOU ENTIRE TEXT 2 CBS EVENING NEHS RAN A MAJOR STORY FEBRUARY 21 IN NHICH IT CLAIMED THAT ISRAEL HAD PRODUCED DOZENS OF ATOMIC HEAPONS AS HELL AS SEVERAL HYDROGEN BONDS THE STORY NARRATED BY CORRESPONDENT DAN RAVIV IN ROME HAS BASED LARGELY ON THE HORN OF TWO ISRAELI JOURNALISTS ELI TEICHER AND AMI DEROM IPHONETICI STORY CLAIMED THAT ISRAEL EXPLODED A NUCLEAR NEAPON IN THE SOUTH AT- LANTIC OCEAN SEPTEMBER 22 1975 WITH THE ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATION OF SOUTH AFRICA STORY ALSO CLAIMED THAT ISRAEL AND SOUTH AFRICA HAVE CDOPERATED IN NUCLEAR WEAPONS PRODUCTION FOR DECADES HITH SOUTH AFRICA PROVIDING URANIUM TO ISRAEL AND AT ONE POINT IN THE MID OFFERING FACILITIES FOR AN ISRAELI NUCLEAR TEST ACCORDING TO THE STORY ISRAEL DID NOT AT ANY TIME ASK FOR DR GET ANY ASSISTANCE FROM THE UNITED STATES 3 FOLLOHING IS PRESS GUIDANCE PREPARED FOR USE BY DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN IN RESPONDING TO MEDIA INQUIRIES O DOES ISRAEL HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS INCLUDING A NHILE THERE HAVE BEEN VARIOUS ALLEGATIONS ON THIS SUBJECT THE ONLY COMMENT I HAVE IS TO NOTE THE RE- PEATED STATEMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL THAT THEY HILL NOT BE THE FIRST TO INTRODUCE NUCLEAR WEAPONS INTO THE MIDDLE EAST O DID ISRAEL AND SOUTH AFRICA COLLABORATE IN CON- DUCTING A NUCLEAR TEST IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC ON SEPTEMBER 22 1579 A RNHLAHNAIIHEHIANHRI I LIMITED OFFICIAL USE Department of State UUTGOING TELEGRAM STATE 646986 A AS YOU KNOW THE PANEL OF SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS CON- VENEO BY THE NHITE HOUSE HAS CONDUCED A THOROUGH REVIEW OF ALL AVAILABLE INFORMATION CONCERNING THE NATURE AND PROBABLE SOURCE OF THE LIGHT SIGNAL BY A U S SATELLITE OVER THE SOUTH ATLANTIC ON SEPTEMBER 22 1979 AFTER REVIEWING BOTH CLASSIFIED AND UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION AND CONDUCTING OTHER ANALYSES THE PANEL HAS UNABLE TO CONCLUDE HHETHER THE SIGNAL HAS GENERATED BY A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION OR SOME OTHER PHENOMENON -- THE PANEL RECOMMENDED THAT FURTHER ANALYSES BE UNDERTAHEN TO IMPROVE OUR INTERSTANDING OF THE SIGNAL THIS IS BEING UNDERTAKEN AND HE HILL CON- TINUE TO REVIEW DATA AND INFORMATION CONCERNING THE EVENT HHILE FOLLOH-ON INVESTIGATIONS MAY PROVIDE CORROBORATIVE DATA IF A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION OCCURRED AT THIS TIME THERE IS NO INFORMATION THAT WOULD CLEARLY CORROBORATE SUCH AN OCCURRENCE THERE IS NO PARTICULAR POINT IN MY SPECULATING AS TO HHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR AN EVENT THAT HE CANNOT CONCLUDE OCCURRED CHRISTOPHER LIMITED OFFICIAL USE