DECLASSIFJED - --- - - - - - - ------ -- Authority NI c 'f A' n S -- ___ 'I' ID1 D• tl1 SECRET - ATES GOVERNMlW1LUSIVE DISTRIBUTION Memorandum This document consists of 1 _ pages number 1_ of 5 copies Series A 10 NEA - Mr Talbot FROM NE - Rodger P Davies SUBJECT Briefing of Dimona Inspection Team January 15 3 30 p m DATE January 14 1965 tf Discussion The members of the U S team scheduled to inspect the Dimona reactor January 29 and 30 are calling on you for background briefing and guidance The team is composed of Ulysses M Staebler Senior Associate Director Division of Reactor Development USAEC He has participated in the last two inspections of Dimona Floyd Culler Jr Assistant Director of Reactor Technology at Oakridge National Laboratories Clyde L McClelland nuclear physicist Arms Control and Disarmament Agency He participated in the last inspection of Dimona Messrs Spain INR Brown INR Thomas SCI Reichardt and another representative of AEC Russell 1£ a representative of CIA and I will also attend the briefing Recommendation That you stress 1 We remain concerned about escalation of the Ar Jll _ ael arms x a ce To avoid stimulating a pre-emptive Arab attack we must be in a position to assure the Arabs that Israel's nuclear activities are strictly peaceful SECRET GROUP 3 Downgraded at 12 year intervals not automatically declassified Buy U S Savings Bonds Regrtlarly on the Payroll Savings Plan DECLASSIFIED uthority NN 12 'i Bl J OS - SECRET - 2 - 2 We are increasingly concerned about possible Israeli development of uclear weapons Since the last inspection in January 1964 the following developments have occurred a We understand the Dimona facility has been secretly expanded since our last inspection • _ b French technicians whose presence provided a measure of-restraint are believed to have left Dimona -- c Israe 1 has purchased 80 tons of yellow cake uranium oxide from Argentina and has purchased or sought to purchase uranium materials from other sources without safeguards d On October 23 1964 Deputy Defense Minister Peres told U S officials the u A R had decided to go for nuclear weapons The U A R has no prospect of developing an indigenous weapons capability without outside help Therefore we conclude that Peres' statement is designed to free Israel's hand to go nuclear e In conversations with U S officials various high-level Israeli Defense officials have discussed Israeli strategy toward the ll A R in terms that suggest inevitable development of a nuclear weapon f Unknown activities in a crater named Hamakhtesh Haqatan southeast of Dimona reportedly relate to work at the reactor 3 In October 1964 Prime Minister Eshkol pleading domestic political difficulties requested postponem t of the already overdue semi•annual inspection of Dimona until after the November 1965 parliamentary elections At presidential insistence Eshkol agreed to a Janua 9 30 visit and we agreed to suspend semi-annual inspections until after the elections provided the team 1 s findings warrant such a delay 4 In arranging for the coming inspection we insisted and Israel agreed that the team be allowed whatever time wa -p cel _ary to permit complete observations at the reactor site and at any other related facilities elsewhere See Tab A for telegraphic exchange Should the time provided from noon January 29 to late evening January 30 prove insufficient theteim snould stay on to arf'ange additional visits to appropriate facilities SECRET DECLASSIFIED Authority NM t2 Cj 89 '1 l S - SECRET - 3 - 5 As before Israeli agreement to the visit was predicated upon keeping it secret Public mention of the visit must be avoided and even discussion within the U S Government and Embassy Tel Aviv ' strictly limited Any breach of security would provide a pretext for terminating future visits 6 Explain and pass out attached press guidance Tab B Attachments Tab A - Telegraphic Exchange with Tel Aviv re inspection requir•ents timing etc Tab B - Copies of press guidance NEA NE sell rvc 1 14 65 SECRET DECLASSIFIED t J ·· -This document consists of l page number L__ of Ccopies Series A SECRET EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION January 1965 SUGGESTED PRESS GUIDANCE FOR MEMBERS OF INSPECTION TEAM l No information regarding the purpose of the mission should be volunteered 2 In answer to specific inquiries about the purpose of the mission team members should say they are visiting Israel to discuss progress on research in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy 3 In answer to queries as to whether the visit will include Dimona team members should say they are in Israel at the invitation of the Israel Government and are prepared to visit any installations the Government considers appropriate 4 If after the visit is completed the question is posed whether the visit included Dimona team members should say Dimona was one of several installations visited SECRET GROUP 3 Downgraded at 12 year intervals not automatically declassified L NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu Read related article Duplicity Deception and Self-Deception Israel the United States and the Dimona Inspections 1964-65 2020-11-03