DECLASSIFIED up Authorityi Vb 31mm swam-sea m 3 leuh dqfn Chm dud - n Cl ancurmnoe 1 CM 4 seem Dear Dwight I refer to our conversation last fall with regard to discreet surveillance of Israeli scientists who might be seeking information that could contribute to a nuclear weapons program and to Mr Furnas' letter to you of November 15 on the same subject In addition to Israel Doetrovalq at Brookhaven who was mntioned in Mr Furnas' letter we understand that the follow- ing Israeli scientists who are most competent in this field are or will soon be at the indicated United States centers Fritz Klein -- also at Brookhaven Michael umber Chief of Chemistry and Isotope Research for the Israel Atomic Energy Camission soon to arrive at Stanford I m-a1 Keenan Scientific Director of Israel's Nabi Rubin reactor arrivim shortly to sport a year at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadsm In this cometion I an enclosing for your information a cap of a personal letter from Mr holding of the Enbassy staff at Tel iv on this subject 5 2 15 7 JV We are also taldng this matter up through the United States Intelligence Board Simerely Si Al Inclosurel e Letter tron Hr Lockling U Alexis Johnson dated January 21 1963 Mr Dwight L Ink Assistant General Hanger W012 Atomic Energy Omission - - Z 4 29 em g7 G UAJohnson ges Copies 00wannuag yttf eqcs lg 4 M4375 mm RF - DECLASSIFIED This c 717172 - o cries a 9 Authority mu i J37 DEPARTMENT OF STATE 0 3 - -- m ASSISTANT SECRETARY Johnson 6 - - THROUGH 5 3 g SCI - Rollefson att4 hei Js 2 FROM NFA - James P Grant Md SUBJECT Israel's Atomic Energy Program Israeli Nuclear Scientists in the United States DISCUSSION On October 19 1961 NBA submitted to you a memorandum Tab B expressing concern at the possibility of efforts by visiting Israeli scientists to obtain classified United States information in the nuclear weapons field we suggested that the Atomic Energy Commission and U S security agencies be alerted to this possibility and that an apnrOpriate discreet surveillance over Israeli scientists be instituted when they are in a position to observe U S atomic energy installations Subsequently you mentioned this to Mr Ink of the AEC Tab 0 and Mr Roger Hilsman of INR was asked to take this up in the USIB and otherwise as desirable In this regard we have received from our Embassy in Tel Aviv Tab A information that the following Israeli scientists who are among the dozen most competent in this field are or will be in the indicated U S centers Israel Dostrovsky--now at Brookhaven Laboratory Long Island iI'Fritz K1ein--also at Brookhaven Michael Anbar Chief of Chemistry and Isotope Research for the Israel Atomic Energy Commission soon to arrive at Stanford Yuval Keenan Scientific Director of Israel's Nabi Rubin reactor i arriving shortly to Spend at year at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena 5713 57 7 57V We attach for your information and files a copy of the letter we received in this regard Tab A It also contains certain other ele- ments of interest which you may wish to pass on to the AEC op Tab A - Copy of Letter from Amembassy Tel Aviv Tab - Memorandum of October 1961 9 Tab - Letter to Fr Dwight a Ink of the ARC 9 Tab - Memorandum from to Mr Grant- W1 - 14 ozox PI I -- a omcm mmum American Fainting 1 rd A v 9 seesaw - NOFORN January 21 1963 Dear Bill We were very much interested in the memorandum of conversation of January 11 with Denis Speares on the subject Concern re Israel Nuclear Intentions The wall of security surrounding atomic energy developments here is quite effective and successfully prevents us from obtaining detailed knowledge of progress intentions and degree of hench assistance We do pick up occasional straws in the wind but these do not all point in the same direction There is no question that Israel is leaving steadily and pur- posefully in the direction of acquiring experience in the field of nuclear technology For such a small country they have invested heavily in Rahal Soreq the Hachon-Arba next to the Weizmnn Institute and especially in Dinona The financial pinch is show- ing up in several directions There was the much publicised establishment of the I' hmpany' fa' Scientific DeveIOpnent directed by several of the Cabinet ministers whose avowed purpose is to solicit fifty million Another indication is the fact that the Nahal Soreq establishment is new fa' the first time soliciting grants and contracts from United States Government agencies A proposal to invest heavily in nuclear power stations in Israel has been revised enthusiastically in recent weeks A com- mittee reporting to Shinon Peres has recommended that the Government seriously consider the establishment or a number of such stations or large capacity within the next 10 years An international advisory committee headed by Philip Sporn an American utility executive listed in Who's Who is enqaeoted quite soon to cmsult on this prcposal Our feeling at the present in agreement with paragraph or your mma'andum is that the mo type activity in Israel is part of a long-term program toward developing nuclear canpetecnce which can be Hilliam R Crawford Jr Esquire Department of State Washington 25 13 0 I 3 Authority d bsl ij W- NOFORN n vr- -m ne- - - Authority p vv escape - -2- be named asqueeded to why energy fa industry or military liability there are good reasons to conclude that Israel does not now have a crash program fa' deveIOpi-ns a 9011- Probably the strongest indicator out the long-range and nethodical approacn is the fact that the dozen or so top scientists whose training equips than to participate in a nuclear weapon derelopnent are obviously being kept busy with other things To cite a few examples Aloe de Shalit is working full tine as 3 1entific Pirate of the Veinnann Institute Gulio Racah is Rector of the Hehrew University Israel Dostrovsky has spent the last 18 months at the Brookhsven Laboratory on Long Island hits Klein Dostrovsky's nest valued deputy has been at kookhaven for the last seven nonths ho of the three nest capable scientists now actively engaged in classified research are planning to come to the United states this super for a year or acre of study These are Michael lnbar Chief of Chemistry and Isotope research for the we who is planning a year at Stanford and Iuval Keenan Scientific Directa' of the Soreq Establishment who plans to spend next year at cal 1 eoh in Pasedena 01 the highly competent nan only Ernst Bergmann Chairman of the 130 carries on year after year on classified work without unjor interruptions By keeping a fairly careful watch a the activities of the dosen sure capable scientists I think we will be able to detect rather quickly whether Israel switches from its present netthice1 apm'oach and adopts an emergency program Assuming that Israel continues on its present course however I thin we can mess at the following timetable for the achiever-ant or a competence in nuclear weapons enough experience and fissionable tutorial will have to be acquired in about 6 to 8 years to produce the first test explosim the development of sufficient ueapms to constitute an effective irappe nucliare' will require about 10 to 12 years Sincerely Hillier Bruce Lockling MR - mom Bear Dwight You will racnli Papucy Under Secrutary Junracn up to to yen briefly a voek or so a shun ks Ur artmun ' a csrcoru ova possiblc I-racii activities in thy nuclaar field The background of thin tartar as you no dout I knew in that 109 curve '0 arranged fer an ur publicized visit to tho laracli hurl-n purer reactor at Eirnwa by two cainnrt scientists rhcir report iudlcarcd for the 12 being at least the roactar roemmd designed for tho yarccful purpCIoo the Zaraclil claimed for it rcr31n0 however in this Dtcartz-urc a concorn ihlth is u nxrt d Ly tho Ictaliiganco Cowauniry for txampla E13 35-51 23 Oatlnok for Irracl that Israel 31y become inturoaccd in 8 30 l production than the Bison reactor go - into caerrtioa cad a lunply of tiltionablo material breasts aruilnhle 3recriing to 513 33-61 on inhihizirg enter in a pgullbli vaaPans would be Inch of venpons designs whit Inch dosigrn nigh b0 ebtniaod in other ways 1 ll cwacciv lo that liraelis att pc to arzuir tLam Lrvuhh cInztr 3vtt ra urine in ch irtd tracts IN II- Uft of zc Isracli Governre c no to it prelcn perctful in entiar roger in no of CH Linen resctor 0 0 1 an v 3 cult b0 alert to ch variant in pliratiors of rho foregoing A you are roll avaro 1 in 0 8 policy to 0990 ac- quisiticn of independent national nuclear vucponl cagability by countries nor-nan puncturing Ouch a in ordar to 1h progress of the lorrnlil in th- analog Yr Fright A Ink MIL-curt General 7mg Atomic mm Multan 4233 ant-1'23 DP LASSHIED 3 leid e u to be elert to the of the deve10prant of alficar nacller progree we intend to the Iereelle to errenge f4 tnar open to Elnone ty nautrel scientlete Prime rial-tor Ian-Curlon Kenne y cf hie egree- tent on thle pain when the tvo met lee Va He believe it Ito-41 3 be eelte ale hrmevet for edditlmel Itepl to to tekuu dlecreet ct Iereeli ecizutiere la to obeerve v 5 ethnic enerry luetel- lecture would probably be ulee Specifically surveillance of Dr Israel who bee teen glvon resevrch and teechln tent at Itaoi eveu Ketionel Leboretary fat the chtemt ecedea c yeer be eelrehle 1n the light of beetrovqiy'e repu- tation es 0L0 of the pttmerily reeponelble fer Iereel'e etoelc energy pragree we hete thrcugh the Depart-ent'e 1n the 0 8 Intelligence Board lede known our concern that eppro- prtete egencloe of the 0 8 Government be elert to the eecurlty toreldereclune sectioned ebave We would eleo eppreclete your taking v etevet ection 1e eppropriete within the Atomic lner y to see thet proper preceuttone ere obeerved sincerely youre Revere turnee Deputy cc REA - Pr Crevford INK - Ptr ckle re ten 3w 2 Authority 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