DECLASSIFIED -l I AuthorityW e em W m i oura'omo TELEGRAM Department of State I 0 3 9 8 gyif tonmmq SECRET I 52 Ho IB 5 amass ACTION mbasay TEL now 335 manure 1 1 9 44-1 EYES ONLY mm 894 VERBATIM TEXT You should deliver following letter from President to Prinin Ben-Curios Dear Mr Prime Minister 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 Dims reactor I should like to add sane personal comments on that subject am sure you will agree that there is no more urgent business for the whole world than the control of nuclear weapons We both recognised 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 o natiml nuclear weapons systems are so obvious that I am sure I need not repeat them here 5 It is because of our preoccupation with this problem that my has sought to arrange with you for periodic visits to Dimes When we spoke together in Hay 1961 you said that we might Isolatel whatever I use we wished of the information resulting from the first visit 0 American 1' 52 Werawford ebb-um Insulation 5117163 classi cation app-ma lm mews- 1 Talbot Strong SCI Dr Rollefson H Gov Harrimsn mm in substance kto ous sis Mr Kriebel REPRODUCTION FROM THIS cow Is I Bromleym Smith SECRET PROHIBITED UNLESS us on I The Secretary 0 8' II D5322- DECLASSIFIED Authority 4 2W -- Tel Aviv SECRET EYES scientists to Dimona and that you would agree to further visits by neutrals as well I had assumed from Mia Meir's comment that there would be no problem between us on this 'te are concerned with the disturbing effects on world stability which would accompany the deveIOpment 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 Dev ardent of a nuclear weapons capability by Israel would almost certainly Jean ether larger countries that have so far refrained from such development to fat that they that 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 wnicu are well known to both of us This commitment and this support jeopardized in the public opinion in this country and in the west as a whole if it should be thought that this Government was wiEE unable to obtain reliable information on a subject as vital to peace as the question of the character of Israel's effort in the nuclear field 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 DimonaII 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 tram you through1 - Ambassador Barbour We have the capacity to check it SECRET Authority 7 525 - 3-775- Page Lof t le m in tn mus T31 Aviv same - ms mm 1' 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 an April 2 Sincerely John F Kennedy 1 SECRET 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