I iAuthorityW 7 mm FOR RM USE ONLY REP XMB AIR ARMY cm NAVY oso USIA NSA I Au74N6o' HAND-LING if m - To The Department of State 1 mi 2 34 Age 31 ka YSES FROM Amembassy TEL AVIV DATE May 29 196 SUBJECT Visits to Dimona Prime Minister Ben-Gurion s Letter of Nay 27 to President Kennedy REF EMbtels 9 8 9kg Eyes Only to the President and the Secretary r- 1 Enclosed is the original of Prime Minister Ben Gurion's may 27 response to the President's message of May 19' 3 963 Walwo Barbour Enclosure Letter of May 27 1963 Group -3 Downgraded at 12-year intervals not automatically declassified 3 FOR DEPT USE ONLY In Out Drafted by and Class lcanon Approved by POL essagga kad 5 -28 -6 3 - Clear 2 - gun H 7 JDECLASSIFIED IAumorinI Jr I 7 0 I -4 L THE PRIME MINISTER PERSONAL SECRET a 0 Jerusalem May 27 1965 Dear Mr President I have given careful consideration to your letter of Play 19 and to Ambassador Barbour's eXplanation of your policy in the conversations which I have had With him Let me assure you at the outset Mr President that our policy on nuclear research and develOpment has not changed since I had the Opportunity of discussing it with you in May 196la I fully understand the dangers involved in the proliferation of nuclear weapons and I sympathize with your efforts to avoid such a deveIOpment I fear that in the absence of an agreement between the Great Peters on general disarmament there is little doubt that these weapons will sooner or later find thein way into the arsenals of China and then of various European states and Indiao In this lat ter however I repose to deal not with the general international aSpeot on ahich you express your views so clearly in your letter - but with Israel's own position and attitude on this questions In our conversation in 1961 I eXplained to you that we were establishing a nuclear training and research reactor in Dimona with French assistance This assistance has been given on condition that the reactor will be devoted exclusively to peaceful purposes I regard this_condition as absolutely binding both on general grounds of good faith and because France has extended military assistance of unique value to Israel in her struggle for selfwdefence from the Arab invasion of 1948 down to the present day 1 I we THE PRIME MINISTER - 2 - In the same sense I informed you in 1961 that we are developing this reactor because we believe on the strength of expert scientific advice that within a decade or so the use of nuclear power will be economically viable and of great significance for our country's development I went on to add that we should have to follow deveIOpments in the_Middle East This is still our position today Between us and France there exists a bilateral arrangement concerning the Dimona reactor similar to that which we have with the United States in the reactor at Nachal Sureiq While we do not envisage a system of formal United States control at the Dimona reactor which the United States has not helped to establish or construct as in the case of the reactor at Rachel Sureiq we do agree to further annual visits to Dimona by your r representatives such as have already taken place The start up time of the Dhnona reactor will not come until the end of this year or early in 1964 At that thee the French companies will hand the reactor over to us I believe that this will be the most suitable time for your representatives to visit the reactor At that stage they will be able to see it in an initial stage of operation whereas nee nothing is going on there except building construction I hepe Mr President that this preposal meets the concern expressed in your letter of May 19 In 1961 you suggested the possibility that a visit be carried out by a scientist from a neutral country This idea is acceptable to us but a visit by an American expert would be equally acceptable from our point of View I appreciate what you sav in your letters Mr President about the committment of the United States to Israel's security While I understand your concern 3 930 IDECLASSIFIED '1 Anthem W _i i um THE PRIME MINISTER With the prospect of a proliferation of nuclear weapons we in Israel cannot be blind to the more actual danger now confronting us I refer to the danger arising from destructive conventional weapons in the hands of neighboring governments which Openly proclaim their intention to attempt the annihilation of Israel This is our peeple's major anxiety It is a well-founded anxiety and I have nothing at this stage to add to my letter of May 12 which is new as I understand receiving your active consideration Yours sincerely D Beanurion His Excellency Er John F Kennedy President of the United States of America Washington D C 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