Authority ff 7 If When Phil and I were at the White Reuse several days ago checking fine points with Mike Feldnan re the BG-JEK talk I found the following side- lights of interest 1 Plutonium In discussing AE BG in his low voice at one point I membled something that the question of plutonium would not arise until the installation is finished in l96h At that time Israel can decide what to do about processing the plutonium Didn't we hear from Reid that 36 had said the plutonium would have to be returned to the country providing the uranium Seems to be a slight contradiction CeniA hiflwi h m i 1 1 Comments On January BG told Retd that return of the 'project plutonium is generally a condition imposed by suppliers of uranium He implied that this would probably be the case when Israel s reactor was completed and it sought outside Supplies of uranium as fuel But looking back E_on it the statement seems to have been overtly evasive 2 Hawks Feldman made quite a point of having Phil's memo include a point reportedly made by the President that in keeping the possibility of Hawks under review the use needs a better understanding of the extent of the danger I gathered an impression that Feldman may be w thinking at eemething nether soon by way of an Israeli repent demonstrating that the Arab threat is more serious then we now believe DECLASSHHED who in -- m ear m A other Arab nations These figures should be checked with our figures WRC's Comment Do not correspond with our figures See attached 2 WDB's Cement Re Arm's note attached UAR Egypt has as of this date 1 5 operational and MIG-17's plus approximately 60 in various stages of assembly and running in Syrian region has 50 making total jet fighter strength of UAR about 255 aircraft Other Arabs have total jet fighter strength of about lhO aircraft You will note that stethese figures are somewhat smaller than those alleged by 30 h unaligned Conference In discussing the unaligned conference BG qnite confidently informed JFK that he Ben-Gnrion has a EuroPean at the Cairo unaligned conference The implication was that this EuroPean is serving pretty much as BG's agent Could it be Yugoslavia What other EuroPean might it be 1 WEB's Comment Be man at the Cairo non-aligned meeting the only Europan there is Yugoslavia The Yugos have in the past maintained some relations with Israel and have not hidden this from the Arabs so it may he that he was referring to and probably exaggerating an Israeli ggnnection with Yugoslavia DECLASSHHED 1 Authority 4 et fighters Non-Jet fighters Total Israel fighters Run-jet fighters Total present plus 60 Mirage FIGHEER STRENGTH April 6 1961 Other Arabs Tbtai-Arab 11602 1 1 337- 0 50 S 39 T93 31 162 60 Mirage on order not included 30 ancient MIG and YAK trainers giveanemen Israel is now manufacturing the Fouga Jet basiCally a trainer but ith definite ground support capability Over the next year it can turn out almost any of these it wishes