Memo from Kissinger to Nixon

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Kissinger) to consider analyses drawn up by a s rnall working group unde r us . The paper at T ab A i s ITly s urn.rna r y of the situation as our group sees.
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ACT IO N

MEMORAND UM FOR T HE PRESI DENT F ROM:

H enr y A. K i s s inger

S U B JE C T;

I s ra eli N u c l e a r Pr o graITl

You w i ll r e c a ll t hat you c r e a t e d a special g roup - - b e c au s e o f t he se n sitivi ty of the i ss ue -- to c o n sider th e status o f the I s rae li nu cl e ar p r o g r arri and o u r possib le re s ponses t o it. W e h a v e met twi c e a t t h e t op l e vel (P acka r d , Ri c h ar d s on, He I rns , W h ee le r , K iss inger) to con s ider ana lyses drawn up by a s rnal l wo rking g roup u nde r us . T he pa p er a t T ab A i s ITly s urn.rna r y of th e si t uati on a s o u r g r o up se es it afte r reviewing the intelligence and o f ou r dis c u s sion o f the is sue s whi c h that s i tua t ion r ai se s. T hi s i s l o ng , b u t I beli eve y ou w i ll wan t to read thr o u g h i t becau s e this is a c o rnp Iex p r o b .lern , ~

~~

THE SI T UA T IO N

We

j ud g e tha t th e introduction of nuclear weapons i nto the Near Ea s t

w ou l d i n c re a s e t h e dangers in an alr e ad y d a nge rous s i tu ati on a n d

the r e f or e not be in our interes t.

I sra e l h a s 12 s ur f a c e- t o-s ur f a c e rni s s i l e s d elivered f r o rn F r a n c e.

It ha s s e t up a p roducti on line and plan s by the end of 1 9 7 0 to h ave a

to t a l for ce of 24 - 30 , t e n o f wh ich a re p rogranune d f o r nuc lear wa r heads.

Wh en th e I sr a elis sig ned tl: e c on t rac t b uying t h e P han toITl a ircr aft last

N ov e rnb e r , they c ornrni tt e d th ern s e l v e s " riot to be th e fi rst t o introd uce

nu cle ar we a pons i nt o t h e N e ar E a st. II B ut i t was pla i n from the d is ­

c u s s ion that t hey i n t e r p r e t e d t hat to me an th ey could possess nuclea r

weap o ns as l o n g as they did no t tes t , de ploy , or rria ke them public . In

si gni n g the cont ract , w e wrot e Rab in s a y i ng th a t we believ e me re

" po s s e s s i o n " co n s t i tu t e s "i n t r o d u c t io n " a n d t l"l rit Is~ aeL' : :3 i n cr o d u c t i o ri

c o ntra c t.

DECLASSIfIED E.O. 12958,