JFK, Nasser and Israel

[Jim DiEugenio]

Tomorrow night on Black Op Radio, I will be discussing my watershed article in the first issue of garrison magazine. Entitled "Kennedy Face the Middle East", I guarantee you that you will not find anything like it in the MSM. But further, you will not find anything like it in the so called Alternative Media either. For example, Amy Goodman and Democracy Never or Counterpinch.

Kennedy's foreign policy as it slowly emerges over time, is much more daring and bold than anyone ever wrote about before. In fact, I think in many ways what we got from even "good sources" prior to this was essentially watered down and diluted pablum.

Tomorrow night you will hear just how radical JFK really was in a very sensitive area of the world. To use just one example, Kennedy was the first and last president to force the resignation of an Israeli PM, David Ben Gurion. Since then its all been an Israeli suck up. As the Islamic radicalism grows and grows.

I pose the question, was this by design and a reaction to JFK's far sighted ideas?

[Alan Ford]

Looking forward to it, Mr. DiEugenio, should be an interesting Broadcast.

No truer words have been spoken at the MSM's continued reluctance to share the full depth of the extraordinary leadership of the late president. Totally understandable given their complicity in covering up the truth surrounding his untimely exit from this realm. Whether it's the late president's domestic and/or foreign policy, the media would rather fawn over his predecessor for the passage of The Civil Rights Act; and, of course, as your broadcast will bear out tomorrow night, their outright refusal to give him the credit he is due for his keen insights on developing a fair plan to enhance/moderate a peaceful coexistence in the Middle East too.

Sadly, the late president was well ahead of his times. He was right on Civil Rights. In spite of that, stubborn mule Jim Crow wasn't quite ready to let go of his stranglehold status -quo down in the Deep South; and, conversely, President Kennedy chose to be a fair mediator in the process of stabilizing the Middle East; and, that didn't quite sit too well with it's either us or them mentality dominating the "leadership" in the region.

Your question, quote, I pose the question, was this by design and a reaction to JFK's far sighted ideas? we trust will be covered in tomorrow's broadcast.

[James Lateer]

Mr. DiEugenio is rendering monumental service in interpreting and re-interpreting the JFK foreign policy.

JFK set the high bar for what foreign policy should be IMO, and thanks to historians like Mr. DiEugenio, the younger generation is being told the details and therefore what good presidential foreign policy looks like.

In my opinion, there are self-styled historians like Doris Kearns Goodwin or Larry Sabado who are on TV as experts, but have not IMO come up with very much that is new or unique. They seem to be place-holders and not much more.

I have not read much from the media-favorite historians, but that is because I am intensively reading what I consider to be more innovative and enlightening works. Since I have heard most of the opinions of these establishment historians, I wouldn't priortize their work for my personal reading list.

Larry Sabado, of course, is a lone gunman theorist. Pathetic IMHO.

James Lateer

[Richard Coleman]

Declassified documents published today by the National Security Archive illuminate President John F. Kennedy's secret preoccupation with the Israeli nuclear program during 1963. Possibly more determined to check nuclear proliferation than any other U.S. president, Kennedy wanted U.S. experts to inspect Israel's nuclear reactor site at Dimona to ensure that it was not being used for a weapons program. Through secret correspondence with Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and his successor Levi Eshkol Kennedy applied unprecedented pressure, informing both prime ministers that the U.S.'s "commitment to and support of Israel "could be "seriously jeopardized" if it could not obtain "reliable information" about the Dimona reactor and Israel's nuclear intentions.

Surprised by the U.S.'s firm demands, Eshkol deliberated for seven weeks before he reluctantly assented. Kennedy did not live to see the inspection that took place in January 1964, but his demands on Israeli prime ministers initiated the inspection visits that continued through the 1960s, although they were not enough to deter Israel from getting the bomb.


The National Security Archive obtained the documents through declassification requests and research at the U.S. National Archives

Check out today's posting at the National Security Archive

[Richard Coleman]

Declassified documents published today by the National Security Archive illuminate President John F. Kennedy's secret preoccupation with the Israeli nuclear program during 1963. Possibly more determined to check nuclear proliferation than any other U.S. president, Kennedy wanted U.S. experts to inspect Israel's nuclear reactor site at Dimona to ensure that it was not being used for a weapons program. Through secret correspondence with Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and his successor Levi Eshkol Kennedy applied unprecedented pressure, informing both prime ministers that the U.S.'s "commitment to and support of Israel "could be "seriously jeopardized" if it could not obtain "reliable information" about the Dimona reactor and Israel's nuclear intentions.

Surprised by the U.S.'s firm demands, Eshkol deliberated for seven weeks before he reluctantly assented. Kennedy did not live to see the inspection that took place in January 1964, but his demands on Israeli prime ministers initiated the inspection visits that continued through the 1960s, although they were not enough to deter Israel from getting the bomb.


The National Security Archive obtained the documents through declassification requests and research at the U.S. National Archives

Check out today's posting at the National Security Archive

Should have made clear, this is the Nat'l Sec Archiv release, not my text.::facepalm::

[Scott Kaiser]

Kennedy was the first and last president to force the resignation of an Israeli PM, David Ben Gurion. Since then its all been an Israeli suck up. As the Islamic radicalism grows and grows.

Perhaps, but... The U.S. Government didn't stop with Jack, yes, Jack's middle East policies were just as radical as trying to normalize peace with Cuba, unfortunately, during Israeli's ongoing war in the Middle East in the 70's, and Cuba backing the opposition, Israel had a falling out with Cuba in pursuing any real peaceful relationship. Watergate had failed, the funds stopped and Nixon had been removed from office, there was no money to recapture Cuba, and to make matters worst, the burglar's has spent the money on themselves rather than financing a group to infiltrate Cuba.

There was no man power to highjack ships, nor was there enough men to hold personal for ransom. Most of the men involved in Watergate was involved in the Bay of Pigs, and we all know how the CIA knew there'd be no chance in heck for the Brigade to overcome Castro's regime unless American military engaged in this war. And, since whacking Jack every plot, plan, assassination attempt and bombing had been ongoing for years with neither side biting to engage in war. A plot to assassinate the PM of Israel in 1976 is just what they needed after the falling out relationship between Israel and Cuba, and if they could kill the PM, blame Fidel Castro for killing the PM then Israel just might invade Cuba, although, there was a good plan in place, the plot failed due to the assassin getting caught tapping wires. Low and behold, it was the CIA who fought to get this person back to the United States after three months in Israeli jail.

The FBI wanted to charge him with a forged passport, the FBI had a long list of charges prepared to put this assassin away for a very long time, but to no avail, the assassin spends three months in County jail before getting released by the CIA.


Interesting!

[Jim DiEugenio]

Thanks James.

What is missing from that article Richard, which I am grateful for anyway, is Kennedy's attempt to forge a relationship with Nasser.

That was the other part of the equation. Kennedy was turning away from the Saudis for a more moderate and reasonable Arab alternative than Foster Dulles had.

[James Lateer]

In reading The Bomb In The Basement by Michael Karpin, I did not get the impression from Karpin that JFK was strongly against the Israeli bomb. As I remember, by 1963 the Isreali atomic bomb was already in existence or rather, the Dimona reactor was built which made the Israeli bomb a fait accompli. They only officially had a bomb in 1967. A technician named Mordechai Vanunu had worked on the Isreali bomb inside Dimona and (relying on my recollections from the 1960's or 1970's when he went public), I seem to remember that he claimed the Israeli a-bomb production was in the thousands of bombs.

(I could have an inaccurate memory on that. I know he claimed that it was a large number, much larger than had been estimated).

Israel and France were working together on atomic bomb development, so being against the Israeli bomb meant you had to be against the French bomb. According to Wikipedia, France halted uranium sales to Israel in 1963. But the Dimona reactor was built from 1958 forward and there was really no way for JFK to stop the Israeli atomic bomb. Nor did JFK really try to do so. I'm pretty sure that US "Zionists" (as well as US Jews generally), supported JFK to a large extent. In contrast the Catholic clerical establishment supported Nixon in 1960.

JFK's arms control advisor was John J. McCloy. (Good luck with that, JFK).

JFK seemed to have good relations both with De Gaulle and Israel. It was West Germany with whom he had very bad relations and to some degree with the UK over the cancellation of the Skybolt missile.

As for turning toward Nasser, I question that theory only because Nasser was considered to be a quasi-Communist during the 1950's and, of course, you had the Soviets building his High Aswan Dam and the UK, France and Israel attacked Nasser in the Suez Crisis of 1962.

The French OAS considered Algerian independence from France to be a quasi-Communist effort which was fomented by Nasser. It actually had nothing to do with Communism and (as far as I know), there has never been an Islamic majority country that has gone Communist nor even got close to being Communist. So the opinion of various world-wide groups about Nasser was wildly inaccurate and not based on reality.

Also inaccurate was the belief that Nasser was successfully employing Nazi scientists in building top-quality rockets, planes, technology, etc. Like Argentina, Egypt tried but they obviously were too backward of a society to match the likes of the US, France, UK, China (and for that matter Nazi Germany).

James Lateer

[Paul Rigby]

How a Standoff With the U.S. Almost Blew Up Israel's Nuclear Program

Kennedy's ultimatum, Ben-Gurion's 'sick' reply and a 'fiasco' nuclear inspection: Newly declassified documents shed light on the diplomatic crisis that some feared may lead to a U.S. raid on Israel's Dimona plant

By Avner Cohen and William Burr May 03, 2019

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.pre....7193419?a

[Jim DiEugenio]

Thanks for that posting Paul. Too bad its behind a wall.

But it seems almost based on my article. Except they may have had some things that were pulled at that time Malcolm Blunt got me those documents from the JFK Library.

The way they characterize Ben Gurion's response to Kennedy's threat to pull funding is right on. It was to automatically trash Nasser as some kind of bloody madman equivalent to Hitler. This is what made me think that the Israelis somehow were on to Kennedy's attempt to forge a bond with Nasser. Bob Komer suspected the same and he was frank with JFK about this. He literally said that the Israelis were trying to poison the relationship between the two men. Which Kennedy had said he wanted to make a high priority of his presidency. It didn't work. Kennedy was not going to buy it because he trusted and confided in Nasser. I mean at great poltical expense, he even backed Nasser's war in Yemen against Saudi Arabia for awhile. That showed how he had reversed Foster Dulles' policy in the Middle East.

The more people who are aware of this whole triangle between Kennedy, Nasser and Ben Gurion, the better. Because it really shows a path that was forsaken. To me, the one LBJ chose--being an Israeli suck up--was a dead end.

I mean look at where it ended up. During the Yom Kippur War, Golda Meir loaded up her bombers with atomic weapons when the Egyptians crossed the Sinai with a tank batalion. Can you imagine the nuttiness of that? Threatening World War III and atomic war over Egyptian tanks in the Sinai?