Waiting for Dimona: The United States and Israel's development of nuclear capability

The article analyzes the American Government's approach to Israel's development of nuclear capability during the end of Eisenhower's second term. It reviews, in particular, the December 1960 diplomatic crisis between the US and Israel, and points out how during the peak of the crisis the outgoing administration reported to the Israeli Government serious concern regarding the possibility of a pre-emptive attack by the Arab States motivated by intelligence and press leaks on Israel's nuclear programme. According to United States documents, an Arab attack could have occurred if the Israelis had refused to open the Dimona nuclear site for inspection to confirm the peaceful nature of the plant. It is possible to assert that the inspections were more of a political tool for the Arabs than a genuine effort to deny Israel the ability to achieve nuclear weapons.