Lewis L. Strauss was an American businessman, public official, and naval officer who served as the chairman of the [[Atomic Energy Commission]] (AEC) from 1953 to 1958. He was a staunch Cold Warrior and adamantly opposed to the spread of nuclear weapons. Strauss was well-informed about [[Dimona]] and [[Israel]]'s nuclear program by the time he left the AEC, but there is no evidence he raised questions about it while in government or discussed it after leaving office.[^1] Strauss chose not to talk about the Israeli nuclear program because, as a Jew with deep feelings about the Holocaust, he privately approved of it. His strong private feelings about [[Israel]] and its need for security contrasted with his public image as a thoroughly assimilated Jew. He viewed [[America]]'s nuclear arsenal as essential to survival against the [[Soviet Union]] and championed the [[Atoms for Peace]] program, which aimed to promote the peaceful use of atomic energy by providing nuclear technology to allies under international safeguards.[^1] Strauss quickly emerged as the strongman of the [[Atomic Energy Commission|AEC]]. He supported loyalty oaths for citizens with access to nuclear information, insisted on continued nuclear testing, and publicly opposed claims that fallout from tests was dangerous. He also fought against attempts by the [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]] administration to negotiate a nuclear test ban treaty or any other nuclear arms agreement with the [[Soviet Union]]. Strauss sided with those who sought to prevent the passing of weapons information to European allies, fearing Soviet bloc access.[^1] Strauss is also known for his strong dislike of [[J. Robert Oppenheimer]], leading a bitter and successful fight in 1954 to strip Oppenheimer of his security clearance. He was also insistent on continued nuclear testing and fought against attempts to negotiate a nuclear test ban treaty with the [[Soviet Union]].[^1] At some point in his AEC career, Strauss met and befriended his Israeli counterpart, [[Ernst David Bergmann]]. This friendship provides strong evidence of Strauss's sympathy for the Israeli nuclear weapons program. In the fall of 1966, Strauss used his influence to get Bergmann a two-month appointment as a visiting fellow at the prestigious Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton.[^1] Strauss remained undaunted in his hostility to the [[Soviet Union]] after leaving public life, telling a congressional panel in 1964 that he was "not sure that the reduction of [U.S.-USSR] tension is necessarily a good thing." He also continued to advocate the use of atomic energy, and in 1964 made a visit to [[Israel]] to consult with the government on a proposed nuclear-powered water desalinization plant.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 4, 7.