Stuart Symington was a Democratic Senator from [[Missouri]]. He was a strong backer of [[Adlai E. Stevenson]] for the Democratic presidential nomination. Paradoxically, Symington later emerged as an ardent supporter of a nuclear-armed [[Israel]] while also authoring key Senate legislation to limit the spread of such weapons.[^1] In April 1963, [[Shimon Peres]] discussed nuclear weapons with Senator Symington, who was then a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Symington reportedly told Peres, "Don't be a bunch of fools. Don't stop making atomic bombs. And don't listen to the administration. Do whatever you think best."[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 8, 9.