John Vorster was the Prime Minister of [[South Africa]]. He had sided with [[Germany]] during World War II. In 1976, he visited [[Israel]], marking the first official state visit by a South African prime minister to [[Israel]]. This visit resulted in a renewal of full diplomatic relations, as well as secret arms transfer agreements that would enable the two countries to work together in defiance of international opinion and [[United Nations]] sanctions.[^1] [[Shimon Peres]] made at least one private trip to [[Pretoria]] before the Vorster visit to arrange for arms and nuclear cooperation. His agenda included nuclear testing, and he won a commitment in principle from John Vorster for a series of joint Israeli–South African tests in [[South Africa]].[^1] In 1970, Vorster informed Parliament that [[South Africa]]'s nuclear scientists had developed a unique uranium enrichment process involving jetnozzle enrichment and a sophisticated cascade technique. Within a few years, [[South Africa]] began construction of a pilot plant for the production of enriched uranium, not subject to [[International Atomic Energy Agency|IAEA]] safeguards, at a plant called Valindaba near [[Pretoria]].[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 19.