Nuclear proliferation refers to the spread of nuclear weapons, fissionable material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information to nations not recognized as "nuclear weapon states" by the [[Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty|NPT]]. The [[United States]] government, particularly under President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], publicly opposed nuclear proliferation. However, the bureaucracy often mirrored the ambivalence and hypocrisy at the top of the American government regarding a nuclear-armed [[Israel]], pretending that American inspections amounted to proof that [[Israel]] was not building the bomb.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 11.