---
born: 1915-04-01
category: Nuclear Scientists & Programs
died: 1992-06-22
location: Chicago, Illinois
summary: Lundahl played a crucial role in the U-2 Spy Plane program, becoming the
  American government's most listened-to briefing officer.
tags:
- Person
- Nuclear
- Israel
---

Arthur C. Lundahl was a key figure in U.S. aerial reconnaissance, directing the Photographic Intelligence Division of the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/). He had analyzed reconnaissance photos for the Navy during World War II and was tasked by President [Dwight D. Eisenhower](/people/dwight-d-eisenhower/) to address the lack of aerial intelligence on the [Soviet Union](/places/soviet-union/).[^1]

Lundahl played a crucial role in the [U-2 Spy Plane](/concepts/u-2-spy-plane/) program, becoming the American government's most listened-to briefing officer. He was responsible for presenting intelligence gathered from U-2 flights, including early signs of what would become the Israeli nuclear reactor at [Dimona](/places/dimona/).[^1]

In late 1958 or early 1959, Lundahl rushed early raw photographs of the [Dimona](/places/dimona/) construction to the White House. Despite the clear evidence of a secret nuclear reactor, President [Eisenhower](/people/dwight-d-eisenhower/) showed no interest in further details or follow-up, a decision that puzzled Lundahl. He also relayed his findings on [Dimona](/places/dimona/) to [Lewis L. Strauss](/people/lewis-l-strauss/), chairman of the [Atomic Energy Commission](/organizations/atomic-energy-commission/), and a few AEC aides.[^1]

By December 1960, the [U-2](/concepts/u-2-spy-plane/) program was in disarray following the [U-2 Incident](/events/u-2-incident/) where [Gary Francis Powers](/people/gary-francis-powers/) was shot down. Lundahl recalled those months as being "full of finger-pointing and turbulence." By the mid-1960s, Lundahl and [Dino A. Brugioni](/people/dino-a-brugioni/) had moved on to new assignments in photo interpretation and were no longer directly involved in Israeli nuclear matters. Much of the primary analysis of nuclear intelligence shifted from the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) to the design and engineering laboratories for nuclear weapons at [Los Alamos](/places/los-alamos/) and Sandia, and later [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory](/organizations/lawrence-livermore-national-laboratory/). Any interesting intelligence on [Israel](/places/israel/) was then routed through the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/)'s Office of Science and Technology, headed by [Carl E. Duckett](/people/carl-e-duckett/), to which Lundahl's [National Photo Interpretation Center](/organizations/national-photo-interpretation-center/) was reporting. Lundahl and Brugioni eventually realized that Duckett was no longer sharing all information about the Israeli bomb, marking the end of an era for their direct involvement.[^2]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 4.
[^2]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 5, 11.