---
born: 1902-11-17
category: Nuclear Scientists & Programs
died: 1995-01-01
location: Budapest, Hungary
summary: Eugene Wigner was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate.
tags:
- Person
- Nuclear
- Physicist
- Israel
---

Eugene Wigner was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate. He, along with [I. I. Rabi](/people/i-i-rabi/), was asked by the Israelis to visit the still-incomplete reactor at [Dimona](/places/dimona/) sometime early in 1961. They reported seeing no evidence of a weapons facility, and President [John F. Kennedy](/people/john-f-kennedy/) expressed satisfaction with their conviction that the reactor was designed for peaceful purposes.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 8.