---
born: 1902-01-04
category: Nuclear Scientists & Programs
died: 1991-02-14
location: San Francisco, California
summary: McCone's leak was his parting shot as AEC commissioner, as he announced his
  resignation shortly after.
tags:
- Person
- Nuclear
- Israel
---

John A. McCone was a wealthy Republican businessman from [California](/places/california/) who served as chairman of the [Atomic Energy Commission](/organizations/atomic-energy-commission/) (AEC) and later as Director of the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/). In December 1960, he leaked information to *New York Times* reporter [John W. Finney](/people/john-w-finney/) about [Israel](/places/israel/)'s secret nuclear reactor at [Dimona](/places/dimona/), expressing anger that [Israel](/places/israel/) and [France](/places/france/) had "lied to us" about its purpose.[^1]

McCone's leak was his parting shot as AEC commissioner, as he announced his resignation shortly after. He was committed to nuclear nonproliferation and was aware that the [Eisenhower](/people/dwight-d-eisenhower/) administration was nearing its end, making it an opportune time to act. He was also frustrated by the constant Israeli lying about [Dimona](/places/dimona/).[^1]

McCone was regularly briefed on the Israeli nuclear program after replacing [Lewis L. Strauss](/people/lewis-l-strauss/) as AEC commissioner in July 1958. As AEC chairman, he was a member of the U.S. Intelligence Advisory Committee, the top-level group at the time. He was labeled by some as anti-Semitic due to his actions, but there was no known basis for such allegations; he was simply dead set against any nuclear proliferation and offended by the Israeli and French deception.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 6, 7.