John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was intellectually and emotionally committed to a halt in the spread of nuclear weapons, with nonproliferation being a topic he would discuss for hours.¹

Kennedy's presidency was marked by a struggle with Israel over its nuclear ambitions, particularly concerning the Dimona reactor. He established himself as firmly opposed to the Israeli bomb, and his administration insisted on American inspection teams being permitted full and unfettered access to Dimona. This stance was met with resistance from David Ben-Gurion and Shimon Peres, who sought to protect the secret.¹

Kennedy continued to pressure David Ben-Gurion throughout 1962 about international inspection, receiving bland and irritating assurances that Israel had no intention of becoming an atomic power. He angrily told his friend Charles L. Bartlett that the Israelis "lie to me constantly about their nuclear capability." In what amounted to a direct move against Ben-Gurion's leadership, Kennedy invited Foreign Minister Golda Meir, one of Ben-Gurion's leading critics, to his Palm Beach, Florida, home for a private talk in late December 1962. During this meeting, Kennedy made an extraordinary private commitment to Israel's defense, stating that in case of an invasion, the United States would come to Israel's support.²

Despite his tough stance, Kennedy's political needs, particularly the significant Jewish vote that contributed to his narrow victory in 1960, complicated his approach to Israeli issues. He appointed Myer Feldman as his presidential point man for Jewish and Israeli affairs, a position that created bureaucratic chaos due to Feldman's strong pro-Israel bias.¹

Kennedy's relationship with David Ben-Gurion became increasingly strained due to the ongoing correspondence about Israel's bomb program. Ben-Gurion's responses were often perceived as evasive and even rude by Kennedy. The President's apprehension about the Israeli bomb was a factor in his surprising appointment of John A. McCone as CIA director, who shared Kennedy's strong views on nonproliferation.¹

In mid-1962, Kennedy's administration authorized the sale of Hawk surface-to-air missiles to Israel, a major departure from past policy of selling no weaponry to Israel. This decision was linked to Israel's agreement to permit American inspection teams into Dimona, though these inspections were largely a whitewash, with Israel controlling the visits and concealing the true nature of the facility.¹

Kennedy's persistent pressure on Israel stemmed from his belief that Israel had not yet developed any nuclear weapons and was not yet a proliferator. There is evidence that once Israel actually began manufacturing bombs, Kennedy was prepared to be pragmatic. While he remained resolutely opposed to a nuclear Israel to the end, he did change his mind about de Gaulle's bombs. A memorandum from McGeorge Bundy to the President, dated November 22, 1963, the day of Kennedy's assassination, indicated a change in policy toward the French, suggesting cooperation and allowing them to use the Nevada test site for underground testing.²