Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th President of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He was initially left in the dark on sensitive national security issues by President John F. Kennedy and his top aides, and reportedly went "berserk" upon being briefed in by the CIA after Kennedy's assassination.¹

Johnson's ties to Israel were strong, influenced by his close advisers like Abe Fortas and Edwin L. Weisl, Sr., and his knowledge of Abraham Feinberg's fundraising skills. A deeper link stemmed from his visit to the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau at the end of World War II, which left him profoundly shaken. His sensitivity to the plight of European Jews began even before the war, when as a young congressman, he helped German refugees gain asylum in America, circumventing red tape and preventing deportations.¹

Johnson's strong emotional ties to Israel and his belief that Soviet arms were altering the balance of power in the Middle East drove him to become the first American President to supply Israel with offensive weapons and the first publicly to commit America to its defense. In the early years of his presidency, he echoed Kennedy's policy by urging Israel to submit Dimona to IAEA inspection, motivated by his belief that a nuclear Israel could lead to a nuclear Egypt, increased Soviet involvement, and potentially war.¹