---
born: 1930-10-01
category: Intelligence & Government
died: 2014-03-10
location: Houston, Texas, USA
summary: U.S. ambassador to Israel present at the pivotal 1981 Reagan White House
  meeting where Begin and Sharon proposed a sweeping U.S.-Israeli strategic alliance.
tags:
- Person
- Israel
- Soviet
- Diplomat
---

Samuel W. Lewis was the U.S. ambassador to [Israel](/places/israel/), assigned in 1977. He was present at a meeting in the [Reagan](/people/ronald-reagan/) White House in September 1981 where [Menachem Begin](/people/menachem-begin/) and [Ariel Sharon](/people/ariel-sharon/) presented a far-reaching agenda for U.S.–Israeli strategic cooperation. Lewis recounted that Begin suggested a formal alliance, and Reagan agreed, shocking others present. Sharon then outlined a plan that included joint use of airfields and Navy ports, and shared intelligence, including formal Israeli access to the [KH-11](/concepts/kh-11/) satellite for its nuclear targeting of the [Soviet Union](/places/soviet-union/).[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 21.