---
born: 1908-06-04
category: Nuclear Scientists & Programs
died: 1982-07-21
location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
summary: Walworth Barbour was the American ambassador to Israel from 1961 to 1973,
  serving longer in one post than all but three other American ambassadors.
tags:
- Person
- Nuclear
- Israel
---

Walworth Barbour was the American ambassador to [Israel](/places/israel/) from 1961 to 1973, serving longer in one post than all but three other American ambassadors. He was a compelling presence, described as a tall, shy, hugely overweight diplomat with a gluttonous appetite and acute emphysema. He constantly sprayed his throat with a vaporizer, wore yellowing white suits with brown-and-white shoes, and walked with a shambling gait. Barbour spoke no Hebrew and rarely attended educational, cultural, or social events, yet he was beloved by [Israel](/places/israel/)'s leadership.[^1]

Barbour's long assignment was a testament to his understanding of when and when not to accept every Israeli assertion at face value, and his willingness to operate the American embassy as a subsidiary, if necessary, of the Israeli foreign ministry. He often reminded his questioning subordinates that he was a President's man with a personal mandate, not a servant of the [State Department](/organizations/state-department/).[^1]

In his first six years as ambassador, Barbour rarely interfered with the job of those working in his embassy, and some of the most accurate reporting on [Dimona](/places/dimona/) was forwarded to [Washington, D.C.](/places/washington-dc/). However, these reports had no impact and disappeared into the bureaucratic maze. After the 1967 [Six-Day War](/events/six-day-war/), he ordered his staff to stop reporting on nuclear weapons in [Israel](/places/israel/), over the objection of one key aide. His primary assignment was to insulate President [Lyndon B. Johnson](/people/lyndon-b-johnson/) and his men from facts that would compel action regarding [Israel](/places/israel/)'s nuclear program.[^1]

Barbour's closest associates were senior officials of the Israeli government, including [Golda Meir](/people/golda-meir/) and Major General [Aharon Yariv](/people/aharon-yariv/). He shared the taboo of not discussing nuclear weapons with outsiders. However, it was Barbour's men who reported before the June 1967 war that [Israel](/places/israel/) had completed its basic weapons design and was capable of manufacturing warheads for deployment on missiles.[^1]

In 1970, Barbour made a rare public appearance, sharing a podium with Prime Minister [Golda Meir](/people/golda-meir/) at the opening of an American school in [Tel Aviv](/places/tel-aviv/). After his retirement in 1973, he became a board member of the American branch of Bank Leumi, the Israeli state bank, a move that confounded and distressed many of his former colleagues in the Foreign Service who saw it as a conflict of interest.[^1]

Upon the inauguration of President [Richard Nixon](/people/richard-nixon/) in January 1969, Barbour became even less interested in [Dimona](/places/dimona/), effectively exorcising the issue. He famously told a senior American intelligence officer who briefed him on [Israel](/places/israel/)'s nuclear weapons program, "Gentlemen, I don't believe a word of it," explaining that if he acknowledged it, he would have to go to the President, and the President did not want bad news.[^1]

Barbour's support for [Israel](/places/israel/) was profound and heartfelt. He remained on the board of Bank Leumi until his death, seemingly unconcerned with his peers' opinions.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 12.