---
born: 1920-01-04
category: Key Figures
died: 1996-04-27
location: Saint Paul, Minnesota
summary: Director of the CIA from 1973 to 1976 who believed Israel possessed nuclear
  weapons and might use them in an extreme situation.
tags:
- Person
- Stargate
- CIA
---

William E. Colby served as the Director of the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) from 1973 to 1976. He shared the assumption that [Israel](/places/israel/) had a few nuclear weapons and that if there was a collapse during the 1973 [Yom Kippur War](/events/yom-kippur-war/), there was a possibility that [Israel](/places/israel/) would use them. Colby believed that nuclear weapons would be used "only in an extreme situation."[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 17.