16 lines
1.2 KiB
Markdown
16 lines
1.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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category: "Nuclear Scientists & Programs"
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tags:
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- Person
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- Nuclear
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- Israel
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summary: "Malcolm Toon was the U.S."
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---
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Malcolm Toon was the U.S. Ambassador to [[Israel]]. In 1976, after [[Carl E. Duckett]] inadvertently revealed that the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] estimated [[Israel]]'s nuclear arsenal to total at least ten warheads, Toon was summoned by [[Yigal Allon]], then Israeli Foreign Minister, to discuss the disclosure. Toon reported that Allon was "very disturbed" and asked rhetorically why the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] had done it. Toon dutifully explained that Duckett's remarks were supposed to have been off-the-record. When Toon asked Allon if Duckett's conclusion was accurate, Allon replied, "It is not true."[^1]
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A year later, after [[Jimmy Carter]]'s election, Toon told a delegation of thirteen visiting American senators that he was sure [[Israel]] had the bomb. He complained that it was "indecent for [[Israel]] to keep us out of [[Dimona]]," but recalled the bureaucratic response was "Don't stir up the waters."[^1]
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### Footnotes
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[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 19.
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