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LAKAM (Hebrew acronym for Science Liaison Bureau) was an Israeli Ministry of Defense intelligence agency, previously known as the Office of Special Tasks. It was set up to gather and exchange technology and intelligence with foreign military industries.12
Leadership and Operations
In the early 1980s, LAKAM was widely known by its Hebrew acronym. Rafael Eitan, a crony of Ariel Sharon, was appointed its new head. LAKAM operations in the United States produced a steady stream of routinely transferred scientific and technical documents, including KH-11 imagery and reporting and assessments from U.S. embassies and intelligence operatives inside Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt. Some of this material was marked JUMBO, indicating it was not to be discussed with American counterparts.2
U.S. Spy Network Operations
Rafi Eitan's operation to build a spy network in the USA to obtain information about Palestinian terrorists was funded from LAKAM budget. Iris, a LAKAM representative in Washington D.C., served as a conduit for intelligence reports between Robert McFarlane, Jonathan Pollard, and Rafi Eitan.1
Political Control and Funding
LAKAM was later controlled by Rafi Eitan after Shimon Peres became prime minister in 1984, and its huge slush fund, which had once financed Labor Party projects, was then controlled by Rafi Eitan.1