Office of the Historian

375. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel1

Washington, December 30, 1966, 8:14 p.m.

111019. 1. Department hopes you will seize earliest opportunity follow up our request for visit to Dimona as well resumption talks on overall arms control problems.

2. Re former you should inform Eban that USG increasingly disturbed at pattern which USG-GOI exchanges on Dimona appear to be taking. Our desire make sixth visit to Dimona could not have come as surprise to GOI since principle of visits at six-monthly intervals long ago established. Yet each time visit falls due GOI delays in responding to our request to set date causing sour note be struck in US-Israeli relations. We see no reason why US-Israeli relations should be subjected to this periodic strain. We urge FonMin to give us early date for visit lest lack of GOI responsiveness be misinterpreted within USG. We would hope FonMin would agree with us as to desirability making visits, beginning with present one, automatic six-monthly procedure.

Rusk
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, AE 11–2 ISR. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Michael Sterner of NEA/IAI; cleared by Wolle, Davies, and Saunders, and in substance by Trevithick and Rochlin; and approved by Handley.↩