Kennedy's Stance on Israel's Nuclear Reactor

The other problem Kennedy faced with Israel was the construction of the

atomic reactor at Dimona. JFK was strongly against any

proliferation of nuclear weaponry.

He had been assured by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion that Dimona was

designed for peaceful uses of atomic energy.

In the spring of nineteen sixty-three, Kennedy demanded full

inspections by the US of the Dimona reactor and

threatened to place American aid for Israel in limbo if no

agreement were reached. And at the time of his assassination,

negotiations were in process for biannual inspections.