Top secret: Israel offered to sell nuclear bombs (1 Viewer)

[Garygaz]

Israel offered to sell nuclear bombs

WASHINGTON: Secret South African documents reveal that Israel offered to sell nuclear warheads to the apartheid regime, providing the first official documentary evidence of the state's possession of nuclear weapons.

The top-secret minutes of meetings between officials from the two countries in 1975 show that South Africa's defence minister, P.W. Botha, asked for the warheads and Shimon Peres, then Israel's defence minister and now its president, responded by offering them ''in three sizes''. The two men also signed an agreement governing military ties between the two countries that included a clause declaring that ''the very existence of this agreement'' was to remain secret.

The documents, uncovered by an American academic, Sasha Polakow-Suransky, in research for a book on the close relationship between the two countries, provide evidence that Israel has nuclear weapons despite its policy of ''ambiguity'' in neither confirming nor denying their existence.

The Israeli authorities tried to stop South Africa's post-apartheid government declassifying the documents at Polakow-Suransky's request and the revelations will be an embarrassment, particularly as this week's nuclear non-proliferation talks in New York focus on the Middle East.

They will also undermine Israel's attempts to suggest that, if it has nuclear weapons, it is a ''responsible'' power that would not misuse them, whereas countries like Iran cannot be trusted.

South African documents show that the apartheid-era military wanted the missiles as a deterrent and for potential strikes against neighbouring states.

The documents show the two sides met on March 31, 1975, Polakow-Suransky writes in his book, The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Alliance with Apartheid South Africa, which is published in the US this week. At the talks Israeli officials ''formally offered to sell South Africa some of the nuclear-capable Jericho missiles in its arsenal''.

Among those attending the meeting was the South African military chief of staff, Lieutenant General R. F. Armstrong. He immediately drew up a memo in which he laid out the benefits of South Africa obtaining the Jericho missiles but only if they were fitted with nuclear weapons.

The memo, marked ''top secret'' and dated the same day as the meeting with the Israelis, has previously been revealed but its context was not fully understood because it was not known to be directly linked to the Israeli offer on the same day and that it was the basis for a direct request to Israel.

In it, General Armstrong writes: ''In considering the merits of a weapon system such as the one being offered, certain assumptions have been made: a) That the missiles will be armed with nuclear warheads manufactured in RSA [Republic of South Africa] or acquired elsewhere.''

But South Africa was years away from being able to build atomic weapons. A little more than two months later, on June 4, Mr Peres and Mr Botha met in Zurich. By then the Jericho project had the codename Chalet.

The top-secret minutes of the meeting record that ''Minister Botha expressed interest in a limited number of units of Chalet subject to the correct payload being available.'' The document then records: ''Minister Peres said the correct payload was available in three sizes. Minister Botha expressed his appreciation and said that he would ask for advice.''

The ''three sizes'' are believed to refer to conventional, chemical and nuclear weapons.

The use of a euphemism, the ''correct payload'', reflects Israeli sensitivity over the nuclear issue and would not have been used had it been referring to conventional weapons. It can also only have meant nuclear warheads as General Armstrong's memorandum makes clear South Africa was interested in the Jericho missiles solely as a means of delivering nuclear weapons.

Mr Botha did not go ahead with the deal in part because of the cost. In addition, any deal would have had to have the final approval by Israel's prime minister and it is uncertain it would have been forthcoming.

South Africa eventually built its own nuclear bombs, possibly with Israeli assistance. But the collaboration on military technology only grew over the following years. South Africa also provided much of the yellowcake uranium that Israel required to develop its weapons.

look what the jews have done now

 

[cosmo kramer]

uh who cares if they tried to sell nuclear weapons to the south africans

nuclear weapons need to be sold and the south africans could have used them on to eliminate their swaart gevaar problem

 

[Chocolate_Face]

Only in Jew

 

[Slidey]

Just for the record: South Africa WAS a nuclear state. They DID have nuclear weapons. Similarly Australia was half-way through building nukes. Both Australia and South Africa choose to give up their arsenals.

 

[Garygaz]

Just for the record: South Africa WAS a nuclear state. They DID have nuclear weapons. Similarly Australia was half-way through building nukes. Both Australia and South Africa choose to give up their arsenals.

Does that fact justify them offering to sell it though?

 

[Funky Monk]

who gives a shit? 1975

 

[kounato]

wow? .... Old news

 

[Jazuzi]

i'd like to see what documents they are in the citations of his book

either way who gives a fuck

 

[kaz1]

Another example at how voilent and barbaric the state of Israel is. I say Krudd cuts all diplomatic relations with this state, they cannot be trusted.

 

[Slidey]

Does that fact justify them offering to sell it though?

Not at all. Especially not to apartheid Africa.

 

[runoutofsleep]

you can read all the documents at the following internet The memos and minutes that confirm Israel's nuclear stockpile | World news | guardian.co.uk

 

[BOS_Negros_Son]

Yo, this what yo call in my language
Asshole hypocrits!
Yeah boi, hope iran nukes up and bombs u motha fucka liars and hypocrits.

 

[Ehud Olmert]

Yo this b a big controversy, no1 was ment to find out mahn that we had weapons ohh dear, please iran nuke our sorry ass mahnn, call syria i dont care, we will take you