Israel Has Built 5 Nuclear Bombs’

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31983, 9 May 1969, Page 11

Israel Has Built 5 Nuclear Bombs’

(K.Z.PJt.-Reuter— Copyright) MONTREAL, May 8. The “Montreal Gazette” said today that Israel has built five nuclear bombs, and has almost completed a sixth.

In a front-page story by Peter Lust, its German affairs,, expert, the newspaper said the existence of the bombs was discovered by a group of journalists of the West German weekly, “Der Spiegel,” where the story would appear later this week.

“Without conducting any test explosion, Israel has become the world’s sixth nuclear power,” the “Montreal Gazette” said.

“Five 20-kiloton bombs —i similar in type to those: dropped on Hiroshima and;

Nagasaki—have been completed. A sixth is almost ready.

“The bombs have been put together at Israel’s nuclear test station in the Negev Desert, 11 miles from the pioneer settlement of Dimona, halfway between Beersheba and I the southern tip of the Dead Sea,” the story said. I The newspaper said that as . soon as the bombs were completed, they were rushed to an unknown destination “whose exact location is Israel’s best guarded military secret.”

It continued: “Last January N.B.C. (the National Broadcasting Company) aired a programme alleging that Israel’s first nuclear bomb I was almost ready. Israel issued an immediate denial, lit appears, however, N.B.C. missed the exact date by only 18 days. The bombs were completed during early February.” The account said that Egyptian intelligence became aware of the bombs’ comple-

tion in late February this year. “President Nasser immediately issued a call for help to the Soviet Government and requested that Soviet nuclear arms be stationed on Egyptian soil. “Moscow refused, but strengthened the Soviet Mediterranean fleet to include ships equipped with nuclear warheads,” the “Montreal Gazette” said. The Russians simultaneously issued notes to Washington, London and Paris setting up the present fourPower conference of United Nations ambassadors aimed at ending the Middle East war, the newspaper said. The report said Israel could deliver nuclear bombs with its .'S Skyhawk jets, at present part of its operational Air Force. Later, F 4 Phantom jets, not yet in operation, could be earmarked for that purpose, it said. The newspaper account said that security precautions round Israel’s nuclear installation were so strict that “when an Israeli jet accidentally strayed over Dimona after being hit by Egyptian ground fire on June 6, 1967, Israeli rockets brought down their own craft. The pilot was reported killed.” In Tel Aviv, Israeli authorities were completely silent on foreign newspaper reports that Israel had operational atomic bombs.

An Israeli Ministry of Defence spokesman said that whoever watched closely Israel’s behaviour in the last 20 years or so, knew that they very rarely commented on Israeli armaments.

The Israeli press today featured prominently the foreign newspaper story, but also without comment.