Office of the Historian

300. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Vance and the White House1

Washington, August 22, 1977, 1512Z

Tosec 90049/199187. White House Eyes Only for Brzezinski. Fol rpt Tel Aviv 6228 sent Action SecState dtd 22 Aug 77.

Quote: Secret Tel Aviv 6228. Subject: Israeli-South African Nuclear Cooperation. Ref: Tel Aviv 6215.2

1. Prime Minister Begin asked Evron to relay to me this morning, August 22, the following response to our urgent query:

[Page 921]

2. Quote: The Government of Israel has never had any contacts with the South African Government, nor has there ever been any cooperation with South Africa regarding the development, and/or the production, of nuclear weapons. End quote.

3. Department please repeat this message to the Secretary.

Lewis

Unquote.

Christopher
  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 64, PRC 032, 8/25/77, S. Africa Nuclear Threat. Secret; Cherokee; Immediate; Nodis. Printed from a copy that was received in the White House Situation Room. Drafted and approved by Wisner. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, N770005–0242)↩
  2. In telegram 6215 from Tel Aviv, August 22, the Embassy reported that the talking points in telegram 195546 to Tel Aviv, August 17, had been delivered to Evron on Sunday morning: “I also made clear that issue went well beyond impending difficulties at Lagos Conference, and that any actual collaboration in nuclear weapons field would pose extremely serious issue for US. Evron promised to obtain response for us on an urgent basis.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P840083–0076)↩