
10/08/2025
President John F. Kennedy maintained a complex relationship with Israel and its leaders, especially David Ben‑Gurion. He supported Israel as a strategic ally but was deeply concerned about nuclear proliferation. Kennedy pressed Israel to allow inspections of the Dimona nuclear facility and sought assurances it would not produce weapons, while Ben‑Gurion saw nuclear capability as essential for Israel’s security. Their 1963 correspondence reflects a negotiation between Israel’s needs and Kennedy’s insistence on transparency and U.S. nonproliferation goals. After Kennedy’s assassination, these tensions — inspections, nuclear restrictions, and scrutiny over Israel’s ambitions — largely vanished, allowing Israel to advance its goals with far less pressure.
Kennedy’s administration also scrutinized the American Zionist Council (AZC), predecessor to AIPAC. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy ordered the AZC to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) due to funding and coordination with the Jewish Agency in Israel, aiming to provide transparency and oversight. The AZC resisted, refusing to comply with U.S. law, highlighting tensions between Washington’s legal requirements and pro-Israel lobbying. While Kennedy supported strong U.S.-Israel relations, he insisted lobbying groups with foreign connections operate under clear legal frameworks. After his death, these pressures were dropped, and the AZC’s influence grew in subsequent years.
Kennedy also distrusted the CIA, shaping his approach to Israel and broader foreign policy. Early missteps like the Bay of Pigs invasion showed the agency could act independently of presidential oversight. Intelligence reports suggested Israel might be developing nuclear weapons, reinforcing Kennedy’s insistence on inspections and cautioning against unchecked operations. He sought to engage Israel constructively but demanded transparency while remaining skeptical of intelligence sources. Conveniently, after his assassination, these pressures largely disappeared, allowing Israel’s strategic ambitions and certain intelligence dynamics — including the unresolved FARA compliance issue — to continue with far less scrutiny.
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