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January 8, 1964

Cable from the US Embassy in France to the Department of State

This document was made possible with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)

This telegram, sent through the special “Roger channel” used for intelligence subjects, refers to an earlier embassy message, number 2319, dated November 12, 1963, which has yet to be found at the US at the National Archives. That telegram may refer to French actions to halt the supply of uranium to Israel which were alluded to indirectly in this message. Jacques Martin, a French Foreign Ministry expert on nuclear matters, told US embassy officials that the Israelis, who had refused to sign an agreement to purchase uranium exclusively from France, were looking for other sources, most likely Belgium and Argentina.



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Cable from the US Embassy in France to the Department of State

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June 11, 1964

Cable from the US Embassy in France to the Department of State, 'Franco-Israeli Nuclear Relations'

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June 11, 1964

Letter from Peter Ramsbotham, British Embassy in Paris, to William 'Willie' Morris, Foreign Office

This letter describes a meeting between Peter Ramsbotham, chief of the chancery at the British Embassy in France, and George Soutou, a senior official at the French Foreign Ministry. Soutou acknowledged that the French believed that the Israelis were attempting to "put themselves in a position to make a nuclear bomb if they wanted to." The French-Israeli agreement did not include a condition that prevented the use of non-French uranium for Dimona, and Ramsbotham wondered whether the French should be told about the Argentine-Israeli secret deal. Minutes of a conversation with Arkell of the Defense Intelligence Staff are attached.

Document Information

Source

National Archives of the United States (NARA), Record Group 59, Department of State Records Subject-Numeric File, 1964-1966 Inco-Uranium. Originally published in Avner Cohen and William Burr, eds., National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book #432 (June 25, 2013).

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Original Uploaded Date

2013-06-13

Type

Cable

Language

Record ID

117054

Original Classification

Secret

Donors

Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)