The Israeli Crisis of 1969: Henry Kissinger and Nuclear Nonproliferation Reassessed

The article describes and reevaluates the actions of US diplomat Henry Kissinger towards the Israeli nuclear weapons program, while serving as US National Security Advisor under the Nixon administration, in 1969. The article challenges standard historical interpretations to do with Kissinger’s attitude and approach towards nuclear nonproliferation by delineating his proactive, and at times, aggressive response in support of US concerns and suspicions about an advancing program of Israeli nuclear weapons development in the late 1960s.With this case study as its focus, the article puts forward a reassessment of the historiographical concensus by seeking to add a greater understanding of the nuances of Kissinger’s approach to this issue, and also by highlighting underexplored areas regarding his motivations, namely idealistic strains of Kissinger’s thought.