Final_Judgment

[624] Final Judgment 722
The STDL reviewers were actually putting words in Hersh's mouth!
Hersh never once said that the domestic factors cited "were as, or more
important." The way the librarians structured this sentence in their
review—was to put a different twist on what Hersh really did say. Hersh
never said that these other factors "were as, or more important." Those were
the librarians' words—not those of Seymour Hersh.
A 'THREAT' FROM JFK TO ISRAEL
Here's what Avner Cohen in Israel and the Bomb, adds to the story of
Ben-Gurion's resignation. Cohen describes how the conflict between JFK
and Ben-Gurion was reaching its pinnacle in 1963 and how, on June 16 of
that year, JFK sent a letter to the Israeli leader that Cohen says on page 134
of his book was "the toughest and most explicit message" yet. Cohen added:
The purpose of the letter was to solidify the terms of
the American visits [to Dimona] in a way that would accord
with these minimum conditions on which the intelligence
community insisted.
To force Ben-Gurion to accept the conditions,
Kennedy exerted the most useful leverage available to an
American president in dealing with Israel: a threat that
an unsatisfactory solution would jeopardize the U.S.
government's commitment to, and support of, Israel .
. .
The showdown Ben-Gurion was trying to avoid now
appeared imminent. Ben-Gurion never read the letter. It
was cabled to [U.S. Ambassador to Israel Walworth
Barbour] on Saturday, 15 June, with instructions to
deliver it by hand to Ben-Gurion the next day, but on
that Sunday, Ben-Gurion announced his resignation.
Note Cohen's words: "a showdown [between JFK and Israel] appeared
imminent." Cohen then addresses the issue: "Did Kennedy's pressure on
Dimona play a role in Ben-Gurion's resignation?" On page 135 he wrote:
Ben-Gurion never provided an explanation for his
decision, except in reference to "personal reasons." To
his cabinet colleagues Ben-Gurion said that he "must"
resign and that "no state problem or event caused it."
This is interesting, in itself, because—if Cohen's account is correct—
Ben-Gurion himself never even specified any particular reason, foreign or
domestic. That doesn't refute Final Judgment, but it does have the impact
of lessening the argument by the STDL librarians that the conflict with
JFK over the bomb was just "another factor." Cohen added: