The Soviet-Israeli War, 1967–1973. The USSR’s Military Intervention in the Egyptian-Israeli Conflict

NOTES

pp. [231–234]^

20. TRIAL BALLOONS FROM BOTH SIDES
    
    
    1. Recording of a conversation between Nixon and Rogers, 19 May 1971, Oval Office,
       Conversation 501–4, NARA, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Tapes; quoted
       in Craig A. Daigle, “The Russians Are Going : Sadat, Nixon and the Soviet Presence in
       Eg ypt, 1970–1971,” MERIA, 8, 1 (2004), pp. 1–15, http://www.rubincenter.org/
       meria/2004/03/daigle.pdf
    
    
    2. Lau-Lavi, Balaam’s Prophecy, p. 267.
    
    
    3. Transcript of Rogers–Meir talk, 7 May 1971, ISA HZ-7031/1, pp. 16, 30; quoted in
       Vanetik and Shalom, “Helqo shel ha-bayit ha-lavan,” pp. 112–13.
    
    
    4. Nixon to Rogers, 26 May 1971, NARA Record Group 59, Lot Files, 71, Office Files of
       William P. Rogers, box 25. Quoted in Vanetik and Shalom, “Helqo shel ha-bayit ha-lavan,”
       emphasis added.
    
    
    5. Jean-Pierre Joulin, Nouvel Observateur, translated in Davar, 30 January 1971, p. 8. It has
       also been claimed that an officer of the KGB rezidentura, Vladimir Sakharov, who had
       been recruited by the CIA, informed the Americans about an impending coup against
       Sadat and they warned him, thus laying the foundations for his ultimate pro-US turn. Bar-
       Joseph, Angel, quoting Owen L. Sirrs, A History of the Eg yptian Intelligence Service, New
       York: Routledge, 2010, p. 120. But Sakharov had been transferred to Kuwait several
       months before the coup. In High Treason and other publications aimed at highlighting
       his work for the CIA, he never took credit for such a major feat but claimed that he was
       surprised to hear about it.
    
    
    6. Bar-Joseph, Angel, pp. 106–10.
    
    
    7. James Reston, “Eg ypt’s Power Struggle Far from Over,” Times (Geneva, NY), 28 May 1971,
       p. 7.
    
    
    8. Vinogradov, Diplomatiya, p. 227.
    
    
    9. Sarah Yizre’eli, Davar, 13 October 1972, p. 13.
    
    
    
    


21. SAR, no. 163, p. 369.


22. SAR, no. 164, p. 374.


23. In October, speaking with Israeli officials, Primakov quoted Anderson to the effect that
    Rogers had rebuked Meir; he implied that Israel could not count on unconditional US
    support and would do better to hedge its bets with the Soviets. His Israeli interlocutor
    responded: “it went both ways. ... But it’s all in the family.” Mordechai Gazit, “Conversation
    of M.G. with David on 8 October,” p. 10, ISA A-7037/17.


24. Primakov, Blizhniy Vostok, pp. 133–8, 141, 145.


25. Jay Axelbank, “Victor Louis: Soviet Mystery,” Daily Press (Utica, NY), 27 August 1971,
    p. 6. Louis’s host, Dr Aryeh Harel (Sternberg ), director of Tel Aviv municipal hospitals,
    had served as ambassador in Moscow from 1958 to 1961. At that time, according to Louis’s
    own accounts, he had just been released from a labor camp and was working for Western
    journalists and/or embassies, which would have been impossible without KGB clearance.
    Louis also claimed he had already been to Israel in 1963.


26. Schecter and Schecter, Sacred Secrets, pp. 226–60; quotes are from pp. 228, 233.


27. Dan Arkin, Ma’ariv, 29 June 1971, p. 2 (describing Louis as “head of the KGB psycholog-
    ical warfare department”); Davar, 29 June 1971, p. 1.