Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence

Eichmann, the theft of a Soviet MiG-21 fighter aircraft, the rescue of Is-

raelis taken hostage by terrorists in far-off Uganda, and the conveyance

to Israel, their homeland, of Jewish communities in oppressive coun-

tries such as Iraq, Iran, the Maghreb states, and Ethiopia. All these were

accomplished despite the Mossad’s tiny size in terms of manpower and

budget compared with its counterparts in the West.

In February 1978, Time magazine ranked the intelligence establish-

ments of 14 countries, mostly of Western countries and a few commu-

nist states, based on parameters such as integrity of personnel, ability to

conduct operations, and skill in making the best of given resources. The

Mossad was ranked among the four leading intelligence organizations

in the world, together with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, the So-

viet KGB, and the British Secret Service.

This book aims to portray the entire Israeli intelligence community,

its organizations and directors, its successes and its failures, for the first

time in a dictionary style. The book may appear to lay undue stress on

failures, but this is only because these have been uncovered and made

known to the general public; only some of the successes are known,

while many more remain secret.

xii •PREFACE

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