1982, which specifically prohibited military assistance to the Con-
tras. One of the administration officials involved was Colonel Oliver
North, military aide to the U.S. National Security Council, who re-
ported in the White House to National Security Adviser Robert Mc-
Farlane and later to his successor John Poindexter. The entire scheme
was conducted without Congress’s knowledge, again contravening a
law requiring sales above $14 million to be reported to Congress. See
also NIR, AMIRAM.ISOTOPES AND RADIATION ENTERPRISES (ISORAD). See
DUMMY COMPANIES; NUCLEAR MATERIALS AND EQUIP-
MENT CORPORATION (NUMEC).ISRAELI SECRET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE.See MOSSAD.ISRAELI SECURITY AGENCY (ISA)/SHERUTH BITAHON
KLALI(SHABAK).The “Sheruth Bitahon Klali” literally means
General Security Service, but the organization’s official English
name is Israeli Security Agency. The ISA is also known as the Secu-
rity Service, Sheruth Bitahon, or Shin Bet. It was established with the
declaration of Israeli independence as Unit 184 in the Israel Defense
Forces (IDF). Its first director was Isser Harel(1949–1952). At that
time, all its personnel were IDF officers and soldiers. Harel wore an
IDF uniform with the insignia of lieutenant colonel. In 1950, respon-
sibility for ISA activity was moved from the IDF to the Israeli De-
fense Ministry, and soon after it was moved again, this time to the Of-
fice of the Prime Minister.
Upon establishment, the ISA was divided into units, which later
became sections. These were given numbers or titles.
Section Onewas concerned with preventing subversion by the Is-
raeli extreme right. In practice, this was political espionage, the col-
lection of information about the adversaries of the then ruling party,
Mapai. A great controversy arose when two ISA agents were caught
on 29 January 1953 installing a bugging device in the office of Meir
Ya’ari, leader of the United Workers party (Mapam). Although a So-
cialist Zionist party, Mapam favored the Soviet Union and Joseph
Stalin. The importance of Section One declined with the rising per-
ception of Israel as a democratic state, and political espionage was128 • ISOTOPES AND RADIATION ENTERPRISES06-102 (03) H-P.qxd 3/24/06 7:24 AM Page 128