he joined the Israeli Security Agency(ISA), where he assumed re-
sponsibility for security within the Ministry of Defense. After he retired
from the ISA in the 1962, Shimon Peres, then minister of defense, ap-
pointed him to head the Office of Special Assignments, a new unit in the
Defense Ministry. At the end of the 1970s this unit’s name was changed
to Bureau of Scientific Liaison(LAKAM). Blumberg had a particular
desire for action, and he proposed that LAKAM engage in stealing sci-
entific and technological information for the entire Israeli defense in-
dustry. He became known especially for his success in obtaining the Mi-
rage III blueprints. Attempts to dismiss Blumberg on the grounds that he
was uncontrollable were made from time to time, especially because of
his financial decisions and his penchant for providing services to his
friends (see alsoFRAUENKNECHT, ALFRED).
After the right-wing Likud party came to power in Israel in May
1977, the new prime minister, Menachem Begin, intensified attempts
to remove Blumberg from office. There were even accusations of
money laundering in LAKAM under Blumberg. When Ezer Weiz-
man was appointed minister of defense, he reached an agreement
with Blumberg whereby the latter agreed to report to Weizman in the
future. However allegations persisted that Blumberg preferred side-
stepping official channels to grant benefits to certain Israeli busi-
nessman. Blumberg ran LAKAM until 1981, by which time its activ-
ities were rash to the point of madness, although there was a
semblance of supervision. From the mid-1970s the secret services
subcommittee of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Commit-
tee, headed by Moshe Arens, was also regularly briefed on the activ-
ities of the bureau. After Ariel Sharon was appointed minister of de-
fense in 1981, he fired Blumberg and appointed a Mossadveteran,
Rafael (Rafi) Eitan, to direct LAKAM.BOUCHIKI, AHMED.SeeLILLEHAMMER AFFAIR; SALAMEH,
ALI HASSAN.BOUDIA, MOHAMMED. Aterroristpar excellence, Boudia joined
the Liberation Front (FLN) in Algeria as early as the 1950s and was
jailed in France for three years. After his release, he managed a small
theater in Paris and was known as a ladies’ man, nicknamed Blue-
beard. In 1972 Boudia offered his services to the Palestinians, acting50 • BOUCHIKI, AHMED06-102 (02) A-G.qxd 3/24/06 7:23 AM Page 50