In the Mossad, Kimche was an agent recruiter and runner. In 1954,
while going through a list of potential recruits, Kimche discovered
Avraham (Avri) Elad’s connections with Osman Nuri, head of the
Egyptian intelligence, and his attempts to sell Israeli military docu-
ments to Nuri. In the 1950s and 1960s Kimche conducted Mossad
missions, mainly in Africa and Asia, as an Israeli diplomat with the
cover name David Sharon or as a British businessman. Journalists
then covering Africa believed that Kimche’s activities were part of an
Israeli effort to establish ties with non-Arab entities on the “periph-
ery” of the Middle East such as Iran and Turkey (see PERIPHERY
DOCTRINE). Kimche habitually appeared in an African country a
day or two before a major coup and left a week later after the new
regime was firmly in control, often having been aided by Israeli se-
curity teams. One of Israel’s protégés in Africa whom Kimche helped
to groom was Colonel Idi Amin of Uganda. In May 1965 Kimche was
involved in the Ben-Barka Affair. His task was to evaluate the re-
quest of King Hassan of Morocco to the Mossad to assist him in as-
sassinating Mehdi Ben-Barka.
Kimche also traveled frequently to Iran during the shah’s regime,
where he developed a close friendship with Ya’acov Nimrodi, then
the Israeli military attaché in Tehran, who became an arms dealer af-
ter his retirement from the army. Kimche also served for several
years as the Mossad liaison with the Maronite community in
Lebanon, a role that would come to haunt him later. He made a ma-
jor effort to shore up the power of Christian ethnic groups and other
approachable entities in Africa, by befriending military cliques affil-
iated with them.
As many emerging Third World countries that fell under the influ-
ence of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser adopted an increas-
ingly hostile attitude toward Israel, Kimche used Israeli aid packages,
including military training and support, in an attempt to establish Is-
raeli footholds in developing countries as distant as Costa Rica,
Panama, Singapore, and Thailand.
Kimche used his firsthand knowledge of the Third World to con-
duct doctoral research on this subject. His dissertation, submitted to
Tel Aviv University, included profiles of the new leaders of several
developing nations. He also taught Third World politics on the inter-
service course of Israel’s intelligence community.KIMCHE, DAVID• 14706-102 (03) H-P.qxd 3/24/06 7:24 AM Page 147