State Department, Israelis Deny U.S. Asked to See Nuclear Plants

The U.S. State Department and Israeli sources in Washington both denied Wednesday that the United States has asked to inspect Israel’s nuclear facilities to check whether U.S.-made timing devices are being used for atomic bomb triggers or were sent to a third country.

A State Department official denied a Washington Post report that the United States asked for such an inspection to account for the devices, called krytrons. “No such request was made by the American government,” the official said.

State Department spokesman Edward P. Djerejian said Israel “has been cooperative in our investigation on this matter.”

An Israeli source in Washington agreed. “There was never a demand (by Washington) to inspect nuclear facilities” in Israel, he said. “We are fully cooperating with the Americans and they are quite happy with our cooperation.”

Israel “might be requested to return” any unused krytrons to the United States, Israeli sources said.

The Israeli Defense Ministry acknowledged Sunday that it acquired several krytrons between 1979 and 1983 and said it still has a stockpile of the timers. It has used the krytrons in connection with research and development for conventional weapons, lasers and medical equipment, the Israeli sources said.

The ministry denied that any of the devices have been passed on to other countries.

Israel long has been named as one of several countries capable of building nuclear weapons. It has permitted U.S. officials to inspect its major atomic facility, at Dimona in the Negev desert, which was built with French help in 1957.

Newsweek magazine said that up to 600 krytrons illegally were sent to Israel. The Israeli government, the sources said, was not aware that the devices may have been been smuggled to Israel in violation of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act and the Export Administration Act.

“We acknowledge that the units have been used in defense-related industries,” one source said. “We didn’t know they were smuggled, since they are easy to obtain. They cost only $75 and they are easy to acquire.”

The sources acknowledged that a grand jury investigation has focused on an Israeli businessman, Arnon Milchan, who allegedly exported the krytrons through a firm in Huntington Beach, Calif., Milco International.