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The Bomb in the Basement: How Israel Went Nuclear and What That Means for the World Paperback – January 9, 2007

by Michael Karpin (Author)

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As Iran continues to develop its nuclear program and explicitly denounces Israel, Michael Karpin's The Bomb in the Basement provides important context for the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

After Israel won its war of independence in 1948, founding prime minister David Ben-Gurion realized that his country faced the possibility of having to fight Arab nations again in the future. He embraced the idea of developing a nuclear capability and put a young lieutenant, Shimon Peres, in charge of the project. This was the beginning of Israel's quest for nuclear capability, a project that could not have happened without the cooperation of the French. In The Bomb in the Basement, journalist Michael Karpin gives us the most complete account of how Israel became the Middle East's only nuclear power and how its status as an officially unacknowledged nuclear nation affects the politics of that volatile region.

Karpin's research includes exclusive interviews that provide new insights into the key figures behind the program (notably a harsh rivalry between Peres and Isser Harel, the first head of Mossad). He explains how different U.S. administrations have dealt with Israel's nuclear status, from Eisenhower's disapproval to Johnson's open support. And he shows how the key to Israel's nuclear capability has been its policy of "nuclear ambiguity."

A compelling account of a complicated history, The Bomb in the Basement raises provocative questions about how Israel's nuclear arsenal may affect not only its own future, but the future of the entire Middle East.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Provides the most comprehensive and illuminating account of Israel's path and its policy of 'strategic ambiguity' about nuclear weapons."

-- Jacob Heilbrunn, The Washington Monthly

"Entertaining.... Karpin tells this intriguing story through pithy accounts of the major events and profiles of the key actors."

-- George Perkovich, The Washington Post Book World

About the Author

Michael Karpin has been an Israeli television and radio news reporter, anchor, and foreign bureau chief in Bonn and Moscow. More recently he has produced television documentaries, including one that was the genesis of this book. He lives in Jerusalem.

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (January 9, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743265955
ISBN-13: 978-0743265959
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 18 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,671,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #960 in Books > History > Military > Weapons & Warfare > Nuclear
- #2185 in Books > History > Middle East > Israel & Palestine
- #3186 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Middle Eastern

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Dimitrios

An extremely interesting story which is very well told

October 15, 2008

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The first that the author clarifies is that the book has been heavily cencored by the Israeli military, thus do not expect to find in it startling revelations about Israel's nuclear program. What you will find though is a very good account of the whole effort and its protagonists, from 1948 to the present (albeit the story somehow stops in the `80s). The reader will find also many similarities between the Israelis' efforts to conceal their project and the Iranians' efforts today and will come to the conclusion that when we have to do with a national effort to aquire the ultimate weapons of mass destruction we must it's rather naïve to expect those responsible to tell the truth or confess their aims. The chapters which deal with the US - Israeli relations and how they were strained by the race for the "bomb" are among the best. This is surely a very nice account on the subject of the Israeli "secret" nuclear arsenal and it is surely more readable than A. Cohen's book "Israel and the Bomb".

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August 2, 2006

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This writers has made a good effect to find out his facts.

I have read many books on this subject. Most book on this subject, even by Israeli have a tendancy to concentrate totally on the US and Israel relationships such as Avner's "Israel and the bomb" and almost ignore local Israeli and French policies.

This book however does make an attempt to discuss the actually bomb construction including the relationship with France, that was so important in getting it built. What struck me almost immediately is how cheap was the Israeli nuclear program! Many 100 of millions US dollars and several thousand people might be a massive project but compared to other nuclear programs, it does seems incredibly cheap. Still I would have liked to have seen more about the nuts and bolts of how Israel actually built the bomb.

Whether the US could have stopped the project as the writer states, I think is unlikely, considering that they had little to do with its creation nor did they know for certain about it until the Israeli bomb was well established. Without the US though Israel would have probably have a public nuclear defence policy.

The writer also provides a fairly good discussion at the end of what Israel achieved by its bomb program and the reasons for the Israeli policy of ambiguilty.

2 people found this helpful

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August 17, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A good read that seems a little loose on some facts, but well worth it.

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RAM930

If we build it they will leave us in peace?

January 26, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

As WWII came to close the world was left to confront what happened to the vast majority of Jewish population of central Europe. As result of the holocaust (and the rest of the world's failure to prevent it) the Jewish wanted to have there own land and vowed to never let the holocaust happen again.

There were waves of Jewish illegal immigrants to Palestine. Once the Jewish population reached a critical mass the international community paved the way for the modern Israeli state. This new state needed the ultimate weapon to detour would be invaders. There was a nuclear program before there was a state. The hope was the bomb would be "in the basement" as defensive weapon.

The Arab and North African countries (among others) took offense to the Jewish state. To increase the insult the Jews created an industrialized democracy without the benefit of petro-dollars. Over the years Jews living other Middle Eastern countries became hard so the migration to Israel increased. With the concentration of the Jews in Israel the Arabs had one place to focus their hatred (the US not withstanding).

The premise is forwarded that the bomb in the basement protected Israel during the 1973 war on the assumption that Sadat knew of the bomb and simply wanted the Sinai back in the hands of Egypt. Somehow Sadat knows about the bomb but Assiad in Syria doesn't? If you know they have the bomb then how can you be sure they won't use on you in the heat of battle? Why was there no effort on the part of Egypt to negate the nuclear threat of Israel? Why have the bomb the in the basement if you are the only one that knows it is there?

Lets assume that everyone who would wish Israel harm after 1973 knows they have the bomb, do they let them live in peace or do they just change their tactics? Now we have the diplomatic games such as land for peace and the ever in and out tide terror attacks. Does anyone really expect the Arab nations will allow Jewish state to live in peace? The bomb may have allowed Israel to exist for its first 60 years but what of the next 60? Will Iran have the bomb later this year? What country or group will be next join the nuclear club? Israel is rumored to have over 150 nuclear weapons some of which could be deployed in submarines. If Israel has put nuclear ordinance on submarines then the bomb has already left the basement. As long as there is an Israeli state, that state will always have to be vigilant in protecting its people from hostile forces committed to its destruction.

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Ruth B. Goldston

Must Read in the Quest to Understand Israel and the Bomb. Ari Shavit's book is also critical.

February 28, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Lots of inside baseball about Israeli politics, but some very interesting tidbits. He doesn't think the Vela flash was a nuclear test. He does think Teller told the Israelis lots of secrets. Personally, if I had a nuclear arsenal based on Teller's advice, it would not help me sleep at night. He had a few brilliant ideas and many off-the-wall ones.

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Tony Lesce

Don't waste your time.

October 12, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Too repetitious. Very slow reading.

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May 3, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

It is a wonderful read.Very rich history.

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Most recent customer reviews

Ballet Fan

Karpin does a good job of connecting the emotional motivation for acquiring the ...

Karpin gets off to a slow start but once he gets going, this book is hard to put down. Of particular interest to me was his information about why the French aided the Israelis in...Read more

Published on October 6, 2014

Chris Hansen

lots of juicy tidbits here

This is a terrific book. It's a bit gossipy, which makes it extra entertaining. Example: Golda Meir's breakdown during the Y-K war; the general contempt for Shimon Peres; how both...Read more

Published on October 15, 2008

Loyd Eskildson

Too Long - Should Only Have Been a Magazine Article!

France decided to get the bomb as a means of retaining its status as a world power and to free itself from American patronage. Since the 1940s the U.S.Read more

Published on November 15, 2007

Aaron Huber

A Great History of Israel's Nuclear Program

"The Bomb in the Basement" is a superbly written history of Israel's nuclear program. It documents it from the earliest stages during the pre-state period all the way till the...Read more

Published on May 8, 2007

Mendel Mordecai

Great Review of Modern Israel History and Even Handed

I was fascinated by this book. It provides a great review for the history of Israel, from the perspective of developing nuclear capability, and pretty good political analysis.Read more

Published on April 8, 2007

R. Pinkerton

My Apologies to Hans Blix

I read this book on a whim, I'm not very familiar with the subject as some of the other reviewers here appear to be.Read more

Published on January 31, 2007

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