Vanunu, the sunday times, and the dimona question

On 5 October 1986 The Sunday Times published an expose about Israel's secret programme at its nuclear reactor in Dimona. Entitled 'Revealed: Israel's Nuclear Secrets', the expose drew upon data received from Mordechai Vanunu who worked at the reactor for seven years as a technician. The newspaper calculated that Israel possessed 100-200 nuclear warheads. The expose also claimed that Israel was developing a thermonuclear and neutron nuclear capability. The expose was a watershed in Israeli public and foreign governmental perceptions about the country's nuclear programme. While the expose resulted in a revision of international estimates about Israel's nuclear capability, some questioned The Sunday Times' estimates. The disclosure failed to bring about the collapse of the country's ambiguity policy. Reflecting the seriousness of the security leak, Vanunu was abducted back to Israel from Europe by the Mossad and sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment on charges of espionage and treason. This article examines how The Sunday Times investigated Vanunu's account, the impact of the expose abroad and inside Israel, and analyses the behaviour of the newspaper after Vanunu's abduction.