Scott interviews Grant Smith about his recent article, which makes the case that the $3.8 billion in foreign aid given to Israel is on questionable legal grounds. It all comes back to Israel’s nuclear weapons, which the U.S. government has not officially acknowledged even exist. Because Israel is not a part of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is illegal for the U.S. to give them aid without making a specific case for why it’s necessary. Smith explains that to avoid this, Israel puts a lot of pressure on incoming Presidents to stay silent and not acknowledge the program. Smith also gives some background on how Israel acquired nuclear technology in the first place and how a tiny country in the middle-east has so effectively controlled American lawmakers. 

Discussed on the show:

•  “Israel’s Nukes Make US Aid Illegal” (Antiwar.com)
• “America Needs to Start Telling the Truth About Israel’s Nukes” (New York Times)
• “Joe Biden should end the US pretense over Israel’s ‘secret’ nuclear weapons” (The Guardian)
• Chuck Schumer acknowledging Israel’s Nuclear Weapons
• Documents obtained about the Israeli agent who infiltrated the NUMEC facility
• Grant Smith’s book about NUMEC
• Roger Mattson’s book about NUMEC
• Roger Mattson on CSPAN with Grant Smith
• Grant Smith’s book Big Israel
• “How Trump and Three Other U.S. Presidents Protected Israel’s Worst-Kept Secret: Its Nuclear Arsenal” (New Yorker)
• Grant Smith’s book about the fight to register the Israel Lobby as foreign agents

Grant F. Smith is the author of a number of books including Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America, Divert!, and most recently The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Podcast (thescotthortonshow): Play in new window | Download