ig54: a spy story i i 7 negotiations. The arrested men were indicted for setting fire to the American Information Offices in Cairo and Alexandria."
The man who was the most upset upon reading thisor so he said-was Defense Minister Lavon. He did not remember ever having given the order to do this. In fact, the question, "Who gave the order?" has haunted Israel ever since, toppling governments, splitting parties and turning David Ben-Gurion into Public Nuisance No. 1. The Egyptian aspect of the affair is generally alluded to in Israel as "The Security Mishap." Its sequel in Israel is called "The Lavon Affair." It aroused passions such as no other affair in Israeli public life, before or since, ever did.
What seems odd is that, in the consequent discussions which have been going on all these years, no one has ever really questioned the wisdom of the general line which inspired the mishap and other activities at the time, namely the wish to support the continuation of the British occupation of the Canal Zone, even at the price of further alienating-perhaps forever-the Egyptian people. The whole discussion centers around the one point: Who was responsible for an operation which, having failed, looks stupid? Other questions: Did or didn't the Minister of Defense tell the director of military intelligence to start the operation, in a private meeting with no witnesses, in the middle of July? Did the director lie when he said so, or did the Minister lie when he denied it? Were documents intentionally falsified? Were vital pieces of evidence spirited away? Were the officers responsible shielded by superior officers and the Chief of Staff himself? Were witnesses induced to perjure themselves, and why did General Dayan see fit to receive one of them just before the witness gave evidence? General Dayan, in fact, was conveniently away when the mishap happened. He was visiting the United States, causing some consternation in Pentagon circles. Dayan seems to have thought that he had