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Questions about "Foxbats Over Dimona."

Reader comment on item: The Soviets' Six-Day War

Submitted by Dr. Steve Carol (United States), May 30, 2007 at 17:53

Dear Dr. Pipes:

Thank you for your recent work about this new book. I am having problems with several items stated in the piece. First, the Soviet role in precipitating the Six Day War is known and documented. In fact, if you go back into the Middle East Radio Forum archives

Secondly, the Soviets had no fear of Israel – Existing Soviet IRBMS (let alone ICBMS) could annihilate Israel almost immediately.

Lastly, according to Janes's All the World's Aircraft – the MiG 25 only had a test flight in April 1965. Additional testing came later in the year. I am not certain when "mass production" began. Thus if indeed (according to the authors) a MiG 25 flew over Dimona in 1967 it would seem that the Soviets were prepared to risk losing a brand new aircraft with all of its new technology for what purpose? They knew from the Sinai-Suez War that whatever Soviet equipment lost in conflict in the Middle East, would turn up in U.S. and Western hands. So why risk a brand new aircraft, especially when their photo-reconnaissance satellites could pretty much do the same thing.

I know the Soviets did use MiG-25s for reconnaissance in preparation for the Yom Kippur (Ramadan) War of 1973 – flying over Israeli-held territory on Oct. 10, 1971, Nov. 6, 1971, March 10, 1972, and May 16, 1972, according to my records and notes.

Thus I wait have to await "seeing" (I am legally blind - so have difficulty in getting through a text) the book to give a full response to it, but at this moment I have my doubts. As I have said in the past, when a subject has been written about many, many -- did I say many? -- times, new authors have to find an "angle" in order to get their work into print and to get it publicity. "Foxbats Over Dimona" may be such a work.

Regards Dr. Steve Carol

Associate Producer and Official Historian of the Middle East Radio Forum Middle East Analyst for Salem Radio Network News. www.middleeastradioforum.org , I covered it in one or two shows when I discussed the prelude to that conflict.

There was more to this than just the Israeli reactor at Dimona. The key Soviet motive was to "redress" the balance caused by U.S. "gains from the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. intervention in the Dominican Republic, South Vietnam, the Congo. Additionally the Soviets "lost" ground with the overthrow of "progressive leaders" in Greece, Ghana, Mali, and Indonesia. There was even fear within the Soviet Politburo of the West toppling Nasser and the Syrian regime. The Soviets were desperate for a "win." Hence the machinery was put into motion to enable Nasser to bait Israel into a war and defeat/destroy it in the counter-attack. As I said, I outlined all of this on the radio show.

Submitting....

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Daniel Pipes replies:

On the second point, your reasoning suggests that the U.S. government has no concerns these days with Iran - clearly not true, and for roughly analogous reasons as the USSR vis-à-vis Israel.

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Reader comments (57) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Abdallah Schleifer fake propaganda and revealing some admitted facts [592 words]NirDec 29, 2022 22:53290405
Religious conversion: A lesson for the Jews and Hindus [215 words]PrashantDec 30, 2022 19:29290405
A fascinating theory [83 words]Ephraim MargolinSep 6, 2007 14:47107949
mig25 was operative in airforce in 1972 [50 words]Tuvia Lerner (Chief editor of http://7kanal.com)Jun 21, 2007 19:20100089
1The Soviets Six Day War - USS Liberty [99 words]DavodJun 3, 2007 08:5795874
Let's Not Overblame the Soviets [483 words]Ron ThompsonJun 2, 2007 14:3795798
Interesting explanation - but the booty Israel won was mismanaged (This issue is more relevant) [158 words]James BurkeJun 2, 2007 09:5295771
Enemies within [44 words]Carl HoffmanJun 1, 2007 04:0595615
Error: Mig-25 Not Operational Until 1970 [38 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
NathanMay 31, 2007 06:1395524
Roger that [12 words]Mike DeCastroMay 31, 2007 16:4995524
Wrong Jet [66 words]Stan DaddsMay 31, 2007 05:0495521
Planes in 1967 [56 words]Jan PollerJan 22, 2008 18:0495521
"The Soviets' Six-Day War" theory and the Soviet archives [43 words]IanusMay 30, 2007 19:1495495
Questions about "Foxbats Over Dimona." [481 words]
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Dr. Steve CarolMay 30, 2007 17:5395484
Historical fiction AKA BS [1398 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Michael DeCastroMay 30, 2007 16:2295357
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what you wrote ... [41 words]does not matherMar 14, 2014 08:1695357
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to Nikita [21 words]ASMay 31, 2007 07:0295309
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Egypt & Syria went to the war willingly, up to most Arabs and Muslims the War is not over yet [394 words]Egyptian ChristianMay 30, 2007 02:1195303
It's now a 40-year war [382 words]PatMay 29, 2007 22:1695186
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Former Soviet Ambitions - Then and Now [346 words]M. ToveyMay 29, 2007 16:0795154
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to dhimmi no more [77 words]FOXMay 30, 2007 12:4195151
I also don't believe it. [136 words]VijayMay 30, 2007 18:0395151
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USS Liberty? [40 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Patrick HuppMay 29, 2007 15:1595148
USS Liberty, the rest of the story [792 words]Mike DeCastroMay 30, 2007 17:1695148
Very Informative [185 words]Oscar NavarroJun 3, 2007 20:2395148
3POWs and what really happens during the fog of war [1053 words]Mike DeCastroJun 4, 2007 16:3695148
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Questionable source [168 words]Oscar NavarroJun 3, 2007 20:5095141
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Agree with your conlusion - Dr. Pipes [92 words]JaladhiMay 29, 2007 13:1495134
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Dr. Pipes, please expound . . . [18 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
PloniMay 29, 2007 11:4695125
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