Israel’s Big Brother: How the Ramparts Exposure of the CIA-AFME Relationship Altered US-Israel Relations from 1948-1995 Open Access

Abstract

The American Friends of the Middle East (AFME), a group funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), aimed to increase American support for the Arab world during the beginning of the Cold War years despite America’s close friendship with Israel. The relationship between the CIA and the AFME did not come to light until 1967. 

In this thesis, I will examine the formation of AFME, the role it played during the Cold War years, and the infamous CIA financial scandal uncovered by Ramparts magazine. Further, I will analyze Zionist and Arabist reactions to the exposé and how they spurred passage of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The result of the AFME saga and exposure led to a closer US-Israel relationship–one that ran contrary to the goals of the organization.

Because I am analyzing the history of an American intelligence agency, I will utilize CIA briefings, analyses, and agent notes via FOIA requests. Currently, there are few authors who have written about the AFME. Hugh Wilford, Geoffrey Levin, and Nick Grover have written books, articles, and theses featuring the AFME. Beyond them, authors have mentioned the group but have not taken a deep dive into their effect on American politics. I hope this thesis provides a thorough analysis of the significant role this group played in shaping US-Israel relations and exposes the catalyst for this important alliance.

Table of Contents

Preface…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1

Chapter I: Foundations……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……….6

Chapter II: American Friends of the Middle East (AFME)…………………………………………………………………………………...21

Chapter III: Exposure and Reactions…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……….33

Chapter IV: Evolving US-Israel Relations From 1967 to 1995 after AFME collapse (Friend to Guarantor)………..……………..46

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………….62

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………..66

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Middle Eastern Studies Jewish Studies History, Middle Eastern
Keyword	FOIA Cold War Israel CIA AFME Zionism Arabist
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dr. Geoffrey Levin, Emory University
Committee Members	Dr. Matthew Payne, Emory University Dr. Sam Cherribi, Emory University

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