

AIPAC lobbies the Reagan Administration Documents Max Green worked in the Reagan Administration's Office of Public Liaison. Many American Israel Public Affairs Committee "strategy papers" justifying massive new aid packages, requests for White House access, favors such as President Reagan greetings or participation in AIPAC policy events, and other lobbying requests were handled by Green. The Ronald Reagan Library released 372 pages of Green's AIPAC folder (PDF) under a FOIA request in January of 2013. The pace of AIPAC communications to Reagan slowed in 1985 after the Justice Department began investigating AIPAC for espionage and theft of government property. AIPAC lobbyist Steven J. Rosen sought a White House meeting about the "Iran Project" just weeks after the Iran-Contra scandal hit newspapers, perhaps indicating a larger publicly unknown AIPAC role in the affair. Final Reagan administration documents reveal members of the Senate, House of Representatives, and Reagan's own White House staff lobbying the president to personally address the 1988 annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Reagan declined the invitation. Date File File Size Excerpt/Description 1982SVI 1.16 MB 1982 "The Strategic Value of Israel" Papers on US-Israel Relations by Steven J. Rosen. Editor's note: Most core assumptions in the paper would be obsolete in less than a decade with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. 06/14/1982 113 KB 06/14/1982 AIPAC President Mort Silberman and Executive Director Thomas A. Dine congratulate the president after his "successful trip to Europe." 08/13/1982 47 KB 08/13/1982 Thomas Dine letter to Reagan "I would like to express my admiration and respect for your remarks on the situation in Lebanon at your press conference today. Truly the cause of this tragic war and the legitimate goals of the Israeli operation have been forgotten by many in the flood of attention to the fighting itself..." 10/14/1982 47 KB 10/14/1982 Michael R. Gale, Deputy Special Assistant to the President answers Thomas Dine, "Your advice and support during the past several weeks have been greatly appreciated by the President." 1983IUSN 3.36 MB 1983 "Israel and the US Navy" Papers on US-Israel Relations by W. Seth Carus and edited by Steven J. Rosen. Editor's note: Most core assumptions in the paper would be obsolete in less than a decade with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. 1983IMSUAF 1.63 MB 1983 "Israeli Medical Support for U.S. Armed Forces" by Stephen P. Glick edited by Steven J. Rosen. Editor's note: Report intro emphasizes that the report was not an attempt to benefit from the recent bombing of U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beruit. 1983AF 2.19 MB 1983 "Israel and the U.S. Air Force" by Martin Indyk, Charles Kupchan, Steven J. Rosen. "...the U.S. Air force has not been permitted, for political reasons, to fully exploit fully the potential for cooperation with Israel..." Editor's note: Most core assumptions in the paper would be obsolete in less than a decade with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. 03/14/1984 76 KB On 3/14/1984 AIPAC requests a Capitol Club cocktail meeting with Jim Baker. "As we discussed, this social event might provide an opportunity for Jim Baker to develop ties with the AIPAC leadership that would benefit this administration..." 04/1984 9.55 MB 04/1984 "Israel's Strategic Value to the United States" by Steven L. Spiegel. Spiegel claims that Israeli intelligence saved the U.S. $3.5 billion, $29.9 billion in "Tactical Warfare R&D", $10 billion in "Refining America's Armed Forces", $3 billion in "Air Defense" savings, $25 billion in "naval services in the Mediterranean." 04/06/1984 68 KB 04/06/1984 Ronald Reagan message to AIPAC Policy Conference. "Your efforts to enhance those ties are an outstanding example of the freedom our society offers to all citizens to participate in the foreign policy process..." 04/08/1984 802 KB 04/08/1984 Thomas Dine address to AIPAC Policy Conference. "Hope and Foreboding: The Future of the U.S.-Israel Relationship."...the term 'peace process' has been expropriated as a code word for a different policy that actually consists of tilting toward the Arabs and deliberately provoking tensions with Israel.. In reality this is a conflict process. I know that I am making a very serious accusation..." 06/08/1984 1.33 MB 06/08/1984 Special Assistant to the President Marshall Breger agrees to speak at an AIPAC summer seminar on "Pro-Arab Pressures on a Pro-Israel Administration" in the Cannon House Office Building. Breger thanks Charles Wick for increasing "VOA Soviet Jewish programming from 15 to 30 minutes a week." 08/13/1984 250 KB 8/13/1984 "AIPAC and the Republican Party - AIPAC's testimony to the Republican Platform Committee" Platform should contain commitment to preserve Israel's qualitative margin of military superiority; endorse the principle of aid to Israel, reaffirm the party's commitment to the Camp David accords, reaffirm that America will not recognize or deal with the PLO, express the party's and President's commitment to the U.S. Israel Free Trade Area, leadership of Regan and Kirkpatrick at UN, unified Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 1984_Draft 853 KB Draft bill to be introduced by Joe Biden putting limits on U.S. weapons exports 11/29/1984 736 KB 11/29/1984 Thomas Dine letter to Ronald C. Wornick, blind carbon copy to Marshall Jordan Breger "I have found Marshall to be a splendid two-fold advocate: on behalf of the President to the American Jewish community and then from the community back into the White House. Indeed, he has performed better than any other individual that has occupied this seemingly impossible mission." 10/23/1984 letter to Dine from Ronald C. Wornick that Breuger is "so occupied and so intellectually captured by a certain zealous group of the New York Hasidim..." 04/03/1985 461 KB 04/03/1985 Thomas Dine letter to Marshall Breger. "Enclosed are copies of letters to various Administration leaders involved in the recent humanitarian effort to save Ethiopian Jewry." Robert McFarlane, General Charles Gabriel, George Shultz, Caspar W. Weinberger, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush." ARCHIVE Related Archive - Reagan's ambassador at the US Trade Representative calls on the FBI to investigate AIPAC and Israeli government's acquisition of classified US trade negotiation documents. Complete FBI espionage and theft of government property investigation file released under FOIA in 2009 12/1985 413 KB 12/1985 Special Assistant to the President for Public Liaison and liaison with the American-Jewish community Marshall Jordan Breger - Bio 03/25/1986 71 KB 03/25/1986 Invitation to CIA Director William Casey to attend 1986 AIPAC Annual Policy Conference. 07/24/1986 316 KB 07/24/1986 "AIPAC Gears for Changes in US Israel Ties": by Wolf Blitzer. "Imagine a guy who knows the basement and the bowels of all the bureaucracies in Washington, the relevant ones-Commerce, Special Trade Representative, State, Treasury, Agriculture and Defense." 10/06/1986 362 KB 10/06/1986 AIPAC Coordinator of Information Toby Dershowitz asks White House for "photographs of President Reagan and, separately, Vice President Bush, each posing with an Israeli leader. If you have photos of the Secretary of Defense, Ambassador Kirkpatrick, Sec. of the Navy Lehman or Director of the CIA Casey posing with Israeli leaders, I would appreciate those as well." 12/03/1986 40 KB 12/03/1986 Max Green memo to Mari Maseng ( Director of the Office of Public Liaison, married to columnist George Will). "December 3 Meeting with Steven Rosen. Rosen is Research Director of AIPAC. For example, he is in charge of collecting and interpreting information about the Iranian operation*. Rosen is a valuable source of information because he has so many contacts in D.C. and in Israel. He is the highest ranking conservative on AIPAC staff. We should discuss the Iranian operation. We should also discuss the importance of AIPAC's relating to the White House as well Congress and State." * Editor's note: the Iran-Contra scandal became public in November of 1986. 04/10/1987 563 KB 04/10/1987 "The American-Israeli Alliance and the South African Problem" - by Thomas A. Dine. "Arms and South Africa make for a highly emotional issue. The combination is made more difficult because, as the State Department report declares, America's best friends sell arms to the regime. Israel and six European nations-- France, Italy, Germany, Britain, Netherlands and Switzerland--are named." 05/15/1987 39 KB 05/15/1987 Reagan greeting to AIPAC policy conference. "The still-young State of Israel means much to the United States." 1987_Policy 559 KB 1987 AIPAC Policy Statement 1987_Pretoria 107 KB 1987 AIPAC Memorandum - Israel Takes Steps Against Pretoria "One reason Israel opposes sanctions on South Africa is because Israel has continually been subject to military boycotts itself..." 1987_Briefing 1.11 MB 1987 AIPAC Briefing Book - Key Points on U.S.-Israel Relations "As a nation of immigrants, committed to freedom and democracy, and imbued with a pioneering spirit, Israel embodies the values which the American people hold dear." 08/04/1987 63 KB AIPAC president Robert Asher and Executive Director Thomas Dine invite President Ronald Reagan to address AIPAC. " The AIPAC Policy Conference is the major annual gathering of the political leadership of the pro-Israel community in the united states; it brings to Washington over 1,000 leaders from across the country. It is the preeminent national meeting for those concerned with the U.S.-Israel relationship, as is evident by the participation of so many of our nation's leaders. Last year over 300 Members of Congress and 50 Officials from the Executive Branch were in attendance. " 08/04/1987 32 KB Howard Kohr contacts Max Green to get Reagan to speak. "Your assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated." 08/17/1987 265 KB 08/17/1987 Frederick Ryan letter to AIPAC president Robert Asher "Thank you for your invitation...we are unable to make a commitment for the President this far in advance..." 12/15/1987 527 KB Max Green arranges to meet an AIPAC sponsored group of Australian college students at the White House for 12/15/1987. 02/11/1988 31 KB House Republican Leader Robert H. Michel advised, "apparently he [Reagan] has never talked to them specifically, and this would be the last year for this one also." 03/04/1988 49 KB Frederick J. Ryan, in charge of presidential appointments and scheduling at the White House urge s attendance. "Despite the fact that the AIPAC has opposed various administration efforts to sell arms to Arab countries, this would be an event worth doing…I have no doubt that he will be hailed by this most powerful of Washington lobbies as the truest friend of Israel ever to sit in the Oval Office." 03/25/1988 39 KB On March 25, 1988 Senator Richard Lugar pitches the White House on behalf of AIPAC. "They are (of course) very anxious to have the President. These are sophisticated and informed folks (who know what RR has done for the relationship) and I am told the chief will get a tumultuous welcome…." 03/31/1988 24 KB John Tuck, Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff indicates Reagan will not attend. " NO. " 04/04/1988 32 KB Frederick Ryan, Director of Presidential Appointments, "The President asked me to convey his appreciation for your proposal to present him with the first annual Mort Silberman Democracy Award. Unfortunately, the schedule to which he is committed that week, prior to his departure on May 26 for the summit meeting in Moscow, is so heavy that he will not be able to accept your generous offer." 04/12/1988 22 KB Linda Watson assigns publicity office official Max Green task of message creation. "I would appreciate your providing a draft Presidential message for the 29th Annual Policy Conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee..." In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is presented without profit for research and educational purposes, most importantly understanding how government functions during law enforcement actions involving Israel and its lobbyists. 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