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Authors: Jeremy Bowen

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‘in command, training, equipment': PRO/FCO 17/576, ibid.

‘enjoys superiority':
Jewish Chronicle,
31 March 1967, quoted in PRO/CAB 158/66, 17 April 1967.

‘Israel's major strategic': Helms and Wheeler, NSC Meeting, 24 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘nuclear weapons': Memo from Katzenbach to LBJ, 1 May 1967, NSC, Box 17; also Rostow to LBJ, 8 May 1967, NSF, Box 145.

‘insufficient to launch': ‘Israeli–Arab confrontation, May 1967', op. cit.

‘The generals were left fuming': Raviv, p. 93.

‘glory of the television cameras': Rostow to LBJ, 9 June 1967, NSC, Box 18.

‘Since 1948': Eban,
Personal Witness,
pp. 1–41.

‘Eban arrived': ibid, p. 374; CIA Cable, ‘Impact of the Arab–Israeli crisis on the French political scene', 16 June 1967, NSC, Box 18.

‘In London': Eban, p. 378.

‘A couple of days earlier': PRO/PREM 13/1617, 23 May 1967: note of a meeting between PM, Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary at 10 Downing Street.

‘Eban did a lot of thinking': Eban, p. 381.

‘biggest crowd': Rostow account of meeting with Evron, NSC, Box 17.

‘one of the severest shocks': Eban, p. 382.

‘Read it': Rafael, p. 143.

‘We have no problems on the ground': Lammfrom, pp. 535–7, documents 166 and 167; telegram from Eshkol to Eban, 25 May 1967.

‘a hypochondriac cable': Eban,
Personal Witness,
pp. 382–3.

‘Israel had wind': interview with Hussein al Shafei, Cairo, 15 December 2002.

‘playing a political game': CIA Cable, UAR/Jordanian discussion, 25 May 1967, NSF, Box 105; and background on Jordan/UAR defense pact and reexamination of Jordan's position as a result of it, 4 June 1967, NSF, Box 106.

‘During the ten-minute flight': interview with Walt Rostow, Austin, 12 September 2002.

‘Johnston had the nasty feeling': NSC, Chronological guide, Box 17.

‘The president would buzz': interview with Rostow.

‘Waiting in Rostow's office': details of Israeli arguments in Dept of State Memo of interview between Secretary Rusk and Abba Eban, 25 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘not “a serious estimate”': Memo to LBJ from Rostow, 25 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘Upstairs, in the Oval Office': Johnson's furniture is at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas.

‘Israel was not showing': Morning Intelligence Mid-East Sitrep (as of 0700): Memo to LBJ from Rostow, 28 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘the only difference between': Oral History, Robert McNamara, LBJ Library, AC-96-10.

‘If the Israelis attacked first': quoted in Parker,
Six-Day War,
pp. 216–17.

‘Senior Soviet officials': Moscow Cable 5170, 27 May 1967, NSF, Box 105.

‘The CIA's conclusions': CIA Office of National Estimates, 26 May 1967: Memo for the Director, NSF, Box 115.

‘we are not inclined': letter to Wilson, 26 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘Eban and his team': Rostow report of meeting with Ephraim Evron, No. 2 at Israeli Embassy, 26 May 1967, NSC, Box 17; State 202587 flash telegram, 26 May 1967, NSF, Box 105.

‘Secretary of State Dean Rusk': Memorandum of interview, Rusk–Eban, 25 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘I did not get the impression': Eban,
Personal Witness,
p. 383.

‘Along about sundown': Meeting on the Arab–Israeli Crisis, 26 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘just a six foot four friend Texan': Raviv, p. 100.

‘unilateral action': Winston Burdett,
Encounter With the Middle East,
p. 254.

‘some guy out here':
New York Times,
10 July 1967.

‘The Israelis were finally ushered': Memo of interview, 26 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘they came loaded for bear': NSC, Chronological guide, Box 17.

‘Eban left immediately': Rafael, p. 145.

‘Eban and his team arrived': Raviv, p. 102; interview with Moshe Raviv, Herzliya, 6 May 2002.

‘They feel they can finish Nasser off': description of Barbour from Hersh, pp. 159–61; Allon's comments in White House situation room Cable to LBJ, 29 May 1967; Ambassador Barbour's comments and rumours about Eban's ousting in Walt Rostow to LBJ, 28 May 1967, both NSC, Box 17; threat to Eban, also in Rafael, p. 160; Yariv's comments to Ambassador Hadow, PRO/FCO 17/498; also
MER,
p. 197.

‘reached upper decibel range': Cairo 8072, Sitrep, Box 105, 27 May 1967; State Dept Situation report, 28 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘Physically he was': Sandy Gall,
Don't Worry About the Money Now,
p. 276.

‘It was a confident': Text of Nasser's news conference, 28 May 1967, NSF, Box 17.

‘sleepwalker speaking in an exalted trance of fatalism': Burdett, pp. 281–2.

‘American diplomats': Cable, Cairo 8218 to State, 30 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘They dismissed a theory': White House Situation Room to LBJ, Arab–Israel situation report, 0430, EDT 28 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘After Nasser had finished': Ziad Rifai's account in Hussein of Jordan, pp. 38–42.

‘New light': CIA Intelligence Information Cable, 25 May 1967, Box 105; Background on Jordan/UAR defense pact, 4 June 1967, Box 106, NSF.

‘traditional Arab friends': Amman Cable 3775, 26 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘would result in an Israeli occupation': Samir A. Muttawi,
Jordan in the 1967 War,
pp. 106–7; Hussein quotes, p. 103: interview with Leila Sharaf, Amman, 8 June 2002.

‘Just after dawn': account of Hussein in Cairo from Hussein of Jordan,
My War With Israel,
as told to Vick Vance and Pierre Lauer.

‘I knew that war was inevitable': King Hussein speaking to Avi Shlaim, 3 December 1996,
New York Review of Books,
15 July 1999.

‘He told the officers': interview with Prince Zaid Ben Shaker, Amman, 7 June 2002.

‘The official army minder': interview with Winston Churchill, London, 17 June 2002.

‘The crisis was especially frightening': letters in ISA G 6301/1051; letters to Eshkol in Prime Minister's Office file.

‘We have nothing for Israel except war': Cairo, Voice of the Arabs in Arabic, 1738 GMT, 18 May 1967, BBC SWB ME/2470/A/6.

‘Black jokes about': interview with David Rubinger, Jerusalem, 24 November 2002.

‘Suddenly everyone was talking about Munich': Muki Tzur from Kibbutz Ein Gev in
The Seventh Day,
p. 19.

‘During May, more and more men':
MER,
pp. 373–4.

‘sunny, sparsely populated':
New Yorker,
17 June 1967; reprinted in Chace, pp. 101–11.

‘Had there been an injury in the family?': Schliefer, p. 148.

‘nothing had changed': Morning and Afternoon Intelligence Sitrep, 28 May 1967, NSC, Box 17.

‘running around like mice': Bregman and el-Tahri, p. 77.

‘We felt as if the burden was on our shoulders': Sharon, p. 184.

‘Nobody offered Eshkol any refreshments': Narkiss, p. 67.

‘tongue-lashing': Rabin, p. 72.

‘the IDF's power to deter': an account of meeting from Haber, pp. 195–9; also interviews with Gavish, and with General Elad Peled, Jerusalem, 25 November 2002.

‘My purely military': interview with Gavish.

‘One of them': Elon,
A Blood-Dimmed Tide,
p. 9.

‘Letters criticising': ISA G 6301/1054–II, Prime Minister's Office, correspondence.

‘non-committal, uninspiring': Yael Dayan, p. 9.

‘Most Israelis thought her father': Henry (ed.),
The Seventh Day,
p. 23.

‘the leadership of the nation': Peres,
David's Sling,
p. 234.

‘Public doubt and derision': Moshe Dayan, p. 266.

‘He had two hobbies': interview with Lova Eliav, Tel Aviv, 2 December 2002.

‘walked in with a heavy revolver': Moshe Dayan, p. 28.

‘munching raw onions': ibid., p. 30.

‘the fate of our generation': quoted in Naphtali Lau-Lavie,
Moshe Dayan,
p. 142.

‘playing politics': Haber, p. 157.

‘high command of the army': PRO/Tel Aviv to FCO, Ambassador Hadow reporting interview with Gen Yariv, 31 May 1967, FCO 17/487.

‘a thundering voice': Haber, pp. 199–201.

‘He told the cabinet':
MER,
p. 371.

‘Nobody had told Gavish': interview with Gavish.

‘He said “come quickly to Tel Aviv”': interview with Miriam Eshkol, Jerusalem, 9 May 2002.

‘The British police chief': Segev, p. 475.

‘He acted quite naturally': Haber, p. 202.

‘It wasn't just a personal insult': interview with Gavish.

‘The IDF has never': Haber, p. 215.

‘Even Colonel Lior': ibid., p. 202.

‘Arab confidence hung in the air': Abdullah Schliefer, pp. 143–45.

‘Adnan Abu Odeh': interview with Adnan Abu Odeh, Amman, 6 June 2002.

‘I am impressed' Lisbon cable 1517, 2 June 1967 eyes only for President and Secretary of State from Robert Anderson NSF Box 115.

‘sport clothes' ibid.

‘Riad told him': Riad, p. 21.

‘not economic but purely psychological' Cairo cable 8349, 2 June 1967 NSC Box 18.

‘a terrible bloodbath': Memo to President from Rostow, 2 June 1967, NSC, Box 18.

‘the capability of these forces': Memo to the Secretary of Defense from Wheeler, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2 June 1967; NSC, Box 18.

‘On 2 June': IDF 3/46/1980: minutes of Special Meeting of the General Staff with the cabinet defence committee, 2 June 1967.

‘barbaric and inhuman': Brown, p. 35.

‘He was very impressive': interview with Meir Amit, 26 November 2002.

‘the strident Arab nationalism': PRO/FCO 17/489: Pullar (Jerusalem) to FCO, 3 June 1967.

‘Late in the afternoon': Narkiss, pp. 87–92.

‘If the chief of staff': interview with Mordechai Hod, Tel Aviv, 7 May 2002.

‘He gave a terrific show': interview with Churchill.

‘I propose to discontinue': PRO/FCO 17/489: Hadow (Tel Aviv) to FCO, 4 May 1967.

‘At Kibbutz Nachshon': Kibbutz Nachshon bulletin.

‘Ran Pekker': interview with Ran Pekker Ronen, Herzliya, 25 November 2002.

‘The air force's own intelligence': interview with Air Vice Marshal Abdel-Hamid El-Dighidi, quoted in Egyptian weekly
Al-Ahali,
29 June 1983; reprinted in
al-Ahram,
5–11 June 1997.

‘It is now increasingly clear': Memo from Rostow to LBJ, 4 June 1967, NSC, Box 18.

‘The Soviet ambassador to the UN': Shevchenko, p. 133.

‘Tomorrow it will start': interview with Miriam Eshkol, Jerusalem, 9 May 2002; also Bregman and El Tahri.

‘War looked inescapable': Cable Amman 4040 to State, 4 June 1967, NSC, Box 23.

Day One

‘Brigadier-General Ariel Sharon': Yael Dayan, pp. 33–4.

‘Hod managed four hours' sleep': interview with Mordechai Hod, Tel Aviv, 7 May 2002.

‘Battle order of the officer': AP,
Lightning Out of Israel,
p. 53.

‘Secrecy and surprise': interview with Hod.

‘Ran Pekker's alarm': Weizman, p. 179; Ran Ronen, ‘Hawk in the Sky',
Yediot Aharonot,
2002.

‘The same thing': interview with Hod.

‘King Hussein's warnings': interview with Ihsan Shurdom, Amman, 5 June 2002.

‘Pekker … made sure coffee': Ronen, interview and ‘Hawk in the Sky',
Yediot Aharanot,
2002.

‘Similar briefings': Avihu Bin-Nun's eyewitness account from Bamahane, IDF Magazine, reprinted in
Jerusalem Post.

‘In those days': Weizman, p. 69.

‘By 1963': interview with Herzl Bodinger, Yad Mordechai, 1 December 2002.

‘The pilots made models': PRO/AIR 77/581.

‘Hod and his commanders': interview with Hod.

One of the pilots': interview with Uri Gil, Einhod, 6 November 2002.

‘The next stage': interview with Bodinger.

‘The soldiers of': Orr's eyewitness account from Bamahane, IDF Magazine, reprinted in
Jerusalem Post.

‘The headquarters': interview with Major-General Salahadeen Salim, Cairo, 14 December 2002.

‘down 30 per cent': official Egyptian government figures quoted by Salim.

‘The IAF had five': IAF summary of statistics, IDF 1983/1210/147.

‘dinned into them': Avihu Bin-Nun, ‘Bamahane', IDF magazine reprinted
http://info.jpost.com/supplements

‘Ran Pekker thought': Ronen,
Yediot Aharonot,
2002.

‘Herzl Bodinger and': interview with Bodinger.

‘The suspense was incredible': Weizman, p. 211.

‘In 1966, he had claimed': Schiff, p. 198.

‘The routes the aircraft': interview with Hod.

‘Bin-Nun swung his Mystere': Avihu Bin-Nun, ‘Bamahane'.

‘Cairo was an hour': interview with Hod.

‘In his Vautour Bodinger': interview with Bodinger.

‘The defence minister': Weizman, p. 214.

‘Bin-Nun and his flight': Avihu Bin-Nun, ‘Bamahane'.

‘Israel had deliberately kept': Weizman, p. 215.

‘They had good maps': PRO/AIR 77/581.

‘Thanks to excellent, extremely comprehensive intelligence': Black and Morris, pp. 206–35.

‘Pilots had a target book': interview with Shurdom.

‘Giving details of the layout': interview with Hod.

‘Tahsen Zaki': Tahsen's story in Draz, pp. 5–20.

‘the beating heart of Arabism': Foreign Broadcast information service daily report No. 108, 5 June 1967, NSC, Box 19.

‘He was about to get': interview with Shafei.

‘He could not break': Hod in
Paris Match,
quoted in
Hussein of Jordan,
p. 103.

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