Michael Michaels

Via Melanie Phillips: The BBC's Newsnight program recently revealed that Britian supplied 10mg of plutonium to Israel in the mid 1960s. It also made some serious allegations against a former British civil servant.

The following is an extract from a transcript (the link to the video is here, under "Britain's nuclear link to Israel revealed").

Newsnight also reveals the crucial role played by the civil servant who, for fourteen years, was Britain's representative on the International Atomic Energy Agency (the IAEA), the body which regulates nuclear proliferation.

Michael Michaels was Jewish, a keen supporter of the state of Israel (indeed his middle name was actually Israel). And, when, he retired, the Israeli government found him a job in London for two years.

What was Michaels' "crucial role"? He wrote a letter in support of Israel's request; the Foreign Office opposed the deal. This letter and the fact that Michaels was Jewish are enough for the BBC to question his loyalty.

Peter Kelly [a retired defense intelligence analyst] believes Michael Michaels acted out of sympathy for Israel.

BBC: "Do you think there was a certain element perhaps of dual loyalties there? That although he was...?"

Peter Kelly: "Yes. Yes, I think one could say that."

The implication, I take it, is that Michael Michaels was some sort of Israeli double-agent, a traitor to British interests. Is this really the case? Or are the BBC simply playing "Spot the Jew"?