In Haaretz is an article titled “Did Hollywood bigwigs help Israel buy arms in the 1970s and ’80s?”
Arnon Milchan, the Israeli producer of such smash hits as “Fight Club,” “Pretty Woman,” and hundreds of other films, is opening up for the first time ever about his involvement in clandestine deals to acquire arms for Israel and his work to promote the country’s alleged nuclear program.
The film tycoon sat down with Israeli investigative journalist Ilana Dayan for the season premiere of her current affairs show “Uvda” (“Fact”), in which he discusses his efforts to engage Hollywood colleagues in his work for Israel’s Defense Ministry. Keshet’s show is scheduled to air Monday, November 25, on Israel’s Channel 2.
This isn’t the first time Milchan’s role in Israeli arms dealings and intelligence has surfaced: Just two years ago authors Meir Doron and Joseph Gelman published a book titled “Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan” – which alleged that Milchan was an operative for Israel’s Bureau of Scientific Relations. The bureau, headed by spy-masters Benjamin Blumberg and Rafi Eitan, gathered information for secret defense-related programs, including Israel’s alleged nuclear program. The bureau was closed after Jonathan Pollard was arrested for spying on behalf of Israel in 1986.
Of the late director Sydney Pollack (whom I feel reasonable safe guessing was also Jewish):
The “Uvda” report does, however, contain some shocking new details about Milchan’s work, including claims that other Hollywood bigwigs like the legendary, late director Sydney Pollack and at least one other Academy Award-winning actor, both figured into his work for Israel…
There’s also an unnamed A-list actor:
Milchan also tells Dayan that he used at least one big-name actor’s star quality to lure U.S. scientist Arthur Biehl – an expert on nuclear weapons and a co-developer of the hydrogen bomb – to a meeting. According to the report, Milchan invited Biehl to the actor’s home under the pretense that the actor was seeking scientific advice for a project he was working on.
I wonder what the odds are this actor is himself Jewish?
