FBI Archives Expose 1940s Smuggling Rings and AIPAC Founder's Registration
Declassified files show agents tracking weapons crates and monitoring the man who later built the influential Washington lobbying group.
By Jenna Mitchell ·
Newly released FBI records reveal how federal agents monitored weapons smuggling networks and political operatives in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s. The documents, made public on October 21 by the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy, detail investigations into Zionist organizations that moved military supplies to Palestine and Israel despite export restrictions. The release follows Freedom of Information Act requests first filed in 2014.
The files trace a specific incident from January 15, 1948, when police arrested four men for falsely labeling explosives as used machinery. The suspects were Philip Alper, Moses Wolfson, Jack Dorfman, and Joseph Sager. The crates contained materials from the US Army Corps of Engineers. The arrests occurred after President Harry Truman’s administration restricted arms exports in December 1947 to limit fighting in the region.
The archive also examines the activities of Al Schwimmer, a key figure in establishing the Israeli Air Force. In 1950, Schwimmer was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Neutrality Act and export control laws. He received a $10,000 fine and lost certain civil rights. He later moved to Israel, founded Israel Aerospace Industries, and received a presidential pardon from Bill Clinton in 2001.
Isaiah Leo Kenen, the founder of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also appears in the documents. FBI records note his connections with the Israeli delegation to the United Nations. A January 1951 memorandum captures a conversation where Kenen discussed leaving government employment to start a public relations firm with Israel as a client. A Justice Department representative advised him to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and Kenen agreed.
The files include notes on the Anti-Defamation League’s information gathering. Records describe how 76 pages of documents regarding Arab League activities reached the FBI through a chain of intermediaries. These individuals included Wahid al-Dali, a journalist, and Sanford Griffith. The ADL reached a settlement with Arab American groups in 1999, agreeing to delete certain collected data and cover legal expenses.
The release coincides with recent changes in AIPAC’s political operations. The organization announced last week that it will stop formally endorsing candidates and making direct contributions through its political action committee. It plans to continue raising funds from members to support pro-Israel candidates. AIPAC members have contributed more than $90 million to candidates in the current election cycle.
The documents also mention a shortwave radio receiver operating in a Brooklyn home between 1946 and 1947. Investigators attempted to trace the communication links, but much of the record remains redacted. The files do not prove that today’s organizations operated illegally or that they are directed by the Israeli government. They provide a historical record of the complex ties between the United States, the Zionist movement, and the new state of Israel.
