How Richard Nixon Saved Israel in 1973
His actions in the 1973 Yom Kippur War were instrumental in ensuring Israel’s survival.
During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, President Richard Nixon played a critical role in supporting Israel by authorizing a massive airlift of military supplies, known as Operation Nickel Grass.
When Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 6, 1973, Israel faced severe shortages of equipment and ammunition as its forces were heavily engaged on two fronts.
The Soviet Union was simultaneously resupplying Egypt and Syria, putting Israel at a strategic disadvantage.
Initially, Nixon faced resistance from the Pentagon and State Department, who were concerned about antagonizing Arab nations and disrupting oil supplies.
Henry Kissinger, his national security advisor at the time was adamantly opposed, insisting it would raise the ire of the Russians. However, Nixon overruled these objections, reportedly stating, “We are going to get blamed just as much for three planes as for three hundred.”
On October 9, he ordered the U.S. military to begin airlifting supplies to Israel. Starting October 14, U.S. C-5 Galaxy and C-141 Starlifter aircraft delivered critical materials, including tanks, artillery, ammunition, and spare parts. Over the course of the operation, the U.S. delivered approximately 22,000 tons of equipment and 33,000 tons via sea by the war’s end.
Nixon also placed U.S. nuclear forces on a heightened state of alert (DEFCON 3) on October 24, signaling to the Soviet Union that the U.S. would not tolerate direct Soviet intervention, especially after intelligence suggested Moscow might send troops to support Egypt. This move helped deter Soviet escalation.
The airlift was pivotal in replenishing Israel’s depleted stocks, enabling its forces to regroup, counterattack, and eventually push back Egyptian and Syrian advances.
By the time ceasefires were negotiated in late October, Israel had regained strategic momentum, partly due to the U.S. support.
Nixon’s decision, driven by a mix of geopolitical strategy (countering Soviet influence) and domestic political considerations, was instrumental in ensuring Israel’s survival during the war, though it came at the cost of strained U.S.-Arab relations and the subsequent 1973 oil embargo.
Mr. Nixon was also motivated by a childhood memory. I learned this from the 700 Club, either on one of their programs or their DVDs. (They are very pro-Israel.) Apparently, Mr. Nixon‘s mother would read him Bible stories before bed every night when he was a boy. One evening, after reading the story of Esther, she stopped and pointedly said to her son, “When you are grown up, if you ever have the opportunity to help the Jewish people, you must do it.” Or something to that effect. According to what I heard, it was this admonishment and word from his mother that stuck with him deep inside until he was President of the United States. God knew what He was doing! As you probably know, the story of Esther is about a Jewish queen who delivers her people from certain death. I am very grateful to President Nixon, and so was Golda Meir. We appreciate your writing and all your posts, Mr. Stone! Thank you so much for being a beacon of truth.
The events related in the Book of Esther are not recorded in the history of Persia. In "Israel," you had a bunch of European mutts from the sidestreets of London, NYC & other major cities plop down in the area of Greater Syria known as Palestine, and announce to its residents that the land was - somehow - theirs. They then proceeded to enforce that claim through a campaign of terror, a terror repeated on a much grander scale in Gaza. Its past time for Westerners to wake up from the Svengali-like fantasies of Zionism and work for justice in the Middle East.