AIPAC - 1 Kennedy- 0 (F)

Have you ever wondered why AIPAC is allowed to conduct business, influence policy, and fund American politics? Have you ever asked yourself, "Why isn't AIPAC registered with FARA? Wait, what is FARA?" Well, I have! Quite a bit, actually. While the answer is frustrating, the history of how AIPAC came to have free political reign in our country is equally so.

AIPAC's entry into the political forum was met with significant resistance. President John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, who served as Attorney General, attempted to mandate that the organization register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), but to no avail. Tragically, President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. He was succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson who, as history has shown, had no intention of following through on this policy. Instead, his administration became bogged down in Vietnam, leading to civil unrest that dogged his presidency until he declined to run for re-election in 1968.

The Origins of AIPAC AIPAC was originally formed in the 1950s as the "American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs" by Isaiah L. Kenen. Kenen, an Israeli lobbyist and journalist, changed the name to AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) later that decade. The organization’s initial intention was to build bipartisan support in Congress for Israel, which was then in its infancy.

AIPAC didn't have to wait long to score its first victory. In 1951, following heavy lobbying, the Morse-Taft bill helped secure roughly $130 million in aid for Israel.

The Kennedy Confrontation While President Kennedy supported Israel’s existence as an independent nation, he recognized the importance of oversight regarding the burgeoning state. In 1963, months before his death, Kennedy and then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion exchanged pointed letters regarding Israel’s nuclear program. Kennedy demanded inspections of the Dimona reactor, fearing that Israeli nuclear capabilities would inflame Middle Eastern tensions and that the U.S. would be blamed for the proliferation. Israel stalled, and these inspections never occurred during Kennedy's lifetime.

In 1962, the U.S. government—specifically Robert Kennedy—formally demanded that AIPAC register with FARA. Enacted in 1938, FARA requires individuals or entities acting as agents for foreign governments to disclose their activities, receipts, and disbursements to the Department of Justice.

The Department of Justice defines FARA as follows: "The Foreign Agents Registration Act ('FARA') is an important tool used to combat foreign influence in the United States. It creates transparency by requiring certain agents of foreign principals who are engaged in political activities... to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal... The purpose of FARA is not to restrict speech, but rather to identify it as the speech of a foreign principal... and thus to enable American audiences to consider the source in evaluating the message."

Transparency vs. Influence FARA does not prohibit foreign lobbying; it simply requires transparency regarding relationships, activities, and finances. Ultimately, it acts to prevent foreign powers from undermining the democratic process. Investigations by the U.S. determined that AIPAC was acting as an agent on behalf of Israel and should therefore register. AIPAC resisted. In its first decade, the organization managed to secure hundreds of millions in aid and help broker arms deals, all while refusing the Attorney General’s mandate to register as a foreign agent.

We will never know if the Kennedy administration would have succeeded in holding AIPAC accountable. After the murder of the President in Dallas, the pressure for AIPAC to register eased significantly. While inspections of Israel’s nuclear program did begin in 1964 under LBJ, many historians consider them superficial; Israel was reportedly given ample time to hide assets. With the U.S. distracted by the war in Asia, scrutiny of Israel’s capabilities faded.

The Modern Landscape Since then, AIPAC has flourished into a premier lobbying powerhouse. To date, approximately $380 billion in aid has been provided to Israel. Currently, the rate is $3.8 billion per year, primarily for defense systems and weaponry. Critics point out that this support indirectly offsets costs for Israeli domestic programs, such as healthcare, effectively using U.S. tax dollars to support foreign social welfare.

AIPAC has also funneled massive amounts into American elections—$100 million toward recent cycles and another $53 million to 361 specific politicians. You can track these contributions and the politicians involved here: https://www.trackaipac.com/congress