ISRAEL: The Lavon Affair

The tiny Republic of Israel was rocked last week by the most sensational political row in its twelve-year history. But Israelis themselves could not be sure what the row was about—or even which side was winning, because the army, on orders from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion himself, was censoring all reports about it. Day after day newspapers appeared with great chunks of white space where censors applied scissors. Officers were identified in print only by the initials of their last names. But no one could conceal the fact that a deadly power struggle had been joined, with Ben-Gurion, 74,...