Six day war 093016 final by LYNN PELKEY

LIFE SIX DAY WAR

PROPOSAL FOR A LIMITED SERIES Story By Rob Eshman and Todd Ellis Kessler Written by Rob Eshman

Skydance Television Executive Producer Howard Rosenman

Israel Before and After the Six Day War

“Since June 1967, each major event in Arab-Israel relations has represented an attempt to come to terms with the results of those six days of fighting. No other geographically limited conflict, so short and intense, has had such global ramifications.” — Michael Oren, “Six Days of War” 2

SIX DAY WAR SERIES OVERVIEW

Story by Rob Eshman and Todd Ellis Kessler Written by Rob Eshman THE SIX DAY WAR was an unparalleled event in world history —preemptive, daring, lightening fast. In six days— June 5-11, 1967—one small army defeated three far larger ones. By the last day of war, Israel had captured territories four times its former size. The war changed the map of the Middle East—of the world—in ways so profound, the fight over the spoils of that conflict continues to this day. And when it was over, the world had turned upside down. This Six Day War TV event series reveals the littleknown story of how Israel won, revealing secrets that were crucial to victory. Based on the never-before-dramatized true story and using composite characters and larger-thanlife historical figures, the Six Day War series gives voice to the stories -– Arab, Israeli, American – that lie at the heart of today’s Middle East conflict and shape our world today. Six days that resound in military history, that shattered old myths and created new ones— the Six Day War is the last great, untold epic of our time.

COLONEL DAN NIV EVE OF WAR

June 1, 1967. The Stones’ “Paint It Black” blasts from the tinny radio of a beat-up Fiat. Inside, COLONEL DAN NIV – in uniform, mid-20’s, handsome with piercing eyes – is engrossed in the music. He pounds the steering wheel to the beat, driving like a maniac over the rutted roads of Israel’s hilly countryside. Up ahead, three Israeli soldiers are hitchhiking – one of them a pretty young woman in fatigues. He pulls over and the three hop in – the pretty one beside Dan, of course. BEEP BEEP BEEP— three tones of Israeli news in-terrupt the Stones, and the soldiers and Dan fall silent to hear the news. Egypt’s President Nasser has moved 200,000 troops and 170

But Dan cuts her a look – he knows what she really wants to ask. He poses the question himself. “Do I think there’ll be war?” he says, smiling wryly, “It’s the Middle East.” Dan soon pulls off the highway past a Hebrew sign that reads, “KIBBUTZ URIEL,” explaining he needs to pick up a member of his squad here. As Dan’s Fiat navigates between the rustic buildings, goat pens and apple orchards of the kibbutz, he notices a lot of activity for a quiet place: army trucks, tractors hauling water tanks, Jeeps painted with the white medic cross. Dan walks toward where medics are setting up a field hospital

Dan poses the question himself. “Do I think there’ll be war?” He scans the skies, smiling wryly, “It’s the Middle East.” tanks to Israel’s southern bor-der. Jordanian and Syrian armies are in position to Israel’s East and North. Nasser has cut off the Straits of Tiran to Israeli ships. President Johnson has expressed ‘grave concern,’ but taken no action. Israel is small, vulnerable and all alone— Dan flips off the radio. Silence. Registering Dan’s stripes, the pretty soldier asks Dan about his unit. 4

in the mess hall. A chief medic in uniform is barking out orders. Dan approaches her and asks, “When did the mess hall became a hospital?” GALIT OZ, Dan’s old flame, nods toward the pretty female soldier who just got out of his car, and ripostes, “When did your car become a hotel room?”

“Now Egypt has moved 60,000 troops and 600 tanks to our border and you do nothing!” This is the natural order of their relationship. Galit and Dan grew up together on the kibbutz: first classmates, then lovers. They have this tempestuous romance of tough-minded equals. With every male reserve called to active duty, it falls on Galit, a junior IDF officer, to patrol the kibbutz perimeter and prepare for mass casual-ties. The banter masks the enormous pressure they both face to protect the people they love.

board sticking out the back, which he sets conspic-uously on the dashboard of Dan’s car. Galit’s main concern is for her brother Uri, the only family she has left. Galit makes Dan promise to look after Uri. As the

vinced….

lars.

ON AL-SUWEIR EGYPTIAN AIR FORCE BASE, Soviet-made fighter jets line up like silver stallions across the tarmac and, just beyond them, sits a large clubhouse. Its Arabic sign warns, “Of-

A THUNDEROUS NOISE. A squadron of French Mirages, Mysteres and Gloster Meteors rise up off the horizon, as if formed from the very sky. The formation climbs toward the high clouds, then levels

When a Syrian mortar EXPLODES outside the barn, Dan races toward the blast. A tractor – shredded, its motor still running– lies on its side. A crowd gathers as Dan searches for the driver. Dan’s mother HANNAH runs out in full panic. Dan’s father ZEV just drove out to the field on that tractor. WHERE IS HE? Dan finds his father knocked clear of the blast, dazed but alive. If the Germans couldn’t kill him in the camps, you think the Syrians could? Hannah curses the Syrians in the Golan Heights staring down on them—Enough already! You shoot us, we shoot you—enough! And she collapses into her husband’s arms… Loading down the Fiat, Dan and his hitchhikers are joined by two more soldiers from the kibbutz – Galit’s kid brother, URI OZ, 22, who serves in Dan’s flight squadron and ELI GRINSTEIN, a kibbutznik paratrooper with a religious bent. Uri is the class clown, an excellent pilot whose dreams of post-army life center on following the footsteps of his idols, the Beach Boys, and trekking to Malibu. His only foothold on that dream is a treasured Matchboxsized convertible with a tiny surf-

Prime Minister Eshkol and Army Chief Yitzhak Rabin argue over when—and whether – to strike Egypt first.

soldiers stuff into the Fiat, Dan tells Galit not to worry. Of course, Dan will look after Uri—he’s like a brother to Dan, too. “We have a plan,” he says. “Idiot,” she tells Dan, “they have plans too.” Dan says he can take care of everyone. Galit reminds Dan she’s always been a better shot than him. He reaches for her, pulls her close. And Galit allows herself to be comforted, maybe even con-

ficers Only.” Five clicks away in the skies above, Dan sits strapped in the cockpit of his Meteor fighter, charging toward the enemy base. Dan is in his zone – cool, impatient, assessing – as he comes up on his target. Down below, a convoy of Jeeps sits perched along the sand dunes, seemingly waiting to attack. In the lead car, a grim-faced General scans the skies through binocu-

off overhead and unleashes a torrent of bombs. The Egyptian hangars and airplanes explode in a se-ries of bombings. The fighter jets scream past and circle back – except for one plane: Dan’s lead Meteor, small and tight as an arrowhead. It doesn’t just turn; it performs a daring inside-out vertical loop. The General, MORDECAI HOD of the Israeli Air Force, looks over the air base wreckage –

“If our history teaches us anything, it’s that when a dictator says he wants to destroy the Jews, believe him.” and for the first time we see it is all FAKE – abandoned buildings, plywood and cheap metal, the planes, the bunk, the hanger – all of it a perfect mock-up of an Egyptian air-field. BACK AT ISRAEL’S HAT-

hell would Dan risk his life and his plane doing an upside-down loop, for what? “I needed to see what it could do,” Dan says, cocky as ever. Dan looks to Rabin for affirmation, but his hero stands with shoulders

breath to gather his cool. He grips his sole copy of the plan he has worked so hard on, walking into a wall of voices. The loudest one pivots: Who dares interrupt me? – and Dan comes face to face with:

border attacks,” Dayan says, “the tension between Israel and her avowed enemies Egypt, Syria and Jordan is intolerable. Egypt de-manded the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping troops from the Sinai – and the UN agreed. Now Egypt has moved 60,000 troops and 600 tanks to our border…and you do nothing!” The pompous FOREIGN MINISTER ABBA EBAN gesticulates at the immense MAP on the wall, remind-ing them Israel’s immediate neighbors have 5 times the soldiers, 3 times the airplanes, 10 times the territory of Israel – and now Nasser has dared to order a flyover of Israel’s nuclear plant. Rabin interrupts the group, stubbing out his umpteenth cigarette, and puts Dan on the spot. Dan has been work-ing on an attack plan: Operation Focus. Rabin says bluntly, “Tell them.” And now the room goes quiet…

As Egypt poises to attack their country, Israelis dig trenches in public parks for mass graves—their own.

ZOR AIR FORCE BASE, Dan Niv brings his Meteor in for a landing. Climbing from the cockpit, he sees Hod steaming toward him, followed by GENERAL YITZHAK RABIN. Blue-eyed, taciturn Rabin, 40, was the hero of the 1948 War of Independence – and Dan’s own hero. It’s clear this is Dan’s big moment. Rabin is now Chief of General Staff, commander of Israel’s combined forces, in charge of Israel’s war machine. Hod points to the wings of the million-dollar plane Dan just landed. They are now bent. Why the 6

drooped, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The confidence drains from Dan – is this really the hero of the 1948? Dan starts to explain him-self, but Rabin, nervous, cuts him off – the Cabinet is waiting for them. All Rabin wants to know is this: Is Dan ready? Dan finds himself being led like a lamb to the slaugh-ter into a contentious security staff meeting of Israeli leaders. As he enters, he hears snippets of an argument… Egyptian MiGs over Dimona... our nuclear stockpile at risk… Arab troops in the Negev… Dan takes a

ENERAL MOSHE DAYAN: Dayan, whose trademark eye patch and victory in the 1956 war against Egypt have already made him the international symbol of Israeli heroism. Dayan returns to his heated diatribe, aimed at a quiet, grandfatherly man seated across from him. Given Dayan’s bluntness, you’d never guess he was arguing with PRIME MINISTER LEVI ESHKOL. “After months of Arab cross-

Dan gets why they’re anxious: everything rides on the answer. For two weeks now, Israel has been on the verge of war. Not 20 years earlier, Israel’s Arab neigh-bors tried to crush it as soon as the Jewish state was de-clared. Soundly defeated, Egypt, Syria and Jordan are now seeking vengeance. Egyptian mobs are chanting “Death to Israel” and waving pictures of piles of Jewish skulls. “If our history teaches us anything,” says Dan, “it’s that when a dictator says he wants to destroy the Jews, believe him. Nasser has shut the Straits of Tiran to Israeli ships – the lifeline that brings in oil from Isra-el’s largest supplier, Iran. And, days before, Nasser signed a mutual defense pact with Jordan and Syria. Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Eshkol refuses to strike back

without President Johnson’s backing, and even General Rabin, the head of the army, can’t con-vince him.” All eyes on Dan now as he rises to his feet to explain his plan out of this impossible predicament: Israel will attack first. On the day of preemptive attack, 220 Israeli warplanes, all but 12 of the entire fleet, will take to the skies, heading for air bases in Syria, Jordan and Egypt. They will fly low, skimming just 40 feet above the waves. Then, just before reaching the enemy airfields, they will rise to bombing height, level off, and release their payloads. “You’ll put 220 planes in the air,” Dayan grumbles. “That leaves just 12 to guard the entire country. If they penetrate our airspace, we’re defenseless.” “In America,” says Dan, “They call this a ‘Hail Mary.’” Dan knows the plan inside out. For five years he worked out every angle of attack, the thickness of every runway, the time the sun comes over the horizon at every enemy airbase, even the time the Egyptian pi-lots eat breakfast, and for how long. When a Minister doubts him, Dan fights even harder. They have to un-derstand this is the best way to victory.

Dayan sets him straight. “Colonel, there is no strategy without sacrifice.” Eshkol shakes his head, mumbles to himself: Blut vet sich giessen vie vasser -- Blood will run like water. But Rabin backs Dan, saying, “The longer Israel waits, the high-

er the casualties.” And it’s clear the spec-ter of massive Israeli casualties rattles Rabin.

technician shakes his head. Dan storms out. He “knows better than a stupid American toy.”

The arguments go on. Party chairwoman GOLDA MEIR – blunt, stout and Milwaukee-raised – bulldozes into the melee, laying out a bleak scenario for Eshkol: the army and reserves have been mobilized for weeks; supplies are low, morale is low, and the economy is tanking.

Dan, Eli and Uri nurse their disappointment at a Tel Aviv café. All their planning seems for nothing. The café crowd turns their attention to the radio over the counter. Prime Minister Eshkol’s voice sputters from the speaker – his address to the nation on the eve of war. Eshkol stammers, flubs lines – Dan can even hear pages dropping – and Dan has had it. He downs his drink and tells Eli and Uri he is going to appeal directly to Rabin.

She shouts, “How long can the soldiers sit in the field when everything they left behind is collapsing?” Dan watches as Eshkol faces the challenge from his generals, his cabinet, Dan—everyone. In his old-country Yiddish accent, the grandfatherly, seemingly weak leader rises. Even if Israel is successful, it will still have losses, and it will need to rebuild, and it will need allies, especially America. “Military victory will end nothing,” Eshkol says. “The Arabs are here to stay. So never tell me you don’t give a damn about allies.” They will wait for the green light from LBJ. Dan is ready to burst, but he doesn’t let it show. Eshkol, looking to forestall a hard decision, says he

Returning to the Security Staff offices, Dan charges into Rabin’s headquarters, but the General’s aides will not let him through. Dan pushes past them and opens the door… …only to find Rabin, Chief of Staff and commander of the army, slumped at his desk, staring into empty space, a cigarette burned down to its nub singeing his fingers. On the eve of war, Israel’s top general has had a nervous breakdown. An aide comes and pulls an in-credulous Dan from the office.

Giving up already!? Dan now sees the volunteers, and they are dirty, scared – the same fear etched onto his parents’ faces. On the eve of war, it looks like Israel is doomed…

DAY ONE: THE WAR BEGINS

une 5, 1967. Darkness still hangs over Hatzor Air Base near Tel Aviv. The airmen are asleep. A messen-ger taps Dan awake. He walks outside, where General Mordecai Hod awaits with a terse message. Eshkol has made the decision – Operation Focus is a go. In the burnished light of dawn, Dan, Uri and the oth-ers fire up their engines. Evading radar, Dan and his wingmen fly so close to sea level the waves seem to lap at Dan’s fuselage. As the blue Mediterranean gives way to desert sand, Uri looks across to Dan from his own cockpit, nods. No radio contact al-

The war begins. At dawn Israeli jets launch a series of surprise attacks on Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian airfields — effectively destroying three enemy air forces on the ground. Jordan launches artillery strikes on Israeli targets and Egyptian tanks roll toward Israel.

wants a new machine from the United States – called a computer – to test Operation Focus.

LATER IN THE COMPUTER ROOM, Dan watches as a behemoth IBM computing machine calculates the exact likelihood that Operation Focus will succeed. As the results sputter from the machine, the IBM

As Dan drives away from Rabin’s office, he passes Independence Park – pulls over – what the hell is going on? Volunteers have dug giant pits, and a rabbi is con-secrating them as a Jewish cemetery for the mass casualties sure to come. Dan gets in the Rabbi’s face: What are you doing?

lowed. ABU SWEIR AIRFIELD, coming into view. Dan and his team light the afterburners; the jets leap to altitude. Beneath them rows and rows of Egyptian fighter jets, polished enough to reflect the

Israeli jets swarming overhead. Dan releases his bombs and the entire armada of the Egyptian Air Force explodes in a fireball. The flames leap so high they engulf the Israeli planes. Dan loops around – G forces pressing hard against him – levels off and returns over the airstrip, unleashing a fury of cannon fire. BACK AT HATZOR AIR BASE, the ground crew refuels and rearms the jets in minutes. Dan receives a new target – Kibrit Air Base. “The surprise is over,” Dan warns Uri and the others. “They’ll be waiting for us.” OVER KIBRIT AIR BASE, Dan sees the sky turn to a solid red dome of fire. And he heads right into it. Dan toggles the radio switch, the squadron channel. “One in,” he says. Then he hears his men report back: “Two in, Three in,” and finally Uri’s voice, “Four in.” After a vicious battle in Gaza, Israelis tend to their wounded.

Dan angles down, four MiGs lined up on the runway appear in his gun sight. He puts his sights on

ward the air base. He lines up the plane in his sights, reaches for his trigger and – a burst of anti-aircraft fire rips his fuselage. Uri’s plane EX-PLODES— INSIDE DAN’S MIRAGE, heading home. “One out,” he says. He hears back, “Two Out.” “Three out.” Uri, number four, doesn’t report. “Four?” Dan calls. “FOUR, ANSWER!” The moment is crushing as Dan realizes: Uri went down. GROUND OPERATIONS COMMAND. Dan waits in the briefing room. Hod enters, followed by Rabin, recovered from his breakdown – Rabin announces to staff, but with his eyes on Dan, “The Egyptian air force has ceased to exist. Never in history have so few pilots destroyed so many aircraft in so little time.” Now, Rabin says, the real war begins…. Dan walks outside. He wipes at a tear forming in his eye. Rabin comes up behind him, and he tells

“Now,” Rabin says, “the real war begins...” Battle-hardened after two days of war, an Israeli commander scans the battlefield.

the first plane. At 2000 feet he flips the cap and squeezes the trigger. Beneath him 30-millimeter cannon fire explodes, twenty rounds a second. He pulls out into a tight turn as the fireball licks at his tail. From above he sees all of Kibrit obliterated—his men have found their mark. Then: “MIGS!” Uri’s voice comes over the radio. Dan swivels around and sees two Egyptian MiGs coming up like rockets behind him. Dan slows and the first MiG sails by. Charged up and flush with victory, Dan breaks formation and sails off after it. Dan flips his sight, squeezes his trigger, and the MiG explodes. Uri warned him just in time. INSIDE URI’S MIRAGE, Uri chases the second MiG back to-

the gen-eral one of his men went down – a man who was like a little brother to him. “Friends will die,” Rabin says. “And we will mourn them—after the war. There is no strategy without sacrifice.” ON THE KIBBUTZ, Dan breaks the news of Uri’s death. When he tries to find comfort in Galit, she answers with a cold slap across the face. “You promised to protect him!” she says. And Dan has no reply. The pain drives them apart. ON HATZOR AIR BASE, Dan hears that Eshkol has given the goahead to take Jerusalem. Dan can’t believe it, Jerusalem is the unexpected but biggest prize of all with its Temple Mount crowned by the

golden Dome of the Rock – sacred to three religions. The Jews were ex-iled from it 2000 years ago and prevented from visiting by the Jordanian occupying force. Dan wants in on the fight—a chance to make history, but General Hod explains that they cannot risk damaging the antiquities of Jerusalem with airstrikes. The paratroopers are already at the gates of the Old City.

roll into a shallow dive from west to east, with the sun at their backs. He grips the trigger to his 30-mm guns and lets loose. Two fellow pilots open fire as well, and the deck of the ship erupts with shrapnel, dead and wounded bodies, smoke and fire. Some rounds find the two 55-gallon fuel drums on the whaleboats and a fireball leaps skyward--

Dan can’t just sit there. He grabs an IDF jeep and heads for the Western Wall. THERE AT THE WESTERN WALL, the streets are packed with Israelis weeping and cheering the capture of the Old City by Israeli paratroopers. Tears stream down the faces of the battle-hardened paratroopers themselves. A rabbi blows a shofar. Some men weep, others pray and dance. Transistor radios blare the song, “Jerusalem of Gold.” Dan approaches the stones himself and sees— --Galit. She has come to tuck a prayer for her brother into the ancient stones. Dan tries to tell her how sorry he is, how he feels responsible. She’s not ready to hear it – Just then Dan’s friend Eli finds them in the crowd; his unit fought a brutal battle to capture Jerusalem.

zli says taking the Holy City is part of a divine plan for the Jews. He and his friends start raising the Israeli flag on the Dome of the Rock – but Gen. Moshe Dayan sees this and orders it taken down immediately. Eli protests. “When the Jordanians controlled the Old City, didn’t they blow up the synagogues and kick out the Jews?” Eli declares they should blow up the Dome of the Rock and rebuild the Holy Temple there. “Have you gone mad?” Dan snaps, put off by the reli-gious fervor surrounding him. “Did God save Israel, or did five years of planning Operation Focus? And

Israeli troops poised to take Jerusalem’s Old City, looking down on the Muslim’s dome of the Rock.

what about all the dead Israelis, like Uri? Did ‘God’s hand’ shoot Uri down?” Galit steps between the two— STOP! She glares at Dan. “It’s not God I blame for Uri,” she says, and storms off.

DAY FOUR: LIBERTY June 8, 1967. Dan’s IAF helicopter patrols the sky over BURNING REMAINS of the Egyptian Army. INSIDE, Dan radios what he sees: The army that was poised to crush Israel lay in ruins.

below the heading: “EL QUSEIR EGYPTIAN.” The radio cackles with an order: “Tell the helicopters they’re Egyptians… Egyptian sailors are arriving from the sea. Attack!” The Lead Pilot and his wingman

--ON THE DECK OF THE USS LIBERTY, Israeli bullets EXPLODE into the searchlights, creating even more chaos on deck and in the air. The Liberty goes dark. CAPTAIN McGONAGLE grabs a hand-held Al-dis lamp and waves it at the Israelis – a bare spot in the dark. He yells to his sailors, “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot.” But in the chaos one Sailor doesn’t hear and FIRES at approaching Israeli torpedo boats. Meanwhile, an Israe-li bullet STRIKES an unmanned machine gun and sets it off, firing wildly toward the Israelis. The Lead Pilot sees the return fire below. “It’s an Egyptian sup-

The Israeli advance was slow and costly, block by block and alley by alley. Israeli infantry take cover on the Via Dolorosa.

As the helicopter swings toward the Mediterranean, Dan sees a TREMENDOUS EXPLOSION. The radio informs Dan to stay away from Al-Arish -- the Egyptians have been shelling the beach. OFF THE COAST OF SINAI, a team of IAF Mirage jets checks out the invading ship. In the air, the Lead Pilot radios back visual contact. FROM HIS POV, clouds obscure much of the vessel; no marks or flags appear. The ship shows no signs of stopping. Two more Israeli Mirages and two Super-Mysteres sweep up behind the mysterious ship. An Israeli Torpedo Boat steams toward it. On deck, the Israeli Captain flips to a page of his ID manual, where the outline of a similar ship appears,

HATZOR AIR BASE. COMMANDER ERNEST CARL CASTLE, the U.S. naval attaché in Tel Aviv, storms in and finds Dan. He needs Dan to fly him out to see what is happening. Dan and Castle lift off in an IAF Super Frelon helicopter and race for the coast. Beneath Dan the smoke clears and the limping ship lists in the water. Dan can see the dead and wounded. Could they really have just attacked a United States warship? Dan swoops down, searching for wounded sailors in the water. Fog, smoke, flares and fire add to the confusion. Dan searches the water in vain. He turns the Frelon in for a deck landing to evacuate the wounded. “Are you nuts,” Castle screams, “they’ll shoot you out of the sky.” Dan ignores him, heading for the wounded men on deck—until flak bursts near his rotor force him to pull back and peel off, landing back at the air base. After capturing the Old City of Jerusalem, Israelis stream to the Western Wall to pray – for the first time in 2000 years.

ply boat!” he radios, “We’re taking fire!” He turns to make a final pass. Israeli Torpedo boat FIRES, and an explosion bursts open the ship’s bow.

veer off, the Lead Pilot looks down through the clearing smoke and only then he sees— a 5’ x 8’ American flag, unfurling limp and tat-tered from the main halyard.

Dan enters his quarters and SWEEPS everything off his desk, sending it all crashing to the floor. Frustrated he couldn’t do more, anguished at the loss of life. “You missed something.” Dan spins to see his father, ZEV, sitting on the edge of his bed.

ON THE LIBERTY, sailors scramble to drop a life raft into the dark water and climb aboard.

As the jets and torpedo boats 10

“Are we not part of this state, not entitled to the protection of Dan Niv and his miraculous pilots?” Dan says it’s not up to him, but that’s the wrong answer in a small country. Zev fearlessly goes outside and confronts Eshkol. “For 4,000 years we have spoken about the sacrifice of Isaac,” he tells his Prime Minister. “In those settlements, men, women, and children are threatened with sacrifice. The situation is insufferable.” Eshkol takes this in. He tells Dan to go to the North and report back. Dan returns to his room to pack. He sees the box on his desk, opens it. Inside are personal items gathered from the wreckage of Uri’s plane, including Uri’s beloved Beach Boys toy car. He walks out to a phone, tries to reach Galit at the kibbutz. IN HER HOME, still angry and hurt, Galit won’t pick it up. Dan gets in his car and heads North.

ON THE TORPEDO BOAT, an ENSIGN trains his binoculars on the enemy ship. Through the smoke and the flashes of fire he sees: “T-203.” His face registers the shock of the non-Arabic letters. He grabs the radio; “I see a ‘T!” he screams. IN THE MIRAGE, the Lead Pilot hears this. His eyes go wide. Instantly his satisfaction at taking out the Egyp-tian battleship turns to dread. He sends out the order: “Stop! Stop the attack!”

Zev has driven down to give his son a message: You must not stop until the Syrian guns are silent. Dan tells him it’s over, the Americans are going to be livid over the Liberty attack, and the Soviets are threatening to enter the war. Zev— who only LOOKS fragile—gets into his son’s face. “It’s not over for us,” he says. “Since the war started, the Syrian shelling from the Golan Heights has only gotten worse.”

DAY FIVE: THE HEIGHTS

Astounded by victory, Israelis dance before the Western Wall .

DOZENS of US Navy Sailors lie dead and wounded on deck.

Zev points to a BOX, just delivered, on the corner of the desk.

ORTHERN ISRAEL. Dan and Zev drive North, listen-ing to Mozart. Three BEEPS interrupt the music -- the signal for Israeli news. Israel has defeated the Egyptian army in the Sinai and the Jordanian army in the West Bank. The international community is pressing for a cease-fire, Nasser has vowed to take back the Sinai, and senior

Israeli officials have expressed concern that the Soviet Union may enter the war. As night falls, Dan’s Fiat pulls up at the kibbutz. All is quiet. Dan wanders through the darkened orchard, the dairy, and the barn ---at the kibbutz cemetery, Dan finds a fresh grave. He places a rock on Uri’s headstone. Zev, the old Holocaust survivor, tells his son he’s not ashamed to have survived when so many of his friends and family were murdered. The shame he carries is that he merely sur-

IN THE GOLAN, the weary soldiers know the clock is ticking. Once the Arabs accept the American ceasefire, the battle lines must freeze – and for Dan that means his par-ents will continue to live with Syrian guns looking down on them. Returning over the Golan battlefield to pick up more wounded soldiers in his helicopter, Dan receives the news over his radio – the ceasefire will begin at 18:30. Dan checks his watch: 18:27. He looks at the Syrian emplacements dug into the hills below. He looks back at his parents’ quiet village – and at

the trigger on his side-mounted missiles, which blast from his side ports and obliterate the Syrian guns.

DAY SIX: VICTORY

Dan checks the time: 18:29 flips to 18:30. “Now,” Dan says to himself, “It’s over.” Low on fuel, Dan sets the copter down onto a green ex-panse below him. He has crossed back into Israel and sees that his fuel gauge is near empty. He sets down on the pasture –

June 10, 1967. ON MT. SCOPUS, overlooking Jerusa-lem, Dan and his friend Eli join a huge, festive ceremony marking the end of the war. Leonard Bernstein conducts the Israel Philharmonic. Dan is ushered over to see the triumvirate: Eshkol, Dayan, and Rabin. Eshkol approaches Dan.

KIBBUTZ EIN GEV. Dan hauls off his helmet and sees HUNDREDS OF MEN, WOMEN AND

“My men were Operation Focus.”

“You were Operation Focus?”

“We have not only seen the glories of victory,” says Rabin, “But also its price.” vived – he never fought back. His father reminds Dan of one essential truth: This is our home. We have nowhere else to go. But at least now we can fight for it. Thank God we can fight.

the radio, with its cackling or-ders. At that instant a Syrian shell streaks past Dan’s helicopter. These are the

CHILDREN – strangers – come racing out to greet him. They are screaming, “It’s over! It’s over!” and they practically pull Dan from

As Mahler’s 2nd Symphony – Resurrection – plays, Dan hears Rabin give an impassioned account of the victory:

Later, Galit arrives home from the field hospital. She turns on the light, and there, on the kitchen table, is Uri’s toy. She looks around, knowing Dan brought it here for her.

“We have seen not only the glories of victory, but also its price,” Rabin says, “the friends who fell, covered in blood. The soldiers aware of the righteousness of our cause, of their deep love of the homeland, and the diffi-cult tasks imposed on them. Many had given their lives to preserve the right of the people of Israel to live in its own State—free, independent, in peace and tranquility.”

GOLAN HEIGHTS. Israeli tanks and troops fight a bru-tal battle to quiet the Syrian guns pummeling northern Israel. Dan and his squad are sent to run another rescue mission to bring out the wounded. AT THE KIBBUTZ FIELD HOSPITAL, Dan unloads some wounded and keeps a safe distance from Galit – she wants nothing more to do with him. But Dan can’t help it and pulls Galit aside, their Casablanca moment. “I knew there would be a price,” Dan tells her, “but I never thought it would be Uri. If I had known…” “Then what?” Galit cuts him off. And Dan knows she’s right—there is no strategy without sacrifice – he did what he had to do to save his country. “Go,” she says, “get the wounded.”

“Young man,” Eshkol says, “Victory will not be easy, but imagine what would have happened if we had lost.” Dan salutes Eshkol, who returns the salute.

And then a hand on Dan’s shoulder. Dan turns and sees –Galit. No words pass between them, but they embrace, clinging to each other like life itself. Victorious Israeli paratroopers stand weeping before the Western Wall of Jerusalem, captured and returned to Jewish sovereignty for the first time in 2000 years.

people bombing his parents’ village. With new resolve, Dan circles back and opens fire on the Syrian emplacement below. Dan squeezes

his pilot’s seat to embrace him, just one of the heroes of the war that saved their lives… Dan’s eyes well with tears…we won.

A ROAR OF JET ENGINES and Dan looks up to see an armada of Israeli fighter jets pass overhead. The crowd goes wild. Dan lifts his hand in a final salute as they disappear over the horizon, leaving Dan staring, smiling, into the blue and white sky…

ALI NOUR THE DAWN

BU SWEIR AIR FORCE BASE, EGYPT. ALI NOUR, 40’s, an Egyptian-born military contractor, suave and sophisticated, hikes the cuff on his Brioni suit jacket to reveal a sleek Tag Hauer, clicking off the minutes to noon. Behind him, the sun blazes down on rows of warplanes – MiGs, Ilyushins, Topolov-16s – and rings of new Soviet-issue tanks. Officers and dip-lomats from Egypt, Jordan and Syria press Ali anxiously for de-

Ali has spent years gaining access to the inner circles of Egyptian leadership. tails of what’s to come. In the audience, thousands of elite Egyptian pilots, tank commanders and soldiers struggle to stay at attention. Ali is unflappable His watch ticks noon. He looks up at the airfield gate just as a stretch Mercedes limousine zooms past it. Ali raises his hands—the crowd falls silent and focused. PRESIDENT GAMAL NASSER – the most powerful Arab leader since Mohammed – emerges from the car. He takes the stage 12

“The Jews threatened war. We tell them: Ahlan Wa-sahlan — be our guests — we are ready for war!” and clasps Ali’s hand. Two steps be-hind him GENERAL ABD ALHAKIM AMR, Nas-ser’s chief military advisor and oldest friend, acknowl-edges Ali with a nod and takes his place, pointedly, be-

Our Soviet friends have indisputable proof that Israeli tanks are about to invade Syria and Jordan. Now is the time for all Arabs to stand together as one! The Jews threatened war. We tell them: Ah-

cited they are!” Nasser isn’t impressed. “All wars are popular…at first,” he says. Amr doesn’t like what he hears, but Nas-ser’s honesty and

guard OMAR, makes a beeline for Ali. Something about Ali sets him apart, and he has earned the trust of a leader surrounded by yes men. Ali stands with his beautiful girlfriend, MONA HALABI. Mona is

On the eve of war, President Nasser laughs and jokes with Egyptian pilots.

tween Nasser and Ali. The handsome, charismatic and confident Nasser – in every outward way the complete opposite of his Israeli counterpart, Levi Eshkol – steps to the microphone and makes a rousing case for the immediate destruction of Israel: “In 1948 the Jews took Muslim land and uprooted the Palestinians.

lan Wa-sahlan – be our guests – we are ready for war!” Nasser’s call electrifies the crowd, and Nasser basks in their applause – he is a true man of his people. Clasping Nasser’s shoulder, Amr pumps up his boss: “We will be eating lunch in Tel Aviv,” Amr says to Nasser. “You see how ex-

resignation shock Ali: Is Nasser putting on an act? AT THE OFFICER’S CLUB ON THE BASE, Ali oversees a reception for Nasser. When Nasser enters, Amr leads the applause of his sycophants. The mood is buoyant and confident. Nasser, shadowed by his body-

one of Egypt’s most famous television actresses. Her beauty and charm only raise Ali’s own stock more in Nasser’s eyes. Indeed, Ali doesn’t mince words. “Make sure the So-viets are telling the truth,” he tells Nasser. Egypt doesn’t want to be a pawn in a proxy war. And just because ‘the street’ is clamoring for

war, doesn’t make the timing right. Only Nasser can know that—and Ali can help him. Ali offers to host a delegation of high-level Jordanian and Syrian officers at his sumptuous home to make sure King Hussein of Jordan and Syrian Defense Minister Hafaz Assad will fight Israel alongside Egypt. Nasser agrees, but Amr all but threatens Ali— does he dare stand in the way of this war? Can’t he see how war will bring Nasser glory? Ali fires back that Amr will enjoy some glory, too, no? When Ali walks away, Amr pulls the bodyguard Omar over and instructs him to keep an eye on Ali.

“Mona and I can make it happen…” Mona and Ali drive home through central Cairo. Ali is quiet, wheels spinning; the stakes are high. Outside, crowds gather, waving signs calling for Israel’s destruc-tion. “They want war,” Mona points out, “does Nasser?” Ali says Nasser is like an aging movie star who can’t afford a flop - and he just might be making the biggest mistake of his life. “Nasser can control the actions of people who he chooses,” Ali points out, “but he has no way of controlling

a wary Omar behind the wheel…. The next day, Ali and Mona get to work. A delegation of Jordanian and Syrian defense attachés along with the Soviet Semyanov, joins them at the equestrian club Ali

“All wars are popular… at first,” Ali says. owns outside of Cairo – an elegant refuge of Pimm’s cups and English

Filled with Ali’s questions, Nasser approaches VICTOR SEMYANOV, the Kremlin’s blast of Moscow winter in the Middle East, and presses him on the Soviet intelligence reports of Israel’s plans to invade Syria. Semyanov says his reports are rock-solid: the Israelis have amassed troops near the Golan Heights. Nasser asks why the Israelis would invade Syria when Egypt has thousands of troops poised on its Southern border? Semyanov – cornered – replies with a stone face: his job isn’t to interpret Moscow’s information, merely to report it.

But Ali assures Khaled a united Arab front will be a formidable enemy. “And—trust me,” Ali says, 14

Mona, until I met you.” When the guests arrive, there’s the crack of polo mal-lets and the pounding of horse hooves under a bright desert sky as General Amr, Ali, and Jordanian and Syrian officials race their ponies across the field. Later, General Amr and Ali’s guests enjoy drinks and bask in the attention of the pliant European beauties Mona has gathered. Ali and Mona work it – she charm-ing them, Ali pressing them on strategies that can help defeat their common enemy, Israel. Ali understands these countries all detest one another, but there is simply no way to confront Israel without unity, and a plan. He turns to Amr: “You do have a plan, don’t you?” Amr, three Johnnie Walkers and one leggy redhead into the afternoon, freely boasts that he himself has given Nasser a plan-- for a preemptive strike. As Ali and the others listen raptly, Amr lays out Operation Dawn, which will catch the Israelis by surprise. All Nasser has to do is give the go ahead.

As Nasser and Omar move on, Ali’s close friend KHALED HOUSSEINI approaches. Khaled is a Palestinian intellectual whom Nasser trots out to prove his credentials as a defender of the Palestinians – and Khaled knows it. He warns Ali that bringing the Arabs together with Nasser won’t be easy – the Syrians hate Nasser, and King Hussein, who in public accuses Nasser of “hiding behind the UN’s skirt,” has secretly promised Israel he will stay out of any war. “Arab unity is a sham,” Khaled says as he downs a drink. “The only thing they can agree on is to screw over the Palestinians.

eyes and walks him out to the stables: When she drops her hands, Ali is staring at his birthday present from her— a polo pony he has long admired. He is beyond touched. “I have never known love

The next day, Nasser calls Ali to his palace to meet with him and Field Marshal Amr. Amr urges Nasser to launch Operation Dawn. Nasser asks Ali: “Is Egypt ready?” In Cairo, street demonstrators and newspapers call for war.

those who chose him.” What Ali doesn’t see is an unmarked black car on his tail, with

leather just outside the chaotic city. Just before the guests arrive, Mona holds her hands over Ali’s

It’s a lot of pressure on a businessman, Ali says. He’d like to inspect the airfields himself before giving his counsel. That evening Mona can see the pressure weighing on Ali. He excuses himself to the bathroom. Composes himself in the mirror. Then Ali

picks up the bathroom scale, unscrews the back, and with a small lever, Ali starts transmitting a message—back to Tel Aviv! “EGYPT PLANNING PREEMPTIVE STRIKE CODENAME DAWN.” Ali Nour is actually Eli Danon, an Israeli. A Jew. A Mossad agent. A spy. For years Eli Danon has been embedded in the upper echelons of Egyptian society. He’s the man feeding crucial intelligence back to Dan Niv. Every day for five years he has been living this dou-ble life. Bon vivant, businessman, confidante and lover. And the pressure is unbearable. Jolting awake from nightmares. Worrying about every knock on the door. It’s not just the fact that he can be caught and killed in an instant, it’s what’s happening inside: he’s torn. Back in Israel he has a wife and daughter whom he loves. In Egypt he has Mona… and he cannot avoid the truth: He’s actually fallen in love with her, too. And Ali knows — and dreads— that at some point Mona will pay a price for his espionage. Truth to be told, Ali has also fallen in love with his new identity. It’s thrilling. It’s everything he wasn’t in Israel. The youngest of six children in a poor Egyptian Jewish family, Eli was sickly and weak— he never fit the image of the idealized macho Israelis like Dan. He washed out of the elite units, got married young, and lived with the shame that he couldn’t fight to defend his country. Now, thanks to Ali, Israel has learned in the nick of time of Operation Dawn… OVER AFTERNOON TEA AND A SMOKE AT A CAIRO CAFÉ, Ali and Khaled watch on Egyptian TV as King Hussein, Assad and Nasser sign a mutual de-fense pact that Ali orchestrated. Khaled presses Ali to use his new leverage with Nasser for Palestinians. This war could be their one chance to regain their homeland. Ali looks around suspiciously, aware that Nasser’s secret police – the SSIS – is every-

General Amr pushes for a war his best friend Nasser tries to resist.

where. Ali urges Khaled to wait for Nasser to win the war, then Palestine will be theirs.

says to Ali, “I needed a ride” – in Hebrew. And we re-alize that Omar too is an Israeli spy.

The next day, in his Mercedes, Ali makes his way slowly back through Cairo’s central Tahrir Square be-cause an even larger rally is taking place: angry Egyp-tians wave signs depicting tanks crushing caricatures of hooknosed Jews. They scream for Nasser

AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, Ali and Omar walk into a tense meeting with Nasser and Amr. Nasser delivers the news like a blow: the Israelis have found out about Operation Dawn. Nasser is furious – some-one is leaking information to the Israelis,

Amr pumps up his boss: “We will be eating lunch in Tel Aviv.” to seek revenge for 1948 and 1956, and destroy Israel. Ali is rat-tled by the scene. The car is stopped by the mass of demonstrators, and his car door swings open. Ali reaches under his seat where a gun is mounted, but a hand immediately stays his arm – it’s not a demonstra-tor, but Omar. He gets in the car, closes the door, and

and now Egypt has lost the element of surprise. Amr argues they must attack anyway. “The Jews are massively outnum-bered now that Jordan and Syria are on board. This is Nasser’s moment!” Ali disagrees. Without surprise, they have no choice but to wait. But Amr’s argument works: Nasser asks Ali to check the troop prepared-

ness at forward air bases, and give his honest assessment. As Ali walks out, Nasser stops him with a nagging question: How does Ali think the Israelis learned of Operation Dawn? All eyes are on Ali. “That’s simple,” Ali says, keeping his cool. “Their lives depend on it.” But Nasser won’t be satisfied until he learns who the traitor is, and he orders Amr to do anything it takes to find the mole. Back home, Ali kisses Mona, and goes to the bathroom. He closes the door, opens his transmitter. and sends the message. “Today the weather in Cairo is very, very hot…” Back with Mona, he serves her a drink, strokes her hair, and wonders what will be… UNDER ATTACK Early morning. ON FA’ID AIR BASE, Ali and the Syrian and Jordanian military attachés watch as Egyp-tian jets scream back from morning patrol, touch down and

Ali runs for cover as the Israelis unleash a hellfire of bombs and 30-mm cannon fire. line up wing-to-wing on the blistering tarmac. A radar engineer sees blips on the screen—A LOT OF BLIPS. Immediately, the engineer phones the Air Force Chief — but he is sleeping

to see the sun, barely rising over the desert. And then Dan Niv’s squadron of jets appears, as if birthed from the fiery ball of sun itself. The Israelis are attacking! Ali runs for cover as the Israelis un-

He drives out into the barren desert alone, fleeing the wreckage of the Egyptian air force in his wake.

ETURNING TO CAIRO, Ali – now filthy and worn out – struggles to navigate

Israelis at-tacked them? sible.

Impos-

Ali finds Khaled among the crowd and tries to tell him the truth. Khaled can’t believe it – what would that mean for the hopes of

Israelis defeat Egyptian tanks in fierce battles in the Sinai. Jordan enters war and Israeli troops fight in West Bank and East Jerusalem, including a bloody hand-to-hand combat at Ammunition Hill.

with orders not to be awakened. He decides to alert General Amr, but he’s on a plane to his villa –

leash a hellfire of bombs and 30-mm cannon fire. Egyptian soldiers are suddenly caught off guard.

through a surge of people cheering as television broadcasts report an Egyptian victory.

So the men’s eyes stay transfixed on the MANY MANY BLIPS swarming over the Mediterranean Sea. Sweat beads on Ali’s forehead—he knows exactly what they are. All at once, the blips turn east and head for the Sinai.

As the base burns around him, Ali sees the planes turn and strafe what jets remain. Ali runs out into the midst of chaos – flaming jets, destroyed buildings – the air base that seemed impenetrable seconds ago, is gone. He frantically wrestles the steering wheel of a JEEP away from a soldier and commandeers the vehicle.

Ali says nothing – who could believe how utterly the Air Force has been destroyed?

As seconds pass in silence, a distant thunder fills, and then shakes the room. Ali goes outside and looks up 16

As he drives toward the center of town, soldiers at a checkpoint wave him down. Why is a civilian in an army Jeep? Ali explains he was at Al-Suweir when the Israelis attacked. The Soldiers laugh—the

his people, crushed again? Just then the crowd surges – rushing to greet a squad-ron of returning Egyptian warplanes overhead. But Ali is the first to see the now familiar planes painted with Stars of David – the Israelis rule Egyptian skies. Khaled’s hopes of victory visibly fade. Cairo is sudden-ly as depressed and gloomy now as it was elated just days ago. Ali shows no emotion in public. His only desire is to get to Mona,

and get away… AL QUDS AT THEIR CAIRO HOME, Ali is hurriedly packing. He tells Mona that Nasser is sending him to Damascus to coordinate defense with Syria, which will soon come under Israeli attack. Mona confronts him—how could he leave now? Where is he really going? Ali stops, looks her in the eyes: You’re right. He must leave before he is killed. The war is lost. Egypt is too dangerous for him. Those mobs will want to blame someone for Egypt’s stunning loss – does Mona think Nasser will take the blame? No, he will blame those in his circle. Mona pleads: she expects to

Ali says nothing — who could believe how utterly their Air Force was marry him. Her life is in Egypt. Surely things will get better? Ali begs Mona to see the reality Nasser and Amr couldn’t. “It’s over. Come with me.” Mona refuses, Ali leaves. AN SSIS AGENT appears at the end of the street – walking toward him. Ali turns-- right into Omar. Omar pulls out a .22 LRS, aims it—and shoots the agent dead. He pushes Ali into his car and the two take off-- into a massive roadblock of police vehicles. Omar makes a run for it, but Ali is instantly surrounded. An SSIS AGENT emerges from a vehicle – beside Mona. She holds the bathroom scale with the incrimi-nating wires.

A once-confident Egyptian pilot now an Israeli POW.

It is Mona who gave Ali up. The agents beat Ali, throw him into a Jeep, and hold him at gun-point. Mona, crying at her shattered lie of a life, watches them drive off to an unknown destination, but it won’t be Nasser’s Palace. DARKNESS IN THE DARK EGYPTIAN PRISON CELL, an In-telligence Officer tortures Ali. The INTERROGATOR screams at him: his real name is not Ali, his company is a mere shell…WHO IS HE?!!! Ali admits to nothing. MEANWHILE, IN CAIRO, more SSIS Agents corner Omar and beat him to an unrecognizable pulp.

Omar makes a run for it, but Ali is instantly surrounded. Later, in ALI’s PRISON CELL, the SSIS Agent en-ters, tossing a bloody shoe at Ali’s feet – what’s left of Omar. One more roundhouse from the torturer sends Ali to the floor. The Agent mutters, ‘yahud’ – Jew.

Jordanian troops open fire on Israeli positions in Jerusalem.

IN THE CAIRO PRISON, Ali is dragged to a room to find – General Amr. Amr realizes that every bit of “help” Ali provided only deepened his knowledge of Egyptian forces. Yes, Ali says, he did all this for his country. He will gain nothing — no money, no fame, no power. He risked his life so his country could sur-vive—even if he doesn’t. Can Amr understand that? Amr spits at Ali—and walking away, turns to a guard. “Destroy him.”

Khaled can’t believe it: What would it mean for the hopes of the Palestinian people, crushed again? Before nightfall, Ali awakens to a scream. Could it be Mona? With his last strength he starts yelling for her, proclaims her innocence. Finally the guards half-drag her before his cell. She has clearly spent hours under interrogation. She accuses him of using her and building a life on a lie. He has destroyed her, and her country. The people who cared for him. Who laughed and cried with him—people, just like him.

per when his company arrives. He looks up and greets a young Egyptian who should be vaguely familiar to us as well – YASSER ARAFAT. “Nasser failed,” Arafat says, “Now it is our turn.” HOME

IN A JERUSALEM APARTMENT, Nomi, Prime Minister Eshkol’s dutiful secretary, enters. Eli Danon – “Ali” – is standing there. Eli embraces his wife. Screams of joy burst out as Ali’s teenage daughter MAYA sees him and runs into his arms. Maya has no idea that her

rifices you made for us,” she says. But what she’ll never know is that his great-est sacrifice was leaving behind Mona, and the man he once was. AT THE VICTORY CELEBRATION ON MT. SCOPUS, Eli

Ali tries to tell Mona he’s sorry-- she won’t hear it. As much as he feared this day would come, he can’t im-agine a life without this woman. He can only offer her his simple truth— one that tears him up as much as her- he still loves her. Mona’s reply devastates him: “After all the lies you’ve told me, how could I ever believe you again? ” Mona walks out of his life – Ali has gone from the toast of Cairo to a condemned man. In the morning, IN THE CAIRO PRISON, Ali – near death – is jolted awake. A Guard orders Ali to stand and face the wall. Ali waits for the bullet…then the Guard tells Ali that Nasser brokered a trade for 1500 Egyptian prisoners of war. “A bargain,” Ali cracks. As he is led out of the prison, he passes a cell to see— General Amr locked up in it. Indeed, Nasser has started to settle accounts and point the finger else-where…. LATER, AT THE CAIRO CAFÉ, Khaled Husseini opens the Post to read the story under the headline: “Israeli POWs Return,” with a picture of Ali. Khaled shakes his head: one more betrayal in a long, long line. Khaled puts down the pa-

After Jordan attacked Israel, Israel pushed into the West Bank, creating a stream of Palestinian refugees.

On the solitary bus ride back to the Israeli border, Eli Danon can’t bring himself to imagine what awaits him. He can only dream of the woman he left behind. As the war-ravaged landscape unspools outside the window, Ali can only remember the perfect life, and love, he left behind.

dad has been living as the spy Ali in Egypt, where he had a whole other life, and a whole other love. They assumed he was serving in the diplomatic corp. His mission complete, he is finally back home. Eli confides in his wife that he was a spy.

“No one will know the sac-

is there as an ordinary citizen with his family. Eli and Dan Niv see each other through the crowd and have an instant of recognition. They realize who each one had been to the other. And Dan is able, finally, to say, simply, “Thank you.”

TOM McCARTHY RED LIGHT

Cuba, the Soviets see Nasser as their best hope to counter America. The Soviets have pumped $2 billion in weapons into Egypt and Syria. So a war between the Jews and Arabs would drag in the Soviets. The US already has one proxy war burning in Vietnam. Another one in the Middle East could set the whole world on fire. The US can’t get involved. Case closed. Tom heads to a patio chair where PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON is reading a copy of LIFE maga-zine, whose cover is a photo of a severely wounded G.I. in Vietnam. The President’s voice comes from behind the cover: “You set them straight, Tom?” LBJ confides in Tom, his closest counsel. Tom’s a Princeton guy, but Texas born and bred.

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY. On a beautiful spring day, TOM McCARTHY, senior advisor to the President of the United States, makes his way from his car through a minefield of cow pies. Tom is early 30’s, tall and lean, and dressed, unfortunately, in a suit and wingtips. Tom heads straight into another mess: a raging argu-ment over whether to give Israel the ‘green light’ to at-tack Egypt. On one side are the President’s pro-Israel advisors like WALT ROSTOW, ARTHUR GOLDBERG and 20

ABE FORTAS who want to help Israel. On the other are anti-Semitic Arabists within the State Department, led

all on one side: the President of the Unit-ed States. They all turn to listen to the man.

by DEAN RUSK, who want to cozy up to the oil-producing Arabs. Tom jumps in to remind eve-ryone they are

Tom lays out his view: Ever since Kennedy kicked the Russians out of

Tom lost his own home during the Depression. His father couldn’t make ends meet. The poor guy didn’t stand a chance against the big banks—or the armed deputies who came to take the ranch away. The pain, the loss, it killed his dad, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Tom later gravitated to a young con-gressman, Lyndon Johnson, because he came from the same hardscrabble West Texas life. LBJ always stood up for little guys— guys who couldn’t stand up for themselves. The Negroes, the poor—and guys like Tom’s dad.

Johnson already has one war in Vietnam. Another one in the Middle East could set the whole world on fire. It kills Tom to see LBJ taking a beating in national opinion, battered

by the disaster of Vietnam. Johnson shows Tom a LIFE picture of a Vietnam War Protestor. To Johnson, it doesn’t make any damn sense that the Jews want him to support a war in the Middle East but stop the one in Vietnam. Later, the President receives a visit from long-time friends and Democratic supporters, MATHILDE and ARTHUR KRIM. Arthur is a powerful studio chief and the Democrat’s leading fundraiser. Mathilde is a bril-liant scientist who also happens to look like Brigitte Bardot. Tom takes Arthur on a personal tour of the cattle farm while the President entertains Mathilde. Tom can practically see LBJ licking his chops…

The US can’t play favorites on this conflict. Case closed.

NSIDE THE RANCH HOUSE, Tom facilitates a friendly phone call between Johnson and Levi Eshkol. But given the tensions, the call quickly becomes in-tense: Will America stand behind Israel in a war or not? The two very different men spar – Texas versus the sht-etl. Esh-

phone, he turns to Tom: “Jesus Christ, they’re gonna go.” Tom seizes the moment. He suggests he get right on a plane and show the Israelis the logic of the President’s position. Tom wants to prove to the President, his men-tor and father fig-

YELLOW LIGHT AT LOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. Tom arrives and walks through an empty arrivals terminal to a bus-tling departures terminal.

IN THE HILL COUNTRY HINTERLANDS, Tom spends the beastly hot afternoon riding in a jeep while indulging Arthur Krim’s political insights about Israel’s predicament in the lead-up to war with its neighbors. Krim complains that Israel has been getting all its fighter jets from France. But given what’s happening now with Egypt, Israel could really use those new American F-15s… TOM FINALLY RETURNS TO THE RANCH and discovers LBJ relaxing beside Mathilde, who suns by the pool in a stunning white bikini. For all his Washington smarts and political savvy, Tom realizes he’s been outplayed -- Johnson just got an uninterrupted sales job on Israel’s behalf. When an underling asks Tom what the blonde’s name is, he says, drily, “F-15.” Tom sees Johnson is dying to impress Mathilde. “Let’s call the Prime Minister,” he suggests. “Show him the President cares.”

In Johnson’s cabinet, arguments rage over whether to support Israel or not.

kol urges America to back Israel, and Johnson makes the case that Eshkol should hang tight and let him try to work out an international solution to the Nas-ser problem. “Mr. Prime Minister,” Johnson says, “I want you to take what I’m about to say to heart. You have lost a great friend in JFK, but you have gained an even better one. You have to trust me.” When the President hangs up the

ure, he can rein in the Israelis. “Cooler heads will prevail,” Tom assures the President. “Send me to Tel Aviv.” On the El Al flight to Israel, Tom is alone. It’s the eve of war, and everyone is leaving the country; no one’s going. An Israeli stewardess hands Tom his scotch and ominously remarks: “We just hope the last person there remembers to turn the lights off.”

crisp, taché, LOG, you ready for asks.

upbeat Naval atLt. JAMES KELgreets him. “Are the lions den?” he

Kellogg drives Tom straight to the office of General Moshe Dayan -the most famous Israeli in the world. Eyepatch. Charisma. Intensity. Moshe Dayan is not someone you can rein in. Into this tense life-and-death meet-

ing Tom brings his cool logic. Tom makes clear to Dayan that America wants Israel to back off. Nasser doesn’t want war, he wants to appease his hardliners and the Arab street. Let the President’s diplomacy prevail. There is a bigger game here at stake, a proxy war between the US and the Soviets, and Israel must follow the US lead. Tom lays down Johnson’s law: “Let diplomacy work. Don’t shoot first.” “If we wait, we lose,” Dayan argues. Tom is blunt, “If you don’t wait, you lose us.” Da-yan won’t hear of it. Israel needs Johnson’s backing in this fight, and needs it now. No other country in the world will support Israel. They are alone and it’s a do or die moment.

Tom sees lush fields, women soldiers, a 3000 year-old mosaic that bears the same Hebrew writing stamped on Tom’s passport— “We are not refugees or colonizers,” Dayan says. “We are home.” LEVINSKY’S DELI. Lt. Kellog drops Tom in front of a shabby deli. The men say goodbye—Kellog is off to a naval posting. Inside, eating stuffed cabbage, sits DIMITRI CHUVAKHIN, Tom’s Soviet counterpart. Tom sits across from the hu-

morless blond, and tells him Moscow is playing with fire. This isn’t Vietnam – Americans isn’t going to sit back and let the Soviets take over the Middle East and its oil. He gets nowhere with the Russian – and now he must get to Johnson. In the streets of Tel Aviv, he sees Israeli women and children preparing for war – digging trenches, filling sandbags, storing food. An old woman drops a shovel at Tom’s feet and says something in Yiddish. She wants him to dig too – he

can’t help but be moved by their fear, and will to survive. AT HIS HOTEL, Tom risks his career by circumvent-ing McNamara and Rostow, calling the President di-rectly, and appealing directly to LBJ. Tom knows how to work the President’s admiration for the underdog. Tom says, “It’s the Alamo, Mr. President.” Finally, Tom hears Johnson say, “I get it. The Arabs are Santa Ana.” Tom calls Eshkol and conveys

Dayan puts a very skeptical Tom in his command Jeep and gives him the “Moshe Dayan” tour of Israel,

When an underling asks Tom what the blonde’s name is, he responds, drily, “F-15.” show-ing him how precarious the country’s security situation really is… how narrow are the borders… In Jerusalem, Dayan drives Tom along the no man’s land separating the Jews from the Old City. For 3000 years Jews have been praying to return to Jerusalem, Dayan tells Tom. In 1948 the Jordanians kicked them out and turned their synagogues into stables. 22

Wealthy, beautiful Mathilde Krim grew very close to Johnson and helped persuade him to support Israel in the war.

The Soviets have pumped $2 billion in weapons into Egypt and Syria.

the President’s feeling: “But there is no green light,” Tom says. “So, is it red?” Eshkol asks. There’s a silence. Everything— war, peace, life, death -- is hanging on Tom’s next words, and Tom knows it. Tom says only, “Good luck, Mr. Prime Minister,” and puts down the receiver. HEROES At dawn, Tom is awakened by a BOOM outside his hotel room. He walks to the window, looks up, and sees Israeli Jets streaking through the sky. It’s WAR. Another BOOM, much louder—his room shakes. Tom looks across the way to see where a Jordanian rocket has struck the building across from him. He picks up the phone, dials. “I want a briefing,” he says, and he’s out the door… At Hatzor Air Base, Tom watches Israeli pilots land, refuel and take off in lightning speed. The precision, spirit and doggedness of

these sleepless fighters leaves him awestruck — and he knows damn well Johnson can finally bask in the reflected glory of an ally’s victory. e goes to meet and congratulate Eshkol and Rabin. When the Prime Minister said Israel could defend itself, Tom couldn’t begin to imagine how. The odds were huge.

What does that mean? Dayan says they need more time to finish the job, to keep Israel safe. In 1948 Jordan, Eshkol explains, the Jordanians took the Old City and kicked out its Jews, who lived there from before Jesus – how do you think Jesus got there? Since then, frequent sniper attacks from East Jerusalem and shelling from Golan Heights have cost hundreds of Israeli lives and they must put a stop to it.

“To be a realist in Israel,” Esh-

“Conflicts have a way of spin-

raelis have captured the Old City of Jerusalem. He speeds to Jerusalem to watch as Dayan and Rabin make their triumphant march into the conquered Old City of King David. Tom gets caught up in the emotion of the moment: Israeli soldiers weeping at the Western Wall, Israelis dancing in the streets. 2000 years of exile erased in a day. Before turning in, he calls into the White House situa-tion room and fights Rusk to give the Israelis another day. “Okay, Tom,” John-

“This isn’t just some Jews and Arabs,” Tom says. “This can be World War III.” kol says, “You have to believe in miracles.” “Tom,” Dayan tells him, “It’s all over but the fighting.”

ning out of control,” Tom warns Eshkol—has he ever heard of Vietnam? The President’s patience is limited. LATER, Tom hears that the Is-

son says. “I hope to hell you’re right.”

hat night a knock on his hotel door awakens Tom. It is Dimitri

Chuvaikin, the Soviet. “Come,” he says. The two drive through the night, and park across from the Egyptian-Israeli border.

Dimitri

hands Tom a pair of binoculars, and through them Tom sees some-

thing that drains the blood from his face: Soviet soldiers readying So-

viet tanks, as fresh Soviet-marked Ilyushins land on a quickly-improvised runway. “Do you know

what you’re doing?” Tom asks the Russian. “Do you think we can live with an American victory?” counters Dimitri. “This isn’t some

“Conflicts have a way of spinning out of control,” Tom warns Eshkol— has he ever heard of Vietnam? S.O.S. LIBERTY IN HIS ROOM, Tom receives an urgent message –the USS Liberty has been attacked American sailors are dead. Tom hangs up the phone—dumbstruck. He was the one who pressed Johnson to let Israel keep fighting. Had he let this thing go too far? He

meets the grim faces of Prime Minister Eshkol and the command staff, and IDF soldiers. Israel attacked the USS Liberty in a tragic case of friendly fire. Tom gets the terrible news: 34 American soldiers dead, 171 wounded— the largest single loss of life at the hands of an ally in American history.

wrought to be lying. Now Tom has to make the call. Tom calls the Presi-dent – but Eshkol takes the phone and insists on break-ing the news himself. IN THE OVAL OFFICE, Johnson, surrounded by Rusk, Rostow, and other aides hears Eshkol out. It wasn’t the Soviets; it was the Israelis.

Israeli jets attack the U.S.S. Liberty, an N.S.A. spy ship. 33 American soldiers are killed. The Israelis claim it was an accident in the fog of war.

Jews and Arabs, this can be World War III.”

Tom begins to doubt himself.

Should we have stopped this sooner?

calls Johnson, who tells him if the Soviets are behind this he’s going to turn the Sixth Fleet loose this instant. Tom tells the Presi-dent he’ll get to the bottom of it. AT HAZTOR AIR BASE, Tom

Eshkol pulls over one of his crack pilots, Captain Dan Niv, to explain how such a thing could happen. Tom’s initial shock and anger gives way to understanding—the Israelis are too over-

“That makes no goddam sense!” Johnson yells at Eshkol. Eshkol apologizes. Rusk says it was a deliber-ate strike, or at least criminally negligent. “Goddammit, there is a plane

full of American coffins returning to our shores. … JUST LIKE GODDAMN VIETNAM.” Tom takes the phone. He reminds Rusk the Israelis aren’t fighting some Communists in a jungle 10,000 miles away. They have enemies at their borders. This is an active war zone. “If you were here, you’d see.” IN HIS APARTMENT, Tom, drinking a much-needed scotch, looks through photos of the USS Liberty after-math, taking in the pictures of the dead sailors. He puts down his glass. Stares at one picture. It is Kellog. Dead. WORLD WAR THREE JERUSALEM. After continuing his investigation, Tom calls back to Washington, his Liberty files spread before him… But the President, surrounded by McNamara, Rostow, and aides, faces an agonizing choice – whether to go public with the USS Liberty attack, or let it go and bask in a clear Israeli victory. The buzz inside the Beltway and around America is that Israel has shown America what it means to win a war. The President has re-ceived 17,000 letters running 99:1 in support of Israel. Tom is met with seconds of silence. And finally Johnson issues his verdict: The Soviets are threatening to move men and materiel into Egypt. Against the Sovi-ets, Israel wouldn’t stand a chance. And Russia would end up controlling the Middle East. The only choice is to stand by Israel . “Remember son,” Johnson says, “you stand by the little guy.” Tom gathers his files, puts them away. Including the photo of Kellog. Just like that, the USS Liberty is all but erased from history. LOD AIRPORT. Tom watches as the coffins contain-ing the bodies of the American Sailors killed on the Liberty are loaded into the belly of a C3. In the dark-ened hanger a figure appears beside him: Moshe Dayan. Behind him comes

United States Navy sailors rush their wounded comrades off the flaming deck of the USS Liberty.

an IDF Honor Guard. They snap a salute as the bay doors close. Even if Tom’s own gov-ernment wants to sweep this under the rug, Dayan has honored his ally’s dead.

the telex ma-chine attached to it starts clattering a message: “Mr. Kosygin wants the President to come to the equipment as soon as possible.”

news. He orders the aide to dial up Moscow on the Red Hot Line phone – code-named ‘equipment’ -- installed to prevent World War III. The only problem: it’s never

And finally Johnson issues his verdict on the Liberty: Forget it. PEACE WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM. 7:30 AM. The RED PHONE ringing in its cradle. Soon

An aide rips the message off and walks as he reads it. Equipment. Equipment? Then he remembers what that means -- and he RUNS. Johnson is awakened with the

been used before. Kosygin’s call was the first ever. The aide has to run through The White House, past TV sets showing the Is-raeli military advance before finding the one guy who can operate it.

Johnson, surrounded by advisors, finally gets Premier Kosygin on the hot line – and Kosygin is livid. The Is-raelis have indeed shattered the Syrian line on the Go-lan Heights. Masses of Sovietsupplied tanks and jets lie in ruins. Kosygin has ordered the Soviet fleet in the Mediterranean to turn toward Haifa. Johnson gets Tom on the phone in Jerusalem. “It’s gone on long enough,” Johnson barks at Tom, “You have to throw a rope around this thing.” IN THE FOREIGN MINISTRY, Tom finds FOR-EIGN MINISTER ABBA EBAN and tells him the President wants a ceasefire. Tom demands to see Eshkol now. Eban says he’s on the Golan front, visit-ing troops. Tom says call him. An aide rings up Eshkol, who is indeed on a windswept plateau over-looking an active battle. Tom says the President has had enough

again. Does Eshkol really want a showdown with the Soviets in Syria? Tom ex-plains-- the Israelis didn’t ask for this war, but they want to finish it. Can’t Rusk remember what it was like to real-ly win a war?

ACING BACK TO A QUIET BOOTH AT THE HO-TEL BAR, Tom demands a little more time from

car is stuck in traffic. He doesn’t understand what’s going on around him. He im-pulsively jumps from the car when he hears the news – CEASEFIRE. IN THE STREET, Tom hears the sounds of Rabbis at the Wall blowing shofars in celebration. The shofar sounds are joined by the sounds of muezzins calling Mus-lims to prayer, and those of church bells ringing…

trols a million Palestin-ians, the Old City, the Sinai, and the Golan. Did Eshkol bite off more than he could swallow? Mathilde takes Tom aside. “Six days ago these people were digging their graves. And now they are dancing. Tomorrow, who knows? Come,” she reaches out a hand. “Dance with us.” Tom joins the circle of Israelis and before long he is singing along with them.

“To be a realist in Israel,” Eshkol tells Tom, “You have to believe in miracles.” Dimitri, promising he will get the Israelis to agree to a ceasefire. Dimitri shrugs. Soviet warships have already been directed to the Gulf, he tells Tom. It may be too late to avoid a superpower conflict. The Russian offers some advice. “If you’re afraid of wolves,

and it strikes Tom: What does logic and diplomacy, and even America, have to do with any of this? As Tom wanders through the crowd he sees a beautiful blonde woman dancing in a circle with the Israelis. It’s Mathilde Krim. She and

LATER, ON MT. SCOPUS IN JERUSALEM for the official celebration, Tom McCarthy congratulates Eshkol, Rabin — and Dayan. He is not surprised to see Mathilde and Arthur among the dignitaries. Tom and Dimitri watch the celebration. It must feel good to be on the winning side for once, Dimitri ribs Tom. Dimitri points out the Arabs won’t accept this hu-miliation. Tom says the U.S. is fully committed to replen-ishing all of Israel’s war material and replace France as Israel’s chief supplier—and to working on a peace plan for all of the parties. Dimitri smirks. Peace? It’s endearing to see Tom hasn’t lost all of his American idealism. As Dimitri leaves, Tom sees pilot Dan Niv. Dan claps a hand on Tom’s slender shoulder. “We won.” “We?” Tom says. “It wasn’t our war.”

The Six Day War created the special relationship between the US and Israel that defines American foreign policy to this day.

Dan looks at the American. “It is now, friend.”

– and Eshkol pretends the line is bad. “What? What? Jungerman, speak up!” An Israeli Jeep deliberately drives over the line – and Tom has to smile a bit at the ruse as Eshkol goes back to the battle.

Among the VIPs, Tom finds Moshe Dayan. “Con-gratulations, you’ve won,” says Tom. “What happens now?’

Tom calls Rusk, who is livid— 26

don’t go into the woods.” IN TEL AVIV, Tom drives at full speed up to see Eshkol when suddenly people start to pour into the streets. A young woman and her daughter hug a soldier. The crowds thicken and Tom’s

Arthur flew in to show their sup-port. Of course, she can’t take any credit for Johnson’s support of Israel… she leaves that to Tom, she says with a wink. Tom is worried -- Israel now con-

General Dayan allows himself a grim smile. “Now?” he says. “Now comes the hard part.”

At the Center of the Storm LEVI ESHKOL

shkol is the most unlikely warrior: a careful, grandfatherly Yiddish-speaking politician, who single-handedly must hold off the brash, headstrong militarism of a younger generation, personified by Moshe Dayan, and pull the formidable trigger of Israeli military might only when the time is right. He will have one chance—just one—to save his nation from certain ruin. In six days he will go from ridiculed underdog to vindicated hero, but he will see clearly the price of victory.

GAMAL ABDEL NASSER

asser is Eshkol’s opposite: articulate, wildly popular and charismatic. He alone can restore and unify the Arab world, and bring its downtrodden people to glory. Nasser is also a master chess player and tactician who must decide whom among his fawning, scheming generals he can trust with Egypt’s future. In the course of six days, he will go from king of the Arab world to a crushed and defeated man.

LYNDON JOHNSON

urned and depressed by Vietnam, President Johnson resents being drawn into yet another foreign war. Only his close cadre of Jewish advisors, including a mysterious beautiful blonde Israeli doctor who lives much of the time at the White House, convince him to stand by the country, and eventually he too, like America, is swept up in the idealism of a miraculous victory.

MATHILDE KRIM

he Swiss-born scientist, a cross between Madame Curie and Marilyn Monroe and a passionate convert to Judaism, shuttled between Israeli leaders and the White House to help convince Johnson to back the fledging country.

MOSHE DAYAN

ayan, a self-described “simple farmer,” knows everyone and everything about Israel. He is a revered general, hero of the 1956 Sinai Campaign—and in Eshkol’s mind about as big a challenge as Nasser.

YITZHAK RABIN

he chain-smoking, handsome young general urges a punishing counterstrike in Jordan, from where the guerilla attack originated. As Chief of Staff, the burden of preparing and fielding the army falls entirely on Rabin—and the pressure—along with his constant smoking and sleeplessness—begins to show.

The Aftermath “Vietnam is history. The Six Day War is current events.”

After the Six Day War, stateless Palestinians decided to unleash their own campaign against Israel, unleashing the courage of hijacking on the world.

• President Gamal Nasser suffered a heart attack shortly after the Six Day War. Five million Egyptians turned out for his funeral.

Senator Robert F. Kennedy lay shot in Los Angeles on June 6, 1968 — Palestinian assassin Sirhan Sirhan said he did it to avenge American support for Israel during the Six Day War.

• Later that same year, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol died of heart failure at age 71. A nation that once mocked him credited him with its salvation during the Six Day War. • In 1968, burdened by the unpopular escalation of the Vietnam War, President Johnson announced he would not stand for reelection, and resigned from public life. • The strategic alliance between Israel and America, born in the crucible of that battle, continues to define world politics to this day. • As the 50th anniversary of the war approaches, “Six Day War” will stand as the singular dramatic history of those momentous days, when the world as we know it was born.

“I came to know Israel as a young man through images of Israel overcoming incredible odds in the ’67 war.”

— President Barack Obama, May 22, 2015 28

The Six Day War spurred five decades of America’s constant Middle East peacemaking, including Jimmy Carter at Camp David (above) to President Clinton (below) to the present day.

In 1987 and 2000, Palestinian youths launch the Intifada to protest Israeli occupatoin of West Bank and Gaza, captured in the Six Day War.