US National Archive declassifies records of foreign governments active in the United States under Israel Lobby

Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy- On October 21, 2010 the National Archives and Records Administration released Box #1 (of 67) from sealed US Senate records about the activities of non diplomatic representatives of foreign governments active in the United States.

...Top US lobbying firms, public relations consultants and foreign lobbying groups were ordered to submit records under threat of subpoena to Senate Foreign Relations Committee researchers.

A declassified March 17, 1961 three-page memorandum outlines why the Senate Foreign Relations Committee focused intensely on the Jewish Agency, the American Zionist Council and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (then functioning as the AZC's lobbying division, before incorporating):

In recent years there has been an increasing number of incidents involving attempts by foreign governments, or their agents, to influence the conduct of American foreign policy by techniques outside normal diplomatic channels..there have been occasions when representatives of other governments have been privately accused of engaging in covert activities within the United States and elsewhere, for the purpose of influencing United States Policy (the Lavon Affair). Read more