Two recent letters to the editor raise the question of whether AIPAC is a political action committee donating to U.S. political candidates. This is not a simple question.
It is well documented that in the 1980s AIPAC was instrumental in setting up a network of PACs across the United States, delivering kits to interested groups of donors. These PACs have traditionally disguised their true purpose, operating under names such as �Icepac� and �South Bay Citizens for Good Government,� obscuring that they are really single-issue PACs donating to put Israel supporters into office. This earned them the name �stealth PACs� in a book examining their curious long-term donation coordination.
In 1988, the Washington Post published an internal memo from AIPAC deputy legislative director Elizabeth Schrayer directing an assistant to contact stealth Israel PACs and give specific dollar amounts to specific political candidates. The memo is at http://irmep.org/ILA/AIPAC/PAC_Coordination/1986_PAC_Memo.htm
Today, AIPAC publishes voter guides and other communications that leave no doubt as to who the preferred AIPAC candidates are. The relevant question is, does AIPAC influence the flow of donations to U.S. candidates for office? Obviously it does.
The other question is why the network of stealth PACs is allowed to operate as if they were truly separate (each with a $5,000 per candidate contribution limit) rather than one big Israel PAC (with a combined $5,000 limit) directed by AIPAC. Other industries, such as Realtors, don’t divide and hide like stealth PACs do.
After decades of court challenges, this question remains unresolved as Americans suffer the consequences of bad Middle East policy.� Grant F. Smith, director, Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy Inc., Washington, D.C.