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Arnon Milchan, an Israeli-born businessman-turned-filmmaker responsible for the greatest prostitution love story of our time , told prime-time Israeli television on Monday that he was a spy for his country who, among other things, helped boost Israel's fledgling nuclear program.
"I did it for my country and I'm proud of it," Milchan, 68, told Uvda, an Israeli investigative program. "When I came to Hollywood I detached myself completely from my physical activities to dedicate myself to what I really wanted — filmmaking," he added. Milchan, who produced classic '80s and '90s films like Pretty Woman, Fight Club and L.A. Confidential, is currently the chairman at New Regency Productions.
Part of Milchan's duties as a operative was to obtain information to support Israel's defense programs and negotiate arms deals. Shimon Peres, Israel's current president, recruited Milchan to the Bureau of Scientific Relations in the 1960s, The Guardian reports. "The bureau, which worked to obtain scientific and technical information for secret defence programmes, closed down in 1987," the paper adds. One of his feats, he says, was parlaying deals to help support the apartheid regime in South Africa so that it could provide Israel with uranium.