Israel does NOT have the nuclear option during the Yom Kippur War

It is well accepted that the American airlift of arms was critical to Israel's survival in 1973.  It is also reasonably well accepted that Golda Meir was considering using nuclear weapons to defend the country.  Is there any possibility that these two events were related?

 

The conventional interpretation of Israel's approach to the U.S. goes like this:

 

Prime Minister Meir : "Mr. President.  The people of Israel need your help. Please, save us."

President Nixon:        "Madame Prime Minister.  My mother told me, someday son, you will save the people of Israel.  This is why I was elected President."

 

Is it at all possible that the conversation went more like this?

 

Golda : "Hey, Dick.   We go, you go."

Dick:   :"Uh, sure Golda.  What d'yuh need?"

 

Tricky Dick Nixon was nothing if not a ruthless pragmatist.  His attitude to Jews was ambivalent, at best.  Both of these points are well illustrated by his extermination of the Rosenbergs  for political purposes early in his career.   Was Nixon not capable of anticipating a massive Arab economic retaliation for his support of Israel?  Could he not have forseen a massive recession as a direct result of the Arab Oil Embargo?  Was the economic situation not critical in causing the Watergate Scandal to escalate out of control, leading to the collapse of his own Presidency?

 

Given the option, wouldn't Nixon have preferred to let Israel go under, focusing on an Iran centered defense policy in the Middle East?  And given the elimination of the State of Israel in 1973, would the Shah ever have fallen?

 

A lot of "What if's" here, no!?