# was the Israeli attack on USS Liberty only an accident **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 28, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626 "2006-04-28T17:43:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/1 "2006-04-28T17:43:39Z")
first let me say that I have never heard about this case since about 2-3 years ago - and I find a bit strange that I have never seen it covered in any main-steam media or documentary, even if I don’t live in USA. the official version is that it was an accident, but i find that very unlikely according to this article by by Eric S. Margolis > [@](#): > > **’The USS Liberty’: America’s Most Shameful Secret** > > NEW YORK – On the fourth day of the 1967 Arab Israeli War, the intelligence ship ‘USS Liberty’ was steaming slowly in international waters, 14 miles off the Sinai Peninsula. Israeli armored forces were racing deep into Sinai in hot pursuit of the retreating Egyptian army. > > ‘Liberty,’ a World War II freighter, had been converted into an intelligence vessel by the top-secret US National Security Agency, and packed with the latest signals and electronic interception equipment. The ship bristled with antennas and electronic ‘ears’ including TRSSCOMM, a system that delivered real-time intercepts to Washington by bouncing a stream of microwaves off the moon. > > ‘Liberty’ had been rushed to Sinai to monitor communications of the belligerents in the Third Arab Israeli War: Israel and her foes, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. > > At 0800 hrs, 8 June, 1967, eight Israeli recon flights flew over ‘Liberty,’ which was flying a large American flag. At 1400 hrs, waves of low-flying Israeli Mystere and Mirage-III fighter-bombers repeatedly attacked the American vessel with rockets, napalm, and cannon. The air attacks lasted 20 minutes, concentrating on the ship’s electronic antennas and dishes. The ‘Liberty’ was left afire, listing sharply. Eight of her crew lay dead, a hundred seriously wounded, including the captain, Commander William McGonagle. > > At 1424 hrs, three Israeli torpedo boats attacked, raking the burning ‘Liberty’ with 20mm and 40mm shells. At 1431hrs an Israeli torpedo hit the ‘Liberty’ midship, precisely where the signals intelligence systems were located. Twenty-five more Americans died. > > Israeli gunboats circled the wounded ‘Liberty,’ firing at crewmen trying to fight the fires. At 1515, the crew were ordered to abandon ship. The Israeli warships closed and poured machine gun fire into the crowded life rafts, sinking two. As American sailors were being massacred in cold blood, a rescue mission by US Sixth Fleet carrier aircraft was mysteriously aborted on orders from the White House. > > An hour after the attack, Israeli warships and planes returned. Commander McGonagle gave the order. ‘prepare to repel borders.’ But the Israelis, probably fearful of intervention by the US Sixth Fleet, departed. ‘Liberty’ was left shattered but still defiant, her flag flying. > > The Israeli attacks killed 34 US seamen and wounded 171 out of a crew of 297, the worst loss of American naval personnel from hostile action since World War II. > > Less than an hour after the attack, Israel told Washington its forces had committed a ‘tragic error.’ Later, Israel claimed it had mistaken ‘Liberty’ for an ancient Egyptian horse transport. US Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, and Joint Chiefs of Staff head, Admiral Thomas Moorer, insisted the Israeli attack was deliberate and designed to sink ‘Liberty.’ So did three CIA reports; one asserted Israel’s Defense Minister, Gen. Moshe Dayan, had personally ordered the attack. > > In contrast to American outrage over North Korea’s assault on the intelligence ship ‘Pueblo,’ Iraq’s mistaken missile strike on the USS ‘Stark,’ last fall’s bombing of the USS ‘Cole’ in Aden, and the recent US-China air incident, the savaging of ‘Liberty’ was quickly hushed up by President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara… > **['The USS Liberty': America's Most Shameful Secret - LewRockwell](https://www.lewrockwell.com/2001/05/eric-margolis/the-uss-liberty-americas-most-shameful-secret/)** > > NEW YORK On the fourth day of the 1967 Arab Israeli War, the intelligence ship ‘USS Liberty’ was steaming slowly in international waters, 14 miles off the Sinai Peninsula. Israeli armored forces were racing deep into Sinai in hot pursuit of the... ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/2 "2006-04-28T18:13:23Z")
Eric Margolis is a fool. I have read some of his articles in the past and they are riddled with factual or historical inaccuracies that I suspect were intentional, in order to support his wild conspiracy theories. Micheal B. Oren’s _Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East_ gives a blow by blow account of the events according to Israeli radio transcripts and logs as well as eye witness acounts of pilots and crew, and it reads nothing like the acount you quoted. The aircraft that attacked the liberty were orignally en-route to attack Egyptian land forces, hence they carried weapons like napalm, which was not a very effective anti-ship weapon. They were re-routed after an Egyptian ship had shelled the Israeli coast and mistook the Liberty for the attacker. The Liberty had been identified previously as an American ship but a “refreshing” of the status board at the Israeli Command Center somehow erased this note. The PT boats that later arrived were actually first fired upon by the Liberty, due to a miscommunication among the American crew, and returned fire in the confusion. Any theories about an intentional israeli attack are conspiracy theories without any evidece. ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/3 "2006-04-28T18:27:28Z")
but he based his article on a book by intelligence expert James Bamford and the captain and the crew on board says it was deliberate attack also (they have a homepage) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/4 "2006-04-28T18:52:26Z")
> [@Minotaurus](#): > > but he based his article on a book by intelligence expert James Bamford Who’s James Bamford? What are his qualifications? How respected is he in the intelligence field? And precisely what did Margolis use from his book to generate that article? Did he accurately use the information from that book, or has he manipulated it to give the results he wanted? > [@](#): > > and the captain and the crew on board says it was deliberate attack also (they have a homepage) Are they claiming that the Israeli military deliberately targetted a ship they knew to be American, with the intent to kill Americans? Why? Do you have a link to their homepage? ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/5 "2006-04-28T18:55:57Z")
> [@](#): > > but he based his article on a book by intelligence expert James Bamford Have you actually read the book by James Bamford? Are you certain that it actually says what Erid Margolis claims it says? Have you considered the possibility that Eric Margolis might be lying to you? Assuming that you have read the book by James Bamford, I have a question for you. According to Margolis: > [@](#): > > A member of President Johnson’s staff believed there was a more complex reason for the cover-up: Johnson offered Jewish liberals unconditional backing of Israel, and a cover-up of the ‘Liberty’ attack, in exchange for the liberal toning down their strident criticism of his policies in the then raging Vietnam War. What page of Mr. Bamford’s book does this come from? Which member of Johnson’s staff made this particular claim? When did they make it? What was the precise wording of the claim? ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/6 "2006-04-28T19:08:29Z")
The wikipedia article on the USS liberty incident has links to the captain’s home page. Also, it seems most of Wikipedia’s accounts are take directly from Oren’s book, and it cites Oren as a major source. ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/7 "2006-04-28T19:19:47Z")
I read a history of the NSA last year that had a chapter about this attack. The essence of the story was that the attack was deliberate and that the reason behind the attack was the Israeli concern that a massacre of captured Eqyptian POW’s would be discovered and reported. Before you ask, no I do not have a cite and it will be a week or two before I can find the book as we just remodeled the damn living room and virtually all my books are buried in boxes. It might have been The Puzzle Palace but I’m just not sure as I have several different books about the NSA. The story \*\*sounded \*\* authentic and the various radio transmissions that the NSA anonymous sources cited \*\*seemed \*\* to support the claim. And I think in recent years there has been general acceptance that during the Sinai War there were Israeli prisoners who died under suspicious circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/8 "2006-04-28T19:23:59Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=136053&page=2&pp=50&highlight=bamford](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=136053&page=2&pp=50&highlight=bamford) Hm. Both a link of mine to Bamford’s book, and some discussion of Oren’s debunking. That help any? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/9 "2006-04-28T19:25:03Z")
The book was Body of Secrets, not the Puzzle Palace, Fir. Willing to bet it’s the same book you read. Check my above link. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/10 "2006-04-28T19:51:24Z")
Perhaps the most mysterious thing is not the attack, but the fact that lyndon Johnson immediately quashed any investigation into it. effectively, the survivors were told not to discuss it, the ship was repaired and renamed, and the officers were told not to makke statements. What that adds up to i don’t know-only that the USS Liberty was a spy ship. its task was to monitor communications, and report back to Washington. just what was intercepted and decoded probably will never be made public-the vast majority of the stuff is still classified. It is a siyuation similar to the fate of the USS PUEBLO 9another spy ship) taken by the North koreans 9in international waters). Upon his release, the captain 9Cmdr. lloyd Bucher) returned to a not-so-grateful nation, as he faced a court martial. All information about that disgraceful incident has likewise been swept under a carpet somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/11 "2006-04-28T22:28:32Z")
Unless I miss my guess, every single US inquiry found there to be no malice and no volitional attack against a known American ship. Unless, of course, you want to believe that the Pentagon has been infiltrated by… The Zionists! (Dun Dun Dunnnnnn!!!) ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/12 "2006-04-29T17:15:53Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Who’s James Bamford? What are his qualifications? How respected is he in the intelligence field? [About James Bamford](http://www.randomhouse.com/features/bamford/author.html). I think you will find he has considerable credibility. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/13 "2006-04-29T21:04:08Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Perhaps the most mysterious thing is not the attack, but the fact that lyndon Johnson immediately quashed any investigation into it. effectively, the survivors were told not to discuss it, the ship was repaired and renamed, and the officers were told not to makke statements. What that adds up to i don’t know-only that the USS Liberty was a spy ship. You might have solved your own “mystery” there. Margolis’ account sounds like a typical conspiracy theorist’s conjectures. Beyond the notion that the Israelis would risk severely damaging their relationship with their main ally out of fear that some Egyptian prisoner deaths would be discovered, there’s this gem: “At 1431hrs an Israeli torpedo hit the ‘Liberty’ midship, precisely where the signals intelligence systems were located.” Somehow the Israelis not only knew the exact location of the “signals intelligence systems” on a U.S. spy ship, but they were able to score a direct hit on this supposedly key target on a moving vessel. Man, they must have been good. And while Margolis suggests that this was the first occasion of glossing over an attack on a U.S. vessel by a country with which we were not at war, he apparently never heard of the Japanese attack on the U.S.S. Panay in 1937. And the evidence is far better in this instance that the Panay’s sinking was actually deliberate. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/14 "2006-04-29T21:42:17Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Unless I miss my guess, every single US inquiry found there to be no malice and no volitional attack against a known American ship. Unless, of course, you want to believe that the Pentagon has been infiltrated by… The Zionists! (Dun Dun Dunnnnnn!!!) What inquiries (note plural)? There was only one I think. > [@](#): > > The Executive Branch of the United States Government undertook no further review of the attack. Similarly, the United States Congress has never investigated the attack, making it the only attack on a United States Navy ship involving significant loss of life that has not been so investigated.[48] > > SOURCE: [War Crimes Committed Against U.S. Military Personnel, June 8, 1967](http://www.ussliberty.org/report/report.htm) I am surprised at the latitude being given to the Israelis here for this incident. No viewing of the course of events that day can be reasonably washed away by a mere “whoops”. Yes, it happens that allies mistakenly fire upon one another but the Israeli attack went on so long as to make it unbelievable that this was just an unfortunate incident. Apparently I am not the only one who thinks so either. > [@](#): > > Writing in his memoirs, Richard Helms, the Director of Central Intelligence at the time of the attack, explained that the Central Intelligence Agency undertook a “final” investigation after more evidence became available, and he offered the following information concerning the CIA’s final finding:[44] > > \*“Israeli authorities subsequently apologized for the incident, but few in Washington could believe that the ship had not been identified as an American naval vessel. Later, an interim intelligence memorandum concluded the attack was a mistake and not made in malice against the U.S. . . .I had no role in the board of inquiry that followed, or the board’s finding that there could be no doubt that the Israelis knew exactly what they were doing in attacking the Liberty. I have yet to understand why it was felt necessary to attack this ship or who ordered the attack.” [Emphasis added] \* > > Director Helms was not the only administration official who remained convinced that the attack was deliberate. In 1990, in his memoirs, Secretary of State Rusk observed:[45] > > \*“But I was never satisfied with the Israeli explanation. Their sustained attack to disable and sink Liberty precluded an assault by accident or some trigger-happy local commander. Through diplomatic channels we refused to accept their explanations. I didn’t believe them then, and I don’t believe them to this day. The attack was outrageous.” \* > > Similarly, Clark M. Clifford, Counsel to the President at the time of the attack, recalled:[46] > > \*“I do not know to this day at what level the attack on the Liberty was authorized and I think it is unlikely that the full truth will ever come out. Having been for so long a staunch supporter of Israel, I was particularly troubled by this incident; I could not bring myself to believe that such an action could have been authorized by Levi Eshkol. Yet somewhere inside the Israeli government, somewhere along the chain of command, something had gone terribly wrong–and then had been covered up. I never felt the Israelis made adequate restitution or explanation for their actions…” \* > > The then-General Counsel for the Department of Defense, attorney Paul C. Warnke, opined:[47] > > _“I found it hard to believe that it was, in fact, an honest mistake on the part of the Israeli air force units. I still find it impossible to believe that it was. I suspect that in the heat of battle they figured that the presence of this American ship was inimical to their interests, and that somebody without authorization attacked it.”_ > > SOURCE: [War Crimes Committed Against U.S. Military Personnel, June 8, 1967](http://www.ussliberty.org/report/report.htm) It may be claimed the above cite has an axe to grind but they do cite their sources and quotes. Take it FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/15 "2006-04-29T21:50:03Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > What inquiries (note plural)? There was only one I think. I think I should retract that part of my last post. I do not know all of the inquiries made, official or otherwise, that were made. I was just going on the one Executive inquiry mentioned above. For all I know there were dozens others made by the CIA, NSA, DOD, Navy, etc… ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/16 "2006-04-29T22:47:36Z")
[Ten official US investiagations/inquiries, three Israeli investigations.](http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/liberty2.html) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/17 "2006-04-30T01:33:58Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > [Ten official US investiagations/inquiries, three Israeli investigations.](http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/liberty2.html) Ok fine. Reading that link is sad as it looks like one of the most blatant coverups I have ever seen. Note the Israeli responses. Reading elsewhere (I need to find the cite again) not a single reprimand (much less something more harsh) was handed out for this. It was a pretty spectacular screwup if that is all it was. Someone should have had their ass handed to them but not one IDF person was held accountable in the slightest that I am aware of. Read the quotes from highly placed officials cited in my earlier post. None of them think this was an “oops” on Israel’s part. Interesting that your link did not include [The Moorer Commission](http://www.usslibertyinquiry.com/evidence/usreports/moorer.html) report. From that link some tidbits: > [@](#): > > - That there is compelling evidence that Israel’s attack was a deliberate attempt to destroy an American ship and kill her entire crew; evidence of such intent is supported by statements from Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Undersecretary of State George Ball, former CIA director Richard Helms, former NSA directors Lieutenant General William Odom, USA (Ret.), Admiral Bobby Ray Inman, USN (Ret.), and Marshal Carter; former NSA deputy directors Oliver Kirby and Major General John Morrison, USAF (Ret.); and former Ambassador Dwight Porter, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon in 1967 > - That although Liberty was saved from almost certain destruction through the heroic efforts of the ship’s Captain, William L. McGonagle (MOH), and his brave crew, surviving crewmembers were later threatened with “court-martial, imprisonment or worse” if they exposed the truth; and were abandoned by their own government > - That there has been an official cover-up without precedent in American naval history; the existence of such a cover-up is now supported by statements of Rear Admiral Merlin Staring, USN (Ret.), former Judge Advocate General of the Navy; and Captain Ward Boston, USN, (Ret.), the chief counsel to the Navy’s 1967 Court of Inquiry of Liberty attack > - Captain Ward Boston, USN, JAGC, Ret, the chief Navy attorney for the 1967 U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry into the Israeli attack, has recently come forward to repudiate the Court’s conclusion that the attack was “a case of mistaken identity”. Captain Boston has revealed that all available evidence, in fact, pointed in exactly the opposite direction - that it was a deliberate attack on a clearly identified American ship. In his affidavit dated October 9, 2003, Captain Boston states, “Admiral Kidd and I believed with certainty that this attack, which killed 34 American sailors and injured 173 others, was a deliberate effort to sink an American ship and murder its entire crew. I am certain that the Israeli pilots that undertook the attack, as well as their superiors who had ordered the attack, were aware that the ship was American.” [See Exhibit attached]. Captain Boston stated that he has personal knowledge that Admiral Kidd found the attack to be “a case of mistaken identity” in 1967 only because he was under direct orders to do so by Defense Secretary McNamara and President Johnson. > > SOURCE: [Military DITY Moves: Everything You Need to Know](http://www.usslibertyinquiry.com/evidence/usreports/moorer.html) ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/18 "2006-04-30T04:26:02Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Ok fine. Reading that link is sad as it looks like one of the most blatant coverups I have ever seen. First, you are trusting the site that claimed “the United States Congress has never investigated the attack,” when no fewer than **six** of the ten inquiries/investigations were conducted by Congress. - Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 1967. - Senate Armed Services Committee , Feb 1, 1968. - House Appropriations Committee, April-May 1968. - House Armed Services Committee, May 10, 1971. - Senate Select Committee on Intelligence , 1979. - House Armed Services Committee, June 1991. (The last, by the way, in direct response to claims made by the Liberty Veterans’ Association.) Moreoever, the fact that no punishments were handed out does not make it a coverup. How often do casualties resulting from friendly fire come to criminal charges? When the United States Military closes an inquiry stating the a friendly fire exchange was due to the fog of war, or what have you, is that a coverup? [Is this evidence of a coverup?](http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030408-friendlyfire01.htm) If you are honestly suggesting that there was a “coverup”, then you are suggesting that the US Military, and US Congress, are in on it. That, and the our own spy planes which intercepted communications between Israeli pilots were… what, part of the conspiracy? Had their tapes doctored? > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Note the Israeli responses. Reading elsewhere (I need to find the cite again) not a single reprimand (much less something more harsh) was handed out for this. Failure to punish does not equal a coverup. They admitted culpability, simply not malice. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It was a pretty spectacular screwup if that is all it was. Someone should have had their ass handed to them but not one IDF person was held accountable in the slightest that I am aware of. And yet, they admitted that they had fired on the Liberty, and that it was a massive mistake, no? Thus, how can it be a coverup? If one admits it to the world, it’s hardly being hushed up, is it? > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Read the quotes from highly placed officials cited in my earlier post. None of them think this was an “oops” on Israel’s part. Why didn’t they testify/have their ideas valued by all the investigations which took place? Again, are you suggesting that the Americans who investigated were in on the conspiracy and coverup? > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Interesting that your link did not include [The Moorer Commission](http://www.usslibertyinquiry.com/evidence/usreports/moorer.html) report. From that link some tidbits: [/quote] No, it’s not interesting that it didn’t include that, as the Moorer “Comission” was a private and non-governmental entity. Heck, even [recently declassified tapes](http://hnn.us/readcomment.php?id=15458&bheaders=1) support the same story that’s been there all along: that the Liberty was mistaken to be an Egyptian vessel. And, simply as an aside, you didn’t quote the most “interesting” claim that your cite makes: > [@](#): > > That due to the influence of Israel’s powerful supporters in the United States, the White House deliberately covered up the facts of this attack from the American people Again, this is suggesting that Congress and the US Military are, somehow, in cahoots with The Zionists [sup]tm[/sup] in order to keep the truth away from the American public. It’s an intersting minor variation on the “Zinoists control our government!” meme, but not all that intersting. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/19 "2006-04-30T05:38:31Z")
The obvious answer is that the United States of America _enjoys_ getting attacked by random countries. The fact that it was an ally only makes us more suspect. Therefore we _must_ obviously hate muslims more than jews. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-israeli-attack-on-uss-liberty-only-an-accident/354626/20 "2006-04-30T05:54:27Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Again, this is suggesting that Congress and the US Military are, somehow, in cahoots with The Zionists [sup]tm[/sup] in order to keep the truth away from the American public. It’s an intersting minor variation on the “Zinoists control our government!” meme, but not all that intersting. I am not saying there is some Zionist control of the government. Frankly I think it just boiled down to Realpolitik. Israel is an ally of ours and at that time and place our government did not want to inflame anti-Israeli sentiment in the US. No need for Zionist control…the US has a self interest in seeing Israel kept together and safe. That aside you are ignoring much of what I quoted in my post. Note who made these accusations. They are not armchair sitting, tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy types. They are across the board highly placed members of the American government who were involved _at the time_ with this incident. [ul] [li]Richard Helms, Director of Central Intelligence[/li] [li]Dean Rusk, Secretary of State [/li] [li]Clark M. Clifford, Counsel to the President[/li] [li]Paul C. Warnke, General Counsel for the Department of Defense[/li] [li]Captain Ward Boston, chief Navy attorney for the 1967 U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry into the Israeli attack[/li] [li]George Ball, Undersecretary of State[/li] [li]Captain Merlin Staring, Navy legal officer assigned to the inquiry (eventually became Judge Advocate General Of The Navy)[/li][/ul] Not sure if the following were directly involved in the incident/original inquiry but still of note as being on record that the Israeli attack was more than a simple mistake: [ul] [li]Admiral Moorer was Chief of Naval Operations when this event occurred and went on to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff[/li] [li]General Raymond G. Davis was Assistant Chief of Staff during this event and finished as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps[/li] [li]Lieutenant General William Odom, NSA director[/li] [li]Admiral Bobby Ray Inman, NSA director[/li] [li]Marshal Carter, NSA director[/li] [li]Oliver Kirby, NSA deputy director[/li] [li]Major General John Morrison, NSA deputy director[/li] [li]Ambassador Dwight Porter, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon in 1967[/li][/ul] I find the above list of people fairly compelling. It’s be one thing if just one or two said this sort of thing but all of them? Check their bonafides…I have on some and many of these guys are highly decorated and respected individuals. If the list of names does not impress you then debunk the course of events. Your link to the declassified tapes is not impressive. Here are two that disputes it: > [@](#): > > Akins noted that his friend Ambassador Dwight Porter, U.S. ambassador to Lebanon in 1967, had told syndicated columnists Rowland Evans and Robert Novak, Akins, and other friends (including the Washington Report’s publisher, executive editor and this reporter), that he had seen transcripts of Israeli radio discussions during the attack. The U.S. monitors heard an Israeli pilot identify the Liberty’s American flag. His superiors ordered him to attack the ship anyway. > > SOURCE: [http://www.washington-report.org/archives/August\_2005/0508017.html](http://www.washington-report.org/archives/August_2005/0508017.html) And… > [@](#): > > New evidence of intercepted radio communications between attacking Israeli pilots and the Israeli War Room, recorded by a U.S. Navy EC-121 spy plane, in which the Israeli pilots report seeing Liberty’s American flag flying, has been collected by investigative author James Bamford - for 9 years the Washington Investigative Producer for ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings (and author of Body of Secrets, which includes a chapter entitled Blood about the attack on USS Liberty). A similar radio message was intercepted by the EC-121 from the Israeli motor torpedo boats. This corroborates statements by surviving crewmembers, by Ambassador Dwight Porter, and by senior National Security Agency officials concerning NSA intercepts of Israeli pilot communications identifying the ship as American. > > SOURCE: [Military DITY Moves: Everything You Need to Know](http://www.usslibertyinquiry.com/evidence/usreports/moorer.html) So we have your judge turned historian versus an Ambassador, ABC’s investigative producer, the navy and the NSA. If nothing else use your own bullshit meter here and tell me nothing stinks. - The Israelis overflew the Liberty at least 8 times prior to the attack (and as shown above there is evidence that they identified the ship as American) - The Israelis, according to your link, identified the ship as an Egyptian cargo freighter. Remember 8 overflights and look at [this picture](http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/u120000/u123118.jpg) of the ship. Note the antennae sprouting all over it not to mention a big satellite dish. Target recognition is trained to pilots and Israeli pilots are as good as they come. Not to mention that reconnaisance aircraft that overflew them are specifically meant to do just that. Add in the American flag and GTR-5 painted in big letters on the bow. They missed identified this how? - The attack spanned two hours. Not just one mistaken bomb but three jets, three torpedo boats and helicopters (although the helicopters loaded with armed troops did nothing as at that point the word was out and they thought the Sixth Fleet was responding). Gunfire, rockets, napalm, torpedoes…they beat the snot out of that ship. - The Israelis jammed all American emergency channels. - The torpedo boats at some point are reported to have been withing 50’ of the ship. - The Israelis shot the life rafts the crew threw overboard when the ship seemed lost (looked more like murder than war where you generally capture surviving seamen). - Once the ship got a call out the US Sixth Fleet launched planes in its defense. Robert McNamara recalled the strike. The fleet commander, thinking there may have been worry over the planes carrying nukes, launched a second sortie assuring no nukes were being carried. This was recalled as well by President Johnson. - After the incident the survivng crew was warned on pain of court martial or prison to not talk about the event. None of that seems even the slightest bit odd to you? Stinks like hell to me. 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