Remembering the USS Liberty
After 56 years, the unprovoked attack on the USS Liberty still has not received the scrutiny and attention that it deserves.
On June 8, 1967, the USS Liberty, a unique state-of-the-art intelligence-collecting vessel, was cruising peacefully across the Eastern Mediterranean Sea amid the Six-Day War, a conflict that involved Israel and its Arab neighbors: Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The ostensible purpose of the Liberty was to gather as much information and communications as it could on both sides of the war, whether it be Israel or Egypt.
At the time, the United States was concerned with Soviet influence in the region, as the Soviet Union more or less stood behind Egypt’s Nasser. This, of course, put the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. on opposite sides of the conflict, as was naturally the case in various geopolitical affairs throughout the Cold War. In addition, the U.S. was apprehensive about Israel’s true war aims, worrying, despite Israeli assurances, that its war would entail further territorial pursuit on the part of Israel. More simply put, a land grab.
By all accounts, June 8 was a beautiful, sunny day with clear visibility stretching for miles. In essence, it was a near-perfect day in the Mediterranean. That is, until the Liberty came under attack — by Israel, America’s supposed ally. All of a sudden, Israeli fighter jets swarmed the American vessel, inundating the deck with a multitude of rocket attacks and cannon fire.
Astonishingly, the attack was not a case of mistaken identity but a deliberate attack upon a clearly identifiable American ship over international waters. Audio recordings of Israeli transmissions revealed that the Israelis knew all along that it was an American vessel. The Liberty on that day was flying a grand American flag that could’ve been seen for miles. The ship’s bow distinctly displayed the numerical identity of a U.S. ship: (AGTR-5). Furthermore, Israeli reconnaissance aircraft circled and observed the ship for hours before the attack. Survivors of the Liberty later recalled that they felt a sense of calm and relaxation at the sight of Israeli aircraft earlier in the day, as Israel was their firm ally.
As soon as the attack commenced, Israel purposely jammed both the tactical and distress frequencies of the Liberty, preventing the crew members on board from calling for help. Indeed, one of the first things Israel bombed were the communications antennas and equipment atop the ship. The Liberty was defenseless and utterly alone, unable to cry out for assistance.
Along with the missile and rocket attacks, the Israelis dropped napalm on the bridge of the ship. Additionally, the attackers destroyed the lifeboats on and off the ship, a blatant war crime, blocking any efforts to evacuate the badly wounded. Israel sent torpedo boats with the intention of finishing the ship off. The boats wielded machine guns with armor-piercing rounds, leaving hundreds of sizable holes in the ship. But that wasn’t the most brutal impact of the attack. Israel launched several torpedoes at the ship, one of which made contact and violently rocked the ship, killing an estimated 25 people on board.
The attacks ceased when 23-year-old Terry Halbardier heroically got off an SOS signal to the nearby Sixth Fleet. Israel, aware that the SOS had been made, stopped the attack and went home. As the aircraft from the Sixth Fleet scrambled to assist the Liberty, Israel rapidly apologized to Washington and summoned the US Navy Attaché, claiming that it had all been a “mistake.” Subsequently, the American jets were ordered to stand down by President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of State Robert McNamara, much to the dismay of the pilots who wished to aid their fellow countrymen. All in all, 34 Americans were killed and 172 wounded in the unprovoked attack by an ally. More than two-thirds of the crew were either wounded or dead.
Cover-up
In the aftermath of the incident, the American government colluded with the Israelis to cover up the attack. The Lyndon Johnson administration, which was staunchly pro-Israel, paired with the deep-rooted Israel Lobby in D.C., was not about to let the attack on the Liberty potentially sever or disrupt U.S.-Israel relations. A total media blackout was soon enacted by the administration to prevent a public outcry against Israel.
Instead of heading to the nearest port, the Liberty was ordered to limp back to its alternate port in Malta to undergo extensive repairs and to remove the various body parts still held within. Afterward, the Liberty outwardly appeared as if nothing cruel had happened to it. Only then did the government allow others to view the vessel from afar. Ultimately, the Liberty was so badly damaged from the onslaught that it was unable to venture on any mission again. In 1970, the remains of the ship were sold as scrap for around $100,000.
Survivors of the Liberty were threatened with harsh fines and imprisonment by the higher-ups if they ever spoke to anyone whatsoever about what had occurred on June 8. One survivor, Phil Tourney, even recounted an event in which he and his wife were threatened by a Mossad agent to stay silent on the Liberty attack. Captain William McGonagle, the Liberty’s skipper, was later rewarded with the Medal of Honor in a closed, private ceremony in a naval shipyard away from the public’s eye. As is typically the custom, the president personally awards the recipient. In this case, Lyndon Johnson refused to take part in commemorating McGonagle’s heroism due to fears of upsetting Israel.
Terry Halbardier, the hero who saved the Liberty from complete destruction, received the Silver Star for his heroic actions 42 years after the USS Liberty attack on May 27, 2009. That it took over four decades to reward a hero who saved countless of his shipmates is highly indicative of the fact that the U.S. wanted to distance itself as far as possible from this “controversial” incident. In the end, the U.S. government never launched a full-scale congressional investigation into the attack.
Why did Israel Attack?
After 56 years, there has still been no conclusive explanation as to why Israel attacked the USS Liberty. There are multiple theories, but none have been verified due to the extraordinary lack of investigation and scrutiny into the incident. One theory suggests that the Israeli attack was a ploy intended to drag America into the war by blaming the attack on Egypt, thereby enlarging the war in Israel’s interest. This seems to be the most likely scenario.
Another theory, offered by retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern, implies that Israel did not want the U.S. to know that they were organizing troops to seize the Golan Heights from Syria “and wanted to deprive the U.S. of the opportunity to argue against such a move.” Given that the Liberty was listening in on Israeli communications, Israel possibly had the incentive to destroy the Liberty to cloak whatever it was that they were trying to hide.
A Vast Lack of Justice and Truth
Israel meant to completely obliterate the Liberty and leave no survivors, as intercepted Israeli transmissions indicated. Moreover, the many aspects of the attack demonstrated that they meant to kill every life on board: shooting the lifeboats, the napalm attack, and the torpedo launches. They were well aware that the Liberty was an American vessel. Israeli reconnaissance aircraft observed the ship in the morning on June 8 for hours, and Israeli pilots confirmed the ship’s identity as being American. It wasn’t a case of “mistaken identity.”
In total, 34 Americans died and over 170 were wounded in the unprovoked attack, which ultimately turned out to be one of the most suppressed incidents in U.S. military history. Truthfully, the suppression worked. Most Americans have never heard of the attack on the USS Liberty, and many who do interpret the reality that Israel deliberately attacked the ship as a “conspiracy theory,” believing that Israel would never commit such an atrocity against its greatest ally. But the record proves otherwise.
On the other hand, the cold treatment accorded to the survivors of the USS Liberty by their own government is an outrage. They, along with their families, are owed the truth, yet have received not a speck of it. In the meantime, the surviving courageous veterans of the Liberty continue to push for answers.
It’s a surprise to me to hear this story. With everything that is going on in this country, who can you trust to find out the truth. You can’t trust your own government any longer. Sure can’t trust the politicians or the media. I hope and pray we will be able to leave our children and grandchildren in a better place than it currently is in. It will take determination and very brave Americans to take our country back from these evil doers!!
Here's a memorial website with more info about the attack on the USS Liberty during Israel's "Six Day War" against the Arab states, which the US was monitoring: http://www.gtr5.com/
SecDef Robert McNamara, SecState Dean Rusk, and CIA director Richard Helms were members of the liberal-fascist Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), which has controlled US policy and the media since WW2. See charts: swprs.org/the-american-empire-and-its-media/