[This is an updated version of an article that originally appeared in the USS Liberty Inquiry website]
USS Liberty: Why Another Inquiry
The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were Treated and Appreciated by their Nation. – George Washington
Why put together a Court of Inquiry into something that happened more than fifty years ago? Why try to reopen something that was settled by the government more than five decades ago? Isn’t this just ancient history?
In fact, there have been no inquiries into the culpability for the Israeli attack. This isn’t a matter of conducting another inquiry, but rather conducting what would be the first inquiry ever made into the question of who was responsible for the attack on USS Liberty, and why?
There are many practical reasons for undertaking a complete examination of the Israeli attack on the U.S.S. Liberty, but there is one reason that stands out above all: Justice.
Under our system of government, as individual citizens we have foresworn our individual right to vengeance in return for society’s promise to act on our behalf when a crime is committed against us as individuals. If society fails to act, if society does not live up to its obligation to act on behalf of wronged individuals, then the social contract is broken. Justice is central to our social system. If we cannot depend on society to deliver justice, there is no incentive for individuals to refrain from extracting their own vengeance.
It is to be remembered that one of the primary reasons for the law’s existence, indeed the state’s existence, is that people are to be relieved of their need to strike out against those who have wronged them. Not to argue the rights or wrongs of it; it is entirely natural for an individual, when injured or harmed by another or others, to seek revenge and retribution. It is potentially harmful to the state if the state does not satisfy these needs, these urges. If the people are not satisfied, as history clearly shows, then the people take the law into their own hands; and, they will do so, quick enough, if they see that the law does not suit their purposes. To punish the criminal, in order to satisfy the urges of the victim for revenge and retribution is an expression of a very old law, which still finds expression in our existing law, lex talionis. The Mosaic Code of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” lurks behind most legal punishments.
On June 8, 1967 aircraft and ships of the Israeli Defense Forces attacked a United States Navy ship, USS Liberty. The Israeli attack killed 34 Americans and wounded over 171 more. While the human damage was by far the worst, the ship also suffered more than Twenty Million Dollars in damages.
It is undisputed that Liberty was in international waters at all times. It is undisputed that she was an American ship. It is undisputed that she offered no overt or covert military threat to anyone. It is undisputed that the attack was undertaken by the Israelis. It is undisputed that the Israelis never positively identified the Liberty as a ship belonging to a belligerent nation.
Contrary to these undisputed facts, the United States publicly accepted the Israeli claim that the attack was an accident and closed the matter without undertaking any sort of detailed inquiry. Claims have been made that there have been nine, or eleven, or thirteen “complete investigations” of the attack. In point of fact, there has never been even a single complete investigation of what happened.
Standing alone, the undisputed facts make a strong and persuasive case for murder. At a minimum, the United States owes the survivors of the attack and the families of the deceased an explanation as to why the Israeli claim that the attack was an accident, when the undisputed evidence clearly suggests otherwise, was accepted without an investigation.
That the United States government has classified the most critical and dispositive evidence, without explanation, speaks volumes as to their belief as to what really happened. If this were truly an accident, why would it be necessary to classify materials that would otherwise have been released to the public many years ago? If this were truly an accident, why has Congress refused to investigate, as they have done in all other attacks on U.S. ships in peacetime that resulted in significant loss of life?
Every member of the United States military must swear to the following Code of Conduct:
I am an American fighting in the forces that guard my country and our way of life, I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.
I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.
If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.
Should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies.
I will never forget that I am an American fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.
While divine judgment is beyond the scope of this inquiry, we can and do charge the United States government with willfully refusing to honor its obligation to the survivors and the families of the dead.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 21, 2017
Contact: Bryce Lockwood
USS Liberty Veterans Association
Phone: 417-848-3858
Email: brycelockwood@sbcglobal.com
Contact: Ernie Gallo
USS Liberty Veterans Association
Phone: 386-446-4855
Email: ernie7900@aol.com
USS LIBERTY MAKES HISTORY AT AMERICAN LEGION CONVENTION
Attack Investigation Resolution Reaches Historic Milestone
In a historic move, the American Legion national convention in Reno, Nevada seems poised to pass a resolution calling for the first full investigation of Israel’s 1967 attack on the USS Liberty.
The Liberty was a U.S. Navy electronics ship operating in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean when it was attacked by Israeli forces, killing 34 and injuring at least 174. The ship’s commander received the Congressional Medal of Honor and the crew is one of the most decorated for a single engagement in U.S. Navy history.
The resolution has made it past two hurdles, the Foreign Relations Subcommittee and the National Security Committee, and will now go to a full floor vote later this week, where attendees normally approve resolutions.
The resolution was introduced in the Foreign Relations Subcommittee with the recommendation of “Rejection” by national Legion officials. An Iowa delegate, however, moved to approve it and was seconded. A show of hands was requested and the vote was 27-11 for approval.
In the full National Security Committee meeting, a motion was made and seconded for approval. The voice vote exhibited overwhelming support. A motion was made to withdraw the resolution, but was ruled out of order.
A similar resolution adopted in 1967 was rescinded without “individual review” at the national convention in 1984. In the intervening years the Liberty survivors have been prohibited from having a booth at the convention and other similar resolutions have been quashed.
For instance in 2012, the Department of Michigan adopted a resolution calling for an investigation only to have it killed in committee at the national convention that year. Legionnaires were thus denied the opportunity to debate and vote on the issue. By contrast, in 2013, the Veterans of Foreign Wars adopted a resolution at their national convention calling for the attack to be investigated.
The claim is sometimes incorrectly made that the attack has already been investigated. However, a one-week-long Naval inquiry was only tasked with investigating crew performance during the attack, and Congress has never investigated the attack as reported in the July 1997 issue of The American Legion Magazine. (For more information go to http://gtr5.com/faq-1.htm or see the resolution documents at https://tinyurl.com/LibertyResDocs or https://spaces.hightail.com/space/XPJEuQ2VKu.)
RESOLUTION
National Headquarters, The American Legion
Ninety-Ninth Annual National Convention, Reno, Nevada August 22, 23, 24, 2017
WHEREAS, on June 8, 1967, while operating in support of the National Security Agency (NSA) in international waters, properly marked as to her identity and nationality, and in calm, clear weather in the eastern Mediterranean, the USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was the target of an unprovoked attack by Israeli military forces that killed 34 members of the Liberty’s crew and wounded 173; and,
WHEREAS, in recognition of their heroic efforts during and after the Israeli onslaught, Liberty crew members were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, 2 Navy Crosses, 12 Silver Stars, 20 Bronze Stars, more than 200 Purple Hearts, and the ship’s captain, Navy Commander William. L. McGonagle, was awarded the Medal of Honor; and,
WHEREAS, the June 28, 1967 public summary of proceedings of the Navy Court of Inquiry into the attack stated: “It was not the responsibility of the Court to rule on the culpability of the attackers and no evidence was heard from the attacking nation”; and,
WHEREAS, according to Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) information reports from June and October, 1967, sources in Tel Aviv reported: “Israel’s forces knew exactly what flag the [L]IBERTY was flying” and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan “personally ordered the attack” on the Liberty over the objections of senior uniformed military personnel, one of whom characterized the attack as “pure murder”; and,
WHEREAS, Richard Helms (Director of Central Intelligence, 1966-1973), stated in a 1984 CIA interview: “everything possible was done to keep from the American public really the enormity of this attack on an American naval vessel” and “since this is for the Agency’s record, I don’t think there can be any doubt that the Israelis knew exactly what they were doing … any statement to the effect that they didn’t know that it was an American ship … is nonsense”; and,
WHEREAS, Lieutenant General Marshall S. Carter, USA (ret.) (Director of the NSA, 1965-1969), recalled in a 1988 NSA interview that he stated at a Congressional hearing in 1967 that the attack on the Liberty “couldn’t be anything else but deliberate. There’s just no way you could have a series of circumstances that would justify it being an accident” and Carter indicated this remained his belief in 1988; and,
WHEREAS, in a 2003 affidavit published in the Congressional Record, Captain Ward Boston, Jr., JAGC, USN (ret.), legal counsel for the 1967 Navy Court of Inquiry stated: “I know from personal conversations I had with Admiral Kidd [president of the Court of Inquiry] that President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered him to conclude that the attack was a case of ‘mistaken identity’ despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary”; and,
WHEREAS, according to the findings, published in the Congressional Record, of the 2003 Independent Commission of Inquiry, chaired by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, USN (ret.): “there is compelling evidence that Israel’s attack was a deliberate attempt to destroy an American ship and kill her entire crew” and “the White House deliberately covered up the facts of this attack”; and,
WHEREAS, in 2013, the Veterans of Foreign Wars adopted Resolution 423 calling “upon Congress to immediately investigate the attack on the USS Liberty by the armed forces of Israel on June 8, 1967, in order to determine the truth behind the attack, and to bring closure to the families and crew”; and,
WHEREAS, in August 1967, after the conclusion of the Navy Court of Inquiry, the American Legion adopted Resolution 508 (rescinded in 1984 without being first reviewed) declaring the published report of the Navy Court of Inquiry “fails to provide the American public with a satisfactory answer as to the reason for the attack” and stating that “The American Legion denounces and condemns Israel’s irresponsible attack” and demanding “a complete and thorough investigation of the incident”; and,
WHEREAS, according to Gurney Williams III, writing in The American Legion Magazine (“Death Strikes the Liberty“, July 1997), Congress has never investigated the Israeli attack on the Liberty; now therefore be it,
RESOLVED, By The American Legion in National Convention assembled in Reno, Nevada, August 22, 23, 24, 2017, that The American Legion calls upon the 115th United States Congress to publicly, impartially, and thoroughly investigate the attack on the USS Liberty and its aftermath and to commence its investigation before the end of 2017, the 50th anniversary year of the attack.
His ignorance of the specifics of the attack raises doubts he was there. I’ve heard of wannabes but this is the first I’ve heard of a War Criminal wannabe.
The following article was written for The Associated Press by Micha Limor, described as an Israeli naval reservist who was serving on one of the torpedo boats that attacked the United States communications ship Liberty off the Sinai coast on June 8.
July 7, 1967 New York Times Article Submitted by Israeli Claiming to be Aboard One of the Israeli Torpedo Boats
Other accounts describe Limor as an Israeli journalist. Whatever Limor is, he does not appear to have been a witness to the attack as he claims.
Given the article was published on July 7, 1967—less than one month after the attack—Israel partisans cannot claim the passage of time has clouded his memory.
And oh what a memory he has.
He describes circling the ship several times before firing torpedoes, but fails to mention that his torpedo boats approached to within a stone’s throw of the ship then pulled away and continued their attack.
He also omits the fact that his torpedo boats slowly circled the torpedoed and burning ship while firing on USS Liberty crewmen trapped topside and stretcher bearers who ventured topside to help our wounded shipmates.
Limor tells us that the ship flew no flag. Not so. An oversize American flag flew throughout the attack. The torpedomen examined that flag from less than 50 feet away, then continued firing from close range on anything that moved.
Limor tells us that the boatmen offered help. He does not mention that the offer came more than two hours after after the torpedo explosion.
TEL AVIV, July 6—The torpedoes were ready for firing when our three Israeli torpedo boats zeroed in on the gray ship moving slowly on a south-easterly course off El Arish.
At that tense moment, not one of us on those torpedo boats could have suspected that this was the beginning of an incident that was to cause a long international wrangle.[cm_simple_footnote id=1]
On June 8, the sun was already high in the sky when we received notification of an unidentified vessel some 12 miles off El Arish suspected of being an enemy craft.[cm_simple_footnote id=2]
Formations Taken Up
Within moments, the face of our torpedo boat changed. Sailors took their positions, engines were revved up, and in five minutes we were moving out in formation, torpedo boat after torpedo boat, toward the deep sea.
We spotted the objective once on the radar screen.[cm_simple_footnote id=3] She was moving on a steady course, southeast at about 10 knots. We sailed toward the objective at an increased speed, looking at her through binoculars in an effort to identify the vessel. Two of our planes flew over our heads a few minutes afterward. We saw them circle the ship several times, and then dive into the attack.[cm_simple_footnote id=4]
They spat two rockets into the gray ship, and plumes of smoke rose from her. Then the two jets headed away toward the coast.[cm_simple_footnote id=5]
About 2,000 yards from the ship, a strange spectacle met our eyes. The high masts and the many weird antennae showed that this was a warship. The side of the vessel was blotted out by smoke, and apart from three numbers along her side, which meant nothing to us, we could not discern a thing.[cm_simple_footnote id=6]
`We could see no flag on the mast, nor was anyone to be seen on the decks and bridge.[cm_simple_footnote id=7]
[The United States Navy, investigating the incident, reported the Liberty was flying the American flag when the planes attacked. It conceded, however, that the resulting smoke might have obscured the view of the attacking torpedo boats. NYT][cm_simple_footnote id=8]
No Answer Received
We spent several minutes trying to contact the ship and demanding identification. We tried by radio and by heliograph, in accordance with internationally accepted means. But she gave no answer.[cm_simple_footnote id=9] It also seemed that she had managed to control the fires and continued on a stable course.
It was decided to pass by her in battle formation and demand identification by firing across her bow. So we moved past at a tremendous speed, firing across the empty bridge and the bow.[cm_simple_footnote id=10]
Suddenly, a sailor appeared in view and started firing at us with a heavy machine gun from the bridge. We took the challenge and directed cannon fire against him. A moment later, he fell together with the machine gun.[cm_simple_footnote id=11]
Thus, there was no doubt that we were faced by the enemy. The prolonged refusal to identify herself, the absence of any flag, the shooting at us and, above all, the weird contraptions on the ship left us without doubt.
We wanted to make the ship surrender without sinking her. Once again, we circled the vessel in battle formation, firing again and again. This had no effect. No one appeared. No one reacted. The shells caused little damage to the hull, and the ship proceeded on her way.[cm_simple_footnote id=12]
You could almost hear the men’s teeth grinding aboard our boat. Nothing can annoy a torpedo boat crew more than being completely ignored. The order was given to prepare for a torpedo attack.
We drew up along the left side[cm_simple_footnote id=13] of the ship and advanced at full battle speed. Just as in dozens of training exercises, we reached the right angle and range—and let go. We thought only a miracle would save the ship. One of the torpedos hit amidships. There followed an enormous explosion and a huge water spout.
And then fires broke out, and the ship leaned sideways as if about to sink. We watched for survivors, as is customary, whether friend or enemy. But no one appeared on deck.
First Identification
Suddenly, something fell into the sea. One of our boats approached and, picking it up from the waters, found it to be a rubber lifeboat with the lettering “U.S. Navy.”[cm_simple_footnote id=14]
That was the very first sign of identification.
A moment later there arrived on the scene the helicopter that was to have picked up prisoners.[cm_simple_footnote id=15] He hovered over the ship and then signaled us:
“They are raising the American flag.”
It was crystal clear we had hit friends.
Dozens of shells, rockets and torpedoes were needed to drag a sign of identity from them, said one of my seamen who, like the rest of his mates, was bitterly upset at this turn of events.
He was right. The showing of the Stars and Stripes at the first stage would have prevented all that happened subsequently.
Help Offered
We received orders directly from the officer commanding the navy to give all necessary help. So we approached the Liberty and offered help through a loudspeaker.
Then an officer appeared for the first time on the bridge and screamed, “Go to hell!”
Learning they did not need aid, we left. And the Liberty returned to her regular operations. It seemed any other ship would have sunk.
It was only later that we learned how many casualties had been caused by our torpedoes. END
As of this writing it has been 18,419 days since the attack on the USS Liberty.
This translates to 50 years, 5 month and 3 days.
And still no investigation in sight.
According to a November 8th press release, DoD will be sending AFRICOM’s investigation team to locations in the US, Africa and Europe.
This week U.S. Army officials contacted the family members of the four U.S. soldiers killed Oct. 4 during an ambush in Niger in order to provide a timeline on U.S. Africa Command’s investigation into the incident. Families were informed that AFRICOM’s investigation team will travel to locations in the U.S., Africa and Europe to gather information related to the investigation. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier, AFRICOM’s chief of staff, will lead the command’s investigation team. Officials also relayed that the investigation is expected to be completed in January 2018, but that if circumstances required additional time, that they will be kept informed.
They further tell us that:
Once the investigation is completed, briefing the families of the fallen will be the department’s first priority.
While these actions are appropriate, it should be noted that the US Navy:
Never contacted the family members of the USS Liberty to provide a timeline;
Never sent an investigation team anywhere except the USS Liberty and they only remained aboard for a week;
Never briefed the families of the fallen let alone made that briefing a priority;
Never briefed the families of the crew on the findings of the US Navy Court of Inquiry;
Has refused to provide a spokesperson to attend a USS Liberty reunion to explain the findings of the US Navy Court of Inquiry; and,
Has refused to speak with a group of survivors representing the USS Liberty Veterans Association to discuss the US Navy Court of Inquiry Report.
