Cover-Up Alleged in Probe of USS Liberty

Associated Press ^ | 10/22/2003 | JENNIFER C. KERR

[hanuman]

Cover-Up Alleged in Probe of USS Liberty Wed Oct 22, 8:47 PM ET

By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A former Navy attorney who helped lead the military investigation of the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty that killed 34 American servicemen says former President Lyndon Johnson and his defense secretary, Robert McNamara, ordered that the inquiry conclude the incident was an accident.

In a signed affidavit released at a Capitol Hill news conference, retired Capt. Ward Boston said Johnson and McNamara told those heading the Navy's inquiry to "conclude that the attack was a case of 'mistaken identity' despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary."

Boston was senior legal counsel to the Navy's original 1967 review of the attack. He said in the sworn statement that he stayed silent for years because he's a military man, and "when orders come ... I follow them."

He said he felt compelled to "share the truth" following the publication of a recent book, "The Liberty Incident," which concluded the attack was unintentional.

The USS Liberty was an electronic intelligence-gathering ship that was cruising international waters off the Egyptian coast on June 8, 1967. Israeli planes and torpedo boats opened fire on the Liberty at what became known as the outbreak of the Israeli-Egyptian Six-Day War.

In addition to the 34 Americans killed, more than 170 were wounded.

Israel has long maintained that the attack was a case of mistaken identity, an explanation that the Johnson administration did not formally challenge. Israel claimed its forces thought the ship was an Egyptian vessel and apologized to the United States.

After the attack, a Navy court of inquiry concluded there was insufficient information to make a judgment about why Israel attacked the ship, stopping short of assigning blame or determining whether it was an accident.

It was "one of the classic all-American cover-ups," said Ret. Adm. Thomas Moorer, a former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman who spent a year investigating the attack as part of an independent panel he formed with other former military officials. The panel also included a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, James Akins.

"Why would our government put Israel's interests ahead of our own?" Moorer asked from his wheelchair at the news conference. He was chief of naval operations at the time of the attack.

Moorer, who has long held that the attack was a deliberate act, wants Congress to investigate.

Israeli Embassy spokesman Mark Regev disputed any notion that Israel knowingly went after American sailors.

"I can say unequivocally that the Liberty tragedy was a terrible accident, that the Israeli pilots involved believed they were attacking an enemy ship," Regev said. "This was in the middle of a war. This is something that we are not proud of."

Calls to the Navy seeking comment were not immediately returned.

In Boston's statement, he does not say why Johnson would have ordered a cover-up. Attempts were made to reach Boston at his home in Coronado, Calif., but he did not return calls seeking comment.

Moorer's panel suggested several possible reasons Israel might have wanted to attack a U.S. ship. Among them: Israel intended to sink the ship and blame Egypt because it might have brought the United States into the 1967 war.

[TopQuark]

I read that this attack was ordered by ?? (whoever was president of Israel at the time, Rabin??) so that the USA, who has been known to play both sides of the fence, wouldn't tip off Egypt to the impending Israeli attack.

Have you read "The Elders of Zion?" You should: it is as informative.

Have you also read about our Federal Researve being run by a worldwide network of Jewish bankers to the detriment of our own country? This too is available in print.

But you are correct:

You will be flamed, called a conspiracy nut, an anti-semite, etc, etc, etc.

Indeed, only moronic anti-Semites believe this garbage.

You can read anything you want. What you choose to believe is a reflection of YOU.

[cwb]

"I am not pro Pali. In fact my solution is to wash our hands of the situation (no more sweetdeal arms sales to Israel) and let the chips fall were they may."

Well this is a little naive. If it wasn't for these arm deals Isreal would've been run out of the Mid-East long ago. It wasn't as if Israel was getting preferential treatment since much of the support for the Arab nations was coming from the Soviet Union. Hell, at one time Egypt had allowed over 15,000 Soviet "advisors" into their nation to advice on war with Israel. It was also the Soviets disinformation campaign that was feeding fuel to the fire by telling Egypt that Israel was massing troops on the Syrian border when even the UN was denying any troop presence. The treatment of Israel was no different than any of the other proxy conflicts we were fighting during the Cold War...with the Soviets supporting one side, and us, the other. And this support continues because if not for it, our best ally in the hottly contested (and regionally important) Mid-East would fail to exist...or WWIII would be inevitable.

[elbucko]

LBJ should be a swear word.

He is to me . That SOB drafted me on the 18th. of April, 1967. I'll never forget or forgive.

[TopQuark]

“There is no question in my mind that those people tried to kill every one on board,” Boston told Arab News.

What's the next stop --- al Jazeera?

[mgstarr]

Don't forget, ZOG is everywhere ;-)

[StatesEnemy]

Well this is a little naive. If it wasn't for these arm deals Isreal would've been run out of the Mid-East long ago.

So?

Again, what business is it of mine - a United States Citizen - who the current landlord of Galilee is?

Should we be sending weapons to one side or the other in over 20 or so major conflicts currently at hand?

Cobra Choppers for Nepal?

[cwb]

Great point. We've basically provided the national defense for Europe since the conclusion of WWII...even fighting wars for them (Yugoslavia ring bell).

[Ronin]

I have never bought the "accident" explanation. It was a deliberate attack. Israel did it, they know they did it, we know they did it.

Recognising that does not mean I do not support Israel now in the war against terror.

The people who made the decision to attack the USS Liberty as well as the people in America who allowed the cover-up to proceed should be identified and condemned.

Realistically, however, I doubt that is going to happen.

[elbucko]

BUT, this still falls into a case of friendly fire.

I agree, until there is some proof otherwise. As a pilot, I know how hard it is to see objects on land or sea. Under the fog of war and the adrenalin rush, not to forget the duplicity the Arabs are capable of in the name of Allah, the Israeli pilots may have assumed the flag was a ruse by the Egyptians. We have seen worse from these people of the "religion of peace". Haven't we.

[rdb3]

When it stays... it will not need to be posted again.

Ahh...

[GOP_1900AD]

No doubt....

[cwb]

I take it you opposed the US's efforts in the Cold War, also? After all who's business is it who controls Europe, Africa, Asia or more close to home, S. America.

[TopQuark]

I feel absolutely horrible about what happened: these were our boys. And they indeed could not even foresee anything like that: a spy ship is usually much farther from trouble then, say, a destroyer.

It seems to me that Johnson was indieed covering up --- his own terrible mistake. Iraelis had requested that ships stay clear a certain distance from their shores, and Johnson basicly lied and sent USS Liberty there anyway. I don't blame him for WANTING to do that: we need to know what's going on and that's why we have ships like that to begin with.

However, the mistake has become enormously costly in terms of lives of our boys. Any big public hearing would make it abundantly clear that Israel, being in the midst of warfare, used appropriate rules of engagement, having been assured that there were no American ships in the region.

The blame for the deaths would've fallen squarely on Johnson and MacNamara.

[archy]

Yup.... censorship among the neocons is almost as prevalent as among the lefties.

As is a disregard for the lives of American troops.

[aristeides]

I take it we agree there ought to be an impartial investigation.

[StatesEnemy]

I take it you opposed the US's efforts in the Cold War, also?

Nope, not at all. Pragmatism is a cherished ideal (get the joke?)

But taking that Yankee Practicality one step further - we no longer need to ally ourselves with any country with such wanton abandon.

The Israelis and the Arabs have a score to settle. It's 4000 years old, and we should stay the f*ck out of it.

[John Beresford Tipton]

"being in the midst of warfare, used appropriate rules of engagement"

I believe firing on lifeboats is a war crime.
There once was a place called Nurenberg,
rope is still available.

[StatesEnemy]

TopQuirk is an apologist. (and not even an honest one)

[A. Patriot]

Have you read "The Elders of Zion?" You should: it is as informative.

Have you also read about our Federal Researve being run by a worldwide network of Jewish bankers to the detriment of our own country? This too is available in print.

But you are correct:


You will be flamed, called a conspiracy nut, an anti-semite, etc, etc, etc.

Indeed, only moronic anti-Semites believe this garbage.

You can read anything you want. What you choose to believe is a reflection of YOU.
=======

You are talking about two different things here. What you mention above IS garbage.

This attack actually happened and there are survivors who have told their story.

Like I said, this is a forbidden topic. People like you come out of the woodwork and try to link a discussion of this event to all that crazy stuff you mentioned above.

By inferring anti-semitism , you try to shut down discussion on a legitimate topic for discussion.

Please just go away if you don't have anything informative to add to this discussion.

[cwb]

This isn't just about Israel. Israel could disappear tomorrow and Islam would just create a new enemy. What's happening in Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, The Phillipeans, Chechnya, Yugoslavia, etc is more that just about Isreal and the Jews. It's about anyone who isn't a Muslim...including Christians and enlightened Atheists.