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The Johnson administration's control of the press and the silencing of the crewmen was deliberate, thorough and successful. A good indication of this success was the fact that the issue died out and was all but forgotten by the autumn of 1967. The promotion of an official history, and the suppression of a dissenting history, was unnoticed in the press at the time and by historians and scholars later. It would require the efforts of the men themselves to raise the question as to whether a false history of an event in 1967 had been created and accepted without much protest by the world at large, or even much awareness of what had happened. By 1968 the attack on the ship had become a mere footnote to history.

In addition, the Court did not seem to be interested in much of the testimony of the crew. Some crewmen talked about the jamming of the ship's radios, but the court did not follow up or ask questions. Other crewmen who claimed that the ship's flag stood out clearly in the wind were insistently asked "Are you sure? Could you be mistaken?"

Between the government and the press, it sure smells like a cover up doesn't it?

Torpedo hole, seen from drydock

We were in international waters, far from any fighting, and flew a bright, clean, new American flag. The flag we flew is on display at the National Cryptologic Museum, Fort Meade, Maryland and can be seen there

LCDR Philip Armstrong, the ship's executive officer, shortly before the attack with chief petty officers Thompson, Benkert and Smith before the attack. Armstrong and Smith died.

Exit hole created by missiles that passed entirely through the ship.

Pre-attack reconnaissance. Israel claims that the only aircraft near us were high in the sky carrying troops to the front lines. Not so. This airplane is typical of eight separate daylight reconnaissance aircraft that circled us a total of thirteen times during the morning, often so low directly overhead that they rattled the deck plating

These are two of the men the pilots must have seen. In the foreground is our Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander Philip Armstrong. He died soon after this photo was taken. In the background is Lieutenant George Golden, the ship's Engineering Officer.