Betrayal behind
Israeli attack on U.S. ship


By ADM. THOMAS MOORER



After State Department officials and historians assembled
in Washington, D.C., last week to discuss the 1967 war in the
Middle East, I am compelled to speak out about one of U.S.
history's most shocking cover-ups.

On June 8, 1967, Israel attacked our proud naval shipÂ*Â*the
USS LibertyÂ*Â*killing 34 American servicemen and wounding
172. Those men were then betrayed and left to die by our own
government.

U.S. military rescue aircraft were recalled, not once, but twice,
through direct intervention by the Johnson administration.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's cancellation of the
Navy's attempt to rescue the Liberty, which I personally
confirmed from the commanders of the aircraft carriers America
and Saratoga, was the most disgraceful act I witnessed in my
entire military career.

To add insult to injury, Congress, to this day, has failed to hold
formal hearings on Israel's attack on this American ship. No
official investigation of Israel's attack has ever permitted the
testimony of the surviving crew members.

A 1967 investigation by the Navy, upon which all other reports
are based, has now been fully discredited as a cover-up by its
senior attorney. Capt. Ward Boston, in a sworn affidavit, recently
revealed that the court was ordered by the White House to cover
up the incident and find that Israel's attack was "a case of
mistaken identity."

Some distinguished colleagues and I formed an independent
commission to investigate the attack on the USS Liberty. After
an exhaustive review of previous reports, naval and other military
records, including eyewitness testimony from survivors, we
recently presented our findings on Capitol Hill. They include:

€ Israeli reconnaissance aircraft closely studied the Liberty
during an eight-hour period prior to the attack, one flying within
200 feet of the ship. Weather reports confirm the day was clear
with unlimited visibility. The Liberty was a clearly marked American
ship in international waters, flying an American flag and carrying
large U.S. Navy hull letters and numbers on its bow.

Despite claims by Israeli intelligence that they confused the
Liberty with a small Egyptian transport, the Liberty was
conspicuously different from any vessel in the Egyptian navy.
It was the most sophisticated intelligence ship in the world in
1967. With its massive radio antennae, including a large satellite
dish, it looked like a large lobster and was one of the most easily
identifiable ships afloat.

€ Israel attempted to prevent the Liberty's radio operators from
sending a call for help by jamming American emergency radio
channels.

€ Israeli torpedo boats machine-gunned lifeboats at close range
that had been lowered to rescue the most seriously wounded.
As a result, our commission concluded that:

€ There is compelling evidence that Israel's attack was a deliberate
attempt to destroy an American ship and kill her entire crew.

€ In attacking the USS Liberty, Israel committed acts of murder
against U.S. servicemen and an act of war against the United
States.

€ The White House knowingly covered up the facts of this attack
from the American people.

€ The truth continues to be concealed to the present day in what
can only be termed a national disgrace.

What was Israel's motive in launching this attack? Congress must
address this question with full cooperation from the National
Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency and the military
intelligence services.

The men of the USS Liberty represented the United States. They
were attacked for two hours, causing 70 percent of American
casualties, and the eventual loss of our best intelligence ship.

These sailors and Marines were entitled to our best defense.
We gave them no defense.

Did our government put Israel's interests ahead of our own? If so,
why? Does our government continue to subordinate American
interests to Israeli interests? These are important questions
that should be investigated by an independent, fully empowered
commission of the American government.

The American people deserve to know the truth about this attack.
We must finally shed some light on one of the blackest pages in
American naval history. It is a duty we owe not only to the brave
men of the USS Liberty, but to every man and woman who is
asked to wear the uniform of the United States.
__________________________________________________ ____



This guest article appeared in the Houston Chronicle on Thursday,
January 9, 2004

Moorer was chairman of the joint chiefs of staff from 1970 to 1974.
He is joined in the independent commission of inquiry by Gen. Ray
Davis (recently deceased); Rear Adm. Merlin Staring; former Judge
Advocate General of the Navy and Ambassador James Akins.