Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
USS Liberty': America's Most Shameful Secret - Israelis Murdered Yanks
1 view
Skip to first unread message
KenMcVay
Aug 10, 2012, 11:28:08 PM8/10/12
to
'The USS Liberty': America's Most Shameful Secret
by Eric S. Margolis
NEW YORK - On the fourth day of the 1967 Arab Israeli War, the intelligence
ship 'USS Liberty' was steaming slowly in international waters, 14 miles off
the Sinai Peninsula. Israeli armored forces were racing deep into Sinai in
hot pursuit of the retreating Egyptian army.
'Liberty,' a World War II freighter, had been converted into an intelligence
vessel by the top-secret US National Security Agency, and packed with the
latest signals and electronic interception equipment. The ship bristled with
antennas and electronic 'ears' including TRSSCOMM, a system that delivered
real-time intercepts to Washington by bouncing a stream of microwaves off
the moon.
'Liberty' had been rushed to Sinai to monitor communications of the
belligerents in the Third Arab Israeli War: Israel and her foes, Egypt,
Syria, and Jordan.
At 0800 hrs, 8 June, 1967, eight Israeli recon flights flew over 'Liberty,'
which was flying a large American flag. At 1400 hrs, waves of low-flying
Israeli Mystere and Mirage-III fighter-bombers repeatedly attacked the
American vessel with rockets, napalm, and cannon. The air attacks lasted 20
minutes, concentrating on the ship's electronic antennas and dishes. The
'Liberty' was left afire, listing sharply. Eight of her crew lay dead, a
hundred seriously wounded, including the captain, Commander William
McGonagle.
At 1424 hrs, three Israeli torpedo boats attacked, raking the burning
'Liberty' with 20mm and 40mm shells. At 1431hrs an Israeli torpedo hit the
'Liberty' midship, precisely where the signals intelligence systems were
located. Twenty-five more Americans died.
Israeli gunboats circled the wounded 'Liberty,' firing at crewmen trying to
fight the fires. At 1515, the crew were ordered to abandon ship. The Israeli
warships closed and poured machine gun fire into the crowded life rafts,
sinking two. As American sailors were being massacred in cold blood, a
rescue mission by US Sixth Fleet carrier aircraft was mysteriously aborted
on orders from the White House.
An hour after the attack, Israeli warships and planes returned. Commander
McGonagle gave the order. 'prepare to repel borders.' But the Israelis,
probably fearful of intervention by the US Sixth Fleet, departed. 'Liberty'
was left shattered but still defiant, her flag flying.
The Israeli attacks killed 34 US seamen and wounded 171 out of a crew of
297, the worst loss of American naval personnel from hostile action since
World War II.
Less than an hour after the attack, Israel told Washington its forces had
committed a 'tragic error.' Later, Israel claimed it had mistaken 'Liberty'
for an ancient Egyptian horse transport. US Secretary of State, Dean Rusk,
and Joint Chiefs of Staff head, Admiral Thomas Moorer, insisted the Israeli
attack was deliberate and designed to sink 'Liberty.' So did three CIA
reports; one asserted Israel's Defense Minister, Gen. Moshe Dayan, had
personally ordered the attack.
In contrast to American outrage over North Korea's assault on the
intelligence ship 'Pueblo,' Iraq's mistaken missile strike on the USS
'Stark,' last fall's bombing of the USS 'Cole' in Aden, and the recent
US-China air incident, the savaging of 'Liberty' was quickly hushed up by
President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara.
The White House and Congress immediately accepted Israel's explanation and
let the matter drop. Israel later paid a token reparation of US $6 million.
There were reports two Israeli pilots who had refused to attack 'Liberty'
were jailed for 18 years.
Surviving 'Liberty' crew members would not be silenced. They kept demanding
an open inquiry and tried to tell their story of deliberate attack to the
media. Israel's government worked behind the scenes to thwart these efforts,
going so far as having American pro-Israel groups accuse 'Liberty's'
survivors of being 'anti-Semites' and 'Israel-haters.' Major TV networks
cancelled interviews with the crew. A book about the 'Liberty' by crewman
James Ennes' was dropped from distribution. The Israel lobby branded him 'an
Arab propagandist.'
The attack on 'Liberty' was fading into obscurity until last week, when
intelligence expert James Bamford came out with Body of Secrets, his latest
book about the National Security Agency. In a stunning revelation, Bamford
writes that unknown to Israel, a US Navy EC-121 intelligence aircraft was
flying high overhead the 'Liberty,' electronically recorded the attack. The
US aircraft crew provides evidence that the Israeli pilots knew full well
that they were attacking a US Navy ship flying the American flag.
Why did Israel try to sink a naval vessel of its benefactor and ally? Most
likely because 'Liberty's' intercepts flatly contradicted Israel's claim,
made at the war's beginning on 5 June, that Egypt had attacked Israel, and
that Israel's massive air assault on three Arab nations was in retaliation.
In fact, Israel began the war by a devastating, Pearl-Harbor style surprise
attack that caught the Arabs in bed and destroyed their entire air forces.
Israel was also preparing to attack Syria to seize its strategic Golan
Heights. Washington warned Israel not to invade Syria, which had remained
inactive while Israel fought Egypt. Bamford says Israel's offensive against
Syria was abruptly postponed when 'Liberty' appeared off Sinai, then
launched once it was knocked out of action. Israel's claim that Syria had
attacked it could have been disproved by 'Liberty.'
Most significant, 'Liberty's' intercepts may have shown that Israel seized
upon sharply rising Arab-Israeli tensions in May-June 1967 to launch a
long-planned war to invade and annex the West Bank, Jerusalem, Golan and
Sinai.
Far more shocking was Washington's response. Writes Bamford: 'Despite the
overwhelming evidence that Israel attacked the ship and killed American
servicemen deliberately, the Johnson Administration and Congress covered up
the entire incident.' Why?
Domestic politics. Johnson, a man never noted for high moral values,
preferred to cover up the attack rather than anger a key constituency and
major financial backer of the Democratic Party. Congress was even less eager
to touch this 'third rail' issue.
Commander McGonagle was quietly awarded the Medal of Honor for his and his
men's heroism - not in the White House, as is usual, but in an obscure
ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard. Crew member's graves were inscribed,
'died in the Eastern Mediterranean..' as if they had be killed by disease,
rather than hostile action.
A member of President Johnson's staff believed there was a more complex
reason for the cover-up: Johnson offered Jewish liberals unconditional
backing of Israel, and a cover-up of the 'Liberty' attack, in exchange for
the liberal toning down their strident criticism of his policies in the then
raging Vietnam War.
Israel, which claims it fought a war of self defense in 1967 and had no
prior territorial ambitions, will be much displeased by Bamford's
revelations. Those who believe Israel illegally occupies the West Bank and
Golan will be emboldened.
Much more important, the US government's long, disgraceful cover-up of the
premeditated attack on 'Liberty' has now burst into the open and demands
full-scale investigation. After 34 years, the voices of 'Liberty's' dead and
wounded seamen must finally be heard.
May 2, 2001
Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2001
Eric Margolis [send him mail] is foreign correspondent for the Toronto Sun.
by Eric S. Margolis
NEW YORK - On the fourth day of the 1967 Arab Israeli War, the intelligence
ship 'USS Liberty' was steaming slowly in international waters, 14 miles off
the Sinai Peninsula. Israeli armored forces were racing deep into Sinai in
hot pursuit of the retreating Egyptian army.
'Liberty,' a World War II freighter, had been converted into an intelligence
vessel by the top-secret US National Security Agency, and packed with the
latest signals and electronic interception equipment. The ship bristled with
antennas and electronic 'ears' including TRSSCOMM, a system that delivered
real-time intercepts to Washington by bouncing a stream of microwaves off
the moon.
'Liberty' had been rushed to Sinai to monitor communications of the
belligerents in the Third Arab Israeli War: Israel and her foes, Egypt,
Syria, and Jordan.
At 0800 hrs, 8 June, 1967, eight Israeli recon flights flew over 'Liberty,'
which was flying a large American flag. At 1400 hrs, waves of low-flying
Israeli Mystere and Mirage-III fighter-bombers repeatedly attacked the
American vessel with rockets, napalm, and cannon. The air attacks lasted 20
minutes, concentrating on the ship's electronic antennas and dishes. The
'Liberty' was left afire, listing sharply. Eight of her crew lay dead, a
hundred seriously wounded, including the captain, Commander William
McGonagle.
At 1424 hrs, three Israeli torpedo boats attacked, raking the burning
'Liberty' with 20mm and 40mm shells. At 1431hrs an Israeli torpedo hit the
'Liberty' midship, precisely where the signals intelligence systems were
located. Twenty-five more Americans died.
Israeli gunboats circled the wounded 'Liberty,' firing at crewmen trying to
fight the fires. At 1515, the crew were ordered to abandon ship. The Israeli
warships closed and poured machine gun fire into the crowded life rafts,
sinking two. As American sailors were being massacred in cold blood, a
rescue mission by US Sixth Fleet carrier aircraft was mysteriously aborted
on orders from the White House.
An hour after the attack, Israeli warships and planes returned. Commander
McGonagle gave the order. 'prepare to repel borders.' But the Israelis,
probably fearful of intervention by the US Sixth Fleet, departed. 'Liberty'
was left shattered but still defiant, her flag flying.
The Israeli attacks killed 34 US seamen and wounded 171 out of a crew of
297, the worst loss of American naval personnel from hostile action since
World War II.
Less than an hour after the attack, Israel told Washington its forces had
committed a 'tragic error.' Later, Israel claimed it had mistaken 'Liberty'
for an ancient Egyptian horse transport. US Secretary of State, Dean Rusk,
and Joint Chiefs of Staff head, Admiral Thomas Moorer, insisted the Israeli
attack was deliberate and designed to sink 'Liberty.' So did three CIA
reports; one asserted Israel's Defense Minister, Gen. Moshe Dayan, had
personally ordered the attack.
In contrast to American outrage over North Korea's assault on the
intelligence ship 'Pueblo,' Iraq's mistaken missile strike on the USS
'Stark,' last fall's bombing of the USS 'Cole' in Aden, and the recent
US-China air incident, the savaging of 'Liberty' was quickly hushed up by
President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara.
The White House and Congress immediately accepted Israel's explanation and
let the matter drop. Israel later paid a token reparation of US $6 million.
There were reports two Israeli pilots who had refused to attack 'Liberty'
were jailed for 18 years.
Surviving 'Liberty' crew members would not be silenced. They kept demanding
an open inquiry and tried to tell their story of deliberate attack to the
media. Israel's government worked behind the scenes to thwart these efforts,
going so far as having American pro-Israel groups accuse 'Liberty's'
survivors of being 'anti-Semites' and 'Israel-haters.' Major TV networks
cancelled interviews with the crew. A book about the 'Liberty' by crewman
James Ennes' was dropped from distribution. The Israel lobby branded him 'an
Arab propagandist.'
The attack on 'Liberty' was fading into obscurity until last week, when
intelligence expert James Bamford came out with Body of Secrets, his latest
book about the National Security Agency. In a stunning revelation, Bamford
writes that unknown to Israel, a US Navy EC-121 intelligence aircraft was
flying high overhead the 'Liberty,' electronically recorded the attack. The
US aircraft crew provides evidence that the Israeli pilots knew full well
that they were attacking a US Navy ship flying the American flag.
Why did Israel try to sink a naval vessel of its benefactor and ally? Most
likely because 'Liberty's' intercepts flatly contradicted Israel's claim,
made at the war's beginning on 5 June, that Egypt had attacked Israel, and
that Israel's massive air assault on three Arab nations was in retaliation.
In fact, Israel began the war by a devastating, Pearl-Harbor style surprise
attack that caught the Arabs in bed and destroyed their entire air forces.
Israel was also preparing to attack Syria to seize its strategic Golan
Heights. Washington warned Israel not to invade Syria, which had remained
inactive while Israel fought Egypt. Bamford says Israel's offensive against
Syria was abruptly postponed when 'Liberty' appeared off Sinai, then
launched once it was knocked out of action. Israel's claim that Syria had
attacked it could have been disproved by 'Liberty.'
Most significant, 'Liberty's' intercepts may have shown that Israel seized
upon sharply rising Arab-Israeli tensions in May-June 1967 to launch a
long-planned war to invade and annex the West Bank, Jerusalem, Golan and
Sinai.
Far more shocking was Washington's response. Writes Bamford: 'Despite the
overwhelming evidence that Israel attacked the ship and killed American
servicemen deliberately, the Johnson Administration and Congress covered up
the entire incident.' Why?
Domestic politics. Johnson, a man never noted for high moral values,
preferred to cover up the attack rather than anger a key constituency and
major financial backer of the Democratic Party. Congress was even less eager
to touch this 'third rail' issue.
Commander McGonagle was quietly awarded the Medal of Honor for his and his
men's heroism - not in the White House, as is usual, but in an obscure
ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard. Crew member's graves were inscribed,
'died in the Eastern Mediterranean..' as if they had be killed by disease,
rather than hostile action.
A member of President Johnson's staff believed there was a more complex
reason for the cover-up: Johnson offered Jewish liberals unconditional
backing of Israel, and a cover-up of the 'Liberty' attack, in exchange for
the liberal toning down their strident criticism of his policies in the then
raging Vietnam War.
Israel, which claims it fought a war of self defense in 1967 and had no
prior territorial ambitions, will be much displeased by Bamford's
revelations. Those who believe Israel illegally occupies the West Bank and
Golan will be emboldened.
Much more important, the US government's long, disgraceful cover-up of the
premeditated attack on 'Liberty' has now burst into the open and demands
full-scale investigation. After 34 years, the voices of 'Liberty's' dead and
wounded seamen must finally be heard.
May 2, 2001
Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2001
Eric Margolis [send him mail] is foreign correspondent for the Toronto Sun.
William Grosvenor
Aug 10, 2012, 11:44:31 PM8/10/12
to
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Well, my goodness gracious let me tell you the news
My head's been wet with the midnight dew
I've been down on bended knee
Talkin' to the man from Galilee
He spoke to me in the voice so sweet
I thought, I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet
He called my name and my heart stood still
When he said, "John, go do my will"
Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Well, you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What's down in the dark will be brought to the light
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
--
http://tinyurl.com/GROSVENORBLOWS My Biographical Data
http://tinyurl.com/GROSVENORSUCKS My Court Shellacking
My name is William Grosvenor CGA - Certified General Asshole
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Well, my goodness gracious let me tell you the news
My head's been wet with the midnight dew
I've been down on bended knee
Talkin' to the man from Galilee
He spoke to me in the voice so sweet
I thought, I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet
He called my name and my heart stood still
When he said, "John, go do my will"
Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Well, you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What's down in the dark will be brought to the light
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
--
http://tinyurl.com/GROSVENORBLOWS My Biographical Data
http://tinyurl.com/GROSVENORSUCKS My Court Shellacking
My name is William Grosvenor CGA - Certified General Asshole
0 new messages