Details in dispute USS Liberty incident

the second ensign flown during attack. israel defense forces investigative reports pilots , torpedo boat commander saw no flags during attack

many of events surrounding attack subject of controversy:

visibility of american flag: official israeli reports reconnaissance , fighter aircraft pilots, , torpedo boat captains did not see flag on liberty. official american reports liberty flying american flag before, during , after attack; exception being brief period in 1 flag had been shot down , replaced larger flag measured approximately 13 ft (4.0 m) long. u.s. naval court of inquiry finding number 2 states: calm conditions , slow speed of ship may have made american flag difficult identify. , finding number 28 states: flat, calm conditions , slow 5 knot patrol speed of liberty in forenoon when being looked on may have produced insufficient wind streaming colors enough seen pilots . nsa history report (page 41) states: ... every official interview of numerous liberty crewmen gave consistent evidence indeed liberty flying american flag—and, further, weather conditions ideal ensure easy observance , identification.
u.s. crewmen s perceptions of intent: surviving crewmembers of liberty israel s attack on ship deliberate , full knowledge vessel american. israeli investigation , history reports agree attack deliberate—but against believed egyptian enemy vessel, not american neutral vessel.


damaged uss liberty 1 day after attack (9 june 1967)



an auxiliary ship of egyptian navy.



distinctiveness of uss liberty s appearance: 1 major dispute whether liberty have been recognized different ship egyptian ship el quseir. admiral tom moorer stated liberty identifiable ship in u.s. navy , in interview washington post stated: suggest [the idf] couldn t identify ship ... ridiculous. not identify liberty not tell difference between white house , washington monument. israel states in inquiry , history reports identification el quseir made torpedo boats while liberty enveloped in smoke , based on red book , guide arab fleets did not include u.s. vessels.(web site images of both ships)
identification markings: liberty bore eight-foot-high 5 , four-foot-high gtr along either bow, indicating hull (or pennant ) number (agtr-5), , had 18-inch (460 mm)-high letters spelling vessel s name across stern. these markings not cursive arabic script in latin alphabet. israeli pilots concerned ensuring ship non-israeli warship , ended air attack when noticed latin alphabet markings.
ship s identification known during attack: james bamford book, published in 2001, said secret nsa intercepts recorded american ec-121 reconnaissance aircraft indicate israeli pilots had full knowledge attacking u.s. vessel. 2001 proposition has played significant role in ongoing controversies incident, , continues cited. tapes later released national security agency in 2003 result of freedom of information act lawsuit brought judge , author a. jay cristol. however, instead of ec-121 attack tapes requested foia request, tapes released contained post-attack communications of israeli helicopter pilots, ground controller, , on 1 of torpedo boats. helicopters sent attack site provide assistance after air attack. helicopter pilots noticed american flag flying ship upon arrival @ attack site , informed controller. see other sources link nsa website complete transcripts. nsa website denies there u.s. recordings of attack itself; although, disputed several intelligence specialists read original transcripts.
effort identification: american crew says attacking aircraft did not make identification runs on liberty, rather began strafe immediately. israel says several identification passes made. naval court of enquiry, based on israeli timeline of events, found 1 may infer fact within period of approximately 15 minutes, request transmitted (for aircraft dispatched), received, command decision made, aircraft dispatched, , attack launched, no significant time expended in effort identify ship air before attack launched.
speed of vessel: according israeli accounts, torpedo boat made (admittedly erroneous) measurements indicated ship steaming @ 30 kn (35 mph; 56 km/h). israeli naval doctrine @ time required ship traveling @ speed must presumed warship. second boat calculated liberty s speed 28 kn (32 mph; 52 km/h). maximum sustained speed of liberty 17.5 kn (20.1 mph; 32.4 km/h), 21 kn (24 mph; 39 km/h) being attainable overriding engine governors. according body of secrets, james bamford, liberty crewmen (including officer-of-the-deck) , court of enquiry findings ship steaming @ 5 kn (5.8 mph; 9.3 km/h) @ time of attack.


commander w.l. mcgonagle in damaged cabin after attack



motive: james bamford, among others, says 1 possible motive prevent united states eavesdropping on israeli military activities , monitoring events taking place in nearby gaza. in study of incident concluding there insufficient evidence support either accidental or deliberate attack, colonel peyton e. smith wrote of possibility attack deliberate reasons far sensitive disclosed (or) israeli government , truth may never known . author , former crew member james m. ennes theorized, in epilogue of book assault on liberty, motive prevent ship s crew monitoring radio traffic might reveal israel being aggressor in impending invasion of syria, white house opposed. according anti defamation league argument israel knowingly attacked american ship has lacked convincing motive .
israeli aircraft markings: uss liberty veterans association says attacking israeli aircraft not marked, crewmember recalls watching jewish officer cry on seeing blue star of david on fuselages. torpedo boats attacked liberty did fly flag of israel.
jamming: during u.s. naval court of inquiry testimony, wayne l. smith, radioman chief, testified: ... we did have [radio frequency] jamming in estimation. unable determine exactly, every time seems when attack made on us, or strafing run, preceded by, anywhere 25 30 seconds, carrier on our hicom circuit, , had ascertained check calling transmitter room , said had not keyed transmitter. prevailed during attack , quite bit after attack, intermittently. in u.s. navy message dated 11 july 1967, sent rear admiral kidd (senior member of naval court of inquiry) via naval communications unit, naples, italy commander in chief u.s. navy europe , chief naval operations, rear admiral kidd stated, in part: liberty reported apparent discriminate jamming on cw , voice circuits before , during each aircraft s individual attack. effect scare mischief out of below heard start, because knew rocket or bomb follow. none of israeli defense forces investigations or reports confirm or deny radio frequency jamming performed during or following attack.
jamming motive: upi report published washington star on 19 september 1977 indicated cia documents obtained american palestine committee suggested israeli defense minister moshe dayan ordered attack because liberty jamming israeli communications. cia document dated 23 june 1967 said liberty had been jamming israeli communications. cia document dated 9 november 1967 quoted unidentified agency informants saying dayan ordered attack. cia said documents unevaluated accuracy .
visual communications: joe meadors, signalman on bridge, states prior torpedo attack, on signal bridge repeatedly sending uss liberty u.s. navy ship flashing light torpedo boats. israeli boats sent signal aa (general call) formal reply tttt later followed both vessels sending identification codes. commander moshe oren says thought liberty signaled aa in reply, same reply received egyptian destroyer ibrahim el awal eleven years earlier. oren consulted red book (identification of arabian navies) noting match old tub 1 funnel , 2 masts el quseir. meadors says never sent aa .
israeli ships actions after torpedo hit: officers , men of liberty after torpedo attack , abandon ship order, motor torpedo boats strafed ship s topside automatic gunfire preventing men escaping below, , either machine-gunned or confiscated empty life rafts had been set afloat. idf says liberty not fired upon after torpedo attack , rescue raft fished water while searching survivors.
israeli offers of help: liberty s captain, several of liberty s crewmen , israelis stated offered, @ different times. liberty s deck log, signed captain, has entry @ 15:03 stating: 1 mtb returned ship , signaled, need help. commanding officer directed negative sent in reply. captain testified before court of inquiry, on page 40 of recorded testimony: 1 of boats signaled flashing light, in english, require assistance? had no means communicate boat light hoisted code lima india. signal intended convey fact ship maneuvering difficulty , should keep clear. ensign david g. lucas, first lieutenant , gunnery officer testified in court of inquiry on page 17 that: patrol craft approached starboard side , did manage clear of smoke. signalman took message, need help? . harold jessie thompson, chief communications technician testified in court of inquiry on page 88 that: when 500 yards off, torpedo boat turned astern , came on stern on starboard side , flashed, need help? . james ennes, in book attack, on pages 102 , 103, acknowledges israelis offered help, says occurred @ 16:30, , offer rejected. israel defense forces s history report attack , ram ron report both offered @ 16:40 , offer rejected.
u.s. rescue attempts: @ least 2 rescue attempts launched u.s. aircraft carriers nearby recalled, according liberty s senior naval security group officer, lieutenant commander david lewis. lewis made audio recording , later wrote meeting 6th fleet rear admiral lawrence geis requested in cabins: told me since senior liberty survivor on board wanted tell me in confidence had transpired. told me upon receipt of our sos, aircraft launched come our assistance , washington notified. said secretary of defense (robert mcnamara) had ordered aircraft returned carrier, done. radm geis said speculated washington may have suspected aircraft carried nuclear weapons put flight of conventional aircraft had no capability of carrying nuclear weapons. these launched assist , again notified washington of actions. again mcnamara ordered aircraft recalled. requested confirmation of order being unable believe washington let sink. time president johnson ordered recall comment did not care if every man drowned , ship sank, not embarrass allies. is, best of ability, recall transpiring 30 years ago.




^ http://www.thelibertyincident.com/docs/courtofinquiry.pdf
^ uss liberty . jewishvirtuallibrary.org. retrieved 26 november 2011. 
^ body of secrets, james bamford, doubleday, 2001 (isbn 0-09-942774-5)
^ israel s 1967 attack on u.s. ship deliberate, book says cnn, 23 april 2001
^ uss liberty attack tapes released . cnn. 9 july 2003. 
^ salans memo pdf salans report 21 september 1967
^ assault on uss liberty: deliberate action or tragic accident colonel peyton e. smith 30 march 2007
^ uss liberty attack anti defamation league
^ cite error: named reference usslibertyveterans.org invoked never defined (see page).
^ cite error: named reference trib invoked never defined (see page).
^ cite error: named reference gerhard 1981 29 invoked never defined (see page).
^ new light on liberty . proceedings. united states naval institute. 103 (12): 108. december 1977. 
^ liberty incident a. jay cristol p. 53.
^ ennes 1987, pp. 95,96


http://ussliberty.org/report/exhibit%252010.pdf
http://ussliberty.org/report/exhibit%252011.pdf


^ cite error: named reference wrmea invoked never defined (see page).
^ idf history report 1982, p. 19
^ cite error: named reference idfrrir9 invoked never defined (see page).