41 years ago a tragedy occurred. During Israeli's Six-Day War, the USS Liberty was attacked and 32 U.S. sailors were killed. Did Israel know it was a U.S. ship before they attacked? Did John McCain and his father among others help cover it up? The truth may shock you.
John Sidney McCain III enjoys a proud naval tradition. Both his father and grandfather served as admirals in the U.S. Navy, something no father and son have ever accomplished in the nation’s history. That John followed in his family’s footsteps seems to be a testament to their outstanding honor and service to the country’s fine armed forces tradition.
On June 8, 1967, Israel was in the midst of fighting the Six-Day War. The United States had dispatched a lightly armored surveillance ship, the USS Liberty, to the Gaza coast to monitor the situation. Hours after the ship arrived, it came under fire for 75 minutes from Israeli jets which resulting in the deaths of 34 servicemen and 172 wounded. Israeli ships arrived and torpedoed the Liberty as well. The wounded that tried to evacuate were strafed by Israeli attack boat gunfire. Some 16 hours later, two US destroyers finally reached the USS Liberty.
Israel’s explanation was a simple case of mistaken identity. They stated they believed the USS Liberty was actually Egyptian and thought the vessel was the El Quseir, a boat some 40% smaller than the Liberty. Israel also claimed they believed the flag was flying false colors since the ship clearly displayed an American flag.
As expected, a hearing was to be held on this tragedy. Capt. Ward Boston, Jr., JAGC, USN, senior legal counsel to the USS Liberty’s Naval Court of Inquiry had recommended this hearing should last somewhere around six months. The actual investigation lasted less than a week after pressure from the White House and Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., Commander-in-Chief for Europe Naval Forces. McCain told Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd, USN, who was conducting the Naval Court of Inquiry, that he wouldn’t be allowed to travel to Israel or interview any Israeli witnesses. Written affidavits from 60 survivors were not included in the final report. The Inquiry concluded that the attack was in fact an accident.
15 years after the attack, an Israeli pilot came forth and stated that the Israelis in fact recognized the ship as American. He was told to go forward with the attack anyway, and when he refused was arrested upon his return to base.
Israeli pilot admits role in attack
On January 8, 2004, Capt. Boston felt compelled to come clean on what he felt was an attempt by the government to rewrite history and has stated he and Kidd felt pressured to come to a foregone conclusion of mistaken identity. Boston made these claims due to the book The Liberty Incident by Jay Cristol, which in his opinion misrepresented the facts to paint over the true story.
In 2007, allegations surfaced from Oliver Kirby, NSA deputy director of operations in 1967, which claimed NSA radio intercepts prove that Israeli jets identified the vessel several times as American yet were ordered to attack anyway.
New Details surface in USS Liberty attack
Sen. John McCain’s official position has been to accept the Inquiry’s version of events that the attack on USS Liberty was indeed an accident. Since 2007 when the new allegations surfaced, McCain’s campaign has been unavailable for comment.
Several retired admirals and generals as well as intelligence officials have called for a new formal investigation by Congress. Now we have new allegations worthy of consideration and a Democratic-controlled Congress. Democrats won and essentially claimed a mandate to restore honor to U.S. servicemen and seek the truth, but do they have the fortitude to stand against Israeli lobbyists on this overlooked chapter in history?