| Author | Message | | Edithann | | Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 1:53 pm Post subject: Remember the LIberty.... |
| May 30, 2007
Remember the Liberty!
When Israel attacks, the Pentagon retreats
by Justin Raimondo
It was 40 years ago this June 8 that the USS Liberty – a large, armorless, refitted freighter that was gathering intelligence in the Mediterranean at the outset of the Six Day War – was attacked by Israeli fighter jets and torpedoes. Thirty-four U.S. sailors were killed, and 172 were wounded. The Liberty limped back to Malta. A U.S. Navy court of inquiry was on board investigating the damage, but – for some reason – the investigators were not allowed to proceed to Israel to find out what really went on. Orders from the top echelons of the Pentagon nixed the inquiry, and today, the families of the fallen still haven't gotten any answers as to why Israel was allowed to get away with it without even so much as a slap on the wrist – nor even any public acknowledgment that it was a deliberate attack.
Far from apologizing, the Israelis have to this day denied that they attacked the Liberty on purpose, and – incredibly – they stoutly maintain that the whole thing was an "accident." This in spite of the fact that the Liberty was proudly flying a U.S. flag and was easily identifiable as an American vessel. The Israel Lobby has even gone so far as to publish a book, The Liberty Incident, by Jay Cristol, that makes the case for the "accidental" scenario, but the survivors' families – and a number of credible commentators – aren't buying it. One of those commentators is the former captain of the Liberty, Ward Boston, who has signed an affidavit stating unequivocally:
"The evidence was clear. Both Admiral [Isaac C.] Kidd and I believed with certainty that this attack … was a deliberate effort to sink an American ship and murder its entire crew. It was our shared belief, based on the documentary evidence and testimony we received firsthand, that the Israeli attack was planned and deliberate."
Capt. Boston says that Adm. Kidd, who was in charge of the subsequent inquiry, frequently referred to the Israelis as "murderous bastards," and a number of intelligence experts and U.S. officials seem to concur, albeit not in precisely those terms. Says former CIA director Richard Helms: "The board of inquiry [concluded] that the Israelis knew exactly what they were doing in attacking the Liberty." Former Secretary of State Dean Rusk says:
"I was never satisfied with the Israeli explanation. … Through diplomatic channels we refused to accept their explanations. I didn't believe them then, and I don't believe them to this day. The attack was outrageous."
Even more outrageous was the cover-up by the Pentagon – and the White House of Lyndon "Hey Hey LBJ, How Many Kids Did You Kill Today?" Johnson. According to officer David Lewis, who was below deck at the time of the attack:
"[6th Rear Fleet Adm. Lawrence Geis] told me that since I was the senior Liberty survivor on board he wanted to tell me in confidence what had actually transpired. He told me that upon receipt of our SOS, aircraft were launched to come to our assistance, and then Washington was notified. He said that [Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara] had ordered that the aircraft be returned to the carrier, which was done. RADM Geis then said that he speculated that Washington may have suspected that the aircraft carried nuclear weapons so he put together another flight of conventional aircraft that had no capability of carrying nuclear weapons. These he launched to assist us and again notified Washington of his actions. Again McNamara ordered the aircraft recalled. He requested confirmation of the order being unable to believe that Washington would let us sink. This time President Johnson ordered the recall with the comment that he did not care if every man drowned and the ship sank, but that he would not embarrass his allies."
Rather than embarrass his "allies," the president of the United States caved in to the Lobby and buried the truth about the death of American servicemen under a mountain of obfuscation and official silence. As Tim Fischer, a former deputy prime minister of Australia and a former army officer, put it in The Age:
"If Israel did deliberately attack the most powerful nation on Earth, it knows it can do so and get away with murder. Worse still, U.S. military personnel now know that if the truth is politically inconvenient, they and their legacy are expendable."
When it comes to the calculations of the Lobby, we are all expendable – that is the bitter lesson we are learning as a futile war in the Middle East not only rages on but threatens to expand beyond the borders of Iraq. Our "ally" Israel is an albatross hung 'round our necks, and it is slowly strangling America's chances of defeating Islamic extremism in the battle for the hearts and minds of Muslims worldwide. Will no one rid us of this troublesome "ally"?
I'm afraid they won't. The power of the Lobby, as explicated by scholars John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, is as formidable as ever, if not more so. They ensure that there is no real debate over our Middle Eastern policy, either in Congress or in the councils of government policymakers. Their spies are allowed to get away with all sorts of activities that any other foreign power would soon feel Washington's wrath over. Their demands are considered the starting point for all policy decisions, and they are rewarded for their lack of loyalty to their main benefactor by being showered with all manner of gifts: "foreign aid," loan guarantees, and technology transfers that have enabled them to build up a military capacity – including nuclear weapons – that knows no rival in the region.
The sinking of the Liberty and the subsequent whitewash of the Israelis is proof – if any more were needed – that Israel enjoys a position of preeminence within the councils of state that belies its small size and relative weakness as a settler colony totally dependent on outside infusions of support.
Critics may aver that this is all ancient history, that there is no reason to bring up the sinking of the Liberty, and even if it wasn't an accident, it's time to let bygones be bygones. The Lobby constantly asserts that anyone who even mentions this "incident" is nothing but an anti-Semite, because, after all, why talk about it now? The reason is that it underscores the utter falsity of the argument that Israeli and American interests are uniquely and perpetually in perfect alignment. The Israelis attacked the Liberty, according to several books and a BBC documentary on the subject, in order to prevent the U.S. government from learning of Israeli plans to occupy the Golan Heights – a sliver of land that rightfully belongs to Syria, and which is still causing a great many problems for U.S. interests in the region. The stunning fact of the American government's complicity in hiding the truth about an attack on its own soldiers is all we need to know about what's wrong with American foreign policy – and what is the exact source of the problem. | |  | | funglefoot | | | | harrietbuster | | Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 2:43 pm Post subject: |
| What a joke.
Raimondo...who wishes the US had lost WWII...cares about the "Liberty".
Which once again proves the point, that those who advocate killing Americans in every other instance...pretend to care about the Liberty. | | | | Jefferson Davis | | Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 3:07 pm Post subject: |
| Go fight for Israel harrietbuster. Your loyalty and sense of honor is as transient as a AIPAC owned Congressman.
We know you like that way.
The USS Liberty is about injustice. It's never going away. | | | | funglefoot | | Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 3:51 pm Post subject: |
| A fairly recent newspaper report in The American Daily on the Liberty that gives the identity of the Israeli pilot who disobeyed orders to attack an American ship. http://www.americandaily.com/article/17973
Remember The Liberty?...Israel Hopes You Don't
By Dave Gibson (03/13/07) (he gets the anniversary wrong)
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the attack on the USS Liberty. Most people have never heard of the U.S. Navy reconnaissance ship nor the names of the 34 sailors who lost their lives in the attack. Most people would also be shocked to know that it was our 'friend' Israel that was responsible for the unprovoked and criminal act. While the government of Israel as well as our own have done their best to cover up the murder of our sailors, their story is one that must be heard.
On June 8, 1967 the USS Liberty was steaming along in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula. The ship was collecting intelligence on the actions of Israeli and Arab troops during the Six Day War. During the morning hours, the ship's crew observed marked Israeli aircraft making low-level flights over the ship. There were in fact, 13 over-flights by several Israeli planes including a lumbering Nord Noratlas ("flying boxcar"). The crew reported being able to see the faces of the Israeli pilots and even exchanging waves.
At 2:00pm, Israeli Mirage III jets began strafing the decks of Liberty with rocket and cannon fire. That action was followed by Mysteres dropping napalm onto her decks. The Israeli jets initially targeted the bridges, communication antennae, and the four .50 caliber machine gun mounts.
About 30 minutes after the planes ended their attack, three Israeli torpedo boats appeared. A total of five torpedoes were launched, with only one hitting. The torpedo struck Liberty just below the water line, leaving a 40 x 40 ft hole in her hull. The strike hit the intercept compartments, killing 25 men instantly. The torpedo boat crews continued to pound the ship with 20mm and 40mm cannon and machine gun fire.
Due to the constant gun bursts coming from the circling torpedo boats, fire control efforts were abandoned. Not only were the sailors being shot, but their firehouses were shot to ribbons and rendered useless.
The USS Liberty took well over 800 rocket and cannon hits. The decks of ship were napalmed twice, leaving all but three rubber life rafts destroyed. At one point, crewmen dropped the remaining rafts into the water, only to have them shot to pieces by Israeli machine gunners.
The attack lasted for two hours, left 34 sailors dead and 171 injured.
Because the ship's antennae were targeted and most destroyed, initial calls for help were impossible. While still under attack, radio crewmen were able to piece together their remaining equipment and contact the nearby Sixth Fleet. Two flights of F-4 Phantoms were launched from the USS Saratoga and USS America both times, Sec. of Defense Robert McNamara ordered the planes return to their ships. Rear Adm. William Geis claimed that he called the Pentagon to ask for confirmation of the second order from McNamara. Geis said that President Johnson came onto the phone line and himself ordered the wing returned.
According to Cdr. David Lewis (a USS Liberty survivor), Adm. Geis told him in private that President Johnson said: "I do not care if every man drowned and the ship sank, we will not embarrass an ally."
Israel claimed that they mistook the Liberty for the Egyptian horse carrier El Quseir. The El Quseir was only 275 feet long as compared to the 455 foot length of the Liberty. It was later learned that the El Quseir was actually in port at Alexandria for the duration of the Six Day War.
The USS Liberty was well marked and flew a large American flag atop her mast. In fact, the official Navy Board of Inquiry report contains the following statement: "The Navy inquiry confirms testimony of five members of the crew that they had personally observed the [American flag] was hoisted. Hull markings were clear and freshly painted."
Despite the official Israeli story of mistaken identity, two Israeli pilots radioed base and clearly identified the ship as American. They were ordered to attack the ship anyway, both refused. The pair was immediately arrested upon returning to base.
In 1982, one of the Israeli pilots named Evan Toni spoke extensively with Rep. Paul McCloskey (R-CA). He told McCloskey that this superiors told him to ignore the markings and U.S. flag. Former U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dwight Porter, confirmed the pilot's account. Porter told Robert Novak that he heard the exchange as radio transmissions were being monitored from the embassy.
Capt. Ward Boston USN (ret) served as the senior legal counsel to the U.S. Navy court of inquiry on the USS Liberty incident. In a sworn affidavit taken on Jan. 8, 2004, Capt. Boston said the following: "The evidence was clear. Both Adm. Kidd and I believed with certainty that this attack...was a deliberate effort to sink an American ship and murder its entire crew. It was our shared belief that the attack could not possibly have been an accident. I am certain that the Israeli pilots [and] their superiors were well aware that the ship was American."
In 1991, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Thomas Moorer told the Washington Post: "To suggest that they [the IDF] couldn't identify the ship is...ridiculous. Anybody who could not identify the Liberty could not tell the difference between the White House and the Washington Monument."
There are two prevailing theories as to why Israeli forces attacked the Liberty. One is that they would sink the ship and blame it on Egypt, thus prompting the U.S. to enter the war on the side of Israel. That theory is supported by Capt. Ward Boston. The other is that Israel did not want the U.S. to know about the unprovoked attacks their troops were carrying out. Shortly after the liberty was nearly destroyed, Israeli troops began attacking Syria.
In 1980, Sen. Adlai Stevenson III (D-IL) held a press conference at which time he announced his belief that the Israeli attack on the Liberty had not been a tragic accident but a deliberate act. In his last year in the U.S. Senate, Stevenson promised a formal investigation.
Shortly after the Stevenson's announcement, the Israeli government contacted the Carter White House. They offered to settle the damage claims for an insulting $6 million. Vice-President Walter Mondale readily accepted the deal.
It was obvious that the only reason Israel agreed to pay anything was due to Se. Stevenson's interest in the case. Israel did pay the $6 million in three annual payments of $2 million. The payments meant nothing, as Congress simply increased the amount of aid given to Israel by $2 million each of those three years. The American taxpayers were actually billed for the damages inflicted upon their own sailors!
While motives are unclear, the fact that the Johnson and subsequent administrations covered up the attack is very clear. For his actions during the attack, USS Liberty's Capt. William McGonagle was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor at a Washington Navy Yard ceremony. On the very same day that Capt. McGonagle received the medal, President Johnson held a White House ceremony honoring other CMH awardees. McGonagle's citation does not mention that his ship came under attack from Israeli forces.
Much more disgusting than crucial facts deleted from a medal citation is what is omitted from the tombstones of the 34 USS Liberty crewmen who lost their lives in an act of war. Their headstones simply read "Died in Eastern Mediterranean."
The names of the USS Liberty crewmen who were killed while under attack from Israeli forces on June 8, 1967 are as follows:
Lcdr. Phillip McCutcheon Armstrong Jr.
Lt. James Cecil Pierce
Lt. Stephen Spencer Toth
CT3 William Bernard Allenbaugh
SN Gary Ray Blanchard
CT2 Allen Merle Blue
QM3 Francis Brown
CT2 Ronnie Jordan Campbell
CT2 Jerry Leroy Converse
CT2 Robert Burton Eisenberg
CT2 Jerry Lee Goss
CT1 Curtis Alan Graves
CTSN Lawrence Paul Hayden
CT1 Warren Edward Hersey
CT3 Alan Higgins
SN Carl Lewis Hoar
CTS Richard Walter Keene Jr.
CTSN James Lee Lenau
CTC Raymond Eugene Linn
CT1 James Mahlon Lupton
CT3 Duane Rowe Marggraf
CTSN David Walter Marlborough
CT2 Anthony Peter Mendle
CTSN Carl Christian Nyguen
Sgt. Jack Lewis Raper, USMC
Cpl. Edward Emory Kehmeyer III, USMC
IFCN David Skolak
CT1 John Caleb Smith Jr.
CTC Melvin Douglas Smith
PC2 John Clarence Spicher
GMG3 Alexander Neil Thompson Jr.
CT3 Thomas Ray Thornton
CT3 Philippe Charles Tiedthe
CT1 Frederick James Walton
The only thing more outrageous than the deliberate and murderous attack on the USS Liberty by Israel is our own government's compliance in the cover-up. There has never been a Congressional investigation into the circumstances of the attack. The accounts of Liberty survivors, long-serving Navy officers, and a U.S. Ambassador have all fallen upon the deaf ears of the U.S. Congress.
The USS Liberty incident alone is enough to make any rational American re-examine this nation's relationship with Israel.
Regardless of how the corrupt governments of both nations treat this tragedy, no matter how hard they try to cover-up the criminal acts which occurred on June 8, 1967...We must never forget the brave men of the USS Liberty! | | | | funglefoot | | Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 4:15 pm Post subject: |
| The above was well written, apart from the initial '30th anniversary'.
Can't say the same about Justin Raimondo. Slapdash! | | | | funglefoot | | Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 4:25 pm Post subject: |
| New website you may not have seen yet... New to me anyway. 
http://69.28.73.17/documentaries.html
Israel's Deliberate Attack on the U.S.S. Liberty
Below is the first of many documentaries that we will produce at WING TV.
If you have any ideas for future subjects, by all means contact us. | | | | Edithann | | Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 4:27 pm Post subject: |
| So write Raimondo and tell him he's wrong...and have another 16 page discourse...
TATA | | | | funglefoot | | Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 5:01 pm Post subject: |
| | now? | | | | Ilana_Halevy | | Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 5:06 pm Post subject: |
| Wow long time Islamists did not produce a Liberty topic. 
Thats new. Superconspiracy theory. America attacked irself
Degenerate Islamists | | | | | ©2002-2009 WarWithoutEnd.co.uk |
