(2) Peter Hounam, „Operation Cyanide: Why the bombing of the USS Liberty nearly caused World War III“, Sheena Dewan Publishers, 2003. The USS Liberty (AGTR-5) has been called the most decorated United States Naval ship for a single action. Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, Hornet (Aérospatiale Super Frelon) helicopters, US Defense Department's June 28, 1967, News Release, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Testimony, House Armed Services Committee Investigation, "New revelations in attack on American spy ship". [60] They say it was hastily conducted, in only ten days, even though the court's president, Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd, said that it would take six months to conduct properly. An information source for the aircraft being nuclear-armed, James Ennes later stated: It is clear that I was mistaken about the aircraft involved, as F4s do not carry nuclear weapons. In March 1969, Israel paid a further $3.57 million ($24.9 million in 2019) to the men who had been wounded. Die BBC veröffentlichte über den Vorfall im Mai 2003 die Dokumentation „Dead in the water“. In other words, he found no negligence by any IDF member associated with the attack.[57][58]. The Chief of Naval Operations asked the torpedo boats to double-check their calculations. [27] The Chief of Naval Operations took them seriously, and at 12:05 pm torpedo boat Division 914 was ordered to patrol in the direction of Arish. Ambassador Arthur Goldberg told the Security Council that vessels of the Sixth Fleet were several hundred miles from the conflict. Es diente der elektronischen Kampfführung und der militärischen Aufklärung. The subsequent attack by the torpedo boats, substantially after the vessel was or should have been identified by Israeli military forces, manifests the same reckless disregard for human life. Within an hour of learning that the Liberty had been torpedoed, the director of the U.S. National Security Agency, LTG Marshall S. Carter, sent a message to all intercept sites requesting a search of communications that might be connected to the attack or any reaction to it. It was acquired by the United States Navy and converted to an auxiliary technical research ship (AGTR),[10] a cover name for National Security Agency (NSA) "spy ships" carrying out signals intelligence missions. [106] The documentary argues that Israel knew the ship was American, and planned to blame its sinking on Egypt in order to draw the US into the war on the Israeli side. It should be noted that Israel did compensate the US for the attack on the USS Liberty. [24] After the naval observer's Noratlas landed and he was debriefed, the ship he saw was further identified as the USS Liberty, based on its "GTR-5" hull markings. [citation needed] Oren recalled receiving a similar response from the Ibrahim el Awal, an Egyptian destroyer captured by Israel during the Suez Crisis, and was convinced that he was facing an enemy ship. [18] Liberty crewmembers say that one of the Noratlas aircraft flew so close to Liberty that noise from its propellers rattled the ship's deck plating, and that the pilots and crewmembers waved to each other. Veterans of. The Johnson administration conveyed "strong dismay" to Israeli ambassador Avraham Harman. The Navy said a large volume of unrelated high-precedence traffic, including intelligence intercepts related to the conflict, were being handled at the time; and that this combined with a shortage of qualified radiomen contributed to the delayed transmission of the withdrawal message. )", "Letter to Cristol from Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, Jr", https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-lie-that-wont-die-the-u-s-s-liberty-attack-slander/, http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/240/87/IMG/NR024087.pdf, Hot summer of 1967: The Israeli attack on America and the 'Soviet destroyer. [44] The torpedo boats then launched five torpedoes at the Liberty. However, Kislev was still disturbed by a lack of return fire and requested one last attempt to identify the ship. [39] Aircraft carrier USS America dispatched eight aircraft. Though Egyptian warships were known to disguise their identities with Western markings, they usually displayed Arabic letters and numbers only. USS Liberty ist der Name von drei Schiffen der United States Navy: . I think my USS Liberty AGTR-5 shipmates will enjoy it. [20]:39 Captain McGonagle ordered the man at gun mount 51 to hold fire, but a short burst was fired at the torpedo boats before the man understood the order. [26] An inquiry into the source of the report was ordered to determine its validity. After being cleared to attack, the Mirages dove on the ship and attacked with 30-mm cannons and rockets. Im Mai 1968 wurde der Vorfall diplomatisch beigelegt, wobei Israel 3.323.500 US-Dollar (Kaufkraft 2021: 24.371.521 US-Dollar) Entschädigung zahlte. In 2002, Captain Ward Boston, JAGC, U.S. Navy, senior counsel for the Court of Inquiry, said that the Court of Inquiry's findings were intended to cover up what was a deliberate attack by Israel on a ship that the Israelis knew to be American. At 1310Z, one of the helicopter pilots asked the nearby torpedo boats' Division Commander about the meaning of the ship's hull number: "GTR5 is written on it. It was unbelievable. The most top-secret spy ship in the world. [26] The report came from an air support officer in Arish. [57][65][69], After conducting his own fact-finding inquiry and reviewing evidence, Judge Yerushalmi's decision was: "I have not discovered any deviation from the standard of reasonable conduct which would justify committal of anyone for trial." The aircraft approaching Liberty were recalled to the Saratoga. Lenczowski further states: "It seems Johnson was more interested in avoiding a possible confrontation with the Soviet Union, ... than in restraining Israel. James Morris, political analyst and commentator confronts John McCain about the USS Liberty Cover-up on Memorial Day. We have to publicize that in Israel already tonight. ... By the time we get to it we will be on some other subject." [32] The formation leader, Captain Iftach Spector, attempted to identify the ship. Israel Attack On USS Liberty "No Accident" Says Helms . An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. On 31 May, While Egyptian naval ships were known to disguise their identities with Western markings, they usually displayed Arabic letters and numbers only. [20]:39 So, he "sent Mr. Lucas around the port side of the bridge, around to the skylights, to see if he could tell [Seaman] Quintero, whom [he] believed to be the gunner on Machine gun 53, to hold fire". No one was found. The interview also contains the transcripts of the Israeli communications about the Liberty. [30] Bamford, however, points out that Liberty's top speed was far below 28 knots. The USS Liberty was a converted World War II cargo ship that had been transformed into America’s premier spy-ship by 1967. [96], The NSA reported that there had been no radio intercepts of the attack made by the Liberty herself, nor had there been any radio intercepts made by the U.S. submarine USS Amberjack. It carried out several further operations during the next two years. [72] Ennes and Joe Meadors, also a survivor of the attack, run a website about the incident. USS Liberty Survivor Bob Scarborough describes his video which was taken long before the attack: "This is a 50 year old 8mm film that I put on a DVD. Numerous requests under both declassification directives and the Freedom of Information Act are pending with various agencies including the NSA, Central Intelligence Agency, and Defense Intelligence Agency. [37][38] Eight crewmen were either killed immediately or received fatal injuries and died later, and 75 were wounded. [89] However, according to CAMERA, his claim that 400 Egyptians were executed has been cast into doubt since reporters present in the town claimed that there had been a large battle and this was the main cause of casualties. [20]:38, McGonagle testified that he "believed that the time of initial sighting of the torpedo boats ... was about 14:20", and that the "boats appeared to be in a wedge type formation with the center boat the lead point of the wedge. The USS Liberty, a World War II-era cargo ship refitted as a surveillance vessel, was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean in the days leading up to the war. [6] Die überlebenden ehemaligen Besatzungsmitglieder der Liberty bestehen darauf, dass eine Verwechslung unmöglich gewesen und der Angriff auf das Schiff bewusst erfolgt sei. Much of the ship's superstructure caught fire. "[16] He promised, however, that in the unlikely event of an inadvertent attack, jet fighters from the Sixth Fleet would be overhead in ten minutes. The American Legion has a 100-year track … Youtube, video, Nonprofits & Activism, Ernie Gallo, USS Liberty, War Crimes, Israel, Six Day War, Ernie Gallo President – USS Liberty Veterans Association Gag orders were issued to stop the survivors talking. From the start, the response to Israeli statements of mistaken identity ranged between frank disbelief to unquestioning acceptance within the administration in Washington. The USS Liberty was an electronic intelligence-gathering ship that was cruising international waters off the Egyptian coast on June 8, 1967. Liberty was deliberately sent into a kill zone. With editing by my son Rob and he added some music. vessel. [citation needed] Due to damaged equipment, McGonagle could only reply using a handheld Aldis lamp. [93], The video also provides hearsay evidence of a covert alliance of U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies. Liberty was later met by the destroyers USS Davis and USS Massey, and the cruiser USS Little Rock. [70] Dean Rusk, U.S. Secretary of State at the time of the incident, wrote: I was never satisfied with the Israeli explanation. The reasons are many, but have everything to do with who attacked the Liberty and who covered up the attack, an ongoing and disgraceful cover-up for nearly 50 years. [54] Other Liberty sailors received decorations for their actions during and after the attack, but most of the award citations omitted mention of Israel as the perpetrator. Looking for the answers that so few want to look at in the USS Liberty Attack that cost the lives of 34 souls and with over 170 wounded. [86], The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Barbour, had reported on the day of the Liberty attack that he "would not be surprised" by an Israeli attack on Syria, and the IDF Intelligence chief told a White House aide then in Israel that "there still remained the Syria problem and perhaps it would be necessary to give Syria a blow". [66], Two subsequent Israeli inquiry reports and a historical report concluded the attack was conducted because Liberty was confused with an Egyptian vessel and because of failures in communications between Israel and the U.S. Immediately after the exchange, at 1:57 pm, the chief air controller, Lieutenant-Colonel Shmuel Kislev, cleared the Mirages to attack.[34]. Nur die Liberty erhielt diesen Befehl nicht und näherte sic… This USS Liberty Memorial web site tells their story and is dedicated to the memory of the 34 brave men who died. In 2009, however, a Silver Star was awarded to crewmember Terry Halbardier, who braved machine-gun and cannon fire to repair a damaged antenna that restored the ship's communication; in his award citation Israel was named as the attacker. [18], On the night of 7 June Washington time, early morning on 8 June, 01:10Z or 3:10 am local time, the Pentagon issued an order to Sixth Fleet headquarters to tell Liberty to come no closer than 100 nautical miles (120 mi; 190 km) to Israel, Syria, or the Sinai coast (Oren, p. [90] Bamford also stated that eyewitness Gabi Bron had claimed he saw 150 people executed by Israeli troops at El-Arish. [13], According to Israeli sources, at the start of the war on 5 June, General Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli Air Force (IAF) chief of staff informed Commander Ernest Carl Castle, the American naval attaché in Tel Aviv, that Israel would defend its coast with every means at its disposal, including sinking unidentified ships. Commander Oren requested that the Israeli Air Force dispatch aircraft to intercept. Oktober 2007 veröffentlichte die Zeitung Chicago Tribune einen Artikel des Pulitzer-Preisträgers John M. Crewdson, der auf kurz zuvor freigegebenen Dokumenten des US-Außenministeriums sowie neuerlichen Zeugenbefragungen basierte. The three Israeli reports were:[57], In the historical report, it was acknowledged that IDF naval headquarters knew at least three hours before the attack that the ship was "an electromagnetic audio-surveillance ship of the U.S. Navy" but concluded that this information had simply "gotten lost, never passed along to the ground controllers who directed the air attack nor to the crews of the three Israeli torpedo boats". Death on the USS Liberty: Questions Remain After 35 Years. During the Six-Day War between Israel and several Arab nations, the United States of America maintained a neutral country status. [33] He also communicated, in effect, that the ship appeared to him like a destroyer or another type of small ship. The attack, as the survivors describe, was like a hellish nightmare, something out of a Hollywood movie; It didn’t feel real. Die zu ihrer Zeit hochmoderne Liberty glich äußerlich weitgehend einem Frachtschiff, wies jedoch zusätzliche Antennen auf. Of 294 crew members, 34 were killed and 171 wounded in the attack. All reviews fish night dive great dive early morning shore dive marine life uss liberty bump head great visibility shore entry beautiful corals swim throughs short swim experienced divers open water dive master wreck site meters bali groupers bumpheads. On 10 October 2003, The Jerusalem Post ran an interview with Yiftah Spector, one of the pilots who participated in the attack. Kislev guessed that the ship was American. On June 8 th 1967 the United States Navy intelligence ship the U.S.S. Joe Meadors on July 5, 2019 at 1:15 pm The area was never declared to be a war zone. According to Michael Limor, an Israeli naval reservist serving on one of the torpedo boats, they attempted to contact the ship by heliograph and radio, but received no response. Especially the footage from crossing the equator, January 5, 1967. The fact that the ship had Latin alphabet markings led Chief of Staff Rabin to fear that the ship was Soviet. [35] The attack came a few minutes after the crew completed a chemical attack drill, with Captain McGonagle on the command bridge. [82] However, Syria did not accept the cease fire until 9 June, after the attack on Liberty. The ship at the time was still on [westward] course 283 [degrees] true, speed unknown, but believed to be in excess of five knots. USS Liberty (1775), ein Schoner aus dem Amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg USS Liberty (ID-23), ein Transportschiff USS Liberty (AGTR-5), ein Aufklärungsschiff, das während des Sechstagekrieges von israelischen Bombern und Schnellbooten angegriffen wurde Diese Seite wurde zuletzt am 3. The attack on the USS Liberty in 1967. Cristol said he believes that Boston is not telling the truth about Kidd's views and any pressure from the U.S. Im Sechstagekrieg wurde das Schiff von den israelischen Streitkräften fast 3 Stunden lang angegriffen und schwer beschädigt. [57], The CIA Memoranda consists of two documents: one dated June 13, 1967, and the other dated June 21, 1967. McGonagle sent an urgent request for help to the Sixth Fleet, "Under attack by unidentified jet aircraft, require immediate assistance". [61] The June 21 memorandum is a point-by-point analysis of the Israeli inquiry findings of fact. No further edits should be made to this section. During the interval, crewmen aboard Liberty hoisted a large American flag. [64] The report ends with a section entitled, "Unanswered Questions", and comes to no conclusion regarding culpability. No answer appears in the transcript, but the air controller then says: "We request that you make another pass and check once more if this is really an American flag." Remembering USS Liberty: When Israel attacked America. [27] At 11:45 am, another report arrived at Supreme Command saying two ships were approaching the Arish coast. [60] The inquiry's terms of reference were limited to whether any shortcomings on the part of the Liberty's crew had contributed to the injuries and deaths that resulted from the attack. US-Flotte zu treffen. Januar 2004 sagte ein ehemaliges Mitglied des US-Marine-Untersuchungsgerichts unter Eid aus, dass der damalige US-Präsident Lyndon B. Johnson und Verteidigungsminister Robert McNamara eine Geheimhaltung des Vorfalls angeordnet hätten. Its client was the NSA. [23] The vessel's location was marked on a CCC control table, using a red marker, indicating an unidentified vessel. The captain of boat T-203 reached the same conclusion independently. 1973 wurde sie zum Abbruch verkauft. He had been a naval aviator in World War II and therefore had insight beyond that of one qualified only in the law. 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