The USS Liberty

The Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty
Moorer Commission - The Independent Commission of Inquiry chaired by (Four Star) Admiral Thomas Moorer found that Israel “committed acts of murder against American servicemen and an act of war against the United States." more

Israel Attack On USS Liberty "No Accident" Says Helms
Marine Corps Times, Navy Times - Thirty-five years after Israeli air and naval forces attacked a lightly armed U.S. Navy spy ship during the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War, the CIA director at the time and the legal counsel to the Navy's court of inquiry say the attack was deliberate. more

The men killed in Israel's attack on The USS Liberty
USSLiberty.org - Compiled by USS Liberty survivors Jim Ennes and Joe Meadors at USSLiberty.org. If you are not yet familiar with the deliberate Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, please read the findings of the Independent Commission of Inquiry, composed of three Admirals and Generals of the US armed forces and one ambassador, including former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Thomas H. Moorer and Medal of Honor recipient General Raymond G. Davis. more

Justice For Liberty
If Americans Knew - This feature length documentary, filmed at the crew’s 54th anniversary reunion in Pensacola, Florida, allows the survivors to tell the American public their stories, some for the first time. more

 Declassified document indicating Israel had positive ID on the USS Liberty 
Department of Defense - Originally dated 9 June 1967, the day after the attack. PDF

 American Media Miss the Boat: For USA Today, Freedom of the Press Means the Right to Report It Wrong 
Alison Weir in CounterPunch - Capitol Hill, October 2003. It is a historic occasion. An independent, blue-ribbon commission is to release its findings from an investigation into an internationally significant 36-year-old attack on a US Navy ship that left more than 200 American sailors killed or wounded. more

Aid and Comfort to the Enemy: American Legion Honchos Betray Liberty Veterans
Counterpunch - Despite the USS Liberty crew’s extraordinary record of heroism, American Legion personnel have repeatedly treated Liberty veterans, their families, and their friends with arrogance, disrespect, and even disdain that many feel demeans these American servicemen, their ship, their service to their country, and the memory of their 34 fellow crewmembers who never returned. more

Death on the USS Liberty: Questions Remain After 35 Years
The VVA Veteran - Full recognition of the struggles and sacrifices made by the men who served – 34 of them for the last time – on the Liberty won’t come, survivors and their supporters say, until there is a congressional investigation of the attack and its aftermath. They maintain that this is the only such incident in American history that never received a congressional investigation. more

Liberty Victims Did Not Die in Vain
US Naval Institute Proceedings - The Liberty's, crew did not die in vain. In extremely short order, her vital intelligence, and demise, helped convince two great Americans, Lyndon Johnson and Dean Rusk, that they must make swift and critical decisions. Those decisions saved the Middle East and U.S.-Soviet relations from a disaster course. They would want us to honor the USS Liberty. more

Brookings: Lessons for U.S. National Security
Brookings Institue - It is ironic that IDF attacked a flotilla of relief ships bound from Europe to Gaza in international waters in a manner all too similar to its assault against the USS Liberty also in international waters on June 8… more

Leaving the USS Liberty Crew Behind
Consortium News - Justifying the swap of Taliban prisoners for Sgt. Bergdahl, President Obama cited a principle of never leaving U.S. soldiers behind, but that rule was violated in the shabby treatment of the USS Liberty crew, attacked 47 years ago by Israeli warplanes, writes ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern. more

Response to charges made by Steve Aftergood in Secrecy News on July 17, 2001
James Bamford, Federation of American Scientists - As an investigative journalist for nearly 25 years, I am never bothered by attacks like those from Mr. Aftergood - it comes with the territory. What really disturbs me is the speed with which certain people are willing to run to Israel's defense while ignoring the heroic survivors of the USS Liberty -- and the relatives of those killed -- who have been pressing for a true, comprehensive investigation into the attack for more than 34 years. more

Letter from Jane Dalton, Captain, JAGC, U.S. Navy
Jane Dalton - This responds to your March 8, 2005 letter requesting the Navy's position on the findings of the "Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Israel Attack on the USS Liberty, the recall of Military rescue Support Aircraft While the Ship Was Under Attack, and the Subsequent Cover-Up by the United States Government." more

Statement by former Air Force intelligence analyst Stephen Forslund
Stephen Forslund - For many years I have periodically been reminded of those days in June 1967 that had such an impact on me as a young man. It has been frustrating that, for all that time, I have had to stifle the shout I wanted to make over the injustice that was committed. more

Friendless Fire?
US Naval Institute Proceedings - Growing numbers of former senior government and military officials have begun speaking out. Among those in support of the ship's 200-plus survivors, in addition to those mentioned previously and in the accompanying sidebar, are: former Chief of Naval Operations and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Thomas Moorer, then CIA Director Richard Helms, then-NSA Director Marshall Carter, Carter's Deputy Louis Tordella (who wrote on the Israeli Navy's report, 'A nice whitewash!'), NSA 'Liberty incident' analyst Walter Deeley, and Hayden Peake, professor of intelligence history at the Joint Military Intelligence College and retired CIA officer. more

A Juridical Examination of the Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty
Lieutenant Commander Walter L. Jacobsen, JA GC, USN, Naval Law Review - The author concludes that the attack on the USS Liberty was not supportable in international law and recommends a thorough, public investigation into the attack by the U.S. Congress. more

The Secret War Against the Jews – A Litany of Lies
James Ennes - Much incredible nonsense has been written about the 1967 attack by Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats on the American intelligence ship USS Liberty, and the treatment of this matter in The Secret War Against the Jews by John Loftus and Mark Aarons is a striking example. more

Findings Reveal Cover Up Of Deliberate Israeli Attack On U.S. Naval Vessel
The Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty chaired by Admiral Thomas Moorer found that that Israel “committed acts of murder against American servicemen and an act of war against the United States." more

 VIDEO: USS Liberty Memorial - June 8, 2009 
Press TV - On the 42 year anniversary of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, survivors demand accountability and the TRUTH!! The following segment is dedicated in commemoration of the Americans who were killed at the hands of their friends or 'ally' more

 USS Liberty Remembered 42 Years Later 
Alison Weir - Today, the 42nd anniversary of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, a memorial service was held at Arlington National Cemetery, sponsored by the White House Commission on Remembrance. About 8 Liberty survivors were in attendance and a few dozen friends, family, and supporters. more

 The Spy Ship Left Out in the Cold 
U.S. Naval Institute - A half-century after one of history’s most controversial attacks on a U.S. Navy ship, the wounds from the Liberty incident remain unhealed. more

 Visalian receives Silver Star medal 
Lewis Griswold, Fresno Bee - The spy ship USS Liberty was sailing off the coast of Egypt on June 8, 1967, under clear skies when, without warning, Israeli military aircraft began strafing the ship with 20-caliber rounds, sending shrapnel everywhere and demolishing virtually every antenna on the ship. more

 The USS Liberty Timeline 
Americans for Middle East Understanding - June 8, 1967, Israeli forces attack the USS Liberty. They kill 34 American servicemen, wounding 171 others. It will be the highest casualty rate ever inflicted on a U.S. naval vessel, with 7 out of every 10 crew members killed or injured. It will also be the only peacetime attack on a U.S. naval vessel that, to this day, the Congress of the United States of America formally refuses to investigate. The facts, as known, are as follow: more

 Key Figure in USS Liberty Inquiry Dies 
Bryant Jordan, Military.com read article

 Obituary: Ward Boston Jr.; helped investigate '67 Liberty attack 
Blanca Gonzalez, San Diego Union-Tribune read article

 Obituary: Ward Boston; Investigated Attack on USS Liberty 
Chelsea J. Carter, Washington Post read article

 Congressional inquiries got nowhere 
John Crewdson in the Chicago Tribune - In the 40 years since the U.S. Court of Inquiry closed its books on the Liberty investigation, members of Congress have asked for information about the attack and have received stock replies, like the one provided to the late Sen. Alan Cranston. more

 New revelations in attack on American spy ship 
John Crewdson in the Chicago Tribune - Veterans, documents suggest U.S., Israel didn't tell full story of deadly '67 incident. more

 Letter to Secretary of the Army Regarding Report of War Crimes 
Rear Admiral Merlin Staring and Rear Admiral Clarence Hill, Jr. - On 8 June 2005 the U.S.S. Liberty Veterans Association, Inc., submitted to you a documented Report of War Crimes Committed Against U.S. Military Personnel on June 8, 1967. That report was submitted to you in your capacity as Executive Agent for the Secretary of Defense under Department of Defense Directive No. 5810.01B of 29 March 2004. It was based upon, and contained a detailed description of, the sudden, savage, unjustified, and prolonged attack made on 8 June 1967, by air and naval forces of the state of Israel, upon the USS LIBERTY (AGTR-5), a U.S. Navy technical research ship then operating peacefully in international waters in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The LIBERTY was at that time the most sophisticated and best-equipped intelligence ship in the world. Of a crew of 294 officers and men, including three American civilian government employees, she suffered 34 Americans killed in action and 173 wounded in action. The ship itself was so badly damaged that it never again sailed on an operational mission. more

 Four Decades of Twisting Facts About Israel’s Attack on the USS Liberty 
James Ennes in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs - Since June 8, 1967, when Israeli air and naval forces deliberately attacked the American intelligence ship USS Liberty, Israel and its American supporters have lied about what happened. more

 Cristol Claim of 13 Investigations Into Israel’s Attack on USS Liberty a Travesty 
Terence O’Keefe in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs - When A. Jay Cristol’s The Liberty Incident was released a year ago, it was uncritically hailed as the last word in the 36-year controversy surrounding Israel’s 1967 attack on the USS Liberty that took 34 American lives and wounded 172. The book was packed with tedious minutiae arguing the case. Indeed, if its author is to be believed, Liberty survivors have engaged in a 36-year slander against the state of Israel—which was guilty, at worst, of a grievous mistake in the heat of war. more

 ‘In Awesome Peril’ 
Richard K. Kolb in VFW Magazine - On June 8, 1967, the spy ship USS Liberty withstood an unparalleled assault by Israeli torpedo boats and planes off the coast of Egypt. Despite official and public abandonment, the courageous crew deserves recognition on this 40th anniversary of the costliest hostile U.S. ship action since World War II. more

 Statement of Rear Admiral Merlin H. Staring, JAGC, USN (Ret.) 
Rear Admiral Merlin H. Staring - I am honored to be allowed to participate in this tribute to the crew and survivors of the USS Liberty – ruthlessly attacked by Israeli forces on 8 June 1967. As a Navy JAG-Corps Captain, I had only a brief official contact with that event at the time – and not until many years later did I learn the full facts. When I did, I became aware – and I am now of the firmest conviction – the the Liberty honorees have suffered – for 40 years – an unprecedented injustice – and at the hands of our very own Navy and government. more

 2007 USS Liberty Memorial Statement of Ambassador Edward Peck 
Ambassador Edward Peck - The Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest decoration for bravery that our nation can bestow, was awarded to the Commanding Officer of the USS Liberty, Captain William McGonagle. more

 2007 USS Liberty Memorial Speech 
Stan White at Arlington National Cemetery - The first thing I would like to talk about, in speaking for the USS Liberty survivors, is the organization "No Greater Love". These special people have been conducting ceremonies on June 8th annually at this location, for many, many years now, honoring our thirty-four shipmates killed during the attack on our ship June 8, 1967. more

War Crimes Committed Against U.S. Military Personnel, June 8, 1967
USS Liberty Veterans Association - On June 8, 1967 while patrolling in international waters in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, USS Liberty was savagely attacked without warning or justification by air and naval forces of the state of Israel. Of a crew of 294 officers and men (including three civilians), the ship suffered thirty four (34) killed in action and one hundred seventy three (173) wounded in action. The ship itself, a Forty Million ($40,000,000) Dollar state of the art signals intelligence (SIGINT) platform, was so badly damaged that it never sailed on an operational mission again and was sold in 1970 for $101,666.66 as scrap. more

The Attack on the USS Liberty and its Cover-up
Ambassador James Akins - In 1963, three World War II Victory hull freighters were refitted as technical research ships. Their function, formally, was “to conduct technical research operations in support of U.S. Navy electronic research projects, which include electromagnetic propagation studies and advanced communications systems.” Jane’s Fighting Ships called these vessels “mobile bases for research in communications and electromagnetic radiation.... [They are] considered electronic intelligence ships.” They were designed to intercept foreign electronic messages, and they were popularly called “spy ships.” One of these ships was re-christened the “USS Liberty.” more

A fair probe would attack Liberty misinformation
Admiral Thomas Moorer in the Stars and Stripes - While state department officials and historians converge on Washington this week to discuss the 1967 war in the Middle East, I am compelled to speak out about one of U.S. history’s most shocking cover-ups. On June 8, 1967, Israel attacked our proud naval ship—the USS Liberty—killing 34 American servicemen and wounding 172. Those men were then betrayed and left to die by our own government. more

The Assault on the USS Liberty Still Covered Up After 26 Years
Lieutenant Commander James Ennes in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs - Twenty-six years have passed since that clear day on June 8, 1967 when Israel attacked the USS Liberty with aircraft and torpedo boats, killing 34 young men and wounding 171. The attack in international waters followed over nine hours of close surveillance. Israeli pilots circled the ship at low level 13 times on eight different occasions before attacking. Radio operators in Spain, Lebanon, Germany and aboard the ship itself all heard the pilots reporting to their headquarters that this was an American ship. They attacked anyway. And when the ship failed to sink, the Israeli government concocted an elaborate story to cover the crime. more

New Findings Reveal U.S.-Israeli Cover Up of Deliberate Israeli Attack on U.S. Naval Vessel
A new report released today by former officials from the highest level of the military and government reveals that Israel “committed acts of murder against American servicemen and an act of war against the United States” when it deliberately attacked the USS Liberty and killed 34 American crewmembers in 1967. more

Read the Findings of the Independent Commission

Media Coverage of the New Findings

Read the Affidavit of the 1967 Chief Attorney Captain Boston
For more than 30 years, I have remained silent on the topic of the USS Liberty. I am a military man and when orders come in from the Secretary of Defense and President of the United States, I follow them. However, recent attempts to rewrite history compel me to share the truth. more

Listen to an interview with Captain Boston

Letter from a Liberty Widow
I am the wife of James Mahlon Lupton, CT1, who was killed aboard the USS Liberty when it was attacked by Israel on June 8, 1967. He was right where the torpedo hit. more

 Documentary Film: The Loss of Liberty 
Howard Films - ‘Loss of Liberty’ dramatically proves, beyond any doubt, that the attack by Israel on June 8, 1967 against the US naval intelligence gathering ship USS Liberty was deliberate. This filmed testimony by dozens of USS Liberty survivors demolishes Israel’s ‘tragic accident’ claim. Former Secretary of State Dean Rusk and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Thomas Moorer are representative of the honored high-ranking Americans supporting the condemnation of deliberate aggression against the United States by ‘ally’ Israel. Watch the Film