Timeline Syndicate

TS

Documented Historical RecordJUNE 8, 1967

USS LIBERTY — THE COVERED-UP ATTACK

Six documented sections covering the 75-minute sustained attack on a U.S. Navy ship flying an American flag, LBJ's recall of rescue aircraft (documented in State Department records), the secret Medal of Honor ceremony, survivors ordered into silence under threat of court-martial, the Moorer Report (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs calls it deliberate), and the political consequences. All sourced from declassified NSA documents, the Congressional Record, and named senior officers.

34

Americans killed — 174 wounded

75 min

Duration of sustained attack — too long for mistaken identity

10 days

Duration of official Navy Court of Inquiry — for 34 killed Americans

0

Israeli officials ever charged — no criminal investigation held

Named Senior Officers Who Have Stated the Attack Was Deliberate

Admiral Thomas Moorer

Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (1970–1974) — led independent Moorer Report investigation

Rear Admiral Merlin Staring

Testified in Congressional Record (Oct 11, 2004) — "compelling evidence the attack was deliberate"

Captain William McGonagle

USS Liberty commander — Medal of Honor recipient — stated attack was deliberate before his death in 1999

This page documents facts from primary sources — declassified NSA documents, U.S. State Department historical records, the Congressional Record, the Moorer Report, and documented statements from named senior U.S. military officers. The U.S. and Israeli governments maintain the attack was a case of mistaken identity. The documented physical evidence and the statements of senior officers are presented as part of the historical record.

Documented Facts

The USS Liberty was a U.S. Navy Technical Research Ship (NSA signals intelligence vessel) sailing in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean on June 8, 1967 — the fourth day of the Six-Day War.

THE SHIP

USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was a converted World War II cargo ship equipped with sophisticated signals intelligence equipment. It was sailing under explicit orders to collect electronic intelligence on the conflict. The ship was clearly marked as a U.S. Navy vessel and was flying a large American flag.

THE ATTACK TIMELINE

At approximately 2:00 PM local time, Israeli Air Force Mirage III jets began attacking the Liberty with rockets, cannon fire, and napalm. The air attack lasted approximately 25 minutes. Then Israeli torpedo boats arrived and fired five torpedoes at the ship — one struck the hull, killing 25 men in the NSA spaces below the waterline. The combined attack lasted approximately 75 minutes.

CASUALTIES

34 Americans were killed. 174 were wounded. The ship was nearly sunk — it was kept afloat only by the heroic damage control efforts of the surviving crew.

THE AMERICAN FLAG

Multiple crew members and the ship's commander, Captain William McGonagle, have testified that the Liberty was flying a large American flag throughout the attack. The flag was shot away during the air attack; a larger flag was immediately raised. Israeli pilots flew reconnaissance passes over the ship before the attack — the ship's markings and American flag were clearly visible.

THE ISRAELI TORPEDO BOATS

After the air attack, Israeli torpedo boats circled the stricken ship. Crew members who had abandoned ship in life rafts reported that Israeli torpedo boats machine-gunned the life rafts — an act that would constitute a war crime. The Israeli government has denied this; multiple surviving crew members have testified to it under oath.

COMMUNICATIONS JAMMING

The Liberty's crew attempted to send distress signals during the attack. The attacking Israeli forces jammed the Liberty's radio frequencies — all of them, including the international distress frequency. The ability to jam multiple specific U.S. military frequencies simultaneously indicates advance knowledge of the ship's communications systems.

Key Quote — Primary Source

"The attack was a deliberate attempt to destroy an American ship and kill her entire crew."

— Admiral Thomas Moorer, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2003 — The Moorer Report

Why This Matters

The USS Liberty attack is the only peacetime attack on a U.S. Navy vessel by a nation that was not subsequently investigated by Congress. The attack lasted 75 minutes — far too long to be a case of mistaken identity. The jamming of U.S. military radio frequencies indicates advance knowledge of the ship's systems.

Primary Sources

[1]

NSA: 'Attack on a SIGINT Collector, the USS Liberty' — declassified NSA document

[2]

The Intercept: 'Fifty Years Later, NSA Keeps Details of Israel's USS Liberty Attack Secret' (June 6, 2017)

[3]

USS Liberty Memorial: 'Summary of Events' — gtr5.com

[4]

WRMEA: 'The Assault on the USS Liberty Still Covered Up After 26 Years' (June 1993)

[5]

Oral History UFL: '50th Anniversary of the Attack on the USS Liberty' — survivor testimonies