GoP

The Israeli attack on the USS Liberty

This incident was subject to ten official U.S. investigations and three more by Israel. The U.S. government had access to all the relevant information. The indepth investigations and enquiries conclusively established the attack was a tragic mistake.

US Investigations & Reports.
U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry (June 10-18, 1967); CIA Report (June 13, 1967); Clifford Report (July 18, 1967); Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (1967); Senate Armed Services Committee (Feb. 1, 1968); House Appropriations Committee (April-May 1968); House Armed Services Committee (May 10, 1971); Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (1979); National Security Agency (1981); House Armed Services Committee (June 1991).

Joint Chiefs of Staff Fact Finding Team (Russ Report) (June 9-20, 1967), Report of the JCS Fact Finding Team, "USS Liberty Incident, 8 June 1967," The Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, DC, June 18, 1967. (extract);

“There were four (4) messages disseminated during the period of 7-8 June 1967 from higher headquarters to subordinate echelons containing revisions to previous instructions regarding the assigned operating location of USS LIBERTY. Since each of these message transmissions contained instructions for substantially increasing the closets point of approach (CPA) to the UAR and Israel, the receipt of any one of these by the USS LIBERTY would undoubtedly have resulted in the ship's being a greater distance from the scene of action than underway between Israel and the UAR. Although the USS LIBERTY was either an action or an information addressee on each of these directives, there is no evidence available to confirm that the ship's Captain received any of them...The failure of the USS LIBERTY to receive any one of these time-critical revisions to operational directives can be attributed to a combination of (1) human error, (2) high volume of communications traffic, and (3) lack of appreciation of sense of urgency regarding the movement of the LIBERTY. (pp. 1-2)” *

cont...

Attack on a Sigint Collector, the USS Liberty (United States Cryptologic History)( 83 page report)
National Security Agency/Central Security Service classified by NSA/CSSM 123-2, Review April 2011 (Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 11-08-2006 pursuant to E.O.12958; MOR 51712)
www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/uss_liberty/attack_sigint.pdf

“...ruled out any thesis that the Israeli Navy and Air Force attacked a ship they knew to be American.”

Israel paid the US government $3,323,500 compensation on behalf of families of the 34 men killed in the attack; a further $3,566,457 compensation to the wounded; and $6m to the US for material damage to USS Liberty.

The most comprehensive analysis, A.J. Cristol, "The Liberty Incident," (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Miami, 1997) (subsequently published: A. Jay Cristol, The Liberty Incident. (Washington, D.C.: Brassey's Inc., 2002)

Israeli Investigations & Reports.
Ram Ron Commission (June 12, 1967); Preliminary Inquiry (July 1967); IDF History (1982)

GoP, Many further references are available.

Perhaps you aren't aware of the term “friendly fire.” A tragic, but commonplace of conflict.

csteele,

So much has been recorded and written of the Six-Day War ... you are embarrassing yourself ... as per usual.

The Israel Policy Forum is indeed laudable.

Do the Palestinians have a comparable forum?

Personally, I don't care what the Palestinians choose to call themselves, but they should do it without playing semantics.

Dear Danielle,

You wrote;

"csteele, So much has been recorded and written of the Six-Day War ... you are embarrassing yourself ... as per usual. The Israel Policy Forum is indeed laudable."

Your problem my dear is that I took virtually point for point the time line given by the Israeli Policy Forum, an institution you rightly labelled as laudable, yet you said I was embarrassing myself.

A fairly obvious case of purely judging the message by the sender rather than the content. Don't worry I will admit to a weakness in this area sometimes too,  though never quite at this scale. 

That would indeed be embarrassing. 

;)

csteele,

Whilst using up much space, you avoided the reasons for the Six-Day War. Significant, one would think!

But this is practice of yours; rabbitting on about something, or cherry-picking, without placing the events in context. Quite frankly, as others have noticed, you have a problem with comprehension. Is this because you get overly-excited, clutching at “whatever', or is this a genuine problem for which we can excuse you?

Arab hostility toward Israel reached crisis level preceding the Six Day War. Egypt's President Nasser closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping. He expelled U.N. peacekeeping forces from the Sinai. Moslem leaders screamed for jihad (Holy War).

I queried whether the Palestinians had a program such as the “Israel Policy Forum,” (even a teensy, weensy little one). Lost for words, apparently, you didn't answer.

You had noted, and one hopefully assumes, agrees with:

“Israel Policy Forum believes that a two-state solution to the conflict will "safeguard Israel’s security and future as a Jewish and democratic state." (Wikipedia)

steele, 'old boy' … 'old chum' … when the Palestinians recognise the validity of this solution …

Isn't this the central issue...? Where have you been!?

Dear Danielle,

Actually the central issue right at this very moment is enjoying your response to getting caught with your pants down.

You had two options I would have thought, the first was to acknowledge the embarrassment with a wiry smile and move on, the second was to attempt high dudgeon and go on the attack.

You chose the second, probably predictably, and I must say;

"But this is practice of yours; rabbitting on about something, or cherry-picking, without placing the events in context. Quite frankly, as others have noticed, you have a problem with comprehension. Is this because you get overly-excited, clutching at “whatever', or is this a genuine problem for which we can excuse you?"

was a serviceable effort.

You do dowager duchess very well however I couldn't profess to being any sort of gentleman if I didn't quietly remind you your slip is still showing.

Enjoy your day.