Opinion
It’s a clear
sunny day in the Mediterranean Sea, 8 June 1968, a slight breeze, part of your crewmen are sunbathing below the bridge. You’re still the Captain with the reputation for the ‘best tan’, bar none. You are Cmdr. William Loren McGonagle, U.S. Navy, 41 years years old born in Kansas, raised in Southern California and your life is about to change forever.
In the next hour, your ship is coming under surprise attack by jet fighters firing missiles, napalm and rockets. They will count 821 holes by the time it ends not counting the machine gun bullets in the thousands. They will kill your helmsman with a shot to his head in front of you. You catch shrapnel in the leg. A tourniquet is improvised to stem the bleeding in your leg. You’re in command and giving orders and solutions to life and death problems for ship, crew and everyone you never anticipated before except in theory or training. This isn’t Kansas Toto.
The deck floor of the bridge is riddled with bullets and blood making walking difficult and slippery. There is smoke everywhere. Fire from the napalm and rockets. Your bridge is a major focal point to end command and control. Strafing runs after strafing runs for almost 2o minutes. The ships flag is shot off and you order another one up.
You look through your binoculars and see three torpedo boats in attack positions 2000 yards away and you spot a blue striped naval ensign with the Star of David on it.
“Why is Israel attacking the USS Liberty?”
40 plus years later. No one still knows. The US Govt doesn’t give a damn and Israel sure as hell isn’t talking. It’s shrouded in secrecy and official cover up. It’s never been honestly investigated or explained. And you’re a “conspiracy nut” if you think differently if you don’t swallow their “official party line.” hook, line and sinker.
Yet two seperate waves of attack planes attacking from all sides, three MTB torpedo boats with crews with binoculars cannot see 5-8 foot high Western hull numerals (Not ARABIC characters), no visible armaments of any kind heading N-NW away from Israel in international waters, a Holiday ceremonial US flag (largest US Navy flag) is hoisted for the oncoming MTBs who are there to attack a ship reportedly bombarding IDF soldiers 13 miles aways from the sea which never happened.
Blood pooling in the USS Liberty gun tubs after the attack.
The MTBs reportedly claimed that they were fired upon yet later never produced a single picture of an Israeli boat with a bullet hole. The US govt never ever asks them a damn question. The US Naval Court of Inquiry stated that ammo was “cooking off” from the heat and flames from gun tubs awash in pools of blood and body parts of US sailors.
And McConagle spots a Israeli flag almost a mile away injured and under fire and the vaunted IDF that captured the Sinai, West Bank and Golan Heights in six days and a whole long list of participants involved couldn’t see dick.
Israel STILL claims it was an “accidental” one hour combined air and naval assault on a US ship who also “accidentally” jammed US Navy radio frequencies. Their attack stopped when the Liberty crew got a message off to the Sixth Fleet.
LBJ and McNamara said “Sounds good to us, that’s a wrap” and the US Liberty cover up was inaugurated. Thank goodness there were a lot of “Superman” on board that day.
“Friendly Fire” my ass. Everybody else calls it a war crime and murder.
“Hey Hey LBJ!, how many murderers did you let get away on a clear sunny day”
The USS Liberty Memorial Website
“Finally, whether the attack as due to mistake(s) or not, it was technically a “Friendly Fire” incident. In other words, “Friendly Fire” does not preclude criminality, it simply indicates the origin of fire; i.e., a friendly v/s enemy force. I grant that the meaning of the term “Friendly Fire” is often taken to preclude criminality, but in fact it does not.”
But without there ever been an honest investigation or discussion of intentions of the attack by the attacker, crimality is nebulous and undefined. And I’m guilty of that.
IMHO, “Friendly Fire” like a psychiatric label to describe the unexplained is a very subjective term whether technical or not. “Friendly Fire” is a modern term conjectured to mitigate an event for public relations. Just as the modern adaptation of ‘conspiracy theory’ is used to miscategorize and mislabel honest inquiry and public discourse. A subtle cultural intimidation for ulterior motives and agendas.
After 40+ of cover up, it’s time to call a spade a spade. murder murder and lies lies without the spin. But your point is taken. And your commentary and insights always appreciated.
Generally, McGonalgle’s recall of events during the attack can’t be trusted. Several of my essays provide direct evidence showing that he was truly confused about many significant aspects of the attack. Likely, his faultly recall was a result of the stress, wound and blood loss he suffered during and after the attack. So, whether or not McGonagle actually saw an Israeli flag on one of the MTBs at 2000 yards, as they were headed straight toward him, is questionable.
It is extremely difficult to believe that the MTB captains did not see the 4′ letters “GTR” and the 8′ number “5″ on the ship’s bow. Immediately upon the helicopters’ arrival, one of the pilots spotted the letters and number and asked the MTB Division Commander (Oren) their meaning. Oren answered: “It means nothing.” The helicopter pilots also immediately spotted the American flag. Surely, if the helicopter pilots could quickly and easily see these identifying marks so could the attacking pilots and the MTB captains.
There is overwhelming direct and circumstantial evidence that, at least, the attackers were reckless, wanton and grossly negligent — and that both the USG and GOI conducted inadequate and flawed investigations. Additionally, I agree that it’s extremely difficult to believe that the attackers didn’t realize who or what they were attacking either before or shortly after they attacked; nonetheless, “smoking gun” evidence remains elusive.
So far, the best evidence of a guilty mind that I can find are the fraudlent gun camera photos presented in the IDF’s History Report: an innocent party should have no reason to create and present fraudlent evidence. Essays about the IDF’s fake gun camera photos are here:
http://usslibertyinquiry.googlepages.com/essay11
http://usslibertyinquiry.googlepages.com/essay12
http://usslibertyinquiry.googlepages.com/essay13
Thank you for the comments Ken, Your ruthless analysis and brutal honesty is always appreciated.
I still find it amazing with all the hell on Earth going around that an injured Capt. McGonagle could spot an Israel naval ensign yet all the IDF participants (naval and air) couldn’t see the 5-8 ft high hull numbers that were neither Arabic but Western and ‘freshly painted’. Or that the Liberty or the alleged El Quisir both never had the visible ship armaments necessary to fire from the sea at the IDF coastal forces. (an event that which never happened) and the Israeli stated reason and justification for the attack on USS Liberty. It’s a shame that the US Government never had an investigation to determine what was the real reason or Israel’s motivation. We know for sure that the crew was never asked.
In McGonagle’s Court of Inquiry he implies sighting the MTBs approaching when they were 15 Nautical Miles from the ship — near the end of the air attack. So, indeed, he must have been superman because the visual horizon was about 8 nautical miles for a person at McGonagle’s height on the bridge. (At the most, only the extreme top of the MTBs’ masts would have been visible to McGonagle at 15 NM.)
Additionally, the MTBs must have been on hydrofoils; otherwise, how did they travel from McGonagle’s claimed 15 NM at the end of the air attack to about one mile of the ship in about 15 minutes?
For more information see: http://usslibertyinquiry.googlepages.com/essay20
By the way, the “Holiday flag” is not the largest flag in the Navy — it was the largest flag in USS Liberty. Regardless, a Court of Inquriy exhibit and photographic evidence supports the replacement flag’s size was 5′ x 9.5′ — not a 9′ x 17′ Holiday flag. For a full analysis see: http://usslibertyinquiry.googlepages.com/essay17
Also, the MTB attack had not yet started when Sixth Fleet received Liberty’s distress message (about 10 minutes after the air attack began); thus, the attack did not end at that time. The MTB attack stopped at about the same time IDF helicopters arrived at the ship, immediately spotted the American flag, and questioned the MTBs behavior — per NSA transcripts of communications recorded between the helicopter pilots and ground control; and Cout of Inquiry testimony, with the exception of McGonagle’s.
Finally, whether the attack as due to mistake(s) or not, it was technically a “Friendly Fire” incident. In other words, “Friendly Fire” does not preclude criminality, it simply indicates the origin of fire; i.e., a friendly v/s enemy force. I grant that the meaning of the term “Friendly Fire” is often taken to preclude criminality, but in fact it does not.