[rock jock]

JERUSALEM - Newly declassified transcripts back up Israel's claim that its sinking of a U.S. spy ship during the 1967 Middle East war was an accident, a Florida judge who has been investigating the case for 16 years said Wednesday.

Israel has always maintained it thought the USS Liberty was an Egyptian military supply ship when it ordered its forces to attack on June 8, 1967, killing 34 American sailors and wounding 171. But critics charge Israel knew the ship was American. Questions about the case have long dogged U.S.-Israel relations.

Miami Judge A. Jay Cristol received transcripts of transmissions from two Israeli helicopter pilots, sent to check for survivors after the attack. The pilots referred to the ship as Egyptian and were surprised to discover it was flying an American flag. The recordings, in Hebrew, were made by a U.S. spy plane hovering over the site.

Cristol told The Associated Press he received the transcripts after submitting a Freedom of Information request to the U.S. National Security Agency, which had kept the recordings secret for 37 years. After his request was denied, Cristol filed suit in federal court and forced their release. Agency spokesman Patrick Weadon confirmed Cristol had been sent the transcripts. "We provided the tapes as part of the historical record," Weadon said. "The agency takes no official position on what happened to the Liberty."

Cristol, who has written a book about the case, said, the tapes "show both the helicopter pilots and their controller ... believed the Israeli air force had targeted an Egyptian ship."

A National Security Agency summary of the incident says the Israelis were confused over the stricken ship's identity more than an hour after the attack. Cristol provided the summary and full transcripts of the pilot and tower recordings to The Associated Press.

Israel has long maintained the attack was the result of a tragic mistake during the heat of battle. Israel was at war with Egypt, Syria and Jordan at the time. An Israeli commission of inquiry concluded the Israeli air force believed the targeted ship was an Egyptian cargo vessel ferrying supplies to Egyptian troops fighting Israeli forces. However, some of the Liberty's survivors and some officials in the U.S. defense establishment have rejected this view, contending Israel deliberately targeted the ship to keep the United States from learning that Israel was planning to attack Syria as part of its strategy during the war.

The Israeli daily Haaretz, which first reported the disclosures in its Wednesday edition, quoted Cristol as saying the tape transcripts were the last classified intelligence about the Liberty.
Imagine that - no conspiracy, no hidden secrets. Perhaps we can now put this controversy behind us.

[Wildalaska]

Perhaps we can now put this controversy behind us.

I think your being optimistic....

WilditneverendsAlaska

[Spark]

Wait, this must be another plot of the EVIL JEWS to convince everyone of their benign behavior while secretly plotting to ENSLAVE US ALL.

(Proud member of the EVIL JEW SECRET ARMY working to ENSLAVE YOU)

[Triad]

Perhaps we can now put this controversy behind us.
Nope. They should have known what they were shooting at. Instead they chose to attack something that might have been an enemy. You think they would just say "Oh well, :cuss: happens" if an American plane dropped one of those MOABs on Tel Aviv because the crew thought they were over Iraq?

[matis]

Spark said:
Wait, this must be another plot of the EVIL JEWS to convince everyone of their benign behavior while secretly plotting to ENSLAVE US ALL.

(Proud member of the EVIL JEW SECRET ARMY working to ENSLAVE YOU)
_________________________________________________________


Spark!!!!!!!!!


Why are you snitching our secrets???????????




matis

Another proud EVIL JEW SECRET ARMY member -- we eat ONLY kosher MREs!

[agricola]

triad is correct. How does an overflight tell you who owns the ship, what its carrying and what the people who will get the cargo are going to do with it? Were there T55's on the Liberty's deck or what?

[Azrael256]

They should have known what they were shooting at. Right, because that's NEVER been a problem during war for any country. Lord knows we've never accidentally killed our allies, and indeed, our own men because we were confused about who they were. Bad things happen in war. That's why it's called war. It is extremely unfortunate, but likely not intentional.

[rrader]

The Israeli's attacked the Liberty repeatedly for over 40 minutes making several runs at the ship at low altitude. It is very difficult to beleive that they didn't know exactly who they were attacking considering the configuration of the ship and the size of the US Flag it flew.

The fact that the helicopter pilots didn't know it was a US Naval vessel doesn't prove anything other than that the SAR squad weren't told it was an American vessel.

No, they knew exactly who they were attacking when they killed those dozens of Americans on the Liberty.

[KMKeller]

And you were there when? You're basing your positive assertions on what first-hand experience?

Frankly folks, only those who where there at the time will ever truly know the circumstances and intent. Anything else is pure conjecture.

[riverdog]

Pure conjecture tells me that Israeli Air Force fighter pilots (plural) aren't so incompetent as to repeatedly strike a ship without knowing or at least determining its identity/nationality. While it's true that blue-on-blue engagements have happened numerous times in the past, a continuing strike of this nature on an unarmed ship is not the result of a simple misidentification. I'll accept that the first few strikes may have been mistaken, but the continuing nature of this strike while the ships crew repeatedly identified themselves bothers me a lot.

Words from a SAR helo pilot not involved in the attack have little relevance to the multiple strike nature of the attack.

[rock jock]

I'm sure the two nations involved would rather this not have taken place, but the fact is, the Israelis sank a U.S. Warship.
Yes, and our own fighter pilots killed several Canadians in Afghanistan last year (who incidentally were there to help us) and now they will be saved from a possible court martial.

[Mike Irwin]

During World War II there were NUMEROUS instances of American aircraft attacking American shipping, including PT boats and destroyers, over not just minutes, but HOURS.


I've yet to see a convincing case made as for just WHY the Isralies would want to attack an American ship in those waters.

[braindead0]

Miami Judge A. Jay Cristol received transcripts of transmissions from two Israeli helicopter pilots, sent to check for survivors after the attack.

How much importance do you place in 'evidence' from the accussed? This'll probably never be 'laid to rest'.

[Wildalaska]

I've yet to see a convincing case made as for just WHY the Isralies would want to attack an American ship in those waters.

Bet they can give lots of reasons over on the Stormfront board...:what:

WildneverendsAlaska

[riverdog]

Yes, and our own fighter pilots killed several Canadians in Afghanistan last year (who incidentally were there to help us) and now they will be saved from a possible court martial. One pilot has been allowed to retire. The pilot who dropped the bomb has refused NJP and is forcing the courts martial. IMO, at a minimum he will be found guilty of disregarding his controller. All he had to do was leave the area and wait for orders/clarification. He was under no immediate threat even if they had been Afghani's firing at him. All he had to do follow his controller's instructions and leave the area.

Mike,
It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.

[cordex]

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
*laugh*
Well that's it. All the evidence that I need.

[Mike Irwin]

"Bet they can give lots of reasons over on the Stormfront board..."

I've seen every conceivable reason floated from the Isralie ATC didn't like the US all the way to the Isralies were about to deploy some sort of super secrete Flumtumbian Mosaic Bomb, which if detonated, would have melted every Muslim within a 2,500 square mile area while leaving Jews alone.

I guess it would have just given Christians a bad headache... :rolleyes:


You know, sometimes when you hear hoofbeats, it really is just a horse...

[moa]

First of all, someone previously mentioned the Liberty was sunk. It did not sink, but was heavily damaged. It was for no lack of trying. The Liberty was attacked both from the air, and by sea.

IIRC, Israel paid a $13 million settlement. So, they were assuming some blaim.

Quite a few of the surviving crew members think they were deliberately attacked and it was no accident. Why the attack? Who knows?

Also, according to one book I read on the subject, supposedly the Liberty sent out an SOS and the US Navy responded by launching carrier based fighters, but they were quickly called back. If that is true, it definitely makes the events all the more murky.

I am taking all of this from memory based on accounts written long ago.

[WT]

The US Navy has videotapes of the incident, taken from a nearby submerged US submarine. The tapes are shown to students at the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.

I would like to see those tapes. Don't think it will happen anytime soon.

[Daniel T]

People will believe what they want to believe, regardless of evidence. It's human nature to be ignorantly obstinant despite all proof.

[rrader]

KMKeller

And you were there when? You're basing your positive assertions on what first-hand experience? Frankly folks, only those who where there at the time will ever truly know the circumstances and intent. Anything else is pure conjecture

Thats an interesting theory of evidence, i.e., only eyewitnesses to an event are able to draw a conclusion.

No, I wasn't there but I'll draw a conclusion based on the credible eyewitness accounts of the US Sailors onboard the Liberty. The Israeli's made repeated low level passes in an attack that lasted over 40 min. on a very clearly marked US warship.

And regarding some of the other folks posts; I fail to see how ascribing deliberation to the Israeli attack constitutes anti-semitisim.