USS Liberty — When an Ally Attacked a US Navy Ship
During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israeli forces attacked the clearly marked USS Liberty for over an hour, killing 34 Americans and wounding 171. Both governments quickly buried the incident.
Side A
The USS Liberty was never attacked, or if something happened, it was a minor friendly-fire incident that was immediately resolved.
Side B
On June 8, 1967, Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats attacked the USS Liberty in international waters for 75 minutes. The ship was flying a large American flag and had clear hull markings. 34 crew members were killed, 171 wounded. NSA intercepts (partially declassified) suggest Israeli forces identified the ship as American. Israel called it a case of mistaken identity. The US accepted this explanation within days. Surviving crew members were ordered not to discuss the incident. A Navy court of inquiry completed its investigation in just one week.
Significance
Declassified documents and survivor testimony contradict the "mistaken identity" explanation. Multiple investigations by crew members and independent researchers have challenged the official narrative. The incident remains one of the most contentious "memory holes" in US-Israel relations — widely known among military historians but largely absent from mainstream coverage.
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