USS Liberty — Not a Mistake

AT Lucas

— 3 min read
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Here's a surprising story that you might have never heard about.

The Day the Liberty Was Attacked

Distinctly a communications vessel

On June 8, 1967, Israeli jets and torpedo boats launched a coordinated assault on the USS Liberty. In broad daylight, an American intelligence ship in international waters was strafed, bombed, and torpedoed. Thirty-four American sailors were killed. Over 170 were wounded.

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The Six-Day War Context
  • The Six-Day War began on June 5, 1967, when Israel launched preemptive strikes against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.
  • On June 8, 1967 — the fourth day of the war — the USS Liberty was stationed in international waters, monitoring communications.
  • That day, Israeli jets and torpedo boats carried out the assault, killing 34 and wounding 171.

Why the timing matters:

  • Israel was rapidly gaining territory — Sinai Peninsula, Gaza, West Bank, and Golan Heights.
  • The U.S. claimed neutrality but was gathering intelligence through ships like the Liberty.
  • Many researchers argue Israel feared the Liberty would intercept evidence of actions they wanted hidden, including reports of mass executions of Egyptian POWs in the Sinai and other sensitive military operations.

Lyndon Johnson Declared It An Accident

Lyndon B. Johnson became the 36th President of the United States immediately following the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. 

The Israeli government claimed it was a tragic mistake — that they believed the Liberty was an Egyptian vessel. The U.S. government, led by President Lyndon Johnson, quickly accepted this narrative. The Navy court of inquiry rubber-stamped the “mistaken identity” conclusion, even as investigators privately disagreed.

Survivors and Officials Disagree

Bloody and chaotic day on a ship designed with a clinic suitable for treating no more than one or two sick sailors. Not a war ship.

The men aboard the Liberty knew otherwise. They testified that the ship was clearly marked, flying the Stars and Stripes, and identifiable from the air. High-ranking U.S. officials in intelligence and the Navy would later call the inquiry a cover-up.

Why It Wasn’t a Mistake: The Evidence

Here are the core reasons it’s highly likely Israel knew the ship’s identity — and lied afterward:

  1. Clear U.S. flag visible before and during attack.
  2. Distinctive design — not remotely like the Egyptian ship Israel cited.
  3. Recon planes made repeated low passes before the attack.
  4. Attack lasted nearly two hours with waves of strikes.
  5. Israeli forces jammed U.S. communication frequencies.
  6. Survivor testimony — crew insists it was intentional.
  7. NSA intercepts indicate pilots identified it as American.
  8. Navy inquiry rushed and politically constrained.
  9. Johnson’s White House chose to protect Israel, not pursue truth.
  10. Motive: silence U.S. intelligence during the Six-Day War.
  11. Rapid apology and payouts suggested damage control.
  12. Decades of survivor and official testimony being overlooked.

Political Fallout

Despite the attack, U.S. lawmakers rallied to Israel’s defense. The framing was unanimous: an accident, nothing more. The deaths of 34 Americans were swept aside in favor of preserving a “special relationship.”

What is this special relationship?

The Legacy of Betrayal

For the crew who lived through it — and for the families of the dead — the official story has never matched reality. The USS Liberty stands as a symbol of betrayal: the day an ally attacked, the truth was buried, and political expediency triumphed over justice.

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