On this day, 8 June 1967, Israeli forces attacked the US Navy research ship,

On this day, 8 June 1967, Israeli forces attacked the US Navy research ship,


USS Liberty, killing 34 and injuring 171 people.
The Liberty was off the coast of El Arish, Egypt, operated by the National Security Agency. It was tasked with monitoring communications during the Six-Day War between Israel and Arab states including Syria, Egypt, and Jordan.
First, the ship was attacked by air, then by torpedoes and artillery. Badly damaged, the crew launched three lifeboats but these were also attacked, which is considered a war crime under international law.
While official investigations by the US and Israel concluded that the attack was accidental, as Israeli forces believed the ship to be Egyptian, others disagree. Journalist James Bamford in his book Body of Secrets argued that the Liberty’s ability to intercept Israel’s communications could have been the motivation for the attack, in order to cover up war crimes such as the massacre of unarmed Egyptian prisoners in El Arish. 
NSA Deputy Director, Louis Tordella, described the preliminary inquiry by the Israeli military as “a nice whitewash”, and US Secretary of State Dean Rusk stated: I was never satisfied with the Israeli explanation… I didn’t believe them then, and I don’t believe them to this day. The attack was outrageous.”
The US inquiry into the incident was held in secret, and survivors were issued gag orders banning them from ever speaking about what occurred. Despite the gag orders, survivors of the attack, who set up the Liberty Veterans Association continue to demand a transparent investigation into the incident. 
The president of the organisation told The Intercept: “We now know that the Navy Court of Inquiry was merely for show, as the officers were told to come to the conclusion the Liberty did [its] job and the attack was accidental.” Some survivors of the attack were accused of antisemitism for talking about their experiences.
At the time of writing (2024), NSA files on the attack are still secret.

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