Desperately seeking some praise, President Trump surely won’t remind Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu about the USS Liberty, which Israel nearly sank a half century ago killing 34 sailors, as ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern recalls.
By Ray McGovern
It is safe to assume that when President Donald Trump lands in Israel Monday, he will not have been briefed on the irrefutable evidence that, nearly 50 years ago – on June 8, 1967 – Israel deliberately attacked the USS Liberty in international waters, killing 34 U.S. sailors and wounding more than 170 other crew. All of Trump’s predecessors – Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama – have refused to address the ugly reality and/or covered up the attack on the Liberty.
USS Liberty (AGTR-5) receives assistance from units of the Sixth Fleet, after she was attacked and seriously damaged by Israeli forces off the Sinai Peninsula on June 8, 1967. (US Navy photo)
It is not too late for someone to fill Trump in on this shameful episode, on the chance he may wish to show more courage than former presidents and warn the Israelis that this kind of thing will not be tolerated while he is president.
A new book by Philip Nelson titled: Remember the Liberty: Almost Sunk by Treason on the High Seas, is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand what actually happened to the Liberty and to contemplate the implications.
As I wrote in the book’s Foreword: Even today, scandalously few Americans have heard of the deliberate Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, because the cowardly U.S. political, military, and media establishments have managed to hide what happened. No one “important” wanted to challenge Israel’s lame “oops-mistake” excuse. Intercepted Israeli communications show beyond doubt it was no “mistake.”
Chief Petty Officer J.Q. “Tony” Hart, who monitored conversations between then-Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and Sixth Fleet Carrier Division Commander Rear Admiral Lawrence Geis, reported McNamara’s instructive reply to Geis, who had protested the order to recall the U.S. warplanes on their way to engage those attacking the Liberty. McNamara: “President Johnson is not going to go to war or embarrass an American ally (sic) over a few sailors.”
The late Adm. Thomas Moorer after interviewing the commanders of the U.S. aircraft carriers America and Saratoga confirmed that McNamara ordered the aircraft back to their carriers. Moorer called it “the most disgraceful act I witnessed in my entire military career.”
Thanks to this book, those who care about such things can learn what actually happened 50 years ago:
(1) On June 8, 1967, Israel attempted to sink the US Navy intelligence collection ship USS Liberty and leave no survivors. The attack came by aircraft and torpedo boat, in full daylight in international waters during the Six-Day Israeli-Arab War;
(2) The U.S. cover-up taught the Israelis that they could literally get away with murder; they killed 34 U.S. sailors (and wounded more than 170 others); and
(3) As part of an unconscionable government cover-up, the Navy threatened to court martial and imprison any survivor who so much as told his wife what had actually happened. (This, incidentally, put steroids to the PTSD suffered by many of the survivors.)
One Stab at Truth
The only investigation worth the name was led by Adm. Moorer, who had been Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He led a blue-ribbon, independent commission to examine what happened to the Liberty. Among the findings announced by the commission on October 2003:
Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
“…Unmarked Israeli aircraft dropped napalm canisters on the USS Liberty bridge, and fired 30mm cannon and rockets into the ship; survivors estimate 30 or more sorties were flown over the ship by a minimum of 12 attacking Israeli planes. …
“…The torpedo boat attack involved not only the firing of torpedoes, but machine-gunning of Liberty’s firefighters and stretcher-bearers. … The Israeli torpedo boats later returned to machine-gun at close range three of the Liberty’s life rafts that had been lowered into the water by survivors to rescue the most seriously wounded.”
Shortly before he died in February 2004, Adm. Moorer strongly appealed for the truth to be brought out and pointed directly at what he saw as the main obstacle: “I’ve never seen a President … stand up to Israel. … If the American people understood what a grip these people have on our government, they would rise up in arms.” [As quoted by Richard Curtiss in A Changing Image: American Perception of the Arab-Israeli Dispute.]
Echoing Moorer, former U.S. Ambassador Edward Peck, who served many years in the Middle East, condemned Washington’s attitude toward Israel as “obsequious, unctuous subservience … at the cost of the lives and morale of our own service members and their families.”
And the Six-Day War? Most Americans believe the Israelis were forced to defend against a military threat from Egypt. Not so, admitted former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin 35 years ago: “In June 1967, we had a choice. The Egyptian army concentrations in the Sinai approaches do not prove that [Egyptian President] Nasser was really about to attack us. We must be honest with ourselves. We decided to attack him.” [The New York Times quoting an August 1982 Begin speech.]
Adm. Moorer kept asking why our government continues to subordinate American interests to those of Israel. It is THE question.
The War in Syria
Fast forward to the catastrophe that is now Syria. U.S. policy support for illusory “moderate rebels” there – including false-flag chemical attacks blamed on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – can only be fully understood against the mirror of U.S. acquiescence to Israeli objectives.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross fires a tomahawk land attack missile from the Mediterranean Sea into Syria, April 7, 2017. (Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Robert S. Price)
New York Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief in 2013, Jodi Rudoren, received an unusually candid response when she asked senior Israeli officials about Israel’s preferred outcome in Syria. In a New York Times article on September 6, 2013, titled “Israel Backs Limited Strike Against Syria,” Rudoren reported the Israeli view that the best outcome for Syria’s civil war was no outcome:
“For Jerusalem, the status quo, horrific as it may be from a humanitarian perspective, seems preferable to either a victory by Mr. Assad’s government and his Iranian backers or a strengthening of rebel groups, increasingly dominated by Sunni jihadis.
“‘This is a playoff situation in which you need both teams to lose, but at least you don’t want one to win — we’ll settle for a tie,’ said Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul general in New York. ‘Let them both bleed, hemorrhage to death: that’s the strategic thinking here. As long as this lingers, there’s no real threat from Syria.’”
Obama may have read or been briefed on Rudoren’s article. In any event, last year he told journalist Jeffrey Goldberg how proud he is at having resisted strong pressure from virtually all his advisors to fire cruise missiles on Syria in September 2013. Instead, Obama chose to take advantage of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to get the Syrians to surrender their chemical weapons for destruction, verified by the U.N., aboard a U.S. ship configured for such destruction. President Trump, in contrast, chose to go with his “mad-dog” advisors. It is not yet clear whether he was successfully mousetrapped, or whether he saw the April 4 chemical incident in Syria as an opportunity to “retaliate,” and get a bump in popularity.
There are wider ramifications of rank dishonesty and cover-up, at which Establishment Washington excels. Have we not seen this movie before? Think Iraq. Once again, the “intelligence” is being “fixed.”
Back to the Liberty, Adm. Moorer is right in saying that, if Americans were told the truth about what happened on June 8, 1967, they might be more discriminating in seeing through Israel’s rhetoric and objectives. Moorer insisted that we owe no less to brave men of the USS Liberty, but also to every man and woman who is asked to wear the uniform of the United States. And he is right about that too.
This book makes a huge contribution toward those worthy ends.
[For more on this topic, see “Navy Vet Honored, Foiled Israeli Attack”; “Still Waiting for USS Liberty’s Truth”; “A USS Liberty’s Hero’s Passing”]
Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. He served as a CIA analyst for 27 years, and was “on duty” when the USS Liberty was attacked.
Trump HAS been briefed about the Liberty incident, and you can see him being briefed, and his reaction, right here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRFvRcX2Sz0
America will remain a place of strife and turmoil domestically and a menace to people around the world,
if our government, media, and financial system remains under the control of those whos best interest
is not the welfare of the American people. Until this is solved, we will remain on this path until all that is left is the
memory of a great cause, a great country, a great people. That memory will be gone also, like the statues of our
predicessors , if they can complete their mission.
It is Memorial Day today. Remember those who came before you. Imagine if
your loved ones could come back for one day, to see how things are in their great country.
Good story! Ray. So good, they named a park after you , in Milwaukee. Good job.
http://county.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/cntyParks/maps/McGovern1.pdf
Mr R McGovern … thank you for your service, patriotism, courage, sacrifice, and deep devotion to truth. I wish to add that I have heard from more than one source ( number three in the State Dept under four presidents ) that Israel was not the sole culprit in the USS Liberty affair. I believe that LBJ requested the Israelis to do this horrendous deed so that LBJ could blame Egypt and have the false ( flag ) justification to attack it. Did we forget that he attacked Vietnam on false pretenses ( Tonkin Gulf ) ? Did we forget that he was thought of as a Texas gangster who murdered eight political opponents ( Roger Stone’s book ) ? With the “un” help of the press , the American people have put more than one psychopath in the White House.
george washington all the way back in his 1797 farewell address warned present and future americans very very sternly to avoid at all costs having a passionate attachment to a foreign country. everytime in his speech he mentions “a foreign country”, and i counted 11 times, you could perfectly substitute israel in its stead and it would perfectly describe the situation we are now in and will be in when we’re ultimately destroyed!
the only hope for america now is for a brave courageous strongman to somehow come from the ranks of the military(believe it or not when saddam hussein did exactly that in iraq in 1966 he removed the communists from power) and stage a bloodless military coup, flush out all the corrupt traitorous politicians, remove from positions of power and influence these foreign agents, reeducate americans from grammar school upwards about the truth, and have new elections for americans to serve the american people and no others!
aside from that we’re doomed for destruction and i’m afraid very soon!
You want a military coup? I believe I prefer my “destruction” in the old fashioned way to that version. Japan was taken over by their Army in the years before WW2. Look how well that worked out for them.
To all:
I need some help over at The Burning Platform. I posted this essay by Ray and I am catching some flak by someone who says that Israel was blameless in this incident. If anyone has any time to comment over there, I would appreciate it.
https://www.theburningplatform.com/2017/05/25/trump-in-israel-not-remembering-the-uss-liberty/
I am trying to bring as much attention to the USS Liberty as possible before the 50th anniversary.
Thanks!
Sir, my advice is that you avoid wasting your time with the fellow. He gives every indication of being an “End-Timer” Fundamentalist nut-case who will reject any and all evidence which he doesn’t like. This type is VERY useful to the bloody little hemorrhoid of a nation state called Israel.
Consider one of the things he constantly chants:
Does it matter to this devout dingleberry that it’s not true? Of course not! For your own reading below is a link to a journal article titled “A Juridical Examination of the Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty”. Starting with page 21 the author discusses the non-existent exclusion zone. Don’t expect the guy to be impressed – people with totally closed minds just aren’t capable of that. He has a world view intertwined with the NT book of Revelations and the AntiChrist and the Tribulation and Lord Only Knows what else, and that’s that. I had a relative who was a know-all Libertarian. He had things All Figured Out too, and there was nothing at all which would change his mind. (did you know that drivers coming from an entrance ramp onto an Interstate always have the right-of-way? He did!) Because of the close relationship, we all learned to 1) avoid conversation as much as possible, and 2) stay away from certain topics when #1 couldn’t be managed.
Good luck with the blood pressure issues though. Brassy ignoramuses just aren’t very good company. :)
Oops – the link doesn’t work except from Google Search. Cut/paste it and go from there.
I see my first reply is being “moderated”, so here is another information source to look up if you can find it. In 1993 John E. Borne wrote a PhD thesis titled “The USS Liberty: Dissenting History Vs. Official History”. In 1995 it was published in paperback format as a 303 page book. Unfortunately it’s rather expensive. Since forum links are quirky today, best google the title. It is regrettable that the book was rushed into print without first preparing an index.
“ATTACK ON THE USS LIBERTY REALPOLITIK GONE HAYWIRE”
That’s the title of a student paper written for the Air University. Selections are from the last part of the paper.
A final point: the Zionist shills who defend Holy Israel’s every move have done their level best to muddy the water by issuing their own versions of what happened. Needles to say, in those Poor Little Israel comes out whiter than the driven snow with them. The survivors of the USS Liberty are getting up in years now, and when they’re all gone the way will be clear for the He Said/She said boys and girls.
The USS Liberty and the Egyptian vessel look very different, even from prone views of them. But go vertical and look straight down like the airplanes would have had and you would see these giant circular dishes (the aerial antenae dishes), that were on no other ships. Big round circles flashing in the sun!! Who had ever seen what we know today as satellite dishes back in 1967.
It’s my guess that the Settler Schools in the Stolen West Bank don’t spend much time teaching ethics. (as in – you go to hell for lying, same as stealing) From my link:
KIndly understand, Mr. “PhD”, that during all those recon missions by the murderous IDF scum they were looking “straight down” for possibly a few seconds. But likely the only military training you types get in the Settler Schools is neat new ways to kill unarmed Palestinians.
http://www.ussliberty.org/elquseir.htm
The El Quseir was quietly rusting in some Egyptian harbor in 1967. Which of course the swinish Mossad knew full well. When the US sailor mass murder project failed, that pitiful little ship was the only straw they could grab, and of course the bought-and-paid-for US government pretended to believe it. Since you were “PhD educated” in a Settler-quality School, you probably aren’t pretending. But of course one can’t dismiss that professional lying isn’t involved here as well.
Suggestion. While it’s important that McGovern continues to speak out, he should be careful where he does interviews. Obviously corporate media won’t touch him. Despite that, appearing on Lyndon Larouche’s You Tube channel or John Wells talk show (IMO) just makes him look bad. This in turn adds to the “he’s just some left wing nutcase” stereotype. And he deserves better.
The USS Liberty was a special purpose vessel.
Navy protocol dictated that she must be accompanied at all times.
I watch the story on video. 3 times & I could not believe that the United States of America did not – immediately retaliate with full force.
What happened – did everyone in the chain of command turn yellow !
Orders came from above, at US Office of Navel Operations for the escort of the USS Liberty to stand down.
Watch the video again & familiarize yourself with the heinous treachery that was allowed to be perpetrated upon the United States Navy & further America itself, by the enemy.
And still today that treachery continues ..
The USS Liberty or any other thing that can embarrass our overlords is typically swept under the rug. People in America are scared of offending their overlords, and typically don’t need instructions from a politician or a boss to sweep things under the rug rather than losing their jobs, friends, and even wife.
Lyndon Johnson – “I want that G_ddamn ship on the bottom of the sea”!
When viewed in light of the Lavon Affair, you must surely discount Israel’s assertion that the attack was an accident. Indeed the facts on the ground show that Israel knew exactly what it was going.
The usual lies being spread decade after decade – this was the usual US betrayal – the Liberty was gathering electronic information on Israeli troop movements and sending it to British intelligence who in turn relayed it to the Arabs who would have slaughtered Israel’s ground troops. Both US and Israeli governments agreed to SUPPRESS the truth about the Liberty incident from the public. If I were an Israeli, I would have hit them too.
The Liberty was an intelligence ship. Its purpose was to monitor Soviet and Arab communications in order to warn both Israel and Washington should the Soviets enter the war on behalf of its Arab allies. The Liberty was armed only with four machineguns to repel boarders. Its request for a destroyer escort had been denied.
The murdering pigs even fired on the lifeboats and the guys fight the fires on board the Liberty.
Israel attacked the Liberty because it didn’t want it detecting that Israel was carrying out on shore not far away.
Should be “the slaughter that Israel was carrying out..”
The war was making a lot of trouble for the US-arab relations, with the petrodollar at risk. This is very complicated. I don’t have the time or space to go into the history of monetary policy. But the petrodollar is at the bottom of the Iraq invasion, the Libya destruction, and the threat to bomb Iran.
The US was demanding Israel curb its aggression. They reluctantly agreed. Then they secretly reneged. The Liberty was sent to check on Israel. Israel didn’t want to be exposed so they took out the threat. It was in the heat of battle and may have been a rogue officer, or from the top, who knows? But the Liberty was not “hit”. It was a prolonged, all-out attack on a defenseless ally, meant to sink & kill any witnesses. Why would the US switch sides by aiding the enemy? This was a family feud.
The bottom line is: This was not a military decision. It was purely political.
That part is laughable, but the outright in-your-face declaration that Holy Israel did the right thing by trying to murder every single sailor on the USS Liberty is a new one to me. It reminds me of the decades-long pretense by that the little shithole nation it wasn’t really colonizing the stolen west bank, but only recently starting to claim that “It’s Ours, and Up Yours!
When the swine get this bold, it’s a sign that they figure they’ve got even tighter control over the US Congress (both houses) and the White House than we’d ever imagined in our worst dreams.
“‘This is a playoff situation in which you need both teams to lose, but at least you don’t want one to win — we’ll settle for a tie,’ said Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul general in New York. ‘Let them both bleed, hemorrhage to death: that’s the strategic thinking here. As long as this lingers, there’s no real threat from Syria.’”
This has always been the yid strategy. They funded both sides of the US Civil War.
‘leadership’ was on display then and this same type ‘leadership’ remains on display today. there is no difference between then and now as to how things are done, or not done. we have, as a nation, suffered mightily at the hands of those we believed in, gave power to and then were lead over a cliff by them. it is time for new rules of engagement. NO INCUMBENTS EVER. for those who are concerned about ‘experience’, how much ‘experience’ is necessary to be honest and do what is right for all?
The attack was a joint US/Israeli operation code-named “Cyanide.” Operation Cyanide, by Peter Hounam. It was meant to accomplish what 9/11 did thirty-four years later – the US invasion of the Mid-East. Only it also included the nuking of Cairo. The plan was to blame Egypt for the attack. It came from the false-flag playbook offered to JFK by the Zionist General Lyman Lemnitzer called Operation Northwoods.
YOU Have to joking that Trump would address this attack by the zionist rothchild maniacs. he is one 0f them are you not aware of that fact?? get real we are enslaved forever to this agenda if in fact he did address it. think jfk for the answer!!!!!
Grrrrrrrrrrrr. I was in the Army 1964-May 67, discharged just three weeks before the Liberty massacre. It rankled then and still rankles. I have advocated for decades for justice for the Liberty fallen and survivors, including producing numerous 2005-11-era public-access TV (Hawaii) programs about the Liberty (most of my focus was on Palestine and their equal need for justice). I recall contacting a USMC lieutenant colonel at Camp Smith’s US Pacific Command circa 2008: despite his initial intent listening to me, after about three calls he “terminated” me, saying something to the effect “Well, Mr. Stiver, sometimes it is necessary to fall on one’s sword for the greater good.” — an obvious allusion to the military’s concurrence with “leaving the Liberty sailors on the battlefield” in favor of perpetuating the sordid “entangling alliance” between the US and the Zionist entity so-called Israel.
I also spent an hour as Phil Tourney’s guest on his radio program, circa (?) the same 2007 or 2008.
I’m 73.5 yo, and I’ll never see justice done for the brave crew of the USS Liberty.
For a firsthand account of the assault on the USS Liberty, read “Assault on the Liberty” by James M. Ennes, Jr. All things being equal, Mr. Ennes’ book should have been made into a movie, but with things as they were then and still are now, I’m fairly sure the movie would have absolved Israel of all its sins.
Re: Changing perceptions, the right, and (interestingly) GOP internationalists, were the ones most critical of Israel in the 50’s and 60’s. This article would have been more appropriate in a right-oriented publication decades back. The 6-Day War was a catalyst for the transformation; particularly the capture of East Jerusalem by Israeli forces brought an important contingent of fundamentalists/evangelicals into prominence in American conservatism, and with that their emphasis on Israel as a Messianic
herald. Others were also impressed with Israel’s show of military prowess while the U.S. was hopelessly bogged down in Vietnam.
“Don’t you dare criticize us, Israel has the right to threaten Iran and all our neighbors every day, but no one has the right to threaten us. Israel has a right to exist, but the Palestinians do not. Israel has a right to nuclear weapons, but nobody else does. Israel has a right to demand money from the US taxpayer, but nobody has a right to demand anything in return! Israel has a right to bribe and tell other governments what they should do, but no government has a right to interfere with Israel! All what we need from you putzes in DC are those ‘vetoes’ at the UN, that regular US aid check, and to kill our enemies for us! That is your job! Anyone who disagrees is just a filthy Jew-hating anti-Semite who wants Hitler to come back and gas Jewish babies!!!”
Justice must be served
I can’t help but wonder where the Zionist trolls are today. I would think they would be here screaming Anti-semitism. “We are your friends, and you are telling lies about us”, etc, etc. Maybe they have the day off.
When the USS Liberty was patrolling the E Mediterranean off Israel’s coast, underneath her, at some depth, was the USS Andrew Jackson – a nuclear missile boat. She was there as a contingency. Pentagon planners – who knew of the Israeli attack plans in advance – were terrified, should the war go wrong, and the Israeli’s began to lose & faced the threat of a coordinated Arab invasion, they would unleash their nuclear option. The Andrew Jackson was there to take out the Israeli launch sites before WWIII was started, as the Ruskies would surely respond. It’s not clear if tactical nukes were to be used on Israels bases but presumably yes. Scary.
Why exactly was the reasoning for Israel to attack the Liberty?
Why exactly was the reasoning for Israel to attack the Liberty?
There were Israeli lies and secrets they didn’t want exposed.
Yes, the USS Liberty was bristling with electronic listening devices, probably listening in on Israel’s true motives for attacking Jerusalem.
@Carole D.
In my comment above I gave a link to an Al Jazeera report, which mentions a few possibilities, such as:
* “They [israelis] wanted us [USS Liberty crew] out to either bring the Americans into the war by blaming the Arabs or we picked up some information about their war plans”.
* “Some claim the Israeli planes which attacked were unmarked, hoping they’d be mistaken for Arab fighter jets. ”
* “Others speculate that it was known the radio signals from the Liberty could be hacked by the Russians. And worried the US had picked up sensitive information about plans for the Golan Heights, which the Russians would pass to their allies, the Egyptians, the Israelis tried to sink the spy ship.”
Carole, LBJ had given Israel the okay to attack Egypt only (fear of Egyptian nationalism), and so the Israelis made a sudden strike on the Egyptian air-force at a time when Nasser was flying out to visit his troops. The Egyptian troops were small in number and in a defensive position, not offensive. The Egyptian air-force on the ground, suffered great loss and without their support the Egyptian ground forces were vulnerable.
In that light, Israel was more concerned with suddenly attacking Syria and gaining the Golan. They knew about the Liberty, and that it would hear them recalling some of their forces to go at Syria which the US had told them to leave alone. So American lives don’t mean much to Zionists.
What does this teach us about the Jews. They are cold-blooded. Mistake? No way. Entirely on purpose. What does it show besides that? That they can do ANYTHING THEY WANT IF THEY PAY AMERICAN POLITICIANS ENOUGH. So the real weak link is in the character of our politicians. The Jews are just doing what they do: clearing the path for themselves at any price. But, as for our politicians, they are the real criminals. I would be embarrassed, if I were an American Jew, but I would be humiliated, if I were an American politician (assuming that were possible). Going to jail shouldn’t be pleasant.
Finally, an investigation should be held. Whether this will be possible amidst the hypocritical mutual pandering that is now taking place in Jerusalem we shall see.
Robert: I appreciate the motivation behind your comment but find some of your phrasing unfortunate. I’ll repeat a comment I made above: ” I’m reminded of what a Jewish acquaintance of mine said when we were discussing another Jew. “You have to remember there are Jews and their are @#$%s.” It is probably better that I not use the word he used. The site’s algorithm may reject it.”
To paraphrase the remark made by my Jewish acquaintance “there are Jews and their are arrogant and aggressive people in and supporting the Israel government.” Check mondoweiss.net for some admirable representatives of Jewish heritage.
I agree with Bill Bodden’s comment about your blanket characterization of all Jews. There are many Jews who are at the forefront in the fight against the Zionist criminals. For example, check out the absolutely excellent, Jewish-run, anti-Zionist website of news and analysis at http://www.Mondoweiss.net They have even re-published one of Robert Parry’s best articles on Israel.
http://mondoweiss.net/2017/04/probe-israel-gate/
Let’s not forget our government also went into cover-up mode when Rachel Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer operator.
I would expect a Washington cover up today when anything incriminating about Israel were to appear in the media, but why in 1968? I’ve followed the tragic story of the USS Liberty and I’m still confounded why Johnson and later Nixon covered up the entire episode?
To drspock: Your question, ” I’m still confounded why Johnson and later Nixon covered up the entire episode?” is fully answered in the book, The short answer is that the paradigm existing today was not in place before the Six Day War, in fact, it was created largely by LBJ’s involvement in helping Israel plan that war and then, during the war (the 4th day of it) when he committed his greatest treasons — which he obviously had to hide. They became the secrets that Israel used to leverage the U.S. ever since, beginning with the huge “foreign aid” tab that increased exponentially every decade since. (To illustrate, during the “1956 Suez Crisis” Eisenhower actually stood Ben-Gurion down, forcing him to withdraw his troops from the Sinai: THAT was the paradigm for the next decade, until Johnson did what he did).
Much evidence has emerged that Johnson was involved in the JFK assassination, and the Israelis could have blackmailed him over that. The Israelis also had reasons to get rid of JFK. He was trying to stop their nuclear weapons program, and trying to cut off their campaign contributions to American politicians. More facts America’s Israeli-controlled mainstream media keep hidden from the voters.
I agree. Johnson would have had to know the Zionist would find out, if for no other reason but that the assassination plot had a lot of mobsters in it, and Meyer Lansky would have had to know all the dirty little secrets of that plot, as well. In fact it is said Lansky blackmailed J Edgar Hoover with some photos of Hoover having sex. Myth or legend who’s to say, but I believe the Zionist would have had to have known.
After getting away with the attack on the USS Liberty, the murder of American Rachel Cade by an Israeli bulldozer a few years ago is duck soup? In partial defence of LBJ’s (and his successor’s) cover up, 1968 was an election year and Johnson probably thought that if he were to condemn the attack, the Democrats in particular would lose all their juicy Jewish campaign contributions!
Terry, LBJ’s cover-up of the Israeli attack on the Liberty, is easily understandable, when you learn that both of LBJ’s maternal grandparents were Jewish. His aunt, Bessie Hatcher was a member of a Zionist organization.
Lucy Baines Johnson said her family lived in the area of Washington, called Hanukah? Heights. She said her family had a mixture of many ethnic cultures, including Jewish. One look at his friends and aides would reveal a large number of Jews. Johnson was an ardent Zionist.
I believe the attack was false flag, with LBJ’S full cooperation.
It was Johnson, who ordered the rescue planes back to the carriers.
The fact that so many Americans continue to defend the racist, chauvinistic, criminal, apartheid regime of Israel is sickening. Americans who support this terrorist state not only support racism, land theft and murder of Arabs but also war crimes against the United States. The misguided fools who support this undemocratic regime should be forced to go live in the Occupied Territories. Israel is no friend of the USA.
An excellent article about an important subject. I “fight” with israelis on forums about the real events, with me insisting it was a deliberate attack based on facts that have come out, and they insisting it was a “mistake”. Even leaving aside all the evidence proving it was not a mistake, the mere fact that the USS Liberty was flying the Stars & Stripes should have been sufficient to not attack in the 1st place, IF there were confusion over the identity.
Al Jazeera aired an interesting report about the incident, demonstrating the impossibility of it having been a mistake. You can find it here http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/americas/2015/06/israel-uss-liberty-attack-150608204015123.html.
There are 2 videos on the webpage: the 1st one, only 2 mins., is a talk with 1 of the survivors. You have to scroll down for the actual video report, which is about 48 mins. long.
I have become thoroughly sickened by israel’s behaviour & its treatment of the Palestinians; I now call it
a totalitarian-zio/fascist-antisemitic-landgrabbing-blackmailing-genocidal-apartheid(proven)-ethnotheocracy that is the only true travesty of democracy in the ME. It is a long moniker but in my view describes comprehensively what the country is about.
The US’s blind, unflinching support for the country clearly shows the stranglehold israel, its surrogates, and the pro-israel lobby have on the government of the US. The US’s cover up of the USS Liberty attack shows the disdain the ruling elite has for ordinary people, whose money & lives are put on the line every day.
Last but not least, the other sickening factor is the attitude of the EU, which could have an enormous amount of leverage on israel & probably even force a solution to the israel/Palestine problem. But fear of both the US & israel basically makes the EU just a kowtowing, obsequious minion to both, paying mere lipservice to the standard demands.
Well put.
Yes, and not in any way to let Israel off the hook, I say that the Israeli’s felt quite comfortable enough to fulfill their mission to attack the USS Liberty. I’m one of those who believe there was some high order within the American power structure who was willing and eager to sink the USS Liberty for further plans to be carried out, okay conspiracy theorist, fine I’ll take it, but this incident is in no way a ‘mistake’. The USS Liberty denial and coverup stayed with Admiral Moorer to his grave, for the Admiral knew this was an inside job, as he also knew the truth about Israel.
Thanks Ray
Assault on the Liberty is also an excellent book.
My conclusion. Israel has and will put its interest ahead of US lives.
Why can we not recognize that fact and act accordingly.
What happened to America first?
Hopefully subject to basic Christian moral teaching.
G’Day Consortium Readers
Ray McGovern’s? ?post above — the Foreward to Philip Nelson’s forthcoming new book — Remember the Liberty: Almost Sunk by Treason on the High Seas (to be published June 8; see link below), ?is another welcome — and with the impending anniversary of the incident, timely — addition to the Liberty narrative.
?Amongst other things, Phil’s book ?is? a? brutal reminder of the pernicious grip Israel and its U.S. based lobby has on Washington’s policy-making and political establishment. It also indelibly underscores the existential dangers that relationship presents not just for the U.S. but the rest of humanity.
As a writer, ?for what it is worth, ?this story has been close to my own heart for some time. It was in 2014 that I watched an interview here in Australia with one of our former prime ministers Malcolm Fraser (now since deceased). Fraser at the time was promoting his book Dangerous Ally, the “ally” in this case being the United States.
In this interview (see link below), along with acknowledging ?beletedly ?the false-flag attack of the Gulf of Tonkin incident that sparked America’s massive escalation of the then Vietnam ‘debacle in progress’? (and with that? our own country’s subsequent, tragic participation), Fraser publicly declared his view on Israel’s role in the attack on the Liberty? during the Six Day War (SDW)?, confirming it was in fact a “deliberate act of war”, and that it was “covered up”.
The Israel lobby here in Australia and those predisposed to defend Israel come hell or high water predictably dismissed his ?views as the “rantings” of someone with “anti-Semitic” tendencies. Yet few could argue Fraser — a senior Cabinet minister at the time of the 1967 attack, and who was Defence Minister two years later at the height of our involvement in ?’N?am — was in a position to know the details. Given the former PM’s insider status and unimpeachable stature and credibility nationally and internationally — in everything from defending human rights, promoting justice, truth and freedom to fighting discrimination — this of course was a ludicrous?, self-serving,? response to his revelations.
(Perhaps not surprisingly, there was little commentary in the MSM — especially the Rupert Murdoch owned national ‘paper of record’ The Australian, Murdoch himself being a high profile supporter of Israel — that accorded any veracity to Fraser’s statements or attempted to revisit the backstory behind the Liberty incident. They also were of course all too ready to ignore or dismiss the former PM’s ‘rantings’. After all he had long since retired from political life, and may not have been considered as politically relevant anymore. In any event it inderscored for anyone looking that this was one story the political establishment and the media even here in Australia was not interested in revisiting.)
Beyond Fraser’s revelations, later that year I also read Phil Nelson’s second book LBJ: From Mastermind to “The Colossus” (see link below), the follow-up to his LBJ: The Mastermind of the JFK Assassination (again, see below)?. In the latter? ?book — as the title unambiguously posited — he convincingly argued that in respect of “The JFK Thing”, Lyndon B Johnson was ‘(y)?our man’ as it were. But it was in “Colossus” that Nelson first laid bare in detail the tragic story of the Liberty, further underscoring for me at least Fraser’s assertion. Yet as it turned out Fraser barely knew the half of it. Nelson’s new book lay bares the other “half” of the story, and then some! ??At its most basic, the Liberty attack was another false flag gambit a la Gulf of Tonkin, purpose-built by none other than LBJ ?as a casus belli for America’s entry into the SDW? on the side of Israel.
Along with showcasing one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. military history — to say little of the appalling manner in which the U.S. political and military establishment treats its service personnel ?despite the warm, fuzzy public rhetoric ?– Nelson’s book presents us an opportunity to place into broader, more urgent relief, the history of America’s increasingly contentious relationship with Israel in addition to probing the role of both nations in events unfolding in and across the Greater Middle East. (We might opine here that when it comes to “Dangerous Allies”, for America they don’t come any more so tha?n? Israel).
?”Remember the Liberty” moreover, crucially invites us to reexamine the largely unexplored role played in these events by one of America’s most criminally inclined and psychologically ?sectionable of Oval Officeholders, one whose political ascendancy and White House tenure may have been the most consequential of all. Had things gone the way they were planned on June 8 1967, it almost certainly would’ve triggered the most cataclysmic outcomes of all for humanity and civilization, with the implication?s for the here and now being stark indeed. ?Suffice to say the following: ??To the extent there might have been anyone around to write about it after, by way of comparison?, ?the ?1962 ?Cuban Missile Crisis? would have ended up as a mere footnote in history.
On all counts, Nelson’s soon to be published book provides us ample context and perspective within which to contemplate all of this and more.
“Remember the Liberty” then is a tale of betrayal, abandonment and justice denied, ?yet also one of great courage and determination?, and of what we might term here Down Under “mateship forged under fire”. ?It is also a tale of true patriotism, not the ersatz variety defined as such by the power elites who rule the ?roost today.
All in all then, based on all available? evidence? (like with so many of these ?things,? many of the crucial documents and records relating to the attack remain under wraps with the standard rationale “for reasons of national security” being the pretext), Nelson’s account of the Liberty tragedy is the most up-to-date, accurate?? and insightful? chronicle of not only the attack itself, but the Six Day War and LBJ’s singular role in planning and precipitating these events.
This is an important story, and I entreat all of you to ?help keep it alive. This will be the last opportunity these folks and their immediate families have to obtain some justice and redress for what they have been put through.
Readers ?might also note the following. For some months I have been privy to the galley proofs of the book, and have been working closely with Phil in the preparation ?of the first of two articles/essays (see below for the link to the first of these pieces), and on other pre-publication aspects of the project. Additionally, I’ll be formally interviewing ?the author soon, and will make this interview available through the usual mediums and forums. This ‘water-boarding’ session with Phil promises to be wide-ranging, insightful, and informative, [and] not just about the matters or primary concern in his book.
Folks should be aware I will not benefit financially in any way, shape or form from my attachment to this project. Let’s just say I have an over-developed sense of justice and a?n?? incurable? addiction to historical truth-telling, the former one of the founding principles of the now decidedly rickety Republic, and the latter a decidedly rare commodity especially in Washington and ?in ?the ?U.S. mainstream? media. And the men of the Liberty and their families deserve nothing less than both.
With the anniversary pending, I encourage all to repost, republish and circulate this piece by Ray and my own below so as to maximise interest in this all-but-forgotten??, truly lamentable ??chapter in U.S. history. Or what we might call Washington’s and Tel Aviv’s worst best-kept secret?. And of course purchase and read the book when it is published.
One more thing. Both Phil and myself — along with Philip Tourney, Ron Kukal and Ernie Gallo, three Liberty survivors who themselves worked closely with the author of the book and who indeed receive writing co-credits — are especially appreciative of Ray McGovern’s contribution to this project. His Foreward herein is further evidence of the passionate interest he has invested in the Liberty story over the years and his long-standing commitment to keeping it alive. If there is any justice to be had in the Homeland of the Brave, we can all but hope the next time Ray puts pen to paper on the Liberty tragedy, it will be to add a wholly new chapter to the narrative, one that is ?informed ?finally ?by a measure of redress, justice and closure for those concerned.
?—————-??
Article: Of Treachery, Treason, Terror, Truth, and Liberty Forsaken (An American Tale) Part One*
http://poxamerikana.com/2017/05/08/of-treachery-treason-terror-truth-and-liberty-forsaken-an-american-tale-part-1/
#Israel #OccupiedTerritories #WarCrimes #SixDayWar #USSLiberty #Palestine #Syria #IsraelLobby #LBJ #MiddleEast #RemembertheLiberty #Gaza #WestBank #TwoStateSolution #ApartheidState
*Part Two will be published on June 8, 2017, the 50th Anniversary of the attempted sinking of the USS Liberty. The next installment will examine further the principal events mentioned herein and the key players involved, and from there consider some of the geopolitical consequences of these events, and implications for the future.
“Greg, I can’t tell you when I have read a better article about our great ship Liberty and her crew [and] can’t thank you enough for this excellent [piece]…. [All] Americans should read this and demand justice once and for all…” — Phillip Tourney, USS Liberty Survivor
https://www.amazon.com/Remember-Liberty-Almost-Sunk-Treason/dp/1634241088
Interview with Malcolm Fraser, former PM of Australia, from 1975-1983.
Greg Maybury
Editor/Publisher
poxamerikana.com
——-
LBJ: From Mastermind to “The Colossus”, by Phil Nelson
https://www.amazon.com/LBJ-Mastermind-Colossus-Phillip-Nelson/dp/1628736925/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WPPWYH6V893YZQ48NZVX
LBJ: The Mastermind of the JFK Assassination, by Phil Nelson
https://www.amazon.com/LBJ-Mastermind-Assassination-Phillip-Nelson/dp/1620876108/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1620876108&pd_rd_r=A4J1EY07KTVBF3EDF1AQ&pd_rd_w=3WNST&pd_rd_wg=mTgQC&psc=1&refRID=A4J1EY07KTVBF3EDF1AQ
This is a great connection of the dots between the treason and false flag actions of fifty years ago and now. If the truth had come out 50 years ago, the history of the last 50 years would be radically different, and the rule of law might still be in place.
Ray McGovern – thanks for the great article. “Israel deliberately attacked the USS Liberty in international waters.” Not in territorial waters, but international!
Of course there is no possibility whatever that the plan and order to attack the Liberty came down from the top as a false flag.
more things change the more they remain the same 2017 no different US still covering up fact that attack on USS Liberty was deliberate was no case of ‘Mistaken Identity’
The attack on the USS Stark in the Persian/Arabian Gulf on May 17, 1987 always struck me as another shameful act of betrayal by the US government and the US Navy similar to the USS Liberty. The gist of the story is that an Iraqi fighter plane shot two Exocet missiles into the Stark killing 37 crew members. The investigation mostly blamed the Stark’s captain for deficiencies, but the timing of the event is more suspicious to begin with. This event happened a very short time after word was released that the US had been supplying Iran with weapons as part of the Iran-Contra scheme during the Iraq/Iran war. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Stark_incident
Wayne Madsen speaks of another missing ship, you may find his article interesting to what you are talking about.
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2017/01/17/foreign-nation-did-interfere-in-us-election-1980.html
Very interesting link. Thank you, Joe.
This interview with Noam Chomsky also refers to the USS Stark and the USS Liberty: “Saddam was such a valued friend of Washington that he was even granted a privilege accorded otherwise only to Israel: to attack a U.S. naval vessel with impunity, killing 37 crewmen—the USS Stark, in 1987. Israel did the same in its 1967 attack on the USS Liberty.” – http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/09/17/rogue-states-and-diplomacy-a-conversation-with-noam-chomsky/
Thank you Ray for the information on Philip Nelsons’ book. It seems here on the West Coast it will be a few weeks before the release. I’ll share as many copies as I can get my hands on when it appears.
Think of the times the US has apologized and even made reparations for bad stuff we’d done especially in wartime. I am no historian and the only one that comes to mind is when Carter (Clinton?) apologized for the internment of US citizens of Japanese ancestry during WWII. The point I’d like to make is how it felt good that we’d apologized and paid for a mistake we’d made. If only we’d just come clean about more of these incidents and pay some money it would go a long way to make the world a better place. Yeah, there’s be a long line of applicants if suddenly paying reparations became policy. But it would be, at long last, a good thing we’d be doing. Think, too, if Israel suddenly apologized for the Liberty, even paid the money to the families. The matter would be done with. It would be freeing and make people feel good.
It would not make me feel good for a murderer to simply pay reparations for his crime.
The overwhelming credible evidence indicates Israel attacked the Liberty knowing it was US with intent to sink it and kill all aboard.
Israel paid damages claiming it was a mistake.
The USG knew better, but embraced that lie and suppressed the truth.
20 years later, after Iraq’s attack on the USS Stark, the USG sided with IRAQ, against Iran.
Today the USG sides with moderate terrorists against al Assad
The establishment and its media have emasculated a man who promised to bring some reason to US foreign policy re Russia and nonintervention.
The madness continues. It would be a start to call war crimes what they are, no matter who is the perpetrator.
Peace through Strong Truth
“Israel paid damages claiming it was a mistake.”
First I ever heard that. Hands up if you never heard this either.
I never read a book about the matter but I have read plenty of articles and this fact was never mentioned. Paying damages doesn’t bring back the dead or bring to justice the perpetrators or the cover-uppers but still it is a good and salient thing and deserves to be mentioned in articles about the terrible event.
Yes, but likely the US just added any “damages” to the Israel “aid” budget, which appears to fund political bribes.
They paid a pittance. I think it was $30,000 to the families per dead sailor
Yeah they paid us back with our own money. If they were really sorry, they’d stop demanding and accepting US tax dollars and then pay us back.
they did to an extent. to a small extent. a fellow lay next to me in the Newark VA hospital, in NJ. he was a heroin addict just like I was detoxing.
A friend came to visit me, we had served on the USS Guadalcanal LPH-7 which did absolutely NOTHING during the October/November Arab-Israel War. in which we actually did PLENTY for the sake of the security of the “Holy Land”.
This other fellow just lay there and listened very carefully. About four days later, during our first day in another location, to begin ‘rehab’, he spoke up. He was missing both his legs , mid thigh, and I had just assumed Vietnam.
He spoke of the USS Liberty, the attack, the threats from high ranking Naval officers, etc. in other words , the whole magilla.
He then asked me what I thought/felt , about have participated in the “Saving of the Holy Land’, [which we had been told that we did do].
remember this as though it was just last week. I told him that if what he had told me was true, then the USA should have never been involved in any sort of aid or assistance to Israel. and that also, if his story was true, then I was very ashamed in having helped a war criminal country, in continuing to exist. We became fast friends after that.
we did both stayed clean & sober but when we had ten years, he contracted a very vicious form of cancer.
So as what did that shitty little country on the far eastern shore of the Mediterranean actually DO for the survivors for survivors as well as family of the dead? well a secret payment oa 100K USD was paid out to each famil of the dead, and to each service member who had been wounded/killed. much later, when PTSD was discovered or acknowledged, no further money was paid out.
So that is that. Although I did later, too late for my friend’s sake, but later, confirmed of this war crime/atrocity.ven later, I was in a PTSD group in NY and one of the members was a retired Lt Commander, who was enlisted during the Liberty Incident” share what had actually happened on that day there it is.
Every year, in the beginning of June, I get this sour taste in my stomach and mouth. the Liberty Atrocity of course. Every October/November I get that same taste. The Israeli “narrative” for 1973, is that after the Jews won by the magic of their G-d. the USA very belated delivered a few supplies to replace stuff the Jews expended during that brief war. and that Nixon, the USNavy, Marines aboard Navy ships etc. , did nothing whatsoever.
the end
Bill, I was thinking the same thing. The ‘dancing Israelis’ give the story a bit of symmetry if you will. As far as McCain and others pretending a case of mistaken identity, I wonder how they jump over the hurdle that it has been specified there were multiple passes of the Israeli aircraft over the USS Liberty well before the attack.
One of the Israeli pilots refused to attack knowing the Liberty was flying the Stars and Stripes. He was put in jail as a result. I hope the book Ray mentioned includes an interview with that pilot. If so, all bets are off as far as a case of mistaken identity.
McCain has a lot to be ashamed of, but this avoidance is one that should fire up anyone who cares about our Navy and end Senator McCains carrier in shame.
McCain’s career is safe as long as the zionists control the MSM and the US govt.
There is a thing called the Feds, which is a bunch of chosen people who are allowed to print dollars. When our government wants to get into a war they ask the Feds to print a bunch of money as a loan. Therefore it is profitable to the Feds that the US gets into wars. How do the Feds push the US into wars? Perhaps having sales representatives to push for wars, and rewards them with commissions? There you have it. McCain, Rubio, Graham are essentially sales reps for the Feds; always pushing for wars.
Thursday, June 8, 1967.
We will never forget the lies and treachery committed by a so-called ally of the United States.
In addition to thinking ‘Iraq’ think Sept 11, 2001 and the “Dancing Israelis”; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv5s_VEmZd0; also see: http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2016/07/17/the-saudis-did-911/; and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XHm56O2NTI these two countries are our worst enemies along with the Deep State.
In addition to thinking ‘Iraq’ think Sept 11, 2001 and the “Dancing Israelis”; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv5s_VEmZd0; also see: http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2016/07/17/the-saudis-did-911/; and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XHm56O2NTI these two countries are our worst enemies along with the Deep State.
Second upload attempt:
https://www.4shared.com/office/4rCTngkCei/Violation_of_the_Liberty.html
caution…this appears to be a very dirty page….
For the first time in quite a while I’ve attempted to upload a file for sharing purposes.
https://www.sendspace.com/file/06501r
“Violation of the Liberty.djvu”
It’s a 17-page collection from old US Naval Instituted Proceedings magazines. I believe a Facebook account will permit a download, but no promises!
This one is good clean link tho…
One reason Israel can be so uncharacteristically honest is because it knows it has the US by the balls. No matter what that murderous and thieving little shithole of an apartheid nation-state does, it gets a pass by every important authority in the US. The 1967 attack was a land-grab war, pure and simple, and the schedule for the attack was set to maximize the thefts. The periodic murder sprees which still continue are designed to nail down the conquests, and the same Congressional Vermin still applaud. Saint Bernie Sanders would be ranked with the worst of them on that score.
I was shocked when I learned the truth about the USS Liberty attack precisely because I had been a devout and mindless supporter of Poor Little Israel up till then. When relatives visit the disgusting little mideast outhouse on a church tour I keep my mouth tightly shut, for they have no idea about the true state of affairs, and there is nothing I could say which would change their minds – it’s part and parcel of their fundamentalist religious beliefs.
So now that I do understand what Israel is all about, my rage is directed elsewhere. After all, a rattlesnake is what it is – that’s its nature. These days it’s the thoughts of Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the suck-up Navy Brass, and the disgusting congresscritters who get my blood pressure up. Those types didn’t care about dead sailors then and their modern equivalents don’t give a damn now. I doubt if Trump knows any more about the mass murder effort than do my devout relatives, and I also doubt if he’d care any more than them if he did.
Just before starting this post I made a search of Google News for any mention of the USS Liberty in the neocon papers New York Times or Washington posts. Needless to say, I’m not the least bit surprised to see that there was not a single mention in either of them in the past year. In the unlikely event they ever do publish anything about this story, you can be certain the slant will be towards Holy Israel.
More reading for interested people:
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2016/07/26/the-israeli-attack-on-the-uss-liberty-paul-craig-roberts/
Yes, your elegant explanation of the sort of leverage Israel continues having against the wide spectrum of American presidents we’ve had in office since 1967 must be true. They haven’t all personally been Zionists or Israelophiles. Jimmy Carter actually had the intestinal fortitude to characterise their government as apartheid, for which he was mercilessly condemned by the American media. The Bushes have always hobnobbed with the Arabs. Reagan and Trump were/are American nationalists to the extent permitted by the media. Nixon was not famous for loving the Jews but always chose the expedient path. Clinton and Obama were both chaemeleons and, like Nixon, inclined to go with the flow, wherever the Deep State wanted the waters to run. But every one of them toed the line on never criticising Israel, always letting Israel have its way, always funding Israel with billions of taxpayer dollars every year, and always letting Israel commit unrestrained genocide against its Islamic neighbors.
So, what is the nature of the leverage these self-serving, self-aggrandizing immoral non-native interlopers in the Middle East have over the better instincts and interests of the American state? Certainly there are the financial and economic elements over which they have much influence, and then there is the Jewish voting block within a few key electoral states. There is the media which the sons of Abraham seem to fully own and control. Any president can be made to instantly look like a fool and ultimately get ridden out of DC on a rail in a fully orchestrated show and kangaroo court after the media has done with him. (For exemplar, see Trump, Donald John.)
But are even all of those things together enough to confer the Israeli leadership with carte blanche to dictate all policy of the United States government? There should be limits, after all, none of that stuff I mentioned is impossible to rebuild and re-create even if totally demolished through rash actions or retribution by Israel. We would eventually recover from a market crash, a voter rebellion, or even a reset amongst world alliances. I don’t remember where I have read this provocative suggestion, but it seems like a deal that no president could possibly refuse if, in fact, Israel has the ability to carry it out. Someone said that Israel is known to have nukes sequestered around the major cities of the United States, and also throughout Europe, ready to be remotely detonated if their demands, presumably in extremis, are not adhered to. Supposedly, they can smoke New York, Chicago or Los Angeles and make it look like the Russians did it if, for example, Assad is allowed to win the conflict in Syria. I certainly hope that is just a crazy wild-eyed fantasy by someone who plays too much WarCraft in his mother’s basement. But really, why is Israel’s every wish Washington’s command?
Israel’s first president Chaim Wiseman was also a biochemist who developed the acetone–butanol–ethanol fermentation process, which produces acetone through bacterial fermentation. His acetone production method was of great importance for the British war industry during World War I. Chaim’s influence would carry over towards the introduction of the Balfour Declaration.
So Realist your pointing to the Israeli ‘Samson Option’ speaks to how ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’.
Fritz Haber, another Jewish/German chemist is most famous for inventing the Haber process to manufacture ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen. Saltpeter (potassium nitrate) for gunpowder can be synthesized from the ammonia via the Ostwald process, which was key to Germany’s WWI efforts, as they were cut off from world trade in natural saltpeter. Haber was more controversial for his introduction of the poison gas chlorine as a chemical weapon during the same war. Many wanted him stripped of his Nobel Prize for the action, but he was unapologetic. His research group further developed Zyklon B as a fumigant which was later put to use in the death camps during WWII. Haber was ultimately stripped of his academic and research posts after Hitler came to power because of his heritage and escaped to Britain. He was offered the directorship of the Seif Institute in Rehovot, Palestine, (now the Weizmann Institute in Israel) by Chaim Weizmann which he accepted, but he died before he could make his way there.
Germany was plagued by many shortages of chemical stocks, due to lack of natural resources, during both world wars which their scientists quite ingeniously worked around. Lack of crude oil to make gasoline and other petrochemicals was paramount. To compensate for the inability of the Wehrmacht to seize the Russian oil fields, new technologies to hydrogenate coal and distill the produced hydrocarbons to make synthetic gasoline and aviation fuel were devised. Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say.
To get back to Jewish/German scientists with a connection to Israel, Einstein was actually made the first offer to serve as first president of that country. Whether he was prescient or just lucky, he turned the beggars down.
The CIA was warned in the 1980s of this likelihood, which rendered pointless the then-hot issue of ABM systems, and showed that an entirely different defensive strategy was necessary. After thirty years every nuclear power and probably most other countries have at least realized the possibility and taken whatever action appeared advantageous.
It is likely that by now all nuclear powers including Israel have installed nuclear weapons in the cities of potential major adversaries as far cheaper, faster, and more reliable than ICBMs, and not traceable in origin. Israel may well have done that with our own warheads. However, it is not clear that there is much strategic advantage between superpowers, unless a false-flag attack were made.
A false-flag attack would require studying the signature mixture of weapon characteristics to blame another power. A false-flag attacker would have to create another very large false-flag nuclear incident seeming to have provoked the nation to be blamed, and then wait weeks after any circumstance causing their decision to attack, to divert blame from themselves.
If a small false-flag attacker blamed a large nation, it would be suspicious that the latter had not made a diplomatic exchange defining the cause and the intended counterstrike limitations to avoid all-out nuclear war, nor made an all-out strike, nor used any weapons of traceable origin, nor increased its defensive forces. Any suspicion of the origin of the false-flag provocation attack would confirm suspicion of the false-flag main attack. So it would look like an economical attack by a smaller nation.
A false-flag attack capability would not bring any strategic advantage. As soon as its threat was made known so as to make a demand, the attacker would be targeted and the threatened population would be told of the treachery. An attempt to blame a nation of similar interests for the threat as well as the attack, would not be credible for long. Revealing the capability of such an attack so as to make a demand would cause hysteria and make a first strike against the attacker more likely.
Realist – “Someone said that Israel is known to have nukes sequestered around the major cities of the United States, and also throughout Europe, ready to be remotely detonated if their demands, presumably in extremis, are not adhered to.”
I’ve heard this as well, but only with regard to Europe. Sure hope it isn’t true, but might go to explaining the fear in the eyes of politicians whenever Israel is criticized.
It would be interesting to know more of the connection you note between zionism and protestant fundamentalism. I have no preferences in religion, but perhaps an interesting expose has been done. The rationales for a specific protestant preference for zionism and antipathy toward Islam do not seem to make sense, suggesting manipulation of the fundamentalists, but I do not have details.
For example, while “Jesus was a Jew” ethnically, he founded a distinct religion rather than recruiting for Judaism; there are probably numerous religions not very inconsistent with either of them; protestants would not be encouraged by their ministers to convert to another protestant sect let alone Catholicism let alone Judaism, etc. So there must be another explanation or motive for protestant fundamentalist leaders to promote zionism.
Similarly, there seems to be little cause for a protestant antipathy toward Islam, despite its 7th century invasion of S Europe and expulsion during the 10th – 13th century crusades. The rise of protestantism was not until the 15th century, and even its long conflict with Catholicism has not left such modern scars.
Could it be that the protestant fundamentalist leaders’ perks, titles, and status make them manipulable by money toward an association with zionists? The zionist control of the publishing industry and mass media could certainly create bestselling TV fundamentalists popular among protestants, and thereby forced upon their ministers.
To Anon, About why Protestant Fundamentalists support Zionism:
The whole reason is how the conservative Christian views prophecy in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. Their preachers preach Endtimes and the return of Christ, which, is preceded by a number of signs. Some of these include a great conversion of people which won’t include many Jews. A final battle where blood will run and much more horrible stuff that has made many of their preachers wealthy scaring their congregations silly. Much of it centers in Israel and Jerusalem which requires the nation of Israel to have been reestablished after their diaspora. You may have heard of the Antichrist which they often speak of and some accused our previous president of being that figure. In fact, through history, the way that these various portions of prophecy have been interpreted led to the Crusades with various western kings believing that great riches would come and they would see the second coming. All this is deeply embedded in much Christian belief which began to sweep through conservative Christianity in the first decade of the twentieth century beginning in Los Angeles – Azusa Street, and carried on by tent revival preachers across the country, especially the South. Saved by Grace, alone is pretty much the foundational principle of these believers with small variations from one to the next.
“there is nothing I could say which would change their minds – it’s part and parcel of their fundamentalist religious beliefs.”
Zachary, Perhaps they could believe the Revelations time has arrived for Israel to change or face an Armageddon?
Last year I challenged my local paper of record to include the Israeli attack on the Liberty in the paper’s daily column for events in history. I was surprised the editor published the fact of the Israelis attacking the ship and killing and wounding crew members, but the paper covered up for the Israelis with the Israeli claim the attack was a case of mistaken Identity believing the ship was Egyptian. It was an interesting trick of transmitting a lie wrapped in the truth. The information I provided the paper refuted that Israeli lie.
Good job.
Adm. Moorer is right in saying that, if Americans were told the truth about what happened on June 8, 1967, they might be more discriminating in seeing through Israel’s rhetoric and objectives.
Admiral Moorer was very likely giving the American people more credit than they deserved. Look at the reactions more recently of “the American people” to Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden who revealed the abuses of power of our government but were nevertheless subject to abuse, up to and including proposals for assassination, by many citizens and politicians. I have called one of my senators who has some otherwise decent qualities on his toeing the Israel lobby’s line, but each time I get some mealy-mouthed response justifying his support for Israel’s crimes.
(3) As part of an unconscionable government cover-up, the Navy threatened to court martial and imprison any survivor who so much as told his wife what had actually happened.
If I recall correctly it was Admiral John McCain who specifically threatened the surviving crew members. Yes, Admiral John McCain is the father of the warmongering senator from Arizona.
(This, incidentally, put steroids to the PTSD suffered by many of the survivors.)
And, the craven coverup by Johnson, McNamara and Navy brass put corruption of the U.S. government by the Israel lobby on steroids.
An interesting person involved in the Liberty
incident was Admiral John S. McCain (the Arizona
Senator’s father and Commander of European U.S.
Naval Forces, including the 6 th Fleet, in June 1967)
for his role in the cover up. Senator McCain, to
this day, will defend his position that the slaughter
of 34 American sailors (170 wounded) was an
“accident of mistaken identity.”
If you’d like to see a U.S. Senator get red faced
and squirm, just ask Senator John McCain if the
U.S.S. Liberty massacre will ever be
reinvestigated. He is totally on board with the
continuing U.S.S. Liberty whitewash to the point
of having endorsed, in writing, the completely
bogus disinformation book, The Liberty Incident,
written by a Jewish bankruptcy lawyer from
Florida named A.J. Cristol.
from www. chuckmaultsby. com
Thanks Chuck. The truth will out, eh?
Ask Senator McCain about this too.
https://www.theburningplatform.com/2015/07/23/mccain-the-hero-nearly-sunk-an-aircraft-carrier-killed-134-sailors/
wow…just wow….
When I served in the Navy between 1968 – 1972 sailors nicknamed the USS Forrestal the USS Forest Fire…. back then when I served we never ever heard of the USS Liberty, and we were told the USS Forestal just had bad luck, no mention of a four star admirals son doing anything stupid. Whether it be Israeli money, or an establishment members kids privilege, there are different rules for different people.
When I think of McCain’s heritage I then think to how this explains everything. Okay, then let the heir live in some peaceful content life style, but please keep him away from the Red Buttons. McCain’s abnormally is that besides his love of money, is that he is possessed with this American Exceptional Indispensable Nation poison and with that he’s hopeless. Why doesn’t this man just finally retire, and leave the world in peace? Why can’t Hillary just be a grandma? What’s with the length of Trump’s ties? Sorry, but McCain has it in his genes.
Today, we all know that Saudi Arabia rather than Iran is funding the Muslim terrorists including ISIS, yet Trump, and our government blame Iran on the Muslim jihad and extremism as if we cannot read that the Saudi / Qatari ship arms and jihadis to Syria and Iraq for years. Actually Netanyahu in his welcoming speach of Trump specifically said: “Israel has a good friend in Mr. Trump, thank you again Mr. President for bombing Syria”.
I am hereby nominating Sam F for president of the United States of America. If this country was led by sane people like Sam, we would have a different and much happier world.
Thanks, Mike K, I promise to use whatever power I have for the public good. I am more of a theorist than a local organizer, but have considered forming a progressive party, and similar projects. Certainly we need people to organize at all levels.
I am glad to hear you are forming some plans Sam. I will sure give my support to whatever you may do.
The short time I’ve been reading here, I’ve wondered why you don’t all have a big meeting. I bet most CN journalists and contributors would make every effort to attend. I would. To think, there are people in America who still talk about the moral, spiritual and practical needs, while also exposing eloquently and in much detail the corruption that runs our government, well…it is encouraging, to say the least.
Yes, Virginia, THERE IS a good idea. I’ll be there. ray mcgovern
Brilliant idea Virginia. This comments section is our meeting now, Please join in on the discussion.
“To think, there are people in America who still talk about the moral, spiritual and practical needs, while also exposing eloquently and in much detail the corruption that runs our government, well…it is encouraging, to say the least.”
Wow, Virginia what you said there is eloquent and profound, and although I’m not sure where I belong, it’s still nice to be here among this sites comment people.
What if all it were needed but for someone (consortiumnews) booked a room, and provided the address and time, pay as you enter no sign in…..and be whoever it is you are. Disclaim what is reasonable, like guns or smoking etc stuff…and see what happens.
This isn’t an RSVP it’s just my way to join in on this idea, and to tell you I liked that description you gave of this sites authors, and associates…. good idea Joe
Does anyone who reads these articles and comments here believe that the US government either now or in the past plays by the rules, is honest, and wishes for the happiness of all persons? If you do, you may need some serious deprogramming.
“Adm. Moorer kept asking why our government continues to subordinate American interests to those of Israel.”
Because it is not “our” government. It is the Israeli government dba the U.S.
As a Navy veteran, I will never let this story die. I just bought the Kindle version of the book and will recommend it to all my Navy friends and family.
Katherine: I served two or three tours on a ship similar to the Liberty during the Clinton presidency, and it galls me to think that that sack of stuff would have sold me and my shipmates down the Med or whatever sea or ocean that might have been the case. However, regardless of this connection I find it extremely repulsive when I read of how so many people in the chain of command betrayed this crew. They were just as contemptible as the barbarians and cowards responsible for the attack. I’m reminded of what a Jewish acquaintance of mine said when we were discussing another Jew. “You have to remember there are Jews and their are @#$%s.” It is probably better that I not use the word he used. The site’s algorithm may reject it.
I was also a CT, and it enrages me every time some new nugget of info comes out about this attack on an unarmed vessel.
I have just started reading the Kindle version of the book and am still moved by the remarks of the crew. Here is a quote about Captain Tully (Captain of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga): “…at one of our reunions I also talked to this great man that had been broken by the fact that his rescue aircraft were recalled, not once, but twice. He was in tears when he came to our reunion, asking for our forgiveness; this great man was a hardened combat pilot hero, but now he was shaken to his core. He felt the Liberty crew would hate him, but we all loved the man and told him so.”
Katherine and Bill I couldn’t resist joining fellow Navy people, and provide you with a pretty detailed Chicago Tribune article about the attack on the USS Liberty. Before you read the CT article which is an excellent article, I will caution you to where when you read how LBJ was upset that the USS Liberty didn’t get front page exposure in the New York Times, I take LBJ’s commend with a pinch and add a ton of salt to that that this LBJ qoute was meant to appease the angry public. For the record the reporting at the time was little to none right after the incident took place, and then the story vanished from all news for some 30 years…..and still I will bet your next door neighbor never heard of the USS Liberty, let alone Israel attacking this slow moving vessel.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-liberty_tuesoct02-story.html
I was a RM and went through A school in the spring of 1969. Now between all the good stuff and some of the crazy stuff they instructed us on nobody ever mentioned how a 23 year old Seaman Terry Halbardier aboard the USS Liberty was able to jury-rig an antenna together to do a mayday call. You would think that Halbardier’s heroism and quick thinking would have been a valuable lesson to learn, as well as a terrific example of self giving valor, but never a word was spoken about the USS Liberty, or the never to be heard of crew.
Ray McGovern wrote an article on consortiumnews back in August 2014 “A USS Liberty’s Hero’s Passing” I will recommend you read Ray McGovern’s tribute piece honoring Terry Halbardier, and read the rest of what Ray had to say about this dastardly evil episode between the relationship of Israel and the United States of America.
Good thing no one brought up Jonathan Pollard, huh?
… nobody ever mentioned how a 23 year old Seaman Terry Halbardier aboard the USS Liberty was able to jury-rig an antenna together to do a mayday call.
The Marine Corps seems to be in a similar mode regarding two-time medal of honor winner General Smedley Butler who said, “War is a racket.” Last I checked his biography was not on the MC website.
Thanks for the links Joe. Both great articles.
correct…i was 10 at the time the Liberty was attacked…i was 48 when i first discovered the story….absolutley buried it…
I was serving as a CT in 1967. These could have been my shipmates. I took the attack personally, we all did as we read the reports coming in right after it happened. No one censored our feeds. We were electronic spies.
Had I been at that reunion, I would not have given Tully solace. Nor would I express affection or pity. He made a choice. He chose “following orders” over saving life, over doing the right thing. He was a good soldier and perhaps a good human being, who made a terrible mistake. He knew it. He condemned himself. Had I been on the Liberty, I would not have tried to make him feel better. In this instance, I am reminded of: “To err is human, to forgive divine.” I am human.
“will recommend it to all my Navy friends and family.”
Katherine, thank you for that. It’s crucial that American citizens begin to learn the facts so they can vote knowledgeably.
We on the alternative media learn a lot from the internet, yet the majority of the population have only faith in the mainstream media. If it is not being talked about on NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, or NPR, then it never happened or it is a conspiracy.
Israel and their Red Shield Inc (Bauer) are the source of Western Ills.
GroupThink keeps it censored and is Stockholm syndrome.
The US is ruined by these parasites.
Katherine. My father’s Libyan students told him”Sir the Capital of United States is Tel Aviv. This was back in the late 50’s and early very early 60’s. At that time, my father thought they had exaggerated but long before his death in 1997, he was convinced they were right.
As to Israel: With friends like this, who needs enemies?
Thanks, Ray for this reminder of another atrocity of Israel, one of many betrayals of the people of the United States by the politician “protectors” of US secrets and their bribery sources overseas. Indeed our future will be more secure, and our world position far more honorable, when we have re-purposed most of our military and intelligence apparatus for humanitarian projects. Only then can we restore the position of the US as a moral and political leader of the world.
China has allocated $46 billion to build the 1,500 mile China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to link its underdeveloped west to the Arabian Sea. India is building a Delhi-Mumbai corridor of 1000 miles, also to develop remote regions. Just the $6.5 trillion that the Pentagon was “unable to account for” in 2015 alone, would have built 1000 of these giant corridors of infrastructure and development, complete with schools and hospitals, enough infrastructure to raise the poorest half of the world’s population from poverty, ignorance, malnutrition, and disease. Instead the US continues to murder millions around the world and substitute dictatorships for democracies, for military medals and weapons profits, for bribes to politicians who pose with the flag and accuse their moral superiors of disloyalty.
America’s only enemy is the internal corruption of the Tyrant, who as Aristotle warned must create foreign enemies to pose falsely as protector. We see that every day in the news. Jefferson warned that “the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants” in every generation, for this is the only language of the tyrant. This is long overdue. Democracy must be restored at any cost, or all is lost for ourselves and those we love and sympathize with.
We must find the ways, not only to educate citizens morally and politically, but primarily to organize to destroy oligarchy and its economic power over elections, mass media, and public information. We succeed only when we have secured amendments and laws to protect these tools of democracy from oligarchy. We must call out those who create divisions and promote one group, theory, or candidate over another. We must create progressive political parties that truly represent their supporters and form coalitions to elect candidates.
Amen Sam.
I monitored the attack on the Liberty in a secure space (underground bunker in Morocco). Due to my rate (USNCT) I could have been on that ship. I could have been one of the sacrificed. But I was not warned that I could be. I was told the opposite. I was told I was too important to be put in harm’s way, too valuable an intelligent asset to be in a war zone. That’s why I chose that rate. I had no intention of being part of a suicide/murder pact. I would not be killed/kill without question, on orders, like a robot. I lived/live on my terms, by my mind, by my choice based on my values.
I did/do not trust others to decide if I should live or be sacrificed for god, country, or any purpose I did not agree with.
That autonomy is not shared by most. They are willing to forfeit their sovereignty to an elite. So be it. It’s their life, their choice to live it on their terms or let others decide their fate. I do not. I accept the responsibility for my life, my decisions, but I insist that I live my life.
I grant that right to others, and I expect them to grant it to me. Isn’t that what the concept of rights means?
But those who would evade the responsibility for their life, delegate others as their representative with full power to let them live or not, do not grant me my autonomy. I am supposed to chose as they do, in fact, if not, be forced against my will. I am to be conscripted into a “social compact”, by virtue of my birth within arbitrary lines on a map. This is not sane. It is not consistent with my right to life, liberty, property, and happiness. And I do not, will not allow it. But I am outnumbered. I am one in a hundred. Still I resist and insist of living freely, being a freethinker.
My choice is Jefferson’s choice as set forth in the Declaration of Independence. He put the individual before the government. In fact, the only purpose of the American govt. was to serve the individual by protecting rights. That kind of govt., that foundation for govt. was new, unique to the world. It was dependent on an independent populace for its existence. It existed at the pleasure of the populace that could remove or replace it. And this new sovereign person, instead of a sovereign ruler, was what made up a new society, and created a prosperous world that attracted like minded people from everywhere. It worked so well that America became the envy of everyone seeking wealth. Looking for a shortcut to wealth, it was the strategy of politicians/bureaucrats to conspire. They used the old respect/fear of govt. power to steal wealth from targeted groups. The extorted rebelled. But they did not understand how to effectively resist. Their communication skills (they were farmers) were limited and their resort to violence against overwhelmingly superior govt. force failed. The Whiskey Rebellion was in the right, morally, but the strategy of violence against isolated bureaucrats instead of reasoned, organized protests and non-violant campaigns doomed it to failure.
Their downfall was their political ignorance. It was a new era. Little was known about political philosophy as applied to organizing popular discontent to counter organized govt. injustice. This struggle, this producer versus thief, has continued to this day, with the parasites winning, as they destroy their hosts.
It is the majority support for political power that fuels the exploitation. If enough become enlightened as to their mistake, the support need only be removed, and the parasite dies. As long as people fail to acknowledge their enemy is created by them, by their moral blank check given to a system of institutionalized violence, then they will be dominated because their irrational fear of self governance.
Thanks for your good points, well stated. Many do seek refuge in groupthink, in fear of self governance, social pressure, and job security. Some of the early rebellion was quelled in part by better law, regulation, and judicial process. We have far more difficult barriers to civil power now, far more corruption, and far less presumption of personal independence. Also far more sophisticated control of public information, debate, and surveillance. I am not sure whether that translates to having less courage as a nation.
How are we going to get an honest media? The owners are socialists, and they hire likeminded.