A Betrayed History: The USS Liberty

"The deck is stacked so heavily against truth, peace, and justice."

As I often remind both my readers and myself, the only way to navigate the chaos of our world is to relentlessly pursue the truth. That means challenging our assumptions, questioning the education we’ve received, and re-evaluating everything we've absorbed from state-sponsored legacy media.

“The deck is stacked so heavily against truth, peace, and justice. You will watch powerlessly as your government backs genocides, starts wars, and unleashes nightmare after nightmare upon the global south.

We live in a tyrannical dystopia that’s driving humanity to its doom, and we need to wake up from the propaganda indoctrination and egoic delusions which keep us complying with the status quo so that we can use the power of our numbers to overthrow our oppressors and create a healthy world.”—Caitlin Johnstone

We must commit to uncovering the truth—regardless of our preferred narratives, and examine historical events and their lasting impact on the present. History is cyclical, and understanding its facts is essential to building a healthier world today.

Recommended watch:

A few days ago, USS Liberty survivor Phil Tourney sat down with Candace Owens to discuss his lifelong struggle to reveal the truth about Israel’s attack on the American research ship during a Six-Day War in 1967. It’s widely believed the goal was to sink the Liberty and blame Arab states, provoking the U.S. into World War III.

This is so important to watch, guys. And to share with everyone you know who wants to chip away at the lies we have been fed all our lives.

Drafting Americans into foreign wars under false pretenses, claiming to protect and serve—only to kill or permanently cripple young men seeking education, better lives, or simply believing they are fighting for their country, is among the most deplorable outcomes of Western think tanks. Watching these men come to terms with what they’ve lost for their government’s imperial pursuits and hegemony is heartbreaking. Yet, it’s an essential watch.

Per Minpress News:

“The USS Liberty incident was an attack on a U.S. Navy intelligence ship in international waters about 12.5 nautical miles from the coast of the Sinai Peninsula, north of El Arish, by Israeli fighter planes and torpedo boats.

It occurred during the Six-Day War, a conflict between Israel and the Arab states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The Israeli attack killed 34 U.S. servicemen and wounded at least 173. The attack was the second deadliest against a U.S. Naval vessel since the end of World War II and marked the single greatest loss of life by the U.S. Intelligence Community.”

Another essential watch:

After decades of trying to get the truth out, the new evidence was exposed in the documentary The Day Israel Attacked America, by award-winning British filmmaker Richard Belfield, in 2014. The documentary includes audio that proves the Israelis knew they were attacking a US ship. Survivors of the attack have long maintained that Israel intended to kill the entire crew and sink the USS Liberty as a means of scapegoating blame for the incident onto Egypt.

“I acquired a copy of the audiotape of the attack as it had unfolded, the real time conversations between Israeli Air Force pilots and their controllers back at base. It had never been broadcast before. I went to talk to Al Jazeera and after careful consideration, the network commissioned the film.” – Richard Belfield

Recommended read:

The Intercept conducted a thorough investigation into the Liberty and published classified documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden related to the attack and its aftermath.

Fifty Years Later, NSA Keeps Details of Israel’s USS Liberty Attack Secret

New Snowden documents provide precious few new details about an incident that remains shrouded — and controversial.

By Miriam Pensack, on June 6, 2017.

“The documents reveal previously unknown involvement by Government Communications Headquarters, the U.K. signals intelligence agency; internal NSA communications that seem to bolster a signals intelligence analyst’s account of the incident, which framed it as an accident; as well as a Hebrew transliteration system unique to the NSA that was in use at least as recently as 2006.”

The case of the USS Liberty is riddled with cover-ups, denials, and gag orders imposed on the survivors. It’s an extraordinary story set against the decades-long effort by the American press to portray Israel as our greatest friend and ally.

Pro-Israel media and individuals regularly dismiss inquiries into the Liberty, ignoring the pain expressed by the survivors and dismissively labeling it a mistake, a fog of war, or a bogus old claim.

“The Liberty Veterans Association, an organization comprised of survivors of the 1967 attack, has called for a robust and transparent investigation into the incident for decades, to no avail.

The incident and its aftermath took a significant psychological toll on survivors, many of whom were reported to suffer from PTSD. One survivor and member of the Liberty Veterans Association, James Ennes, was shot in the femur during the attack, and was then instructed never to discuss it. Ernie Gallo had a fellow crewmate die in his arms. It was decades before survivors began sharing their experiences, and they were sometimes criticized for being anti-Semitic or slanderous of Israel for doing so.”

“Our only sin is that we survived.” - US Navy Vet USS Liberty survivor.

It’s paramount to listen to these veterans, to hear Phil Tourney’s own words and his plea for an investigation into the horrific experience that brought so much sorrow into their lives.

It’s also crucial to seek the truth about the USS Liberty, especially given how many American government officials and media personalities with dual Israeli citizenship bristle at the attention given to this mass murder of American sailors. Their efforts to dismiss it as an insignificant mistake, rather than supporting an investigation, are telling. It’s important to recognize that their dual citizenship doesn’t necessarily imply dual loyalty, but rather one true loyalty—to Israel.

In USS Liberty veterans’ own words:

To learn more about the USS Liberty and the surviving veterans' fight to reveal the truth, to join their movement, or to donate to their cause, visit their website.