Did Johnson Administration Allow the Attack on the USS Liberty and Why - Essay Example

Did Johnson administration allow the attack on the USS Liberty and why? The USS Liberty event was a tragic assault on a US Navy ship called USS Liberty at international waters about 23km from the shore of the Sinai Peninsula by Israeli torpedo boats and fighter planes on June 8, 1967. It took place during the ‘Six Day War’, a war between Israel and some Arab states. The attack was one of the deadliest attacks on US navy after the Second World War and killed 34 navy personnel besides injuring at least 173. Both American and Israeli governments had carried out several inquiries about this tragic incident. They came to the conclusion that the attack was caused by unfortunate mistake due to a misunderstanding about the identity of USS Liberty. Several high officials of the then US administration including Secretary of State, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director of NSA, as well as an organization of liberty survivors very strongly challenged it. The Israel government’s official position was that it was a tragic accident. They repeatedly stated that they were assured by the United States that no US ship was traveling around in that area. The Israeli fighter planes and torpedoes wrongly identified it as the Egyptian vessel El Quseir. Supporters of the official positions of both governments say that no believable reason existed for Israel to start a sudden attack against such a crucial ally. They also believed that such tragic mistakes were possible in the tense atmosphere of the Six Day War. Moreover, United States were worried about such dangers and made arrangements to move USS Liberty farther away from the coast. But, unfortunately the order was not delivered in time due to a failure in communication. This theory is credible considering the fact that several countries erroneously attack their allies during war which has been known as ‘friendly fire’. On the other hand, several people believe that it was a premeditated and calculated attack. They argue that the USS Liberty was much larger than Egyptian vessel El Quseir and the ship was clearly designated with Latin letters and numbers. Generally, Egyptian vessels are marked in Arabic letters and numbers. The assistant secretary for defense in 2001, John Stenbit, says “The Israelis called us up one day and said, "If you dont get that ship, the LIBERTY, out of this place were going to sink it in twenty-four hours." Reportedly, they couldnt tell the ship to move when they got the data back it was already under the water, and it took more than twenty-four hours for the data to wander in through the system and come out at the other end.” (Stenbit, Honorable John. An Excerpt from a Presentation. Assistant Secretary for Defense C31. Harvard University. 13 Mar. 2003) When former congressman Paul N Mccloskey interviewed an Israeli pilot who participated in the attack, he said that he could easily recognize the USS Liberty was an American ship. He was told to ignore the American flag and continue the attack. He refused to do so and was arrested on his return to base. Moreover, the United States embassy could hear the pilot’s protests through radio monitors. Dwight porter, the then US ambassador to Lebanon, confirmed it. He informed it to syndicate columnists Robert Novak and Rowland Evans and was ready for further questioning by authorities. But the authorities in the Washington showed no interest in hearing the first person account of Israeli betrayal. The issue was officially closed 17th December, 1987 and Israel paid near about $13 million as compensation. It is believed that during the attack two rescue efforts were made from a US aircraft carrier nearby, but strangely, war planes were recalled. In the second attempt, when the war planes from air craft was ordered to return to base, the 6th fleet real admiral Lawrence Geis, demanded a confirmation order as he was not able to believe that Washington would let the USS Liberty to sink. The question to be answered was why did Johnson recall the air craft. A journalist named Peter Hounam wrote a book, Operation Cyanide in 2003 in his attempts to explain the controversy. He alleges that the president Lyndon B Johnson and Israel clandestinely agreed on the fourth day of the Six Day War that USS Liberty would be sunk completely and the blame would be laid on Egypt. This would allow United States to attack Egypt, thus helping out US ally Israel. He further alleges that as the ship did not sink even after two hours, they quickly changed their plan and Israel expressed regret and attributed it for mistaken identity. Similarly, a BBC documentary in 2002, asserted that the attack on USS Liberty incited the launch of nuclear-armed planes aimed Cairo from a US Aircraft carrier. It is alleged that they were recalled just in time, when it was clear to everybody that Israel was responsible for the attack. It is also relevant that before the Six Day War in 1967, Israel’s principle military ally was France, and United States was very reluctant to sell sophisticated offensive weapons to Israel. The situation became different in 1967. Critiques argue that it was a clear demonstration of treachery and influence of the Jewish state on United States. On 22nd October 2003, Capt. Ward Boston, a retired Navy Lawyer, stated that President Johnson and secretary of state John McNamara had asked the investigators to conclude that the attack had been a case of mistaken identity. The question to be answered is why would the president of the most powerful nation on earth allow his own people to be slaughtered. It was probably due to his own apprehension on getting reelected. Everybody knows that Jewish community is very powerful in the United States and he was very badly in need of their support in the election. He made a plan to gain their confidence by participating in the war and supporting the Israeli cause. Moreover, he didn’t want the world to realize that Israelis were massacring Egyptian prisoners of war. Johnson further was well aware that a thorough investigation should be conducted regarding circumstances which led to this attack. But he was so afraid that he did not order an investigation by the congress. Sometimes, his actions were unforgivable; and had been quoted as uttering, “I don’t care how many Americans are attacked, I will not attack our friend and ally, Israel.” Work cited Stenbit, Honorable John. An Excerpt from a Presentation. Assistant Secretary for Defense C31. Harvard University. 13 Mar. 2003. 28 Mar. 2007 . Read More