What is the Status of the Required War Crimes Report Investigation?
On June 8, 1967, the combined forces of the Israeli Air Force and Navy attacked the USS Liberty.
On June 8, 2005, USS Liberty Survivors represented by the USS Liberty Veterans Association filed “A Report: War Crimes Committed Against U.S. Military Personnel, June 8, 1967” with the Secretary of the Army in his capacity as Executive Agent for the Secretary of Defense. See https://www.ussliberty.com/files/public/War%20Crimes%20Report%20with%20Exhibits.pdf
According to DoD Directive 5100.77(C)(3) “Alleged violations of the law of war, whether committed by or against U.S. or enemy personnel, are promptly reported, thoroughly investigated, and, where appropriate, remedied by corrective action.” See https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA272470.pdf
According to the USS Liberty Veterans Association, since the filing of the War Crimes Report in 2005, no USS Liberty survivor has been approached to provide evidence and testimony as is required by the DoD Directive.
Will the US government criminalize USS Liberty survivors' effort to persuade the US government to investigate the attack on their ship?
Some states have enacted laws that restrict or outlaw the criticism of Israel.
For over five decades survivors of the June 8, 1967, Israeli attack on the USS Liberty have tried to persuade the US government to investigate the attack on their ship.
According to USS Liberty survivors, the IDF committed War Crimes during that attack. They codified this in the War Crimes Report they submitted to the Department of the Army on June 8, 2005. A copy of that Report is available at https://www.ussliberty.com/files/public/WCR%20with%20Exhibits.pdf.
Given that some may characterize that War Crimes Report as criticism of Israel, is there a movement afoot in Congress to restrict or outlaw USS Liberty survivors' effort to ensure the US government finally investigates the attack on their ship?
IDF Cannot Overcome Egyptian Tramp Steamer
Israel and her partisans alternatively claim the attack on the USS Liberty was either “Friendly Fire” or “Mistaken Identity.”
Assuming for the sake of argument that one or both of those reasons is correct, why could the IDF NOT overcome a lone, unarmed, 40-year-old, rusted-out, black-hulled Egyptian tramp steamer during an attack lasting over an hour?
The most powerful military in the Middle East that decimated the entire combined militaries of the Arab nations arrayed against it in less than six days COULD NOT OVERCOME a lone, unarmed Egyptian tramp steamer that had been reported bombarding Israeli positions in the Sinai Peninsula.
Members of Congress need to be made to take a public position on whether or not they accept the Israeli claim of either “Friendly Fire” or “Mistaken Identity” given the improbability of its accuracy.
New US Navy Ship Named After Traitor
The US Navy has named its new DDG1002 after the President of the United States who ordered the Sixth Fleet to abandon its effort to come to the aid of a US Navy ship under attack and calling for help.
That order cost the lives of 25 of our shipmates killed by the torpedo and cleared the deck for the Israel Defense Force to continue its attack unhampered by Sixth Fleet intervention.
That action by the US Navy is an outrage to the sacrifice of 34 of our shipmates killed during the attack.
We ask that you take this opportunity to express your outrage at this travesty by asking your Congressional Delegation to share your outrage—and express theirs—with the Department of Defense and the Department of the Navy by emailing the letters below.
Condemn IDF Machine Gunning USS Liberty Life Rafts
On June 8, 1967, the IDF attacked the USS Liberty. Among the War Crimes the IDF committed during that attack is the deliberate machine gunning of life rafts we had dropped over the side in anticipation of abandoning ship.
This removed any chance any USS Liberty crewmen would survive the sinking of our ship.
No Member of Congress has acknowledged, let alone condemned, this barbaric action by the IDF.
This letter gives Members of Congress the opportunity of condemning the deliberate machine gunning of our life rafts in the water.
Investigate USS Liberty Attack
The US government has investigated every attack on a US Navy ship since the end of WWII except for the attack on the USS Liberty.
The attack on the USS Liberty resulted in the death of 34, the wounding of 174 others and the total destruction of the ship.
Despite an effort by USS Liberty survivors for over 50 years, no Member of Congress has agreed that an attack on a US Navy ship warrants scrutiny by the US government,
We disagree and think you do as well.
Request to Congress to Accept USS Liberty Survivor Text in Boilerplate
For over 54 years when Members of Congress have been contacted by a constituent with a question about the USS Liberty attack the response they receive from their Congressional Delegation has always included boilerplate lies from Israel partisans or from the Department of Defense.
Many times we have contacted Members of Congress with an offer to provide facts about what we witnessed during the attack. Facts that are not contained in any official US government investigation of the attack since none exist.
Each time our offer is ignored.
With this letter you will be asking this to change—you are asking for Members of Congress to include facts provided by USS Liberty survivors in replies to their constituents who write to inquire about the attack on our ship.
Don’t Let the IDF Write the USN Official History of the USS Liberty Attack
In 2017 the US Navy Historian wrote the Official US Navy Account of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty based entirely upon unreviewed and unanalyzed accounts presented by the Israel Defense Forces–the very same organization accused of committing War Crimes against the United States with impunity and without remorse.
We analyze this “history” of the attack on our ship in some detail at Would the US Navy Allow the Japanese Government to Write the Official US Navy Account of the Pearl Harbor Attack? – USS Liberty Veterans Blog.
On June 8, 2005, USS Liberty Survivors represented by the USS Liberty Veterans Association filed “A Report: War Crimes Committed Against U.S. Military Personnel, June 8, 1967” with the Secretary of the Army in his capacity as Executive Agent for the Secretary of Defense. See https://www.ussliberty.com/files/public/War%20Crimes%20Report%20with%20Exhibits.pdf
We think that is insulting to our fallen, their families, the survivors of the attack and to the American people. We hope you feel as we do and that you will send the letter below to your Congressional Delegation.
Request Copy of Congressional Investigation of Attack
On June 8, 1967, while steaming in international waters off the coast of the Sinai Peninsula the USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was attacked.
That attack resulted in the death of 34 Americans, the wounding of 174 and enough damage to the USS Liberty to render it uneconomical to repair and return to service so it was sold for scrap.
Ask for a copy of the Congressional investigation of that attack.
According to DoD Directive 5100.77(C)(3) "Alleged violations of the law of war, whether committed by or against U.S. or enemy personnel, are promptly reported, thoroughly investigated, and, where appropriate, remedied by corrective action." See https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA272470.pdf
With this letter, you will ask your Congressional Delegation to contact the Congressional Research Service and ask a simple question, “Has the US government investigated the June 8, 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty?”
Have Your Congressional Delegation Contact the Congressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service is the preeminent independent US government research agency that all Members of Congress rely upon for expert research by experts on any subject.
For a Congressional Research Service researcher to research a topic, a Member of Congress must make a request. There is no other way.
On June 8, 1967, the combined forces of the Israeli Air Force and Navy attacked the USS Liberty.